The Work of the Spirit
Romans chapter 8 is a wonderful chapter. It was written to reassure Christians of their new standing with God. In the centre of the chapter come these verses:
“9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.
11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” Romans 8:9-11
Losing Confidence
In spite of these promises that any who belong to Christ are safe or saved (these words have the same root), there are many people whose confidence has been rocked and who, as a result, have drifted away from God and God’s people. Problems with health, ageing, family or jobs can so easily knock us and our confidence in the Lord Jesus.
One major issue that faced the early church was the result of changing expectations. Early on there had been such excitement. Jesus had been miraculously raised from the dead. Lazarus and the widow’s son in Nain had been raised from the dead. Those miracles had caused problems with the Jewish hierarchy as, though the miracles were undeniable, their implications worried them. Over 500 had seen the risen Christ at one time. Then there were all those who were raised at the same time as Jesus. After that Peter had raised Tabitha (Dorcas) from death. Paul had raised up Eutychus after he had fallen out of a window in Troas. Never had such things happened like this, many were witnesses and they undoubtedly talked about what they had seen.
Furthermore Jesus had healed so many of physical diseases; at one point every sick person who came to him was healed. Even the Pharisees could not deny this. Peter had healed a man outside the temple gate who had been crippled since birth. Philip had performed many miraculous signs. Paul had done the same. It was all so exciting – at first.
But now Christians were dying and they were now being raised from the dead. Even Christians were getting sick. It seemed that everything was changing. Why weren’t these miracles occurring in the same way as before? This change took place in the second half of the first century. Note the tense of the following statement in the letter to the Hebrews,
“God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles.” Hebrews 2:4
The past tense is used. Similarly when Paul wrote to the troubled church at Corinth he said that miracles had been the mark of the true apostles,
“I persevered in demonstrating among you the marks of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles.” 2 Corinthians 12:12
These miraculous signs certainly continued during the first generation of Christians. Early on the Christians had been able to explain the Christian message to foreigners in languages they did not know. The disaster that occurred at the tower of Babel was reversed. In the 4th century Augustine of Hippo recognised that widespread miracles had ceased and he questioned why,
“When the universal church had been founded and diffused throughout the whole world, on the one hand miracles were not allowed to continue till our time, least the mind should always seek visible things, and the human race should grow cold by becoming accustomed to things which, when they were novelties, kindled the faith.”
This is in line with what Paul said to the troubled church at Corinth when he urged them not to focus on looking for miraculous signs and gifts but on learning to love as Christ wants.
The reality was becoming stark. Christians were becoming sick and were dying. Furthermore they were not being raised from the dead in spite of their prayers. Even the apostles were dying off, eleven of them had been killed or executed,. Why were there no miracles for them? Had the Holy Spirit gone to sleep? Was the Christian message really true?
The Work of the Holy Spirit was misunderstood
Paul wrote to the early Christians and urged them not to focus on the physical but on the spiritual world. In our passage he says,
“You are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit.” Romans 8:9
The kingdom of God is in a different plane to physical life. Thus Paul wrote in another letter,
“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and bought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.” Colossians 1:13
We are either under the control of Satan or of Jesus Christ. So what does the Holy Spirit do in us?
1. The Holy Spirit draws us to Christ
There is surely no better summary of the Christian message than the following verse,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
To believe is to live under the control of Jesus and, for those who have entered this relationship, eternal life awaits them.
The great theologian, Karl Barth, who had written 8 learned tomes on church dogmatics was asked to summarise the gospel. After a short pause he recited that wonderful children’s chorus:
“Jesus loves me, this I know, because the Bible tells me so.”
It is the work of the Holy Spirit that first attracted us to Jesus and led us to recognise who he is and to love him as our creator, our Saviour and our Lord.
2. The Holy Spirit then changes us
God chose each of us to be Christians so that we could represent him. We have been appointed as his ambassadors. He wants to change us from being self-centred into becoming a holy people. He wants each of us to take on the character and ambitions of Jesus. The Holy Spirit changes the way we think. Earlier in this chapter we read,
“Those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” Romans 8:5b
All of us who are Christians will all be able to see how our thinking has changed. Don’t you now hunger to know and understand God’s Word more? Don’t you long to know Christ better and share your life with him? Don’t you become more upset when you give in to temptation? Aren’t you now more interested in meeting up with other Christians so you can be encouraged to live for Jesus?
This gift of the Holy Spirit is the birthright of all Christians.
When I was at university the Christian Union held a mission they titled ‘Paradyme Shift’. I didn’t know what this meant so I looked it up. Paradyme means ‘a way of thinking’. A shift in the way we think is what happens when we turn to Christ. Our thinking, our behaviour and our priorities radically change from the old ways, the world’s ways, to those of God.
If this change has not occurred then you are not yet a Christian. This is what our passage means when it says,
“You however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” Romans 8:9
When I was a young Christian another student asked me if I had received the Holy Spirit. I wasn’t sure what he meant. He explained that I needed a second blessing, a Baptism in the Holy Spirit, if I was to be effective for Christ. Furthermore he told me that the evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit would be that I would ‘speak in tongues’ just as happened at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the young church. For a while I fell for this doctrine and longed to be given this second blessing. How foolish I was. Only later did I understand that what my friend meant by ‘speaking in tongues’ was nothing like what happened at Pentecost. His tongue was not a real language at all but meaningless noises. Their form of glossalalia is found in sects of Hinduism, Islam and other religious groups. The experience described in Acts was a real miracle when foreigners understood the message about Jesus Christ.
I did not then know that a person receives the Holy Spirit when he or she first turns to Christ, when they first believe in him. We don’t receive a bit of him! There is nothing we can do to receive more of God than to believe in Christ. Going to Toronto, or to some special religious blessing service can give us nothing more than a passing experience. Paul wrote to the members of the Galatian churches,
“I would like to learn just one thing from you. Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by believing what you heard?” Galatians 3:2
The baptism or coming of the Holy Spirit is the beginning of the Christian life. The next verse continues,
“Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?” Galatians 3:3
How often people are deluded by teaching about the Holy Spirit. When I was a surgical registrar at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, the Christian Union came under the influence of one of the leaders of the ‘House Church Movement’, a man called George Tarleton. He persuaded the Christian Union leaders to disband and form a house church instead. He argued that in the Bible there were no such things as Christian Unions, only local churches. The effect was disastrous. That vibrant Christian Union, that had helped many students to become Christians and grow in their faith, became a small introverted clique that seemed more interested in feeling the presence of God and experiencing different spiritual gifts than in sharing the gospel with others. Evangelism largely ceased for several years. When this was all beginning I went to see George Tarleton. I had done my homework on what tends to happen to such groups and the need for young Christians to be under the protection and supervision of wiser elders. The Biblical and practical arguments were very strong. The only reply George could come up with was to say,
“The big difference between you and me is that I am following the Holy Spirit.”
I simply said that there are many examples in the Bible of people who claim they are being led by Spirit of God but who were deluded but that was the ned of the conversation. Such ‘spirit-led’ guidance turned out to be a disaster for the Christian Group in St. Bartholomew’s. When preparing this article I looked up on the internet to see what has happened to George Tarleton. One article says that he now denies the Virgin Birth, the Deity of Jesus, the infallibility of Scripture and assurance of salvation. Yet the true Spirit of God keeps Christians believing in the Scriptural truths that are inspired by the self-same Spirit of God.
The evidence of the Holy Spirit in us is that the character, ambitions and teaching of Jesus become ours. In this same chapter in Romans, Paul writes that Christians have been:
“ . . . predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Romans 8:29
In his letter to the Galatian churches Paul emphasises the difference between being worldly and being spiritual people. Paul knew that there were people, posing as church members, whose private lives proved that they did not have the |Holy Spirit within them. The lives of Christians demonstrate whether they are,
“ . . . led by the Spirit.” Galatians 5:18
Those who are not true Christians will be worldly.
“The acts of the flesh (or worldliness) are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery; idolatry, witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21
Paul goes on to contrast this with the lives of those being led by the Holy Spirit,
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23
He concludes this section with these important words,
“Those who belong to Christ have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:24-25
Such Christ-like characteristics are the mark of the person who has the Spirit of God in them.
Some years ago I had a patient who had led what might be called a Bohemian lifestyle. As we got to know each other we discussed whether she had a faith that helped her. Her reply surprised me. She explained that, when a teenager, she had actually attended a local church for a few weeks. She said that during a conversation with one of the leaders she asked how she could know if she was a real Christian. He replied,
“Let me test your tongue!”
She had heard others in the group pray, using noises she couldn’t understand, and was able to emulate them. The church leader responded,
“Oh, you’re fine then. You have the gift of the Spirit.”
How wrong that man was to advise her in such a way. God has given us his Holy Spirit not to seek experiences and gifts but so that our lives should change to glorify Jesus. This lady said that she left that church after a few weeks and subsequently never had any dealing with Christians for years. However the good news was that many years later she accepted an invitation to join us at a Christianity Explored course and learned about the Lord Jesus, who he claimed to be, what he came to do, the evidence that these claims are true, and how repentance is the door to a new life in Christ. She became a Christian and she changed as she came to know Jesus.
God’s ambition is that each of us should increasingly,
Know Jesus,
Trust Jesus
Obey Jesus.
In Russian, and other languages, KTO means ‘who’. The Spirit of God is concerned about who we have the deepest relationship of our lives with – the ‘who’ must be Jesus, not myself.
When we become Christians there is a complete ‘Paradyme Shift’, a complete turning around of our lives. As Paul wrote,
“If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
The Spirit allows us to suffer and die
This is an unpopular but important teaching. Paul attempts gently to correct the unreal expectation that they wouldn’t die or at least could rise again if they do.
“But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.” Romans 8:10
‘Because of righteousness’ means because Christ’s Spirit is now in us, Christ’s righteousness has been credited to us. When God looks at us he doesn’t see our sin but Christ. Just as death remains our lot as Christians, so does illness and suffering. Later in this chapter (Romans 8:18-30) Paul emphasises this.
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us.” Romans 8:18
“We, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to heaven.” Romans 8:23
Some may think that in the 21st century there can only be few who don’t expect to die. However there has been a resurgence in recent years that God wants to heal all disease now just as he did in Jesus time. Their argument goes like this,
1. Jesus offered a holistic salvation of body, mind and spirit when he was on earth. He gave people new life which included the forgiveness of sin, healing of physical illnesses and even raising the dead. This was true.
2. Jesus is ‘the same yesterday, today and forever’. God’s power is not diminished. This is also true.
3. So Jesus can give us whole salvation today. They say he wants to do this and it is only our wretched lack of faith that stops this.
Surely we can all respect such arguments. Jesus has promised to save the whole man and in the gospels this is precisely what he did. He is the same God who has the same power today. For sure, God has not stopped being God.
However such teachers have got their timing wrong. The Corinthian church faced this very same issue. When a godly Christian parent died their believing children would naturally be distraught. Why didn’t God raise her from death. Why wasn’t this happening? Similarly when someone is told they have an incurable cancer they naturally wonder what God is going to do about this. The answer is that they have not been taught God’s timing and they had overlooked whenthese promises would be fulfilled. The following passage is so important,
“For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” 1 Corinthians 9:22
There is the promise but it is the next verse that says when this will be fulfilled’
“But each in turn: Christ, the first-fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.” 1 Corinthians 9:23
There is a long gap between Christ’s resurrection and his return back to earth in glory. During this time we Christians will die and develop diseases. You don’t die without having some disease. But when Christ returns then we will be raised to be with him. This is God’s promise. Until then Romans 8:18, quoted above, reminds us that we will continue to suffer but now we can suffer joyfully as we have an eager expectation of what lies beyond. This is what the last verse of our passage reminds us,
“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Romans 8:11
This is so encouraging. Humanists and atheists may laugh at us over this and scream ‘Pie in the sky!” Yet they overlook all the evidence that supports Jesus’s claims – the Old Testament prophecies, the evidence for the resurrection, the conviction of the apostles, the evidence from science that there must be a mind behind our creation, the instincts in all people that there is something called truth, that honesty and integrity are real values and that beauty does exist. We all have an other-worldliness built into us.
Perhaps part of the reason why so many are unsure today is that we Christians, for several generations have not talked much about heaven. As a result death and suffering are brushed under the carpet. When I was working as a doctor many relatives would say about their dying loved one,
“Don’t tell her . . . she can’t handle it.”
More often that not it was the relatives who had the problem. If we have no concept of heaven we won’t be able to handle death. People talk about ‘life insurance’ because they cannot face what it really is ‘death insurance’. Paul is certainly not ashamed to talk about glory and consequently he is not ashamed to talk about suffering and death.
I well remember taking a teaching ward round in my hospital attended by a group of around twenty doctors, students, nurses and physiotherapists. We came to the bed of Alice, who was dying with disseminated cancer. As I sat on her bed, holding her hand, she said,
“Mr Palmer, when am I going home.”
“Alice, you would be able to cope at home”, I replied.
“No I don’t mean that. I mean when am I going home to be with the Lord Jesus.”
Wonderful. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit. Alice had God’s Holy Spirit in her. She died but she will live again in a real world with a real healthy body because she has repented, turned to christ and has been given God’s Holy Spirit. He showed himself in her.
This is what Romans 8:11, quoted above promises to each of us who are committed to Christ. The Holy Spirit’s power that raised Jesus from his suffering and death will also raise us, his people, to a new life with no further suffering or death. What a wonderful gospel!
BVP
