Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

 ⁴  John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

 ⁵  And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

 ⁶  John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey.

 ⁷  And he was preaching, and saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals.

 ⁸  “I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”  Mark 1:1-8.  (Emphasis added.)

When I read this Scripture, I immediately focused on this last phrase “but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”  Who would not want to better understand this phrase?!  Who would not want to more fully  experience the presence and work of the Holy Spirit in their lives?!. 

Yet, Reformed believers may also be rightly leery of misunderstandings and flashy practices of some denominations and preachers/teachers which may lead to trouble and which may shed no or too little light on the the presence and work of the Holy Spirit.

There is an article by Rev. Gise Van Baren, a minister of the Protestant Reformed Churches that can help to sort all of this out.  It is titled “The Holy Spirit, His Presence, Power and Fruits” which is fully linked herein – Click here: The Holy Spirit: His Presence, Power and Fruits

In the article, Rev. Van Baren first recognizes:  “It is striking that Scripture, though it often mentions the Spirit, does not treat extensively the work of the Spirit — certainly not with that detail which the gospel accounts treat the work of Christ. There are chapters in Scripture which do touch somewhat upon His work, as John 14 ; Romans 8 ; Galatians 3 and 5; Ephesians 4 and 5; but even in these passages, a great deal is not presented about the Spirit. The same is true with our confessions. There is mention made of the Spirit in the Heidelberg Catechism (LORD’S DAY 8 and 20) and in the Netherlands Confession (especially Articles 1 and 11) ; but again, only brief reference to Him and His work is presented.”

There is an explanation as to why Scripture does not treat extensively the work of the Spirit.  Rev. Van Baren states:  “Related to all the above is also the (for want of a better term) self-effacing character of the Holy Spirit presented in Scripture. This factor, too, is ignored, I believe, in Pentecostalism, Neo-Pentecostalism, or whenever improper emphasis is placed upon the Spirit. I do not wish to minimize the work of the Spirit. Yet it appears that Scripture reveals that the very function of the Spirit is to reveal and magnify Father and Son. The Spirit functions not in order to reveal Who and What is the Spirit, but Who and What is God.”

Rev. Van Baren continues:  “Again, in treating of the work of the Spirit, we are confronted with far more material than can be adequately presented in this paper. I can only touch on some of this.”  

This email devotion covers much less than Rev. Van Baren’s article, so I particularly recommend and hope that you read the full article of Rev. Van Baren linked above.  In this email devotion, I will only be able to present two points of the work of the Spirit from Rev. Van Baren’s article.  I have added bold italic highlight to the first sentence in each paragraph emphasize these two points.

1.  “There is, first of all, the area of the Word of Christ and its faithful preaching. I believe that this aspect of the work of the Spirit of Christ ought to receive great emphasis. Again I remind you that it is the Spirit of Christ Who directs holy men of God to write Scripture ( I Peter 1:11 ). This, too, is evidently the idea of II Timothy 3:16 , “All Scripture is given by inspiration…” Inspiration is “God-breathed,” and the Spirit is that breath of God. And He would “bring to remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you ( John 14:26 ; cf. also I Corinthians 2:10-26 ).  With this, there is the fact that the Spirit sends forth the preaching of the Word and directs it that God’s people may be gathered and strengthened in their faith.  … And the Word spoken shows the power of the Spirit. Paul points this out in I Corinthians 2:2,4 , “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified… And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.”      

2.  “That same Spirit so applies the Word He sends, that there is response in the elect sinner. To this I would direct your attention a little later also. But notice, Romans 8:15,16 , “For, ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” Perhaps I John 3:24 could also be mentioned, “And He that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in Him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us.”  … 

As far as the power and work of the Spirit of Christ in the individual saint are concerned, we could perhaps divide this into two parts: the gift of life, and the gift of the godly walk. Galatians 5:25 suggests this, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

We can be brief concerning the first division. There is that efficacious work of the Spirit below the consciousness whereby He implants the life of Christ into the heart of the elect sinner — the work called regeneration. Of this Jesus speaks in John 3:5 , “…Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he can not enter into the kingdom of God.” That work is not accomplished through the use of earthly means nor with the cooperation of the sinner, but directly by the power of the Spirit. Jesus reminds us again in John 3:3 that one cannot even see the kingdom apart from this rebirth.

There are several expressions in the New Testament which suggest the work of the Spirit in directing the way of the child of God by applying the Word of God to such an one. We read of the “fruit of the Spirit” ( Ephesians 5:9 ; Galatians 5:22 ); of being “filled with the Spirit” ( Ephesians 5:18 ) ; of the “walk in the Spirit” ( Galatians 5:16 ; Romans 8:1,4 ); of the “sowing to the Spirit” ( Galatians 6:8 ); of “minding the things of the Spirit.” ( Romans 8:9 ); of being “led by the Spirit” ( Romans 8:14 ); of “speaking by the Spirit” ( I Corinthians 12:3 ); of the “Spirit, dwelling in you” ( Romans 8:9,11 ) .”