God the Holy Spirit - Wenstrom · Seven Salvation Ministries of God the Holy Spirit Introduction At the moment a person makes the non-meritorious decision to believe in Jesus Christ

Seven Salvation Ministries of God the Holy Spirit Introduction At the moment a person makes the non-meritorious decision to believe in Jesus Christ for eternal salvation simultaneously, God the Holy Spirit performs seven ministries on behalf of the believer: (1) Efficacious Grace: Makes faith in Jesus Christ effective for salvation (2 Cor. 6:1-2; Eph. 2:8-9). (2) Regeneration: Creates a human spirit for the purpose of the imputation of eternal life (John 3:1-16; Titus 3:5). (3) Baptism of the Spirit: Places every believer in union with Jesus Christ (John 7:37-39; 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 4:5; 1 Pet. 3:21). (4) Indwelling: Creates a temple for the indwelling of Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19-20; 2 Cor. 6:16). (5) Filling: Controls the soul of the believer and is the means of executing the Plan of God (Eph. 5:18). (6) Sealing: Puts His stamp on the believer to guarantee their salvation (2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13; 4:30). (7) Distribution of Spiritual Gifts: Gives every believer a spiritual gift (1 Cor. 12:4-11). Efficacious Grace

Efficacious Grace is one of the 60 Things that a believer receives at the moment they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ when God the Holy Spirit makes a person’s faith in Christ effective for salvation.

When a person hears the Gospel message, God the Holy Spirit makes it understandable, which is called Common Grace. He has to make it understandable to the unbeliever because the Gospel is a spiritual message but the unbeliever is spiritually dead. He needs help to understand the things of God. The Gospel is spiritualese. The unbeliever needs a Translator. Once the Holy Spirit translates the Gospel for the unbeliever like an interpreter of a foreign language. The unbeliever then has to make a decision once he understands what he has heard. God has given everyone a soul and in that soul he has placed a volition or free will. The free will or volition is the light switch in your soul. The person who believes in Christ for salvation flicks on the light switch and now walks in the light while the person who doesn’t believe in Christ remains in the darkness. If a person makes the decision to believe in Christ that person is not saved yet... I repeat they are not saved yet... God the Holy Spirit has to do 1 more thing, which is our subject... God the Holy Spirit has to make a person’s faith in Christ effective for salvation. This is called Efficacious Grace.

2 Corinthians 6:1-2, "And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain-for He says, 'At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation (the day that you believed in Christ) I (God the Holy Spirit) helped you,’ behold, now is 'the acceptable time,’ behold, now is 'the day of salvation.'"

Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved in the past completely, through the instrumentality of the Faith (in Christ), with the present result that you are in a state of salvation which goes on forever, and this (the grace & the faith) is not of yourselves, it (the grace & the faith) is the gift of God; not as a result of human works, that no one should boast (before God)” (corrected translation).

A person’s faith in Christ does not save them until God the Holy Spirit does something with that person’s faith. Efficacious Grace is a big word for when the omnipotence of God the Holy

2003 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 1

Spirit takes a spiritually dead person’s faith in Christ for salvation and makes it effective or valid for salvation.

The best way to describe efficacious grace is through the drowning man analogy. A person who is drowning cries out for help, don’t they? Of course, they do. A drowning person cries out for help because they are helpless. A drowning person cries out to another person for help because they cannot save themselves. A person’s faith in Christ is like a drowning person’s cry for help. A person’s faith in Jesus Christ for salvation is a cry to God for help. God the Holy Spirit hears the person’s decision to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation and then proceeds to save that person like a lifeguard who saves a person from drowning... A person is not saved from drowning until the lifeguard pulls them out of the water. In the same way, a person is not saved until God the Holy Spirit makes a person’s faith in Christ effective for salvation. A drowning man is not saved by simply crying out for help and neither is a person saved by simply having faith in Christ. Someone has to hear and then pull a drowning man out of the water to be saved, right? Well, God the Holy Spirit has to hear our faith in Christ and then He has to save us. God the Holy Spirit is our spiritual lifeguard Who makes our faith in Christ effective for salvation. We are saved from drowning in the Lake of Fire forever and ever when God the Holy Spirit, our spiritual lifeguard takes our cry for help, faith alone in Christ alone and makes it effective for salvation which is analogous to being pulled out of the water. Regeneration

Regeneration takes place at the moment of salvation when the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit creates a human spirit in the believer in order that they may receive the imputation of eternal life enabling the believer to live with God forever. It is 1 of the 60 Things that the believer receives at salvation.

Regeneration is our spiritual birth. It is a theological word for being born-again. Every person born into this world that has human life is born spiritually dead. Every baby that is born into this world is physically alive but spiritually dead. Every baby that is born into this world receives the imputation of Adam’s original sin in the garden making them spiritually dead. When Adam sinned, the entire human race sinned (Rom. 5:12). God imputed Adam’s sin to every person born into the world in order that He might show grace and mercy to everyone (Rom. 11:32).

So that when a person believes on the Lord Jesus Christ when they hear the Gospel communicated to them, God creates a human spirit in them in order that they may become spiritually alive. When you become born-again or regenerated, you have passed from spiritual death to spiritual life. Our human spirit enables us to understand the things of God (1 Cor. 2:10-14). Unbelievers can’t understand the things of God because they don’t have this human spirit. Only the believer in fellowship with God can understand the things of God. When we are born-again we also receive the imputation of eternal life. Eternal life enables the believer to live with God forever.

Eternal life has no beginning and no end and is the life of God. So when we become born-again, we have the life of God, which enables us to live with Him forever and ever. No one can have a relationship with God without being born-again or regenerated.

Regeneration is a part of God’s grace policy directed toward us. Grace means that we don’t earn or deserve to be born again. It is a gift from God. We can’t take credit for the fact that we have been born again since it is entirely the work of the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit.


Regeneration or being born again is our entrance into the Plan of God and a fantastic life full of blessing.

There are several passages that support this doctrine. John 1:12-13, “But as many as received Him (Faith alone in Christ alone), to them He

(God) gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name (His Person), who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh (old sin nature), nor of the will of man, but of God.”

John 3:1-8, “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Him by night, and said to Him (the Lord Jesus Christ), ‘Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him. Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water (Acceptance of the Gospel message) and the Spirit (God the Holy Spirit in Common Grace making the Gospel understandable and then making the person’s faith effective for salvation in Efficacious Grace), he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh (old sin nature) is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (human spirit). Do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going, so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Titus 3:5, “He (God the Holy Spirit) saved us, not on the basis of deeds (human works) which we have done in (human power) righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.”

1 Peter 1:3, “Worthy of praise and glorification is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who according to His great mercy (grace in action) has caused us to be born again to a living confidence through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

1 Peter 1:23, “For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable (the old sin nature passed down from your human father) but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God.”

1 John 5:1, “Whoever believes that Jesus (emphasizing His humanity) is the Christ (the Messiah, the Savior of the world) is born of God.”

Eternal life is the life of God, and has no beginning and no end. The imputation of eternal life is a real imputation and all imputations of life are real imputations. A real imputation has a home or target. The human spirit that God the Holy Spirit created at the moment of faith in Christ is the home or target for the imputation of eternal life. God the Holy Spirit creates a human spirit at the moment of salvation. Just as God prepared the soul as the target or home for human life, so also He prepares the human spirit as the target or home for eternal life. Both, the soul and the human spirit were created by an act of God. Both, the soul and the human spirit cannot be destroyed. The imputation of human life to the soul is unchangeable and forever. The imputation of eternal life to the human spirit is also unchangeable and forever. Both of these imputations are permanent. God cannot undo what He Himself has done. No life, whether human or eternal, can ever be separated from the home or target to which it is imputed. There is 2 requirements must be met if we are to have an eternal relationship with God, and both are imputed at the moment of salvation: (1) We must have His righteousness. (2) We must have His life. Ever since we believed in Christ, we possess 2 kinds of life. We will live forever with God because we have


His life, eternal life. Without eternal life we would not have the capacity for blessing in eternity. Eternal life is God's life and is an attribute of His Divine Essence.

Eternal life guarantees: (1) We will live with God forever. (2) We will receive a resurrection body. Eternal life is like a treasure chest. There are blessings for time in this treasure chest. God gave us eternal life so that we can withdraw from the treasure chest of blessings in time. Eternal life was imputed to us so that we can enjoy blessings. We receive these blessings by growing to spiritual maturity through positive volition to Bible Doctrine.

Romans 5:17, "For if by the transgression of the one (Adam's original sin), the (spiritual) death ruled through that one (Adam-and it did), much more (a fortiori principle) they who receive in life this surplus from the grace of God (the blessings of time to the spiritually mature believer) and the gift of the righteousness of God (imputed at salvation), much more they shall rule through the One, Jesus Christ." Baptism of the Spirit

During the dispensation of the church age when a person exercises faith alone in Christ alone, the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit places that person in a eternal union with Christ, thus identifying the believer positionally with Christ in His death and resurrection. This results in making the believer a permanent member of the royal family of god, a new spiritual species and eternally secure (Mark 16:16; John 7:37-39; 14:20; Acts 1:5; 2:1-4; Rom. 6:3-5; 1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:26-28; Eph. 4:5; Col. 2:11-13; 1 Pet. 3:21).

Vocabulary: Bapto (verb): “to dip, to dye, to stain, to wet, to moisten”; Baptizo (verb): “to put or place into something, to identify”; Baptisma (noun): “identification”; Baptismos (noun): “the ritual washing of cups, utensils, bowls.”

Bapto is seldom found in the NT but is found extensively in Classical and Hellenistic writings. Homer, Aeschylus, Euripides, Aristotle, Sophocles, Euripides, Epictectus, Aristophanes, all used the verb bapto. It is used 16 times in the LXX and is found once in Luke 16:24, twice in John 13:26, and once in Revelation 19:13. It has many diverse meanings and usages during the Classical and Hellenistic periods. Bapto is never used to put an object into a fluid to remain there permanently or for an unlimited amount of time. Nor is it used to draw up anything out of a liquid, which it had not first put into it. There are 2 categorical usages from which there are several modifications. Primary and Secondary usages: (1) Primary usage: “to dip.” Bapto in its primary usage expresses a sharply defined action. It demands a movement, which carries its object momentarily, within a fluid element. Examples:“if any one should dip into wax” (Aristotle, On the Soul, 3.12) and “He dipped a vessel into water” (Constantine, Epigr of Hermolaus). From this primary usage, bapto can mean, “to wet, to moisten, to wash, to plunge.” In the 9th book of the Odyssey, Homer uses the word to compare the hissing sound of Cyclops punctured eye with the sound cold water makes when a blacksmith plunges (bapto) a red hot iron into it (Od. 9, 392). (1) Secondary usage: “to dye” Examples: “When it drops upon the garments they are dyed” (Hippocrates).


Bapto in its secondary usage expresses a condition or quality of color to be secured. Bapto in its secondary usage demands a condition, which is met by flowing, pouring, or sprinkling. From this secondary usage, bapto can mean, “to stain, to smear, to paint, to temper, to impregnate, to make gold or inlay with gold.” In the 9th book of the Odyssey, Homer uses the word to compare the hissing sound of Cyclops punctured eye with the sound cold water makes when a blacksmith plunges (bapto) a red hot iron into it (Od. 9, 392).

Out of bapto’s secondary usage grew baptizo. Homer, Aristotle, Plutarch, Polybius, Epictectus, Hippocrates, Aristophanes, Strabo, Josephus and Philo all used baptizo. It is only found 4 times in the LXX and many times in the NT. Baptizo has many diverse meanings and usages in the Classical and Hellenistic periods.

Baptizo’s primary usage can also be called its literal usage and its secondary usage can also be called its metaphorical or figurative usage. Baptizo is the intensified form of bapto. The suffix -izo introduces a causative notion to bapto. Baptizo refers to that which literally “causes a thoroughly complete change of condition or permanent change of condition.” The literal usage refers to an object’s thoroughly changed condition that has been brought about by the object being introduced into some new circumstance. Baptizo in its primary or literal usage refers to placing an object in any fluid that could change the object’s condition without respect to time. After the object’s condition has been changed, the enveloping fluid has no further power to effect additional change on the object. In the literal or physical sense baptizo refers to that which is destructive for persons and for things and this is why it is not found in classical writings of ritual bathes.

Literal usage: “to immerse, to plunge, to submerge, to wash, to make clean by dipping in water, to bath oneself, to drown, to perish, to sink a ship, to sink in the mud.” Example 1: “We all, therefore, changed our position to the higher parts of the ship, so that we might raise up the baptized part of the ship” (Achilles Tatius 3.1). Example 2: “Alexander, falling upon the stormy season, and trusting, commonly, to fortune, pressed on before the flood went out, and through the entire day the army marched baptized up to the waist” (Strabo, 14.3.9). Baptizo developed a secondary or metaphorical usage from this primary or literal usage. In its secondary or metaphorical usage, baptizo referred to being placed into an element that could effect a thoroughly changed or permanently changed condition without regard to time. It refers to a condition that results from baptism and to the cause of that condition, regardless of the way in which the condition is affected. Metaphorical usage: “to overwhelm, to inflict great and abounding calamities on someone, to be overwhelmed with faults, desires, sicknesses, magical arts, to sink into sleep, intoxication, impotence, to flood a city with crowds, to be soaked in wine, to be over one’s head and ears in debt, to be in deep water, i.e., trouble, to draw wine by dipping a cup in a bowl.”

Paul took the metaphorical or figurative usage of baptizo and developed yet another usage, which is identification. When Paul uses baptizo in relation to the Baptism of the Spirit in 1 Cor. 12:13 and Eph. 4:5, he is talking about “the act of identifying


one thing with another resulting in a permanent change of condition.” Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines the verb identify, “to cause to be or become identical, to conceive as united (as in spirit, outlook, or principle).” Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines the noun identification, “a process by which a person ascribes to himself the qualities or characteristics of another person.” Baptizo is found in 1 Cor. 12:13 and Eph. 4:5 and means “to be placed in eternal union with Christ by the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation resulting in permanent change of condition.” The Greek author and soldier, Xenophon in his work Anabasis describes a ritual identification used by Greek and barbarian soldiers before going into battle when they placed (baptizo) the points of their swords and spears in a bowl of blood, which symbolized or represented the blood of their enemy.

There are 2 identifications in the NT as related to baptizo: (1) Ritual (2) Real. Ritual identification is the act of immersing or submerging oneself in water in the ritualistic sense such as Pre-Canon Christian water baptism, Baptism of Jesus, Baptism of John. Real identification is the act of identifying one thing with another as in the Baptism of the Spirit, Baptism of Moses, Baptism of Fire, Baptism of the Cross. Depending upon the context of the passage then, baptizo can refer to a ritual identification or real identification. The passages which speak of the Baptism of the Spirit in 1 Cor. 12:13 and Eph. 4:5 speak of real identification.

Not found in classical writings or the LXX. and is unique to the NT, baptisma meant “the identification of one thing with another resulting in a change” It was used for both real and ritual identification. Used with reference to John’s Baptism (Mark 1:4; 11:30; Luke 3:3; 7:29; 20:4; Acts 1:22; 10:37; 13:24; 18:25; 19:3-4). Used with reference to the Baptism of the Cross (Mark 10:38-39). Used with reference to Retroactive Positional Truth (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12). Used with reference to the Baptism of the Spirit (Eph. 4:5; 1 Pet. 3:21). It was used for both real and ritual identification.

There are 7 Baptisms in the Word of God: (1) Baptism of John (2) Baptism of Jesus (3) Christian Water Baptism in the Pre-Canon Period of the Church Age (4) Baptism of Moses (5) Baptism of the Cross (6) Baptism of Fire (7) Baptism of the Spirit. There are 3 ritual identifications in the Bible: (1) Baptism of John (2) Baptism of Jesus (3) Christian Water Baptism. There are 4 real identifications in the Bible: (1) Baptism of Moses (2) Baptism of the Cross (3) Baptism of Fire (4) Baptism of the Spirit.

Ritual baptisms use water as a teaching tool to picture by ritual a real identification. The first ritual identification is the Baptism of John (Matt. 3:1-10; John 1:25-33). Water represented the kingdom of God. Believer was submerged (usually Jordan River). Identified with the kingdom through their faith in Christ. Coming out of the water was a picture of resurrection. Identified with the King forever in a resurrection body.

The second ritual identification is the Baptism of Jesus (Matt. 3:13-17). Jesus told John the Baptist to baptize Him. This baptism represented our Lord’s identification with the Father’s


plan, will, and purpose for His next 3 years. John submerging the Lord under the water of the Jordan River indicated our Lord’s Positive Volition to the Father’s plan for the next 3 yrs. When the Lord came out of the water that was a picture of resurrection.

The third ritual identification is Christian Baptism. Water baptism of the believer in the Pre-Canon Period of NT (Acts 8:36-38; 16:33). Used to teach the Baptism of the Sprit before the canon of Scripture was completed. Ritual for the Pre-Canon period of Church Age until the Canon was completed in 96 A.D. Ritual water baptism ended along with all “temporary” spiritual gifts in 96 A.D. 2 Rituals ordained for the Pre-Canon Period of Church Age: (1) The Lord’s table (2) Water Baptism.

Believers submerged under water indicating identification with Christ in His death and burial (Retroactive Positional Truth: we look back at the Lord’s death and burial). Coming out of the water meant the believer was identified with Christ in His Resurrection, Ascension and Session (Current Positional Truth: believer is “currently” seated at the right hand of Father with Christ.) It represented that you are a: (1) New Spiritual Species. (2) Member of the Royal Family of God. (3) Member of the body of Christ.

Real Baptisms are actual identifications. The Baptism of Moses (1 Cor. 10:2): 2 Million Jews were identified with Moses. No one got wet except the Egyptians. Moses identified himself with the Lord.

The Baptism of the Cup or the Cross (Mark 10:38-39) refers to the identification of our sins with Christ. The Baptism of Fire (Matt. 3:11; Luke 3:16) refers to: All unbelievers who survive the Tribulation are identified with fire at 2nd Advent. They are put into the Fire of Torments. This is a real identification with fire. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 4:5; 1 Pet. 3:21): (1) A real identification. (2) Invisible.

God the Holy Spirit places the Church Age believer in union with Christ at the moment of salvation resulting in a permanent change of condition for the believer. The omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit performs the action. One of 7 Salvation Ministries of God the Holy Spirit at salvation. Connects the Hypostatic Union with the Church Age. Forms the Royal Family of God. Creates a New Spiritual Species. First occurred on the day of Pentecost 30 A.D. in fulfillment of our Lord’s prophecy.

Prophesy of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33): God the Father tells John the Baptist that the Lord Jesus Christ will be responsible for the Baptism of the Spirit (John 1:33). John the Baptist places a clear distinction between water baptism and the Baptism of the Spirit (Mark 1:8; Matt. 3:11; Luke 3:16). The Baptism of the Spirit is for believers and the Baptism of Fire is for the unbeliever (Luke 3:16). Prophesy of our Lord (John 7:37-39): The Baptism of the Spirit is described as “rivers of living water” (John 7:38), The Baptism of the Spirit had not yet taken place when our Lord made this prophesy (John 7:39), The reception of the Baptism of the Spirit is contingent upon believing in Christ (John 7:38), The giving of


the Spirit was contingent upon our Lord’s glorification (John 7:39).

The last day of the great feast refers to the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles, which lasted 8 days (Lev. 23:36), and was considered the climax to the Feast. Seven days symbolized Israel’s wandering the desert and the 8th day was a solemn day of rest depicting the eternal state of the believer in Christ. There was a ceremony during the 8th day in which water was drawn from the Pool of Siloam and then poured out, commemorating God’s provision for Israel in the desert. Our Lord was interpreting the meaning of this ceremony, which depicted the Baptism of the Spirit. The phrase “from His innermost being shall flow rivers of living water” refers to the soul of the believer who receives eternal life (John 4:14; 1 Cor. 10:4). “Shall flow” is the Greek verb rheo, “to gush, overflow,” and was used in the ancient world of gushing or overflowing rivers. Our Lord uses it figuratively of the soul of the believer who has received eternal life.

John 14:16: Our Lord promises to the send the Spirit for the 1st time in the Upper Room Discourse. Our Lord promises the disciples that He will send them “another” (allon) “Helper” (parakletos) to assist them while in the devil’s world. Parakletos means “one who is called or sent for to assist another.” God the Holy Spirit would act in this capacity for believers during the Church Age dispensation. John 14:20: In that day refers to the Day of Pentecost when the apostles would be placed in union with Christ by the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit. “You in Me” is our Lord’s prophesy concerning the Baptism of the Spirit, which is something they had never read in the Scriptures before because it was never known to Old Testament saints. It is exclusive to the Church Age. The phrase “in Me” (en emoi) is a locative of sphere meaning that the apostles will be in the sphere of Christ as a dot within a circle. John 14:26: God the Father sent the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost in the name of our Lord. At that time it was still future to our Lord’s thinking. God the Holy Spirit is our True Teacher of Bible Doctrine. God the Holy Spirit would bring to remembrance all that our Lord said during this night before He was to go to the Cross. The phrase “in My Name” refers to the fact God the Holy Spirit is our Lord’s officially designated representative to the Church. John 14:16 states that the Father sent the Spirit because the Son asked Him. God the Holy Spirit would instruct the Church. God the Holy Spirit would bring to remembrance all that our Lord had spoken to them.

Acts 1:5: Our Lord distinguishes water baptism and the baptism of the Spirit. This prophecy took place on the day of our Lord’s Ascension and Session. Not many days turned out to be 10 days. Ten days after our Lord’s Ascension, the Baptism of the Spirit took place and the Church Age began. Luke states in Acts 1:3 that our Lord appeared to His disciples over a period of 40 days. Pentecost means 50th and designated among the Jews the 50th day after Passover. Our Lord was crucified on the Passover, rose 3 days later, ascended into heaven on the 40th day after Passover


and then sent the Spirit 10 days later on Pentecost. The Baptism of the Spirit could not take place until our Lord was glorified which was about to take place after He finished saying these things to His apostles. Our Lord had to go away.

Acts 1:8: Our Lord repeats His promise to the apostles of sending them the Holy Spirit. Our Lord gives the apostles the promise of a Person (God the Holy Spirit), a power (the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit) and a program (missionary activity to the Jews, the Samaritans and the entire world). Throughout the dispensation of the Church believers would have available to them 100% divine power to execute the Plan of God. The Baptism of the Spirit makes this possible.

The Baptism of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost in June of 30 A.D. was a fulfillment of the prophecies made by John the Baptist and our Lord during the Church Age. The Baptism of the Spirit also took place among the Gentiles as well as the Jews as is recorded by Luke in Acts 10:34-38, 19:1-7, thus making it universal in scope in the Church Age (Gal. 3:27; 1 Cor. 12:13). Pentecost means 50th and was the 2nd national festival in Israel and took place 50 days after the Passover Sabbath (Ex. 23:16; 34:22; Lev. 23:25-21; Num. 28:26-31; Deut. 16:9-12). It was designated the Feast of Weeks which celebrated the wheat harvest in Israel and was a one day feast of celebration. It was originally the festival of the first fruits of the grain harvest (Ex. 23:16; Lev. 23:17-22; Num. 28:26-31). It was called the Feast of Weeks because it came after a period of 7 weeks of harvesting that began with the offering of the first barley sheaf during the Passover celebration and ended with the wheat harvest.

Pentecost took place 50 days after the Feasts of First fruits, which spoke of our Lord’s resurrection. It was celebrated in Israel as the anniversary of the giving of the Mosaic Law at Mount Sinai in 1441 B.C., which was the beginning of the dispensation of the Law. The dispensation of grace began on the Day of Pentecost 30 A.D. with the Baptism of the Spirit. So God is setting a contrast between the Law and Grace. Pentecost was looked upon in Judaism as one of the three great pilgrim festivals in Judaism along with Passover preceding it and Tabernacles some 4 months later. Because it was a great festival in Israel, there were many pilgrims from around the Roman Empire in Jerusalem at this time who spoke many different languages.

Fire (Acts 2:1-4): Luke states that the tongues were like fire, which would be of great significance to Jew in the 1st century. Fire in the Old Testament was a symbol of God’s presence in Israel. The Lord spoke to Moses in the burning bush (Ex. 3:2-5), the pillar of fire guided Israel by night through the wilderness (Ex. 13:21), the consuming fire on Mount Sinai (Ex. 24:17) and the fire that hovered over the wilderness Tabernacle (Ex. 40:38). Luke states the Baptism of the Spirit was like tongues of fire, or as tongues of fire, which denotes the fact that it wasn’t fire or tongues or some ecstatic experience. The word translated as in the New American Standard is the comparative particle hosei, which means “as,” or “like.” The sign of the fire was for the benefit of the disciples to give them the confidence that the


Lord was indeed present among them and to speak the Gospel boldly. Filling of the Spirit vs. Baptism of the Spirit (Acts 2:1-4): “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit” refers to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit which our Lord promised in Acts 1:5, 8 and John the Baptist prophesied in Mark 1:8. This was not the Filling of the Spirit which is commanded of the believer in Eph. 5:18. The Filling of the Spirit can be lost through personal sin which when we name and cite to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, restores us to fellowship. The Filling of the Spirit has to do with the believer’s fellowship with God in time. The Baptism of the Spirit speaks of our eternal union and identification with Christ. The Baptism of the Spirit is permanent and cannot be lost due to the personal sins of the believer, which have already been paid for at the Cross.

The Baptism of the Spirit is unique to the Church Age. The Baptism of the Spirit never took place before the day of Pentecost in June of 30 A.D. and will not take place after the Rapture. The completion of the Royal Family of God at the Rapture will mark the end of the Baptism of the Spirit. The Baptism of the Spirit distinguishes the Church Age from other dispensations. There was no Church before the Baptism of the Spirit.

The apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:13 and Ephesians 4:5 states dogmatically that there is only 1 Baptism. Both passages teach that there is 1 Spirit, God the Holy Spirit and therefore, only 1 Baptism. 1 Corinthians 1:10-17: Paul in 1 Cor. 1:10-17 addresses the problem of divisions in the Corinthian church and he specifically mentions water baptism. Some believers made water baptism an issue, which resulted in divisions among believers in the church of Corinth (1 Cor. 1:10). He asks them the rhetorical question, “Has Christ been divided?” (1 Cor. 1:13). Paul was saying in 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 that water baptism was a non-essential and he emphasizes the fact that Christ sent him to preach the Gospel and not to baptize with water (1 Cor. 1:17). The apostle emphasizes the importance of having the same mind, which refers to being unified in their doctrine (1 Cor. 1:10). The Corinthians were occupied with non-essentials such as tongues and water baptism and not with Bible Doctrine, which is the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16). They place more emphasis on people than on God. They were occupied with people and not with God.

The Corinthians were involved in creature credit and not Creator credit. There is one Baptism (Ephesians 4:3-6): This passage teaches the unity there is among the members of the Trinity and that there is unity among believers as a result of the Baptism of the Spirit. Believers are not united experientially because of Negative Volition towards Bible Doctrine, but there is unity in the Church because of what God the Holy Spirit has done for every believer at the moment of salvation. All believers are unified through the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit at salvation when He places every Church Age believer in union with Christ. Verse 4 states that there is 1 Body, the Body of Christ, and all Church Age believers in Christ. 1 Spirit, God the Holy Spirit. There is only 1 Hope or confident expectation of the Rapture. Verse 5 states that there is only 1 Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ There is only 1 Faith or Doctrine, the Christian faith, Bible doctrine. There is only 1 Baptism, the Baptism of the Spirit, that which is performed by the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit, thus destroying the idea that water baptism is responsible for the


believers eternal union with Christ. Lastly, there is only 1 Father, God the Father, thus destroying the blasphemous statement that there is a universal fatherhood of God. The Father is the Originator or the Author of the plan of God and the Baptism of the Spirit.

This passage dogmatically states that there is 1 Spirit, God the Holy Spirit and therefore, only 1 Baptism. The only Baptism that God recognizes is that which He performs for God only deals with members of the human race through His policy of grace. Grace excludes all human works. Grace is God doing all the work for man and man reaping the benefits by appropriating it through faith.

The Instrumental of Personal Agency: The 1st half of verse 13 identifies the sole Person responsible for the Baptism of the Spirit. The exegesis of 1 Corinthians 12:13 begins with the post-positive conjunction gar plus the conjunction kai. These two words when used together have an emphatic usage and are used to make a point of doctrine. They are used here to introduce and emphasize the mechanics for forming the body of Christ mentioned in the preceding verse. Kai gar should be translated “in fact,” or “point of doctrine.” It introduces an emphatic statement, which dogmatically excludes water baptism.

Next, we have the preposition en plus the instrumental of personal agency pneumati, “Spirit,” preceded by the cardinal number heni. Pneumati, which is from the noun pneuma and refers to God the Holy Spirit. The cardinal number heni, which is from heis and means “one.” The preposition en with the instrumental of personal agency should be translated, “by means of one Person, God the Holy Spirit.” God the Holy Spirit is the personal agency used to form the Body of Christ. The instrumental of personal agency of pneuma says that a Divine Person is responsible for the formation of the Body of Christ. The instrumental of personal agency totally excludes and rejects human works of any kind. The instrumental of personal agency along with the cardinal number hen states that the only baptism of value in the plan of God is that which is performed by God the Holy Spirit.

Water baptism is rejected by God because it has no spiritual value. It is merely a ritual designed to teach believers a spiritual reality or Truth. Some of the Corinthian believers were boasting over the fact that they were baptized by Peter and some Apollos, but Paul says here that there is only 1Person that they need to be concerned with and that is God the Holy Spirit. A member of the Godhead, the 3rd Person of the Trinity, God the Holy Spirit performs the Baptism of the Spirit and not a member of the human race. “In fact, by means of one Person, God the Holy Spirit”

Union with Christ: Then, we have then nominative 1st person plural personal pronoun hemeis, “we,” plus the adjective pantes which is from pas, “all” and then ebaptisthemen, which is the aorist passive indicative from baptizo, “to be placed into an eternal union with Christ resulting in identification with Him.” Ebaptisthemen here means, “to identify a person with another person resulting in a change of condition or state of the person that is acted upon.” Ebaptisthemen refers here to the act of God the Holy Spirit placing the Church Age believer in union with the Unique Person of Christ at the moment of salvation resulting in


the believer’s identification with Christ. This union is eternal in nature. This eternal union results in a change of condition in the believer. He or she is now a New Spiritual Species. He or she is now a member of the Royal Family of God. The believer is now a son of God (Gal. 3:26). The personal pronoun hemeis refers to every Church Age believer including Paul. The adjective pantes is a reference to all believers throughout the Church Age. Pantes refers here to anyone who has believed in Jesus Christ for salvation in the Church Age regardless of social, racial, sexual or economic status. Pantes refutes those who are dividing the church at Corinth over water baptism. All Church Age believers are beneficiaries of the Baptism of the Spirit. Thus, there is unity among believers by what God the Holy Spirit has done and not what believers do. “In fact, by means of one Person, God the Holy Spirit, we were all placed.”

One Body: The passive voice of the verb states that all born again believers in the Church are acted upon by the Person of God the Holy Spirit thus excluding all human works. The aorist tense refers to the action has having been attained. The aorist tense states the fact of the action or event without regard to its duration. The constative aorist tense contemplates the action in its entirety. The constative aorist states this is the standard procedure of God the Holy Spirit throughout the Church Age in forming the Body of Christ. The indicative mood is declarative stating dogmatically a point of doctrine. Then, we have a preposition eis plus the accusative singular neuter noun soma, “body,” which is preceded by the cardinal number hen, “one.” The preposition eis with the accusative is translated “into.” The noun soma is used here to describe metaphorically the church as a functional living organism whose Head is Christ. The Word of God states by analogy that every believer is a member of the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27). Just as our physical bodies have many members so is the case with the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12). Just as each member of our physical body is designed to function with each other so is the case with the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:14-26). Christ is the Head of the Body of Christ (Col. 1:18). The cardinal number hen excludes water baptism and emphasizes sole act of God the Holy Spirit upon the believer at salvation. “In fact, by means of one Person, God the Holy Spirit, we were all placed into one body”

No Distinctions in the Body of Christ: The particle eite sets up a contrast and is translated “whether.” We have 2 proper nouns Ioudaioi, and Hellenes contrasted by the particle eite, “or.” Ioudaioi is from the noun Ioudaios, “Jews.” Hellenes is from the noun Hellen and is translated “Greeks.” The entire Roman Empire at the time in Paul’s day was Hellenized meaning that Greek culture and thought permeated it. Hellenes is a reference to the entire Gentile world or non-Jews. Paul places the entire human race under 2 categories with this phrase. “In fact, by means of one Person, God the Holy Spirit, we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks”

Next, Paul places the social status of the entire human race under 2 categories. We have the particle eite translated


“whether,” plus plural noun douloi from doulos, “slaves,” then eite again but this time it is translated “or,” and then the nominative plural adjective eleutheroi from eleutheros, “freemen.” “In fact, by means of one Person, God the Holy Spirit, we were all placed into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or freemen.” There are no racial or social distinctions among believers in the Church Age. The Body of Christ is comprised of both Jews and Gentiles, slaves or freemen. There are also no sexual distinctions in the Body of Christ (Gal. 3:28). Prejudice among believers has no place in the Body of Christ.

The Cause: Now we have the part of the verse 13, which identifies the Cause for the Baptism of the Spirit. We begin with the connective conjunction kai translated “and,” connecting the preceding statement with the one to follow and then we have plural adjective pantes from pas, “all.” All racial and social classes within the Body of Christ are in view.

Next, we have the verb epotisthemen which is the aorist passive indicative from potizo, “to cause another to drink, to give to drink,” and is used here with the accusative of the thing which is pneuma. The Greek physician Hippocrates who lived approximately 460-357 B.C. and is called the Father of Medicine uses potizo in work Aphorisms. Aristotle uses the word in his work Physics and Plato uses it in his dialogue between Phaedrus and Socrates where the charioteer of the gods puts up his horses at the stall, and gives them ambrosia to eat and nectar to drink. The LXX uses potizo to translate the Hebrew word shaqah, “to cause another to drink or be watered.” God the Holy Spirit causes the believer to be placed in union with Christ at the moment they make the non-meritorious decision to believe in Christ. Paul specifically employs this word in a figurative sense to communicate to the Corinthians that God the Holy Spirit is the Cause of Baptism. The apostle Paul uses potizo in the figurative sense to describe the Baptism of the Spirit through the non-meritorious human function of drinking.

Figurative Language: The apostle Paul employs figurative language or in a metaphorical sense to describe the Baptism of the Spirit. He uses epotisthemen metaphorically. Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines a metaphor as “a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them such as drowning in money.” The Bible uses many different types and symbols to teach Truth. God the Holy Spirit is described at the baptism of Jesus as a “dove.” Oil, fire, wind, and water are also used as symbols in the Bible to describe the presence or a function of God the Holy Spirit. Paul use of potizo implies that God the Holy Spirit is like water. The Baptism of the Spirit is like the non-meritorious human function of drinking water. Drinking as a non-meritorious function: Paul’s figurative use of the potizo brings out the non-meritorious aspect on the part of believer’s who have been placed in union with Christ by God the Holy Spirit. Paul uses a non-meritorious human function to describe the Baptism of the Spirit. Just as drinking is a non-meritorious function so is the Baptism


of the Spirit. The use of this word potizo in the passive voice gives the Creator credit. The Baptism of the Spirit excludes all human works, thus water baptism.

Grace: The Baptism of the Spirit is based upon grace is which is the policy of God’s justice in blessing mankind. God does all the work in grace and man does nothing but reap the benefits of God’s action. Grace excludes any human works. The passive voice is the grace voice stating that all Church Age believers are acted upon by the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. The Baptism of the Spirit is a result of an action performed by a Divine Person, God the Holy Spirit, the 3rd Person of the Trinity. Potizo in the passive voice emphasizes the fact that the Church Age believer is acted upon by the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit. The omnipotence of the 3rd Person of the Trinity, God the Holy Spirit causes the Church Age believer to be baptized into the Body of Christ. Potizo in the passive voice excludes any other baptism other than the one performed by God the Holy Spirit at our salvation. Potizo in the passive voice states that this action performed by God the Holy Spirit at the moment of our salvation occurred without the believer’s consent. The aorist tense states the fact of the action or event without regard to its duration. The aorist tense states the action as having been attained. The aorist tense is constative contemplating the action in its entirety gathering it up into a single whole. The constative aorist tense states all born-again believers throughout the Church Age receive the Baptism of the Spirit. The constative aorist tense is used here by Paul to state the standard procedural function of God the Holy Spirit throughout the Church Age on behalf of born-again believers. Every Church Age believer has been made to receive the Baptism of the Spirit, they were not asked. The indicative mood is declarative stating a dogmatic statement of fact. Epotisthemen can be translated “were made to drink of.”

Inculcation: The accusative of thing which is pneuma is once again preceded by the cardinal number hen, “one.” The repeated use of hen is done for inculcation. Paul is driving the point home to the Corinthians that there is no plurality of baptisms. He doesn’t want to hear anymore of divisions among them. He resolves this problem in Corinth with repetition of Bible Doctrine. Unity among believers comes through cognition of Bible Doctrine, which is a result of repetition in communicating Bible Doctrine. “In fact, by means of one Person, God the Holy Spirit, we were all placed into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or freemen, and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”

Galatians 3:27: Post-positive explanatory conjunction gar, “for.” Gar introduces an explanation into the divine side of salvation. Verse 26 states the human side of salvation-faith in Christ. Two things have to take place in order for us to become a son of God. The first part is covered in verse 26 and gar introduces the 2nd part. Hosoi is a nominative masculine plural subject from a correlative relative pronoun hosos, “as many as.” Hosoi refers to all believers throughout the Church Age who are sons of God through faith in Christ. Ebaptisthete is the aorist


passive indicative from the verb baptizo, “to put or place into, to baptize” The omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit places every Church Age believer into union with the Person of Christ resulting in the believer’s permanent identification with Christ. The passive voice states that the believer receives the action from God the Holy Spirit. The passive voice states that God the Holy Spirit does all the work and the believer reaps the benefits. The passive voice also totally excludes all human works, merit and ability. The aorist tense is a constative aorist contemplating an action in its entirety and regardless of its extent of duration, gathers it into a single whole. The constative aorist tense gathers up into a single whole what God the Holy Spirit does for every believer throughout the Church Age. The indicative mood is declarative stating a dogmatic statement of fact. Then we have the preposition eis plus the accusative of direct object Christon from Christos, “Christ.” The preposition eis with the accusative case is translated here “into.”

Christon as the direct object receives the action of the verb ebaptisthete, “to place into, to baptize.” “For as many as were placed into union with Christ”

New Spiritual Species: Enedusasthe is the aorist middle indicative from the verb enduo plus the accusative of the person, which is Christon. Enduo in the literal sense means, “to put on something,” such as clothes or it could mean, “to draw on something.” Paul uses enduo here in the figurative sense with the accusative of the person. When used with the accusative of the person in the figurative sense it refers to “taking on the nature of someone else.” Here in Gal. 3:27, it means “to taking on the nature of Christ,” which is synonymous with the New Spiritual Species or the New Self or the New Man (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10). For Paul, the new man, the new spiritual species are identical. Paul refers here to that new spiritual species or the new man. Paul also refers to the new nature that we receive at the moment of salvation in Gal. 6:15; 2 Cor. 5:17a. This new nature that we receive at salvation cannot sin. This New Nature is the alternative to living in the Old Sin Nature. Only the believer’s failure to Rebound (1 John 1:9) prevents them from utilizing this New Nature. Every Church Age believer starts off their Christian life by living in the New Nature. Once they sin, they are no longer living in the New Nature, but are now living in the Old Sin Nature which we received from the imputation of Adam’s sin at physical birth. We receive the New Nature at the New Birth or at Regeneration. The believer is no longer in bondage to the Old Sin Nature but can now choose to live in the New Nature, which cannot sin. The New Nature has been created specifically for the utilization of 100% divine power or omnipotence. This is totally unique to the Church Age. The Baptism of the Spirit results in the Church Age believer receiving a New Nature, the nature of Christ. “For as many as were placed into union with Christ, have taken on the nature of Christ.”


Baptismal Regeneration is taught by the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, some Pentecostal sects (notably the anti-trinitarian United Pentecostal Church and other “Jesus Only” groups), and pseudo-christian cult groups such as the Mormons. Baptismal Regeneration is also the doctrinal stance of many teachers and preachers within the Restoration Movement, sometimes called Campbellism (from its founder, Alexander Campbell), whose members are mainly found in churches called Churches of Christ or Independent Christian Churches.

Proponents of baptismal regeneration argue that water baptism is an essential part of salvation because, in their view, it is in the act or ceremony of water baptism that we are born again.

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit was defined by John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ, as being a distinctive part of the ministry of Christ. He contrasted the baptism of water with the baptism in the Spirit. Mat 3:11 “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Mark 1:8 “I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Luke 3:16 John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. John 1:32 And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. John 1:33 “I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’

The initial outpouring came on the day of Pentecost, and there were other outpourings in the books of Acts. Some of these outpourings came to those who had been baptized in water, and some came to those who had not yet been baptized in water. Acts 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. Acts 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Acts 2:3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 8:15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 8:16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Acts 8:17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Acts 10:44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. Acts 10:45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. Acts 10:47 “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” Acts 11:15 “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. Acts 11:16 “Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the


Holy Spirit.’ Acts 19:1 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples Acts 19:2 he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” Acts 19:3 And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Acts 19:4 Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” Acts 19:5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Acts 19:6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.

In Romans 6, it is obvious that the context is being placed into Christ and the passage dwells on the believer’s identification with Christ, with His death, and with His resurrection. In this passage, the believer is not baptized into water, but into the death of Christ.

Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Rom 6:2 Certainly not. How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

Rom 6:3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

Rom 6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Rom 6:5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.”

Notice Galatians--Gal 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Col 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;

Col 2:10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

Col 2:11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,

Col 2:12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. How does one baptize in water “without hands.?”...

Notice what Peter says as he states that it is not water that is used in baptism, it is the Spirit who is poured out and washes us in regenerating power.

1 Pet 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,

1 Pet 3:19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 1 Pet 3:20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering

waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.


1 Pet 3:21 There is also an antitype which now saves us; baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

It is also significant that Jesus never performed water baptism on anyone. If water baptism was essential to salvation, why wasn’t the Lord practicing it.

John 3:22 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized.

John 4:1 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John John 4:2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples). Indwelling of the Spirit

Every Church Age believer is indwelt by the 3rd member of the Trinity, God the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19-20; 2 Cor. 6:16). The main purpose for the Indwelling of God the Holy Spirit is to provide a temple for the Indwelling of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Shekinah Glory.

In the Old Testament, He dwelt in the Tabernacle in Israel. Or in a cloud or a pillar of fire. But here in the Church Age, He indwells the body of every believer. The body of the Church Age believer is now a temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16; 2 Cor. 6:16). The Indwelling of God the Holy Spirit provides a base of operations for the use of Divine Omnipotence. We execute the Plan of God by using Divine Omnipotence.

God the Holy Spirit provides a base whereby His power is available so that we can use it to execute the Plan of God for our lives. We can’t execute the Plan of God apart from the Divine Omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit.

The Filling of the Spirit is temporary for we can lose the Filling of the Spirit through sinning. We regain it by using 1 John 1:9. We never lose the Indwelling of God the Holy Spirit. The Indwelling of God the Holy Spirit is permanent in the New Testament. The teaching ministry of God the Holy Spirit is very important because without it we would never be able to understand Bible Doctrine, which is the mind of Christ. God the Holy Spirit teaches us about the mind of Christ. God the Holy Spirit is our true Teacher. God the Holy Spirit is our Mentor (John 14:26; 16:12-14; 1 Cor. 2:9-16; 1 John 2:27).

The Indwelling of God the Holy Spirit provides a guarantee of 2 categories of spirituality: (1) The Filling of the Spirit (Eph. 5:18) (2) Walking by means of the Spirit (Gal. 5:16).

The Filling of the Spirit is when God the Holy Spirit is controlling your soul and not the old sin nature. The Filling of the Spirit enables God the Holy Spirit to teach you Bible Doctrine. The Filling of the Spirit enables us to execute the Plan of God. You cannot produce Divine Good apart from the Filling of the Spirit. Walking by means of the Spirit is when the Church Age believer is living in his Palace and living under the Plan of God for their life. This is when the Church Age believer is utilizing the Divine Omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit to live the Christian way of life. You cannot live the Christian way of life without the Divine Omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit. The Christian way of life is a supernatural way of life, which demands a supernatural means of execution. Just as a car must run on gas so must a Christian live by means of Divine Omnipotence.


Sealing of the Spirit

At the moment of salvation, God the Holy Spirit puts His invisible stamp on the believer, which guarantees salvation. The Sealing of the Spirit is the 4th ministry of God the Holy Spirit at salvation. It emphasizes our eternal security, which we have in Christ. The Sealing Ministry of God the Holy Spirit is a mark of Royalty. It signifies that we are members of the Royal Family of God.

At the moment you believed in Jesus Christ, God the Holy Spirit put His signature guarantee on you. Just as Sunkist puts its stamp on its oranges, God the Holy Spirit puts His stamp on you. The Greek word for "sealed" is sphagizo, which means, "to mark with a seal as a means of identification." In the ancient world, seals: (1) Guaranteed transactions (2) Indicated ownership (3) Authenticated invoices (4) Contracts (5) Laws (6) Orders.

God the Holy Spirit puts His mark on us at the moment of salvation. This mark not only denotes ownership but also carries with it the protection of the owner. God not only owns us at the moment of salvation, but He is our protection. This Sealing ministry of God the Holy Spirit is important because it guarantees our salvation.

1 Corinthians 1:21-22a, “Now he, who establishes us with you in Christ (Baptism of the Spirit) and anointed us (Indwelling of the Spirit), is God, who has also sealed us.”

Ephesians 1:13, "In whom also, when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation (common grace); In whom also, when you believed (efficacious grace), you were sealed by means of the Holy Spirit."

2 Corinthians 1:22, "Who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts (right lobes) as the guarantee."

Ephesians 4:30, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."

A cattle rancher puts the mark on his cattle in order to show that he owns them. The cattle rancher brands his cattle in order to show his ownership of the cattle. He also does it for the cattle’s protection. If the cattle stray from the rest of the herd, he can be easily identified by the branding mark. In the same way, God the Holy Spirit brands us at the moment we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. This brand is invisible and is seen by God who is invisible. This means that we can never get lost. It means that God knows His own... It means that once saved you are saved forever. So if you have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ you can rest assured and be confident that you are going to heaven because God the Holy Spirit branded us making us His forever. He will never ever leave you or forsake, never... Filling of the Spirit The filling of the Spirit is unique to the church age. It is the mental state of the believer who does not have any unacknowledged sins in the stream of consciousness and is applying the Word to his thought process. It is not an emotion. It is one of the seven salvation ministries of the Holy Spirit. At the moment of salvation every believer is filled with the Spirit, but he loses it through committing personal sin. It is recovered by acknowledging any known sin to the Father in the name or, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Jn. 1:9). Every believer in the church age is commanded to permit the Holy Spirit to control and influence his soul (Eph. 5:18). The filling of the Spirit takes place in the soul of the believer when he allows God the Holy Spirit to control and influence his soul. It is a dynamic whereas the indwelling of the Spirit is static meaning it


never changes. It is eternal. The filling of the Spirit is the operational power of God the Holy Spirit, which empowers the believer to execute the will of God the Father. The filling of the Spirit enables the believer to be conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ meaning to become like Him experientially in His death and resurrection. It enables the believer to become like Jesus Christ in thought; word and action or in other words, it gives the believer the ability to acquire the character of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is necessary for the believer to allow himself to be controlled by the Spirit in order that he may walk by the Spirit. Walking by the Spirit is actively choosing to conduct oneself by means of the Spirit. The filling of the Spirit and walking by the Spirit are 2 sides of the same coin. You cannot walk by the Spirit unless you are filled with the Spirit. The filling of the Spirit is directly related to the believer’s mental attitude whereas walking by the Spirit directly related to how the believer conducts himself. The filling of the Spirit is directly related to being a doer of the Word of God. The believer who is applying the Word of God is influenced by means of the Spirit. The Spirit takes the doctrines of Christ, i.e., the Word of God and makes them understandable to the believer. The Spirit does not act independently of the mind of Christ, i.e., the Word of God (Jn. 16:13-15; 1 Cor. 2:10-16). Therefore, the believer who is controlled or influenced by means of the Spirit is a doer of the Word. The Spirit of God and the Word of God work in concert with one another on behalf of the believer who has no acknowledged sin in his stream of consciousness and is applying the Word of God to his thought process. The filling of the Spirit is the only means of the spirituality in the church age. Spirituality is the filling of the Spirit. It is an absolute meaning that you are either filled with the Spirit or the believer is living in carnality or in other words, the old sin nature. The filling of the Spirit is the only means of having fellowship with God (Jn. 4:23-24). It is the only means by which the Holy Spirit produces Christ-like character in the believer. The filling of the Spirit is the only means by which the believer can execute the plan of God. The filling of the Spirit is a power option meaning that the believer has to choose whether or not to allow God the Holy Spirit to fully influence and control his soul. The vocabulary for the doctrine of the filling of the Spirit is based on several words in the Greek New Testament. The first we will note is the verb pleroo, which is employed by Paul in Ephesians 5:18. In both secular and Biblical Greek, the verb pleroo carries the idea of attaining a standard of measurement or reaching the saturation point or level of containment. The idea of totality or fullness is always present. Thus, the word means “to fill something completely,” or “to complete a measure.” It is derived from the root ple-, “full, fullness.” The verb pleroo ordinarily is used in the LXX to translate the Hebrew melo’, “to fill.” There are over 120 instances of the word if one includes the apocryphal material. As in classical Greek, pleroo denotes the action of “filling” something such as the land or the sea (Ge. 1:22, 28; 9:1, 7). The word is used in a temporal sense of days that are “fulfilled,” or in other words, the period of something comes to its end (Ge. 25:24; 29:21; Le. 8:33; 12:4). Pleroo can be used in almost an adverbial capacity to denote something as “ultimate, total” (Da. 8:23). The idea of fulfillment comes through when the word of the Lord is “fulfilled,” that is, what the Lord said has come to pass (1 K. 2:27 [LXX 3 K. 2:27]; 2 Ch. 36:22). In another sense pleroo means “to satisfy,” as in the fulfillment of desires, appetites (Ecc. 6:7; cf. of God’s wrath, Is. 13:3; Ezek. 7:19). The verb pleroo appears approximately 86 times in the NT. It is used as a technical term for the fulfillment of Scripture and also a designation of the fulfillment of time in an eschatological sense. Pleroo is used in the NT in the sense of filling with something, always with a strong


element of exclusiveness or totality. The verb pleroo can have the following meanings: (1) to fill up a deficiency, (2) to be fully possessed by something, (3) to be fully influenced by something, (4) to be filled by something, (5) to be controlled by something. The word literally means in Acts 2:2 “to fill something completely.” Non-literally it means “to fill with a content,” and passively “to be filled with” something. Pleroo can imply in some contexts that a man is completely controlled and stamped by the powers, which fill him. There is in the term a strong element of exclusiveness or totality. Delling has compiled the following list of meanings for the word (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament volume 6, pages 290-297): (1) To fill with a content, (2) To fulfill a demand or claim, (3) To fill up completely a specific measure, (4) To complete, to fulfill, (5) To complete. The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon lists the following (pages 517-518): (1) To make full, to fill, to fill up; to fill to the full; to cause to abound, to furnish or supply liberally; to fill, diffuse throughout one’s soul, (2) To render full, i.e. to complete; to fill up to the top; to perfect, consummate; to make complete in every particular; to render perfect; to carry through to the end, to accomplish, carry out; to carry into effect, bring to realization; realize; to perform, to execute; to bring to pass, ratify, accomplish; to fulfill. The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised has compiled the following (page 329): (1) To fill, make full, fill up, (2) To fill up a deficiency, (3) To pervade, (4) To pervade with an influence, to influence fully, possess fully, (5) To complete, perfect, (6) To bring to an end, (7) To perform fully, discharge, (8) To consummate, (9) To realize, accomplish, fulfill, (10) To set forth fully, (11) To be fulfilled, come to an end, be fully arrived, (12) To receive fulfillment. Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, “pleroo denotes (1) "to make full, to fill to the full"; in the passive voice, "to be filled, made full"; it is used (1) of things: a net, (Matt. 13:48); a building, (John 12:3; Acts 2:2); a city, (Acts 5:28); needs, (Phil. 4:19), KJV "supply," RV, "fulfill"; metaphorically, of valleys, (Luke 3:5); figuratively, of a measure of iniquity, (Matt. 23:32); (2) of persons: (a) of the members of the church, the body of Christ, as filled by Him, (Eph. 1:23) ("all things in all the members"); (4:10); in (3:19), of their being filled "into" (eis), RV, "unto," KJV, "with" (all the fullness of God); of their being "made full" in Him, (Col. 2:10) (RV, for KJV, "complete"); (b) of Christ Himself: with wisdom, in the days of His flesh, (Luke 2:40); with joy, in His return to the Father, (Acts 2:28); (c) of believers: with the Spirit, (Eph. 5:18); with joy, (Acts 13:52; 2 Tim. 1:4); with joy and peace, (Rom. 15:13), [from these are to be distinguished those passages which speak of joy as being fulfilled or completed, which come under FULFILL, (John 3:29; 15:11) (RV); (16:24) (RV); (Phil. 2:2; 1 John 1:4 (RV); (2 John 12) (RV)]; with knowledge, (Rom. 15:14); with comfort, (2 Cor. 7:4); with the fruits of righteousness, (Phil. 1:11) (Gk. "fruit"); with the knowledge of God's will, (Col. 1:9); with abundance through material supplies by fellow believers, (Phil. 4:18); (d) of the hearts of believers as the seat of emotion and volition, (John 16:6) (sorrow); (Acts 5:3) (deceitfulness); (e) of the unregenerate who refuse recognition of God, (Rom. 1:29); (II), "to accomplish, complete, fulfill.” The 2nd word that pertains to the doctrine of the filling of the Spirit is the adjective pleres is found in Greek literature from Aeschylus in the 5th century onwards. It generally means “filled, full of.” The context indicates shades of meaning such as “infected by, polluted by, satisfied, satiated” in the sense of “filled with.” Other shades of meaning, particularly when used with wine, include “full bodied, of persistent flavor.” Just as a person can be full of pain, joy, love and virtue, he can also be said to be filled with God (pleres theou; Pollux Onomasticon, 1, 15). They can be possessed and inspired by God. The Pythian priestess was said to be filled by the spirit of


God when she uttered an oracle (Origen, Contra Cels. 7, 3). This is to be distinguished from the thought that God permeates the universe and fills it. In the LXX pleres is used in the sense of “complete” or a “payment made in full.” The adjective pleres appears 17 times in the NT. It is used to mean “filled with something,” such as the Holy Spirit “permeated” Christ. It also conveys the meaning of “maturity.” The word is used in a transferred sense to denote “rich fullness.” It is used in Matthew 14:20, 15:37, Mark 6:43, 8:19 of baskets being “full” of fragments of food. The word is used of a full ear of corn in Mark 4:28. It is used of the Lord Jesus Christ being “fully” under the direction of the Holy Spirit in Luke 4:1. Pleres is used of someone full of disease in Luke 5:12. The word is used of the Lord Jesus Christ again in John 1:14 where He is said to be “full” of grace and truth. It is employed in Acts 6:3, 5, 8, 7:55 and 11:24 of men such as Stephen who are full of the Spirit, faith, and power. A believer is said to be “full” of good deeds in Acts 9:36. Paul calls Elymas the magician as one who is “full” of subtlety and mischief in Acts 13:10. It is used of individuals who are “full” of wrath in Acts 19:28. John uses for those believers who will receive a “full” reward in 2 John 8. The third word that pertains to this doctrine is the verb pletho (also, spelled pimplemi). In classical Greek pletho is also spelled pimplemi in certain verb forms. Depending on the context it can refer to such things as a “full moon, a swollen (full) stream,” or a “full assembly.” It can also mean, “to satisfy (in a good sense), glut, fill or discharge an office, to have enough of something, and for females, “become pregnant.” Pletho appears frequently in the LXX. It usually translates the Hebrew verb male’, “to fill.” Genesis 6:11 states that at the time of Noah, “the earth was filled with violence.” The Psalmist said his heart was “filled” with trouble (Ps. 88:3 [LXX 87:3]). It can mean overflow with abundance in Psalm 65:11 [LXX 66:11]). The verb pletho is found 25 times in the NT. It retains the basic meaning that it had in classical literature and that of “to fill, or complete.” Luke employs the word more than any NT writer. Many times the thought behind the word is “filled” in the sense of possessing or dominated by something, such as the Spirit, wonder, envy or indignation (Acts 3:10; 5:17; 13:45; 19:29). It is also used as a time related concept meaning “completed, finished.” The last word in our vocabulary study of this doctrine is the noun pneuma, which is derived from the root pneu-, “breath, wind.” The noun pneuma denotes the result of the result of the dynamic movement of air or air set in motion. It was considered by the Greeks as a special substance and with an underlying stress on its inherent power. When it first occurred (no proven instances before the pre-Socratic school) it therefore meant wind or breath, but it increasingly took on the functions of related concepts, so that by the Hellenistic period it was a term of some importance, though still with a somewhat materialistic connotation. The air that men breathe was considered to be the bearer of life (thus to discontinue breath means to die, Aeschylus (Pers. 507). From the 5th century onward Greek physicians developed a physiology based on this and soon drew a distinction between man’s inward, innate pneuma and the air he breathed. In Aristotle this pneuma was the formative power, which produced the mature individual and then, in the case of man, became the instrument whereby the soul controlled the body. Already, therefore, it was approaching the meaning held by psuche, the distinction being that the latter was a purely functional term, while pneuma was regarded as a substance. In Stoic philosophy, however, pneuma took over the function of psuche in relation to the senses and to thought and speech. Some Stoic philosophers even came to identify it with nous, the specifically human power of intellect. Stoicism also regarded it as an elemental principle, which gave coherence to the different entities in creation, while at the same time differentiating


them one from another. There is no instance of the concept of a pneuma hagion (Holy Spirit) in secular Greek. Hermann Kleinknecht lists the following meanings for pneuma (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament volume 6, pages 335-339): (1) Wind: the breath of wind in its movement as a blowing force and also according to its distinctive invisibly rarefied materiality as an element. (2) Breath: the breath which, again both process and matter, is either inhaled or exhaled in breathing, or medically, in distinction from aer as outside air, the “gas” or “flatulence” which circulates inside the organism. (3) Life: breath may be discerned only in movement, and it is also a sign, condition and agent of life, which seems to be especially tied up with breathing. (4) Soul: takes on the meaning of psuche, “soul” and by virtue of its related character as the breath or principle of life. (5) Spirit: metaphorically of the blowing of the wind or breathing express corresponding experiences of mental or spiritual activity and a transferred sense of any kind of breath or spirit which blows in interpersonal relations or from the invisible world of the divine. (6) Inspiration: a breath, which inspires, stirs, enthuses and fills. (7) Speech: technical term for lofty speech in ancient rhetoric and literary aesthetics and denotes the expressive and captivating flow of the orator or poet from whom the onrushing “breath” or poetry or address comes forth neither physically, spiritually, nor technically. (8) Power: Used by the Stoics of a cosmic and universal power or substance and used linguistically for the being and manifestation of deity itself. (9) God: transcendentally spiritualized, and hypostatised and personified as an independent, personally living and active cosmological and soteriological Spirit or God, whether of supreme or lower rank. (10) Demonic spirits: supernatural spirits or intermediaries, whether good or evil which inhabit the air they do good or harm by means of the demonic magical power which emanates from them and with which the magician or prophet must fill himself or his object if he is to be able to carry out his practices, whose supreme goal is the deifying and immortality of the initiate. In the LXX the Hebrew equivalent of pneuma is almost always ruach and only 3 times does pneuma render neshamah, “breath.” Furthermore, as far as LXX translations of ruach are concerned, pneuma predominates, for the 377 instances of ruach in the Masoretic Text, 264 are translated by pneuma, the next most frequent rendering being anemos, “wind,” used 49 times. The idea behind ruach is the extraordinary fact that something as intangible as air should move; at the same time it is not so much the movement per se which excites attention, but rather the energy manifested by such movement. The basic meaning of ruach, therefore, is more or less that of “blowing.” Thus, both the Greek term pneuma and the Hebrew term ruach demonstrate the same diversity in meaning. Depending upon the context ruach oftentimes denotes human life which is composed of both body and soul which is generated by God through breathing (neshamah) into man’s nostrils to give him this soul life (Is. 57:16). The basic idea of ruach is “air in motion,” from air, which cannot come between a crocodile’s scales (Jb. 41:16) to the blast of a storm (Is. 25:4; Hab. 1:11). In living beings the ruach is their breath, whether of animals (Gn. 7:15; Ps. 104:25, 29), men (Is. 42:5; Ez. 37:5), or both (Gn. 7:22-23); whether inhaled (Jer. 2:24) or on the lips (Is. 11:4; cf. Job 9:18; contrast dead idols, Jer. 10:14; 51:17). God creates it: “the ruach “Spirit” of God (from God) is in my nostrils” (Job. 27:3). Also, ruach comes to denote the entire immaterial consciousness of man (Is. 26:9; Prv. 16:32; Dn. 5:20; Ps. 32:2). Man is said to have a ruach as well as a nephesh, “soul.” The ruach is contained with its bodily nidneh, “sheath” (metaphor for the body) (Dn. 7:15; Zech. 12:1). At death the body returns to the dust of the ground, but the immaterial spirit returns to God Who gave it (Gen. 3:19; Ecc. 12:7). In this regard ruach and nephesh, here meaning distinctly “soul,”


tend to overlap (Jb. 7:11; Is. 26:9; cf. Ex. 6:9 with Nm. 21:4). Ruach may at times designate a supernatural, angelic being (1 Sm. 16:23). The noun pneuma appears 388 times in the NT. The following is a comprehensive list of the word’s usage in the NT: (1) Title for the 3rd Person of the Trinity, God the Holy Spirit (Mt. 1:18; Mk. 1:8; Lk. 1:15; Jn. 1:32; 7:39; 14:17, 26; 15:26; 16:13; Act. 1:2; Rm. 5:5; 1 Cor. 2:13; 2 Cor. 6:6; Gal. 5:5; Eph. 1:13; Phlp. 1:19; 1 Th. 1:15; 4:8; 2 Tm. 1:14; 1 Jn. 5:7; Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:1, 6, 13, 22). (2) The believer’s human spirit (Rm. 1:9; 8:16; 1 Cor. 2:10-12; 14:15-16; 16:18; 2 Cor. 2:13; Gal. 6:18; Phlp. 4:23; 1 Th. 5:23; 2 Tm. 4:22; Phlm. 25; Heb. 4:12; 12:9; Ja. 2:26). (3) Humanity of Christ’s human spirit (Lk. 1:80; 23:46; Jn. 11:33; 13:21; 19:30; Rv. 22:6). (4) Fallen Angels (Mt. 10:1; Mk. 1:27; Lk. 4:33; Acts 5:16; 1 Tm. 4:1; 1 Pt. 3:19; Rv. 16:13). (5) Elect Angels (Heb. 1:7, 14; Rev. 1:4). (6) Regeneration, salvation ministry or operation of the Spirit (John 3:1-16; Titus 3:5). (7) Baptism of the Spirit, salvation ministry or operation of the Spirit (Jn. 7:39; Acts 1:5, 8; 1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:2, 14; Eph. 4:4; 1 Th. 4:8; 1 Pet. 1:11-12). (8) Indwelling of the Spirit, salvation ministry or operation of the Spirit (Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19-20; 2 Cor. 6:16). (9) Filling of the Spirit, salvation and post-salvation ministry or operation of the Spirit and the enabling divine power to live the spiritual life (Lk. 4:1; Jn. 4:24; Acts 2:4, 38; 10:44; Eph. 5:18; 6:19; Gal. 5:16, 25; Phlp. 1:19, 27; 3:3; Col. 2:5; 1 Pt. 1:22; Heb. 9:14; Jude 20; Rev. 1:10). (10) Sealing of the Spirit, salvation ministry of Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13; 4:30). (11) Adoption, as a ministry of the Holy Spirit (Rm. 8:15). (12) Spiritual Gifts (1 Cor. 12:4-11). (13) Sanctification, salvation and post-salvation ministry of the Spirit (2 Th. 2:13). (14) Intercessory, post-salvation ministry of the Spirit (Rm. 8:26). (15) Fruit (production of divine good) of the Spirit (Rm. 5:5; Gal. 5:22; 1 Th. 1:6). Quenching the Holy Spirit by the believer out of fellowship with God (1 Th. 5:19). (16) Grieving the Holy Spirit by the believer out of fellowship with God (Eph. 4:30). (17) Blasphemy against the Spirit (Matt. 12:14-32) (18) Resistance of the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51), (19) Lying to God the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3), (20) Divine viewpoint (Rm. 8:6; Eph. 1:17; 2 Tm. 1:7; 1 Jn. 4:6), (21) Lifestyle of believer in fellowship with God (Eph. 1:17). (22) The omnipotence of the Word of God as a spiritual weapon (Eph. 6:17). (23) Satan (Eph. 2:2). (23) Breathing of the believer’s soul who is in fellowship with God (Eph. 4:23). (24) Discerning ministry of God the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:10; 1 Jn. 3:24; 5:6). (25) Mentorship of the Holy Spirit, post-salvation ministry or operation of the Spirit (Jn. 14:26; 15:26; 16:13; 1 Cor. 2:13). (26) Cosmic viewpoint (Rm. 11:8; 1 Cor. 2:12; 1 Jn. 4:1). (27) Wind as a meteorological phenomenon (John 3:8) (28) Breath which sustains human life (2 Thes. 2:8; Rev. 11:11; 13:15), (29) Ghost, apparition (Lk. 24:39). (30) Attribute of the Triune God (Jn. 4:24; 1 Jn. 5:6; Rev. 5:6). (31) Inspiration, ministry or operation of the Spirit enabling the regenerate human beings to produce Scripture (1 Pet. 1:11; 2 Pet. 1:21; Rev. 22:6). (32) Fellowship with the Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14). The following is a list of Scripture references to the filling of the Spirit: (1) “And He (the Lord Jesus Christ) will be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 1:15) (2) “And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 1:41) (3) “And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 1:67) (4) “And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit” (Luke 4:1) (5) “God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship in the filling of the Spirit and doctrine” (John 4:24) (6) “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4) (7) “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 4:8) (8) “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 4:31) (9) “Full of the Spirit” (Acts 6:3) (10) “And they chose Stephen, a man full of doctrine and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5) (11) “And be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:17) (12) “And full of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 11:24) (13) “Filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:9) (14)


“And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:52) (15) "by means of the Spirit" (Jn. 4:24). (16) "newness of the Spirit" (Rm. 7:6). (17) "the Spirit of life" (Rm. 8:1). (18) "those who are according to the Spirit" (Rm. 8:5). (19) "who are being led by the Spirit" (Rm. 8:14). (20) "by the power of the Spirit" (Rm. 15:13). (21) "by means of the power of the Spirit (Rm. 15:18-19). (22) "in demonstration of the Spirit and power" (1 Co. 2:4). (23) "the Spirit gives life" (2 Co. 3:6). (24) “Epistles of Christ ministered by the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:3) (25) "led by the Spirit" (Ga. 5:17-18). (26) "live by means of the Spirit" (Ga. 5:25). (27) "keep on being filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18). (28) "by means of the Spirit of Jesus Christ" (Phlp. 1:19). (29) "by mean of one Spirit" (Phlp. 1:17). (30) "fellowship through the Spirit" (Phlp. 2:1). (31) "sanctification through the Spirit" (2 Th. 2:13). (32) "through the eternal Spirit" (He. 9:14). (33) “they may live by means of the Spirit” (1 Pe. 4:6). (34) “by means of the Spirit” (1 Jo. 3:24). (35) “praying by means of the Holy Spirit” (Jude 1:20). (36) “in fellowship with the Spirit” (Rev. 1:10). When discussing the doctrine of the filling of the Spirit we must of course, note the Person and Work of God the Holy Spirit who is the Third Person of the Trinity. He is a Person not a thing (John 15:26; 16:7; 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 Pet. 1:2). The Holy Spirit is the unseen power of God. He reveals the Plan of God on earth and is the agent for executing the Christian way of life. The Titles of God the Holy Spirit: (1) "Spirit of holiness" (Rom. 1:4) (2) "Spirit of life" (Rom. 8:2) (3) "Spirit of knowledge" (Isa. 11:2) (4) "Spirit of truth" (John 14:17) (5) Titles related to God the Father: (1) "Spirit of God" (2) "Spirit of our God" (Gen. 1:2; Matt. 3:16; 1 Cor. 6:11) (3) "Spirit of your Father" (Matt. 10:20) (4) Titles related to God the Son: (1) "Spirit of Christ" (2) "Spirit of Jesus Christ" (Rom. 8:9; Phil. 1:19) (3) "Spirit of His Son" (Gal. 4:6) (4) "Spirit of the Lord" (Acts 5:9). These titles do speak of an attribute because an attribute would not be designated by a personal pronoun such as "He," "Him,” and "His." God the Holy Spirit is a separate and distinct Person in the Godhead. He is called "Lord" in 2 Cor. 3:17 just as God the Father and God the Son are. The Holy Spirit has the attributes of personality: (1) Intellect (1 C. 2:10-13; R. 8:27). (2) Emotion (Eph. 4:30; He. 10:29; Ja. 4:5). (3) Will (1 C. 12:11; Acts 16:6-11). (4) He has a mind, and therefore He thinks, searches and teaches. The Spirit performs the actions of personality: (1) Teaches (Jo. 14:26; 16:13-15). (2) Testifies or bears witness (Jo. 15:26). (3) Guides and Leads (R. 8:14). (4) Performs miracles (Acts 8:39). (5) Convinces (Jo. 16:7-8). (6) Restrains (Ge. 6:3; 2 Th. 2:6-7). (7) Commands (Acts 8:29). (8) Intercedes in prayer (R. 8:26). (9) He receives ascriptions of personality. (10) He can be obeyed (Acts 16:6-7). (11) He can be lied to (Acts 5:3). (12) He can be resisted (Acts 7:51). (13) He can be blasphemed (Mt. 12:31). (14) He can be grieved (Eph. 4:30). (15) He can be insulted (He. 10:29). The Greek word pneuma is a neuter gender word and would normally require a neuter gender pronoun according to the rule of Greek grammar called concord. However, because the Holy Spirit is a person, the NT writers sometimes used a masculine pronoun in place of a neuter pronoun for the neuter pronoun pneuma. Masculine pronouns are used of the Spirit in John 15:26; 16:7, 8, 13 and 14. God the Holy Spirit is related to the apostles as a distinct and separate person who thought about what was best and related that to the apostles who were in accord with the Spirit (Acts 15:28). He is related to the Lord Jesus as a distinct and separate person (Jo. 16:14). He is related to the other persons of the Godhead so as to indicate personality (2 C. 13:14). He is distinguished from His own power as a person (Lk. 1:35; 4:14; Ac. 10:38; R. 15:13; 1 C. 2:4).


God the Holy Spirit has the same divine attributes as both God the Father and God the Son: (1) Sovereignty (1 Cor. 12:11) (2) Righteousness (Spirit: Psa. 51:11) (3) Justice (: Neh. 9:20a; John 16:8-11) (4) Love (Rom. 5:5; 15:30) (5) Eternal life (Heb. 9:14) (6) Omnipotence (Rom. 15:13) (7) Omniscience (Isa. 11:2) (8) Omnipresence (Psa. 139:7) (9) Immutability (John 14:16; 1 John 5:7) (10) Veracity (John 14:17; 1 John 5:7). His deity is demonstrated by His Works: (1) Creation (Ge. 1:2; Ps. 104:30). (2) Inspiration of Scripture (2 Ti. 3:16; 2 P. 1:21). (3) Regeneration, illumination and sanctification (Jo. 3:5-8; Tit. 3:5; R. 8:11; Eph. 3:16-19). (4). Understanding the uniqueness of this dispensation as the dispensation of the Spirit is crucial for our ability to correctly interpret the teaching of the NT on the Spirit and His ministry for today. The church age is often referred to as the dispensation or the age of the Spirit because of His distinctive ministry during this time. This truth needs to be stressed because the Holy Spirit is God’s special gift and means of power to experience the Christ-life. God the Holy Spirit the believer’s 2nd Great Divine Provision. The 1st Great Divine Provision is the Word of God. The church age dispensation is an extension of the dispensation of the hypostatic union because the church age believer is in union with Jesus Christ. The church age is a Christocentric dispensation. The dispensation of the hypostatic union extended from the birth of Christ to His death, resurrection, ascension and session (the era of the New Testament Gospels; B.C. 4-30 A.D.). The church age began on the day of Pentecost in June of 32 A.D. and terminates at the Rapture, which is imminent. God the Holy Spirit principle duty during the church age is to mediate the presence of Christ. He is given to manifest the Person, Work and Life of the Lord Jesus Christ during this dispensation. He is also to make the believer aware of all He is to him and enables him to experience the life of Christ (Jo. 16:13-15; Eph. 3:16-19; Ga. 5:16-25). The Holy Spirit is the believer’s mentor and enabler during this dispensation. The basis for the gift of the Spirit is the glorification of Christ. He proceeds from the Father through the Son to believers because Jesus has accomplished their justification (Jo. 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7-15). John 14:16, 26, 15:26, 16:7-15 all focus on how the Enabler: (1) Is sent in the name of Christ (2) Brings to remembrance what Christ taught the disciples (3) Bears witness of Him (4) Is sent by the Savior Himself (5) Does not speak on His own initiative (6) Glorifies the Savior (7) Takes of the teachings of Christ and discloses them to the believer. God the Holy Spirit convicts and reveals Jesus Christ to men (Jo. 16:8-11). He restrains sin in the world (2 Th. 2:6-7). God the Holy Spirit empowers and reproduces the character of Christ in those who submit to Him by faith (Ga. 4:19; 5:5; 5:16-23). He promotes spiritual maturity (Ga. 5:1-5; He. 5:11-6:6). The Spirit also teaches by giving understanding in the Word (1 C. 2:9-16; Jo. 16:11-15). The Holy Spirit applies truth to the believer’s experience (Jo. 14:26; Eph. 6:18). He gives divine omnipotence to the believer’s prayer life (Jude 20; Jo. 15:7; Ps. 66:18). He promotes meaningful worship (Jo. 4:23-24; Eph. 5:18-21; Is. 59:1-2). He gives capacity, burden and direction for witnessing (Act. 1:8; 1 Th. 1:5). God the Holy Spirit gives capacity for ministry (1 Co. 1:12-14; 1 P. 4:10). The 7 Salvation Ministries of the Holy Spirit as follows: (1) Efficacious Grace: Makes faith in Jesus Christ effective for salvation (2 Cor. 6:1-2; Eph. 2:8-9). (2) Regeneration: Creates a human spirit at the moment of salvation for the purpose of the imputation of eternal life (John 3:1-16; Titus 3:5). (3) Baptism of the Spirit: Places every believer in union with Christ (Gal. 3:26-28; Eph. 4:6; 1 Cor. 12:13). (4) Indwelling of the Spirit: Creates a temple for the indwelling of Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19-20; 2 Cor. 6:16). (5) Filling of the Spirit:


Influences the soul of the believer and is the means of executing the Plan of God (Eph. 5:18). (6) Sealing of the Spirit: Puts His stamp on the believer to guarantee their salvation (2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13; 4:30). (7) Distribution of Spiritual Gifts: Gives every believer a spiritual gift to (1 Cor. 12:4-11). The believer must be aware of the fact that there is a distinction between the Indwelling of the Spirit and the Filling of the Spirit. The former occurs at the moment of salvation and is permanent meaning it cannot be lost (Rm. 8:9; 1 Cor. 3:16). The Filling of the Spirit also occurs at the moment of salvation. The Filling of the Spirit can be lost through any mental, verbal or overt sin by the believer. The Indwelling of the Spirit is the principle of victory over the old sin nature. The Filling of the Spirit is the function of victory over the old sin nature. The word principle means that the Indwelling is the reason or the basis for our victory over the old sin nature. The word function refers to how we are to operate to gain a moment-by-moment victory in our lives over the old sin nature. The filling of the Spirit is dynamic, whereas the indwelling is static. In Acts the filling of the Spirit is clearly seen as God’s enablement for service and for witness and proclamation of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ (Act. 9:17; 11:24; 13:9, 52). In Ephesians the filling of the Spirit produces true worship and service to God (Eph. 5:18-6:9). The church age believer is commanded to be filled with the Spirit on a continual basis (Eph. 5:18), but he is also commanded to walk by the Spirit (Ga. 5:16). The filling has to do with the mental attitude of the believer whereas walking has to do with his conduct. The believer cannot walk by the Spirit unless he is filled with the Spirit. “Filled” in Ephesians 5:18 is in the passive voice while “walk” in Galatians 5:16 is in the active voice. The idea of “filled” meaning “influence” and the passive voice suggest the concept of submission to the Spirit. The believer is to volitionally continue to release control of his life to the Spirit. He is allowed to take control and make Christ at home in the believer’s life (Eph. 3:16-17). In the filling of the Spirit we give up the right to run our lives, thus we submit to His authority. The filling of the Spirit is very much parallel with Romans 6:12-13. The active voice plus the basic meaning of the word “walk” places stress on actively choosing to conduct oneself by trusting in the Spirit. Both, the filling and walking by the Spirit are two sides of the same coin, and each has a different focus. There is no divine production in the believer’s life if he is not filled with the Spirit or if he is filled with the Spirit, he must also walk by the Spirit. This denotes the concept of application of the Word, which enables the Spirit to perform His work in the believer (R. 7:15-18; 8:3). The believer cannot please God without being filled and walking by the Spirit (R. 8:5-8) and there is no spiritual growth without the believer applying both (Jo. 16:7-15; 1 C. 2:6-3:3; Ga. 3:1-3; Eph. 3:16-19). He cannot glorify God without being filled with the Spirit and walking by the Spirit and are powerless as well. There is no joy or peace without either taking place in the believer’s life (Ga. 5:22). The filling of the Spirit is the mental state of the believer who does not have any unacknowledged sins in the stream of consciousness and is applying the Word to his thought process. It is a spiritual state where the Holy Spirit is free to fulfill all that He came to do in the heart and life of believers. The believer cannot be filled with the Spirit and thus walk by the Spirit if he does not acknowledge any known sins (1 Jo. 1:5-10). The filling of the Spirit is the only means of having fellowship with God. Spirituality is the filling of the Spirit. The filling of the Spirit is an absolute meaning you are either in fellowship or you are not. Rebound is technical nomenclature conceived by Colonel R.B. Thieme, Jr, pastor of Berachah Church in Houston, Texas. It describes the acknowledgement of personal sins by the


believer in the name of the Lord Jesus who paid for those sins at Calvary. It is taught in many passages. The most familiar is 1 John 1:9. Rebound is essential to being filled with the Spirit. Rebound restores the Filling of the Spirit. There is no Filling of the Spirit without Rebound. Rebound + the Filling of the Spirit = Spirituality (winner). Sin - Rebound = Carnality (loser) Rebound is a problem-solving device for the sins of the believer and is a descriptive term. It is a technique. Rebound is simply admitting your sins to God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 1:9). God designs it so that the believer can bounce back from sin. Rebound is the only means to recover the Filling of the Spirit. It deals with the believer's problem with sin. Rebound restores the believer's fellowship with God in time. It is a function of the believer's Royal Priesthood. Rebound is to be performed in the privacy of the believer's royal priesthood. It functions when the believer is living in their old sin nature and out of fellowship with God. Rebound is citing or pointing to what the Lord Jesus Christ did at the Cross. It is for the believer only and not the unbeliever. Rebound is a decision that the believer has to make in order to be restored to fellowship with God. The filling of the Spirit protects the believer’s soul from the attacks of Satan and the kingdom of darkness (Eph. 6:10-18). The battleground for this spiritual warfare is in the believer’s soul (Rom. 7:23; 2 Cor. 10:3-5; Gal. 5:17). God has provided the believer the power to overcome his spiritual adversary, Satan and the kingdom of darkness (cf. 1 John 2:12-17; 1 John 4:4). The Spirit and the Word are the invisible weapons that the church age believer as a privileged citizen of heaven has been given to fight this spiritual warfare against the kingdom of darkness. The soul is composed of: (1) Self-Consciousness (2) Conscience (3) Mentality (4) Emotion (5) Volition. Volition is the issue in the angelic conflict. Humanity was created to resolve the angelic conflict through the function of volition. Therefore, the believer’s soul is under attack constantly from the cosmic system of Satan and his invisible army of demons and fallen angels as well as the old sin nature. If the believer is not filled with the Spirit he is open to Satanic deception from the cosmic system as well as sin nature control. The only protection for the believer’s soul is to be filled with the Spirit and applying the Word of God. Spiritual Gifts

Every Church Age believer receives at least 1 spiritual gift at the moment of salvation (1 Cor. 12:11). The believer’s spiritual gift is a direct result of the grace work of all 3 members of the Trinity. Grace is the expression of the integrity of God, which was attacked by Satan in eternity past and which is being vindicated throughout human history and in particular during the rebuttal phase of Satan’s appeal trial when Church Age believer can become witnesses for the Prosecution (God).

The sovereignty of God the Holy Spirit provides our spiritual gift. God the Holy Spirit is the source of the believer’s spiritual gift. The distribution of spiritual gifts was authorized by the Lord Jesus Christ as a result of His strategic victory over Satan at the cross during the dispensation of the hypostatic union, however, the actual appointment of the believer’s spiritual gift is made by God the Holy Spirit as per 1 Cor. 12:11.

One of the 60 Things that every believer receives at the moment of salvation is a spiritual gift. Spiritual gifts are assignments of position within the body of Christ. Identification of one’s spiritual gift is a direct result of spiritual growth which can only be achieved through learning and applying the Word of God, which in turn enables the Holy Spirit to identify your spiritual gift and to produce divine good that is pleasing to God and will be rewarded.

The purpose of the Church Age believer’s spiritual gift is 3-fold: (1) To serve the Lord. (2) To serve other members of the


body of Christ. (3) Glorify God through the production of divine good. The proper function of the believer’s spiritual gift, therefore, is dependent upon operating in the love of God.

It cannot function properly nor will the believer gain maximum production from his spiritual gift without first living in the love of God, which was demonstrated at the Cross by the Lord Jesus Christ.

The proper function of the believer’s spiritual gift demands strict adherence to the Royal Family Honor Code and proper motivation from divine-love. The spiritual gifts within the body of Christ are as diverse as the members of our physical body (1 Cor. 12:4-11). The gift involves a special ability in a particular field. We cannot take credit for our spiritual gift because the source of our spiritual gift is the grace of God, which is the expression of His perfect integrity.

There are 2 categories of spiritual gifts: (1) Temporary: Functioned only during the pre-canon period of the Church Age (1 Cor. 13:8, 10). (2) Permanent: Function during the pre and post-canon period of the Church Age.

The believer’s spiritual gift is only operational through the Filling of the Spirit (Eph. 5:18) and remaining in fellowship with God. The believer’s spiritual gift functions through the believer’s royal priesthood.

Romans 11:29, “In fact, the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Romans 12:1-6, “Therefore, I challenge all of you, fellow believers, by the mercies of

God (grace in action), to present your (physical bodies) a living sacrifice, set apart, acceptable to God which is your reasonable service. Stop conforming yourselves to this (present) world system (3 arrogance skills), but rather keep on being transformed by the renovation of your thought for the purpose of all of you demonstrating what the will of God is, the virtuous and acceptable and mature status quo. Indeed, I say through the grace which has been given to me, to everyone who is among you, stop thinking in terms of arrogance beyond what you ought to think, but think in terms of sanity for the purpose of being rational without illusion as God has assigned to each one a standard of thinking from doctrine. For just as we have many members in one body, yet all members do not possess the same function. Thus, we, the many, are one body in Christ, and even individual members of each other. Yet, all of us possess diverse gifts according to the grace having been given to us, whether prophecy according to the proportion of doctrine or administration through service, or those who teach through instruction, or those comfort through encouragement, those who share with generosity, those who lead with diligence, those who exhibit mercy with cheerfulness.”

1 Corinthians 12:4-11, "Now, there are diversities of gifts, yet the same Spirit and there are diversities of administrations, but the same Lord and diversities of operations but the same God, Who is operating all things through all. But to each individual is given the manifestation of the Spirit for those who profit. For in fact, one through the Spirit is given a word of wisdom and to another a word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit and to another one faithfulness by means of the same Spirit and to another gifts of healings by means of the same Spirit and another operations of miracles and to another prophecy and to another distinguishing of spirits, and to a different one diversities of languages and to another interpretation of languages. But one and the same Spirit operates all these things, distributing to each individual his own (gift) just as He (God the Holy Spirit) wills.”

1 Corinthians 12:27-28, "Now, you are the body of Christ and individual members. In fact, God the Holy Spirit has appointed in the assembly, first apostles, second prophets,


third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, diversities of languages.”

1 Corinthians 14:12, “So also all of you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts for the edification of the assembly, keep on advancing in order that you may keep on prospering.”

God the Holy Spirit is the source of the Church Age believer’s spiritual gift. The believer’s spiritual gift is also a result of God the Holy Spirit’s work, which takes place from regeneration to resurrection.

Distribution of spiritual gifts was authorized by the Lord Jesus Christ as a result of His strategic victory in the Great Power Demonstration of the Hypostatic Union, however, the actual appointment of the believer’s spiritual gift is made by God the Holy Spirit as per 1 Cor. 12:11.

God the Holy Spirit who has all knowledge knows what spiritual gift best suits you. His 5th salvation (Filling of the Spirit) ministry determines how we as Christ’s ambassadors are to operate during our lives on earth.

The 7th salvation ministry is the means of expressing the believer’s divine-love which is composed of the motivational virtue of personal love for God the Father and occupation with Christ as well as the functional virtue of impersonal unconditional self-sacrificial divine-love.

Every Church Age believer receives at least 1 spiritual gift at the moment of salvation (1 Cor. 12:11). 7 Salvation Ministries of God the Holy Spirit during the Church Age: (1) Efficacious Grace: Makes faith in Jesus Christ effective for salvation (2 Cor. 6:1-2; Eph. 2:8-9). (2) Regeneration: Creates a human spirit for the purpose of the imputation of eternal life (John 3:1-16; Titus 3:5). (3) Baptism of the Spirit: Places every believer in union with Jesus Christ (John 7:37-39; 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 4:5; 1 Pet. 3:21). (4) Indwelling: Creates a temple for the indwelling of Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19-20; 2 Cor. 6:16). (5) Filling: Takes place when the believer applies the Word of God, which enables the Holy Spirit influence and guide the believer in doing the will of the Father (Eph. 5:18). (6) Sealing: Puts His stamp on the believer to guarantee their salvation (2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13; 4:30). (7) Distribution of spiritual Gifts: Gives every believer a spiritual gift (1 Cor. 12:4-11).

4 Ministries given to the believer to glorify Christ (John 16:14; Gal. 5:22-23): (1) The Baptism of the Spirit places us in union with Christ making each Church Age believer a member of the Body of Christ and a member of the Royal Family of God (1 Cor. 12:13; 1 Pet. 2:9). (2) The Indwelling of the Spirit makes the believers body a temple for the indwelling of Christ, the Shekinah Glory (Rom. 8:9-11; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19-20; 2 Cor. 6:16). (3) The Sealing of the Spirit guarantees the believers eternal security (Eph. 1:13; 4:30). (4) A spiritual gift is given to each believer in order that they may function in the body of Christ and therefore, build it up (1 Cor. 12:4-11; Eph. 4:11).

There are 2 categories of spiritual gifts: (1) Temporary: Functioned only during the pre-canon period of the Church Age (1 Cor. 13:8, 10). (2) Permanent: Function during the pre and post-canon period of the Church Age.

The following gifts were temporary and had disappeared by 96 A.D.: (1) Apostleship (2) Prophecy (3) Miracles (4) Tongues (5) Interpretation of Tongues (6) Knowledge and Wisdom (8) Discerning spirits (9) Temporary gift of faith. The following gifts are permanent: (1) Pastor-teacher (2) Evangelist (3) Administrations (4) Helps (5) Exhortation (6) Mercy.

The believer’s spiritual gift has been designed to function within a local assembly in order to benefit other members of the Body of Christ, which compose the Royal Family of God. The Church Age believer’s spiritual gift is designed to benefit the body of Christ and specifically the local assembly in which his pastor-teacher presides over.


1 Corinthians 12:7 states spiritual gifts are given to members of the body of Christ “for the common good.”

At the moment of salvation, the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit places the Church Age believer in a eternal union with Christ, thus identifying the believer with Christ and making them a permanent member of the Royal Family of God, a New Spiritual Species and Eternally secure (Mark 16:16; John 7:37-39; 14:20; Acts 1:5; 2:1-4; Rom. 6:3-5; 1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:26-28; Eph. 4:5; Col. 2:11-13; 1 Pet. 3:21).

1 Corinthians 12:13, “In fact, by means of one Person, God the Holy Spirit, we were all placed into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or freemen, and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”

Galatians 3:27, “For as many as were placed into union with Christ, have taken on the nature of Christ.”

Every believer has been given a pastor-teacher for the communication of the mystery doctrine of the Church Age. Paul describes the pastor-teacher as joint within the body of Christ who supplies the necessary doctrine which ability to move and function in their spiritual gift. The local assembly or local church has been divinely authorized in the Church Age as the classroom for learning doctrine (Col. 2:7; Heb. 10:25). It is thus the place in which the believer is to exercise his spiritual gift because it is where the body of Christ meets to be supplied spiritual food by pastor-teacher.

Ephesians 4:16, “From whom (the Lord Jesus Christ as the Head), the whole body (the Church) keeps on being joined and held together through every joint (Pastor-Teacher) which amply supplies (Bible Doctrine as spiritual food) according to the divine power at work in proportion to the capacity of each individual part (individual believer), making for itself the (spiritual) growth of the body for the building up of itself in the sphere of divine-love.”

Paul uses the Haphe or Joint Metaphor to illustrate the fact that every believer is dependent upon a member of the body of Christ who has the communication gift of pastor-teacher which is to supply him with the necessary spiritual food, i.e., Bible doctrine (Matt. 4:4).

Paul states this in Ephesians 4:11-12, “And He (the Lord Jesus Christ) gave the apostles, and the prophets, and the evangelists, and the Pastor-Teachers, for the face to face training of the sanctified ones for the work of the ministry, for the ultimate goal of building up the body of Christ.”

Colossians 2:19, “And not holding fast to the head (Christ), from whom the entire body (the Church), being supplied and held together by the joints (haphe), metaphor for the pastor-teacher) and ligaments, grows with the (spiritual) growth which is from God.”

The pastor-teacher’s spiritual gift cannot function without a congregation to communicate doctrine to. The local assembly cannot function without the communication gift of pastor-teacher just as our bodies cannot function and move without joints and ligaments. This means that each believer’s spiritual gift is designed to benefit other members of the body of Christ. Paul once again uses an analogy of the physical body to illustrate this principle.

Each member of the physical body cannot do without the other members (1 Cor. 12:12-27). This means that your spiritual gift cannot function apart from your pastor-teacher and it certainly


cannot function apart from the local assembly, which every believer has been called to. Hebrews 10:25 states emphatically that we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves.

One must be motivated in order to accomplish anything in life. The same holds true in Christian service. One must be properly motivated in order to perform Christian service that is acceptable to God. Motivation is that which prompts a person to act in a certain way, the goal of one’s actions. Christian service if it is to be acceptable to God must be motivated by our love for who and what God is, what He has done for us and the manner in which He loved us at the Cross. Rom 5:6-8, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died as a Substitute for all of us.”

We noted earlier that in order for our service to be accepted by God, we must be in fellowship and obedient to the Word of God, which in turn enables the believer to perform the will of God. This is the 1st step because serving God runs deeper than this first step. Why should we serve God by being obedient to His will? Love!

Christian service if it is to be acceptable to God must be the response in the soul that is characterized by love for who and what God is, what He has done for us and the manner in which He loved us at the Cross. The believer who serves God with proper motivation will do so out of a heart of love and appreciation for God loving him in the manner in which He did at the Cross.

Since God the Father loved us so much that He was willing to sacrifice His Son and the Son loved us so much that He was willing to become a member of the human race and die for our sins on the Cross, it is only right that we should reciprocate in turn by serving God willingly, out of a heart of love and appreciation for Him loving us in the manner in which He did at the Cross.

Christian service is based upon the principle of reciprocal love, meaning that Christian service is the response by the believer to God self-sacrificially loving him in the manner in which He did at the Cross and reciprocating by self-sacrificially loving God in return and in the same manner.

The manner in which God loved us was through self-sacrifice. We as believers are to serve God by sacrificing our will and desires in order to fulfill the will and desire of God. John 12:25-26, “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.”

Christian service is the response of the believer’s whole being to the manner in which God loved him at the Cross. The believer must first learn who God is and how He loves us in order to love God the way that He wants to be loved in return and how He wants us to love others. Matt 11:29-30, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Once the believer has learned how to love by imitating God, he then in turn can love himself and others. The believer must first love God before he can love himself and others, and consequently, the believer must first love God before he can serve God and others.

God’s love was expressed at the Cross-when He sacrificed His Son. The believer is to imitate God’s love by loving God and others sacrificially, thus, service on behalf of God and men must be based upon the self-sacrificial love of God, which serves as our motivation for Christian


service and is to be directed toward both God and man. This is called in the Greek New Testament, agape love.

Christian service must be based upon the principle of agape (a)gavph), “divine-love,” which has 2 directions: (1) Vertical: Self-sacrificial love for God as motivation for Christian service. (2) Horizontal: Self-sacrificial love for all mankind in order to function in Christian service.

Mark 12:28-31, “One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, ‘What commandment is the foremost of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these.’”

The believer who knows God can love and serve God the way that God wants to be loved and served, whereas the believer who does not know God cannot love and serve Him as He wants to be loved and served. We cannot love and serve God and others the way that God wants us to, unless we first learn how God loved and served us.

1 John 3:16-18, “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”

1 John 4:7-21, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love, which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.”

The love of God in which we are to operate to others is described in other passages. Rom 13:10, “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” 1 Cor 13:4-8, “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love


never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.”

Rom. 13:8-11, “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Do this, knowing the time that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.

The immediate demonstrative pronoun houtos (ou(~to$) points out what precedes it, namely verses 8-10 and in particular verse 8 where Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit commands the Roman believers to love one another. The fact that the immediate demonstrative pronoun houtos is in the accusative case indicates that we have an absolute ellipsis of the finite verb where the verb is omitted in order to emphasize the preceding concept of loving one’s neighbor. The 1st person plural aorist active subjunctive form of the verb poieo (poievw) is omitted in order to emphasize the importance of the Biblical concept of loving one’s neighbor. This is a hortatory or volitive subjunctive used to urge the Roman believers to unite with Paul in loving their neighbor, which Paul has already decided to do. The aorist tense is ingressive indicating Paul’s desire that the Roman believers begin obeying the command to love their neighbor. The active voice signifies that the Roman believers as the subject are urged to unite with Paul in fulfilling the command to love each other.

Corrected translation of Romans 13:11, “Now, let us begin to do this (love each other), comprehending the significance of the time, that it is already the hour to awaken from your sleep for now our deliverance (from the devil’s world) is nearer than when we had believed (in Christ for salvation).”

Paul describes this love in verse 10 as doing no wrong to one’s neighbor. Paul wants the Roman believers spend their precious time on earth loving one another as the Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated during His 1st Advent. The emphasis is upon the imminent return of the Lord at the rapture. As His servants, we want to be found faithful when He returns. Those who fulfill the divine mandate to love their neighbor will be found faithful.

“Love” is the noun agape (a)gavph). Agape rarely appears in classical Greek. The Greek New Testament writers elevated the word’s meaning by defining it as an attribute of God, thus God is its source. Agape originates in the essence of God, thus it designates the love of God or we could say is “divine-love.” In the New Testament agape expresses a love that wills to initiate a relationship and show kindness and self-sacrifice toward an object regardless if the object is responsive or not, whether attractive or obnoxious, rather it is an expression of the nature and character of one who loves. The Christian who operates in the love of God expresses the character and nature of God.

Characteristics of Agape, “divine-love”: (1) Loyal (John 21:7, 15-16, 20; Rom. 8:35, 39; Eph. 5:28). (2) Self-sacrificial (John 3:16; 15:13; Gal. 2:20). (3) Eternal (John 17:26). (4) Kind (1 Cor. 13:4). (5) Not self-centered (bragging, jealous) (1 Cor. 13:4). (6) Immutable (Rm. 8:39). (7) Unconditional (Rm. 8:35, 39). (8) Compassionate (1 John 3:16-17). (9) Merciful (1 John 3:16-17). (10) Righteous and Just (Rm. 13:8-10). (11) Thoughtful and Considerate (Rm. 13:8-10). (12) Truthful or Honest (1 Cor. 13:6). (13) Enduring (1 Cor. 13:7). (14) Confident in the Future (1 Cor. 13:7). (15) Forgiving (Eph. 4:32-5:2).


The following is a list of why we should love one another: (1) We are God’s children (Eph. 5:1). (2) We are brethren (Rm. 15:14). (3) We are members of one another (1 Cor. 12:25). (4) We are taught by God to love one another (1 Thess. 4:9). (5) God loves us (1 John 4:7). (6) It is the expression and fulfillment of God’s will (Mt. 22:35-40). (7) We want to glorify Him (1 Pet. 4:10-11).

Obedience to the following prohibitions will enable us to fulfill the mandate to love one another as the Lord loved us: (1) Do Not Judge One Another (Rm. 14:13) (2) Do Not have Lawsuits With One Another (1 Cor. 6:7) (3) Do Not Bite and Devour One Another (Gal. 5:15) (4) Do Not Challenge and Envy One Another (Gal. 5:26) (5) Do Not Speak Evil or Complain Against One Another (Jam. 4:11; 5:9) (6) Do Not Seek Glory from One Another (Jn. 5:44)

Obedience to the following commands will enable us to fulfill the mandate to love one another as the Lord loved us: (1) Devoted to One Another (Rm. 12:10) (2) The Same Mind Toward One Another (Rm. 12:16) (3) Build One Another Up (Rm. 14:19) (4) Accept One Another (Rm. 15:7) (5) Wait For One Another (1 Cor. 11:33) (6) Tolerate One Another (Eph. 4:2) (7) Kind, Tender-hearted and Forgiving to One Another (Eph. 4:32) (8) Speak to One Another with Spiritual Songs (Eph. 5:19) (9) Be Subject to One Another (Eph. 5:21) (10) Regard One Another as More Important than Yourself (Phlp. 2:3) (11) Bear with One Another (Col. 3:13) (12) Comfort One Another (1 Thess. 4:18) (13) Encourage One Another (1 Thess. 5:11) (14) Stimulate One Another to the Performance of Divine Good (Heb. 10:24) (15) Pray for One Another (Jam. 5:16) (16) Hospitable to One Another (1 Pet. 4:9) (17) Serve One Another (1 Pet. 4:10) (18) Humble toward One Another (1 Pet. 5:5).

We have a responsibility to love one another according to John 15:12, 17. Loving and caring for one another is not an option for the Christian. It is a mandate. It is solid proof of our love for the Lord and our fellowship with Him. The Lord Jesus Christ set the example in loving each other. John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” John 15:12 This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.”

The Lord provides us with the perfect human example in every way, manner, degree, extent, and purpose. Although He was undiminished deity, He left heaven’s glory and became a servant in the form of humanity, and He went to the cross to bear the shame of our sin and guilt. He did all this with a specific goal in mind—to bring men to God and heal their lives (1 Pet. 2:21) and so it must be with us. God has left us here to serve each other. Love is the means of serving one another according to Galatians 5:13-26.

The omnipotence of the Holy Spirit is means that the believer is to employ in order to carry out the mandate from the Lord to love one another and only the believer who is in fellowship and applying the Word of God can utilize this means.

The Objectives in Loving One Another: (1) For a testimony to the world of the reality of God’s love in Christ: John 13:35: “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (2) For loves continues to increase: (a) Increase: “and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all men, just as we also do for you” (1 Thess. 3:12); and (b) Intensity and Spiritual Source: “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart” (1 Pet. 1:22). “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pet. 4:8). (3) For ministry and service to others: Ultimately, ministry and service summarize all the One Another injunctions that follow as expressions of God’s love for others.



God the Holy Spirit - Wenstrom · Seven Salvation Ministries of God the Holy Spirit Introduction At the moment a person makes the non-meritorious decision to believe in Jesus Christ

Documents