In any discussion about the Holy Spirit, it is imperative that we remember that He is the Spirit of Grace. Paul points out in the book of Galatians that the battle between the flesh and the Spirit is really a battle between Law and Grace. The Christian life runs entirely on the principle of grace; any hint of law or legalism kills all spiritual power. Like Simon the sorcerer, we can think that we can merit the power of God through our works. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Such thinking kills the work of the Spirit in our lives!
Our default mode is law; everything is dependent upon our actions. This leads us to believe that our actions lead to the power of the Holy Spirit. If I pray enough, fast enough, behave, don’t sin, etc. the power of God will rest on my life. This is a wrong understanding of the Law. The Law’s intended purpose was to destroy all hope that we have in ourselves and our works.
This wrong view of the Law is seen in how we judge others. We cannot understand how God’s Spirit blesses them when they are so wrong! It is here that we must remember that God only operates on the principle of grace. If God was not gracious, we would never receive anything but wrath. No one would be blessed! We receive the Holy Spirit by faith in the promises of Jesus and His finished work. We cannot merit or earn the Spirit’s power in our lives. He is received solely by faith.
Yes, my sin grieves and quenches the Spirit. No, my righteousness does not usher in His power. It simply cannot, because I have no righteousness of my own! My only hope for spiritual power is that God will be gracious to me and bless me in spite of me. The answer of the Gospel is that He already has in Christ!
Legalism, as a wrong view of the Law, dominates our understanding of Christ and His Word. We actually believe that the goal of Christianity is to bring people out of their sin or bring them to repentance. Herein is the problem; all we can do is take people from one sin into another. Hypocrisy is just as deadly to the soul as sexual immorality. Addiction to the praise of man is just as evil as addiction to alcohol. Spiritual pride is just as sinful as theft. Jesus is the Gospel! We must come to Jesus and bring others to Him; He is the One Who grants repentance. He is the One Who brings us out of our sin. He turns us from sin to Himself. He clothes us with His righteousness and fills us with His Spirit.
This Christian life is all of grace. The Spirit-filled life is a life propelled on only one principle, grace. We try so hard to make formulas, ceremonies, works, etc. that guarantee Spiritual power. They all fail because they are dependent on the wrong principle, law. If I desire to see the power of God in my life, I must embrace the principle of grace.
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