The Seal of God
The Seal of God
You will observe that certain things which are attributed to the Holy Spirit, are also attributed to the word of God. The conclusion best drawn from this observation, is that the Spirit accomplishes certain things through the word which he inspired. So it is just as true to say that the word accomplishes these things, as it is to say that the Spirit accomplishes them. This is our 11th point of the 14 important points we have made about the promise, oath, and seal of God.
I think you will agree with me, that the above list sets out a very large and important part of the Holy Spirit's work. Yet in all these things we find the Holy Spirit acting through the word.
God communicates with us through his word, and we communicate with God through prayer. The gift of the Holy Spirit operates within this system. Everything that the Bible says about the gift, work, and seal of the Spirit, the Bible also places within the mechanism of Bible study and prayer. To the extent that we give diligence in Bible study and in prayer, to that extent are we filled with the Spirit.
The comparisons made below, indicate that the Holy Spirit does not work in us directly apart from his word, but rather works in us through his word. However this does not mean that the word alone does these things without the Spirit.
To illustrate, when I say "I am hammering in a nail" it is true that both I and the hammer are driving in the nail. I am driving in the nail with the hammer as my means and instrument, and I do not drive in the nail without the hammer, not the hammer without me.
The call of the Spirit comes through the word.
The Spirit regenerates us through the word
The Spirit sanctifies and saves through the word
The Spirit empowers us through the word
These comparisons make it clear that the Spirit is not acting without the word, and the word is not acting without the Spirit. Rather the Spirit is acting through the word.
Index to the 14 points