Spirit of Faith

Introduction

The Apostle Paul, moved by the Holy Spirit as he wrote to the church at Corinth, encouraged them with the following passage:

"And since we have the same spirit of faith , according to what is written, 'I believed and therefore I spoke,' we also believe and therefore speak." — 2 Corinthians 4:13

To what is Paul referring when he wrote spirit of faith? He was referring to the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, the omnipresent God with us in the present world. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin and the only right cure for it - faith in Jesus Christ (John 16:8; 1 Corinthians 12:3). On sincere confession of faith, believers are given the indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9; 10:9-10), with two over-arching purposes.

To Mark with the Father's Seal

The moment you heard the Word of Truth and believed, a spiritual transaction occurred: you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13). This seal is the "Spirit of Faith" entering your heart.

To Empower for a Life of Godliness

Once our journey of faith begins, it does not proceed based on our effort alone, it proceeds at under the direction and power of an indescribable gift; the indwelling Holy Spirit. In the Gospel of John (14:15-17), Jesus introduces us to the Comforter(Greek Parakletos) — the one called alongside to help. He is not a temporary visitor; He is the Spirit of Truth who abides with us forever.

Spirit Compels Testimony

In addition to marking the believer with the seal of salvation, and indwelling the believer as a helper, the Bible tells us much more about the dimensions in which the Holy Spirit will work in our lives. Let's look at the verse from Paul's letter to Corinth again, with emphasis on the second half of the instruction:

"And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, 'I believed and therefore I spoke,' we also believe and therefore speak." — 2 Corinthians 4:13

Just prior to this passage, we find that Paul is explaining great trials and persecution due to the gospel. He explains in the present verse that the Holy Spirit not only dwells in them that believe, it also compels them to speak, to share the love of God through Jesus Christ. The compulsion to speak in this message is captured in the words of Reform commentator Matthew Poole as follows:

"We are partakers of the same faith, and are acted on by the same Spirit: and as David's spirit guided him to a profession of his faith, and speaking what he believed; so we also speak, and must speak, according to what we believe" -Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

To see more what we must speak, we can look at dimensions of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit for each, and the testimony we are compelled to share.

Dimensions of the Holy Spirit

The Spirit of Truth

Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would dwell in them once He ascended into heaven:

"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever — the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you." - John 14:16-17

We see in the above verse the beautiful reality that the Spirit will guide believers into"all truth". The Spirit of Faith replaces human searching and seeking with divine revelation through the Holy Spirit. Under this dimension, the Comforter acts as our Internal Validator.

• The Anointing: The anointing of the Holy Spirit abides in you so that you do not need a human teacher as your ultimate source; the Spirit Himself validates the Word in your heart. Of course, believers must keep in mind the authority of God's revealed will, submitting to the authority of Scripture, elders and those in authority.

  "But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things" 1 John 2:27

• Spiritual Language: The believer's spiritual language begins with the Bible, which we have because"holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). We can only understand the Bible with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

  "These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him" 1 Corinthians 2:13-14

• The Gifts: This manifests through the Word of wisdom and the word of knowledge, allowing us to see and speak with God’s perspective. Through prayer and reflection, God can and does answer prayers for wisdom and knowledge. When such prayers are answered, they should be shared in love with all those affected.

  "For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit" 1 Corinthians 12:8

The Spirit of Adoption (Identity and Connection)

The Holy Spirit gives life and is the source of the believer's new Identity as a son of God (John 1:12; 3:3-36; 6:63). Born again believers can actually hear the testimony from the Holy Spirit to their spirit that they are children of God.

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Romans 8:15-16

Identity: Faith redefines who you are. When you are born again, your body, soul and spirit are all brand new on the inside (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are now rulers in the present world (1 Peter 2:5-9; Revelation 1:6). Along with Jesus, we have right to call God our personal Father:

"Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’” John 20:17

• Connection: The Spirit of Adoption causes us to cry out to God, "Abba, Father!" (Romans 8:15-16). The Holy Spirit also offers the means for effectual prayer - knowing at all times what we should pray for and interceding in prayers according to God's will:

  "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." Romans 8:26-27

• The Gifts: The intimate family relationship with God, as Father and indwelling Spirit, makes the flow of communication more meaningful and impactful. Through the gift of tongues and interpretation the believer is edified, and the gift of prophecy builds up the church.

  "He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church." 1 Corinthians 14:4

The Spirit of Power and Love

In his instructions to Timothy the pastor, Apostle Paul suggested that the Holy Spirit provides the believer a path away from fear and filled with power and love: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7). This works its way out in the life of believers in remarkable ways.

"And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16:17-18

• Demonstrated by Power: The word power (Greek dunamis), defined as miraculous power or supernatural strength, appears 120 times in the New Testament, often referring to God's power acting through believers. Jesus promised that power would come to believers when the Holy Spirit comes upon them, and by God's power believers today are empowered to miraculous works through the Holy Spirit. The purpose of these powers must always be kept in mind - they are powerful testimonies to the reality of the Gospel.

  "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8

• Spreading the Gospel: The Gospel of Jesus Christ was never meant to be preached in word only. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "the Kingdom of God is not in word but in power" (1 Corinthians 4:20). As we preach the Gospel, we must stand ready to pray for, lay hands on, rebuke and cast out, all in the name of Jesus to the glory of God.

  "For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit" 1 Thessalonians 1:5

• Compelled by Love: In the fruits of the Holy Spirit we find that love is the first element of the list (Galatians 5:22). In koine Greek, the language of the New Testament, often times the first item in a list is foundational and all others proceed from the first. From love proceeds joy, peace and so much more:

  "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23

• Defined by Love: As we come to know the love that God poured out for us on the cross, we love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Knowing that God is no respecter of persons, and all humankind is made in His image, we have love for one another.

  "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7

• The Gifts: This is the staging ground for Gifts of Healings, Working of Miracles, and Special Faith. And, when it comes to using our power gifts, the Spirit reminds us to always use our gifts with love (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

The Spirit of Sanctification

Scriptures: 1 Thessalonians 5:19-24, Romans 8:13

The Spirit of Faith is also a refining fire, molding our new creature in Christ through our hearts and conscience. We are called to submit to the Spirit's lead in this process. Notice that Paul starts his encouragement to sanctification here with listening to the Spirit within.

"Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:19-23

• Through Mortification: As part of coming to faith, we are called to put to death our old life (Romans 6:1-5; Galatians 2:20, 5:24). Just as we were powerless to find salvation by our own efforts, the ongoing process of putting our old ways to death is a work performed only with the Holy Spirit.

  "For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." Romans 8:13

• The Testimony: The transformed life of every believer is their personal testimony. The Apostle Paul, once a great persecutor of the church, referred to himself as "worst of sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15). There is nothing more powerful than giving God the glory for the changes in your life after becoming a child of God. Notice how Paul tells the Corinthians"such were some of you" in the following passage, and wraps it up praising God in the name of the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit:

  Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

• The Gift: This process is aided by the Discerning of Spirits, Miracles, and Special Faith, allowing us to perceive what is holy. Sometimes sanctification requires that we call on higher forces, praying for miracles and faith, to be delivered from strongholds.

The Closing: The Importance of Speaking Faithfully

We circle back to 2 Corinthians 4:13. The Spirit of Faith is not a silent deposit; it is an echoing voice. We hear the Holy Spirit's guidance from within - whether a still small voice or at times a thundering call.

If the Spirit of Truth has revealed a promise, if the Spirit of Adoption has confirmed your sonship, if the Spirit of Power has stirred your heart, and the Spirit of Mortification has cleared your path—then you have a mandate. We do not speak to convince God to act; we speak because we believe He already has.

Since we have this same Spirit of Faith, let us believe, and therefore, let us speak.