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CTSJ 2:3 (Winter 1996)

The Ministry of the Holy Spirit

In Old Testament Believers1

Clifford Rapp, Jr, Th.M. *

Chafer Theological Seminary

[*Editors note: Clifford Rapp earned his B.A. degree from Biola

University; and a Th.M. degree in Old Testament Literature andExegesis from Dallas Theological Seminary. He is a professor of

Old Testament and general biblical studies at Chafer Theological

Seminary.Cliff also pastors Orange Coast Free Methodist Church,Costa Mesa, California.]

Introduction

In John 14:17 Jesus says of the Holy Spirit,He dwells with you and will be in

you. This saying indicates a change in the ministry of the Spirit in the life ofbelievers, but what is the nature of the change? I will limit consideration in this

paper to the consideration of four ministries of the Spirit that are spoken of in the

New Testament, but not specifically mentioned in the Old: the ministries ofregeneration, indwelling, sealing and baptizing.

One can argue that because the Old Testament does not use terms for the

regenerating, indwelling, sealing, and baptizing ministries of the Spirit that all ofthese ministries are part of the new relationship of the Spirit to the believer that

began at Pentecost.2However, an argument from silence is a weak argument to

begin with, but a careful look at scripture reveals several passages in which the

Bible does have something to say about these ministries in the Old Testament.

I would like to look individually at each of the four ministries of the Spiritunder consideration to try to determine whether or not they were a part of the

experience of Old Testament saints.

The Ministry of Regeneration

Ryrie defines regeneration as that act of God which imparts eternal life.3

1 This article has been undertaken in honor of Paul E. Best, a friend and colleague at Chafer

Theological Seminary, who entered into his eternal abode on July 7, 1996.2Systematic Theology,by Lewis S. Chafer (Dallas: Dallas Seminary Press, 1948), p. 73.3The Holy Spirit,by Charles C. Ryrie (Chicago: Moody Press, 1965), p. 64.

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Were Old Testament saints regenerated? Some have argued on the basis of the

experience of saints such as Nicodemus and Saul of Tarsus, who excelled inJudaism, but were not regenerated, that regeneration was not available under

Judaism. That only with the beginning of the church age is regeneration

available.4This argument leads to the conclusion that since Old Testament saints

were not regenerated, they did not pass from an unsaved to a saved state.

5

Thisin turns leads to the conclusion that since the Old Testament saints had a lesser

spiritual experience then they must have had a lesser form of evil with which to

contend.6

Chafer attributes a form of renewal less than full regeneration to OldTestament saints, but admits there is no definite doctrinal teaching relative to the

extent and character of that renewal.7What kind of an intermediate state could

there be between being spiritually dead and being born again, regenerated by the

Spirit? The Old Testament does not use the term regeneration, but the entire Bible

says nothing of semi-alive, renewed believers.

Others have argued from the conversation of the Lord Jesus with Nicodemusthat since Old Testament saints were a part of the kingdom that they must have

been born again. Aldrich expresses the argument this way,

It is assumed that regeneration is common to every dispensation. Some have

questioned this, but the matter is settled beyond dispute by the Word of God.Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom

of God (John 3:5). It is clear that the Old Testament saints were in the kingdom

of God (cf. Luke 13:2829); therefore, they must have experienced the new birth.

In addition, the doctrine of total depravity demands the new birth in every age

since the fall.

8

Additionally it could be pointed out that the highs of Old Testament

spirituality expressed in the Psalms and other devotional passages can only beaccounted for by the existence of born again believers.

A clear indication of regeneration in Old Testament saints is found in

Jeremiah 24:7, I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. Theywill be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their

heart. These words are spoken of the Jews who would return from the Babylonian

captivity. The time that God would give them a heart to know Him is upon their

return from the 70 year captivity. This return began under the decree from Cyrus,

4Chafer, p.73.5Ibid.6 Chafer, p.83, It is evident that His [Christs] purpose was to assign a new and hitherto

unexperienced character to evil as it appears in this age.7Ibid., p.73.8Bibliotheca Sacra, Volume 114, Number 455, July-September, 1957, The Transitional Problem

in Acts, by Roy L. Aldrich.

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king of Persia, in 538 B.C. As certainly as God fulfilled His word in bringing

them back to Judah, He also regenerated them.

The Ministry of Indwelling

Walvoord states that the ministry of indwelling is the abiding presence of the

Spirit 9Chafer writes,

The present age is distinguished as a period of the indwelling

Spirit, whose presence provides every resource for the realizationof a God-honoring daily lifethe indwelling Spirit is now an

unlimited Resource who sustains in every aspect of human

lifeeach one without exception has received the Spirit and eachone is therefore confronted with the necessity, if he would fulfill

the divine ideal, of living his life in the enabling power of the

Spirit 10

The matter of the permanent indwelling of the Spirit being exclusive to thechurch age is bolstered by the statement of John 14:17 that the Spirit will be in

you (). This is seemingly a distinct expression of indwelling. It is futureto the end of Christs earthly life, since it was spoken on the night of His betrayal.

It is contrasted with the current ministry of the Spirit in the apostles, He remains

with you ( ).

Is Christs statement in John 14:17 really a clear statement of the indwelling

of the Holy Spirit? Other ministries of the Spirit take place in the lives ofbelievers. How can the ministry of regeneration take place anywhere other than

in you? The sealing of the Holy Spirit takes place in the hearts of believers (2

Corinthians 1:22, ). Christs statement is most likely notan exclusive reference to the indwelling ministry of the Spirit, but to the expanded

ministry of the Spirit in the church age.

Does Christs statement, he remains with you ( ), excludethe concept of indwelling? An examination of the Greek usage of the preposition

parawill show that it not only does not exclude the idea of indwelling, but that itconveys that very sense when used with terms involving dwelling or lodging.

11

Six verses after this statement John uses similar language to describe the

relationship of the Father and the Son to the obedient believer (, John 14:23).12Usually this is translated as we will make our abode

9The Holy Spirit, by John F. Walvoord (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1954), p.

155.10Chafer, p. 123.11A Greek Grammar of the New Testament, by F. Blass and A. Debrunner, translated and edited

by Robert W. Funk (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1961), section 238, p. 124.12John 14:23.

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with him13

or we will make our home with him.14

Certainly John is not intending

us to think that the Father and the Son are nearby, but external to us because he

uses the preposition (with,).

Additionally, the vocabulary used in the Old Testament for the Spirits work

in peoples lives unmistakably indicates inward activity, not some nearby,external operation.

When the Old Testament does speak of the Spirits coming on Old Testament

saints for the purpose of empowerment, it uses verbs which clearly speak ofcoming within them: e.g., entering into (bo, Ezek. 2:2; 3:24), overpowering

(tsalah, Judges 14:6, 19; 15:14; 1 Samuel 10:10; 11:6), clothing (labash, Judges

6:34; 1 Chronicles 12:18; 2 Chronicles 24:20), being filled (male, Exodus31:3; 35:31), and falling upon (naphal, Ezek. 11:5). None indicate the idea of

simply being near or in the vicinity of.15

Further I might note that Ryrie cites John 14:16 as proof of the permanence ofthe Spirits indwelling of Church age believers.16

There the Holy Spirit is

promised to be with you ( )for ever. If with you( ) includesthe concept of indwelling, it seems rather arbitrary to say that with you( ) cannot include the same concept, especially when used with a verb ofdwelling. The contrast in the statement he remains with you and will be in youis

not a statement simply about indwelling, but about the greater ministry of the

Spirit in the church.

The Bible definitely states that the Holy Spirit did indwell believers prior tothe crucifixion. Matthew 10:20 declares that the Holy Spirit will speak in the

apostles () the same expression used in John 14:17,He will be in you).Joseph (Genesis 41:38), Joshua (Numbers 27:18), David (1 Samuel 16:1213),and Daniel (Daniel 4:8, 5:1114, 6:3) all had the Spirit in them. To dismiss these

examples as being a temporary and limited indwelling of the Spirit is not soundexegesis. There is no statement in scripture that the Spirit departed from any of

these men.

It is true that David prays that the Lord will not take His Holy Spirit away(Psalm 51:11). It is also stated that the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul(1

Samuel 16:14). In a similar situation the scripture says of Samson, the Lord

departed from him (Judges 16:20). In evaluating these expressions, it is helpful to

note that in the Old Testament some believers had the Spirit come on them for aspecific, short term task, while others had the Spirit in them for an extended time.

Among those who were empowered by the Spirit for a specific, short term task

13KJV and NASB.14NKJV, NIV, RSV, and NRSV.15The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament,by Leon J. Wood (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing

House, 1976), pp. 8687.16Ryrie, The Holy Spirit, p. 43.

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were Othniel (Judges 3:10), Gideon (Judges 6:34), Jephthah (Judges 11:29),

Samson (Judges 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14), Bezaleel and Aholiab (Exodus 31:16),Azariah (2 Chronicles 15:17), Jahaziel (2 Chronicles 20:1, 2223), Zechariah (2

Chronicles 24:20), and Amassai (1 Chronicles 12:18). Those who experienced a

longer term ministry of the Spirit are Moses and the 70 elders (Numbers 11:17),

Joshua (Numbers 27:18), Saul (1 Samuel 16:14 by implication), David (1 Samuel16:13), Elijah and Elisha (2 Kings 2:9, 15).

By distinguishing these two different types of experiences we can find

parallels with New Testament experiences. For example, Peter is said to be filledwith the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:4 to preach on Pentecost and then again in Acts 4:8

in making defense before the Sanhedrin. This intermittent filling of Peter to

empower him for specific tasks reminds us of Samson, who was filled on fourdifferent occasions to win victories. No one thinks that Peter lost the indwelling of

the Spirit in between his fillings. As Chafer writes, The Holy Spirit is received

but once and He never departs; but there are many fillings as need for them

arise.

17

There is no biblical evidence that Samson lost the indwelling of the Spiritin between his special empowerments by the Spirit.

The experiences of those Old Testament saints who had an extended

empowerment by the Spirit are more closely akin to the gifting ministry of theSpirit than to the indwelling ministry. Ryrie defines a spiritual gift as a God

given ability for service.18

Walvoord writes that the coming of the Spirit on these

Old Testament saints was, a sovereign gift usually associated with a special callto service, and it had in view enablement for a specific task.

19The similarity to

spiritual gifts is so close that Walvoord actually used the term gift to describe it

in the preceding quotation. Not all spiritual gifts were the permanent possession

of the persons to whom they were given. This seems to be the case with theapostle Pauls gift of healing. On various occasions he was able to heal people

(Acts 19:1112; 28:8) and on other occasions he was not able to heal people

(Philippians 2:2627; 1 Timothy 5:23). The gift of healing was present in Paulsearly ministry, but seems not to have been present in his later ministry. No one

would suggest that the withdrawal of Pauls gift of healing indicates that the Spirit

did not permanently indwell him. So why should one read such an idea into theinterpretation of the experience of Old Testament saints? If Saul lost the gift of

administration and David was concerned that the gift might be withdrawn from

him does this not speak to the issue of indwelling?

Finally in considering the indwelling ministry of the Spirit in Old Testamentbelievers, one must raise the question, how can regeneration be sustained

without the continual indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit? It seems

impossible to conceive of God imparting the divine nature through regeneration

17Chafer, p. 124.18Balancing the Christian Life, by Charles C. Ryrie (Chicago: Moody Press, 69), p. 94.19The Holy Spirit, Walvoord, p. 72.

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and then abandoning the person whom He has regenerated. As Ryrie states of the

New Testament believer,

The Spirit cannot leave a believer without throwing that believer back into alost, unsaved condition. Disindwelling has to mean loss of salvation, and loss of

salvation must include disindwelling. The security of the believer and thepermanent indwelling of the Spirit are inseparable doctrines.20

Chafer offers a similar opinion, The indwelling, being a feature of salvationand secured by saving faith, is common to all regenerate persons alike. The Holy

Spirit is received but once and He never departs.21

The new life consists of theimpartation of the Spirit and cannot exist apart from the Spirits presence. The

Old Testament believers must have been indwelt by the Spirit, if they were

regenerate.

The Ministry of Sealing

Enns writes,

The principal [sic] idea of sealing is that of ownership. Thebeliever is sealed with the Spirit to identify the believer as

belonging to God. Branding cattle would be a parallel; the rancherputs his brand on the steer as a sign that the steer belongs to him.

God has put His seal, the Holy Spirit, within the believer to verify

that the believer belongs to Him. Second Corinthians 1:22indicates that the Holy Spirit Himself is the seal Moreover, the

sealing is permanent--with a view to the believers ultimate

glorification (Eph. 4:30). Hence, the sealing not only emphasizes

ownership but alsosecurity. The Holy Spirit verifies that thebeliever permanently belongs to God [emphasis in the original].

22

The Old Testament does not speak of believers beingsealed for the day of

redemption. However, all the features of sealing are spoken of in the OldTestament. Who can miss the matter of Gods ownership of Israel (Leviticus

26:12; Deuteronomy 26:1719, etc.) and of individual believers (1 Kings 19:18;

Psalm 1:6; Nahum 1:7, cp. 2 Timothy 2:19)? The indwelling Holy Spirit is theseal (2 Corinthians 1:22) and it has been demonstrated that the Old Testament

saints were indwelt by the Spirit. As to the matter of the security of the believer,

the saints of former dispensations were regenerated and indwelt and, therefore,

must be as secure as those regenerated and indwelt today.

20Basic Theology,by Charles C. Ryrie (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1986), p. 356.21Chafer, p. 124.22The Moody Handbook of Theology,by Paul Enns (Chicago: Moody Press, 1989), p. 269.

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The Ministry of Baptizing

Enns defines the baptizing work of the Spirit as that work whereby the Spirit

places the believer into union with Christ and into union with other believers inthe Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13).

23

When we come to the baptizing ministry of the Spirit there is unshakableevidence that this ministry did not begin until the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Johnthe Baptist spoke of it as a future ministry (Matthew 3:11). At the end of His forty

day post-resurrection ministry the Lord Jesus still spoke of it as something future

and very near (Acts 1:5). The before many daystime frame that the Lord Jesus

speaks of in Acts 1:5 for the baptism of the Holy Spirit leads to the conclusionthat it took place in Acts 2 with the pouring out of the Spirit on Pentecost. This

conclusion is supported by the only other specific mention of the baptism of the

Spirit in the Book of Acts. In Acts 11:16 Peter calls the gift of the Spirit given toCornelius a fulfillment of John the Baptists prophecy about the baptism of the

Holy Spirit. In the following verse he declares that it was the same thing thathappened to the apostles. So the baptism of the apostles by the Spirit must haveoccurred between Acts 1 and Acts 10 when Cornelius received the baptism of the

Spirit. The most likely occasion for this to have happened is on Pentecost in Acts

2.

The Old Testament believers were not baptized into the body of Christ, butthey had a similar concept. Israel was conceived of as Gods son, His first-born

son (Exodus 4:22; Hosea 11:1). Individual Israelites were sons of God by virtue

of their membership in the first-born son, Israel (Deuteronomy 14:1, 2). Year byyear they confessed this unity during the Passover celebration by declaring that

the Lord had brought them (not their forefathers) out of Egypt (Exodus 13:8, 9,14, 15). On any other occasion that a parent was asked by his son about themeaning of the testimonies, and the statutes and the ordinances which the Lord

commandedthey were to refer to their (not their forefathers) slavery in Egypt

and Gods deliverance of them (not their forefathers) according to Deuteronomy6:2025. The history of Israel, Gods first-born, was the personal history of each

Israelite just like the history of Christ becomes the personal history of each

believer, baptized into Christ.

We have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that asChrist was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might

walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).Conclusion

It has been demonstrated that the change in the Spirits ministries for church

age believers does not involve regeneration, indwelling, or sealing. Both theSpirits ministries of regeneration and of indwelling are specifically mentioned in

23Enns, p. 266.

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the Old Testament. The ministry of sealing was present by implication. Of the

four ministries of the Spirit that have been considered the one specific ministrythat is exclusive to the church is that of baptizing.