By Heny Albert Erdmann

Chapter 7

THE HOLY SPIRIT, RECEIVED THROUGH FAITH, AND NOT BY WORKS

Galatians 3:1-3, 5,13,14

1. O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

2. This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

3. Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

5. He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

14. That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. .

Galatians 4:6

6. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Galatians 5:16, 25

16. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

25. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Galatians 6:8

8. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

The Galatians were the "Scottish Highlanders" of ancient times, and the ancestors also, of the hot-blooded race that transferred the name Gaul from the province of Galatia to ancient France. They were a warm-hearted and generous people, quick to receive the teachings of Paul, and quick, also, to be led astray by the false teachers that followed him. And so we find him warning and pleading with them, against the seducers of the Judaizing party. The theme, therefore, of the Epistle to the Galatians, suited to their condition, is "Free Grace." The Apostle Paul reiterated, again and again, the freeness of the grace that saved them at the beginning, and that now must still sanctify and lead them all the way through. And so this thought gives tone to our study of the doctrine concerning the Holy Spirit, referred to in this chapter. (Gal. 3).

THE HOLY SPIRIT RECEIVED BY FAITH (Gal. 3:1,2)

The Holy Spirit is received by faith and not by the works of the law. But he who receives the Holy Spirit is one who is already obeying the laws of God. The Holy Spirit is just as freely given as the blood of Jesus Christ and the justifying righteousness of God through Christ.

The Galatians had received the Holy Spirit in sanctifying grace but were led away by legalistic preachers. May God help us to be true in ever preaching and proclaiming the Pauline Gospel to the ends of the earth, doing our utmost to convince the deluded millions of the fallen churches who are seeking justification and sanctification by good works, that they are bewitched by the devil, as were the Galatians. They are deceived through the instrumentality of popular preachers who are crying out that church loyalty and legal obedience are a sure evidence of a real experience of salvation.

The Holy Spirit is not received as a result of our surrendering, nor as a result of our consecration, though these are always prerequisites to the experience of regeneration and sanctification. We must surrender and then consecrate fully. Neither is the Holy Spirit received as a result of suffering -- nor of our dying out to self. But these, are also, prerequisites. We must surrender, we must consecrate, we must die to self. That spirit within me that says "I am to be considered, My will must be satisfied, What I want to do others must bow to," and so forth, that spirit must die. After the prerequisites are all met then the Holy Spirit is received in answer to faith.

The Holy Spirit is never given because we deserve Him, nor is He given because we struggle. Sometimes considerable struggling seems to be required for an individual to get to the place in which all prerequisites are fully complied with, in order that faith may simply reach out and receive Him on the simple promise of God, by childlike trust in His grace and love. OUR WHOLE CHRISTIAN LIFE must be sustained and maintained by the Holy Spirit through the same simple faith by which we first began. Oh, how many are so foolish! They begin as helpless sinners at the feet of Jesus, taking all as the sovereign gift of Divine mercy, and then they begin to build a sort of reputation and condition of self-constituted strength and try to sanctify themselves by their self-denials and crucifixions. But their struggles are ineffectual.

The same grace that was required for us to be justified is required later for us to be sanctified. "By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand" (Rom. 5:2).

Our Christian life is a succession of acts of faith with which we first began. But all faith is dependent on, and can result only from, a life of obedience, as we walk in the light of God's Word. The Scriptures teach we cannot believe except as we are obedient. Such teaching clearly implies that faith apart from obedience is impossible.

OUR CHRISTIAN SERVICE AND OUR POWER FOR SERVICE through the Holy Spirit are by simple faith and the free grace of Christ in God (Gal. 3:5).

Yes, the very ministry of service for which the Holy Spirit enables us must be done on simple faith and dependence upon His gracious gifts. "He . . . that ministereth to you the Spirit" here is not a man -- it is Christ. Jesus ministers the Spirit, and He does it to them that believe. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE SUM OF ALL THE BLESSINGS that come to us through Christ and the great covenant with Abraham (Gal. 3:13,14).

When man came from the creative hand of God, he was filled with the Holy Spirit and continued so until the Fall, when, upon Adam's making an unwise choice, the Spirit departed, leaving the fallen wreck in woeful ruin. Jesus made a complete, radical and satisfactory atonement for every son and daughter of Adam's race so that not one soul need be lost. Having done this, Christ became the glorious Precursor of the Holy Spirit. "We might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (verse 14). Here special emphasis is laid on the word "promise." It is the great promise central in the Abrahamic covenant, not only including Christ our Redeemer, but the Holy Spirit our Sanctifier.

Here let us pause for a bit and consider what is meant by "sanctification." It is a word derived from the Latin Sanctus which means "holy"; facio, means "to make"; and the suffix tion, means "the act of." Thus the meaning of sanctification is "the act of making holy." It is a divine act of the Divine Spirit in the heart and life of a believing child of God whereby the root of sin is cleansed from his nature and his heart is filled with divine love, the Holy Spirit taking complete possession and control of his life.

The promise of the Spirit is the substance of the covenant with Abraham, and the supreme blessing of Christ's redemption. The reference is quite clear that if we have not received the Holy Spirit, then we have not inherited the full blessing of the covenant with Abraham and the full purchase of Christ's redemption. The Holy Spirit is the agent who applies to us the redemption purchased by Christ.

Dear reader, have you received the promise of the Spirit? Other promises are called "the promises"; but this is called "THE PROMISE." It is the one supreme promise, the one all-important promise. It is the one all-embracing promise -- it includes all the rest, and without it all the rest are vain. All preaching that stops short of Holiness is vain.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NEXT PRESENTED as the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ dwelling in our hearts through our union with Him, and bringing us into His very Sonship, and the fellowship of His inheritance (Gal. 4:6, 7).

This Sonship is the peculiar promise of the New Testament, and the peculiar privilege of those who are united to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not the Sonship that comes by virtue of our creation, nor even the Sonship that comes by virtue of our regeneration. This is a higher Sonship, that comes by virtue of our union with Jesus Christ; and it brings us into His relationship with the Father. Through His indwelling presence and power we are enabled to become the sons of God.

THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE SPIRIT OF SANCTIFICATION AND VICTORY (Gal. 5:16, 17).

In all of our probationary life there is a constant conflict between the Spirit and depravity, until the latter is utterly exterminated in sanctification, or the Spirit grieved away. "Cannot" in verse 17 is properly translated "may not." The unsanctified Christian can, by the grace of God, which is always freely given, do his whole duty. But the strong probability is that often his courage will fail (as did Peter's courage at the trial of Jesus), and he will come under condemnation for neglect of duty. He wants to do the will of God but is often intimidated and then defeated by the indwelling enemy. This conflict will continue till carnality is eradicated. Either that or the Spirit will be grieved and will take His departure. The Holy Spirit resists the carnal principle within; and He alone can overcome it and exclude it.

Here is God's great secret of holiness -- fighting sin within the soul is not necessary if one is filled with God. Just as water excludes air from the tumbler when it is filled with water, and just as light excludes darkness when a room is lighted, so the indwelling of the Holy Spirit excludes the presence of sin. It is the old false theology of struggling to sanctify ourselves, of fighting the flesh to keep it down, on the one hand; or rising with God above the flesh and dwelling in that higher, holier realm where all sin has been eradicated, self has been crucified, and the Holy Spirit rules supreme, giving victory over the world, sin and the devil. In a word, it is the glorious privilege of being sanctified, not by works, but by free grace; not by self-effort, but by simple faith in the unfailing promise of God and His atoning work, by which the indwelling presence of God is made a reality.

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

It is naturally concluded from the previous thought, that certain results, or fruit, must follow one's becoming filled with the Spirit -- And this is not overlooked in the Scripture.

First the Apostle pictures the acts of impurity, then the source of impurity, then the idolatry to which impurity leads. In contrast with this dreadful picture he lists the fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance, faith.

OUR PART in receiving the Spirit (Gal. 5:25). Is there nothing for us to do but lie passive in His hands? Yes, there is much for us to do. We must walk in the Spirit. We must co-operate with God. We must keep step with our blessed Companion. We must follow Him as He leads the way. There are things to do, but they must be done at His leading and with His enabling. It is most important that the Holy Spirit he our Companion. It was not Enoch so much as the One with whom Enoch walked, and yet, Enoch had to keep step with God. It is a matter of our walking with God and going His way, rather than God's walking with us and going our way.

Finally, let us consider the Spirit in relation to the future. Sow to the Spirit, and reap to the Spirit.

What is the bearing of this present life on the life to come? It is real; it is lasting. "He that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting" (Gal. 6:8).

Oh, how the days are telling! Those who trifle away the precious hours and opportunities of these days, some day will wake to find how much they have lost. And you who labor now, but who see no fruit, sow on, sow to the Spirit and wait. Some day, in yonder heaven you will know what the promise means; "I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand that I may plant the heavens."

Pray on, press on! It may not be given you to preach the Gospel. It may not be given you to do the work for which you would gladly give all. But yours is to stand bravely, truly, in the ordeal of pain; of irritation; of uncongenial surroundings in the household, the business office, or the schoolroom; and, perhaps, in the place of terrible temptation. But if you are true, if you sow to the Spirit, some day you will gather the amaranthine flowers and harvest the delectable fruits of Glory. You shall have your crown. Nothing that the Spirit breathes can ever die.

Sow on, weep on, wait on, hold on. It may be weeping now, but it will be rejoicing by and by. It may be sowing now, but it will be reaping by and by. HALLELUJAH!