What the Holy Spirit Does When We Believe the Gospel
Having the Spirit’s ministry within us is even greater than having Jesus’ physical presence among us (see John 16:7). That might sound hard to believe, but once you’ve understood the manifold ministries of the Spirit, you will see why Christ’s words are true. In today’s post, we will discover the Spirit’s primary purpose in all of His ministries, as well as what the Spirit does at the moment of our conversion. In future posts, we will explore how the Spirit works in our lives to make us more like Christ.
The Primary Work of the Spirit
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me [Jesus], for he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13-14)
The Spirit’s primary purpose in all of His work is to glorify Jesus Christ. The Spirit seeks to “declare,” or set before us, the person and work of Jesus Christ. This means that when the Spirit is truly at work, He will draw your attention and affections to Jesus. The focus of any movement, church, or ministry that is not on Christ is not of the Spirit.
The “First-Fruits” of the Spirit’s Ministry
He Indwells Us
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17)
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19)
“By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit” (1 John 4:13)
The Holy Spirit permanently indwells every believer from the moment of conversion throughout their life on earth. Whether you “feel” Him or not, God’s Spirit lives within you constantly. The Spirit does not “come and go” as He did in the Old Testament, but is here to stay.
He Seals Us
“It is God… who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (1 Corinthians 1:22)
“In him [Christ] you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14)
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30)
The Spirit secures and preserves your eternal salvation. According to these passages, the Spirit seals believers “until the day of redemption,” that is, until the day they enter the presence of Christ in eternity.
The idea of “sealing” in Biblical times signified four realities: ownership (see Jeremiah 32:10), authenticity (see I Kings 21:6-16), authority (see Esther 8:8-12), and security (see Daniel 6:17). How do these four images relate to the Spirit’s “sealing” you at conversion? When you believed the gospel, you became God’s “property.” You belong to Him. The proof that you are Christ’s is the gift of the Spirit. God Himself “sealed” the deal, giving you His Spirit to permanently indwell you and keep your salvation secure until you enter eternity.
He Baptizes Us
For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now (Acts 1:5)
“For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13)
Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion about the baptism of the Spirit. Spirit-baptism was predicted in the gospels (Mt.3:11; Mr.1:8; Lk.3:16; Jn.1:33) and in Acts (Acts 1:5) and first occurred at the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13). Spirit baptism is not an experience, but an event. It is the one-time work of the Holy Spirit in the life of all believers which unites or identifies them with Christ and His body at the moment of their conversion (see Ro.6:1-5).
A Word about These Three Ministries
The indwelling, sealing, and baptism of the Spirit make up the initial “first-fruits” of the Spirit’s ministry in the life of the believer (see Romans 8:23 and I Corinthians 1:22). They occur at the point of conversion and do not repeat themselves at a later time. These three aspects of the Spirit’s work are facts, not feelings. Events, not experiences. Because the Spirit has indwelt, sealed, and baptized you, you can experience the ongoing ministries of the Spirit that transform you into the image of Christ.
Conclusion: A Few Questions to Consider
- How should you respond to ministries that focus almost exclusively on the Holy Spirit and not on Christ?
- Should Christians continually pursue the first-fruits of the Spirit’s ministry in their own life? Why or why not?
- How do these ministries of the Spirit provide comfort and assurance to us when we’re struggling with doubts about our salvation?
Micah Colbert is the discipleship and outreach pastor at Community of Grace Church in Buffalo, NY. You can find his booklet, Good News for All Nations, designed for evangelism in ESL encounters, here. He blogs at Rooted Thinking, where this article first appeared.