Good Works and the Marrow of Modern Divinity (original) (raw)

Spiritual Work: The Gift of the Holy Spirit and the Believer's Work

In the darkest days of apostasy Israel's prophets told of a coming age in which God's people would no longer violate their covenant with their Lord, Yahweh. The coming age would not only mean Israel's faithfulness, but the return of all blessings they sought-a more complete knowledge of God, a new social order for them and the nations, and even a flourishing earth to support great prosperity and fruitfulness in work. And all of it would be predicated on a new movement of God's Spirit. This "pouring out" of God's Spirit in the prophets spoke about (e.g., Is. 44:3; Joel 2:28ff.; Zech. 12:10) would be in fact "the central miracle" of the hope of Israel and the world. 1 As the New Testament writers describe this miracle it is clear that the advent of the Spirit qualifies everything of the believer's life. The Age to Come has dawned! Believers in Jesus are in truth those now "born" of this Spirit. They are in this sense "spirit" people (John 3:6). They are "immersed" in Him and individually and corporately in their local churches vessels of the this life-giving power in all that they do-including the so-called "other 100,000 hours" of their work life. 2 And while it is typically easier for most to think of the Spirit's presence in church activities doing a "ministry" with the Spirit's "gifts," the extension of such notions to the world of our work is usually more difficult. This essay will explore the implications of the Spirit's presence to "the other 100,000 hours" of the believer's work by first considering the NT's holistic view of the Spirit's presence in the believer's life. From this point I will offer specific ways we can look for the work of Holy Spirit in our work.

THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION AND CHRISTIAN LIFE (ROM 8:12-17)

This paper is a theological exposition of Rom 8:12-17, with special emphasis on the role of the Holy Spirit in progressive sanctification. The paper argues that, in context, the verbs “die” and “live” in this passage refer to experiential phenomena in the believer’s life as he submits to the Spirit of Adoption or the flesh respectively. To live according to the flesh is to give one’s best efforts at keeping the Law, resulting in death. Conversely, to live according to the Spirit is to live in the reality that one has been freed from the Law and adopted into the family of God. This understanding is crucial to abundant Christian life.