 On Wednesdays we “walk in the Word” through study & application of Biblical doctrine. Rightly understanding Biblical doctrine fuels doxology, delight in Jesus, & gospel centered discipleship. Today we continue our short survey of the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit (Pneumatology): Knowing the Holy Spirit in relation to covenant. Know the Holy Spirit: Week 1 Know the Holy Spirit’s Story: Week 2 When Paul talks about the Holy Spirit in Galatians 3, before speaking about the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, he describes the Spirit in the context of the Abrahamic covenant. “So that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:14). How is the Spirit a promised Spirit, and why is covenant the key context for knowing the Holy Spirit? We will see that knowing the Spirit through covenant deepens our understanding and appreciation of sonship, eternal inheritance, righteousness, forgiveness, new creation (sanctification), protection, and glorification. Key Verses: Ephesians 3:14-19 “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”  What is a covenant? Covenant is how we know God’s eternal, engaging, and enduring love. A helpful illustration for God’s covenant relationship with His people comes from my friend Zach whose daughter was born prematurely. Visiting her in the NICU, Zach was directed by nurses to hold his daughter to his bare chest when he visited as physical touch facilitates physical healing. Zach noticed the intimate connection of holding his daughter to his chest led to his heartbeat aligning with her heartbeat. This is to say, their heart began to beat as one. Covenant is how our Heavenly Father pulls His children to His chest, through the work of Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit. The loving embrace of our Father is the best thing for the health of His children. The word “covenant” is “The Bible’s term for a chosen (as opposed to natural) relationship in which two parties bind promises to each other…Through covenants God relates to others, reverses sin’s ruinous effects, and introduces His saving reign into the world.” God’s covenant relationship with His people is secure, a relationship established by God’s gracious initiative and sealed in blood sacrifice. Divine covenants are a “God initiated, binding, living, relationship with blessings and obligations” (Ligon Duncan). More than a metaphor for God’s relationship with His people, covenant is the method by which God closes the “distance” between Creator and creature, specifically through “voluntary condescension (that is, by grace) on God’s part.” (WCF 7.1) Covenant is how God graciously brings His beloved people close, securing our status as children through the work of Jesus Christ. Through covenant, God’s Spirit seals our adoption as God’s children (Romans 8:15-17; Galatians 4:4-6) and eternal inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14). The Covenant of Redemption: God’s Eternal Love God’s eternal plan to possess and be present with His people, that “He will be our God and we will be His people,” (Exodus 6:7; Exodus 36:28; Jeremiah 30:22) is conceived in the covenant of redemption. God’s eternal love is manifest in the pre-temporal agreement between the Father and Son, that Jesus’ people may know the Father’s love for Christ “since before the foundation of the world” (John 17:22-26). The Spirit’s role in this everlasting love story is to seal the union of God’s people with our God through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:3-14). The Covenant of Works & Of Grace: God’s Engaging & Enduring Love The revelation of God’s eternal love in the covenant of redemption is manifest in human history through revelation of His engaging love in the covenant of works and His enduring love in the covenant of grace. The Council of Nicea (325 AD) called the Spirit “The Lord and giver of life” because of His role in the covenant of works. God’s infinite and intimate work are revealed in the Spirit during creation. Infinitely, it is by the “word of the Lord the Heavens were made, and by the Spirit of His mouth all their host” (Psalm 33:6). Intimately, God breathed His Spirit into His creatures, the crown of His creation (Genesis 2:7). The second is a foreshadow of Jesus breathing new life into His disciples after the resurrection (John 20:21-23) but for now we must see the intimate role of the Spirit in God’s engaging love, His breath inside of His creatures to give life. As the representative of humanity, Adam broke the covenant of works and death entered the world- sin separating us from our Father’s engaging love (see Isaiah 59:2; Romans 512-21). Because of God’s eternal love revealed through His purposes in the covenant of redemption, our sin is not the end of the story. God is committed to His covenant purposes, revealing His eternal love through demonstrating His enduring love in the covenant of grace. As God’s Spirit worked intimately to give life in the covenant of works, so too does the Holy Spirit work to give life in every unique covenant that comprises the covenant of grace. Here is a basic, general outline: -In God’s covenant with Abraham, the Holy Spirit empowered Abraham’s faith (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4; Galatians 3:10-14). -In God’s covenant with Moses, the glory cloud of God was the Spirit, leading His people out of slavery (Isaiah 63:10-14) and manifesting the Lord’s presence in the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-38). -In God’s covenant with David, fire fell from Heaven to consume sacrifice as the Holy Spirit filled the temple (2 Corinthians 7:1-3). Sound familiar? See Acts 2. -In the New Covenant, prophets promised a greater king than David would come, anointed by God’s Spirit (Isaiah 41:2) to be a greater Adam through whom God would give His people a new heart and a new Spirit (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:24-26), accomplishing His ultimate goal of possessing and being present with His people.  The Spirit Applies the work of Jesus so Covenant Blessings come to and through Believers Jesus is God Himself who tabernacled among us (John 1:14), His body the greater temple (John 2:19-21). Through the work of Jesus, the Abrahamic covenant blessing of the promised Spirit comes to believers (Galatians 3:10-14). Jesus took the curse of the Mosaic covenant, fulfilling the obligation of works on behalf of His people, so through Spirit empowered faith God’s people might become home to God’s Spirit in our hearts individually and Christ’s Body corporately. Jesus is the eternal king promised through the Davidic covenant, and God’s Spirit empowers believers to rejoice under the rule and reign of King Jesus. The Spirit applies the work of Jesus Christ to believers, so through the Spirit the covenant blessings of sonship, eternal inheritance, righteousness, forgiveness, new creation (sanctification), and glorification may be ours through union with Christ- the topic we will take up next week. Richly Dwelling -How does seeing God’s eternal, engaging, and enduring love through Covenant give you a deeper security in God’s steadfast love? -The Spirit is the presence of God and applies the work of God to His people. All we must do is put our faith in our faithful covenant representative who is Jesus! How does receiving the covenant blessings through the Spirit lead you to worship? -Where do you want to learn more about knowing the Spirit through covenant? Contact us and we can send you resources. Key Verse: Ephesians 3:14-19 “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” 
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