7 Things the Holy Spirit Does in and for Our Salvation
The Work of the Holy Spirit
The work of the Holy Spirit is the means by which all that Christ accomplished comes to benefit the elect. The Holy Spirit does (at least) seven things in and for our salvation.
1. The Holy Spirit convicts.
The word often translated “convict” (elegcho) is used in John 3:20 with the sense of bringing sins to light: “For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed [elegchthe].” The Holy Spirit acts like a giant searchlight, exposing the world’s wickedness, calling people to repentance, and convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8–11).
2. The Holy Spirit converts.
As Jesus famously told Nicodemus, “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). Titus 3:5 calls this work “the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” There is no Christian life without the converting work of the Spirit. He enables us to understand and spiritually discern the things of God (1 Cor. 2:12–14). He grants us repentance that leads to life (Acts 11:18). He pours God’s love into our hearts so we can be assured that in Christ God is for us and not against us (Rom. 5:5). The Holy Spirit enables us to believe in the promises of God (John 1:12–13; 3:36; 6:63–65).
Daily Doctrine
Kevin DeYoung
To make systematic theology clear and accessible for the everyday Christian, this one-year guide breaks down important theological topics into daily readings. Each reading features concise and accessible writing and verses for meditation and application.
3. The Holy Spirit applies.
Calvin begins book 3 of the Institutes with a question: “How do we receive those benefits which the Father bestowed on his onlybegotten Son—not for Christ’s own private use, but that he might enrich poor and needy men?” The answer: “The Holy Spirit is the bond by which Christ effectually unites us to himself.”1 This is the logic of Romans 8:9–11. When we have the Spirit, we have Christ. And when we have Christ, we have the Spirit. The Holy Spirit applies to the believer the benefits won by Christ, because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ.
4. The Holy Spirit glorifies.
“He will glorify me,” Jesus told the disciples, “he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:14). This truth can help us avoid the common mistake of pitting the Spirit against Christ, as if we dishonor the Spirit by putting a relentless focus upon Christ. The Holy Spirit is a serving Spirit. He speaks only what he hears (John 16:13). He declares what he is given (John 16:14b). His mission is to glorify another (John 16:14a). All three persons of the Trinity are fully God, yet in the divine economy the Son makes known the Father and the Spirit glorifies the Son. Yes, it is a mistake if we know nothing about the Spirit. But when we focus on Christ we give evidence of the Spirit’s work. We cannot worship Christ without the work of the Spirit. And the Spirit does not want to be magnified except insofar as he points to Christ. This is why the notion of anonymous Christians is so mistaken. The work of the Holy Spirit is to bring glory to Christ by taking what is his—his teaching, the truth about his death and resurrection—and making it known. The Spirit does not work indiscriminately without the revelation of Christ in view.
The Holy Spirit enables us to believe in the promises of God.
5. The Holy Spirit sanctifies.
The Spirit gives the believer a new position in Christ—set apart in Christ and sprinkled with his blood—and a new power in Christ (Eph. 3:16). The Spirit works in us “for obedience to Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:2). Peter elsewhere says that through God’s precious and very great promises we may “become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet. 1:4). This is the doctrine of theosis, or deification, often emphasized in the Eastern Orthodox Church. So long as we don’t think of Christians as becoming gods or being swallowed up in God in an ontological sense, the doctrine should be affirmed as an important aspect of our salvation. Peter isn’t thinking about “nature” as the divine essence so much as the nature of God’s character. That’s why the next phrase speaks of “having escaped the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” The point is that we can share in the qualities that are characteristic of God himself.
6. The Holy Spirit equips.
By the work of the Spirit, believers are given gifts for ministry. Sometimes called “service” or “activities,” the purpose of these gifts is to build up the church. The manifestation of the Spirit is for the common good (1 Cor. 12:7) and the edification of the church (1 Cor. 14:12, 26).
7. The Holy Spirit promises.
Ephesians 1:13–14 states that in Christ we “were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it.” A seal in the ancient world did three things: it authenticated, it secured, and it marked ownership. All three elements are probably in view here. The seal of the Spirit authenticates us as true believers, secures our eternal safety, and marks us out as belonging to God.
This sealing is not a second blessing subsequent to salvation; it happens the moment when we become a Christian. The sealing at the end of Ephesians 1:13 is connected to hearing the word of truth and believing the gospel earlier in the verse. That’s when the sealing takes place. Being sealed with the Spirit means that God has clamped down his embosser on us and promises to protect us and preserve us as he would his most prized possession. The Spirit is our guarantee (2 Cor. 5:5), like an engagement ring prior to the wedding, or like a down payment on a house before the final move-in date (Eph. 4:30).
The sealing is, first of all, a declarative fact, true of every Christian. But this doesn’t mean there cannot also be an experiential dimension. Subjectively, being sealed with the Spirit means we experience an inner authentication that we are indeed forgiven and loved by God. “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom. 8:16). Or as Paul puts it earlier in Romans, “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 5:5). The Spirit assures us that we belong to God. Ideally, this assurance will be believed and felt.
Notes:
- Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion. 2 vols. Translated by Ford Lewis Battles. Edited by John T. McNeil. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960., 3.1.1.
This article is adapted from Daily Doctrine: A One-Year Guide to Systematic Theology by Kevin DeYoung.
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