25 lines
4.2 KiB
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25 lines
4.2 KiB
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<title>Blue Letter Bible: Day By Day By Grace — Bob Hoekstra</title>
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<div class="head">Day By Day By Grace</div>
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<div class="subhead">Bob Hoekstra</div>
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<div class="desc-center"><div class="pad2020">February 24</div></div>
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<h2>The Holy Spirit and Going On with God</h2>
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<div class="block"><i>Did you <b>receive</b> the <b>Spirit</b> by the works of the <b>law</b>, or by the hearing of <b>faith</b>? Are you so foolish? Having <b>begun</b> in the <b>Spirit</b>, are you now being made <b>perfect</b> by the <b>flesh</b>?</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Gal',3,2,3);">Galatians 3:2-3</a>)</div>
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<p>The work of the Holy Spirit is required for people to start out with God through new birth and justification. The <b>Holy Spirit</b> must <b>also</b> be at work in believers if they are to <b>go on with God</b> in <b>growth</b> and <b>sanctification</b>.</p>
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<p>The opening portion of our present Scripture passage uses a question to address our <b>starting out with God</b>. <i>"Did you <b>receive</b> the <b>Spirit</b> by the works of the <b>law</b>, or by the hearing of <b>faith</b>?"</i> The answer to this question is obvious. No one could ever have the Spirit of God come to indwell them on the basis of their performance before God's law. <b>Only</b> the <i>"hearing of <b>faith</b>"</i> could ever cause that. The Holy Spirit came to live in us when we heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and believed in Him. At that time, our sins were forgiven, we were justified (declared not guilty, righteous in God's sight), and we were born again by the Spirit. All of this marked our beginning with God. All of this involved the work of the Holy Spirit on our behalf.</p>
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<p>The closing words of the passage use two additional questions to apply this issue of the <b>Spirit's</b> work to <b>our going on with God</b>. <i>"Are you so foolish? Having <b>begun</b> in the <b>Spirit</b>, are you now being made <b>perfect</b> by the <b>flesh</b>?"</i> We who are the children of God began with Him <i>"in the <b>Spirit</b>."</i> Now, it would be spiritually senseless to think that we could progress with God <i>"by the <b>flesh</b>."</i> Surely, we agree with the Lord that we could not produce our own spiritual birth into His family. We had to be <i>"<b>born</b> of the <b>Spirit</b>"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Jhn',3,6);">John 3:6</a>). Certainly, we want to agree with God that we cannot manufacture our own spiritual growth, that is, be <i>"made <b>perfect</b> by the <b>flesh</b>."</i></p>
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<p>The Lord desires that we mature and develop in this new life in Christ. Such growth in Christ is a <b>spiritual</b> matter. <i>"That which is <b>born of the flesh</b> is <b>flesh</b>."</i> The resources that we have all received from our earthly parents are of the <b>flesh</b>. These natural capabilities <b>cannot</b> develop us <b>spiritually</b>. The <b>perfecting process</b> (becoming increasingly like the Lord Jesus Christ) <b>necessitates</b> the <b>Holy Spirit's</b> working in us. Remember, the <b>means</b> God used to <b>start us out</b> with Him (to <b>justify</b> us) are the <b>means</b> He uses to <b>grow us up</b> in Him (to <b>sanctify</b> us).</p>
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<div class="dbdbg_prayer">O Holy Father, I humbly admit that I have foolishly thought, at times, that I could produce godliness in myself through my own best efforts. Lord, I see that I need Your Spirit as much for spiritual growth as I did for spiritual birth. As I seek You through prayer and Your word, please take me on with You in growth and sanctification by the work of Your Holy Spirit, through Christ, I pray, Amen.</div>
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<div class="desc-center"><div class="pad2020"><a href="./devotions/daybyday/02/0223.html">Yesterday's Reading</a>
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<a href="./devotions/daybyday/02/0225.html">Tomorrow's Reading</a>
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