🔥 THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (PART 2) 🔥

Mike Balloun teaches today. 09/30/23

🔥 THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (PART 2) 🔥

VERSES: 1st Thessalonians 5:23; Acts 5:3-4; 1st Corinthians 2:11; Romans 1-8

STUDY NOTES: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/1lrtijtvlqto0e3zbh826/h?rlkey=t5n448vhbieh4331iyq81e7tw&dl=0

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THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT PART 2

The Greek word ‘pneuma’ means spirit.
Scripture teaches that Eternal God is spirit/pneuma (John 4:24) which speaks to His Divine Nature in Divine Life
And God is Triune
The Father is spirit/pneuma, and is Divine in Nature and Life
The Son of God, Jesus, is a quickening spirit/pneuma (1st Corinthians 15:45), and is Divine in Nature and Life
And the Holy Spirit/pneuma is Divine in Nature and Life

The Angels were created by God as pneuma/spirit beings, and granted His Divine nature with life. Adam and Eve (Man) was created a “living soul”, with a spirit/pneuma given by God with His Divine nature and life incorporated into Adam. (Genesis 2:7… “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” 1st Thessalonians 5:23… “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”; the spirit being that part of man that goes back to God who gave it, when he dies Ecclesiastes 12:7… “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”) The fall of Man effected a change in his makeup called ‘death’; that being loss of Divine nature and life within the pneuma, which resulted in his body being doomed to die, however, the soul/man does not lose his existence. (In that God created the Intermediate place of the dead as the place men go to when they die.) The Old Testament blood sacrifice, graciously given by God, was atonement for a change in the repentant offerer, in that his spirit/pneuma was born again/anew with God’s nature having eternal life, thereby free from the curse’s eternal damnation. This change being effected by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Note that Regeneration still falls short of Reconciliation as seen in the fact that although they received the blood covering/atonement, Adam and Eve were not allowed back into the Garden, losing the intimacy they once had.)

Yet the Old Nature remained within, and being stronger than the spirit’s/pneuma’s New Nature within, this made it impossible for the New Nature to overcome. In that the blood of animals had not the power/efficacy of atonement necessary to procure strength/power in the New Nature, in order that the soul might be delivered from the grip of the Old Man/old nature. God’s intent was for a greater work of salvation that would empower the seeking soul, and in answer, He sent His Son, Whose Blood Atonement and Resurrection Power not only atones for that New Nature and eternal life, but also atones for additional power that will extend to overcoming the Old Nature unto the salvation of the soul.

What has been set forth in outline (last week and this week) is the necessity for Christ’s Atonement Blood in the need of two separate works of the Holy Spirit… 1) rebirth of the spirit in the unregenerate by the measured power of the Holy Spirit (similar if not the same to the Old Testament re-birth). 2) upon certain conditions being met, as appraised by God, there is a second and empowering within that spirit/the New Nature/New Man, by the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome the Old Nature/Old Man. Without which we, like the vast majority of the Old Testament born-again would be eternally ‘saved’ but ineffective in battling the flesh/Old Man for supremacy in the soul with promise of inheritance. (Consider these things in the light of Hebrews 8&9.)

The Greek word; ‘pneuma’ is used 385 times in the New Testament in various ways by (in that the Holy Spirit is the Author that inspired the writers of Scripture) the Holy Spirit to refer to God, to refer to Christ, or to refer to the Holy Spirit. Another way is to mean one part of three that make up a man, another way is to mean the man himself, another sometimes to mean the emotional condition of the man, another use of ‘pneuma’ is to refer to an angel, another to relate to the resurrection ‘body’, and another to mean the new nature or new man. All these are various ways portrayed in His Written Word of use and usage to express and reveal the nuances of Truth in God’s Salvation Plan. In other words, the various usages of ‘pneuma’ in the Greek were given by the Holy Spirit for different reasons.

Two ways ‘pneuma’ is used are: alone “pneuma”; or with the ‘article’ “the pneuma”.
Pneuma is sometimes joined with another Greek word ‘hagion’; meaning ‘holy’, numerous times (90+) in 4 different ways:
pneuma hagion (holy spirit) (Matthew 1:18-19; 3:11 etc… for a total of 50 times, but it is never used, as we will see, of the THE Holy Spirit, but of His operations (or what He does, i.e. His gifts). And 19 out of the 50 times is used in the Book of Acts and are peculiar to the Nation of Israel at the time. As Pentecost had everything to do with Israel and the Kingdom, and nothing to do with the ‘Church’ or the Nation of the One New Man.
hagion pneuma (spirit holy) (It is reversed like this, for example, in 1st Corinthians 6:19, etc)
the hagion pneuma (the spirit holy) (Matthew 28:19, etc)
the pneuma the hagion (the spirit the holy) (Matthew 12:32, etc)

The question we ask is; when in Scripture does the word refer to the Holy Spirit and when does the word refer to our spirit? When in the English should there be a little ’s’ and when should there be a big ’S’? In that, it should be well known, that the thousands of Original Greek Manuscripts relating to the New Testament are written in one of two styles; either all CAPITAL LETTERS or all small letters.
So it is that the many translators over 1700 years have had no guide beyond the presence of the ‘definitive article’ and the ‘context’… and that in the light of their knowledge of the Greek language and how it was used in Christ’s day, and being naturally influenced by their Biblical understanding. And the popular translations, rather than just translate the various uses of the word ‘pneuma’ as it is in the original text, and let it speak for itself, the translator became interpreter and endeavored to interpret or improve on the inspired text for readability or maybe what they suppose is understandability, often according to their own theology.

And the translator or translators, having finished their translation of Greek into English (or whatever other language), then the novice readers and even students of the Bible mistakenly assume that what has been translated in that Version they are reading is as inspired as the original text. They see the definite ‘article’ THE added, and capital letter S added in the English translation and naturally take it as “the Holy Spirit”. The earnest reader then begins to formulate his thoughts, beliefs, understandings, and doctrines and teachings based upon what he thought was the inspired Word of God. He becomes very dogmatic in what “the Bible says”, little realizing the history of the written Word of God. He doesn’t consider that which he has become so religiously engrained in is sometimes based on nothing more than opinions of men representing the text as that ‘given’ by the Holy Spirit, when in fact, it is a ‘critical’ opinion of what was originally inspired text (as it was written in the Greek).

How does all this effect our theology (and correct understanding of our personal experience) when we reconsider this in light of the doctrines surrounding “the indwelling of the Holy Spirit”? First, if it is the case, we should note that we personally have not taken care to look as deep as we could or should, in that it is easier and more comfortable to have let others do the work. And besides, it might ‘make waves’. So it is, that we hold onto denominational traditional beliefs and terminologies. Secondly, we must be prepared to reconsider and change our theology when we unwind all the confusion that has been caused. And be assured that a good deal of what you now believe on this subject is from leavened theology. While it’s admittedly difficult ‘unlearn’ and to adjust our theology, there is no excuse not to look deeper considering all the tools that are accessible for us in this day and age. So let us look deeper and see if a great deal of our confusion is not based then upon on our poor homework, which resulted in our acquiring wrong theology and terminology from poor translations and interpretations and applications that have manifested into poor perceptions of the Holy Spirit and His work.

We are Trinitarians, and therefore believe that The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit are One. But let us also perceive from Scripture that Jesus, the Eternal Son of God, Who manifest in the flesh 2000 years ago, was crucified in that body, was resurrected in that body, and ascended in that body (although we contend that Scripture shows He now has a glorified spiritual body) and can therefore be individualized as a ‘Person’, now and forever. He can also be localized, in that He was once here and now is in Heaven and will “Bodily” again be here in this Realm and take His Kingdom as the Son of Man sitting on His Throne with His like ‘Bodied’ Bride. And He will be thereafter, in like manner, reside in New Jerusalem. But the Holy Spirit is not in that way individualized as a Person or localized in Scripture. When the Holy Spirit is referred to in Scripture, He is God and He is the power of God extended to us (Acts 5:3-4 compares the Holy Spirit to God/representative of God… “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.”) seen typically in the Old Testament as the ‘shekinah/divine presence’ glory that manifested in the Tabernacle, as God dwelling among His people). God the Father and God the Holy Spirit are spirit… not ‘spirits’ and not ‘souls’… not personalized like the Christ; not individualized or localized… but they are omnipresent.

Paul describes the correlation of the Spirit of God to God as similar to the spirit of man to man… One; inseparable, but yet distinct. (1st Corinthians 2:11… “For what man knoweth the (deep) things of a man, save the (article ‘the’ added) spirit (pneuma) of man which is in him? even so the (deep) things of God knoweth no man, but the (article ‘the’ rightly added pneuma spirit capital S rightly added) Spirit of God.”) That being said; the Divine nature/Life within the redeemed child of God is not an impersonal power, but the mysterious way that God indwells and works upon the soul. (Philippians 2:13)

The reality then is the sincere Bible student should not entirely rely on his favorite Version alone for accuracy in Biblical Truth understanding. But as in the case of this very important topic of the use and usage of the word ‘pneuma’ that runs throughout the New Testament, the sincere student should examine every Verse where the word ‘spirit’ is used by those Apostles inspired by the Holy Spirit. Looking at the right translation, the right interpretation, and the right application. 1) right translation in this case is one translated directly from the original Greek text (without being Latinized). 2) And for right interpretation, we compare multiple renown Greek translators (like Alford, Darby, Vincent, Lenski, Souter, and Tregelles) and endeavor to look at every time the word is used in the New Testament, comparing Scripture with Scripture, noting its various employments in context… 3) And for right application, we will then endeavor to allow Scripture to speak for itself and stand on its own.

Greek Bible Scholars like Alford and Darby have noted the difficulty in some instances, of translating ‘pneuma’ as to whether the Author (the Holy Spirit) meant little ’s’ or big ’S’. In that it is easy enough to translate big ’S’ when it is obvious as in Acts 5:3, but when it is not clear, when the usage of the word ‘pneuma’ is blended in text with our spirit and the Holy Spirit, it becomes difficult. There are just a few examples in Romans 8 starting in Verse 2 (note that in the Book of Romans, the dominant theme is contrasting the one-time gift of ‘justification’ imputed to the redeemed in the righteousness of Christ with the prize of a personal and increasing ‘righteousness’ attained through acts from faith to faith’/our responsibility in ‘sanctification’).
 
Romans 8:2… “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” The Greek reads “for the law of the pneuma of life…”
So the translator/interpreter was challenged; ‘should this be a little ’s’ or a big ’S’ in English?’ The word ‘pneuma’ is accompanied here by the ‘article’, but there is no accompanying hagion/holy. And if you are a Greek translator/interpreter, and for whatever reason (including the wrong theology of ‘Grace Only”) you believe the Author (THE HOLY SPIRIT) must have been referring to the big ’S’ then you, as the translator, add the English word ‘Holy’ alongside the article ‘the’ (as in some Bible translations so as to say “….the Holy Spirit of life….”). While most translations leave out ‘Holy’, and use big ’S’ as in “….the Spirit of life…”.

The issue being… to put/or leave a little ’s’ is to rightly put the focus on the new law and work in accountability that accompanies the regenerated spirit’s ongoing living a righteous life in Christ Jesus, practically speaking, which is the theme of the preceding Chapters 1-7, which is brought to its marvelous conclusion in the 8th Chapter. Whereas, to put the big ’S' is to put the emphasis wrongly on the Holy Spirit and at the very least, confuse the closing remarks of Paul, on this vital subject. The main doctrinal thrust of the entire Passage is the Atonement of Christ and being no longer under the Law of death in Adam or Moses. And in the great light of that deliverance, we are to see how through Christ’s Atonement we redeemed are to live practical holy lives empowered in the pneuma of life by the Holy Spirit (as we exercise our wills, in obedient service to Christ, we are empowered in the spirit of life as our spirit is infused/enlivened by the Holy Spirit). Making life and death choices as the redeemed, walking and minding the things of the pneuma of life, unto glorious resurrection life as opposed to minding the things of the flesh, and continuing to live in a state of death or as the ‘living dead” to Christ’ who “…hold the truth in unrighteousness…” (meaning… being regenerated, yet living as ‘spiritually’ dead - Romans 1:18). Persisting to live in unrighteousness in a false sense of security means, at the end of their lives, dying in their sins, and experiencing those consequences that include remaining in the state and place of death during the Millennial Kingdom of Christ. The two possibilities presented by the Holy Spirit here of the born-again are to be minding the things of the spirit or minding the things of the flesh. This Truth is what is being contrasted.

Skipping past much to Verse 9 of Romans 8… “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you… (though we redeemed have the flesh/old man in us, we are not reckoned or to reckon to be in the flesh, having been crucified and buried with Christ according to God’s gift - Romans 5:1,15,16). Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” The Greek reads “Ye are not (no longer dead) in flesh but (alive as the new man - Ephesians 2:10) in pneuma; if so be that, pneuma Theou (God's character or Divine nature - which we will speak more in depth about in a moment when we look at 2nd Peter 1:4) dwelleth in you. But if any man have not pneuma Christou (Christ’s spirit of character - Romans 6:6; 11-14, Galatians 2:20) he is not his (this Alford says is too wide of a statement; in that even the merely redeemed who have not His spirit/character cannot be completely disassociated from Him and thus should be translated; none of His… meaning not of His ‘entourage’ or intimate ‘inner circle’. This is similar to when Jesus told Peter that if He didn’t wash his feet, Peter would have no part with Him- by this, He meant that Peter needed to allow the ‘dirt’ of the World to be washed off, symbolizing that being once ‘washed’/regenerated alone is not enough in itself to be found worthy to have a part of His Millennial Kingdom inheritance. But under the law of the spirit of life in Him, it would also be necessary to mind the things of the spirit to overcome the flesh and spiritually mature in worthiness and repent of any following after the flesh in unworthiness to rule with Him in His Coming Kingdom).

It is not until the 16th Verse that the Holy Spirit is specifically mentioned and that this interpretation is unmistakable in that ‘pneuma’ is twice stated… “The Pneuma (Holy Spirit) Himself beareth witness with our pneuma (that part of our being that communes with God), that we are God’s children.” We could spend a good while looking at ‘pneuma’ in just the 8th Chapter of Romans, but we’ll move on… in hope of bringing more light on the subject; of the Work of the Holy Spirit.

Upon faith in the Blood Sacrifice, the Holy Spirit ‘extends a measure of reconciliatory life’, to bring the ‘dead’/unregenerate man in the state of fallen Adam to ‘life’… and make him a “living soul”. In a sense, like as to what he was in the Garden as it relates to his pneuma before the Fall. And although the ‘life’ now in him naturally will have a positive effect on his entire being, soul and body, nevertheless it is ordained by God that he yet will retain the nature of the Old Man within, where, now the regenerated pneuma of man with enlivened conscience will always be at enmity with the flesh.

And in that the merely born-again man has little perception as to the sinfulness of sin… so it is that God’s character is revealed steadily by the Holy Spirit. In that He regenerated Enoch and anointed him to preach, and Noah, and Abraham and an entire Nation of his seed. And to them was given statutes and commands in which God’s Character is contrasted with the ‘flesh’ by the Law. After which two monumental things follow; that through the Law that the Old Nature is shown to be exceedingly ‘sinful’, and also that regenerate man is inescapably doomed under the Law to attain unto the inheritance worthiness. (Romans 7:1-24, Galatians 3:18-29) Thus the necessity of another, greater, Blood propitiation and which is then followed by a further work of the Holy Spirit.

2nd Peter 1:3… “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue…” the divine nature of God that Peter refers to is defined for us in the Greek as; divine/Theíos, that which denotes an attribute of God that proceeds from Him, such as His power and not His character in its essence and totality, in that His character cannot be imputed. “….power” is dunamis; which means to be able to achieve. (2nd Peter 1:1-11)

This divine power is imparted to the already regenerated pneuma, and is the direct result of the operations of the Holy Spirit in answer to the pneuma’s cry of “O wretched man that I am!”… and is the power to achieve and overcome the flesh/Old Nature within. Flesh in contradistinction from the ‘spirit’… flesh cannot do anything but sin. The two ‘natures’ are contrary one to the other; “the (regenerated) pneuma is willing…” but the flesh is stronger. The pneuma is willing, but the Man cannot do the will of his New Man with renewing mind to the Word… who always wills to do God’s will… but thankfully, on the other hand, neither can the Old Man do that evil which he would always do (which speaks to the latent but weak power of regeneration life). This is the battle; the conflict for the soul, that God has ordained that every born-again child of His should enter into and emerge victorious. It stops when the pneuma leaves the body.

There are various Scriptural terms used to refer to the Divine Nature… “God’s spirit”, “Divine spirit”, “the spirit of God” and Christ’s spirit” as we are of the same Divine pneuma. As possessors of the divine nature, all are then the Children of God born from above. No man born of a woman naturally had this nature. All born-again men now have this nature within our spirit/pneuma. “That which is born of the pneuma (the Holy Spirit) is pneuma (His gift)… John 3:6. First we have the source Divine, and then that which comes from that source.

THE BAPTIZER WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT IS CHRIST …
John 1:33… “And I (John) knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit (Greek ‘the pneuma’ with the definite article and in context) descending, and remaining on him, the same is he (Jesus) which baptizeth (Greek: immerse, saturate) with the Holy Ghost (Greek: pneuma hagion with no definite article… this is the ‘gift’ as opposed to the ‘Giver’.
The ‘medium’ being the pneuma power of the Holy Spirit in contrast with material water by which Jesus would baptize).

Jesus, 40 days after resurrection at His ascension, proclaims in Acts 1:4… “…wait for the promise of the Father, which ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with pneuma hagion/holy spirit not many days hence.” WHEN HAD THEY HEARD?… Jesus, on the day of His resurrection, instructs His disciples in Luke 24:49… “Behold I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued (Greek: endúō to sink, go in or under, to put on) with Power (dunamis for capability) from on High. So it is shown in the two Passages that the Lord is speaking of the same thing as…“the promise of my Father”. How shall we take this? By letting Scripture interpret Scripture… the promise of the pneuma hagion and power from on high are equivalent to the same thing.

The baptismal power that was first administered at Pentecost for witnessing to unbelieving Jews that Jesus was the promised Messiah, was shown to manifest in multiple ways (as seen later when Paul speaks to the Gentile Christ followers in Corinth in 1st Corinthians 12:7-11). (Note that originally, in Peter’s scriptural explanation of what was then occurring upon the Jewish Disciples of Christ at Pentecost, he said “…this is that…” which the Prophet Joel prophesied would happen in the End-Times concurrent with Israel’s restoration. {Acts 2:16 with Joel 2:28} That is to say, this is that, which if recognized by National Israel, would thereby have led them into repentance. It would have brought the fulfillment of the prophetically promised reconciliation to God and the establishing of the Kingdom of restored Israel, wherein the Jews, in the gift of the power of the Holy Spirit, would have become the preeminent Nation {and would have proselytzed the other nations as ‘lights unto the Gentiles’} as His Priests in the Earth {and in the heavens above the Earth, which is mostly unknown} as God had promised to Abraham and as related by His prophets. “But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.” [Isaiah 61:6] Thus, if they would have only received that which was occurring before their eyes as the experience and Word of Joel (through the Messiah Jesus) as their present need and promise of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, it would have been then fulfilled. And for the next 30 years, over which the entire Book of Acts was written, in documenting the continued extending of the offering of the Kingdom to the Jews until Acts 28:28 when the Nation of Israel was cut off and the Nation of the One New Man then emerged.)

It is ‘pneuma hagion’’; the enduing power from on high… the grace/His Divine “power” influence upon the heart. “…they were all filled with (or Greek: of ) pneuma hagion (the gift), and began to speak with other tongues (one of the Holy Spirit’s gifts) as THE Pneuma (the Giver, the Holy Spirit) gave them utterance.” [Acts 2:4] This shows the distinction between the two.

Luke 3:16 “…He (Jesus) shall baptize you with (no article) the (pneuma hagion/power from on high) Holy Ghost and with fire…”
Luke 3:22 “And THE (pneuma the Holy) Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him…”
Luke 4:1 “And Jesus being full of the (the gift pneuma hagion/Divine Power from on high) Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by THE Spirit into the wilderness…”
Luke 4:14 “And Jesus returned in the power (the ‘gift’) of the Spirit (the Giver) into Galilee…”
Luke 4:18 (Isaiah 61:1) “He found the place where it was written the Spirit (pneuma) of the Lord (Yahweh) is upon me (as Luke 4:1) because he hath anointed me to preach…” (See John 3:34… “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.”) The gift that He gave Christ was not Himself, but the fullness of spirit of wisdom and understanding in the knowledge of God and His Word that He would speak the words of God as the One sent by God.

JESUS has become the Baptizer… immersing in the power of the Holy Spirit; pneuma hagion/power from on high… the pneuma hagion/power is the ‘spiritual water’ of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is then Giver of power to manifest His gifts. (1st Corinthians 12:11)

Ephesians 5:18 says, “…be filled with (Greek: through or by) the Spirit…” (power from on high). It is not the Person ‘with’ whom they are to be filled… but the power from on high. He is the ‘filler’, and He fills with His power. This Verse, as others, shows the need of continuing to be filled with power/pneuma hagion, that which ultimately brings glory to Christ, in His Christlikeness being progressively formed within the soul.

“Look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of (no article the) pneuma hagion, AND of wisdom whom we may appoint over this business.” [Acts 6:3] If they were full of the Holy Spirit, could they be then also in need of wisdom?
They were looking for men who were full of Divine power, and spiritual wherewithal; men who had business acumen guided in wisdom by that power.

“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts (or good things) unto your children; how much more shall your heavenly Father give (no article) pneuma hagion (in answer to Christ’s Atonement, Christ’s Baptism, not the Holy Spirit per se, but immersed and endued with gifts of spiritual power by the Holy Spirit), to them that ask Him.” The power from on high is pneuma hagion …the gifts are apart/separate from the Giver. It is the Divine ‘power’, and not the Divine Giver of the power.

“Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive (no article in the Greek) pneuma hagion. But Peter said unto him, thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that THE GIFT (the power) of God may be purchased with money.”

We spoke about John 20:22 “…Receive ye pneuma hagion.” There is no article here either, so it is not the Holy Spirit Baptism/immersion in power that is meant as we know He had not yet been poured out. Possibly what is meant here is to receive power from on high… but not in the sense of immersion or filling with the gift of the power as on the Day of Pentecost, but it is Written that this power from on high was accompanied by power to remit or retain sins on others. See the next verse (John 20:23)… “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.”

Possibly this power answered to His/Christ’s power… see Isaiah 11:2-3… “And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears…” That then would have had something to do with their marvelous transformation of comprehension in the next 40 days, as seen in the brilliance of the Sermon Peter preached on that Day of Pentecost.

The main point not to be missed in this is: that there is yet a work God is wanting to work in man beyond redemption in the rebirth of his spirit. It has to do with overcoming the flesh within. An overcoming Christ declares that without, we will not be a part of His Kingdom and the First Resurrection. It is up to each of us to evaluate where we are in the light of these words and Christ’s Commands and determine if we think this overcoming will be imputed to us or rather if we will be required to earnestly contend in the knowledge that we are not alone, but through faithful loving service to Christ, we draw upon the power of the Holy Spirit to attain unto the goal.