Do We Resist the Spirit

Oh, the beautiful Spirit, the blessed third Person of the Trinity! The one who is referred to as the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of His Son, and the Spirit of Christ, the One who glorifies the Son, the One who brings salvation to sinners, enabling them to receive it. God, in the great work of saving sinners, gave two great gifts to secure them. He gave His Son, and He gave His Spirit. In salvation, the great English Puritan John Owen says, "The love, grace, and wisdom of the Father planned it, the love, grace, and humility of the Son purchased it, and the love, grace, and power of the Holy Spirit enabled sinners to believe and receive it."

He indeed is our great Comforter, the infinite God of condescension, consolation, and sanctification, the giver of those gifts of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self control. “Jesus asks the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever.”(John 14:16)  "He is the Spirit of Truth, He will not only abide with you, but will be in you.”(John 14:17)  "It is to our advantage that Jesus goes away, for if He does not go away, the Helper will not come to you."(John 16:7)  Though a bit mysterious for we do not see Him, He is no less present with the believer in Christ. He is compared to the wind that blows, "it blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going, so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."(John 3:8) 

So, resisting the Spirit, what is it, who does it, and does it affect God? The peril of those resisting the Spirit is that of those who are not born again. That word resist is only mentioned once in the whole Bible, in the New Testament book of Acts 7:51, "You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit, you are doing just as your fathers did." In the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, the peril is that this work is resisted. It is a striving against, a determined hostility, a stone hearted thwarting of His purposes and work. It is a sin of blindness, spiritual blindness, the men Stephen was talking to saw and heard much of the words and works of Jesus, they did not perceive or comprehend that Divine mission for which Christ spoke.

G.Campbell Morgan says, "Resisting the Holy Spirit, is not necessarily willful - it may be the result of blindness, but when God deals with men, He takes into account that which causes the blindness, and where the cause is of their own creation, He holds them responsible. The reason for blindness was disobedience to the heavenly vision at some earlier point in their history, and for that disobedience they were guilty."  If anyone reading these words is in this condition of resisting the Holy Spirit, it is time to stop under-valuing the all-sufficient, infinitely wise, ever-comforting power of the Holy Spirit to indwell you at this time.  "For unless you are born of water and the Spirit, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5)  Remember: "The Lord is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2Peter 3:9) Next week, Lord willing, we will discuss the grieving of the Holy Spirit.

Elder Randy Slak