Chapter Six The Second Bookend: The Power of the Holy Spirit

Jim, thanks for the opportunity to kick off this section of the book! This chapter is timely reminder for me; as I am so very prone to doing things in my own strength. I require frequent reminders of my desperate need for the Holy Spirit’s power in every aspect of my daily life.

As a small preface, I’m going to steer away from an outlined review of the chapter, and write more stream-of-consciousness. My assumption is that most (if not all) of you have read this chapter by this point, and God has used it in specific ways in your lives. This is my feeble attempt at providing you a written window into how God’s used it in mine! My hope & prayer is that it serves you.

The first thought that jumped out at me as I read this chapter was how insufficient my motivation is, as revealed in the discussion surrounding 2 Timothy 2:1. Of course, you could quiz me any day of the week on this issue, and I could give you the biblically correct answer…but FUNCTIONALLY, that’s another story. Simply put, video tape my life, and the command to “be strengthened” by something outside myself is anti-me. More often than not, when I’m confronted with a problem my mind goes into analytical overdrive; catalog the issue, bullet point the process to a solution, act on it, and take credit for the successes…or fall into depression over the failures. It’s all about me, either way you slice it. With that fresh, convicting reminder of my need, I love what the authors’ state: “How is Timothy to respond to this command? By faith he’s to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit instead of his own resolutions, self-effort, or willpower.” (pg.83) Yep, you better believe I underlined it just like that!! And it gets even better, enter John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”Amen, and amen! As an additional aid to the readers of this post, I recently read a Desiring God blog post by David Mathis (Found here: http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1856_strong_in_anothers_strength ) which expanded upon this same theme, and has served me greatly.

As the chapter began to illuminate the Holy Spirit’s power & sovereignty, comparing the “The Power of Christ” vs. The Power of Holy Spirit” I easily agreed with the author’s intent & assessment. In addition to the supporting scriptures & quotations (pgs 83-86) that they cite, I couldn’t help but immediately recall Jesus’ words from John: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”[John 14:26] & “But 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.” [John 16:26] Reading those, it’s no stretch or conflict to consider the second Bookend as the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit testifies Christ! That Trinitarian power is one & the same, and united in purpose. It’s certainly understandable & practical to consider and study the Holy Spirit’s work, both because of His revealed purpose, and that He is “with you forever” (Jn.14:16b) in this daily walking out of our sanctification.

On a humorous note, I had to add Synergism & Monergism to my word-of-the-day list. Both sounded like ‘Good to Great’, or ‘Irrefutable Laws of Leadership’ types of power words! Simply put, when it comes to God accomplishing His purposes, it’s a treasure to meditate on the fact that the buck stops with Holy Spirit and not me. Even the few times when I’m at my best (i.e., spending time before the face of God, identifying & mortifying besetting sins) its still tiddlywinks compared to the Holy Spirits purpose & agenda for my life! And scripture inundates us with assurance the God’s Spirit is the purposer, giver, and enabler [Ro 8:13, Philip 2:12-13, 4:11-13, Jn. 3:5-6, 8, etc.]. This is great peace, & assurance to me, brothers! I am wholly incapable of earning one ounce of righteousness on my own…and frankly I wouldn’t desire to, because there would be no assurance in my walk. As to our active participation with the Spirit, I appreciated the Heidelberg Catechism reference to “our guilt, God’s grace, and our response of gratitude”. I was drawn back to the middle paragraph on page 62 regarding the sinful woman…which I have to say has been the most treasured section I’ve read thus far in this book!

In conclusion, the use of the benediction out of Hebrews really brought it home for me:

“Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

The triune God at work here has done (and does) everything…how can we not be in awe? How can we not desire to participate in the smallest of ways, with the aid of His Spirit? As David Mathis writes, “When we forsake the sinful alternatives of passivity and mustering up our own strength, and instead pursue power in another’s power, that Other is mightily honored.”