Everett Henes: Equal before God
Growing up in a particular kind of Christian church, I was taught that there were levels among believers. There were those who were filled with the Holy Spirit and those who were not. We’re not talking about believers and unbelievers, but different kinds of believers. This kind of thinking is not only wrong-headed, but dangerous as it creates a schism among those who are unified and puffs up with pride some over others. Thankfully, the Bible teaches us the truth on the matter.
In Ephesians 1:13 we read, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. Over the past weeks, we have given our attention to various aspects of salvation as it pertains to the work done by God the father and God the son. While there is overlap, we have learned about the father’s work in electing his people for salvation and the Son’s work in purchasing their redemption by dying on the cross. Our salvation would be impossible were it not for the desire and plan of the father to save and the obedience of the son to die in our place.
Next, we turn to the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation. The first words make an important point, “In him, you also …” We see, here, the inclusion of all believers. Since this section is about the work of the Holy Spirit, this is an important point to make. There are a number of churches who buy into a segmenting of Christians into those who are “spirit-filled” and those who are not. Some believe that there are “spiritual Christians” and “carnal Christians.”
There are many problems with this, not least of which is that it can discourage the pursuit of holiness. The point I want to make here is that the work of the spirit is not to be thought of as simply belonging to some super special class of Christians; rather, the Apostle Paul is addressing all believers in the church. He does not say, “You Spirit filled ones in Ephesus…”
This is driven home even more so when we consider the fact that this letter was most likely a circular letter; all true believers have the Holy Spirit. When Paul writes to the Corinthian church, about spiritual gifts, he says in 1 Corinthians 12:13, “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free- and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”
To be a Christian is to have the spirit, and to have the spirit is to be united to Christ. When does this work of God’s spirit take place? The Apostle says that it happened when they heard the word of truth, the gospel, and believed. It all seems to take place at once: the hearing, believing and work of the spirit go together. The work of the spirit is effectual; it brings about the hearing with faith and belief.
Jesus says that no one comes unless they are drawn (John 6:44). As Paul stresses in his letter to the Romans, those who are dead in their trespasses and sins are unable, in themselves, to respond to the call of the Gospel (8:8). All who are believers receive this spirit and all who receive this spirit are believers.
What is the work of the spirit that Paul speaks of here? What happens when a person is made willing and able to believe the gospel? Paul says that they are sealed. This is something we’ll turn to consider next, but today I want to make an important point. The work of the Holy Spirit continues to make clear what we understand: our salvation is wholly a work of God. He saves us. Nothing we do contributes to our redemption. This means that, in evangelism, we must share the good news of a God who saves, who forgives sinners. This will shape how we go about praying as well as how we go about sharing Christ.
J. Gresham Machen writes in "What Is Christianity?": “If you want health for your souls, and if you want to be the instruments of bringing health to others, do not turn your gaze forever within as though you could find Christ there. Nay, turn your gaze away from your own miserable experiences, away from your own sin to the Lord Jesus Christ as he is offered to us in the gospel.”
— Pastor Everett Henes, the pastor of the Hillsdale Orthodox Presbyterian Church, can be reached at pastorhenes@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Everett Henes: Equal before God
