Pentecostal and Charismatic

The sixth denominational tradition we come to in this series is the Pentecostal and Charismatic tradition. The Charismatic movement of the mid-1900s came from the Pentecostal movement of the early 1900s, which in turn had developed from the Holiness movement in the Wesleyan tradition of the late 1800s. Pentecostals usually hold to many Wesleyan distinctives and have their own denominations. Charismatics are a broader and more diverse category and can be found within other denominations and non-denominational churches.

What is most distinctive of Pentecostal and Charismatic churches is the belief in and practice of speaking in tongues (or glossolalia) as a current manifestation of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In general, Pentecostals will say that all those baptized in the Spirit will speak in tongues (differing among themselves whether this baptism is a first, second, or third work of grace), while Charismatics will say that some who are baptized in the Spirit will speak in tongues. Additionally, both are distinguished by a belief in and practice of gifts of prophecy and healing today. They are generally credo-baptist and premillennial.

A minority of Pentecostals (roughly 10%) are not Trinitarian. They are known as Oneness Pentecostals. One of the largest Oneness Pentecostal denominations is the United Pentecostal Church International (their headquarters is in Weldon Spring, MO and their college and seminary is in Wentzville, MO).

History

Noteworthy figures in this tradition include Charles Parham, William J. Seymour, Aimee Semple McPherson, Oral Roberts, Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, Chuck Smith, John Hagee, and Paula White.

Charles Parham - He began as a Methodist minister. He opened Bethel Bible College in Topeka and in 1900 he and his students sought the baptism of the Spirit, expecting the gift of tongues as the sign of such baptism. Eventually, one of the students began to “speak in tongues” an hour before the new century after he laid hands on her. The experience spread. The college closed, and he moved around the region, establishing a Bible school in Houston in 1905. His influence declined after he was charged with sodomy in 1907.

William J. Seymour - He began as a student of Parham. He was called to pastor a Nazarene church in Los Angeles, which then rejected his teachings on the baptism of the Spirit (he had taught that those who had not spoken in tongues had not been baptized by the Spirit). As he led a small group that became the Apostolic Faith Gospel Mission, people began to speak in tongues, starting the Azusa Street Revival. It went on continually for three years, attracting many people who went out to spread the teaching and experience to the world.

Church of God - The Church of God denomination was founded gradually from 1886 to 1907 as a holiness church in the Southeast. Instances of speaking in tongues had occurred before the Azusa Street Revival, but it took on greater significance due to the influence of that revival and its teachings, and the Church of God became a Pentecostal denomination headquartered in Cleveland, TN. It has 9.2 million members worldwide and perhaps around 900,000 members in the USA. There are many related denominations with the same name or similar names, like the Church of God (Huntsville), the Church of God in Christ (with predominately African-American membership), and the Church of God of Prophecy.

Assemblies of God - The Assemblies of God was founded in 1914 in Hot Springs, AR by those in the Apostolic Faith Movement, Chicago Pentecostals, and CMA Pentecostals. Its headquarters is in Springfield, MO. Its General Council condemned Oneness Pentecostalism (e.g. UPCI) in 1916. It has a mixture of congregationalist and presbyterian government. Its four core beliefs are Salvation, Baptism in the Holy Spirit (tongues being the sign of it), Divine Healing, and the Second Coming of Christ, and it lists 16 doctrines in its Fundamental Truths.

International Church of the Foursquare Gospel (aka The Foursquare Church) - The Foursquare Church was founded as an evangelical Pentecostal denomination by Aimee Semple McPherson in 1923 in Los Angeles. The term refers to the “foursquare gospel” of Jesus as Savior, Healer, Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, and Soon Coming King. Before its founding, McPherson had been an evangelist in the Assemblies of God. She was a celebrity preacher that used mass media, led a mega church, and conducted faith healing demonstrations.

Oral Roberts - Oral Roberts is an example of a Charismatic televangelist. He promoted Prosperity Gospel theology and “seed-faith” - “planting a seed” by giving in faith, expecting a miracle. He was a minister in the Pentecostal Holiness Church (1936-1968) and then the United Methodist Church (1968-1987), and then independent (1987-2009). He founded Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, OK. Kenneth Copeland, Joel Osteen, and Ted Haggard attended Oral Roberts University.

Charismatic Movement - In the 1960s, Pentecostal ideas arose within existing denominations (e.g. Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, etc) without necessarily causing people to leave them. And rather than equating the baptism of the Spirit to speaking in tongues, speaking in tongues was seen as just one gift of the Spirit.

Calvary Chapel - Calvary Chapel churches began with Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, CA led by Chuck Smith, which broke away from the Foursquare Church and became the hub of the “Jesus movement” (e.g. the Jesus people). They led the way in rock-style contemporary Christian music. They also emphasized verse by verse expository preaching. They hold to biblical inerrancy and evangelical theology while holding to the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a second experience, with tongues and prophecy as among the current gifts of the Spirit, to be carefully used. They do not ordain women. Their churches are basically independent and their pastors are not accountable to anyone but God. The Vineyard Movement sprung from a couple Calvary Chapel churches.

What We Have in Common

With many Pentecostals and Charismatics, such as those in the Assemblies of God and Calvary Chapel, we share a belief in the Trinity, Christ, inspiration of Scripture, sin, repentance and faith, and that we are saved by grace through faith on account of the death and resurrection of Christ. Most retain at least a basic practice of baptism and the Lord's supper. We can appreciate their zeal for evangelism and a recognition of the supernatural in a materialistic age.

Where We Differ

Some of these churches are very fringy, even cultish, especially those that emphasize prosperity gospel, faith healing, and unaccountable self-appointed leadership. Some of them simply do not preach the gospel, even if they do not explicitly reject it. Some Pentecostal churches (e.g. UPCI) are not Trinitarian, and are thus not Christian.

Even in the case of the better churches of this tradition, we differ with their distinctives concerning the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the continuing gifts of speaking in tongues, prophecy, and healing (although we do recognize God’s providence and his freedom to work with, against, above, and without means). We also differ with prosperity gospel teachings like seed-faith, word of faith, and the like.

Concerning Pentecost

The outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost (Acts 2) inaugurated a new era, not a second work of grace in the life of the believer. It was a unique, transitional event. The Spirit was given in a new way, and going forward, this baptism of the Spirit would be received by all believers (1 Cor. 12:13). We are filled with the Spirit in our baptism by the Spirit, and continue to be filled with the Spirit.

The gift of tongues was given to the whole church on Pentecost, but after the initial outpouring, it was given as a gift to some members for the benefit of the church and a sign to unbelievers (1 Cor. 12, 14). It was the ability to speak foreign languages previously unknown to the speaker, not the free vocalization passed off as tongues speaking today.

The significance of speaking in many languages was that the new covenant church would include all nations. This was a joy to believing Jews, but it was a judgment against those who rejected the gospel (1 Cor. 14, Is. 28:11-12). The gift of tongues ceased after the apostolic age since it marked that period of transition and what it symbolized has been fulfilled. The church was established by the apostles among the nations, so that the church does speak the languages of the nations.

Another reason the gift of tongues has ceased is that the revelation of the gospel given through the apostles and prophets has been delivered to the church and is recorded in Scripture (Eph. 2:19-21, 3:5, Heb. 1:1-2, 2:1-4). Their work was accomplished, and so no additional revelation is given. Since revelation is complete, and speaking in tongues was a form of revelation from God, therefore speaking in tongues has ceased. Also, the “sign gifts” like the gift of healing, which confirmed the word being revealed, also ceased. 

I have written more about Pentecost, tongues, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit here:

Pentecost (Part 1): A New Era

Pentecost (Part 2): Tongues

Pentecost (Part 3): Abiding Effects

Pentecost (Part 3): Abiding Effects

This is the final part of a three-part series on the day of Pentecost. The previous installments can be found here: part 1 and part 2. In this post, I would like to speak to the abiding effects of Pentecost. While what took place on that day was unique, it was the beginning of a new era that continues today. The Spirit came to stay. He continues to be poured out. 

In this new covenant era, the baptism of the Holy Spirit takes place at conversion. All believers have been baptized in the Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 12:13, Paul tells the church, “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” In Titus 3:5-6, he says we are saved by the renewal of the Holy Spirit, “whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ.” 

This baptism with the Spirit occurs once and it is our initiation into salvation under the new covenant. The baptism of John looked to this as a future reality, but Christian baptism symbolizes this as present reality for Christians. The water is a sign and seal of the pouring out of the Spirit, of the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Spirit. This is why it administered once, and to every member of the visible church, at the beginning of their Christian life, and is of use to you for the rest of your life.

It helps to distinguish between the baptism of the Holy Spirit and being filled with the Spirit. Every baptism of the Spirit is a filling with the Spirit, but not every filling with the Spirit is a new baptism. 

To be filled with the Spirit can refer to that initial baptism (Acts 2:4), as well as the continuing work of the Spirit in the believer (Eph. 5:18). A person who has been filled with the Spirit is filled with the Spirit and can be further filled with the Spirit as the Spirit works within him. For example, the Christians who pray in Acts 4 were already filled with the Spirit, but in response to their prayer it is said that “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” with the result that they continued to speak the word of God with boldness, just as they had asked. The Spirit works through the means of grace, like prayer, to further strengthen the saints.

It is helpful to remember that “filling” is a metaphor. The Spirit is not literally a fluid to be poured. This is a metaphor for the activity of the Spirit in a person’s heart, a metaphor for his empowering, comforting, enlivening, and sanctifying influence. In Ephesians 5:18, Paul commands the saints to be filled with the Spirit. As Richard Gaffin puts it,  “As an imperative reality in the lives of believers, being filled with the Spirit is to be (1) controlling, (2) continual, and (3) comprehensive.” It is controlling. Note the contrast and comparison between being filled with the Spirit and being being drunk with wine, both in Ephesians 5:18 and in Acts 2: “filled with new wine” or “filled with the Spirit.” The Spirit is a different kind of controlling influence (one that produces virtues like self-control). It is also continual. The tense of the verb describes something continual or repeated, not merely a one time event. And it is comprehensive. It is manifested in worship, in all of life, and in social relations (Eph. 5:5:19-21).

A similar term, used twice in the New Testament, is that of being “led by the Spirit.” This phrase is often misused by Christians today. When you look at the context of this phrase in Scripture, you will see that being “led by the Spirit” does not refer to following your instincts and impulses. That is how many use the phrase today. But it refers, in context, to practicing Christian virtue and putting to death sinful ways and desires by the power of the Spirit (Rom. 8:13-14, Gal. 5:16-26). Hopefully these virtues become more and more instinctual, but your instincts can also be foolish and sinful. You can “feel led” by many things, and not all of them good! Your impulses are not infallible. To be led by the Spirit is to be sanctified by the Spirit, to be effectually led into the ways of holiness. He works in the saints, both to will and work for God’s good pleasure. And this is not a passive thing, as both Romans and Galatians indicate. By the Spirit, you must put to death the deeds of the flesh and walk by the Spirit in the fruit of the Spirit.

The Spirit is also described as the "guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it" (Eph. 1:14), the first fruits of glory. By the Spirit, we receive a sense of God's love, peace of conscience, joy, and the hope of glory (Rom. 5:1-5, Gal. 4:6).

The Spirit equips the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:7). The Spirit empowered the apostles as witnesses to Christ, as is seen on the day of Pentecost in the preaching of Peter. The Spirit does not give the same gifts to every individual, but works in each one for the good of the body. Nor does he give all the same gifts to people today as he gave during the days of the apostles - some gifts were particularly for that foundational age. But the principle remains the same, that you all have one and the same Spirit in common. You are bound in the unity of the Spirit, which you are told to maintain in the bond of peace. You are given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good of the body. You have been blessed to be a blessing to the rest of the body.

Conclusion

The Spirit has been poured out by Christ and is given to all flesh. Therefore, receive Christ, that you might be blessed in the Spirit. Call upon the name of the Lord. All who do so shall be saved. 

If you are in Christ, then be filled with the Spirit. Be led by the Spirit, walking by the Spirit. Attend to the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Sing and pray to God in the Spirit and for the Spirit. Put to death sinful ways and desires, and walk by the Spirit in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

Maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Be a good member of the body. Keep yourselves holy, as members of the temple of God. Do not defile or destroy the temple.

Go forth boldly and confidently in service to your Lord by the power of the Spirit, as a light to the nations. Jesus Christ has ascended on high and has poured out the Spirit as he promised. Give thanks to him. Unto him be the glory, with the Father and the Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

Pentecost (Part 2): Tongues

In the first part on this series on Pentecost, I looked at how the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost was a unique transitional event that inaugurated a new era. In this second part, I would like to take a closer look at the signs that accompanied the outpouring of the Spirit, especially the gift of tongues. 

Pentecost was accompanied by several unique signs. There was a sound like a mighty rushing wind. It came from heaven. It came suddenly. It filled the house where they were meeting. There were also divided tongues as of fire. These tongues of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they spoke in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Here are ten observations on speaking in tongues. 

1. The gift of tongues was the ability to speak foreign languages previously unknown to the speaker. The word “tongues” can refer to the body part or to languages spoken by it. 
2. This gift is described in Acts and 1 Corinthians. In Acts, it is mentioned with the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) and as this outpouring came upon the Gentiles (Acts 10) and the disciples of John (Acts 19). 
3. The content of what was said in tongues was the praise of God inspired by the Spirit (2:4, 11). They spoke as the Spirit gave them utterance. The words were given by God and they told of God's mighty works. The gift of tongues was the gift of prophecy in another language. 
4. This gift was given to the whole church on Pentecost, but after the initial outpouring, it was given as a gift to some members for the benefit of the church and a sign to unbelievers (1 Cor. 12, 14).
5. The languages were foreign languages, not the “free vocalization” passed off as tongues speaking today. Early Pentecostals believed that they were speaking foreign languages, until it became evident that they weren’t. Then they claimed they were speaking the tongues of angels. But the only biblical reference to the tongues of angels is where Paul is speaking in an exaggerated and hypothetical way (1 Cor. 13:1). It is clear from Acts that the "tongues" were the native languages of these people who had traveled from many nations. The situation was different in Corinth, which was not an international gathering like Pentecost. In a local church, what was said in tongues had to be interpreted to be understood. The interpretation of a language not previously known was also given by the Spirit to some (1 Cor. 12:10). 
6. This miracle was a sign of the Spirit like the sound and fire (Acts 2:2-4). Its importance did not lie in its practical usefulness, but in its function as a sign. It was a sign that demonstrated that the Spirit was being poured out, and was being poured out for all the nations. 
7. The significance of speaking in many languages was that the new covenant church would include all nations. This was a joy to believing Jews, but it was a judgment against those who rejected the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul explains the significance of the tongues by quoting Isaiah 28:11-12, “In the Law it is written, ‘By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.’ Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers…” 
8. There is no more gift of tongues today. Why? Since it marked that period of transition and what it symbolized has been fulfilled. The church was established by the apostles among the nations, so that the church does speak the languages of the nations. This is how Augustine put it in the early 5th century: “Isn’t the Holy Spirit being given nowadays, then, brothers and sisters? … It certainly is given nowadays. So why is nobody speaking with the tongues of all nations, as people spoke who were filled with the Holy Spirit at that time? Why? Because what that signified has been fulfilled.”
9. At Babel, the languages of the nations were divided to disperse them. But right after that, we read of the promise to Abraham for the blessing of the nations. At Pentecost, what God did at Babel is not exactly reversed - the diversity of the nations remains, with the existence of different languages. But now God is praised in all the languages. Rather than coming together in rebellion against God, they come together in Christ to praise him (Rev. 7:9-10). They worship God in one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
10. Another reason the gift of tongues has ceased is that the revelation of the gospel given through the apostles and prophets has been delivered to the church and is recorded in Scripture (Eph. 2:19-21, 3:5, Heb. 1:1-2, 2:1-4). Their work was accomplished, and so no additional revelation is given. Since revelation is complete, and speaking in tongues was a form of revelation from God, therefore speaking in tongues has ceased. 

Pentecost (Part 1): A New Era

This summer I have been preaching through the Acts of the Apostles. One of these sermons (here) was on Acts 2:1-21 and the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. I plan to adapt the sermon for this blog, posting it in three parts: (1) a new era, (2) tongues, (3) abiding effects. 

The outpouring of the Spirit was an event that had been prophesied in Joel 2:28-32, which Peter quoted on that day. It was the last days - the prophesied outpouring of the Spirit on all flesh had come. This was indicated by the sound of wind, the appearance of fire, and the church prophesying in tongues at this event. The signs in heaven had taken place at Christ’s death. The signs on earth took place at Pentecost. The last verse of the quotation points to the application: "And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."  

Other prophets had spoken of this too. Isaiah had prophesied that the Spirit of the Lord would come upon the messianic Servant of the Lord (11:1-2, 41:1, 61:1), and that the Spirit would be poured out upon his people to revive them and make them like a fruitful field (32:15, 44:3). Ezekiel had foretold how God would sprinkle clean water to cleanse his people and put his Spirit within his people to write his laws on their hearts, restoring his people and building a new temple.

John the Baptist and Jesus had also foretold it. This event was the baptism with the Spirit that they spoke of (Luke 3, Acts 1:4-5, 8). As God told John the Baptist, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit” (John 1:33). Jesus was anointed by the Spirit for his messianic task, and when he did his work and sat down at the Father’s right hand, he poured out that same Spirit as a blessing upon his the church. The Spirit was poured out by Christ from heaven, as a consequence of his exaltation and ascension, as Peter goes on to explain in his sermon.

This outpouring of the Spirit inaugurated a new era. The outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost was a pivotal event in redemptive history, like Christ’s resurrection and ascension. It was an unrepeatable event resulting in a new state of affairs. The covenant of grace was now administered in a new and more powerful way by the risen Christ. The Spirit had been poured out upon the church, and he had come to stay.

1. Pentecost established the new covenant administration.

This event was like the making of the old covenant at Sinai. As the old covenant was made with God’s people at Sinai, so the new covenant was made with God’s people at Pentecost. Both were foundational events. These covenants have the same substance, the same moral law, the same way of salvation. The new covenant is a new administration, with new ordinances and new organization befitting the greater clarity of the gospel and the greater outpouring of the Spirit. By comparison, the new covenant is a ministry of the Spirit (1 Cor. 3).

Jesus had already been setting up the new covenant during his earthly ministry. The gospel, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper were all set in place before Christ ascended into heaven. So how does the outpouring of the Spirit fit into this? Think of it like the filling of the tabernacle in Exodus 40. First Moses delivered the covenant to Israel and the tabernacle was set up. Then God manifested his presence among his people in accordance with his covenant by filling the tabernacle. Exodus 40:34, “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.”

Likewise, Christ had proclaimed the new covenant and had instituted its ordinances, but now he sent the Spirit in accordance with it, making it effectual. Having chosen his apostles, he now gave them power to be his witnesses. Having organized his church, he now filled it with the Spirit as the new temple of God. The church is the tabernacle, the temple of the living God.

2. At Pentecost, the Spirit was given to the church in a new way.

The Spirit had already been active among the saints in the Old Testament (Ps. 51, 143, Is. 63). The Spirit had already been active among the disciples (Matt. 16). But at Pentecost, the Spirit was with greater fullness and to all flesh.

The Spirit was "poured out." This indicates a greater abundance, a greater fullness, a more powerful operation of the Spirit. Previously, the church received a trickle, a foretaste, but now the Spirit would be poured out like a mighty river from heaven by the risen Christ.

And this greater fullness was given to "all flesh." This new blessing was not something extra for only some of the people, but it was for those high and low, male and female, rich and poor, young and old. The whole church received it on that day, and going forward, this baptism of the Spirit would be received by all believers (1 Cor. 12:13).

"All flesh" also refers to both Jews and Gentiles. While the Spirit had previously worked among mostly Israelites, and a remnant of them at that, now the Spirit would be given to all nations. The list of nationalities represented on that occasion receives attention in the text (2:9-11). In the old covenant, the Spirit worked to save a remnant of Israelites, that the seed would be preserved, culminating in the promised Christ. At Pentecost, the Spirit was poured out so that this seed would sprout, grow, and bear fruit to the end of the earth. While the Spirit worked to save and sanctify and empower in both eras, now he was given with a new goal, a new focus, a new project. Being poured out by the Christ who had purchased redemption and obtained a kingdom, the Spirit would establish Christ’s kingdom throughout the earth. This work of the Spirit is both more extensive in the earth and also more pervasive and powerful, as Christ gathers and sanctifies his bride, the church.

In the New Testament, the Spirit is given to the church as the downpayment of its inheritance (Eph. 1:14). That is, the church has come of age and has entered into its inheritance. The church existed in the Old Testament, but it was like a child under age, managed by guardians, that is, the ceremonies of the old covenant (Gal. 3-4). But when the Son of God came in the fullness of time, he purchased redemption and sent the Spirit, giving his people the freedom and inheritance of sons. It is no longer under the guardianship of the ceremonial law. It has greater maturity and is under simpler ordinances. It can go about its Father’s business, the mission of bringing salvation to the world.

3. Pentecost was thus a unique, transitional event.

At Pentecost, the disciples entered into the full blessings of the new covenant. It is true that they were already believers, but this does not mean that believers today should expect the baptism of the Spirit as a “second blessing” at a later point after their conversion. These disciples were unique in that they straddled the change from old and new covenant administrations. Now that the Spirit has come, believers enter directly into the new covenant, receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit at conversion.

There are a few subsequent extensions of Pentecost recorded by Acts. These are cases of the same new covenant experience being extended to Samaritans (Acts 8), the uncircumcised Gentiles (Acts 10), and the disciples of John (19). The gift of tongues is mentioned with the last two. While both Jews and proselytes were present at Pentecost, proselytes differed from God-fearers like Cornelius. Proselytes had been circumcised and partook of the feasts. But in Cornelius’ house, this same blessing would come upon the uncircumcised. 

Thus, these subsequent events in Acts were part of this unique transition as it rippled out from Jerusalem to Samaria and to the Gentiles (and to the disciples of John who had not yet made the transition to the new era), matching the outline of Acts 1:8. In this way, these groups were incorporated into the new covenant and the one body of Christ. In each case, Pentecost comes through the apostles to a new category of people. This was part of their foundational work, establishing the church of Jesus Christ. Together, these events remain one foundational event, the beginning of a new administration. 

The Giver of Life

The Holy Spirit is the giver of life. “For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:6). “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all” (John 6:63).

1. The Spirit gives life to living things in the order of creation (Gen. 2:7, Ps. 104:29-30).

2. The Spirit gives new and eternal life to sinners, uniting us to the Life, causing us to be born again (John 3:5-6, 6:54-56, 63).

3. The Spirit works this new life in us, writing God’s law on our hearts, producing the fruit of the Spirit in us (Ezek. 36:27, Gal. 5:16-24).

4. The Spirit gives life to the church, making the body work together in mutual service and binding it to Christ the head (1 Cor. 12:3-13, Eph. 2:18-22).

5. And finally, our bodies will be raised up on the last day by the Spirit: “he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Rom. 8:11).

The Effectual Call of God

Q. 31: What is effectual calling?
Answer: Effectual calling is the work of God's Spirit, whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel. (WSC)

The Westminster Shorter Catechism has already stated that the Holy Spirit unites us to Christ by working faith in us. It goes on in this question to explain how the Spirit works faith in us in our effectual calling. Effectual calling is distinguished from ineffectual calling. Ineffectual calling is where the free call of the gospel is proclaimed without producing an effect. Effectual calling is the call of God through the gospel which produces a change in the person such that the person chooses to receive what is freely offered. The word of God is the sword of the Spirit which he uses to pierce the soul and heart of man (Eph. 6:17, Heb. 4:12). In effectual calling, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation, the imperishable seed by which we are born again (1 Cor. 1:18, Rom. 1:16, 1 Peter 1:23).

In our effectual calling, the Spirit persuades and enables us to embrace Christ. In the end, we choose to trust Jesus as our Lord and Savior with a free will and convinced mind. But we do this as a consequence of the Spirit’s work. He works upon our minds and our wills. Both need to be renewed for us to receive Christ.

The Holy Spirit works on our minds by convincing us of the truth about our fallen estate (sin and misery) and enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, thereby persuading us to embrace Christ. He pricks our hearts with a true sense of our sin and misery and builds them up with an understanding of the gospel. Apart from the Spirit, we tend to minimize our fallen condition and trust in false hopes. In our fallen condition we suppress the truth and are spiritually blind to the gospel (2 Cor. 4:4, 1 Cor. 2:14, Rom. 1:18). But with the Spirit of the Lord, we are freed of this blindness and with an unveiled face behold the glory of the Lord (2 Cor. 3:14-18). “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

The Holy Spirit works on our wills by renewing them, enabling us to embrace Christ. Apart from the Spirit, our wills are corrupt, in rebellion against God, but this is changed when the Spirit comes to dwell in us (Rom. 8:7-9). The Spirit gives us a new heart and a new spirit, so that we begin to be disposed unto faith and obedience (Ezek. 36:26-27). All those and only those whom God draws in this way will freely come to Christ (John 6:44). Notice that God does not destroy man’s will, but renews it. Having a strong will is bad when it is opposed to God, but not when it is aligned with his will. In his work of redemption, God does not create people with broken wills, grudgingly doing the inevitable, but people who offer themselves to Christ freely, who force their way into the kingdom of God, and who run in the way of his commandments (Luke 16:16, Ps. 110:3, 119:32).

Who is the Holy Spirit?

The Spirit is not a dove, but once He used the form of a dove to symbolize Himself (Matt. 3:16)

1. The Holy Spirit is God, the same God who is revealed throughout Scripture. The apostle Peter identifies the Spirit as God in Acts 5:3-4. The apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 3:17, identities the Spirit as the Lord, and in that context "the Lord" is God, the same God who revealed His glory to Moses. This means that He shares in all the attributes of God: He is eternal, invisible, present everywhere, all powerful, all knowing, perfectly righteous and wise, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. 

2. The Holy Spirit is a person, not a force. Jesus described the Spirit in personal terms when He called the Spirit "another Helper," just as Jesus had been a helper (John 14:16-17, 26). The word can mean helper, counselor, or advocate. The Spirit can be lied to (Acts 5:3), which implies a personal relation to the Spirit. The Spirit can also be grieved (Eph. 4:30).  

3. The Holy Spirit is distinct from the Father and the Son. The Spirit is sent by the Father and is “another Helper” compared to Jesus (John 14:16-17), so the Spirit is distinct from both of them, even though the three of them are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. We also see the Spirit distinguished from - and interacting with - the other persons of the Trinity in passages like Jesus’ baptism where He descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove (Matt. 3:16-17).

4. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. The Son is distinguished as the only one eternally begotten from the Father (John 1:14) and the Spirit is distinguished as the one who eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son. This term comes from John 15:26, where Jesus says, "when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me." The Eastern church argues from this that the Spirit only proceeds from the Father, but the Western church has argued that since Scripture also speaks of the Spirit as "the Spirit of his Son" (Gal. 4:6), that the Spirit proceeds from them both. This makes sense, since just as the Son reveals and points to the one from whom He is begotten, the Father (John 1:14, 18), so the Spirit reveals and points to those from whom He proceeds, both the Father and the Son (John 14:26, 15:26, Gal. 4:6). 

5. The Holy Spirit is the giver of life. "For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Cor. 3:6). In both creation and salvation, the Spirit is described as the one who gives life. We get a hint of that when God gives life to man by His breath in Genesis 2:7, since the word for breath and spirit are the same (see also Job 33:4). Psalm 104:29–30 describes God's ongoing work in the order of creation by the Spirit, "When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground."

Therefore, it is fitting that the new spiritual life of salvation also comes from the Spirit. We are born again with a renewed nature by the Spirit (John 3:5-6). We are united to Jesus and given eternal life by the Spirit (John 6:54-56, 63). We are delivered by the Spirit from our sinful nature and its rebellious ways unto a new nature defined by virtues like love, peace, and self-control (Gal. 5:16-24). The Spirit gives life to the church, making the body work together in mutual service and binding it to Christ the head (1 Cor. 12:3-7, 12-13). And finally, our bodies will be raised up on the last day by the Spirit (Rom. 8:11). In short, while the Son accomplishes salvation, the Spirit applies these benefits to the elect. 

6. The Holy Spirit reveals God's word to humanity. The Spirit spoke through people and guided them to write down God's word for future generation in the Scripture. The apostle Peter told his readers to pay attention to Scripture, because no prophecy of Scripture came "by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). And while he had the Old Testament particularly in mind, Peter put apostolic witness on the same level (1:16-19, 3:2) and identifies the apostolic writings as Scripture at the end of his epistle (3:15-16). This is no surprise, since Jesus said that the Spirit would remind the apostles of His words (John 14:25-26), so that the whole Bible is the product of the Spirit's work. 

In connection with this work, the Spirit also gave gifts of healing and miracles to confirm the apostolic message (Heb. 2:4) and gave the gift of speaking in foreign tongues to communicate the inclusion of the Gentiles in the new convent (Acts 2:4-11, 1 Cor. 14:21-22). The new covenant being established and the canon of Scripture being finished with Jesus and His apostles (Heb. 1:1-2, 2:4, 2 Peter 3:2), these particular gifts have ceased with the passing away of the apostles.

Yet, the Spirit continues to work in the hearts and minds of people to enable them to recognize, receive, and understand the written word of God (1 Cor. 2:12–14). The Spirit gives us the ability to believe and obey God's word, not only externally, but also from the heart (Ezek. 36:26-27).

7. The Holy Spirit is essential to the Christian faith and life (Matt. 28:19). Neglecting the Spirit cannot come without fundamentally distorting Christianity. This usually happens by making the faith moralistic, merely formal and external, or a matter of "cold orthodoxy." On the other hand, many people today have a unbiblical understanding of the Spirit's work, isolated from the written word and the work of Christ. This can lead to a dangerous confusion between the Holy Spirit and your inner thoughts and feelings. But a proper appreciation of the Holy Spirit leads to a lively faith and active love in the fellowship of the saints which is guided by Scripture and leads us to appreciate and enjoy the work of Christ and the love of the Father. And so we confess in the historic words of the Nicene Creed of 381:

"And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets."