COV LIFE BLOG

Romans 8:9-11 – The Power of the Holy Spirit

It is true, of course, that the Spirit draws attention to Christ and not to himself. We might therefore tend to think that we ought not draw attention to him either. But that is not the pattern of the biblical authors. Not only do the Old Testament prophets repeatedly foretell his powerful work (cf. Ezekiel 36–37), and not only does Jesus give extensive teaching about his ministry (cf. John 14–16), but the apostolic preaching of Christ constantly highlights the power and necessity of the work of the Spirit.
 
If [then] no progress can be made in the Christian life apart from the work of the Spirit, it is essential that believers be aware of their dependence on him. We need to know that apart from him we can do nothing. We can’t feel the depth of our sin or see the beauty of Christ; we can’t sanctify ourselves or serve the Lord Jesus; we can’t keep ourselves spiritually alive or grow in our understanding of God and his Word.
 
If we are not aware of our total dependence on the Spirit we will fall into spiritual error. We may well become prayerless, thinking we can change ourselves or other people by our words, our programs, or even our orthodoxy. We may lose heart in our own attempts to grow in holiness because we are depending on our effort, not on his inward enabling. We may mishandle Scripture, or at least miss many of its riches, expecting to see its true meaning by means of exegetical study without reliance on the illumination of the Spirit. We may become impatient with other people, expecting them to try harder and do better, whereas we should be pointing them to what the Spirit of Christ in them can do by his grace. We may distort the gospel, implying (if not actually stating) that while we are saved by grace we are sanctified by works.
 
Believers in Christ must remain utterly dependent on the Spirit of Christ. We need to pray earnestly that God would work by the power of his Spirit in us and in other people, in the church and in the world. We need to know what his work is, how he does it and how dependent we are on it. We need to worship a triune God, which includes worshipping God the Spirit as well as God the Father and God the Son.

Murray Capill

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SCRIPTURES FOR THIS SUNDAY
Read Romans 8:9-11 and reflect on the power of the Holy Spirit. If we can accomplish nothing without the Spirit’s power, then how does this affect our perspective on your life and ministry?

SONG FOR THIS WEEK
O Great God by Bob Kauflin