The Holy Spirit
We believe…
That the ministry of the Holy Spirit during the Dispensation of Grace is unlike any previous dispensation.
The Holy Spirit was sent to earth by Christ at the time of Christ’s ascension to the right hand of the throne of God (John 16:7; Acts 2:33). Before that time, it did not dwell on earth, but would from time to time come upon some in order to empower them to do God’s will and work. The arrival of the Holy Spirit in this manner of ministry constituted the beginning of the Church.
Positional Ministry to Church
At the moment of faith, the Holy Spirit does three things which are true, but not experiential, of all Christians:
The Christian is regenerated by the Holy Spirit at the time of faith (Tit. 3:4-7). The natural man, having been born as the seed of Adam, must be born again by the seed of the last Adam (Christ) in order to enter heaven (1 Cor. 15:50). Regeneration places Christ in the believer—the hope of glory (Col. 1:27).
The Christian is baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit at the time of faith (Col. 2:12). This baptism is spiritual baptism, not baptism by water (Matt. 3:11). Neither spiritual baptism nor water baptism are means of salvation; rather, spiritual baptism is an immediate result of salvation by faith alone in Christ alone (1 Cor. 12:13). It is true immediately of all who have had faith in Christ as the necessary and sufficient payment for sin.
The Christian is indwelled by the Holy Spirit at the time of faith. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is instantaneous and irrevocable. At the time of faith, the Spirit makes his abode in the believer (1 Cor. 6:19); He anoints the believer to service, both in gifting and guiding (John 16:12-15; 1 Cor. 2:10-13; 1 John 2:27); and He is the assurance of future glorification (Eph. 1:13-14). At the time the Spirit departs from this earth (ceasing His present function and returning to that function which He performed prior to His Church age ministry) (2 Thessalonians 2:3-6), all living saints will be raptured to be with Christ.
Experiential Ministry to Church
The filling ministry of the Spirit is an experiential ministry of the Holy Spirit. Not all believers will be filled continually and to the same degree (cf. 1 Cor. 3:1-3). The Christian is filled to the extent he yields to the Spirit in faith and dependence. When one walks by means of the Spirit (Gal. 5:16), and in so doing denies the flesh, the Spirit fills him and he is capable of avoiding evil and doing good works.
The filling of the Spirit can be maintained through fellowship with God. Fellowship is maintained thusly:
Do not grieve the Spirit (Eph. 4:30). That is, do not depend on other means beside the Spirit (i.e., the flesh, cf. Gal. 5:1-9) to obey God’s will.
Do not quench the Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19; cf. Phil. 2:13). That is, when the Spirit convicts of sin, submit to His voice and rest in faith.
Walk by means of the Spirit (Gal. 5:16). The Spirit illuminates the path of the Christian by revealing God’s will. Prayer and meditation on the scriptures are indispensable, as is obedience. God reveals His will to those who are listening to it, prepared to obey before His will is revealed.
Fellowship can be broken when these three means of maintenance are ignored or spurned. It is simple to return to fellowship. Those sins which have caused you to fall out of fellowship with God, agree with Him that they are sins. He is faithful and just to forgive those sins and to cleanse all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
Apart from the Spirit, we could not for a moment keep the rule of life in this dispensation: to abide (fellowship) in the love of God and to love one another (John 15:9-12).
Ministry to the Unbelieving World
The Spirit also has two ministries to the unbelieving world. He restrains evil and He convicts unbelievers of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:7-13).