Again, in treating of the work of the Spirit, we are confronted with far more material than can be adequately presented in this paper. I can only touch on some of this. I would suggest that we can distinguish various areas in which the operation of the Spirit of Christ is evident. There is, first of all, the area of the Word of Christ and its faithful preaching. I believe that this aspect of the work of the Spirit of Christ ought to receive great emphasis. Again I remind you that it is the Spirit of Christ Who directs holy men of God to write Scripture (I Pet. 1:11). This too is evidently the idea of II Tim. 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration (theopneustos)…” Inspiration is “God-breathed”, and the Spirit is that breath of God. And He would “bring to remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you (John 14:26; cf. also I Cor. 2:10-16).
With this, there is the fact that the Spirit sends forth the preaching of the Word and directs it that God’s people may be gathered and strengthened in their faith. Through the Spirit of Christ, there would be sent forth preachers of the Word. The book of Acts, especially shows how that the Spirit of Christ directs the sending forth of the Word and the ministers of the Word to accomplish the purpose of Christ. The Spirit directed Philip to join himself to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:29). The Spirit directed Peter to go to the house of Cornelius the centurion (Acts 10:19; 11:12). The Holy Ghost directed the church of Antioch through its leaders to send Saul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey (Acts 13:2). The Spirit directed the course of the missionaries on their journey when He suffered them not to go into Bithynia (Acts 16:7). In line with this, Romans 10:15 emphasizes that the preacher must be sent. This sending too is a sending by the church under the direction of the Spirit of Christ.
And the Word spoken shows the power of the Spirit. Paul points this out in I Cor. 2: 2, 4, “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified… And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” And in I Cor. 12:3b, “…And that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost.”
That same Spirit so applies the Word He sends, that there is response in the elect sinner. To this I would direct your attention a little later also. But notice: Romans 8: 15, 16, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” Perhaps I John 3:24 could also be mentioned, “And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.”
Thus, the child of God, truly interested in the work of the Spirit, will look not first to certain special gifts in which some today seem to boast, but he will look to the Word of God and seek the proper preaching of that Word. It is in that area that first of all, and centrally, he beholds the beauty of the work of the Spirit in the church and in its individual members. But he notes that the Spirit works in this area as the Spirit of Christ.
The Spirit is seen in His work in directing and governing the body of Christ. This too He performs as the Spirit of Christ. I have earlier pointed out how that the Spirit directed the church of Antioch to send forth Paul and Barnabas on their missionary journey. Many of the references to the Spirit are in the epistles addressed to various churches. Again, the work of the Spirit in the body of Christ receives emphasis. I Cor. 12:13 states, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body… and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” The same is suggested in Eph. 4:4, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling.”
The work of the Spirit of Christ is seen in the individual child of God; and in fact, that work must be seen. Scripture contains warnings concerning the ignoring of or neglecting the Spirit and His work. Already in the early history of the church in the New Testament, one finds the account of Ananias and Sapphira who lied to the Holy Ghost (Acts 5:3). There is the striking admonition in I Thess. 5:19, “Quench not the Spirit”; or again in Eph. 4:30, “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” These passages suggest that there is such a walk possible within the church where these sins are evident.
As far as the power and work of the Spirit of Christ in the individual saint are concerned, we could perhaps divide this into two parts: The gift of life, and the gift of the Godly walk. Gal. 5:25 suggests this, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
We can be brief concerning the first division. There is that efficacious work of the Spirit below the consciousness whereby He implants the life of Christ into the heart of the elect sinner—the work called regeneration. Of this Jesus speaks in John 3:5, “…Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” That work is not accomplished through the use of earthly means nor with the cooperation of the sinner, but directly by the power of the Spirit. Jesus reminds us again in John 3:3 that one cannot even see the kingdom apart from this rebirth.
The call also is the work of the Spirit of Christ whereby He sends forth the preached Word and applies this to the hearts of elect sinners. These hear—and believe. Here too, though God uses the means of the preaching of the Word, the Spirit efficaciously accomplishes God’s design: the bringing of His people to repentance and to belief in God as the God of their salvation. That this is the powerful work of God is plain from Rom. 8:30, “moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called…” With this is in agreement also the Word of Christ in John 6:37, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me…”
Now this is not the aspect in which we are principally interested in this discussion. However, we ought again to understand well that this work of the Spirit with all of its evidence of efficacious power is that which ought to be emphasized in the preaching of the gospel. I would suggest that, perhaps, it has been the two-fold neglect of emphasis of the work of the Spirit in the giving and proclaiming of the Word and neglect of emphasis upon His saving power in regenerating and calling the elect sinner that leaves children of God at a loss concerning what the Spirit actually works. The sad result often seems to be that in groping for knowledge of the Spirit’s work, many readily seize upon such things as speaking with tongues and miracles or a certain “inner light”. A proper emphasis upon the work of the Spirit ought to make knowledgeable children of God aware of the evils of misunderstanding the Spirit’s work.
There are several expressions in the New Testament which suggest the work of the Spirit in directing the way of the child of God by applying the Word of God to such an one. We read of the “fruit of the Spirit” (Eph. 5:9; Gal. 5:22); of being “filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18); of the “walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16; Rom. 8:1, 4); of the “sowing to the Spirit (Gal. 6:8); of “minding the things of the Spirit” (Rom. 8:9); of being “led by the Spirit” (Rom. 8:14); of “speaking by the Spirit” (I Cor. 12:3); of the “Spirit dwelling in you” (Rom. 8:9, 11).
First, the Spirit as the Spirit of Christ and through the Word of God provides for the church in giving officebearers, as suggested in I Cor. 12:28, “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.” Point here is that God provides those who must function in office within the church—this is the gift of the Spirit. The same is set forth in Eph. 4:11-12, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” The Spirit provides Christ’s body with these functionaries that the office of Christ might be reflected in His church. At the same time, it ought to be evident that the Spirit does not simply and mystically bring such men into the church to rule, to reveal mercy, and to teach. On the contrary, passages such as I Tim. 3 show that these men must be chosen within the church on the basis of their godly walk and spiritual development. These have been called and were directed in a walk of holiness which becomes evident to the whole of the church. Of such men, who consciously and openly adhere to the Word of God in love, are chosen officebearers to assist the church—and these are gifts of the Spirit.
Perhaps, in connection also with the paper presented this morning, we are more interested in what are called the charismatic gifts of the members of the church. “Charismatic” I would not limit to tongue-speaking and miracles, but all such gifts of the Spirit as seen in the individual saint in his daily walk. There are those gifts, seen in varying degrees within the saints, mentioned in Gal. 5:22, 23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Or, Eph. 5:18-20 suggests a filling of the Spirit whereby we sing and give thanksgiving. We are encouraged to “covet earnestly the best gifts” (I Cor. 12:31). We are reminded of the value of prophecy (I Cor. 14). There are gifts of wisdom (I Cor. 5:15); of knowledge (II Pet. 1:5); of patience (Rom. 5:3); of mercy (Rom. 12:8); and many more.
We are told with respect to the gifts of the Spirit of Christ that, first, these are given to every man severally as the Spirit wills (I Cor. 12:11). The Spirit of Christ does provide these gifts—and He gives according to every man’s position within the body of Christ. Secondly, we are reminded that these gifts are not for self-glorification nor to gain the praise of men, but specifically for the “edifying of the church” (I Cor. 14:12). This fact, too, must be born in mind.
These gifts are not either somehow mystically given to some, but come in a very definite way. The Spirit uses, of course, what God gives us through our physical birth. Not all have the same natural capabilities; some are more intelligent than others; some reveal greater capabilities in certain areas than others. The Spirit uses such natural gifts and directs their development and use in the service of the Name of God. Also, the Spirit provides, in regeneration, in seed-form, the spiritual gifts of love, mercy, faith, which flower forth in conversion and godly walk. Thirdly, the Spirit through the Word of Christ directs that these gifts may so develop and grow, through the use of means, within the lives of the saints. He uses the means of the preached Word; the diligent efforts of faithful saints; the gift of prayer to God—in order that thus the child of God may see and rejoice in the development of these spiritual gifts. The gifts are not just simply there in full-development, but there is a growth in these which is evident in children of God.