What the Holy Spirit Does

Winfield Bevins - Acts 29 Pastor - Outer Banks, North Carolina

"I believe that by my own reason or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him, but the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and preserved me in the true faith." - Martin Luther

Effectual Call

God works in various ways to bring people into salvation in Jesus Christ. It all begins when God calls us by his Holy Spirit. This is commonly referred to as the effectual call. The effectual call is when the Holy Spirit effectually calls people by working to awaken their hearts, minds, and souls to their personal need of salvation.

The Spirit works as a guide at this point to lead us to a relationship with Jesus Christ. The Westminster Confession describes it in the following way: “This effectual call is of God's free and special grace alone, not from any thing at all foreseen in man, who is altogether passive therein, until, being quickened and renewed by the Holy Spirit, he is thereby enabled to answer this call, and to embrace the grace offered and conveyed in it.” It is only then that a person can truly accept and respond to the grace of God through faith.

Regeneration

The word regeneration literally means to “rebirth.” Regeneration is a spiritual transformation where the Holy Spirit takes us from death unto life. In the words of the apostle Paul, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor.5:17).

A glorious change takes place in the believers’ hearts when they receive Christ into their life by faith. This great change entails an exchange of the things of the world for the things of God. It is a total transformation, in which the new believer is literally made a new creature. The Spirit of God is the agent of regeneration that works to bring about this change in a person’s heart. The heart and soul of a person is the place where the Holy Spirit brings about a real change in the believer.

Sanctification

Sanctification begins at the new birth and gradually takes place over the lifetime of a believer. Sanctification is a process of Christian growth where the Holy Spirit gradually sanctifies the hearts and minds of Christians. John Owen believed that sanctification was a work of the Holy Spirit. He said, “Sanctification is an immediate work of the Spirit of God on the souls of believers.”

The goal of the Holy Spirit in sanctification is to make us like Christ. We are enabled to mortify the deeds of the flesh by the Spirit (Rom. 8:11). Sanctification is what God works in us by his Spirit.

The General Work of the Spirit

The Holy Spirit also enables believers to live the Christian life. He intercedes for us (Rom. 8:26-27). He illumines and guides believers into all truth (John 16:13-14). The Holy Spirit enables Christians to fight sin (Rom. 8:5-6). The Spirit sanctifies us (1 Peter 1:2). He gives us Christian assurance to know that we are children of God (Rom 8:15-16). There are numerous ways that the Holy Spirit works in our lives. Begin to reflect on everything that the Spirit has done and is doing in your life.

To be continued.
HT: http://theresurgence.com