KingJimmy on 2007/5/18 3:22:51The Old Testament saints could not have been the saints they were apart from the work of the Spirit that comes through His indwelling.
When David cried out in Psalm 51 for God to not take His Holy Spirit from him, this is a cry that we should realize as a potential reality for us as well. For these things happened as examples for us, the Scriptures remind us.
As Ephesians 5 reminds us, we are exhorted to be continually full of the Holy Spirit.
_________________Ron Bailey
Brother Ron wrote:
This is one of only three references to the 'holy' Spirit in the Old Testament. (Psa 51:11; Is 63:10-11) The prevailing attribute of the Spirit in the Old Testament is 'power' not 'holiness'.
_________________Jeff Marshalek
Brother Ron, Weren't John the Baptist and his father Zechariah Old Testament saints ( John the Baptist being the last of the Old Testament prophets ) and doesn't the Bible make clear they were filled with the Spirit? While I'm not sure this answers anything, it seems that the postulation that the Holy Spirit could only fill a person after Jesus was resurrected would not be entirely justified as some kind of rule.
whyme wrote:Brother Ron, Weren't John the Baptist and his father Zechariah Old Testament saints ( John the Baptist being the last of the Old Testament prophets ) and doesn't the Bible make clear they were filled with the Spirit? While I'm not sure this answers anything, it seems that the postulation that the Holy Spirit could only fill a person after Jesus was resurrected would not be entirely justified as some kind of rule.
_________________Zeke Oosthuis
Brother Ron, Weren't John the Baptist and his father Zechariah Old Testament saints ( John the Baptist being the last of the Old Testament prophets ) and doesn't the Bible make clear they were filled with the Spirit?
So how can God say He 'seals' us with His Spirit if it can be taken away? What kind of 'seal' is that?
Ron,I guess my point about the reference to John's being filled with the Holy Spirit is that it is not necessarily, by Scripture, restricted to power but could very well include holiness as well. I see your point with regard to Saul and David but it doesn't seem to extend to John the Baptist who was filled at birth.
whyme on 2007/5/18 14:44:53I guess my point about the reference to John's being filled with the Holy Spirit is that it is not necessarily, by Scripture, restricted to power but could very well include holiness as well. I see your point with regard to Saul and David but it doesn't seem to extend to John the Baptist who was filled at birth.
To me this makes it very clear that a person does not need to be born-again in order to be filled with the Spirit
_________________Matthew Miskiewicz
This clearly is not speaking of the effectiveness of ministry but of some other measure of 'greatness'.