We have been discussing the connection between baptism and Jesus in this space in recent weeks. We find Jesus referenced in passages about baptism more than anything else; baptism is in or into the name of Jesus, meaning that we united with him, commit to follow his teachings, and enjoy the blessings he bestows. Last week, we looked at one of those blessings prominently discussed: forgiveness of sins. Baptism unites us with the death of Jesus, where he shed his blood for the forgiveness of sins; in baptism, God grants that forgiveness.
After his death, Jesus was buried, but God raised him from the dead. Some 40 days later, after instructing the apostles further, he ascended from earth; God then seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places (Eph 1:20). From that exalted position, Jesus has continued to be active in his mission. More importantly for our study—and fitting for Easter—in baptism, we are not just united with his death; we are united with his resurrection, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead (Col 2:12).
Baptism is a joining with Christ in his resurrection. God has raised us up with him, seated us with him in the heavenly places (Eph 2:6). We want to consider some of the spiritual blessings associated with the risen Jesus. The most prominent of those is the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus and the Spirit At Pentecost, Peter made a connection between Christ’s ascension and the Holy Spirit empowering the apostles. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. (Acts 2:32-33) The risen Jesus was the one who had sent the Holy Spirit to the apostles. In fact, he had promised the apostles that this would happen, telling them to wait in Jerusalem until they had received it (Acts 1:4-5). For the apostles, the Spirit gave them the ability to perform miracles and to confer that ability on others through the laying on of hands.
Those miraculous gifts confirmed the word; when the apostles died, they disappeared also. But does that mean the Spirit has nothing to do with our lives today? Does the Holy Spirit still live in Christians today?
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19 that Christians are temples of the HS who is in them. The word “temple” is naos: the inner sanctuary, the equivalent to the Most Holy Place in the Jewish temple. In other words, the Holy Spirit literally dwells within a Christian, taking up residence there.
Well if he does not empower us perform miracles, what does he do? Our emphasis is on the spectacular, but Scripture’s is typically on the ethical role of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is active in sanctification. setting us part as holy (1 Pet 1:1, 2; Rom 8:9). He helps us in the battle with sin and evil (Rom 8). He serves as a down payment of our eternal inheritance (2 Cor 1:22; 5:5). He is the seal that we are part of God’s people (Eph 1:13-14). He provides us assurance that we belong to God (Gal 4:6; Rom 8:14-16). He produces fruit within us (Gal 5). Scripture is clear: the Spirit is obviously still very active, working not merely through the inspired words of Scripture, but, sin some way, working within us, dwelling within the heart of a Christian.
So when does God’s Spirit come to dwell in our hearts? Back to Pentecost again. And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:28). Jesus said we must be born of water and of the Spirit (Jn 3:5). Paul writes that we are all baptized by one Spirit and made to drink in one Spirit (1 Cor 12:13).
The NT repeatedly connects baptism with the presence of the Holy Spirit. In baptism, the Spirit is given by God as a gift to his people. He lives in us; we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. He helps us as we try to live for him.
All this is possible because in baptism, we are united with the risen Jesus, the one who sent the Spirit into the world.
(If you would like to study the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in more detail, please consider this your invitation to attend our Sunday morning Bible study, where we are covering it right now!)
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