“Works of the Holy Spirit”
by Dr. James Woods, Sr.

It is important that we understand the work of the Spirit in salvation and Christian living. The Holy Spirit convicts the lost sinner and reveals Christ to him (John 16:7–11). The sinner can resist the Spirit (Acts 7:51 “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost”) or yield to the Spirit and trust Jesus Christ.

When the sinner believes in Christ, he is instantly born of the Spirit (John 3:1–8) and receives new spiritual life. He is also baptized by the Holy Spirit thereby becoming part of the spiritual body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12–14 “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.”).

The believer is sealed by the Spirit (Eph. 1:13–14 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”) This sealing by the Holy Spirit is the guarantee that the believer will share in the glory of Christ (1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

Because the Holy Spirit does so much for the believer, the believer has a responsibility to the Holy Spirit, who lives within his body (1 Cor. 6:19–20). The Christian should walk in the Spirit, that is conduct his life under the control of the Holy Spirit, (Gal. 5:16, 25) by reading the Word, by praying, and by obeying God’s will. If he disobeys God, then he is grieving the Spirit (Eph. 4:30), and if he persists in doing this, he may quench the Spirit (1 Thes. 5:19). This does not mean that the Holy Spirit will leave him, because Jesus has promised that the Holy Spirit abides forever (John 14:16-17 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”). What this quenching does mean is that the Holy Spirit cannot give that believer the joy and power that is needed for daily Christian living. Believers should be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18–21), which simply means “controlled by the Spirit.” This is a continuous experience, like drinking water from a fresh stream (John 7:37–39).