Why You Can’t Follow Jesus Without the Holy Spirit

7 Min

A Christ-centered theology rightly affirms that the person and work of Jesus Christ in his first and second coming is the gravitational center of Scripture, history, and reality. Sadly, though, Christians have often misused or misunderstood such an emphasis to the diminishment of the Holy Spirit. They consequently characterize the Spirit as “shy,” “bashful,” “hidden,” “self-effacing,” “deferential,” or “always in the shadow of Christ.”

But the Holy Spirit is not a background character in another’s story. While his ministry is certainly Christ-directed, He is in no way shy, hidden, or in another’s shadow. Co-equal with the Father and the Son in divinity, majesty, and dignity, the Spirit casts a glorious shadow of his own—throughout the Old Testament, in the conception and life of Christ, and especially at Pentecost and beyond!

The Spirit in the Old Testament

The Holy Spirit appears as early as the creation account, “hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2 ESV). Though Scripture typically attributes creation to the Father, the Son and the Spirit are co-creative agents with him. Thus, in the work of creation, all three persons of the Trinity work indivisibly as one.

The Spirit of God also works providentially throughout the Old Testament to bring salvation history from creation to Christ. The Spirit distributes the gift of statesmanship to Joseph and Daniel, imbues Bezalel and Oholiab with craftsmanship for the construction of the tabernacle, empowers Moses and the seventy elders to govern the people of Israel, enables Israel’s judges to lead the tribes, anoints Saul and David to rule as kings, and inspires the prophets to speak on behalf of the Lord. Indeed, the Holy Spirit speaks through the prophets about the coming of the Messiah to secure salvation.

In sum, the Holy Spirit is an active—not diminished—participant in the one work of the triune God in creation and providence. Notably, he works among the people of Israel and the events surrounding them to move history toward the birth of Christ, our Savior.

The Spirit in the Conception and Life of Christ

As the time of Christ’s birth draws near, the Spirit’s activity spikes. He comes upon John the Baptist in the womb of Elizabeth and empowers him for his future role as the forerunner. Elizabeth herself is “filled with the Holy Spirit,” causing her to bless Mary and recognize the incarnate Son in her womb (Luke 1:42-43 ESV). Zechariah, John’s father, is also “filled with the Holy Spirit,” which compels him to prophesy about his son, who would “go before the Lord to prepare his ways” (Luke 1: 67-79 ESV). Most notably, the Spirit is responsible for the miraculous conception of the Lord Jesus in the womb of the virgin Mary. In these ways, the Spirit points toward and prepares the way for the Son and his saving work. He is a prominent—not hidden—player before Christ arrives on the scene.

The Spirit dwells within Christ from the moment of his conception. In addition, Jesus experiences the Spirit in a new, powerful way at his baptism, marking him as Israel’s Messiah. Immediately after, the Spirit leads Christ into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Jesus endures and returns to Galilee “in the power of the Spirit” (Luke 4:14). Soon after, Christ proclaims that he is the long-awaited Spirit-anointed one. Indeed, the man Christ Jesus is he who possesses the Spirit without measure and accomplishes all of his earthly works through the indwelling, empowering, and anointing work of the Holy Spirit. Those earthly works culminate in the crucifixion, where Christ “through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God” (Hebrews 9:14).

In short, the Spirit actively and gloriously brings about the mission of the Son to secure salvation and continually empowers him to fulfill that mission. He is anything but a minor character.

The Spirit at Pentecost and Beyond

Though the Holy Spirit is operative beforehand, everything changes at Pentecost. On that day, the outpouring of the Spirit manifests in the sound of a great wind from heaven, divided tongues of fire, and the disciples’ speaking in various languages (Acts 2:1-4)—all highly visible and audible phenomena! This momentous event inaugurates the Spirit’s mission to apply salvation to believers. He does this by dwelling within them, thereby uniting them to Christ and the church, sanctifying them, empowering them for ministry, and sustaining them until Christ’s return. The Spirit’s indwelling of believers represents his utterly novel manner of relating to God’s people in the world. Before, the Holy Spirit was with, among, or upon them; now, he is within them (John 14:17). By indwelling believers, the Spirit joins them to Christ in heaven and his salvific work.

The Spirit not only joins believers to Christ but also incorporates them into the “body of Christ,” the church (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). Additionally, the Spirit forms them—both individually and together—into “God’s temple” or the “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 6:19). For these reasons, the Spirit of God is the basis for the unity that Christians enjoy with Christ and with one another.

The Spirit also sanctifies believers, helping them to put to death their sinful desires and live lives of holiness. He sanctifies Christians for Christ and conforms them to Christ. Though Christ is the end or goal of the Christian life, the Holy Spirit is the agent and the means. The latter is not in the shadow of the former.

Just as believers gradually grow in holiness through the work of the Spirit, they are also empowered by the Spirit to serve God and others through love and good works. Indeed, the Spirit grants each Christian certain gifts “for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7), such as comforting, giving, encouraging, praying, organizing, and shepherding. One of the most notable is witnessing. The Spirit empowers believers to testify about the person and saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ—that is the gospel, the “good news.” In fact, the Spirit himself testifies about Christ through believers. While Christ is at the heart of the gospel story, the Holy Spirit is the preeminent storyteller.

Finally, the Spirit sustains Christians in the salvation that Christ inaugurated in his first coming until the renewal of all creation at his second coming. The Spirit seals and preserves believers in order that he may one day resurrect and glorify them. He is the central agent drawing believers toward their destiny: participation in the life of the triune God.

Pentecost changes everything. There and thereafter, the Spirit moves in the world in a radically new way. He dwells within believers, thereby uniting them to Christ and his church, sanctifying them in the holiness of the Lord, empowering them for ministry, and sustaining them until the culmination of all things at Christ’s return in glory. Pentecost inaugurates the age of the Spirit, and there is nothing hidden or self-effacing about it.

Summary

The Holy Spirit actively works throughout Old Testament history, in the conception and the life of Jesus Christ, and especially at Pentecost and beyond as he is poured out in fullness and power. As evident by his divine and dynamic person and work, the Holy Spirit is not shy, hidden, or diminished—he can’t be. Though God’s plan of salvation centers upon the person and work of the Son in his first and second coming, the Spirit equally participates in the one indivisible work of God alongside the Father and the Son. The work of the Spirit just is the work of God—glorious, majestic, and worthy of all honor and praise.

Scripture References

2.Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

42.In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43.But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

67.His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:68.“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them.69.He has raised up a horn1:69 Horn here symbolizes a strong king. of salvation for us in the house of his servant David70.(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),71.salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—72.to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant,73.the oath he swore to our father Abraham:74.to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear75.in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.76.And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,77.to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,78.because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven79.to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

14.Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.

14.How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death,9:14 Or from useless rituals so that we may serve the living God!

1.When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2.Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3.They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4.All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues2:4 Or languages; also in verse 11 as the Spirit enabled them.

17.the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be14:17 Some early manuscripts and is in you.

12.Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13.For we were all baptized by12:13 Or with; or in one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14.Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.15.Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16.And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17.If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18.But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19.If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20.As it is, there are many parts, but one body.21.The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22.On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23.and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24.while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25.so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26.If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.27.Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

16.Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17.If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.

19.Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

7.Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

About the Contributor

Torey Teer is Assistant Professor of Theological Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, where he teaches courses in theology and church history/historical theology. He is also a professional editor, working on a variety of projects (e.g., books, journals, magazines). He and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Dallas, Texas. Together, they enjoy anime/manga, long naps, and Tex-Mex. View more from the Contributor.