What is the Gift of the Holy Spirit?

January 9, 2024

There is a very important promise given to those who were baptized in Acts chapter two, where we read, “Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 2:38 NAS95)But what is meant by “the gift of the Holy Spirit”?

Some have said that the gift of the Holy Spirit is a gift that the Spirit gives to the one who is baptized.  Earlier in Acts 2, the apostles, by the power of the Spirit, spoke in tongues so that all of those gathered in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost could hear the message of the gospel in their own language.  And so, it is concluded by some, that “the gift of the Holy Spirit” is the gift of tongue speaking. This gift, it is claimed, was bestowed upon those who were baptized that day by the laying on of the apostle’s hands after they were baptized. 

Others have said that the gift of the Holy Spirit is the Spirit Himself.  In other words, God gave the Spirit as a gift to indwell the believer at the moment of their baptism.

Which of these is the correct interpretation?  Let’s look at some related passages and strive to let the Bible interpret itself.  Paul wrote to the church at Rome, “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” (Romans 8:9 NAS95) Note carefully from this passage that the Spirit’s indwelling makes us children of God.  If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ (the Holy Spirit) he is not a child of God.  Or consider this verse, “Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians 4:6 NAS95)Do you see here that the Spirit’s indwelling and sonship go together?  Because we are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts.  If we did not have His Spirit in our heart, it would mean that we are not His son or daughter.

Because of this, we must conclude that “the gift of the Holy Spirit” in Acts 2:38 is the Spirit Himself coming into our hearts.  If that is not the case, then those who were baptized on that day did not become children of God at the moment they were baptized.  Why?  Because no indwelling equals no sonship.  Could it be that they received the indwelling of the Spirit before they were baptized?  No, because that would indicate that they became children of God before they were baptized, and that the Spirit came to indwell them before their sins were forgiven. 

The gift of the Holy Spirit’s is the Spirit Himself who was given to dwell in our hearts.  Each one of us received Him at the moment we were baptized into Christ.  Praise God for His wonderful gift!

—Scott Colvin

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The Consequences of the Spirit’s Indwelling

January 5, 2024

Despite the many passages of scripture that teach us that the Holy Spirit dwells within each one of God’s children, there are some today who deny this truth.  They are denying more than they realize.  The indwelling of the Spirit is intimately tied to many other spiritual truths that are absolutely critical for each of us in Christ.  Listen to the words of Paul in Romans chapter 8: “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:9-11 NASB95)

Notice first of all that in this passage Paul affirms three times that the Spirit of God dwells in you.  The Spirit of God came to dwell within each one of us when we were baptized into Christ.  His indwelling presence was God’s gift to each one of us (Acts 2:38).  Notice also that because the Spirit is in us, Christ is in us.  The Spirit is a divine member of the Trinity, and so both Jesus and the Father dwell in us through the Spirit. (John 14:16-23, 1 John 3:24)

What are the consequences of this wonderful truth?  First, because the Spirit of God dwells in us, we are no longer in the flesh but in the Spirit.  Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.  They have a mindset that will lead to death.  But those who are in the Spirit and who set their minds on the Spirit will find life and peace. (Romans 8:5-8) Second, the indwelling Spirit assures us that we truly do belong to God, but if we do not have His Spirit in us, then the simple truth is we do not belong to Him.  Third, the indwelling Spirit makes us alive in our inner being.  Without the Spirit’s presence, we would be spiritually dead, yet because of His indwelling presence, we have been made alive.  Finally, we see that it is the Spirit who will give life not only to our spirits, but also to our mortal bodies.  The Spirit’s ongoing work of transformation within our hearts will one day culminate in a glorious resurrection of our bodies.  But if the Spirit does not dwell within us, there will be no resurrection to life. (John 5:28-29)

The indwelling of the Spirit is a profound spiritual reality that we need to believe in and trust.  To argue that the Spirit doesn’t really dwell in us today is to argue that we cannot please God, that we do not belong to God, that we’re still dead in our sins, and that we will not be raised bodily with Jesus.  But the truth is, He does dwell within us!  And because of this, we have a great hope for life with God, both now and for all eternity.

—Scott Colvin

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The Personal Indwelling of the Holy Spirit

December 19, 2023

One of the most amazing facts about the Christian life is that the Holy Spirit dwells within each one of us individually.  The scriptures are very clear about this.  For example, consider what Paul wrote to the Corinthian church: “But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.  Flee immorality.  Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.  Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:17-19 NAS95) This passage shows us that, for those who are in Christ, our bodies have become a dwelling place—a temple—of the Holy Spirit. What an amazing thought!  Just as God filled the temple with His presence in Old Testament times, so now God dwells in each one of us.  Each one of us are a temple of the living God!

These words of scripture are not figurative language, but a spiritual reality.  It is a reality that some of the members of the church at Corinth did not understand, and their lack of understanding had a terribly harmful impact on their walk with the Lord.  Some at Corinth had been practicing sexual immorality.  They didn’t realize that in so doing they were being joined in one body to prostitutes.  Paul had to rebuke them and remind them of who they were.  How could they sinfully join themselves in one body with another when they were one spirit with the Lord?  The spirit of God was living within them!  How then could they so casually engage in sin?

You see, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a powerful incentive for holy living.  It is something that you and I need to understand about ourselves today.  An understanding of this reality will completely change the way we look at ourselves.  It will change the way that we live.  It will cause us to strive for holiness.  It will strengthen our walk with the Lord.

Brothers and sisters, have you come to realize that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells within you?  You are not your own.  Let us glorify God with our bodies.

—Scott Colvin

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Unhealthy Views About the Holy Spirit

December 12, 2023

There are devastating effects when we downplay the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit’s work is indispensable to the life and health of the church and each individual Christian. The list of things that the Spirit does for us is a long one, and to dismiss His work is quite dangerous.

And yet, some in the religious world go too far and ascribe things to the Spirit that are not according to the truth.  This is also quite dangerous.  For example, some groups place so much emphasis on the Spirit that Christ is overshadowed.  In such cases, worship assemblies are so Spirit-focused that Jesus and His work on the cross are almost forgotten.  This should never be the case.  Listen to the words of Jesus concerning the Spirit: “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.” (John 16:14 NAS95)  We see here that one of the roles of the Spirit is to glorify Jesus.  The Spirit points us to Jesus and exalts Jesus.  Worship in which Jesus is overshadowed is not Spirit-filled worship.

In a similar way, to overemphasize the gifts of the Spirit in our worship or in our personal lives is dangerous.  There are gifts of the Spirit today, and those gifts are very important for the health of the body of Christ.  These gifts should be taught about, and we should be encouraged to use them.  But there is a subtle danger here.  We can overemphasize the gifts in a self-glorifying way and end up seeking the gifts of God over the humble service of God.  We can make the teaching about spiritual gifts all about us. “Look at what the Spirit is doing in me!”  Like the church at Corinth, we can fall into the trap of pursuing spiritual gifts to promote ourselves.  We can pursue spiritual gifts to the point of failing to pursue the most excellent way, which is love. (1 Corinthians 12:31)

There is another danger of holding unbiblical views of the Spirit, and it is a grave one.  There are many in the religious world today who say things like this: “The Spirit revealed to me…” or “The Spirit said to me in a dream that…” While I do believe it is quite true that the Spirit helps us to understand the word of God more deeply, it is very important to realize that the Spirit of God does not give us additional revelation today, and the Spirit will certainly not instruct anyone in contradiction to the word of God.  It is the Spirit who gave us the word, and it was given once and for all time.  As Jude wrote, “…I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.” (Jude 3b NAS95) God’s instructions to us were handed down once and for all through the apostles and prophets who were inspired by the Holy Spirit.  What spiritual danger we could find ourselves in if we listen to the words of someone who claims the Spirit told them this or showed them that!  No, we must hold fast to the word of God which was given by the Spirit of God!

—Scott Colvin

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The Dangers of Dismissing the Holy Spirit

December 1, 2023

There is a lot of confusion in the church about the Holy Spirit.  Many questions arise, such as:  Is the Spirit a personal being or just some impersonal force?  Is the Spirit divine?  Does the Spirit help us in some way today?  What is His function, exactly?  What about miraculous gifts?  Does the Spirit actually dwell within us?  These are all important questions that should be asked, and answers should be sought. 

The scriptures make it clear that a reliance on the Spirit is critical to the spiritual health of both the church as a whole and of each individual Christian.  Despite this fact, there are some in the church today who downplay the role of the Spirit.  Some have claimed that the Spirit is not really doing anything today.  Some have claimed that the Spirit of God does not actually dwell in us today in any real sense.  We must carefully search the word of God to form our understanding of the Spirit.  Some are not forming their views of the Spirit on a careful study of the word, but on a counterreaction to certain misguided views held by the Pentecostal/charismatic movements.  Forming our views of scripture on a reaction to what others are teaching is no way to go about finding truth!   We must let the word of God speak for itself and let it shape our thinking.  Some who downplay the role of the Spirit do so because of their desire for simple, black and white teachings that can be easily understood.  But the fact is, there are some things in scripture that are difficult to understand (2 Peter 3:15-16), and there are many, many things in the scriptures that will far exceed our ability to fully comprehend.  Afterall, we are dealing with God.  His ways are far above our ways.  Why should we think that we could ever fully understand nature of God and His Spirit?  And yet, we sometimes try to put God in a box of our own making.

The effects of downplaying the role of the Holy Spirit are devastating.  Some minimize the work of the Spirit and then wonder why there is so much spiritual weakness in the church.  But it is the Spirit who brings power into our lives (Ephesians 3:16).  It is the Spirit who brings transformation (2 Corinthians 3:18).  Some minimize the work of the Spirit and then wonder why we’re not reaching the lost like we should.  But it is the Spirit who will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement (John 16:8).  Some have done their best to remove the Spirit’s presence from the church and then wonder why so many congregations are dying out and closing their doors.  But when the Spirit is pushed out of the temple of God (the church), what should we expect to happen?

May we always strive to hold fast to a biblical view of the Holy Spirit.  May the Lord continue to bless us, transform us, and impart life to us through the Spirit whom He has given.

—Scott Colvin

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Life Comes Through Death

November 30, 2023

Eternal life in Christ, in this life and the next, arises from death.  Think with me for a moment about all the ways in which this is true:  First, life would not be possible without the death of Jesus on our behalf.  Second, life in Him required our own death in the waters of baptism, at which point, through faith, we died with Jesus (Romans 6:5).  Third, our future life in our heavenly home will be proceeded by the death of our bodies (unless the Lord should return first).  And finally, life in Him requires an ongoing, daily death to this world.

This last death is difficult for us, but if we want to live, we must die to the world.  Thanks be to God that through the cross of Jesus, we can find the strength to do so.  Listen to the words the Apostle Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia: “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Galatians 6:14 NAS95)It is through Jesus and His cross that the world can be crucified to us, and us to the world.  The world calls to us, it entices and tempts us to its sinful ways.  How can we overcome?  We must turn to the cross!  We must survey the wonderous cross of Jesus and choose to sacrifice all the vain things of this world to His blood.  As Paul wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ; and 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 up for me.” (Galatians 2:20 NAS95) Or, as he writes in chapter five, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:24 NAS95)

When you were baptized into Jesus, you were crucified with Him.  Now, if we want to continue to live in Him, we must make the daily decision to die to this world and put to death our own sinful desires.  May God help us to do so through the cross of Christ.   

—Scott Colvin

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Temporary Residents

November 13, 2023

Peter begins his first letter by addressing it to “those temporarily residing abroad” (1 Peter 1:1, NET). He then goes on to mention the various provinces in which they are scattered. It is likely that many of these Christians had lived in these places all their lives. In what sense could they or we, for that matter, be temporary residents?

The Christian is an alien, a sojourner, or a temporary resident in that his true citizenship is in heaven. This affects the way we approach life, even though we might live in the same house all our earthly life, our values and affections will show that our destination of heaven is what is most important. If we think of ourselves as temporary residents, we will not loose sight of our goal. Our trust will not be in this world. The world in which we live is but a temporary place. The Christian must look beyond it for his true home.

The Epistle of Diognetus has an interesting section on the Christian being a sojourner. The letter is an uninspired, anonymous letter dating from the second century A.D. The writer is attempting to explain the differences of being a Christian instead of a pagan or a Jew. His thoughts make an excellent commentary on what it means to be a temporary resident:

For Christians are not distinguished from the rest of humanity by country, language, or custom. For nowhere do they live in cities of their own, nor do they speak some unusual dialect, nor do they practice an eccentric life-style. This teaching of theirs has not been discovered by the thought and reflection of ingenious men, nor do they promote any human doctrine, as some do. But while they live in both Greek and barbarian cities, as each one’s lot was cast, and follow the local customs in dress and food and other aspects of life, at the same time they demonstrate the remarkable and admittedly unusual character of their own citizenship. They live in their own countries, but only as aliens; they participate in everything as citizens, and endure everything as foreigners. Every foreign country is their fatherland, and every fatherland is foreign. They marry like everyone else, and have children, but they do not expose their offspring. They share their food but not their wives. They are “in the flesh,” but they do not live “according to the flesh.” They live on earth, but their citizenship is in heaven. (5:1-9)*

Keeping our eyes on the goal is not always easy. There is much in the world to distract us. The Christian life must be life of watchfulness. Reminding ourselves that we are only temporary residents and sojourners in this world may help us to keep our eyes on the goal.

—Russ Holden

*Michael William Holmes, The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations, p. 541.

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Posted by Russell Holden

I Shall See God

November 10, 2023

“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will rise up over the dust of this world.

 “Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall behold God,

“Whom I myself shall behold, And whom my eyes will see and not another. My heart faints within me!” (Job 19:25-27 LSB)

These are the words of Job.  They are words of hope from a man who was at the lowest point of his life.  He had “hit rock bottom” in a way that few mortals will ever experience.  He had lost all his possessions, his children, and his health.  Even his friends and his own wife had turned against him and brought him no comfort.  Job was left completely rocked and bewildered by all of this.  In his anguish, he said some things he should not have said (see God’s response to him in 38:1 and 40:1-2), but we see in these words the hope to which he held.

Job knew that His redeemer (or vindicator) lived.  He knew that one day God would stand over the dust of this earth and make things right.  Job knew that one day, even though his body would be destroyed, he would see God in his flesh and with his own eyes.

You and I can hold to the same hope, and since we live on this side of the cross of Jesus, we can hold this hope with even more clarity and certainty.  No matter how bad things get in this world, no matter the struggles we go through in this life, God is going to set everything right one day.  And though our flesh will fail us, and our bodies will return to the dust of the earth, we will see God in our (new and glorious) body.  Our eyes will behold our Lord Jesus.  We will be like Him.  We will be with Him for all eternity in our heavenly home.

Praise God for the gift of His Son, who has given us this sure and steadfast hope. 

—Scott Colvin

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Freedom and Rest on the Narrow Way

October 24, 2023

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.  For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14 NAS95)

There are only two paths in life.  One leads to destruction, and the other leads to life.  There is no middle path, and we must all decide which path we will follow.  The path that leads to destruction is broad.  It is easy to follow.  It is comfortable.  To travel the wide path, we must do nothing more than follow our own fleshly thoughts and impulses.  The broad path is easy in the short term, but it leads to a certain destruction.

Jesus described the path that leads to life as “narrow.”  It is a more difficult road to follow.  It is narrow in that one’s direction is constrained by the revealed word of God.  It is a path of self-denial and self-control rather than self-indulgence.  It is a path of suffering for what is right when necessary.  It is the path of taking up your cross and following the Master.  While this path can be difficult in the short term, it is the road that will surely lead to life. 

Yes, the narrow path is often difficult, but Jesus also said that on this path we will find rest for our souls. (Matthew 11:28-30) Yes, the path to life puts constraints on our behavior, but Jesus also said that in walking with Him, we will know the truth, and the truth will make us free. (John 8:31-32)

So, which is it?  Is the path to life difficult or restful?  Is it constraining or freeing?  It seems paradoxical, but it is all these things.  The truth is that only by continuing on the difficult path will we find true rest.  Only by submitting ourselves to the moral restraints of God’s word, will we find true freedom.  On the other hand, those who cast off the constraints of moral behavior and embark on the broad path in an attempt to “be free” will always find that they have enslaved themselves.  Abandoning God’s narrow way to find freedom has been the motto of false prophets since the beginning, and it is the constant refrain of our culture today. “Cast off God’s restraints and be free!”  We must be very careful not to fall for this deception.  As Peter wrote, false teachers “[Promise] freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption:  for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.” (2 Peter 2:19 NAS95)

Let us walk the narrow path with Jesus and find true freedom and rest for our souls!

—Scott Colvin

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Grace and Prayer

October 17, 2023

Does God really hear our prayers?  Sometimes we wonder about this. Perhaps we wonder if He hears because the very thought of it is so grand and so wonderful.  Would the Almighty listen to me?  Does the creator of the universe care for me and my struggles?  It seems too wonderful to be true, and yet, make no mistake, it is true!  What a kind and loving God we serve.

Perhaps another reason we wonder if God truly hears us is because we don’t understand His grace.  If we don’t understand His grace, we will feel completely unable to come before Him, and unwelcome when we do.  Martin Luther once said that in the monastery, he was never taught to ask in prayer.  But when he discovered in the scriptures the doctrine of justification by grace, it taught him to approach God freely. The biblical teaching of justification by grace assures us that we are in a right standing with God, not because of our goodness, not because of our ability to live up to God’s holy standard, but because of the death of Jesus on our behalf.  We are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus…” (Romans 3:24 NAS95).

How does this knowledge of justification by grace help us to pray?  If we have been justified, we have been made right with God.  We have been declared not guilty through Jesus Christ.  If this is the case, and if we are walking faithfully with Christ, what reason is there to think that God is angry at us, or disappointed in us, and that He will not hear us?  God gave His Son so that we could be in a relationship with Him.  Why then would we think that He isn’t concerned about us, or doesn’t want to be “bothered” by our problems?  Here is the amazing truth of the matter:  “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith…” (Hebrews 10:19-22a NAS95)  Let us draw near to God!  Draw near to Him with confidence!  Come to Him in full assurance of faith! It’s all been made possible by the cleansing blood of Jesus!  There is nothing that stands between you and God in Christ.  May God help us to trust in His grace and believe that He hears our prayers.

—Scott Colvin

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