The Cross and the Holy Spirit in daily experience

Chapter 14

 THE CROSS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT IN DAILY EXPERIENCE

We have seen in earlier chapters that sanctification includes both unconscious progress and conscious experience. What does this mean in practice?

Just as people have tended to water down the Gospel, so they have also tended to adjust the New Testament revelation of the nature of the Christian life to suit their own backgrounds, temperaments, and requirements. This has also produced, in many respects, a caricature of the true church.

We must seek both to discern and maintain the balance of New Testament truth, to honor every aspect of it, and not to explain away or minimize the importance of the parts that do not fit in with our own ideas and experience. Paul tells us that he never gave a short measure in his teaching, but always declared the whole counsel of God.

At the time of our new birth, the Holy Spirit enters our spirit and proceeds from there progressively to conquer and fill our whole being. Though most of the Spirit's work to transform us goes on unconsciously, the Christian life is more than this because it also includes real, practical, and conscious experience. In the New Testament we find a spiritual consciousness or awareness in the believers, and the actual, known control, guidance and enabling of the Spirit, as part of the Christian life. We cannot ignore this or leave it out. The Scriptures must always be allowed to judge our experience, and not the reverse.

We have already seen this life manifest in the Lord Jesus here on earth. He drew His resources and took His orders, so to speak, from the Father, and we are told that He lived His whole life under the government of the Spirit. His life defines the Christian life - He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Now let us be quite clear. We are not talking about mere feelings, nor about mystical experience, but about spiritual sensitivity. Mysticism belongs essentially to the soul, the realm of feeling. The Holy Spirit dwells in our spirit, at a level, therefore, deeper than feelings. Mystical and emotional experiences and being alive to God in the Spirit, are poles apart, though frequently confused. Many non-Christians have seemingly spiritual experiences which have nothing to do with the Lord. Even Christians may have such and confuse them with what is truly of God.

It would be strange indeed if we were the temple of the Holy Spirit and yet totally unaware of His presence in us. However, we must remember that the measure in which we really know the Holy Spirit in experience and "the power of Christ resting upon us, is the measure in which we also know the meaning of the cross death of the self-life, and the fellowship of His sufferings.

Let us bear in mind the tragic ends of King Saul and of Judas - both had supernatural or miraculous experiences, but these experiences did not prove that they were spiritual men. The devil can work miracles. We are only safe to the extent that our self-centered human nature is humbled by the power of the cross. Conscious weakness produces real dependence on the Lord and opens up a way for the Spirit. Just as Calvary came before Pentecost, so the work of the cross must come before real experience of the Spirit. I have been crucified with Christ comes before Christ lives in me.

The day-by-day government of our lives by the Lord, although largely unconscious because we walk by faith, not be sight, requires our cooperation in:-

1. Constant meditation in the Scriptures,

2. The pursuit of regular fellowship with other members of God's family,

3. The maintaining of that inner peace or witness of the Spirit, which is only known as we abide in faith and obedience, and,

4. The willing acceptance of His sovereign ordering of our circumstances and responsibilities, however difficult.

Note that there is a world of difference between being truly governed by the Spirit and the un-Scriptural and dangerous idea, sometimes expressed in the words, feeling led or not feeling led to do something when this often simply means doing what we want to do, and besides, we are all easily misled.

We must keep very close to the Scriptures in this matter, noting:-

a) The references in Romans 8 and Galatians 5 to being led by the Spirit" and "walking by the Spirit, taken in context, show that Paul is not talking about particular guidance, but about our co-operation with the Lord against our sinful nature, and

b) All the references to specific guidance in the New Testament, such as The Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul", are found on special, important occasions, and not as part of everyday life.

So, we must beware of this popular idea that we should expect to be consciously guided in everything. As we keep close to the Lord in faith and obedience, we shall be guided and governed by Him unconsciously, an even greater miracle. When definite guidance is needed, we can count on the Lord.

We suggest this fourfold check on our guidance - all stand together:-

(i) It will always be according to the Scriptures. If we are neglecting His Word, we shall seek the Lord in vain about something already covered there, and if we are rejecting His Word, we need not expect any further guidance at all,

(ii) It will involve the cross in some way, for example, it will usually go against what we would naturally like to do,

(iii) It will involve faith and obedience, the response of our wills, rather than our feelings, and

(iv) It will commend itself as of the Lord to those with whom He has placed us in fellowship.

If our guidance fails any of these four checks, it is probably, if not certainly, wrong.

Note that in our life together as His family, we shall be unable to find the mind of the Lord unless we are all truly committed to Him as the Living Head over us.

It is the Holy Spirit who gives us the ability to do the Father's will. It is He who gifts and qualifies each of us, as He chooses, for our particular role in the family. We should seek the Lord about this so as to be fully equipped for our part in His body. Remember that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus ... the Spirit of Jesus Christ... the Spirit of God's Son. He has no interests of His own to serve, no personal gifts of His own to bestow. He has only come to dispense the unsearchable riches of Christ to His church. Let us neither grieve nor hinder Him; let us, Be always filled with the Spirit.

In John 4:14, the Holy Spirit is likened by the Lord Jesus to a spring of water, welling up within us and satisfying our every need. In John 7:37-39, He is likened to a river, flowing out from within us, making us a blessing to others. In this thirsty world, may we be refreshed and renewed, and be channels for the River of God.

The Holy Spirit has come to communicate to us the fulness of Christ.

From His fulness have we all received, grace upon grace.

Genesis 32:24-32. John 1:16, 10:27. Acts 1:2, 2:42, 13:2, 16:6-7, 20:27. Romans 6:4,11, 8:12-17. 1 Corinthians 6:19. 2 Corinthians 2:17, 4:2, 5:7, 12:9. Galatians 5:16-26. Ephesians 3:7,16,20, 4:30. Philippians 3:10. Colossians 3:15-16. Hebrews 9:14. 1 John 4:17.