The Church and the Holy Spirit

The Doctrine of the Church - Lesson # 7

I. Old Testament expectation - Ezek. 36:25-27; Joel 2:28-32; Gal. 3:14; Eph. 1:13

II. What is the relationship between Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the church? - Rom. 8:9; Phil. 1:19; 2 Cor. 3:17; Jn. 16:13-15

III. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit

A. Individually in the Christian - 1 Cor. 6:19

B. Corporately in the church - 1 Cor. 3:16

C. The personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit - Eph. 1:13-14; 3:14-16; 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Rom. 8:9, 11, 15-16; Gal. 4:6; Jude 19; 1 Jn. 4:13; Acts 5:32; 2 Tim. 1:14

IV. The gift of the Holy Spirit - Acts 2:38

A. Grammatically the phrase "the gift of the Holy Spirit" can mean "the gift given by the Holy Spirit" or "the gift, that is, the Holy Spirit. If the former, the gift might be salvation. If the latter, then the Holy Spirit, himself, is the gift given to us by God.

B. "Salvation" as the gift of the Holy Spirit is unlikely, because "salvation" or "eternal life" is usually spoken of in the Bible as the gift of God - Rom. 5:15; 6:23; 2 Cor. 9:15; Eph. 2:8; Jas. 1:17.

C. The context suggests that the gift is not something the Holy Spirit gives, but the gift is the Holy Spirit - Acts 2:33, 39.

D. When the Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit giving something, it is usually plural ("gifts") and the term charismata is used (1 Cor. 12:4, 9, 28, 30, 31), whereas in Acts 2:38 the term is singular ("gift") and it is dorea.

E. The Holy Spirit as a gift given by God and Christ to the church, then, is the most likely meaning of the "gift of the Holy Spirit," and this is in full accord with other biblical teaching that the Holy Spirit has been given to the church - Acts 5:32; 10:45; Rom. 8:15; 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Gal. 4:6; Eph. 1:13-14.

IV. What role does the Spirit play in the life of the church in each of the following? (from Everett Ferguson, The Church of Christ, 109-10).

A. Baptism - 1 Cor. 12:13; Tit. 3:5

B. Sanctification - 1 Cor. 6:11; 2 Thess. 2:13

C. Christian growth - Gal. 5:22-23

D. Love - Rom. 5:5; Gal. 5:22

E. Joy - 1 Thess. 1:6

F. Morality, basis for - 1 Cor. 6:9-20

G. Serving God, done in the Spirit - Rom. 7:6

H. Worship - Jn. 4:23-24; 1 Pet. 2:5; 1 Cor. 14:15

I. Prayer - Eph. 6:18; Jude 20; Gal. 4:6; Rom. 8:26

J. Preaching - 1 Thess. 1:5; Eph. 6:17

K. Leadership and ministry - Acts 20:28

L. Guarding the truth - 2 Tim. 1:14

M. Enduring suffering - 1 Pet. 4:14

N. Creating unity - Eph. 2:14-18, 21-22; 4:3-4

O. Spiritual power - Eph. 3:16

V. The Spirit and miraculous gifts - Heb. 2:3-4; 1 Cor. 13

VI. Memory verse - Jn. 6:63