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CAMPUS CHURCH BIBLE SCHOOL
Module 8. The nature of God: (6) the Holy Spirit and the church
8.1 INTRODUCTION
In Module 7 we began to study the person and work of the Holy Spirit, covering:
 The fact that he is a person
 The Holy Spirit in the OT
 The Holy Spirit and the believer (who is born, indwelt, taught, led, given access to the
Father, helped and enabled to bear fruit ... all by the Spirit).
We now want to consider how the Holy Spirit works in and among believers corporately, that
is, in the context of the church rather than the individual.
8.2 THE FULLNESS OF THE SPIRIT
Both OT and NT refer to believers being “filled with the Spirit” but although this is a
personal experience it is nearly always mentioned in the context of the assembly of God’s
people. For example:

In the OT Bezaleel and his assistants were “filled ... with the Spirit of God in wisdom
and understanding” for the construction of the tabernacle (Ex. 31:1-11; 35:31).

John the Baptist, also under the old covenant, was “filled with the Holy Spirit even
from his mother’s womb” that he might be the herald of Christ — a task now
undertaken by the church at large (Luke 1:15).

Peter and the apostles were “all filled with the Holy Spirit” on the Day of Pentecost
(Ac. 2:4) while the gathered church at prayer was also “filled with the Holy Spirit”
(Acts 4:31) and the first Deacons were to be men “of reputation, full of the Holy
Spirit and of wisdom” (Ac. 6:3).
These examples alert us to a further fact; fullness of the Spirit can be both episodic
(temporary empowerment to meet special needs) and habitual (being characteristic of the
person or persons concerned). Further comment and examples:

Episodic: Luke 1:41, 67; Ac. 4:8, 31; 13:9 (Paul & Elymas); Rev. 1:10 (John on
Patmos).

Habitual: Ac. 6:3; Deacons; note (i) that all believers were not so filled and (ii) this
fullness was associated with other qualities.

Our responsibility; how to be habitually filled: Eph. 5:13-21; “Be being filled ...”
[expound]
8.3 THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
This is commonly misunderstood (esp. by Pentecostals and Charismatics) as referring to
some post-conversion experience which raises the believer to a higher level of spirituality and
should be earnestly sought. This is true of the fullness of the Spirit but unlike fullness the
term “baptism” in Scripture always has an inaugural significance.

Pentecost; Luke 3:16 “He shall baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire”. Ac.
2:38, 41 (believers’ once-for-all baptism).

Joined to the body of Christ. 1 Cor. 12:13; “For by one Spirit we were all baptized
into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been
made to drink into one Spirit.”
8.4 THE SEALING OF THE SPIRIT
“Sealing” is a metaphor borrowed from imprinting a seal on a document to authenticate its
origin or authorship. The one who seals the believer is God; the Spirit is likened to the unique
imprint on the wax. The idea is that the gift of the Holy Spirit to believers is God’s
authentication of and testimony to their new relationship with him. Martyn Lloyd Jones in his
exposition of Ephesians taught that the sealing of the Spirit is a post-conversion experience
(akin to the Pentecostal view of Spirit baptism) but this is not validated by the three NT
references.

“Sealed with the Spirit”. Eph. 1:13-14. A metaphor indicating that the believer has
received both the Spirit and his inner testimony (Rom. 8:14-17).

That all believers are “sealed” in spite of their failings is implied by Eph. 4:30
“(Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of
redemption”).

The corporate and inaugural nature of “sealing” emphasized in 2 Cor. 1:21-22.
8.4 THE SPIRIT AND THE CHURCH

Pentecost; the birth of the church militant (Ac. 1:4-8).

The church is “a holy temple ... a habitation of God in the Spirit” (Eph. 2:19-22).

Special promises for the gathered church (Matt. 16:17-20; Christ present by his
Spirit).

The church’s “unity of the Spirit” (Eph. 4:1-6, 12. 16).

The Spirit speaks to the churches (Ac. 13:1 calling of Paul and Barnabas; Rev. 2:7
etc.).