May 18

By this we know that we remain in Him, and He in us: He has given us of His Spirit. — 1 John 4:13 BSB

A true knowledge and living experience of the Person, graces, and workings of the Holy Spirit in the soul is essential. Humanity is so deeply fallen, so completely lost, and so powerless to bring itself back to God that we need the Holy Spirit as our Teacher to lead us into a saving, experiential understanding of God’s truth. We know nothing without His teaching, have nothing unless He gives it, and are nothing except by what He makes us. The more clearly we are led to see and feel our condition as fallen sons and daughters of Adam, the more we will realize our need for and appreciate the blessed work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and consciences.

Consider Aaron, who was not only a type of Christ but was also personally ministering as high priest at the altar. It was not enough for Aaron to be washed and clothed; he also had to be anointed with holy oil before he could stand in the sanctuary. In the same way, it is not enough for a child of God—one of the “kings and priests” in the royal priesthood—to be washed in the blood of the Lamb and clothed in Christ’s righteousness. He must also be consecrated to God’s service by the holy anointing oil, which means being sanctified, regenerated, and renewed in the spirit of his mind. By becoming a partaker of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), he enters into a spiritual experience of God’s truth now and is prepared to enjoy eternal pleasures at God’s right hand later.

Because of the depth of the fall, it is impossible for a soul dead in sin to believe in, know, or love God. The soul must be quickened to spiritual life before it can truly know God and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent. Thus, at the very heart of salvation lies the absolute necessity of the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. The completeness of the fall makes the regenerating work of the Spirit just as necessary and indispensable as the redeeming work of Christ. The Apostle Paul connects them when he says, “You are washed, you are sanctified, you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” For a soul to enter into eternal glory, it must first be prepared by grace in this life. It must be made fit for the inheritance of the saints in light by receiving a new, heavenly nature, begotten by the Holy Spirit, which allows it to see, enjoy, and delight eternally in the vision of God, as revealed in the glorious Person of Jesus Christ.