John 1:14 - And the Word (undiminished deity) became flesh (true humanity), and dwelt among us (the Incarnation), and we (James, Peter, and John) beheld His glory (the visual manifestation of the Uniform of Glory), glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth (Bible Doctrine).
In our previous lessons we reviewed the doctrines that relate to TLJC in his first advent when he was incarnated via the virgin birth.
We started our study with a discussion of the doctrine of the virgin birth that was necessary for there to be no transmission of the OSN and then took up the doctrine of the hypostatic union that explains the mechanics of how undiminished deity and true humanity reside in the person of TLJC and then discussed the doctrine of the kenosis that defines God the Father's protocol for the deity and humanity of TLJC in hypostatic union.
In the context of these doctrines, we have been looking at some of the names and titles for our Lord Jesus Christ in order to see more clearly what God has done for us through him, so we can more completely understand who he is and what he has done for us, and from our knowledge of him have our confidence established in our occupation with him. Heb 12:2;
In view of this, we are presently looking at the phrase "body of Christ" that is used to describe all Church Age believers in their relationship with Jesus Christ. In fact, each person of the Trinity is related to the "body of Christ."
We are now looking at the seven ministries of God the Holy Spirit at salvation that creates the body of Christ.
These seven ministries are: Efficacious Grace, Regeneration, The Baptism of the Spirit, The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit,. The Filling of the Holy Spirit, The Sealing Ministry of the Holy Spirit, and the Sovereign Distribution of Spiritual Gifts to every Believer.
Last time we looked at the ministries of Efficacious Grace and Regeneration so the next ministry of God the Holy Spirit that we will look at is the Baptism of the Spirit.
The baptism of the Spirit was prophesied in Acts 1:5. It is mentioned in principle and mechanics in 1Cor 12:13; Gal 3:26-28; Eph 4:5.
At the moment we believed in Christ, God the Holy Spirit took each one of us and entered us into union with the person of Jesus Christ.
The result of being in union with Christ is that we share what Christ has.
We share His eternal life 1John 5:11-12; giving us a double portion of eternal life.
We share His righteousness, giving us a double portion.
We share Christ's destiny under predestination.
We share Christ's election.
Jesus Christ, seated at the right hand of the Father, has a third royal Title. We share in his royal family we share his royalty, and we become a member of the new spiritual species.
Once you are put into union with Christ in positional sanctification, you can never get out. There is no sin or human good or evil that you can do that can separate you from Christ. Rom 8:38-39;
The baptism of the Spirit is the basis for the new spiritual species and the royal family of God. This is a unifying factor in the body of Christ that provides equal privilege and opportunity to execute God's plan.
The next of the seven ministries of the Holy Spirit that occurs at salvation is the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
At the moment you believe in Christ, God the Holy Spirit indwells your body, 1Cor 3:16, 2Cor 6:16. 1Cor 6:19-20, "Your body is a temple of the Spirit who is in you."
The purpose of the indwelling of the Spirit is to provide a temple for the indwelling of Jesus Christ as the Shekinah Glory. This is necessary because we all have the old sin nature resident in the cell structure of our physical bodies.
In the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle and later the temple, our Lord Jesus Christ dwelt between the cherubs as the Shekinah Glory. His presence there was a guarantee of blessing to Israel through their unconditional covenants.
Just as Christ indwelt the Holy of Holies in the temple in Jerusalem as a guarantee of blessing to Israel, He likewise indwells church age believers as a guarantee of our escrow blessings for time and eternity.
He lives in your body and becomes a greater guarantee of blessings to church age believers than was the guarantee given to Israel. Jesus Christ is the escrow officer and he personally indwells us and makes the distribution of our escrow blessings for time and for the eternal state.
The a fortiori of the indwelling of Christ says that if the indwelling of Christ in sacred buildings during the age of Israel was unique, how much more unique, how much more significant is the fact that Jesus Christ personally indwells your body right now.
It is so important that God the Holy Spirit preceded Him and made a temple in your body for His indwelling.
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit relates to the body of the believer, while the filling of the Holy Spirit relates to the soul of the believer.
The indwelling of Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit have nothing to do with the believer's experiential spiritual life, but it does set up our irrevocable position.
It is the filling of the Holy Spirit that has to do with the experiential spiritual life.
The filling of the Spirit is when the believer resides in the divine power system, and "walks by means of the Spirit," where the Holy Spirit controls the believer's soul.
So the indwelling of the Spirit and the filling of the Spirit are separate ministries.
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit has nothing to do with your personal life, how you act, or how you conduct your life, but it does establish your place or your position in the body of Christ.
The next ministry that occurs at the moment of salvation is the Filling of the Holy Spirit.
The filling of the Spirit is taught in Eph 5:18; Gal 5:16. We are filled with the Spirit at salvation when God the Holy Spirit takes us and enters us into his power system.
The believer continues in the filling of the spirit and has the enabling power of the Spirit as long until the first postsalvation sin is committed.
When we sin, we lose the filling of the Holy Spirit and enter into cosmic one or cosmic two. In cosmic one, we grieve the Spirit. In cosmic two, we quench the Spirit.
Through the simple acknowledgement of any known sin in application of the rebound technique, the believer con recover and once again become filled with the Spirit. 1John 1:9.
The next ministry of God the Holy Spirit that occurs at the point of salvation is the Sealing Ministry of the Holy Spirit. The sealing ministry of the Spirit is found in Eph 1:13-14; Eph 4:30.
The sealing ministry of the Spirit is a signature guarantee of the Holy Spirit's ministry in efficacious grace, Eternal life, Eternal security in time, and the provision of portfolio of invisible assets. He puts His signature to our lives that we actually have our portfolio and escrow blessings.
Both the indwelling of Christ and the sealing of the Holy Spirit guarantee our escrow blessings.
The next ministry is the Sovereign Distribution of Spiritual Gifts to each Believer.
All three members of the Trinity are actually involved in the distribution of our spiritual gifts.
God the Father was involved in the distribution of spiritual gifts as a witness to the strategic victory of Jesus Christ after His ascension. This began in the dispensation of the Hypostatic Union, Heb 2:4.
God the Son was involved in the initial distribution of spiritual gifts to the first generation of the body of Christ or royal family. This follows the analogy of a Roman triumphal procession.
This was the initial distribution of blessings as a result of the triumph of our Lord Jesus Christ that terminated the dispensation of the unglorified humanity of TLJC in hypostatic union, in His resurrection, ascension, and session. Eph 4:7-8.
After the first generation of the royal family, God the Holy Spirit is involved in all subsequent distribution of spiritual gifts, 1Cor 12:11.
At the very moment anyone believes in Jesus Christ, they are given a spiritual gift.
The distribution of spiritual gifts at the moment of salvation is the manifestation of team action in the body of Christ. It is the basis for administration and service in the royal family and it is the expression of the function of the Church Age believer, both as a royal priest and as a royal ambassador.