The Role of the Holy Spirit in Christian Salvation and Its Importance for Pentecostal Evangelism - Report Example

Religion and Theology Topic: Discuss the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian Salvation and its importance for Pentecostal Evangelism Introduction A distinguishing theme in Christian worship that is peculiar to that religious sect alone is that of the belief in the trinity1. Theologically, Christians believe that God manifests Himself in three major personalities known as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The God manifested in the Holy Spirit is what Christian scholars say is currently in manifest and has been present since the times of Acts of the Apostles2. As the current head of the Christian religion, the Holy Spirit serves the supernatural backing and enablement that empowers Christians for all spiritual battle. Salvation and Pentecostal evangelism for that matter is an important Christian duty that can virtually not be achieved in the absence of the Holy Spirit. This paper therefore discusses the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian Salvation and its importance for Pentecostal Evangelism. Personality of the Holy Spirit First, it is said that the Holy Spirit is a person. This means that the Holy Spirit has life and influences human life. It has been said that “God the Holy Spirit is not an influence, not an emanation, not a stream of something flowing from the Father; but he is as much an actual person as either God the Son, or God the Father.3” The Holy Spirit has been confirmed by Christians to be a person because the Holy Spirit has a name. This name is mentioned during baptism as people are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The next most obvious personality trait of the Holy Spirit is that the Holy Spirit is immortal. This is said because it has been known that the Holy Spirit has been a personality in Christian worship since the days of the celebration of the Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). Should the Holy Spirit be said to be a person and still be in action means that the Holy Spirit is immortal. Thirdly, the Holy Spirit is the personality or spirit that a Christian who becomes born again and accepts Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour bears4. This is to mean that as soon as a person becomes saved, he or she losses the old spirit and assumes a new spirit, which is that of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:17). Finally, even though the Holy Spirit has been said to be a person, the Holy Spirit is also a spirit and manifests as a spirit5. It is indeed for this reason that the Holy Spirit can be in several people and at several places at a time. Christian Salvation Explained Salvation is the only state that confirms a person to be a Christian. Salvation is a spiritual exercise involving a divine call given by God to a person (John 6:65). This means that salvation cannot be attained on a person’s own might – it happens by Grace6. Salvation does not however happen automatically. It is a complex situation that mostly involves an effort from a person. This way, a person has to put in an effort by confessing Jesus as his or her Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9). It is not the confession that brings about salvation but the Grace that accompanies the confession. It must also be emphasized that it is not a trial and error situation whereby at the confession of some people, they get the Grace to be saved but at the confession of others their salvation is denied7. The true qualification for Grace leading to Grace comes from the state of heart with which the confession is made (Romans 10:9). All in all, a person who becomes saved becomes part of God’s chosen generation. It has been said that “the Bible uses this term in a specific way to refer to ultimate redemption from sin and reconciliation to God.8” People who are saved have therefore come to belong to the heavenly family by rescuing their souls from hell, which is a second and permanent death for unsaved people. The Role of Holy Spirit in Christian Salvation Mission First, reference has been made to the phenomenon of Grace, saying that it takes Grace to be saved. In the absence of Grace, it is impossible for any person to attain salvation in the Christian salvation mission. Invariably, Christians mission of winning souls for God will also be defeated if Grace does not abound. So what is Grace? Grace is an undeserving favour that we receive from God9. The favour is described as undeserving because comparing God’s holiness to that of humankind, there was no way humans could be made part of God’s kingdom because humans are unclean. But the actual process of deserving or attaining Grace is confirmed strictly by the Holy Spirit10. As mortal beings we are bound to experience second and eternal destruction if we do not become saved. This is what our position should be in the sight of God. But the Holy Spirit on constant basis look for hearts that are willing to escape this destruction and help them by intervening for them before God to grant His mercies of salvation to them. The Holy Spirit also performs the role of confirming our salvation by giving us the baptism of the Holy Sprit; gifts of the Holy Spirit as well as enabling us live according to the fruits of the Holy Spirit. These are three concepts that give the true identity of a person coming to receive salvation and distinguishing the person from all other people who are not served. It is not for nothing that the Apostle Paul did not consider the mere baptism with water as enough (Acts 11:16) but asked that the people also receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is also not for nothing that Jesus Christ asked the apostles to remain in Jerusalem till they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit therefore gives identity to people who receive salvation. The fruits of the Holy Spirit for instance are heedful natures that new converts and all people who claim to have salvation by manifest. These fruits are of the Holy Spirit and therefore outline the role of the Holy Spirit in our salvation. Finally, the Holy Spirit plays an important role of convicting Christians of sins. It is only sin that draws people who are saved away from God (James 1:14). Without the role of the Holy Spirit in pointing evil and sins to us and enabling us to get away from them, the whole effort of salvation will be taunted. Barely would people maintain their salvation. Through the work of the Holy Spirit however, the incidence of backsliding is minimized. What is even more soothing is that after the Holy Spirit convict us of sins, it gives us another Grace to overcome the sin and in case we even sin, we are given the pardon of Grace to wash away our sins once we confess (1 John 1:9). The Holy Spirit is therefore the only guarantee that Christian salvation will be secure and perpetuated. It is not for nothing therefore that salvation is never considered complete if a person cannot confirm a person fellowship with the Holy Spirit, who will take the role of a personal guide and guard after the moment of salvation11. The Concept of Pentecostal Evangelism Pentecostal evangelism may best be described as a vibrant soul winning effort that is based on the ideology and nurturing of the manifestation of the Day of Pentecost12. Evangelism is an act that Jesus Christ encouraged the disciples to pursue (Matthew 28: 19, 20). This is because it is only through evangelism that salvation can be made possible. This is because salvation involves the confession of people’s sins into righteousness. Through evangelism, the need for people to turn from their sins, confess their sins, ask for forgiveness of their sins and seek Christ is made known to the people. This is indeed why it has been explained that “evangelism is the joyous witness of the people of God to God’s redeeming love, which urges repentance and reconciliation to God and each other through faith in Jesus Christ.13” The touting of a piece of evangelical mission as Pentecostal therefore arises when the acts and deeds of the evangelism are backed by the commitment, selflessness and boldness with which the Apostles went about the ministry of Christ on the Day of Pentecost. How the Holy Spirit’s Role in Christian Salvation Transforms Pentecostal Evangelism One would ask whether Pentecostal evangelism is necessary in the Christian duty of ensuring salvation for all. Indeed, for the fact that the evangelism that Jesus Christ commissioned the Disciples into (Acts 1:8) was marked by such as transformational beginning on the day of Pentecost means that there is no way that the need for a Pentecostal evangelism can be underrated. It is worth noting that in the bible, there were instances when some people tried to approach the responsibility of evangelism from their own perspective and with their own strength but that did not work (Acts 19:11-20). These people were overcome and disgraced by the devil. This explains clearly that evangelism may be good but it is important to back the evangelism with a kind of supernatural power and authority. This is exactly where the importance of the Holy Spirit comes in. it will be noted that in the same incidence, the evil spirit that disgraced the preachers by beating them up made reference to Paul and Jesus, saying they know them. So what was different about Paul? On the day of Pentecost, Paul was not yet saved but at the time of his salvation, he received the Holy Spirit baptism right away (Acts 9:17). This gave Paul a special authority that is feared by Satan and thus the reference to Paul. This means that the Holy Spirit transforms our evangelism ministry by making it more powerful and spirit filled so that whatever proceeds out of the evangelism shall not be by the strength of men but by the power of God. Conclusion The Holy Spirit has been identified as a very instrumental entity in Christian worship. The role and importance of the Holy Spirit cannot be overlooked especially when it comes to the duty of evangelism and salvation. In fact, the studies have shown that salvation can simply not be possible without the Holy Spirit. This is because the Holy Spirit is the personality that brings Grace needed for God to grant a person salvation. So as Christian Ministries continue to make the duty of evangelism a core aspect of their worship, it is important that they make the Holy Spirit an instrumental part of this endeavour because in the absence of that, their efforts will only be seen as a carnal effort. REFERENCE LIST Abodie Y. F, 2007, Christian Principles and Virtues. New York: Ultimate Press House American Baptist Home Mission Societies, 2007, What is Evangelism? [Online] Available at http://www.nationalministries.org/evangelism/evangelism/what-is-evangelism.cfm [Accessed 26, February 2012] Apollos M. U, 2009, The Ministry of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Durban: Trinity Publications Limited Bekoe A., 2008, Christ in Spirit Manifestation. London: Alpha and Omega Printing Press Briony T. and Bishop J., 2005. Manual on Dietetic Practice. New York City: Wiley Blackwell Cathy C. A, 2003, Adult Christian Worship. Oxford: Oxford University Press Jeremy A. T, 2001, The Holy Spirit: Beyond Christian Limits. Durban: Trinity Publications Limited McCain A and Tachie, R. A, 2002, The Holy Spirit and Modern Salvation Ministry. Ontario: Kegan Publishing House Pink A. W., (n.d.) The Holy Spirit’s Work in Salvation. [Online] Available at http://www.nonprofitpages.com/elm/awp_sal.htm [Accessed February 26, 2012] Pockett G., 2011, Christian Concepts: Salvation, [Online] Available at http://www.anointedlinks.com/cc_salvation.html [Accessed February 26, 2012] Spurgeon C. H., 1855, Personality of the Holy Spirit, [Online] Available at http://www.biblebb.com/files/spurgeon/0004.htm [Accessed 27, February, 2012] The Gospel Outreach, 2003, Salvation, Christianity 101. [Online] Available at http://www.gospeloutreach.net/salvation.html [Accessed February 26, 2012] Theusus T, 2002, Evangelism as a Ministry. Accra: Author Gate Printing Limited Torrey R. A., 2001, The Personality of the Holy Spirit, [Online] Available at http://www.gotothebible.com/HTML/Sermons/TorreyPersonalityofHS.html [Accessed February 27, 2012] Read More