The Work of the Holy Spirit – Being Taught that We may Teach

Table of Contents

Introduction

What is the work of the Holy Spirit?

The work of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Jesus as He said, “He shall glorify me: for He shall take of Mine and shall declare it unto you.” (John 16:14)

How is the work of the Spirit represented in the Bible?

First, the Holy Spirit is a gift that God gives to everyone who comes into a saving union with Jesus Christ:

But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:39)

The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. (1 John 3:24)

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)

Various metaphors are used in the Bible to help us understand this gift of the Holy Spirit. He is represented as wind or breath, fire, water, a dove, oil, a seal, clothing, and wine.

Where shall we start in our study of the work of the Holy Spirit?

We must start with the gift of the Spirit and His dwelling in all God’s people.

The Gift of the Spirit

Start by speaking of the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Indwelling of the Spirit

Now explain the Spirit’s dwelling within us.

This teaches us that just as there is a union with Christ in our salvation, so there is a union with the Holy Spirit. This union is represented as the Spirit’s living in us just as we live in our houses.

Jesus

Where does Scripture teach this?

Jesus speaks of this reality when He speaks of the Holy Spirit abiding with us:

I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. (John 14:16-17)

Paul also speaks this way:

However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:9-11)

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19)

Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. (2 Corinthians 6:16)

Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you. (2 Timothy 1:14)

Start with what Jesus said about this.

Just before Jesus earthly ministry came to a close, He said:

Here we learn the following truths:

The Holy Spirit is given to believers and not to the world.
The world does not see or know the Holy Spirit; believers do see and know Him.
The Father is the Giver of this Gift;
The Holy Spirit is a “helper.”
The Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of truth.”
The Holy Spirit dwells in believers.

In light of #1, can we say that the Holy Spirit is a gift, unearned and unmerited?

Jesus does not say so explicitly here. On the day of Pentecost, Peter does teach this:

Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself. (Acts 2:37-39)

Paul is also very explicit on this point in Galatians:

You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? (Galatians 3:1-3)

How are we to understand the words …whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him…?

The original of this expression is: ὃ ὁ κόσμος οὐ δύναται λαβεῖν, ὅτι οὐ θεωρεῖ αὐτὸ, οὐδὲ γινώσκει.

By “people of this world” is meant all those who remain unregenerate and are not in union with Christ. Paul calls these people those who walk according to the flesh, those who have set their minds on the things of the flesh, and those who are in the flesh. (Romans 8:4-8)
By seeing and knowing the Holy Spirit is meant recognizing His ministry and embracing it as something valuable. Seeing and knowing are Johannine words for faith. The world does not look at the things Paul lists as fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22) as a manifestation of deity. Witherington writes, “Many of the main virtues that Paul lists as fruit are not included in ancient virtue lists, and some of them, such as humility, would not have been seen as virtues by most ancient pagans.” What Have They Done with Jesus? p264. John says that when Jesus came into the world, the world did not know or recognize Him as anything special. (John 1:10) Paul writes that those who do not have the Holy Spirit are not able to accept those truths which the Spirit teaches. It all sounds foolish to them. (1 Corinthians 2:14)

Hengstenberg (p217): The world has also its own πνεῦμα, the spirit of lying who proceedeth from Satan. (Matthew 13:38, 39) That spirit the world knoweth and seeth, although it is no less immaterial than the Spirit of truth.

Is receiving the Holy Spirit different than receiving Christ?

Yes, there is a difference here. Receiving Christ is something we actively do by coming to Jesus and putting our trust in Him. In a word, we receive Christ by faith. Receiving the Holy Spirit, however, is a result of our union with Christ (Ephesians 1:13) and involves no such action on our part. It is something in which we are completely passive.

What advantage do believers gain by receiving this gift of the Spirit?

Jesus states these advantages as:

The Holy Spirit is our Helper;
He is with us forever;
He is the Spirit of truth

What is meant by the Holy Spirit being our helper?

The word in Greek is παράκλητος; see here. The meaning of this word can go in two basic directions with many pointing out that these two meanings are not mutually exclusive:

First, is the idea of someone who argues your case just as we might hire a lawyer to defend us in court. Abbott qualifies (§1720k) this by noting that in the Greco-Roman context, the advocate did not work for money but “pleaded a friend’s cause for the friend’s sake.” Westcott says (p182) this meaning is “unquestionably correct.” Parallel texts would be Mark 13:11; Matthew 10:20; and Luke 21:15.
Second, is the idea of one who gives comfort. Lightfoot argues for this meaning based on the fact that the most popular title given to the Messiah by the Jewish scholars of the day was Menahem or comforter. He references Luke 2:25 where the faithful are said to be waiting for the consolation of Israel. Lightfoot paraphrases (p400): Now therefore bring these words of our Savior to what hath been said: q.d. “You expect with the rest of this nation the consolation in the Messiah and in his presence. Well, I must depart and withdraw My presence from you but I will send you in My stead another Comforter.” He also points out that the minds of the disciples were in great distress and the thought of a comforter would certainly hit home with them, more so than that of an advocate.

Some translations have chosen to use the more ambiguous word “helper” as a way to encompass both meanings.

What is meant by the Holy Spirit being the “Spirit of truth?”

This is a genitive of source. The Spirit of truth means the Spirit who is the origin and source of truth (GGBB 109). The Holy Spirit is the one who leads us into the truth and protects us from error. John speaks directly to this:

I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you. (John 16:12-15)

How are we to understand the close of these verses but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you?

The original is ὑμεῖς γινώσκετε αὐτό ὅτι παρ᾽ ὑμῖν μένει καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν ἔσται. There are three things to note here:

The position of the word “you” or ὑμεῖς. This shows that it carries the emphasis. The meaning is that the world does not know but you do know.
The causal relationship (οτι not ινα) between knowing the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit abiding with us and dwelling in us. This teaches us that the Holy Spirit first enters a person’s life and then they see Him and know Him. It is no human choice of ours that brings the Holy Spirit into our life.
The future tense of and “will be” in you.

Explain #3.

This is difficult first because there is a textual issue. The verb could be present or future tense; most see the future as the likely reading. Second, how are we to understand that the Holy Spirit was already abiding with the disciples but was not yet dwelling in them?

Godet understands (p145) the abiding with you as the preparatory work of the Holy Spirit which was already being done. The dwelling in you is something future and would begin at Pentecost.
Keener suggests that abiding with you is a reference to the presence of the Spirit in Jesus. The dwelling in you is the Holy Spirit dwelling in the disciples as well after Pentecost. John, 1:972–973.
Barrett says that with you is the presence of the Holy Spirit in the church while in you is the Spirit dwelling in the individual Christian. John, p463.

Suffice it to say that the the Holy Spirit was already abiding with the disciples when Jesus was teaching them, but on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit would come down on them in a new and more powerful way which is represented as the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. More than this is not possible to say.

Paul

Where else does the Bible teach us about the Spirit’s living inside every believer?

Paul teaches this in this letter to the Romans:

Here several things are noteworthy:

Some persons are in the flesh while others are in the Spirit. One is “in the Spirit” when the Holy Spirit dwells in him.
Christ is in believers just as the Spirit is.
This union with the Holy Spirit brings us physical life (your mortal bodies) along with spiritual life (the spirit is alive because of righteousness).

Say more about #2.

On several occasions, Paul speaks of the Holy Spirit and Jesus almost as if they were the same Person, so closely connected does He understand their work to be. For example,

Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:12-18; cf this)

Paul teaches that where the Holy Spirit is, there Jesus is; and where Jesus is, there the Holy Spirit is. This is the same thinking that we find in Romans 8 where Paul says that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Then he goes on to say, almost as if the Holy Spirit and Christ are interchangeable, “If Christ is in you…” The Holy Spirit and Christ are two different persons, but being indwelt by the Holy Spirit is nearly synonymous in Paul’s mind with being indwelt by Christ.

Where else does Paul speak of being indwelt by the Holy Spirit?

Three times, Paul tells the Corinthians that they are temples of the Holy Spirit.

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19)
Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. (2 Corinthians 6:16)

The Seal of the Spirit

What is the seal of the Holy Spirit?

This is something spoken of by Paul in three different places:

“And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put His seal on us and given us His Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” (2 Corinthians 1:21–22)
“In Him 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…” (Ephesians 1:13)
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30)

Ephesians 1

What is Paul’s teaching here?

In these verses, Paul is glorifying and praising God for His plan of salvation and for all the blessings which believers receive when they are joined in a saving union with Jesus Christ. As usual, Paul rejoices that it was not just the Jewish Christians who received these blessings, but gentiles also.

He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ [the Jewish Christians] would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also [gentile Christians], after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation–having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, (Ephesians 1:9-13)

Paul says that the gentile Christians were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. What does this mean?

It’s first necessary to understand the use of a seal in ancient times. Seals were used as a mark of ownership, authority, or authenticity.

Ownership – tools and other objects were sealed to mark them as belonging to a certain person. The Code of Hammurabi speaks of slaves being branded (see §226, 227).
Authority & authenticity – Kings would seal documents as proof that a given document really was from the king and carried his authority. (Esther 8:8) The more common people would use a seal in the same way that we might use a signature or fingerprint. Merchants would mark their merchandise with a seal to guarantee its authenticity and to distinguish it from the merchandise of others. We would call this branding. Jesus’ tomb was sealed as a guarantee that it had not been tampered with. The scroll in Revelation 5 was sealed with seven seals meaning that it had not been opened.

What actually was a seal?

It was usually a ring or some object that would impress a pattern or design into some kind of softer material like wax or clay. This pattern became the visible seal that functioned in the above ways.

Which of these meanings applies to Paul’s use of the term here?

The meaning here is that the Holy Spirit is the seal or mark of ownership. A person sealed with the Holy Spirit is marked as a disciple of Jesus.

How is the Holy Spirit a seal?

The Holy Spirit is the gift of God which believers receive when they are united to Christ. The Holy Spirit dwells in His people and He Himself is the seal. Owen writes (p400) that by this sealing, we are not to understand some specific act which the Holy Spirit does in us, but the actual gift of the Holy Spirit himself to us:

In the first place, it is expressly said that we are sealed with the Spirit; whereby the Spirit Himself is expressed as this seal, and not any of His especial operations, as He is also directly said Himself to be the “earnest of our inheritance.” In the latter, the words are, Ἐν ᾧ ἐσφραγίσθητε, “In whom,” in and by the receiving of whom, “ye are sealed.” Wherefore, no especial act of the Spirit, but only an especial effect of His communication unto us, seems to be intended hereby.

Now when a person receives the Holy Spirit, they are changed. You might say, the Holy Spirit leaves His “pattern” on the person. It is by the ministry of the Spirit that a person is made holy. This means that a person is Christ-like but also Spirit-like. Macknight says (p322):

Christ is said to have marked the Gentiles as the children of God by bestowing on them the gifts of the Spirit. Hence when Peter rehearsed to the brethren in Jerusalem how the Holy Ghost fell on Cornelius and his company as on the Jewish believers at the beginning, they replied, “Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.” (Acts 11:18) Others are of opinion that the ordinary influences of the Spirit on the minds of believers are also included in this sealing because thereby they acquire the image of God and are prepared for eternal life. Accordingly, though the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit whereby the believing Jews and Gentiles in the first age were sealed as heirs of the promises have long ago been withdrawn, the ordinary influences of the Spirit of God still remain. And if they produce in any man a new nature, he is thereby marked or declared to be God’s son and that mark or seal is to him a stronger evidence of his title to the inheritance than if he possessed the miraculous gifts, nay than if an angel from heaven assured him of his title. How earnest then ought we to be in our endeavors to obtain this most excellent seal of the Spirit.

Edwards writes (p231):

And when the Scripture speaks of the seal of the Spirit, it is an expression which properly denotes, not an immediate voice or suggestion, but some work or effect of the Spirit, that is left as a divine mark upon the soul, to be an evidence, by which God’s children might be known. The seals of princes were the distinguishing marks of princes: and thus God’s seal is spoken of as God’s mark, “Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads” (Revelation 7:3); together with: “Set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sign and cry for all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof” (Ezekiel 9:4). When God sets his seal on a man’s heart by his Spirit, there is some holy stamp, some image impressed and left upon the heart by the Spirit, as by the seal upon the wax. And this holy stamp, or impressed image, exhibiting clear evidence to the conscience, that the subject of it is the child of God, is the very thing which in Scripture is called the seal of the Spirit, and the witness, or evidence of the Spirit. And this image enstamped by the Spirit on God’s children’s hearts, is His own image: that is the evidence by which they are known to be God’s children, that they have the image of their Father stamped upon their hearts by the spirit of adoption. Seals anciently had engraven on them two things, viz. the image and the name of the person whose seal it was. Therefore when Christ says to his spouse, “Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm” (Song of Solomon 8:6); it is as much as to say, let my name and image remain impressed there. The seals of princes were wont to bear their image; so that what they set their seal and royal mark upon, had their image left on it. It was the manner of princes of old to have their image engraven on their jewels and precious stones; and the image of Augustus engraven on a precious stone, was used as the seal of the Roman emperors, in Christ’s and the apostles’ times. And the saints are the jewels of Jesus Christ, the great potentate, who has the possession of the empire of the universe: and these jewels have his image enstamped upon them, by his royal signet, which is the Holy Spirit. And this is undoubtedly what the Scripture means by the seal of the Spirit; especially when it is enstamped in so fair and clear a manner, as to be plain to the eye of conscience; which is what the Scripture calls our spirit. This is, truly an effect that is spiritual, supernatural, and divine. This is, in itself, of a holy nature, being a communication of the divine nature and beauty. That kind of influence of the Spirit which gives and leaves this stamp upon the heart is such that no natural man can be the subject of anything of the like nature with it. This is the highest sort of witness of the Spirit, which it is possible the soul should be the subject of: if there were any such thing as a witness of the Spirit by immediate suggestion or revelation, this would be vastly more noble and excellent, and as much above it as the heaven is above the earth. This the devil cannot imitate: as to an inward suggestion of the Spirit of God, by a kind of secret voice speaking, and immediately asserting and revealing a fact, he can do that which is a thousand times so like to this, as he can to that holy and divine effect, or work of the Spirit of God, which has been now spoken of.

Goodwin defends (sermon 15) the idea that the seal of the Spirit is something the Spirit does to the believer. In other words, the Holy Spirit is the agent of the sealing, not the seal itself.

What can be said of Goodwin’s understanding of this text?

Paul says that it is God the Father who seals us, not the Holy Spirit.

Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)

Does not Paul also write, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30) and doesn’t this show that the Spirit is the sealer?

No, since this text can also be translated, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30) This is consistent with the other texts which speak of the seal of the Holy Spirit.

Is there no way in which we can speak of the Holy Spirit sealing His people?

While it is true that the Holy Spirit is Himself the seal, the Holy Spirit also works on those in whom He dwells. He is holy Himself; and He makes believers holy. In this sense, the Holy Spirit imprints His image, as ancient seals did, on believers by making them holy just as He is holy.

How will a person know when he is sealed with the Holy Spirit?

Clearly, the seal of the Spirit is to function in the life of a believer as a source of assurance. Goodwin writes (p231) It is not making salvation sure, but it is making the person sure of his being saved. It gives to every believer a certainty that God will save them at last and bring them into their inheritance. But how does this work? What exactly are we to expect in our lives as Christians when we are sealed by the Spirit? Some believe that this is an experience which God gives to His people. In the previous quote from Edwards, he spoke of those who thought of the seal as an inward suggestion or a kind of secret voice speaking to us and assuring us of our salvation. Goodwin makes (p233) a distinction between two kinds of assurance:

But now there is a twofold assurance of salvation, that we may yet go further in examining what is intended in it [the sealing]; for I must sift things to find out what is the proper scope, what is the elixir of the Holy Ghost’s intention.

- There is, first, an assurance by sense, by conditional promises, whereby a man, seeing the image of God upon his heart, to which promises are made, cometh comfortably to believe that he is in the estate of grace. That there is a use of sense all acknowledge.
- But then, secondly, there is an immediate assurance of the Holy Ghost, by a heavenly and divine light, of a divine authority, which the Holy Ghost sheddeth in a man’s heart, (not having relation to grace wrought, or anything in a man’s self,) whereby he sealeth him up to the day of redemption. And this is the great seal of all the rest.

The one way is discursive; a man gathereth that God loveth him from the effects, as we gather there is fire because there is smoke. But the other is intuitive, as the angels are said to know things; it is such a knowledge as whereby we know the whole is greater than the part, we do not stand discoursing. There is light that cometh and overpowereth a man’s soul, and assureth him that God is his, and he is God’s, and that God loveth him from everlasting.

What are we to think of this?

It is necessary that we think carefully about the precise point of this analogy. The analogy of the seal is meant to teach us that the Holy Spirit stamps us with a pattern. That’s how seals worked in ancient times. The person doing the sealing used a ring or a brand of some kind to press a pattern or design into something soft. Now this is how we are to think of the Holy Spirit’s ministry. The Holy Spirit is the seal; and therefore, we are to think of being sealed with Him as receiving His likeness or His image. The Holy Spirit is holy; and when we are sealed with Him, we become holy. To use Goodwin’s distinction above, the seal of the Spirit would apply to the first kind of assurance, more than the second.

When does this sealing take place in the life of a believer?

The moment a person receives the Holy Spirit and the moment the Holy Spirit takes up residence in that person’s soul, that very moment they have received the seal. In a word, when a person receives the Holy Spirit, he is sealed.

Why does the KJV say, “…in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (Ephesians 1:13) This teaches us that we are sealed some time after we believe the gospel.

Here too there is a translation issue. There is no grammatical error in the KJV’s translation, but this translation does contradict the teaching of Scripture elsewhere that every believer is sealed. An unsealed believer is an impossibility, but the KJV translation allows for this. All other translations agree that the correct translation is “…having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, (Ephesians 1:13)

Why do you say that an unsealed believer is an impossibility?

This is the implication of Paul’s teaching in 2 Corinthians. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. (2 Corinthians 1:21-22) Paul’s teaching here is that it is God who unites us to Jesus Christ, anoints us with the Holy Spirit, and seals us with the Holy Spirit. Here the anointing and sealing are placed next to being “in Christ.” If every believer is in Christ, then every believer is anointed and sealed with the Holy Spirit.

Errors:

What errors do people make with regards to this sealing?

Many Christians believe that the sealing of the Holy Spirit is an experience which they will have after they believe in Jesus. They look for it, pray for it, and earnestly desire it. This is clear in this letter contained in Wesley’s journal (p93):

I [said he] for three years fought against sin with all my might, by fasting and prayer, and all the other means of grace. But notwithstanding all my endeavors, I gained no ground: sin still prevailed over me; till at last, not knowing what to do further, I was on the very brink of despair. Then it was that, having no other refuge left, I fled to my Saviour as one lost and undone, and that had no hope but in His power and free mercy. In that moment I found my heart at rest, in good hope that my sins were forgiven; of which I had a stronger assurance six weeks after, when I received the Lord’s Supper here. But I dare not affirm I am a child of God; neither have I the seal of the Spirit. Yet I go on quietly doing my Savior’s will, taking shelter in His wounds from all trouble and sin, and knowing He will perfect His work in His own time.

and again (bottom of p160):

“July 5. That night I went into the garden, and considering what she had told me, I saw Him by faith, whose eyes are as a flame of fire; Him who justifieth the ungodly. I told Him, I was ungodly, and it was for me that He died. His blood did I plead with great faith, to blot out the hand-writing that was against me. I told my Saviour, that He had promised to give rest to all that were heavy-laden. This promise I claimed, and I saw Him by faith stand condemned before God in my stead. I saw the fountain opened in his side. I found, as I hungered, He fed me: As my soul thirsted, He gave me out of that fountain to drink. And so strong was my faith, that if I had had all the sins of the world laid upon me, I knew and was sure one drop of his blood was sufficient to atone for all. Well, I clave unto Him, and He did wash me in his blood. He hath presented me to his Father and my Father, to his God and my God, a pure, spotless virgin, as if I had never committed any sin. It is on Jesus I stand, the Saviour of sinners. It is He that hath loved me and given himself for me. I cleave unto Him as my surety, and He is bound to pay God the debt. While I stand on this rock, I am sure the gates of hell cannot prevail against me. It is by faith that I am justified, and have peace with God through Him. His blood has made reconciliation to God for me. It is by faith I have received the atonement. It is by faith that I have the Son of God, and the Spirit of Christ, dwelling in me: And what then shall separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus my Lord?

“You must think what a transport of joy I was then in, when I that was lost and undone, dropping into hell, felt a Redeemer come, who is ‘mighty to save, to save unto the uttermost.’ Yet I did not receive the witness of the Spirit at that time. But in about half an hour, the devil came with great power to tempt me. However, I minded him not, but went in and lay down pretty much composed in my mind. Now St. Paul says, ‘After ye believed, ye were sealed with the Spirit of promise.’ So it was with me. After I had believed on Him that ‘justifieth the ungodly,’ I received that seal of the Spirit, which is the ‘earnest of our inheritance.’

What is this man’s error?

His error is that the moment he believed in Jesus, he was sealed with the Holy Spirit. It is not an experience for which he should wait, but a glorious reality which is already his.

Were the saints in the Old Testament sealed with the Holy Spirit?

Since we are taught that the Old Testament saints were indwelt by the Holy Spirit, it follows that they were also sealed by the Holy Spirit; cf Leon Wood, The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, p70.

Baptism of the Holy Spirit

How is baptism a picture of the work of the Holy Spirit?

Because baptism represents a cleansing, and the Bible speaks of being baptized with the Holy Spirit. The meaning here is that the Holy Spirit cleanses us from sin just as our outward bodies are cleansed from filth and other impurities.

What does the Bible teach about being baptized with the Holy Spirit?

First, we find that this event actually occurred on the day of Pentecost. This is the day when Jesus poured (Acts 2:17-18, 33; cf Acts 10:45) out the Holy Spirit upon His assembled people in Jerusalem. This entire event is described by Jesus as a “baptism.” (Acts 1:5) Jesus had ascended into heaven and had received the Spirit of God from the Father. (Acts 2:33) Now, Jesus baptizes His people in this Spirit. This was the inauguration of the new covenant for which the people of Israel had been waiting and looking for so many years. (Acts 2:16) This was an event of such massive significance in the history of God’s redemption that it was accompanied by various signs and many miracles. (Acts 2:2-4, 43)

Second, Paul is the only author who tells us anything about what this Spirit-baptism actually means.

What does Paul say about Spirit-baptism?

First, he says in his letter to Corinth that this Spirit-baptism resulted in our saving union with Jesus Christ. 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)

Why do some translations render this verse “For by one Spirit…”?

Greek	ASV 1901	NASB 1977	ESV 2011
καὶ γὰρ ἐν ἑνὶ Πνεύματι ἡμεῖς πάντες εἰς ἓν σῶμα ἐβαπτίσθημεν εἴτε Ἰουδαῖοι εἴτε Ἕλληνες εἴτε δοῦλοι εἴτε ἐλεύθεροι	For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free…	For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free…	For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free…

The issue is how to understand the preposition in the phrase ἐν ἑνὶ Πνεύματι at the very beginning of the verse.

The ἐν could show agency which would mean that the Holy Spirit is the One who baptizes people into the body of Christ. This is the idea behind the NASB update of what was originally in the ASV.
If you connect this verse with what happened at Pentecost, then this meaning is not correct since at Pentecost the Spirit was not the One doing the baptizing but was that which was poured out upon the assembled believers. If Paul is speaking here of what happened at Pentecost, then the original ASV translation (…in one Spirit…) is correct.
A better translation than all of these is to use the English preposition “with” which better captures what happened at Pentecost where the Spirit was poured out on the assembled believers. The baptism there was not an immersion which is implied by the use of the preposition “in” but a pouring which is better represented by the preposition “with.”

What other reason can be given in defense of the translation “in” or “with?”

The fact that Paul goes on in this verse to say that we were all made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13) This supports the idea that the Spirit here is not the one doing the baptizing but is Himself poured out upon the believers.

Is it wrong to understand Paul here as teaching that “by one Spirit…” we were baptized into Christ?

It is certainly true that he Holy Spirit works in us. When He is poured out on us, He then goes to work in us. He joins us to Christ, makes us a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), plants His fruit in our soul (Galatians 5:22), and much more.

Why do you say this baptism was a cleansing?

Because the external ritual involved the application of water to individuals for the purpose of cleansing.

How can you show this from Scripture?

First, we see so many purification rituals in Israelite religion all of which were types of this Spirit-baptism.

Purification for priests (Exodus 29:1-9, 30:17-21, 40:3-32 – Psalm 26:6, 73:13)
Leprosy (Leviticus 13:6, 13:34)
Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:20-28)
Bodily discharges (Leviticus 15:1-29, Deuteronomy 23:10-11)
Cleansing of the Levites (Numbers 8:5-7, 19:7-22)
Contact with the deceased (Leviticus 5:2, 16:4, 16:24, 11:24-28, 11:39-40, 22:4-6 & Numbers 19:11-13)
Unsolved murders (Deuteronomy 21:1-9)

The author of Hebrews speaks of these purifications:

The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, since they relate only to food and drink and various washings [or baptisms], regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation. (Hebrews 9:8-10)

Second, we can see the practice and understanding of New Testament baptism which also was a purification ritual.

What are these baptisms in the Old Testament?

The author refers to various baptisms here. In subsequent verses, he mentions some of these:

For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:13-14)

Where do we read about these baptisms in the Old Testament?

The ritual mentioned in Hebrews 9 is explained in Numbers 19.

What was the purpose of this ritual?

This was a ritual for returning a person who had become unclean to a state of ceremonial cleanness again. This ritual was specifically for people who had in some way come into contact with a dead person either by direct contact, or by being in the tent when someone had died, or even accidentally touching a corpse or human bone in a field.

What exactly was involved in the performance of this ritual?

First, the water of purification לְמֵי נִדָּה had to be prepared. This special water had ashes mixed in it. To prepare these ashes, the priest took a red heifer which had no blemish and had never been used for plowing, killed it and burned it. As the animal burned, the priest would add to the fire some sticks of cedar, a branch of hyssop, and some scarlet yarn. When all this was burned, the ashes were collected and stored in a container outside the camp.

Whenever someone became unclean in the ways described above, they entered into a state of uncleanness for seven days. In order to become clean again, someone would run and fetch this container of ashes. Some of this ash was then mixed with water, and this mixture was sprinkled on the unclean person. This sprinkling would take place on the third day and on the seventh day. If this was done, the person became ceremonially clean on the seventh day.

What is meant by being unclean or being ceremonially unclean?

A person who was unclean was not necessarily guilty of some sin; the unclean in Numbers 19 certainly weren’t guilty of any wrongdoing. They were just not allowed to participate in the worship of the Tabernacle (or temple) and were, in a sense, placed in a temporary position of probation. If they failed to deal with their uncleanness, they would be permanently cut off from God’s people. In the above instance, Moses taught the people:

Anyone who touches a corpse, the body of a man who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from Israel. Because the water for impurity was not sprinkled on him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is still on him. (Numbers 19:13)

What exactly was this water of purification?

In Hebrew, the term is לְמֵי נִדָּה which is literally “for a water of impurity” or water for the removal of impurity. As described above, the water itself was made from the ashes of an animal which had been killed as a sin offering. Again, the symbolism here is key.

Why does the author of Hebrews call this a baptism?

Because it involves the key idea of baptism which is purification.

What other baptisms are found in the Old Testament?

The author of Hebrews refers to “various washings” in the Old Testament ceremonial worship as baptisms. Hence, wherever there is a washing, we can conclude that this was understood by the New Testament church as a kind of baptism; cf. Leviticus 6:28; 8:5–6; 14:8–9; 15:5, 11-12. The real meaning of these rituals was understood as well; cf. Psalm 51:2, 7; Jeremiah 2:22; 4:14.

How common were these washings?

These ritual washings must have been a near daily occurrence in Israel. The ritual of the red heifer would have occurred at least as often as someone died. It is no exaggeration to say that these purification ceremonies would have been routine in the life of any Jew.