“But now we have obtained a different ministry, by as much as He is a mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.” Hebrews 8:6
Not only has our position changed, we are under a different covenant that is based upon better promises.
The Holy Spirit: In the upper room, Jesus spoke of a change in the relationship the disciples would have with the Holy Spirit. “the Spirit of truth, which the world is not able to receive, because it does not see Him, nor can it experientially know Him. But you experientially know Him because He remains along side of you and will be in you,” John 14:17. The Holy Spirit would no longer be beside them; rather, He would be in them. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit never indwelt a person. He came upon them and controlled their actions so they could prophesy or rule. Under the New Testament, the Holy Spirit indwells the believer and fills him or her up where he or she is lacking in the fruit of the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 3:16, “Don’t you know that you are the Holy of Holies of God and the Spirit from God dwells in you?” We are the house of God and the Holy Spirit now dwells in us. God the Father also indwells believers because we are His dwelling place. “and what agreement does the Holy of Holies of God have with idols? For you are the Holy of Holies 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 will be my people.”
The Holy Spirit also assists us in our Christian life by filling us up where we are lacking. Ephesians 5:18 “Stop getting drunk with wine, in which is no savingness ( no saving frame of mind), but be filled up (where you are lacking) by the Spirit.” Rather than controlling our minds as He did under the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit only fills us up where we are lacking concerning the fruit from the Spirit. He only does this when we are framing our minds on the things above.
The Holy Spirit also seals us until we receive our full redemption. “in whom also you, having heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, in whom also having believed you were sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise.” Ephesians 1:13
The promise of the Holy Spirit indwelling us alone makes the content of our salvation completely different from the content of salvation for the Jews and saints of Old. We have the better promises. Not only do we have the better promises, saints of other dispensations will not receive their promises until we receive ours. “And all these, having testified through their faith, did not receive what was promised because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made complete.” Hebrews 11:39, 40
Life is another promise that we have received. “Paul, and apostle of Jesus Christ through the desirous will of God according to the promise of life, the one in Christ Jesus” 2 Timothy 1:1. The life that is in Christ Jesus is resurrection life. “Don’t you know that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be rendered ineffective, that henceforth we should not serve the sin nature. 7 For he that is dead is freed from the sin nature. 8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead died no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto the sin nature once: but in that he lives, he lives unto God. 11 Likewise you reckon also yourselves to be dead indeed unto the sin nature, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:1-11
God counts or puts to our account that we have died to our sin nature because we have died with Christ, and are alive unto God, in Christ, to walk in newness of life. We are not dead. We are alive. We are no longer slaves to our sin nature, which produced the works of the flesh in our lives. Now we are a slave to righteousness. “but thanks to God that you were slaved to the sin nature but you heard and responded out from the heart into that form of doctrine to be learned and practiced which was delivered, and having been made free from the sin nature you were made slaves to righteousness.” Romans 6:17, 18.
Resurrection life is eternal life lived out. At salvation, the Holy Spirit regenerated our spirit, Titus 3:5. He joined us to the divine essence, 2 Peter 1:4, and all three member of the Godhead indwelled us, 1 John 4:15. The Holy Spirit also placed us into the body of the Christ, a new creation 2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 Corinthians 12:13. We have eternal life because we have the Son of God, 1 John 5:12. We can live out this life because God has put us in a position where He counts us to have already died to our sin nature and to be raised to walk in newness of life before Him. Resurrection life is living according to the fact that you are now alive to God.
No comments:
Post a Comment