As I’ve mentioned before, one common conception of the Holy Spirit among some churches of Christ is that His role was to help people perform miracles in the first century, confirm the deity of Jesus and then give us the New Testament before retiring to heaven for a sabbatical (except maybe to serve as an occasional prayer partner). You’ll notice that this description of the Spirit’s role is primarily past tense. However, many have become increasingly suspicious of this understanding of the Spirit. I’m not sure about anyone else, but my move away from this understanding was prompted by the Bible’s use of present and future tense words to describe the Spirit’s role. Recall the crucial and fundamental role the Spirit would play in the Messianic Age. The N.T. declares that age to be a present reality awaiting a final consummation. This is the dominant framework in which the Holy Spirit must be understood. Any discussion that focuses primarily on personal piety or on past activity misses the eschatological nature of His role. To borrow a couple words from Gordon Fee, the Spirit was conceived of in the New Testament as the certain evidence that new creation had been inaugurated and the absolute guarantee of its final consummation. Thus, the “already/not yet” language of so many eschatological terms (salvation, redemption, adoption, inheritance, etc.). A quick examination of three of Paul’s unique metaphors for the Spirit bears this out.
THE SPIRIT AS DOWN PAYMENT
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Co. 1:21-22).
Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Co. 5:5).
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a depositguaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory (Eph. 1:13-14).
The word translated “deposit” is the Greek arrabon. This metaphor only occurs three times in the N.T., all in Paul and all in reference to the Holy Spirit. It is a technical term for the first installment of a total amount due (as attested by the Greek commercial papyri). So you buy something in the agora or obtain hired services from someone and the funds used to secure the sale or service are referred to as the arrabon. When the deposit serves in this capacity it establishes a contract and also guarantees its future fulfillment. This is precisely the role the Spirit plays in the life of the believer. The Spirit is the fundamental reason that Christians have assurance. Yet we would miss the totality of the metaphor if we failed to emphasize that the party receiving the “down payment” is also under obligation to fulfill his part of the agreement. I believe in Paul’s thought world the human end of the bargain would be described as “faith” or “loyal allegiance.” In other words, the continual willingness to be led by that same Spirit which guarantees the future.
THE SPIRIT AS FIRSTFRUITS
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:22-23).
Perhaps no other passage in Paul is as explicit as this one when it comes to his “already/not yet” understanding of eschatology. Any good farmer knows that the firstfruit of the crop serves to guarantee the rest of the harvest. Paul’s understanding is that the Spirit is just that; the firstfruit–the guarantee of what is to come. But how can Paul speak of awaiting adoption? He has just previously in the same chapter spoken of believers as “sons” having received adoption. Again, the Spirit solves the dilemma. We have in some sense received the adoption and have become heirs through the Spirit; yet we await the consummation and total inheritance which also involves the Spirit (1 Co. 15–the whole chapter).
Paul uses very similar language to refer to Jesus as the “firstfruit” of the eventual harvest; namely, the resurrection.
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him (1 Co. 15:20-23).
Very similar ideas emerge. Jesus’ resurrection guarantees yours and mine. Thus, Paul can speaking of “having been raised with Christ” and then turn around in the next breath and speak of the hope of being raised.
THE SPIRIT AS SEAL
The notion of the Spirit as a “seal” has been mentioned in passing above in 2 Co. 1:21-22 and Eph. 1:13. Fee writes, “When used literally, a ‘seal’ usually referred to a stamped impression in wax, denoting ownership and authenticity, and carrying with it the protection of the owner” (God’s Empowering Presence, 807). This is the only metaphor of the three which is not inherently future oriented. It speaks to the present reality of the Christian’s assurance through the Spirit. But Paul is not shy about making this term serve his future oriented purposes. Eph. 4:30 speaks of the Spirit “with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Even here Paul has kept his focus where it always is–The present experience of the believer as a foretaste and shadowing of the future glory to be revealed.
CONCLUSION
These three metaphors were enough to convince me some time ago that I better not minimize the Spirit’s role lest He minimize my future inheritance! The New Testament’s (and the old for that matter) witness is decidedly in favor of a present and future task for the Spirit. Why some are afraid of this I do not understand. For Paul it is to have the opposite effect–assurance! Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift.
Great insights on the eschatological role of the Spirit and the already but not yet. However, the work of the Spirit’s already but not yet ministry finds a terminus at the end of the outgoing Jewish age (Heb. 8:13), an which had come upon those who were the firstfruits of Christianity, (1 Cor. 1:7-8; 10:11, Mt. 28:20; 1 Cor. 13:8-10).
William,
Thanks for visiting and for your comment. I’m not quite sure I understand your point, so I won’t say too much in response until I understand you a little better. You seem to be saying that the Spirit’s ministry ended when the Mosaic order of things disappeared. ?? I might be reading you wrong so let me know. Also, I found no reference to the Spirit or His work in Hebrews 8:13. Thanks again,
Zach
Matt Dabbs sent me this way, and I’m glad he did. I think we need to spend more time understanding the role of the Spirit in our lives.
From what I read in Romans 8 and Galatians 5, this life would be pretty scary without the help of the Spirit. I’m glad he hasn’t retired!
Grace and peace,
Tim Archer
Tim,
Thanks for visiting this site. I’ll follow your link and see what you are up to. Nice to meet you (does that count if it is only on a blog?). Anyway, I look forward to future correspondence.
Zach
The presence of the blessed Holy Spirit is in fact “Christ in you the hope of glory”. It is the indwelling eternal life of Jesus by the Holy Spirit who gives assurance, guarantees our resurrection, and the resident resurrection power who lives in us has made us eternally alive.
Thanks for the excellent post.
Grace,
Royce
To all,
Before I say anything, let it be known that Zach is one of my best friends ever and that I have great respect for his zeal and knowledge of the Bible. I mention that so as to assure all that I am in no way trying to hinder his fine work here. I simply understand certain Bible topics different than he does and the following are genuine questions I have regarding this post. And I’m using a vacation day tomorrow (going fishing), so nobody needs to make anything of it being 12:30 am as I write this.
Zach,
In quoting Fee, you wrote:
“It (the seal of the Spirit?) speaks to the present reality of the Christian’s assurance through the Spirit.”
My question is as follows — if the person of the Holy Spirit takes up residence within the physical body of every believer IN ORDER TO provide him assurance of his salvation…in what sense can said assurance be detected? In other words, apart from your understanding of the scriptures, in what other way(s) do you know that the person of the Holy Spirit is within your physical body? For example, if a child of God were to unintentionally drift away (to the point of returning to a lost state), would he ever be able to tell the point in time in which the Holy Spirit departed from his body? If not, how much assurance would his (the Holy Spirit’s) physical presence really have offered? And should such a person repent, would he then be able to actually detect the return of the person of the Holy Spirit back into his body?
Any deposit, down payment, or gaurantee which I have ever given or received was tangible (as opposed to something vague and/or elusive). And when I became a Christian, the only assurrance of my salvation which I could actually detect came from what God said.
The Bible says that when the Ephesians heard the word of truth, the gospel of their salvation, and believed in him, that they were then sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.
They had God’s promise (Tit. 1:2; 1 Jn. 2:25; etc). They had his word on it! In the acceptance of the word of truth the Ephesians had been sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.
What do you think the Bible means when it says that God dwells between the cheribums (1 Sam. 4:4; 2 Sam. 6:2; 2 King 19:15; 1 Chr. 13:6; Psa. 80:1; etc,)? Does it mean he was literally living there? Does it mean he was there in a greater way then he was elswhere? If so, I wonder in what sense?
Hank wrote:
“My question is as follows — if the person of the Holy Spirit takes up residence within the physical body of every believer IN ORDER TO provide him assurance of his salvation…in what sense can said assurance be detected? In other words, apart from your understanding of the scriptures, in what other way(s) do you know that the person of the Holy Spirit is within your physical body?”
This is tough to answer. First, the teaching of the Scriptures (as I understand them) is a good place to start; i.e., I believe the Bible teaches the indwelling of the Spirit, regardless of my ability to perceive or explain. However, that doesn’t mean that there is no such that as the “Experience of the Spirit.” That is to say, there may in fact be specific ways in which the Spirit is experienced. I will write a post specifically on this topic, but for now I would simply point to Romans 5:5 as an example of the experience of the Spirit. The mistake here is to think that you can then quantify and measure the experience scientifically. Here is where our experience in the post-enlightenment West doesn’t allow us to accept religious experience as real simply because it is not subject to objective testing.
You also asked:
“For example, if a child of God were to unintentionally drift away (to the point of returning to a lost state), would he ever be able to tell the point in time in which the Holy Spirit departed from his body? If not, how much assurance would his (the Holy Spirit’s) physical presence really have offered? And should such a person repent, would he then be able to actually detect the return of the person of the Holy Spirit back into his body?”
This isn’t a dodge, but I have no clue. I can’t think of any passages that address this topic. I’m not even sure that He departs (he is grieved, etc.). Maybe at death?????? Perhaps someone else can think of a place where this is addressed.
You continued:
“Any deposit, down payment, or gaurantee which I have ever given or received was tangible (as opposed to something vague and/or elusive). ”
This point is moot, because the Spirit is by definition intangible (John 3); the results and experience are real, but the Spirit Himself is not physical.
And finally, you wrote:
“And when I became a Christian, the only assurrance of my salvation which I could actually detect came from what God said. The Bible says that when the Ephesians heard the word of truth, the gospel of their salvation, and believed in him, that they were then sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. They had God’s promise (Tit. 1:2; 1 Jn. 2:25; etc). They had his word on it! In the acceptance of the word of truth the Ephesians had been sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.”
Again, there is a difference between my factual/intellectual assurance and my experiential/subjective relationship with God.
Thanks Hank.
Thanks for the reply.
You say you’re not even sure if the Holy Spirit actually departs (no longer dwells withinn) the Christian who drifts away to the point of being lost again? But if he dwelled within such a lost person…would he still be serving as a seal and down payment of salvation? Woud he (the HS) still offer the same benefit as he did before such a person was lost? Or would he go on a kind of “strike” — if you will. Of course, if he did depart from the guy who returns to hois vomit…you would then have a Christian (although erring) without the HS. And then we’d have to wonder about how such a person would re-receive the alleged gift.
Just some questions that hinder me from seeing the subject as most of my brethren do.
P.s. what about the cheribums? Perhaps I should have included that post along with what I wrote at the other thread.
Have an awesome day bro
Hank
How many people here have actually experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit and have seen people be healed, have seen propethic ministry or any other gift be used?
I have read discussions about the Holy Spirit but they seem to be more intellectual discussions more than actual experiences. They crack me up (at best) and frustrate me (at worst). I am a womb to the tomb CofC member but I have experienced people being healed completely (broken knees, cancer, and manacular (sp) degeneration) as a result of prayer. I have heard people tell others things about them that they couldn not have known (gift of knowlegde). After 2 hours of praise and worship, have seen other CofC guys speak in tongues (which scared them half to death) and use the gift of prophecy.
It is one thing to talk about something you have know about and a completely different one to talk about what you saw with your own eyes. It is amazing to see the work of the Lord happen. It has transformed what I think about how God works in the modern day. No apostolic age for me. I have a whole new appreciation for the power of God.
Great blog. I was wondering something.
What experiences have you had with the Spirit? Are you speaking from a position of desire or experience?
Very interesting Chris.
Do you believe that the person with the broken knees was healed because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?
And could you tell us more about the one(s) who prophesied? What exactly did they predict?
Have you yourself been given miraculous powers (or gifts) from the Holy Spirit? If so, what have you done (or have had happen to you)?
Chris,
Thanks for the compliment. I have trouble saying what is and what is not an experience of the Spirit, especially as it regards myself. I have not experienced any ecstatic utterances or healing capabilities. It could be that my experience is minimized either because I am extremely left-brained and cerebral, or I am not open to it. I would guess the former. Thus, my experience(s) probably manifests itself in that realm (cerebral), being known by illumination (which is not a bad word!) or understanding or perhaps even joy.
I am working on a post on this very topic, so stay tuned.
Zach
Hank,
All I know is that the guy (Mark) with the broken knees had before and after xrays and broken bones had been healed. I was actually teaching a lesson on Holy Spirit healing and he was a member of the group.
Mark had jumped off a dock earlier that day and landed on his knees. He went to the hospital where they x-rayed him and confirmed it. Twelve of us men prayed the prayer of agreement for the Spirit to heal him that night, in fact, we prayed that he was just bruised. He said that during the prayer, his legs stopped hurting. The next day, he had them re-x-ray and there was no damage and he was cleared to go back to work. I can only report what I saw with my own two eyes. We met the next evening for an impromptu praise and worship service thanking God for the healing. You decide.
The prophesy is very cool, too. First, prophetic doesn’t not mean telling the future, necessarily. The gift of Knowledge is considered a prophetic gift (I Cor 12) where The Spirit reveals facts about a person’s life that cannot be known other than by God. Prophetic means speaking for God or saying the the words God gives you. Prophets from the Bible were men and women who were the spokespersons of God. Sometimes that meant foretelling the future but most of the time it was pleading for the children of Israel to repent, and turn back to Him. Jack Deere’s book “A Beginners Guide to The Gift of Prophecy” is a good resource.
One instance, I was doing a meeting for a church in Searcy, AR. I was doing a “prayer of agreement” exercise with them, teaching them to listen to the Spirit then agreeing in the Spirit. (whole different discussion than this one) Anyway, I was helping a one group that was having trouble.
I laid my hands on a guy, and God gave me his name (which totally freaked me out) and when I called him by name, the men got big eyed because I didnt know him. Then God started giving me details about this guy’s life that were specific (three sons and described the sons, talked about the specific porn sites he had looked at that morning and the affairs with the women’s names, and specific life details (he was separated from his wife, he ate a nutty bar for breakfast)…things that only he and God knew.
He started weeping…loudly. Wailing, as God revealed the secrets of his heart using me (who was totally freaking out), he finally ran out of the room. I followed him and continued to talk with him about what God wanted from him. I also kept apologizing for doing that in public.
Anyway, he called me later the next week to say God had radically changed his heart and life. He was moving back in with his wife and said that repented to his mens accountability group and gave them the entire story. It was cool.
A few of my gifts are Words of Wisdom, Words of Knowledge, healing (praying for infertile couples and they get pregnant), administration, teaching others how to use spiritual gifts, and I know when God is speaking to others (discernment). My gifts really came after my second forty day fast. I had alot of noise in my head to quiet down, which fasting does. I also had to surrender my will to Him, which was no easy task. But these gifts are totally from God, given by grace for Him to use me. I am but a humble servant of the Father, nothing special.
The cool thing is that each Christian has these gifts. We either open them and use them, or they lie dormant in us. For example, Zach here has the gift of knowledge with people but attributes it to deductive reasoning. The best teaching you do is allowing God to speak through you. Hank, God prods you to pray for people (and continually places them on your heart) but you may not know what to do with that power…that is a spiritual gift waiting to opened and used. But I digress.
The stories are too numerous. My eyes are welling up tears right now thinking about the power of God and how absolutely cool his Spirit is. If you go to my blog, I have written down some exercises for a group to do that helps with developing the gifts of the Spirit. I have tried these on several groups and it really works.
I am sorry this is so lengthy. But this is one thing I can really get passionate about.
Chris
Hank,
To answer an earlier question about how you know the Spirit is taking up residence inside you, you do. The Holy Spirit in Scripture is referred to in the feminine, which is intersting. The Presence of God is Wisdom, breath, and Counselor, to name a few.
I know it is the Spirit when:
He is prodding me to do something I absolutely don’t want to do.
When I hear a whisper, telling of me to do something I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.
I feel a movement in my heart toward compassion for someone.
I get goose bumps during praise times and sense His presence during praise time. Sometimes I feel like I could praise Him for hours without stopping and feel a press to continue.
I sometimes lose my sense of self, that He is doing something inside me, reworking my heart and thoughts.
When I know a fact about someone that I have no other way of knowing.
When I feel compelled enough to get up and pray for someone in church (random people). Or I feel compelled to pray for healing for someone who is sick. I am naturally a stay to myself sort of guy but will make myself available for God. to use me without (much) fear.
All these don’t happen at the same time but these are indications that God is using me. I hope this helps.
Chris,
May I ask whether or not you have ever heard people talk about miraculous things they’ve seen (or done) of which you questioned and/or even disbelieved? For example, if I were to tell you that I was with a friend once who died and after being dead for over 12 hours, God brought him back to life (in response to a prayer of agreement)…would you believe me?
Thanks
Also, (and with all due respect), when God started giving you the details about the man you spoke of….did you hear words? Was it more a feeling? And do you believe evil spirits can give people such information? Have you ever been “spoken” to at all from Satan or his angels?
I think those are fair questions.
Thanks
Hank,
As for your first post, the answer is yes. I have disbelieved things people have said. However, I have also been cynical in my earlier years about the power of God and Him working in the modern day. I had totally bought into the “apostolic age” arguement against the Holy Spirit working in the modern day and could not bring myself to believe.
But in the last 8 years, God has changed that for me. And until you see it yourself, it can only believed by faith. For example, a very rational, logical friend of mine said he went to India with a Christ for the Nations mission trip and saw a woman with an missing arm grow a new one. I know this dude and believe him. But if I didn’t know him, I would have thought he was a nut case. But since I know him and know he is neither a sensationalist or a liar, I believed him and I praised God for a miracle.
So for your next post. By the way, when someone says, “with all due respect,” I get suspicious. You might want to diguise your cynicism a little better. But yes, I have heard words and yes, it has come as an intuition. I seriously doubt evil spirits want people to come to repentance and become a follower of Jesus. Satan wants to destroy us, not bring us closer to God. The information is not malicious, it is to help someone know that God cares, loves and knows.
Do you believe Satan or his minions speaks to us? And if you believe that, you believe the spiritual realms acts in the modern day world. And if Satan speaks (and acts)through people, don’t you think God would want to counter that by speaking to us (and acting in us) as well? I am not familiar with Satan speaking to anyone other than Carrie in the Exorcist or other scary movies. And no, I have never been spoken to by them, especially after I had just declared the ‘Jesus is Lord’ and spent 2 hours in praise and worship.
Are you honestly interested in the indwelling Spirit? Are you interested in the gifts of the Spirit? If you are, the gifts are available for those who want Him to work in them. Where do you think your cynicism comes from regarding the work of the Spirit in the modern era?