Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. [John 3.6]
Jesus lived in "spiritual life." We know this because of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit upon Him as recorded by John (and others):
Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.” [John 1.32-34]
It is documented that Jesus Himself confessed that He had been filled with the Holy Spirit:
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.” [Luke 4.18-19]
However, the Holy Spirit upon Jesus only does not give us eternal life because the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. We then, like Jesus, must also be filled with the Holy Spirit if we are to have spiritual life and are to be sent as He was sent. Without surprise, this is documented also:
Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” [John 20.21-23]
IF we are filled with the Holy Spirit (the one and same Holy Spirit as Jesus), then we, like Jesus, can and should say:
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.” [Luke 4.18-19]
People start getting extremely uncomfortable at this point... keyword being "extreme," and, for just cause! The manifestation of the Holy Spirit described by Jesus and then recorded in the Book of Acts (chapter 2), was, by all estimation then and now, extreme. Many "believers" feel the subject is just best left alone. They prefer that the Holy Spirit, as well as faith, remain abstract ideals in their lives rather than life-changing, mountain-moving forces yielding salvation and the power of God on earth. The problem however with this abstract mindset is that the Holy Spirit and faith are salvation-critical: there simply is no salvation (spiritual life) apart from the tangible works of the Holy Spirit and faith.
The problem we see today is that people desperately wish to claim salvation with only abstract evidence of the Holy Spirit and faith in their lives. Their argument is that only Jesus could do all that "tangible stuff" because He was, and is, the only One Who can save and forgive. The problem with this argument is that it is only partially accurate. Forgiveness through us is His ongoing work until His return. Without religious filter, read John's account of the Great Commission again:
Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” [John 20.21-23]
All the works Jesus did (performed for people) were directly attached to forgiveness. In fact, Jesus went so far as to explain it:
Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” [Matthew 9.5-6]
In that Jesus defined Himself as the Son of Man, He was defining us. I am the Son of Man as is every human being ever born (Jesus included). There is no other reason why Jesus so repeatedly scolded his followers for their lack of faith! The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the indwelling of all the authority taught to us, demonstrated for us and commanded in us by Jesus. Without the Holy Spirit, we are powerless, and worse, we are not saved because the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.
If this causes us to question what we have believed up to this point, great! Paul told Timothy to stay away from powerless religion confirming it as a reality we should all be on guard against.
They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! [2 Timothy 3.5]
The work of the Holy Spirit Jesus was telling Nicodemus about (John 3.6) is the work of salvation. We should avoid such foolish notions that there is one work of the Holy Spirit for salvation apart from works of the Holy Spirit for manifestations of power. The One Holy Spirit does all. The resident power of the Holy Spirit to save is the same power that heals: it is all the same power.
So, here's the deal: followers of Christ are not given options - obedience to God is not a buffet from which to pick and choose. When Jesus said, As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you, He was not speaking abstractly but rather giving clear well-defined instruction that our lives would and should look just like His (even to the point of taking up our own crosses and forgiving) as the same Holy Spirit lives in and controls our lives. The ONLY thing Jesus did that we are incapable of doing is shed the perfect God-blood necessary to redeem souls because only He is the miraculously-conceived Son of God. Otherwise, every single thing He did as the Son of Man (including forgiveness of sins) is our commission! It should be noted that as ambassadors of Christ we ARE capable of reconciling men unto God!
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. [2 Corinthians 5.17-21]
Jesus' blood validates every work of the Holy Spirit through our lives. In this, the role of intercession is mission critical so that all any person for whom we intercede ("Father, forgive them...") needs to do is simply repent and believe: with the evidence then in their lives of setting out to do the same for others. How magnificently then, Jesus' words describe how this works:
“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. [Matthew 6.14-15]
It might be concluded here then, that the very most important and evident work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is ...FORGIVENESS! Our forgiveness of others (resulting in our being forgiven - i.e. spiritual life) is the same forgiveness Jesus spoke of in Matthew 9.5-6 above that manifested in a powerful miracle! It IS the work of the Holy Spirit Jesus claimed in Luke 4.18-19 that He quoted from Isaiah 61:
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. [Isaiah 61.1-2]
The Holy Spirit gives us eyes of compassion. Nothing defines the "whole package" of what Jesus willed for the world and His followers better than the following passage from Matthew:
Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” [Matthew 9.35-38]
This discussion could go on and on because it is the work of the Holy Spirit and it is the will of God. Will we finally see it? Or, will we keep our "abstract" mindset continuing to live powerless, and, it might as well be added because it is true, godless lives?
Father, Your Word is compelling beyond dispute. Your Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary in our lives for us to be saved and to be servants to You. And furthermore, Your Holy Spirit is the only identifier You have given by Whose indwelling we might be called the sons and daughters of God.
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