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I. Regeneration — causing the believers to obtain life.
II. Indwelling — living in the believers:
А. The Holy Spirit indwelling the believers upon their believing.
B. The functions of the Holy Spirit who indwells the believers.
C. The permanence of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the believers.
D. The responsibility of the believer to the indwelling Holy Spirit.
III. The outward filling — coming upon the believers:
А. Baptized in the Holy Spirit upon believing.
B. Filled outwardly with the Holy Spirit.
IV. Spiritual inspiration — to impart gifts to the believers.
In this chapter we will consider the work of the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit is the application of salvation. Salvation originated in God’s love, was accomplished through Christ’s redemption, and is applied through the work of the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit applies the very salvation that came out of God’s love and was accomplished through the redemption of Christ. Without God’s love, salvation has no source. Yet without Christ’s redemption, God’s love could not have accomplished salvation. Moreover, God’s love and Christ’s redemption require the work of the Holy Spirit in order to apply salvation to us.
We can illustrate God’s salvation in this way: God is an author, Christ is a typesetter, the Holy Spirit is a printer, and we are sheets of paper. Because of His love, God wrote the story of salvation; through His redemption, Christ set the type for salvation according to God’s writing; and the Holy Spirit then printed God’s salvation, which was set in type through Christ’s work onto us, the sheets of paper. Without the work of the Holy Spirit, what was accomplished through God’s love and Christ’s redemption would only be an objective redemption and could not become our subjective salvation. The work of the Holy Spirit turns our objective redemption into subjective salvation. Without the work of the Holy Spirit, Christ’s redemption is only a fact in Him and is not experiential to us. The work of the Holy Spirit is necessary to transform the fact of our redemption in Christ into our subjective experience.
The Holy Spirit works on us in four aspects.
The first step of the Holy Spirit’s work was to regenerate us. We were dead within, but the Holy Spirit imparted God’s life into us so that we might be regenerated and made alive.
1. “Convict the world concerning sin and concerning righteousness and concerning judgment” (John 16:8).
In order to regenerate man, the Holy Spirit first convicts man. He convicts man first concerning sin, then concerning righteousness, and then concerning judgment. The Holy Spirit convicts man concerning sin because man does not believe in the Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit uncovers man’s iniquities, unveiling them in man’s inner consciousness scene by scene, as in a movie; thus, man sees that he is sinful, that he was born in sin, and that he will die in his sins unless he believes in the Lord Jesus (8:24). The Holy Spirit shows man that in Adam he is condemned already (3:18). If he will not believe in the Lord Jesus, he can only wait for perdition under judgment. The Holy Spirit reveals to man that God’s charge to believe in the Lord Jesus is not only a God-given grace but also a commandment to sinners. If a sinner does not believe in the Lord Jesus, he not only rejects God’s grace but also defies God’s commandment. Therefore, unbelief is a great sin that can cause man to perish forever (Rev. 21:8). Furthermore, this is God’s only commandment for sinners. Since man is sinful and has been judged, what God demands of man is that he believe in the Lord Jesus. God’s unique commandment to sinners is that they believe in the Lord Jesus. Therefore, if a man will not believe in the Lord Jesus, he violates God’s unique commandment and commits the unique sin. The Holy Spirit causes man to see all these things and thus to be convicted.
The Holy Spirit convicts man concerning righteousness because the Lord Jesus resurrected and ascended to God. The Holy Spirit shows man that the Lord Jesus, who did not know sin, was made sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21). He bore our sins on the cross and satisfied God’s righteous requirement (1 Pet. 2:24); therefore, God raised Him from the dead both for our justification and as proof of our justification (Rom. 4:25). When we see that the Lord Jesus ascended into the heavens and is seated at the right hand of God, we realize that His death took care of our sins and satisfied God’s righteous requirement. Now God can and even must justify those who believe in the Lord Jesus according to His righteousness. Since this is so, why would we not believe in Him? Thus, the Holy Spirit convicts man concerning righteousness.
The Holy Spirit convicts man concerning judgment because Satan, the ruler of this world, has been judged. The Holy Spirit shows man that Satan, who opposes God and is God’s enemy, has been judged on the cross of Christ. Since the ruler of the world, God’s enemy, has been judged, how could those in the world, who follow Satan to be enemies of God, not be judged? Therefore, man should repent, leave Satan and his world, and turn to God. Since Satan was judged on the cross of Christ, he no longer has authority to control those who believe in Christ. Man is delivered from Satan’s rule by Christ and His cross. Since this is so, why would man remain under Satan as an enemy of God awaiting judgment? Thus, the Holy Spirit also convicts man concerning judgment.
The Holy Spirit convicts man concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment — that is, concerning the contents of the entire gospel. Sin is related to man, righteousness is related to God, and judgment is related to Satan. Man is sinful, God is righteous, and Satan is under judgment. Man commits sins, God justifies, and Satan awaits the judgment reserved for him. Sin is in Adam, righteousness is in Christ, and judgment is reserved for Satan. In Adam man is sinful and condemned, in Christ man is righteous and justified, and with Satan man is judged. On the cross Christ took care of man’s sin, fulfilled God’s righteousness, and judged Satan. If man believes in Christ, he is delivered from his sins, obtains God’s righteousness, and is spared from Satan’s judgment. If man does not believe, he remains in sin, has no part in God’s righteousness, and ultimately shares Satan’s judgment, entering into the eternal fire reserved for Satan as his companion forever (Matt. 25:41). When the Holy Spirit regenerates man, He reveals these things to him in order to convict him.
2. “Light a lamp and sweep the house and seek carefully until she finds it” (Luke 15:8).
The parable of a woman seeking a silver coin in Luke 15 unveils the work of the Holy Spirit within the heart of lost sinners, which causes them to repent and turn to God. The woman lights a lamp, sweeps the house, and seeks carefully until she finds the lost coin. This indicates that the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God, the Bible (Psa. 119:130), to shine in man, searching and examining him thoroughly to reveal his inward condition. The Holy Spirit searches until man repents, that is, until He finds the lost sinner, who is a treasure in God’s eyes, and causes him to turn back to God. Those who have never been worked on by the Holy Spirit cannot convict themselves. Similarly, those who have not been enlightened or searched by the Holy Spirit cannot repent and turn to God.
3. “Testify concerning Me” (John 15:26).
After the Holy Spirit convicts and enlightens a man and causes him to repent, He testifies to him concerning Christ. The Holy Spirit reveals Christ to man, showing him that Christ is the Savior of sinners and the One who bore man’s sins on the cross. This leads man to receive Christ as his personal Savior.
4. “Born of the Spirit” (John 3:6, 8, see also vv. 3, 5).
When a man receives Christ as his personal Savior, the Holy Spirit immediately imparts God’s life into him and regenerates him; thus, he is born of the Spirit.
5. “The Spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:6 see also John 6:63).
The Holy Spirit imparts the life of God into those who receive Christ as their Savior, thus enlivening the deadened spirit within them. Originally, man’s spirit was dead through sin, but when he receives Christ as his Savior, his sins are forgiven, and the Spirit enlivens his spirit.
6. “Inscribed not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God” (2 Cor. 3:3).
When a man is regenerated by the Holy Spirit and his spirit is made alive, he becomes a living epistle of Christ. This living epistle is written with the Spirit of the living God; that is, God writes Christ into the believers by the Spirit, imprinting Christ into them. The believers possess the life of Christ and are joined to Christ; they are born again by receiving Christ as their life.
After the Holy Spirit regenerates us, He indwells us. He does not regenerate us and then leave. Rather, He lives within us as the indwelling Holy Spirit. After finishing the work of regeneration, the regenerating Holy Spirit immediately becomes the indwelling Holy Spirit.
1. “I will put My Spirit within you” (Ezek. 36:27).
When we believe in the Lord Jesus, God not only imparts His life into us through the Holy Spirit but also gives us His Spirit, putting the Spirit within us.
2. “The Spirit...shall be in you” (John 14:17).
When we believe in the Lord Jesus, God gives us the Holy Spirit to live in us and to be present with us.
3. “In Him also believing, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit” (Eph. 1:13 see also Gal. 3:14).
When we believe in Christ, God gives us the Holy Spirit of the promise. Therefore, when we believe in Christ and receive Him as our personal Savior, we receive the Holy Spirit.
4. “You are the temple of God, and...the Spirit of God dwells in you” (1 Cor. 3:16 see also 6:19).
Since the believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, they are the temple and habitation of God.
5. “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Him” (Rom. 8:9).
Romans 8:9 says that if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Him. Conversely, if any man belongs to Christ, he must have the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of God. One who belongs to Christ is a saved person; as such, he definitely has the Spirit of God. One who does not have the Spirit of God is not of Christ and is not saved. The highest grace a saved person can obtain is the Holy Spirit indwelling him. The Holy Spirit’s indwelling is Christ’s indwelling, and Christ’s indwelling is God’s indwelling. This is because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, and the Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of God. God is in Christ, and Christ became the Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b). The Spirit indwelling us is Christ and God indwelling us, causing us to be joined to Christ and God and to belong to Christ and God. Therefore, one who is saved and belongs to Christ and God must have the indwelling Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit dwells in the believers not only to be present with them but also to do many things and to manifest many functions in them. The Holy Spirit reveals all matters related to life that have been given by God in Christ to the believers, which will be carried out in the believers, and all matters of the truth of God so that the believers may enter into them and experience them.
1. “Were sealed with the Holy Spirit” (Eph. 1:13 see also 4:30).
The first function of the Holy Spirit in the believers is to seal the believers. Once we are saved, God seals us with the Holy Spirit, marking us out as those who belong to God and are God’s inheritance. Such a sealing separates us from the world. For example, there may be a few thousand hymnals in a room, but only the one that I have put my seal on belongs to me and is separated from the others. We know that we are persons who belong to God because once we believed, God placed His Spirit upon us as a seal (2 Tim. 2:19). After I put my seal on a hymnal, anyone who sees it will know that it belongs to me. The Holy Spirit in us and on us is the sign that we belong to God. This causes our thoughts, intentions, opinions, outlook, speech, attitude, actions, living, dealings with situations and matters, behavior, habits, and attire to be different from the world. Once others look at us, they know that we are Christians who belong to God.
As the seal on the believers, the Holy Spirit causes the believers not only to belong to God but also to be like God; He not only designates the believers as belonging to God but also shows that they are like God. For instance, the seal on my hymnal has the same appearance as the one in my pocket because I applied that very seal to the hymnal. The Holy Spirit cannot be separated from God and Christ. When He is imprinted into us, God and Christ are imprinted into us. The Holy Spirit is a seal on us so that we may look like God and Christ. He makes our thoughts, motives, conversation, actions, and all things like God and Christ and different from the world. When people see us, they not only realize that we belong to God and Christ, but they also sense that we are like God and Christ.
2. “Who is the pledge of our inheritance” (Eph. 1:14 see also 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5).
The Holy Spirit is not only a seal on the believers, proving that we belong to God and are God’s inheritance; He is also the pledge, guaranteeing that God’s inheritance in the heavens belongs to the believers and is the inheritance of the believers. The Bible tells us that God has kept an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance in the heavens for us, which will not fade away (1 Pet. 1:4). Before we inherit this inheritance, God gives His Spirit to us as a pledge, as a guarantee and earnest, guaranteeing that the heavenly inheritance belongs to us.
In the original language, pledge also has the meaning of a “sample.” This is like looking at a display or a sample of an item before we buy it in order to know its quality. It is also like a cook tasting a small portion of the food he has prepared in order to know the taste. The Bible says that eye has not seen and ear has not heard the things which God has prepared for us, nor have they come up in the heart of man (1 Cor. 2:9). Nevertheless, God, using the Holy Spirit as a sample, gives us a foretaste of these things. What the Holy Spirit gives us within — the presence of the Lord, the peace, joy, and sweetness of the Lord — is irreplaceable. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit seals us and makes us look like God and have a heavenly appearance, He also is a sample so that we may have a foretaste of God and of the heavenlies.
3. “The Spirit of life” (Rom. 8:2).
In Romans 8:2 the Holy Spirit is referred to as the Spirit of life. This shows that the Holy Spirit is of life; God’s life is in and from the Holy Spirit. He is not only the Giver of God’s life but also the reality of God’s life. He and God’s life are inseparable; if we were to separate these two, there would not be the life of God. The Holy Spirit manifests the power of God’s life in us, leading us into the reality of God’s life and enabling us to enjoy the riches of His life. We experience all that pertains to God’s life through Him. Without Him we cannot experience life; apart from Him we also cannot have the reality of life.
4. “Comforter” (John 14:16).
The Holy Spirit in the believer is not only a seal, a pledge, and the Spirit of life but also a Comforter. The word Comforter in the original language is parakletos, which means “advocate” or “aide.” In the New Testament this title is applied only to the Holy Spirit and to the Lord Jesus in 1 John 2:1 as our Advocate, which in the original language is also parakletos. As the Lord Jesus is our parakletos, so the Holy Spirit also is our parakletos. The Lord Jesus in the heavens is our Advocate before God; the Holy Spirit within us is our Aide before us. The two are also joined and connected. Through the Aide within us, the Holy Spirit, our Advocate in the heavens, the Lord Jesus, always transfers to us what He has done for us before God in the heavens so that we may obtain comfort and joy. Similarly, the Aide within us, the Holy Spirit, always conveys our different situations and needs to God through our heavenly Advocate, the Lord Jesus, for us to receive God’s care and supply. As the Lord Jesus represents us before God in the heavens regarding our blessing and profit, so the Holy Spirit is also in us and before us, representing the Lord Jesus, to minister to us and take care of us. When the Lord Jesus prays for us in the heavens, the Holy Spirit comforts and cares for us within according to the prayer of the Lord Jesus. Although the Lord Jesus ascended to the heavens, the Holy Spirit represents the Lord Jesus and enables the Lord Jesus to live in us as our parakletos that He may be with us. At all times and in all places the Holy Spirit serves us and takes care of us, comforts us and guides us.
5. “Led by the Spirit of God” (Rom. 8:14).
The Holy Spirit continually leads the believers. He leads us in all things so that we may live before God and walk in the light of God.
6. “The Spirit of reality...will guide you into all the reality” (John 16:13).
The Lord Jesus called the Holy Spirit “the Spirit of reality.” Only the Spirit can enable the believer to understand God’s truth according to God. He reveals all the mysteries and the meaning of the truths in the Bible so that the believer can understand them and enter into them.
The indwelling Holy Spirit not only leads us to understand the meaning of the truths but also guides us into the reality. He is the “truth” of all the truths. A truth without Him is but doctrine without reality. With Him, truth possesses reality. He is the reality of the truth.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of reality and the Spirit of life. Therefore, He gives life to the truth, making it alive. A truth without Him is but dead letters. He causes all truths to be full of life and to be living in all the believers, causing the believers to enter into the reality of life and truth.
7. “The anointing...teaches you concerning all things” (1 John 2:27 see also John 14:26; Acts 16:6-7).
The anointing refers to the moving of the Holy Spirit in the believer (Phil. 2:13). The Holy Spirit is the ointment, and His moving in us is the anointing. As an anointing causes a soothing and refreshing sensation, the Holy Spirit’s moving within us also gives the same kind of feeling. By His moving and anointing, the Holy Spirit teaches us to know God’s heart and will in all things. If something is according to God’s heart and is one with God’s will, the Spirit’s anointing will give us a comfortable, joyful, peaceful, settled, flowing, and refreshing feeling. Otherwise, we will feel restless, uneasy, suppressed, stagnant, grievous, and dry. If what we think, say, and do pleases God and is what God desires, His anointing will seal and approve it; otherwise, the anointing will cause us to feel uneasy and without rest until we are controlled and led by Him.
8. “The Spirit also joins in to help us in our weakness” (Rom. 8:26).
The Holy Spirit not only teaches us but also helps us. His teaching reveals our weakness, whereas His help cares for our weakness. He will help us in all the weaknesses that He exposes. In whatever matters we feel weak, He will help us. Our weaknesses are suited for His help. His help is manifested in our weakness.
9. “The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom. 8:26 see also Jude 20).
The help that the Holy Spirit gives is subjective within us. He is within us, bearing us to do what we cannot do. The deepest and most subjective aspect of His help is that He Himself intercedes for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. He is not only teaching us and leading us to pray but He is even praying for us. His prayer in us and for us is not with utterable words but with groanings which cannot be uttered. These groanings are unutterable to us because “we do not know for what we should pray as is fitting,” but they are not unutterable to Him (Rom. 8:26). We do not know how to utter the burden within us; therefore, we are short of utterable words to express our inner feelings. Although this is our case, the Holy Spirit uses groanings that cannot be uttered to pray for us so that we may discharge the burden within us before God by groanings, groaning out our inner feelings before God. We groan in this way because it is the Spirit within us who causes us to groan and who groans for us.
Often when we face a certain situation or difficulty, we do not know how to pray, but we sense a heavy burden. Although we sense a heavy burden, we do not have the words to express the burden and do not know how we should pray. It is then that the Holy Spirit prays for us according to God’s intention with groanings which cannot be uttered so that we may discharge the burden and feeling within us before God with groanings. The more we groan like this, the more we feel soothed and relieved. If we groan until the burden is gone, we will utter praises, and our groaning will be changed to praise.
The Holy Spirit not only prays within us and for us with groanings that cannot be uttered but also leads us to pray in Him with utterable words, according to the sensation He gives us, not by our mind or our thoughts but by Him. He not only prays for us, but He also inspires us and leads us to pray.
10. “The comfort of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:31).
The Holy Spirit not only teaches us and helps us but He also comforts us. When we encounter sufferings and grievous situations, He causes us to have the inward comfort of God. Whenever we are sad and grieving yet sense the comfort of God or a mysterious comfort within, this comfort is from the Holy Spirit.
11. “Abound in hope in the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13).
The Holy Spirit also causes us to have hope. Often the outward environment and all its situations cause us to be discouraged and sad. But there is a certain power within that causes us to abound in hope and joy because of God. The power of the Holy Spirit in us makes us hopeful.
12. “Sanctification of the Spirit” (1 Pet. 1:2 see also 2 Thes. 2:13; Rom. 15:16).
A believer is also sanctified by the working of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit in the believer causes the believer to partake of God’s holy nature and to be separated from the world according to the demand of God’s holy nature. He causes us to sense what is contrary to God’s holy nature so that we may be delivered from it, and He causes us to sense all that agrees with God’s holy nature so that we may partake of this nature. He also causes us to have the sense of what is holy and to live a holy life.
13. “By the Spirit...put to death the practices of the body” (Rom. 8:13).
The practices of the body cause the believer the most frustration. The practices of the body can be put to death only by the Spirit. A believer’s putting to death the practices of the body is also a work done by the Holy Spirit within him.
14. “The law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:2).
The Holy Spirit in the believer also causes the believer to be released and freed from sin and all kinds of bondage. Our deliverance from the law of sin and its bondage is not by our determination and struggle but through the operation of the Holy Spirit within us.
15. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23 see also Rom. 14:17; 15:30).
These nine spiritual fruits are all borne by the Holy Spirit in the believers. As He causes us to live a spiritual life, He also causes us to bear spiritual fruit. A real spiritual living is the expression of the Holy Spirit in us.
16. “The fellowship of the Holy Spirit” (2 Cor. 13:14 see also Phil. 2:1).
All spiritual fellowship, whether between the believer and God or between believers themselves, is a function of the Holy Spirit in the believers. We are able to fellowship with God and with the believers only when the Holy Spirit has a way in us. The moment the Holy Spirit loses His place in us, our fellowship with God and with the believers is lost.
17. “The oneness of the Spirit” (Eph. 4:3).
The oneness of the believers, or the oneness of the church, is the oneness of the Body of Christ. This oneness is a function of the Holy Spirit in the believers. It is the Holy Spirit in the believers who makes us one with one another. He not only causes us to be one with one another, but He Himself is the oneness of the believers and the oneness of the church. Without Him there is no oneness of the believers or oneness of the church.
18. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor. 3:17).
The freedom within a believer also comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit. Once the Holy Spirit occupies His rightful place in us, He causes us to put off all bondage within and without, and thus we are freed.
19. “Filled with...the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:52).
The Holy Spirit lives within us not only to do many things in us but also to fill us. He desires to completely occupy us inwardly. He desires to eliminate everything that is apart from Him and to occupy all the room in us and fill us. He is not separate from Christ and God. Therefore, His filling us is equal to Christ’s and God’s filling us. He fills us with Christ and God, causing us to be full of the life and person of Christ and God.
20. “Shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38, see also vv. 37, 39).
When the Holy Spirit fills us, He flows the Lord’s life out from us as rivers of living water to quench others’ thirst.
21. “Transformed...from the Lord Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18).
The working of the Holy Spirit in the believers is for a glorious purpose, which is to cause the believers to be transformed into the Lord’s image so that they may be like the Lord. Daily He is changing us within and transforming our inward parts, thus mingling the Lord’s element into us and giving us the Lord’s image until we are like Him in every way. He desires to inwardly transform us until the Lord’s life matures in us, causing us to be full of the image of Christ, according to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13).
1. “Comforter...with you forever” (John 14:16).
The Holy Spirit’s living in us and being with us is not temporary but forever. Once the Holy Spirit begins to live in us, He will be with us forever, never to leave. Contrary to what some people think, He will not leave us when we disobey Him and grieve Him. Our disobedience, trespasses, and offenses can only cause Him to be grieved and sad (Eph. 4:30); they cannot cause Him to leave us or forsake us. Once He is with us, He is with us forever. Praise the Lord!
2. “The Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed unto the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30).
The Holy Spirit abides in us as the seal of God’s ownership as well as the pledge of our heavenly inheritance unto the day of redemption. The day of our redemption is when the Lord returns and when our bodies are transfigured to enter into glory. Therefore, the Holy Spirit lives in us and is with us to do different works in us and to manifest various functions in us until the Lord comes, and we are raptured and transfigured.
We are responsible to the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.
1. “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thes. 5:19).
The first responsibility we bear concerning the indwelling Holy Spirit is that we should not quench Him. The original meaning of quench implies dousing fire with water. The Holy Spirit moves within us like a burning fire; we should not pour water on the Holy Spirit to quench His inspiration. For example, when we draw near to God in prayer, the Holy Spirit may touch us to confess to others. If we suppress this feeling and reason against it, we will quench the feeling, pouring “water” over it. We should never do this.
We should not fear the intense moving of the Holy Spirit within us. The more we allow the fire of His inspiration to burn, the more intensely He will burn. We must obey His moving within us. If He touches us not to wear a certain piece of clothing, we should obey and not wear it. If He touches us not to do a certain thing or say a certain word, we should obey by not doing that thing or speaking that word. If we obey and do not quench His move, He will burn us and cause us to be revived.
2. “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God” (Eph. 4:30).
Our second responsibility to the indwelling Holy Spirit is to not grieve Him. He is the oil of exultant joy (Heb. 1:9), anointing us within. If we are obedient, He will make us joyful. If we neglect, disobey, quench, and go against His anointing and moving within us, He will be grieved, making us gloomy and unhappy.
Christians should be joyful, but many brothers and sisters are depressed and unhappy because they do not obey the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; rather, they grieve Him. Whenever the Holy Spirit is joyful in us, we will be joyful. Whenever the Holy Spirit is grieved within, we will be gloomy. Our being joyful or gloomy is the evidence that we are those who obey the Holy Spirit or those who go against the Holy Spirit. Our being joyful or gloomy is the proof that we have obeyed the Holy Spirit, making Him happy, or that we have gone against the Holy Spirit, grieving Him.
3. “Walk by the Spirit”; “Walk...according to the spirit” (Gal. 5:16, 25 see also Rom. 8:4).
On the negative side, we must not quench or grieve the indwelling Holy Spirit; on the positive side, we must walk according to Him. There is no brother or sister who has absolutely no inspiration and movement of the Holy Spirit within. It is crucial to submit to the Holy Spirit’s inspiration and move. If we obey the move and touch of the Holy Spirit, we will be more enlightened, more keen within, and will more readily understand the Holy Spirit’s inspiration and move. The Holy Spirit will also give us further feeling and moving. If we continue to obey the Holy Spirit’s inspiration and move, walking according to the Spirit, we will not lose His leading and guiding, His caring and strengthening.
4. “Mind...the Spirit” (Rom. 8:5).
On the positive side, regarding the indwelling Holy Spirit, we should not only walk according to Him, but we should even mind Him. To mind is a function of our mind. If our heart loves the Lord and desires to please Him, to fellowship with Him in His Spirit, and to allow His Spirit to lead us in our walk, we must mind the Spirit. Our mind controls us the most. If our mind minds things other than the Holy Spirit, we will not be able to walk according to the Holy Spirit. To walk according to the Holy Spirit, we must consider Him and mind Him. If we consider Him and mind Him continually, we will not lose the sense of His presence; rather, we will fully enjoy sweet fellowship with the Lord.
5. “Be filled in spirit”; “Filled...with the Holy Spirit” (Eph. 5:18; Acts 13:52).
It is also our responsibility to be filled with the indwelling Holy Spirit. “Be filled in spirit” is a commandment from God that we are responsible to obey. We must seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and we must allow the Holy Spirit to fill us. We must let Him remove sin, the world, the flesh, and all that is outside of the Lord so that He may have His full place in us. We must allow Him to possess and fill our whole inward being.
6. “Full...of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5, see also v. 3; 7:55; 11:24; Luke 4:1).
Not only are we responsible to be filled with the Holy Spirit, but we are also responsible to be full of the Holy Spirit. A person is full of the Holy Spirit after he is filled with the Holy Spirit. To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to pass through a gate at a certain point of time; to be full of the Holy Spirit is to maintain a constant condition. We not only must arrive at the infilling of the Holy Spirit temporarily, but we also must constantly maintain a condition of being full of the Holy Spirit. Although we are filled with the Holy Spirit and are full of the Holy Spirit, we may lose the infilling we have obtained if we are careless or unfaithful. To keep what we have obtained by the Holy Spirit’s continuous filling, we must be responsible to always be full of the Holy Spirit. We must allow the Holy Spirit to deal with and remove all that can cause Him to lose His place in us. To maintain the condition of being full of the Holy Spirit, we must allow the Holy Spirit a free way in us.
The Holy Spirit’s work on us is not only within us but also without. On the one hand, the Lord Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit would be in us (John 14:17), and on the other hand, that He would come upon us (Acts 1:8). By being in us, He works within; by being upon us, He works without. Many do not see a distinction between the inward and the outward aspects of the Holy Spirit’s work. Actually, this distinction is extremely clear in the Bible.
The inward working of the Holy Spirit is related to life. This meets our needs related to the aspect of spiritual life. However, before God there are also needs related to the aspect of spiritual work. Therefore, the Holy Spirit also works without to meet our needs in this respect.
The Holy Spirit first works outside the believers to come upon them, baptizing them into Himself.
1. “Will baptize you in the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 3:11).
Concerning the baptism in the Holy Spirit, John the Baptist first prophesied that the Lord Jesus would baptize us with the Holy Spirit, that is, into the Holy Spirit. This prophecy by John the Baptist was not fulfilled when the Lord Jesus was on the earth.
2. “Baptized in the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5 see also 11:15-16).
Later, when the Lord Jesus was about to ascend into the heavens, He promised the disciples that they would be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from then. This promise of the Lord Jesus was fulfilled after His ascension in two parts, at two different times, in two different places, and on two kinds of people. The first part was accomplished during Pentecost in the upper room on the disciples in Jerusalem and on the Jewish believers (2:1-4). The second part was accomplished after Pentecost in the house of Cornelius in Caesarea and on the Gentile believers (10:44-47). These two parts comprised the complete baptism in the Holy Spirit. The fulfillment of these two parts was not two baptisms at different times; rather, it was the completion of two parts of a single baptism, the one unique baptism. In the two-part completion of this baptism, the one unique baptism, the Lord Jesus baptized His whole church — including all the believers in every age — into the Holy Spirit. In the two-part completion of this baptism, the one unique baptism, the Lord Jesus baptized all the believers in every age in the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the baptism in the Holy Spirit is an accomplished fact, just as the death on the cross is an accomplished fact. This fact of baptism has been accomplished on the church. Thus, when a believer obtains life by faith and becomes part of the church, he also shares in the baptism the church received. This is like a person who becomes wealthy. Once he has a child, the child automatically is part of the family and shares in his riches. Just as a child can enjoy the riches the father earned, the believers can enjoy the baptism the church obtained.
3. “In one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body” (1 Cor. 12:13).
Because the Lord Jesus baptized the whole church in the Holy Spirit through the two-part completion of baptism, 1 Corinthians 12:13 says, “Also in one Spirit we were all baptized...whether Jews [represented by the people in the upper room in Jerusalem at Pentecost] or Greeks [represented by the people in the house of Cornelius in Caesarea].” All the believers — past, present, and future, whether Jews or Gentiles — have been baptized in one Spirit. According to the fact of baptism, once a person becomes a believer through faith, he is already baptized in the Holy Spirit.
According to fact, once a believer believes, he is already baptized in the Holy Spirit. According to experience, however, many believers have not experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit. All believers have part in the fact of the baptism and have obtained the position to enjoy such a baptism, but many believers do not have the experience and the enjoyment of baptism. Therefore, they still need to be filled outwardly with the Holy Spirit.
1. “Filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4 see also 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9; Luke 1:15, 41, 67).
There is a difference in the Greek between being filled with the Holy Spirit in these verses and being filled with the Holy Spirit as mentioned previously. (Regrettably, many regard these two as one.) In the previous verses the Greek word means to be filled inwardly. This word is used in reference to the Holy Spirit filling us inwardly so that we may be full of the life of Christ to live out the image of Christ. In these verses, however, a different Greek word is used to speak of being filled with the Holy Spirit outwardly. It is the Holy Spirit coming upon us, causing us to be full of the Lord’s power to testify for Him. To be filled inwardly with the Holy Spirit is for life, bringing about the maturity of life. To be filled outwardly with the Holy Spirit is for work, resulting in power for work.
To be filled outwardly with the Holy Spirit is to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. These two are one matter. One is the fact, and the other is the experience. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a fact that the church has received; being filled outwardly with the Holy Spirit is an experience that the believer should obtain. The fact was received by the entire church and was accomplished once and for all; the experience should be obtained by the believer personally and be accomplished repeatedly. According to the fact, the whole church has been baptized in the Holy Spirit. Experientially, many believers have not yet been filled outwardly with the Holy Spirit.
2. “The Holy Spirit comes upon you” (Acts 1:8 see also 8:15-17; 19:6; Luke 24:49).
The Holy Spirit comes upon the believers (note that it says “comes upon” and not “enters into”) to cause them to be filled outwardly with the Holy Spirit; this is to experience the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Once the Holy Spirit comes upon a believer, he is filled outwardly with the Holy Spirit, experiences the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and thus receives the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Although many brothers and sisters have had the Holy Spirit enter into them to dwell in them, they have not yet had the Holy Spirit come upon them. Therefore, at most they have the filling of the Holy Spirit within, not the filling of the Holy Spirit without. Although they have experienced the regeneration and indwelling of the Holy Spirit, they have not experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit. They have the experience of the Holy Spirit’s being in them, but they should seek the outward experience of the Holy Spirit also.
3. “Receive power...be My witnesses” (Acts 1:8 see also Luke 24:49).
A believer receives power when the Holy Spirit descends upon him, filling him with the Holy Spirit. This is the result of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes upon us to fill us outwardly, leading us to experience the baptism in Him that we may be empowered to be witnesses for the Lord. The Holy Spirit came into us that we may have life; the Holy Spirit comes upon us that we may receive power. The reason that many believers have life but not power is because they have experienced only the Holy Spirit’s entering into them and not the Holy Spirit’s coming upon them.
Dear brothers and sisters, you might be such a believer. Although you have the Lord’s life and love the Lord, and although you are well behaved and have a certain amount of spiritual learning and dealing, you have no power to testify for the Lord. You can study the truth by yourself, but you cannot preach the gospel to others. You can pray softly in private, but you cannot praise loudly in public. You are restrained and bound; you have no freedom or release. You are timid and shy; you have no boldness to testify for the Lord. All this proves that you have not had the Holy Spirit come upon you, you have not been filled with the Holy Spirit without, and you have not experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Once the Holy Spirit comes upon you and fills you outwardly, causing you to experience the baptism in Him, you will immediately be released, obtain freedom, receive power, and have boldness to preach the gospel publicly, and you will be able to testify for the Lord in all situations. (We will study the matter of being filled with the Holy Spirit outwardly more carefully in chapter 27.)
The work of the Holy Spirit outside the believer is not just to come upon the believer to empower him but also to give him spiritual inspiration and gifts. These two steps, the coming upon and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, include all the work of the Holy Spirit outside the believer. These two steps of the work of the Holy Spirit outside of the believer are related. The Holy Spirit coming upon the believer is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on him, often resulting in his receiving spiritual inspiration and spiritual gifts. Although the coming and outpouring of the Holy Spirit does not always cause the believer to receive spiritual gifts, a believer must have the Holy Spirit come upon him and must have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in order to receive spiritual inspiration, and hence, spiritual gifts. Such spiritual gifts always come from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
1. “There are distinctions of gifts, but the same Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:4, see also vv. 5-11).
Spiritual gifts are spiritual abilities and skills, enabling the believer to do spiritual things and to manifest spiritual functions. Whether these gifts are healing, working wonders, prophesying, tongues, or other gifts, they are the abilities and skills of the Holy Spirit that enable a believer to do spiritual work and fulfill God’s plan. Although there are distinctions and different measures of gifts, these spiritual abilities and skills come from the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit: “The one and the same Spirit operates all these things, distributing to each one respectively even as He purposes” (v. 11).
The work of the Holy Spirit outside the believer not only empowers the believer to work for the Lord but also gives gifts to him, enabling him to do God’s work. Just as the Holy Spirit’s coming upon the believers through His outpouring causes the believers to be empowered, so also His inspiration on the believers through His outward moving causes them to be gifted. Power is a matter of strength, whereas gifts are a matter of skill. A believer can carry out an intense spiritual work for the Lord in order to serve God only when power is combined with gift and gift is added to power.
2. “To each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for what is profitable” (1 Cor. 12:7).
The manifestation of gifts in the believers through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit causes the believers to work for God and accomplish God’s great plan. These gifts are also given to every believer for what is profitable. All the gifts given through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit enable the believers to do things for God so that all may profit. Any gift of inspiration that does not profit others is questionable.
3. “Say, Jesus is Lord...in the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3).
The inspiration of the Holy Spirit is given for what is profitable and also causes one to say, “Jesus is Lord.” The outpouring of the Holy Spirit proves that the Lord Jesus has been made both Lord and Christ by God (Acts 2:33-36). Thus, the goal of the Holy Spirit’s inspiration is not merely to profit others but also to exalt the Lord Jesus, causing the believers to confess that Jesus is Lord. All inspirations that do not produce a confession that Jesus is Lord are not of the Holy Spirit but of evil spirits. All who are inspired by the Holy Spirit will say, “Lord Jesus.”
Among the four steps of the work that the Holy Spirit accomplishes on the believers, two are inward and two are outward. Regeneration and indwelling occur in the believers, whereas outward filling and inspiration occur outside the believers. Regeneration and indwelling are for the spiritual life of the believers so that they may have both a beginning and a maturity in their spiritual life. Outward filling and inspiration are for the spiritual work of the believers so that they may possess both power and gifts for spiritual work.
A healthy, normal Christian who is up to the standard has balanced and adequate experiences of these four aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit. He has the regenerating and indwelling Spirit within so that he may have a rich and matured life. He also has the filling and inspiring Spirit without so that he may do a strong spiritual work. We should not think that because we have regeneration and indwelling within, we have no need of filling and inspiration without. Even more, we must not confuse outward filling and inspiration with inward regeneration and indwelling. These four aspects of the Holy Spirit’s work should not be mixed or substituted for each other. We should have His regenerating and indwelling inwardly as well as His filling and inspiring outwardly.
