In the last several posts we have focused on the gift of the grace of the Father- Jesus. “For God so loved the world He gave His only Son…” Then we looked at the gift of grace of Jesus– the Holy Spirit.“ I will not leave you as orphans, but I will send you another Helper like me”. Before we look at the gift of grace of the Holy Spirit- which would be spiritual gifts we want to look deeper at the gift of Jesus- the Holy Spirit and the function of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Show More
The entire Old Testament of the Bible clearly points to mankind’s inability to live according to the Mosaic Law, under the Law no one could be “good enough”! Therefore, as far as the Old Testament is concerned it was impossible to live without sin.
Sin has two components, first, it results in eternal death or Hell, second, it separates one from the blessings of God and a wholesome relationship with Him. The Father sent Jesus to deal with the “death” issue by dying on the Cross and His resurrection is the assurance of our own resurrection or life everlasting. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to us so that we would be able to live victoriously in a sinless relationship with Him and under His blessings.
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead or Trinity, He is not an “it” or some impersonal force. The Holy Spirit is God! When Jesus ascended to Heaven He sent the Holy Spirit to live in us. The moment we accepted Jesus into our lives our spirit was born-again, and the Holy Spirit came to live in us. The function of the Holy Spirit is to lead or guide us and teach us all truths about God. The Holy Spirit does this by making the Bible alive and meaningful to us. He “illuminates” the Word of God, He brings to “remembrance” the teachings of Jesus and “convicts” us when we go astray. The Holy Spirit is the agent by which we become “transformed” into the image of Jesus. In other words, we become more like Him.
When we first come to Christ our spirit is renewed, but our minds or souls initially are unchanged. Romans 12:2 says, “do not be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. In a very real sense, we have been brainwashed by our society and culture and many of the things we have learned are contrary to God’s view of right and wrong.
The Book of Judges in the Old Testament is an account of how the Israelites betrayed God’s faithfulness to them time and time again. God provided a series of Judges or leaders to get them back to the worship of the one true God. An important phrase that is used in Judges to describe the rebellious people was, “They did what was right in their own eyes”. In other words, ignoring what was right in God’s eyes and doing what they wanted. Doesn’t that sound like life today?
Getting back to Romans 12:2, “do not be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. Conforming is a human work, transformation is a Holy Spirit’s work. Conforming means if you talk like a Christian, dress like a Christian, act like a Christian you must be a Christian. Well, that isn’t necessarily true!
A Christian is one who has accepted Jesus and has surrendered themselves to the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Their minds are being changed as they accept by faith the truths that have been revealed by God. They are replacing the old ways with new ways. You see the change must begin with a mind that is being renewed or changed by the Holy Spirit. This transformation process will produce the outward characteristics of a true Christian.
I can’t stress enough the importance of the Bible especially the New Testament, which was written for the Christian. The Holy Spirit can only draw out of you what you put in. The more you put into your spirit the more truths the Holy Spirit can bring to your remembrance, illuminate, and convict- as you face decisions throughout the day.
In closing, let me say that God the Father provided for your salvation through Jesus Christ. Jesus provided the Holy Spirit to enable you to live the Christian life as you are being transformed from the inside out and becoming more like Jesus.
