Written by Ken Walker
Synopsis.
This study will contend that there are
two particular vital aspects of the Christian life, which may be seen as
primary doorways into the fullness of the Christian life, into the practical
living of the life that was intended by God.
These two stand out as being essential, and if known and lived, then
other facets of life will settle and fall into place, not by works or
self-effort, but through the Holy Spirit of God Himself. Fullness in the
Christian life is the result.
The
first of these is the living out of the primary obedience of scripture – The
Obedience of Faith. The second
is Our Personal Walking in (and with) the life of the Spirit of God.
The Holy Spirit supplies all things and brings faith as a gift, so that we may
obey Him with the power that He provides by virtue of His indwelling of the
believer. “Christ in you” and “Christ
our life” as Paul says. The study will
contend that teaching on faith and the Holy Spirit is best done first, as a
foundation for all other teaching and that should be taught within the context
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. See
footnote below at *.
This
study will contend that such teaching is better placed after
the basic teaching of faith and Spirit that provides the ability to walk in the
Spirit with the faith God makes available.
If such incidental teaching is done prior to the basic foundational
teaching, then those teachings will do little to help the believer in both his
faith and the operation of the Holy Spirit in his life, as no substantial foundation
has been built on which they can stand.
In fact, they may only confuse, as people try and perhaps fail to be
able to do what is suggested, because they are not empowered to do so. Faith and Spirit life are both vital and
fundamental, without which the Christian faith cannot be fully lived.
This
study will further contend that before one can expect the Holy Spirit to fully
enter in to a person’s life, that person must have fully surrendered or yielded
their life to God, without any reservation.
Jesus Christ must be Lord as
well as Saviour. Difficulties in
achieving a working faith and walking in the Spirit can normally be traced back
to some form of unyieldedness somewhere in the persons life, perhaps
underpinned by a lack of humility.
The study then moves on to the relationship between the use of the printed Word of God in the Bible in relation to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This issue will be examined to see how best they may be used to promote fullness of life and faith.
Footnote * Faith and Spirit must be taught within
the context of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it applies to every life. Teaching either as separate topics outside
the context of the full Gospel may not achieve the required result. Faith and
the operation of the Spirit must be an integral part of the whole Gospel. For more on the Gospel, see The Proclamation
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ at http://www.goodnews.org.au/life/truthgr-10.html
1 The Obedience of
Faith.
2.
The Holy Spirit in the life of the
believer.
The Holy Spirit guides
and commands believers.
The Holy Spirit teaches.
We can know and rely on the presence of the Holy
Spirit.
Summary of work of the Holy Spirit.
3
A Scriptural analysis of common commands
in scripture.
This analysis looks at 15 common New Testament commands and instructions
to see by what means scripture suggests that they may be fulfilled – by
self-effort or by Holy Spirit and faith.
4. The
Yielding or Surrendering of one’s life to the Lord.
The characteristics of the surrendered life.
The need for humility.
The necessity of yielded-ness.
5. The New Testament as Law?
Life through the Spirit – or the written Word?
Trying to follow instructions
Preaching method – by letter or Spirit.
The mature believer, living and walking in fullness of
faith.
The immature believer, regenerate, but not living in
full faith.
Appendix
A. Why
can some Christians develop such a high level of spiritual maturity?
Conclusion
1 The Obedience of Faith.
Is obedience of faith the one single obedience (command/instruction?) of scripture? Does it cover all other command/instructions? It is indeed very likely and also has some logic to support such an idea. The logic is this. If we have faith, trust and rely on God for everything (because the Holy Spirit has done and is doing His full work in us, guiding, comforting etc) then if we listen and do all that He says in obedience, this one application of our faith could well be the one obedience we need to live our lives. Compare this method with doing works according to our thoughts, or things in life that are achieved by fleshly means. Neither of those methods are by faith but by human decision and are works of our own human desire and without reference to the Spirit of God.
So, in the light of this idea, let us consider the phrase that appears in scripture in Romans 16:26. Two versions have been given for the sake of comparison.
“……so that all nations
might believe and obey him…” (NIV)
“…..made known to all nations for the obedience of faith….” (KJV)
The versions do differ. The NIV says it differently altogether, using believe and obey instead of faith, but essentially conveying the same idea of being obedient to God by having faith in Him. The full scriptural context follows for these two versions. Personally I prefer the clarity of the original King James Version - for the obedience of faith. Please note that Romans 1:5 is a companion scripture, saying the same thing, in addition to all the other scriptures that will be given below.
The Holy Bible, New International Version.
“Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.”
Rom. 16:25-27 (NIV)
“Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.”
Rom. 16:25-27 (KJV)
So, whether we say we believe and obey, or we do act by the obedience of faith, it appears as though God’s word is describing an overall attitude of all encompassing faith for us to follow. If one does a survey of scripture, this verse in Romans 16 is not alone in its assertions, but is well supported in other places.
“As I urged you when I
went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men
not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and
endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s
work—which is by faith.” 1
Tim. 1:3-4 (NIV)
Overcoming is by faith. Victory and
overcoming is by faith also.
“for everyone born of God
overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our
faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who
believes that Jesus is the Son of God. “ 1 John 5:4-5 (NIV)
“Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one
he has sent.” John 6:29 (NIV)
“And without faith
it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must
believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Heb. 11:6 (NIV)
“Then he touched their
eyes and said, “According to your
faith will it be done to you”; Matt. 9:29 (NIV)
“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything
is possible for him who believes.”
Mark
9:23 (NIV)
Abraham believed and was considered righteous. From faith comes
righteousness.
“What
does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was
credited to him as righteousness.” Rom. 4:3 (NIV)
Don’t rely on what you see. Live in the
spiritual realms – by faith.
“We live by faith,
not by sight.” 2 Cor. 5:7
(NIV)
Our
lives are lived by faith. The just shall live by faith.
“For in the gospel a
righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from
first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by
faith.” Rom. 1:17
(NIV)
Together, these scriptures, when placed alongside Romans 16:26 and Romans 1:5, make faith to be a most important doorway through which everything must pass. Surely these scriptures, if given to any clear thinking person, would have them somewhat convinced that faith was something really important. This being so, we could reasonably wonder why teaching of faith and its application to life is not more commonly heard from pulpits. More on that later.
So, if faith is seen to be a basic necessity, then without it the true Christian life cannot be lived. How then is faith achieved? Could it be that it is obtained by the coming of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer? Could it be that it is by the growth of the Holy Spirit in a person that faith grows? Yes is the short answer to both these questions. Imagine if the Spirit of God did evidence His presence in the life of a believer! Would not faith grow on the person’s experience of the evidence of His presence?
I would contend that faith becomes an experience of life when the Spirit of God begins to guide, comfort and provide by His communication with the believer, acting as one proof of the presence of God, by the witness of His own Spirit. So let us examine some of the more important roles of the Holy Spirit as scripture describes them, in order to see the capabilities and provisions of the Holy Spirit as revealed in scripture.
2 The Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.
There is a very long list of provisions where the Holy Spirit contributes to the life of the believer. One verse that sets the pattern of relationship between believer and Holy Spirit is this verse from Paul when he was castigating the Galatians for their drift away from Spirit operation and back to the law.
“I would like to learn
just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by
believing what you heard?” Gal.
3:2 (NIV)
Notice that we receive the Spirit by believing what we have heard about what Christ has done for us. This is a form of simple belief, and not by attempting to follow commands written with pen and ink. We get nowhere by attempting to follow laws in our own strength. The only way we get the Spirit of God is to believe (or have faith) in what has been taught and then rely on Him to supply all we need. The implications of Galatians 3:2 is that everything comes by believing and receiving from the Holy Spirit.
Now we will look at some aspects of the life of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer and how these aspects lead to truth, guidance, power and fullness of life – and ultimately faith.
“But when he, the Spirit of
truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak
on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet
to come.” John 16:13 (NIV) (He will guide us into all truth also)
“For I did not speak of my own
accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to
say it.” John 12:49 (NIV) (Nor do we speak of our own accord but by the Spirit of God)
“He who does not love me will
not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong
to the Father who sent me.” John 14:24 (NIV) (We too will know
words from the Father)
“While Peter was still
thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three
men are looking for you.” Acts 10:19 (NIV) (The Spirit
will also say things to us)
“So get up and go downstairs.
Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”
Acts 10:20
(NIV) (The
Spirit will also send people to us)
“While they were worshiping
the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul
for the work to which I have called them.” Acts 13:2 (NIV) (We will also
be called)
“If you love me, you will obey
what I command.” John
14:15 (NIV) (We too will obey Jesus through His Spirit)
“Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.
My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”
John 14:23 (NIV) (Obedience and
indwelling go together)
“Paul and his companions
travelled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept
by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.” Acts 16:6 (NIV) (The Holy Spirit
prevents us from doing things He does not want us to do)
Notice the relationships of
truth, the Spirit’s commands, guidance and the indwelling of the life of Jesus
Christ within us.
“He reveals deep and hidden things; he
knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.” Dan. 2:22 (NIV) (Revelation and
light belong to God and is revealed by Him)
“but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit
searches all things, even the deep things of God.” 1 Cor. 2:10 (NIV) (God reveals
things to us by His Spirit)
“When the Counselor comes, whom
I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes
out from the Father, he will testify about me.” John 15:26 (NIV) (Truth comes to
us via the Spirit)
“He will bring glory to me by
taking from what is mine and making it known to you.” John 16:14 (NIV) (The Spirit makes things known to us)
“All that belongs to the Father
is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and
make it known to you.” John 16:15 (NIV) (What belongs to
the Father is made known to us)
“And I will ask the Father, and
he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—
the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor
knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”
John 14:16-17 (NIV) (The Spirit of
truth as our counselor is with us forever – He lives in us)
Notice that the Spirit, through
being resident, makes known, counsels, reveals, teaches and testifies.
“for the Holy Spirit will
teach you at that time what you should say.” Luke
12:12 (NIV)
(We are taught by the Holy
Spirit)
“But the Counselor, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things
and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26 (NIV) (The Holy Spirit
will teach and remind us of all things)
“As for you, the anointing
you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach
you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things
and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you,
remain in him.” 1 John 2:27 (NIV) (Ultimately, all
teaching is from the anointing of the Holy Spirit on us)
“This is what we speak, not
in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit,
expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.” 1 Cor. 2:13 (NIV) (We are taught
spiritual things by spiritual words through our human spirits)
“Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. “
1 John 3:24 (NIV) (God gave us His
Spirit, so we know He lives in us)
“We know that we live
in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.” 1 John 4:13 (NIV) (We live in Him
and His Spirit in us)
“You, however, are controlled
not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in
you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not
belong to Christ.” Rom. 8:9
(NIV) (We are controlled by the Spirit of God who
lives in us)
“Don’t you know that
you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” 1 Cor. 3:16 (NIV) (God’s Spirit lives in us as His temple)
“I am the vine; you are the
branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart
from me you can do nothing. John 15:5 (NIV) (We cannot achieve anything ourselves without
the Spirit of Christ)
“On that day you will realize
that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” John 14:20 (NIV) (The Spirit of
Christ is in us – as we are part of Him)
“But you will receive
power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my
witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends
of the earth.” Acts 1:8
(NIV) (We will
witness by the power of the Holy Spirit)
Notice that the Spirit reveals
His presence in us by His commands and by the power we receive, we can do
things we could not otherwise do ourselves.
So we
know that the Holy Spirit guides and commands believers, knows and reveals
truth to them, and teaches them. We also
know and rely on the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, the life of
Christ being resident in us. Also, we
now know that He does all these things for us, being active within us as we
learn to live in faith. It is not our
work- it is His. The Holy Spirit, when
He comes fully into the life of a believer, intends to achieve three practical
things. (Ruth
Paxon mentions these three stages on pages 16-19 of Volume three of her book,
Life on the Highest Plane).
For a
fuller explanation on The Stages of the Christian Life go to an article at http://home.vicnet.net.au/~gnaust/life/truthgr-03.html
In a very
important sense, these three practical things achieved by the Holy Spirit are
stages of development in the Christian life.
So, after
our outline above of the necessity of faith and how the Holy Spirit works in
us, might we not now accept and believe we are meant to be growing in faith and
learning to walk in the Spirit in all the ways suggested in scripture?
However,
might there be any problems in trying to do this? In having the Spirit of God and working
towards fullness of faith, what other problems might there be in trying to
establish our lives with these two vital aspects of scripture? Do we really need anything else? Seriously think about it. What would you need to live in the fullness
of the Christian life? Let’s take a look
to see just how faith and our reliance on the Holy Spirit within us are the
actual doorways through which we pass to receive all needs for our Christian
life.
3 A Scriptural analysis of
common commands in scripture
Most
believers would be surprised as to how much the answers to the issues in our
lives are supplied through the Holy Spirit and by faith. Let us take a look at 15 very common commands
or assertions that come from scripture.
Consider
the commands in the second column labelled Command or Assertion and then ask
the question in the third column – and find the answer in the fourth
column. As you go through each one of
these 15 common commands or assertions of scripture you will find that
underpinning each one are two common factors – that of faith and that of the
operating presence of the Holy Spirit of God.
None are mentioned in scripture as being by works or self-effort.
|
Item |
Command
or assertion |
How can we: |
Only
through faith and Holy Spirit |
|
1 |
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God
with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matt. 22:37 (NIV) |
Love the Lord our God? |
“God has poured out his love into our
hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Rom. 5:5 (NIV) |
|
2 |
And the second is like it: “Love your
neighbor as yourself.” Matt. 22:39
(NIV) |
Love others? |
“God has poured out his love into our
hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Rom. 5:5 (NIV) |
|
3 |
“Do not conform any longer to the
pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Rom. 12:2 (NIV) |
Renew our minds? |
“The mind of sinful man is death, but
the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;” Rom. 8:6 (NIV) |
|
4 |
“In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the
Spirit of God.” 1 Cor. 2:11 (NIV) |
Know God’s thoughts and have revelation
from God? |
“God has revealed it to us by his Spirit”. 1 Cor. 2:10 (NIV) “But we have the mind of Christ”. 1 Cor. 2:16 (NIV) |
|
5 |
“Live in harmony with one
another.” Rom. 12:16 (NIV) |
Love and be devoted to one another? |
“God has poured out his love into our
hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Rom. 5:5 (NIV) |
|
6 |
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Rom.
12:21 (NIV) |
Overcome evil with good? |
“You, however, are controlled not by
the sinful nature but by the Spirit…” Rom.
8:9 (NIV) But the fruit of the
Spirit is …..goodness… Gal 5:22 |
|
7 |
“But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is
commendable before God. “ 1 Pet. 2:20 (NIV) |
Suffer when doing good? |
“For we who are alive are always being
given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our
mortal body.” 2 Cor. 4:11 (NIV) |
|
8 |
“Peter and the other apostles replied:
“We must obey God rather than men!” Acts 5:29 (NIV) |
Be obedient? |
“that all nations might
believe and obey him”. Rom. 16:26 In other words, the obedience
of faith. |
|
9 |
“We were under great pressure, far
beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.” 2 Cor. 1:8 (NIV) |
Suffer hardship & weakness? |
“this happened that we might not rely
on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” 2 Cor. 1:9 (NIV) |
|
10 |
“Do not be anxious about anything, …...” Phil. 4:6 (NIV) |
Deal with anxiety and have peace? |
“by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard
your hearts and your minds..” Phil.
4:7 (NIV) |
|
11 |
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children .. and live a life of love”.Eph. 5:1-2
(NIV) |
Imitate God? |
“I have been crucified with Christ and
I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live
by faith in the Son of God….” Gal. 2:20 And Romans 5:5 see
above. |
|
12 |
Husbands, love your wives…. Eph. 5:25 (NIV) “However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Eph.
5:33 (NIV) |
Love my wife? or Respect my husband? |
“to him who is able to do immeasurably
more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work
within us,” Eph. 3:20 (NIV) “I can do everything through him who
gives me strength.” Phil. 4:13
(NIV) |
|
13 |
“everyone who hears these words of mine
and puts them into practice is like a wise man….” Matt. 7:24 |
Have wisdom? |
“For I will give you words and wisdom
that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.” Luke 21:15 (NIV) |
|
14 |
“give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you
in Christ Jesus. Thess. 5:18 (NIV) |
Give thanks in all circumstances? |
“I have learned to be content, whatever
the circumstances.” Phil 4:11 |
|
|