1Cor. 3:16 “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” This, among other similar passages, teach us that the Spirit of God becomes a part of our lives in a unique and living way through salvation in Jesus Christ. Because the Holy Spirit is not of flesh, there is no way to sense His presence in us. It is through faith we know He is there.
By faith we can understand that the Holy Spirit dwelling in us is a great advantage. This gift from the Father makes the difference between carrying the cross to the glory of God, and just being self-willed. “That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.” (II Tim.1:14) Timothy had a job to do. He was given the gift to be an evangelist through the church (the laying on of hands by the presbytery). He was given some ability by the Holy Spirit through Paul’s laying on of hands. But none of these gifts would have been used without Timothy having the gift of the Spirit through conversion. This is what enabled him to “keep” what was committed to him.
This help from above is what enables all disciples to carry out their responsibilities even in the face of great distress. It is the edge of being alive in Christ “. . . who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God. . .” (Heb.9:14)
An excellent thing to think about. The Holy Spirit is certainly a gift and a complete gift it is.
It seems to me that. primarily, the gift that Peter was speaking of on the day of Pentecost was salvation through the Holy Spirit. After all, the gift of God IS eternal life.
Peter gave this answer on the day of Pentecost.
Acts 2:38-39(NIV)
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off–for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
This was in response to the people asking:
Acts 2:36-37 (NIV)
36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
The “gift” was also for Gentiles. Peter explains this and relates it directly to repentance and eternal life:
Acts 11:15-18 (NIV)
15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?” 18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”
Paul compares Adam’s sin (trespass) that brought death to Christ’s sacrifice, or the gift, that bought salvation.
Romans 5:15-17 (NIV)
15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
Paul makes the most direct comment in the Bible about the “gift.”
Romans 6:23 (NIV)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So Peter says that Baptism, which is ONLY accurately translated as immersion, brings the gift and the gift is salvation with Peter, Luke, Paul making the point.
A Gift and NOT a Work. Baptism is not a work. It is an act of faith and obedience and it is clearly not about what we do but about what God does for us in baptism. It is clear in Scripture that it is much more than a work.
Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV)
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
The scriptures teach us that there are many gifts that come from the Holy Spirit; the fruit of the spirit are gifts that followers are blessed with that are a result of the Spirit. But the primary gift, that Peter tells us we have through Baptism is the gift of salvation. It is so essential to understand this point because in baptism it is about what is done for us, not about what we do. Baptism is not a work of man but a work of God, the Father, Christ the Messiah and the Holy Spirit. At most, it is an act that we do in obedience to the Gospel of Christ. But God does the rest.
A bit more that I found on a recent study of the word gift, and the gift of the holy spirit.
The Greek word used in Acts 2: 38 is Dorea. It isn’t real complicated; it means a gift.
The exact word is used 11 times in the New Testament. It is used twice in Romans 5 where the topic is Salvation through Christ.
Rom 5: 15-17 – 15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
In 2 Cor. 9:15; Eph. 3:7 and Eph. 4:7 the word is used in the context of the gift of grace. In Hebrews 6:4 it is a bit difficult, but it seems to be simply addressing the value of the gift. In Acts, it is also used in 8:20; 10:45 and 11:17. All of the uses is Acts are debatable but they all sound like they could be referring to the ability to perform miracles. My opinion is, however, that Luke understood that the point was salvation so miracles was not the point, salvation was.
In Romans 6:23 when it states that the “gift” of God is eternal life, a different Greek word is used: Charisma, which means a favor with which one receives without any merit of his own the gift of divine grace. That word is used 17 times in the NT and seems to always be in the context of earthly gifts that result from the Spirit being with man. So that word ‘charisma’ is used so beautifully in Romans 6:23 where the writer is saying that we are blessed with gifts of grace from the Holy Spirit when we are here on earth, but the real, eternal, gift is waiting for us.
Thanks Craig! Life is indeed the issue, eternal life. . .
Salvation is being brought from death to life. As a result,substantial change is made. (Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. II Cor.15:17)Again, it is the Holy Spirit that makes the difference. An element of God’s being is invested in us that makes our share in him to be reality. (For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God . . Rom.8:15-16) This agreement denotes a union. Could we say that when we, as sinners, yield to obeying the gospel, we become sons of God? (Gal.4:6) The seal of this event is the gift of the Spirit enabling us to say “Father”. We are talking about a matter of faith. We have no physical tag on the presence of the Spirit in our lives, whether by sensation,vision,or emotion. But we are given assurance that we are more than what we were before being baptized. (Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom.6:11)
For every child of God, a potential exists. We realize to one degree or another this potential as we walk in newness of life. Or, we might never realize the potential through neglect. Or, overthrow what we have been through hardness of heart. The potential is our responsibility. But it is the gift of God, which makes this responsibility to be real.
I believe it is accurate to say that the gift of God enables us to work. This is why the record shows that the church, from the very beginning, was found “having favor with all the people”. It has to surpass intellectual appreciation. The life has to be lived. It is a life whose potential on earth is beyond the measure of what we had before salvation.
An example of this life might be found in Peter. Here was a man as good as any found under the Law of Moses. A faithful man who loved the Lord. Yet, in the crunch, he denied Him. The level of good will expressed in Jesus was outside the scope of anyone. However, from Pentecost onward, we see a notable difference. A man who quailed at being associated with Jesus boldly preached before the multitude, stood up to the council, received a beating with rejoicing. He was a changed man. I believe this is why Paul exhorted Timothy; “That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.” Timothy needed to follow through, as Peter did.
Here, among other passages, we are given understanding as to how our new life is facilitated. Paul wasn’t writing about inspirational prophetic utterance, or the ability to heal. He was writing about Timothy’s capacity to be bold and to carry out the will of God in the right spirit. We cannot do a miracle in the name of Jesus, but we, like Timothy, have the potential to live beyond the measure of the flesh. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (II Tim.1:7) This is by the Spirit of God dwelling in us. This indeed is grace.