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The Holy Spirit: The Preservation (3)

Luke 7: 36 – 50; Romans 15: (1-17) 12 - 17

Although the Holy Spirit’s activity is likened to wind, fire, and a dove, she[1] is a person. We are in the midst of a series of sermons on the Holy Spirit. We have been reminded that the Holy Spirit is a person, and that Jesus has promised the Holy Spirit to all his followers. Today we focus on the work of the Holy Spirit that captures the distinguishing mark of Christianity. In the letter to the church at Ephesus we read;

^{Ephesians 4:30}And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. [Eph 1:13]

This means that we have a guarantee that we are Christ’s for eternity. Can you believe this? In turning to Jesus Christ and in accepting him as our Lord and Saviour, we are not left to prove we are Christian; we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. A synonym for seal is “preserved”. And in keeping with the use of “P” words we will speak of the Preservation of the Christian. We might ask how the Holy Spirit does this, why she does this, and for what purpose?

How does the Holy Spirit achieve our preservation as a Christian?

The Holy Spirit is Promised to those who believe and follow Christ. This is a special blessing. God the Holy Spirit is always at work in the world, but to the followers of Christ there is this distinct blessing. So when the Holy Spirit comes, she does two things.  a) She witnesses to our to our spirits that we are God’s children [Rom 8: 16; cf. John 1:12].  She quietly speaks to us. Clear affirmations are given that we are Christians. Examples of this are deep joy, guidance received and confidence to act for God within us. b) She gives us a spirit of childhood where we can call God “Abba, Father”, and Jesus Lord [Romans 8:15; 1 Cor 12:3]. We experience intimacy with God and grow in positive trust. The true child is a trusting child.

Francis Jane van Alstyne (1820-1915) captures this great truth in her hymn, Blessed assurance Jesus is mine. What the Holy Spirit has done has planted in us our new genetic code so to speak. When we are born into a family two things are certain. We cannot be unborn and we inherit certain characteristics from our parents that are ours for life. We bear the stamp of family upon us. Something similar happens to us when we turn to God and accept God who has revealed God’s self in Jesus Christ. We are born from above [John 3:3]. We enter a new family. Now it might be true that we might through our own fault be a poor example of the family, or we may have stunted or slow growth, but we are in the family. There is a sense that even if we change our name and separate from the family we will still wear some of the marks of the family.

Jesus wanted us to know that God the Father welcomes us into the family of God and marks us / preserves us as God’s own. How well we appropriate this gift is another matter.

Why the Preservation by the Holy Spirit?

The clue lies in Romans 8 ¹⁴For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.  …   ¹⁶it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God … .   Implicit in this statement by Paul is the understanding that our spirit is unable to give us the assurance that we are children of God.  Our spirit, that is, our human mind, thought, will and emotions cannot give us the certainty that we are God’s children.  Our spirit needs a witness; our spirit needs convincing. That is what John recalls Jesus promising, that the Holy Spirit would come and convince of truth, righteousness and sin [John 16:7-11].

Now this teaching flies in the face of our culture’s (opposite) teaching that we are OK, and that we have the power within us to control things. This teaching raises much hostility because it is saying that we are unable to help ourselves to live in peace. I mean Biblical peace – shalom – which means well-being for all that includes justice and mercy. This teaching says left to ourselves we create alienation.

The human spirit is not completely hopeless according to Paul. He is saying that the human spirit is bound to human “flesh”. By “flesh” he means the natural inclinations, desires, will, and way of thinking of humans. He argues that our humanity is “hostile” to the Spirit of God [Rom 8:7]. The Gospel of John says that humankind loves darkness rather than light [John 3:19; Luke 11:34].

We may question this teaching that is two thousand years and more old. But let us view the evidence. The world today in spite of its fantastic scientific and technological advance is at war, xenophobic, using economic and sex slaves, and can’t feed the earth’s population. The economies of the Western countries are based on consumerism, while the Third World struggles to compete with its subsistence and barter economies. Individualism, self-interest, fear and prejudice fuel our cultures.

Let me offer you an explanation and an illustration of our state of affairs. Before the industrial revolution the home was the place or centre of industry. During this period the man was the example of good living and ethics. When the industrial revolution took place males went to work in large buildings. Here their sense of self-worth was diminished and competition within the herd encouraged. Women replaced men as the examples of honour and ethics in the home. The revolutions in the work place continued finally bringing women into the work place where they learnt to be like men.  The current film on the circuit Sex and the City illustrates this. This film is based on the presupposition that women are every bit as callous, petty, unforgiving, and sexually promiscuous as any man. It’s not an aberration, the film reveals, it’s just the way things are.  Sex and the City provides a window on our society and where it is today.

All these are signs of our spirit - our natural inclinations, desires, will and way of thinking. This is why we need a Helper. Our spirits are ambivalent. The Holy Spirit is that helper witnessing to the truth and guiding us into truth.

What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit’s preservation of us?

The purpose is two-fold.

1) It saves us from the need to work out our own salvation.

Friends as a minister I constantly meet Christians both in the church and outside the church who communicate that they need to earn God’s acceptance. They use such language, as they are not good enough, or on their deathbed speak of hoping they are good enough. Then again I hear people saying; “I haven’t been a bad person”. The Christian reality is that it has nothing to do with how good or bad we are. It has everything to do with our relationship with Jesus Christ. Our human natures are such that we do not find it easy to receive a free gift. We live in a society that measures our worth by what we do and achieve. This attitude is present in religion. In fact all religions use this disposition to earn our way so that their followers must obey rules and regulations, fulfill rituals, do their duty or develop and inner discipline. There is one religion says the opposite. It says that salvation is a gift of God given freely to us, because Christ has died for us. This is a revolutionary truth that salvation is given without any form of payment in return. Love is given and Love engenders love. There is no earning one’s way. Unfortunately the Christian Church from time to time has acted as if our good works will earn us acceptance with God. Instead God knows better. By writing God’s law on our hearts in the letters of love God redeems us [Jeremiah 31:31]. This is the radical act of God.

2) The second purpose is so that we can work for God without worrying about failing to do the right thing in case we are rejected.  It frees us from spending energy in doing what we think will earn as a right relationship, and frees us to serve boldly. This is why St Augustine said; “Love God, and do what you like.”

Men and women of God did you hear the gospel reading – the story of the women who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears [Luke 7:38]. She has come because Jesus showed her loved. She is forgiven and redeemed for no other action than loving Jesus. She may have wasted expensive ointment in the process but it is her simple acceptance of Jesus and love given to him than earns the greatest reward we can receive; Your faith has saved you; go in peace [Lk 7:50].

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Peter C Whitaker, BUC:  08/06/2008

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