We are familiar with the truth, that every believer on the Son of God has eternal life. It is a totally new life. By the actings of the word and Spirit on his heart and conscience, he has looked to the Son of man who was lifted up—the only-begotten Son whom God gave—and he has eternal life. He has life in the Spirit. It is not an improvement of the old nature, but a new nature; for “that which is born of the flesh, is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit, is spirit;” but, because the believer is born of God, and therefore God’s child, the Holy Spirit is sent into his heart to abide with him forever. Thus the believer is born of the Spirit first, and then indwelt by the Spirit; and it is important to distinguish between these two actings of the Holy Spirit.
It is because the child of God has the Spirit that he is enjoined to “walk in the Spirit,” for then he will “not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.” (John 3:5-165Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 9Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:5‑16); Gal. 4:6; 5:166And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. (Galatians 4:6)
16This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16).) We have, then, another power in us and for us, which is entirely opposed to the flesh, and, walking in this power, fleshly lusts will not come out; but this scripture clearly shows that, though the believer is born again, he still has the flesh in him, and in its very nature it is opposed as much as ever to God.
Hence we read, “the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary the one to the other, so that ye should not do the things which ye desire.” We have, then, as we have said, a new nature and a new power—the Holy Spirit—to walk in that path which is pleasing to God; when this is the case the Lord will occupy our hearts, we shall be seeking to act for His glory, we shall think of His interests, and the written word will instruct us. It is a path which is entirely beyond the wisdom of the natural man, because prompted and marked out by the Spirit of God. If one speaks of being “in the Spirit on the Lord’s day,” we understand that his thoughts and affections were flowing on in the current of the Spirit; and when we are enjoined to “walk in the Spirit,” it calls upon us to hearken to the word of God, and obey it in all things, and at all costs. In this holy atmosphere fleshly lusts cannot intrude.
The child of God, then, is to give himself up to the leading of Another. It is characteristic of him that he does so; for “as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” (Rom. 8:1414For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (Romans 8:14).) A blind man is glad of someone who can see to take him by the hand, and lead him; for he is afraid to take a step, unless he is conscious that a competent person is guiding him. Another person, sensible of his thorough ignorance, looks out for someone to teach him, like the eunuch, to whom Philip said, “Understandest thou what thou readest?” He replied, a How can I, unless someone should guide me?” And so a Christian, who is sensible of his own helplessness and ignorance, looks for some One to lead and teach him, and for these things, among many others, the Holy Ghost has been given unto him. And one thing we may be sure of is, that He ministers Christ to our souls, and never leads us into a path of legality or fleshly confidence; for “if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under law.” (Gal. 5:1818But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. (Galatians 5:18).) It is both interesting and profitable to notice that it was to the Galatian believers, who had slipped away from the doctrines of grace, that an apostle was inspired to write so much about the actings of the Holy Ghost.
Here it may be well for the christian reader to pause, and ask the question, What do I know in my own soul about these things? Being conscious of the gift of the Holy Ghost, by whom the love of God has been shed abroad in my heart, do I know what it is to yield myself up to His leading and teaching, and to walk in that path which is according to His mind? We do well to see how much we have accepted of these marvelous teachings of scripture about the operations of the Spirit of God, and how far we have learned, by personal exercise in God’s presence, their reality and power.
Few things can be more opposed to each other than “the fruit of the Spirit” and “the works of the flesh.” The former are like the excellencies of Christ—love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance. A precious cluster of fruit. All were found perfect, and each in its season, in the Lord Jesus. Some of the works of the flesh are loathsome, others quiet in their activities, and even esteemed by some, such as emulations, and reveling, and such like. Others have a religious, or superstitious character, such as idolatry and witchcraft. Still, they are all so evil in God’s sight, that “they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Gal. 5:19-2319Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:19‑23).)
“The comfort of the Holy Ghost” is most precious. The troubled and cast-down child of God has often known it in a very especial manner. The consciousness we have in passing through a scene where Jesus had “ not where to lay his head,” and was hated without a cause—a scene which yields nothing for our souls, and where everything is against us—of One pointing us to the glorified Son of man, bringing His sweet words, finished work, triumphant resurrection, and session at the right hand of God, to our souls, is very precious. To find, too, the same Spirit bringing home to our hearts, as we need, the various offices in which He is constantly occupied for us in heaven, as Shepherd, Overseer, Priest, Advocate, and Washer of our feet, is comforting indeed. And more than these things, He takes of the things of the Father and the Son, their intercourse about us, the Father giving us to the Son, and the Son so owning us as His as to lay down His life for us, and so keeping us, that we can never perish, and such like truths, are precious indeed.
“The communion of the Holy Ghost” is also most blessed, for not only does He give us to know our relationship with the Father and the Son, (wonderful to think of!) but He enables us to enjoy this precious fellowship.
We are more familiar with “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,” and with “the love of God,” than with the precious reality of “the communion of the Holy Ghost.” Why is this? Because we try to satisfy ourselves with as low a standard of Christianity as we can, provided evil do not break out in some open dishonor to the Lord. “The communion of the Holy Ghost” is a secret known only to the heart that enjoys it. Its effects, no doubt, are seen by others, but the sweet privilege itself is better tasted than described. “Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ,” saints of old were wont to say. They knew no other standard of Christianity than having thoughts, delights, and rest in common with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. Marvelous blessedness! But how could the Holy Ghost who dwelleth in us give us a lower standard, or minister anything Jess in quality to those who are children of God? Impossible. In this way, we can, by the truth and Spirit, enter into the Father’s counsels, ways, delight, and rest in His well-beloved Son, and in the Father’s love and care of all His saints. We can also enter into the Son’s love to the Father, and His love and care for every member of His body, and into the various offices which He sustains on our behalf. Surely we could not have anything higher, and the heart may well ask, Will there ever be anything beyond this? Here, compassed with infirmity, our measure may be very small, but it is the same communion of the Holy Ghost which we shall throughout eternity enjoy. In our next we hope to consider what scripture teaches concerning the indwelling of the Holy Ghost in the church. Η. H. S.