Jesus tells his disciples in the upper room just before he went to die for our sins on the cross of Calvary and rise from the dead that he had many other things but they weren't ready for all this teaching then. Jesus continued that when the Spirit of truth (the Holy Spirit) is come (His descent to earth since Pentecost 50 days after Jesus' resurrection) he will guide them and all believers into all truth. Some of this truth is what has come to us in the Divinely inspired by God's Holy Spirit 27 books of the New Testament but also the spiritual understanding God has given believers throughout this present Church Age including the present until the soon Rapture or translation to Heaven of the Church of God by His Holy Spirit giving spiritual understanding of the Old Testament or New Testament. God by His Holy Spirit also leads believers into all truth by giving understanding of links between the two or of other truth such as history or current events or likely future events or culture or science and technology or morals or law or other matters in the light of God's Word the Holy Bible. The scripture emphasizes the teaching of the Holy Spirit includes things to come which is a comforting reality for the Christian in this present time that is otherwise much more of a time of uncertainty about from the Holy Spirit's clear understanding of Bible prophecy given to Christians or God's children in this age on Earth. Jesus then emphasizes that the things the Holy Spirit teaches aren't just His own things or revelations but what he hears and conveys from Jesus the Son of God and God the Father. This is a way the Holy Spirit will glorify Jesus. The scripture passage in Gospel of John 16 of the ministry of conveying truth and spiritual understanding including understanding Bible prophecy or things to come of the Holy Spirit from Jesus the Son of God and God the Father is as follows:
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit (however) when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he shall show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you. Gospel of John 16:12-14.
One aspect of how Christians can be filled with the Holy Spirit is when they are persecuted by government, religious or other authorities as way the case here in Acts 4. These Christians gave a good response when they were let go and went back with other believers. They praised God as Creator, sovereign in the nations, their Saviour through the death and implied resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and a prayer that instead of being intimidated by the persecution of their enemies that God might give the Christians more boldness to preach the word of God. Much of their praise to God for the above things were direct quotations from the scriptures which would also give more power to their prayers. They also requested God's power to help them conduct healing and other miracles in Jesus' name. There was also a unity of the believers based on the word of God with them all in one place praying. As a result of all this the place where they had the prayer meeting was shaken and they were filled with the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit and spake or preahed the word of God with boldness. The scripture passage from Acts 4 of how after some persecution for their witness for Jesus some of the early Christians were filled with the holy Spirit and renewed to preach the word of God is as follows:
And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast annointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaked where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:23-31
I was at church this year, in 2019, and the pastor had the title of his message unity in diversity about the areas of service of spiritual gifts within the church. The message mentioned that all Christians or members of the true Church are to find unity with the true God Father, Son and Holy Spirit as the head of the Church and source of the spiritual gifts and their rightful. The Church is the true God's called out people from all nations, tribes or languages of the world to Himself. God calls out people to Himself through personal confession to Him of our sins and receiving God's Son Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour. To receive God's Son the Lord Jesus Christ is to believe in and come to rely on Him as the One who died for our sins on the cross and rose again from the dead to give us eternal life and God's restored spiritual life. This eternal life of God includes a sure promise that we will be with Him in heaven and the new earth with His blessing forever through Jesus. Of course this Christian unity and diversity is within New Testament Christianity and faith in Jesus and the leading of the Holy Spirit. However as many people are aware of unity (or inclusiveness) and diversity are very common and popular words including in the media and postsecondary or public education in especially western society these days. However in general western society the emphasis is usually to accommodate more and more non-Christian people or ideas. Some of these ideas and practioners of these ideas include the multi-faith movement to accommodate people of non-Christian or non-Judaeo Christian world religions, to accommodate generally non-Christian practices such as the legalization of marijuana or perhaps soon other drugs, or of animal rights and vegetarianism. Other non-Christian ideas and followers of them that western society that focus on unity (inclusivenss) and diversity are in the area of non-Christian sexual behaviour such as homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexual or transexual with the socially popular LGBT movement as an abbreviation. Unfortunately this inclusiveness and diversity of society in general or what the Bible calls the world system generally favours the inclusivenss and diversity in lifestyle or service of some sorts of non-Christian behaviours. This is in contrast of non-Christian people or lifestyle to that of New Testament Christian ones with the latter more of the true God including His Son Jesus Christ.
God through the apostle Paul begins his message about spiritual gifts in the Church as saying to believers (brethren meaning brothers and sisters in Christ) that God doesn't want believers to be ignorant of this topic. The apostle Paul starts to address his readers, that at first were the Corinthian Christians. Ultimately this letter was addressed to all Christians since this letter or epistle came to be including in the New Testament scriptures or portion of the word of God. He says to them and many of us in the Church since then who mostly aren't of a Jewish background that we are of Gentile (or non-Jewish) background. This salvation of some of the Gentiles from idols means for some of the Christians in an even more explicit or physical sense for believers who were or come to be saved out of a religion that worships physical idols such as the ancient Greeks or Romans did and that many in the world religions of Buddhism, Hinduism or the New Age movement and one could probably say people from the professing Christian tradition of Roman Catholicism do today. This is in contrast to secular humanism and professing Christian Protestant traditions where people before they trust in Jesus generally don't worship physical idols. Paul then goes on to say that a key measure of whether a person has become a true Christian or member of God's Church and is born again by God's Holy Spirit is their attitude or what they think of God's Son the Lord Jesus Christ. People in the 1st century Corinthians Church or in the current Church today can show we have really become a restored child of God and have become indwelt of and can be empowered and led by God's Holy Spirit. This empowering and leading by God's Holy Spirit to show we have become a true Christian is partly to have and use in God's service at least one of the gifts of God's Holy Spirit in or beyond the Church. This serving God by true Christians by God's Holy Spirit will be such as way that we not curse Jesus but will confess Him as Lord in word and generally with our lives in contrast to many people who haven't been born of and led by God's Holy Spirit. Paul then states there are diverities of gifts (of the Holy Spirit) but the same (Holy) Spirit or that true Christians in the Church have diversity of spiritual gifts but are united in (or included in) the Holy Spirit or Spirit of God as the source of ane empowerment to use those spiritual gifts. He goes on to say there are differences or diversities of adminstrations but the same Lord who guides the carrying out of the use of those gifts in the Church with the Lord being the Lord of the Church Jesus Christ the Son of God or God the Son. All people that have been, currently are or who yet become Christians are united in having the Lord Jesus Christ as the One who is Lord and is how we rightly administer our spiritual gifts. Paul also says there is a diversity of operations but the same God works in all these operations through all the true Christians and all our spiritual gifts in the Church or its outreach to people still in the world system. Paul is in this last verse, verse 6, saying that all true Christians have unity in God (the Father) being the One who works through or operates through all true Christians. The diversity of spiritual gifts we have to serve God in this life on Earth when we are or become part of His Church or people called out from all the people or nations This becoming part of God's called out people (Church) is through faith in His Son Jesus Christ and His salvation from our sins and from the world system, the devil (and demons) and the flesh (self-effort) or self-sufficiency). Paul then says the manifestation or demonstration of the Holy Spirit through the spiritual gifts of true Christians or members of God's true Church is given to profit us in this life and the life to come. This profiting especially in this life is so that we can be used of God to build up in strength of existing believers (disciple) and to add new members to God's Church such as evangelism. This profiting for Christians in God's sight is also so that we can become personally more like Jesus by the leading of the Holy Spirit and use of spiritual gifts.
Next God through the apostle Paul lists some of the spiritual gifts or gifts of the Holy Spirit for God to work through the members of His true Church. These spiritual gifts include the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, the word of knowledge, faith, the gift of healing, the working of the miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, diverse kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. This is not an exhaustive list of spiritual gifts as there are additional list of spiritual gifts or gifts of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 14, Romans 12, Ephesians 4 and 1 Peter 4. Lastly in this section verse 11 sums up the use of spiritual gifts by restored children of God and born again Christian. Again to become born again Christians etc. is by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We also need to remember and accept that it is the Holy Spirit (not the individual Christian or even necessarily foremost Christian leaders) who determines who has what spiritual gifts in the Church. Especially we who are Christians need to also remember that it is God by His Holy Spirit who enables the effective working of the spiritual gifts through Christians who have those gifts in the Church or to reach out beyond it. This is again the New Testament Christianity example of diversity of spiritual gifts united as coming from and empowered or organized (administered) from God by His Holy Spirit. The scripture reference from 1 Corinthians 12 of New Testament Christianity unity of believers or Christians as having the spiritual gifts from and empowered by God through a diversity of spiritual gifts as different ways for different believers within the Church to serve God is as follows:
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Ghost (Spirit). Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
Although once a person trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ and His shed blood for our sins we are no longer condemned before God, we can still be condemned in our own sight when we still sin after we trust in Jesus and are born again. This is because we still have the flesh or self-centred old nature and part of that is to live even the Christian life by self-effort rather than by trusting in the Lord and relying on the sufficiency of Jesus Christ. This is because we might be consciously or sub- consciously trying to fulfil the Law of Moses by self-effort including such things as prayer and Bible study by our own effort instead of trusting in Jesus and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Although it is difficult to explain exactly what it means to walk after the Holy Spirit and to live it out in practice part of it means not to give a foothold in the first place to anything the Holy Spirit through our conscience shows in not pleasing to Him or Jesus Christ or God. This will then continue to give more liberty for the Holy Spirit to work in our life and less strength for the flesh or old nature in our lives. This will also result in more contentment and less condemnation in our Christian lives and less likelihood to fall into condemnation in times of sin because God doesn't expect us to be perfect in this life which is the law and we will be less likely to fall into sin by over exertion in trying to keep from temptation on our own strength or in the flesh. This is also what is meant in verse 2 of chapter 8 that if we let the Holy Spirit let Christ work out his life in us on an ongoing basis by trusting in Jesus instead of trying by self effort we can be more free from the law of sin and death in which relying on self-effort fails us and we fall into sin and death including self-condemnation and being separated from God's fellowship until we confess our sins and renew trusting in the Lord and have our fellowship with the Lord renewed. The law or Law of Moses is not wrong but is fully righteous and strong enough but we are weak and sinful even in our old nature or the flesh even after we are born again so we can't consistently and fully keep the law by walking or living in the flesh. God condemned sin in the flesh by sending His Son Jesus Christ to condemn sin in the flesh by coming into this world and living a perfect live and then dying on the cross bearing the penalty of sin for us and also making the way that our old man or person can be put to death as we are to view our old nature or flesh as put to death or crucified with Christ on the cross. Then the righteousness of the law in its spirit not in letter can be fulfilled in us and through Christ living his life in and through our new nature when we walk or live after the Spirit and not after the flesh or self-effort. The scripture reference of God's righteousness and freedom from self-condemnation that is available in Christ through living in the Holy Spirit and not after the flesh for the born again Christian in Romans 8 is as follows:
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4
In 1 Thessalonians 1 the apostle Paul is speaking to believers in the church at Thessalonica which he was used of God to plant or establish. Paul compliments them for continuing to be faithful to God and His Son Jesus Christ and to live in faith in Him in this world. Paul also says he and other Christians were continuing to pray for the Thessalonian church and believers which is also a good example for us as who are or who become Christians to use intercessory prayer to God in Jesus' name to pray for other Christians or local churches. Paul also mentions that they were elected of God or chosen by God to come to faith and eternal life in Him through His Son Jesus Christ and be part of God's true Church. The apostle Paul then mentions how they came to saving faith in Jesus that is still God's way for unsaved or non-Christian people in our day to become born again or bible believing or true Christians. This is be the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ of Jesus' virgin birth, sinless life then death on the cross for our sins and resurrection from the dead to enable us to have eternal life through faith in Him as our personal Lord and Saviour and that we can't earn these things by our own effort or merit in God's sight. Paul said the Gospel came not to the by now believers in the Thessalonican church just in word but also in power and by the Holy Ghost (Spirit) or by the power of the Holy Spirit in the lives and preaching of the Apostle Paul and his coworkers who founded the Thessalonican church. The gospel also came to the Thessalonican Christians in much assurance by Paul and his co-workers in Jesus giving them a good basis in words about the truth of the gospel as God's way of salvation but also by the conviction of the Holy Spirit including partly by the Holy Spirit being able to work powerfully through Paul and His fellow evangelists by having a very good Christian testimony or a very godly life in how they lived for God and related well in love and truth to other people including the Thessalonians. Paul then says that those of Thessalonica who became members of the local church there had to undergo some persecution for their new faith in Jesus but that God gave them strength to live for Him even in this situation by the joy of His Holy Spirit who had come to dwell in their hearts forever. The scripture reference in 1 Thessalonians of God using the apostle Paul and other fellow evangelists and that God also can and does sometimes use Christians today to by preaching the faithful gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ by both sound words of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and a faithful Christian life of the evangelists to win other people to saving faith in and ideally to become part of a local church led by true Christians is as follows:
We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in the sight of God and our Father; Knowing, brethren (brothers and sisters), your election of God. For our gospel came not unto you in work only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: So that ye were ensamples (examples) of all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. (The area of the current nation of Greece.) 1 Thessalonians 1:2-7
One other important work of the Holy Spirit is the sealing by the Holy Spirit. This is a guarantee or down payment that God will after this life give His full blessing of eternal life and fellowship with Him. This sealing of the Holy Spirit is for all true Christians or believers of this current Church age or age of grace. This sealing is until the day or redemption or the day of redemption of our body which is the day of Christ or the day of the rapture (catching up to heaven) of the Church of born again believers. This sealing of the Holy Spirit is stated to be in effect even if we grieve the Holy Spirit which means it is always and forevermore in effect for the person that has truly trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as one's personal Lord and Saviour and been born of the Holy Spirit. This is the case for all true believers in God through His Son Jesus Christ in this age and the statement in Psalm 51:10 of King David around 1000 BC under the Law of Moses and when God is dealing with Israel not the Church is not to be applied to the Church to cause people to fear they can lose the Holy Spirit when they sin or some other time of concern. We can grieve the Holy Spirit by sin in our lives especially deliberate or unconfessed sin but if we are genuine children of God by faith in Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit will heavily convict us of any unconfessed sin and make it desirable for us to confess and forsake it. He will also warn us not to commit sin in the first place although even genuine Christians in this life have the old Adamic nature which desires to satisfy the lust of the flesh or of the world or the temptations of the devil and as true or born again Christians we need to seek strength from God in the new nature and the Holy Spirit to live for God in the new Godward and unselfish new nature. The scripture reference of the grieving of the Holy Spirit and the sealing of the Holy Spirit for the Christian is as follows:
And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30
Although there are other differences between the work of the Holy Spirit or Spirit of God for true Christians as part of the Church (God's Chosen Heavenly People) now in this current Church Age and for Israel God's Chosen Earthly People under the Law of Moses from the time of Abraham and especially Moses until the death on the cross of God's Son Jesus Christ there is one major difference I want to emphasize here. That is that true Christians cannot lose the Holy Spirit but are sealed with Him as indwelling us forever if we truly trusted in God through His Son Jesus Christ for salvation. On the other hand even true children of God among the Israelites could lose the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives through sin or other reasons. What recently brought me even more clarity about this difference is a note in Psalm 51 (verse 11) of the Ryrie Study Bible I have now been using for some time as my regular reading Bible. The note says: "In the OT (Old Testament) economy, the holy spirit was particularly related to service, rather than salvation. See notes on Judges 3:10; Romans 8:9. Here David is asking God not to take away his service as the anointed king of Israel (compare (king) Saul, 1 Samuel 16:13-14)." Therefore for Christians to be concerned from this (Psalm 51:11) or similiar verses in the Old Testament about Israelites and that they could lose the Holy Spirit and trying to relate that to the possibility that even true Christians can now lose the Holy Spirit due to sin in one's life and lose God's salvation is not a valid interpretation of God's word. However Christians should still seek to be faithful to God and not do, think or say things that could grieve God's Holy Spirit.
After a person trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour that He died for our sins and rose again from the dead to give us new life God as He promises in the New Testament gives us a new heart or nature indwelt and led by His Holy Spirit. This is also what the Bible or the true Christian means by the new birth or being born again or born of the Holy Spirit. When we are born again and have the Holy Spirit indwelling in our new heart God seeks to work His will and word in and through us by His Holy Spirit as described by the fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians. THese characteristics of the fruit of the Holy Spirit are characteristics of God and His unselfish and holy and loving nature and are in contrast with the original nature of what the Bible calls "the flesh" which is the fallen and self-centred nature we have obtained through the original sin of Adam and Eve when they rebelled against God and listened more to the devil through the temptation of the serpent in the Garden of Eden. The fruit of the Holy Spirit which are nine can be grouped in three groups of three each. The first three (love, joy and peace) and characteristics that God gives in our new nature that He seeks especially for the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (Messiah) to exercise towards God including the Lord JEsus Christ who is God the Son or the Son of God. The next three fruit of the Holy Spirit (longsuffering (patience), gentleness, goodness) are characteristics that resemble and are of the indwelling Holy Spirit working in us that are or that God wills for the believer to exercise towards other people (both Christian and non-Christian). The last group of three characteristics or fruit (faith (faithfulness), meekness and temperance (self-control) are characteristics or attributes God wants the true Christian especially to exercise ourselves or internally. When true Christians apply or exercise the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives and walk or live by the indwelling Holy Spirit or let God through Him live His life in and through us we show the new nature and God's presence in our heart and lives and glorify God and give an encouragement to other Christians and a good witness to the unsaved. The fruit of the Spirit to some extent can be imitated by unbelievers but not reproduced in or with them unless of course they trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and are also born again or born of the Holy Spirit and become true Christians as well. The scripture reference from Galatians 5 of the fruit of the Holy Spirit of God's characteristics that typify the true Christian when we are living for Him is as follows:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23
There are different views and some confusion on who the Comforter is who Jesus also mentioned in Gospel of John 16 especially with Muslims or people of Muslim background who often think this is a reference to the Islamic prophet Mohammed. The person mentioned here in Gospel of John 14 as the Comforter who is the Holy Ghost is the same as the one called the Spirit of truth in Gospel of John 16:13-14. However Jesus here clearly identifies the Comforter as the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit who is one of the persons of the Godhead or Trinity with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God or God the Son. That this comforter was a person of the divine Godhead and not Mohammed or any other mere human is clear that Jesus said he would be in his disciples which means in their hearts which happened on the day of Pentecost 50 days after Jesus' resurrection. Also Jesus said this comforter would abide with His disciples forever which also identifies the Comforter as divine and not a mere man. Jesus also said the world could not see this comforter but believers spiritually see the Holy Spirit as in the hearts of each true Christian. Jesus promised the Comforter Who is the Holy Ghost would be sent by (God) the Father in His Jesus' name. This was fulfilled 50 days after Jesus' resurrection or on the 53rd day after Jesus' death for our sins when God sent the Holy Spirit on the original church of 120 people at Pentecost as mentioned in Acts 2 and for which they prepared in prayer in Acts 1. One of the common things of this other Comforter with the Lord Jesus Christ is that they were both sent from God the Father from heaven. For instance in Gospel of John 8:42-43, 6:38-39, 16:28 Jesus says clearly that he was sent from God the Father from heaven to earth. The Comforter who is the Holy Spirit was also sent from heaven to earth as in Luke 24:49 with Acts 2:1-4. Since then every person who trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour that he died for our sins and rose again from the dead to give us new life gets the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit as our indwelling Comforter from the moment we place our trust in Jesus at least for the remainder of this current Church Age or Age of Grace which will soon end with the rapture or catching up to Heaven of all born of the Holy Spirit Christians. Part of the work of the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit or the Comforter for believers of this age if for Him to teach us all things and bring all things to remembrance to believers that Jesus has said in His word the Holy Bible or to gain a sound understanding of it. The scripture reference from the Gospel of John 14 of the Comforter being identified as the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit who God sent to earth since Pentecost and who teaches the believers all things is as follows:
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Gospel of John 14:26
Although some people including some professing Christians like to use the idea that we shouldn't judge other people to include the idea that true Christians shouldn't judge between godly and ungodly teaching that isn't what the Bible or even New Testament means either in this passage in 1 John or some other parts of the New Testament. In this passage believers are urged or even commanded not to believe every spirit which would include angels, demons, humans or God or spirits that claim to be God. Instead we are urged to test or try the spirits to see whether they are really of God with the reason being that many false prophets are come into this world. Some religions which are influential and have their own false prophets these days are the New Age Movement, secular humanism and Islam and the Emerging Church. Some clear examples of spirits that are not of God are many of those from spirit guides, out of the body experiences or near death experiences and alien abductions. What seems to be common with most of these experiences is that the messengers and the message people receive is that the Lord Jesus Christ was an eastern mystic rather than the Saviour of the world, that there is a brotherhood of man rather than a distinction between those who have been saved by trusting in God's Son Jesus Christ for salvation and become God's redeemed bought back children and those who haven't and that we can be justified by good works or by being good or kind people rather than confessing that we are sinners and need God's grace through the finished work of His Son Jesus Christ's death on the cross for our sins and ressurrection from the dead to give us new life. The Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit instead leads people to confess God's way of salvation and God's version of who Jesus Christ was and is that he was the Messiah or Christ in a biblical sense in the person of Jesus of Nazareth who came from God's right hand as a fellow divine person in fleshly form so he could live out the law and reveal God in personal form and especially so he could die for the sins of all people and rise again. This leading people to confess or teach a true and scriptural version of who Jesus Christ was and is is one of the major works of the Holy Spirit especially for believers who are only indwelt and fully led or taught of the Holy Spirit. Every spirit that doesn't confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh that is they teach that Jesus Christ is less than God in the flesh or Immanuel such as the New Age movement, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, native religion, the Emerging Church and much of liberalism and atheism teach is not of God. John goes on to say that instead the spirit that denies the incarnation of Jesus as God come in the flesh is the spirit of antichrist. This spirit will become and is becoming more common in its different forms as we near the tribulation and the revelation of the Antichrist or the Beast out of the Sea who will be the epitome of this philosophy for a world that will be prepared for him. This spirit has been present throughout the church age but will become more and more entrenched and advocated until and through the tribulation until it is stopped by God through the Second Coming of His Son Jesus Christ at the end of the tribulation. God then says through the apostle John that the believers (the little children) have overcome the false prophets whether they are human or demonic that deny the incarnation of Jesus Christ because he that is in us as believers that is the Holy Spirit who is in our hearts is greater than he that is the world that is the devil, and also demons and human false prophets or false teachers. This is also a reason true or born again Christians can't be possesses of the devil or by demons because the Holy Spirit as a Divine Person is greater and more powerful and dwells continuously in our heart after we are saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. However even true Christian can be influenced or controlled by evil spirits if we fall into sin through the old fleshly nature but we can be delivered through rebuking the evil spirits in Jesus' name or by His blood and claiming our position in Him and by seeking to resume living faithfully for God and Jesus according to His Word - the Holy Bible. The scripture passage from 1 John 4 of the work of the Holy Spirit to inspire especially God's people true Christians to confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh and to indwell Christians and protect us from false prophets is as follows:
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 1 John 4:1-4
One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit for Christians is to lead us in God's will as part of our position as restored children of God through the Lord Jesus Christ. The ministry of the Holy Spirit for believers also includes His emphasis that we don't have to be in fear of God but have a personal relationship under grace with Him and can call Him our heavenly Father. This is through the Holy Spirit giving us the assurance we have been adopted into God's family through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His death for our sins and rising from the dead to give us new life. Some people question why Christians say we are the true children of God or how we can know this. This passage makes clear this is based on the testimony of the word of God as well as the Holy Spirit's witness to our heart. The Holy Spirit not only gives us witness we are children of God but also joint heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ and heirs of God into his eternal family. The scripture reference from Romans 8 of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in believers to lead us and assure us is as following:
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself (himself) beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. Romans 8:14-17
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