The Holy Spirit is my witness

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:13–17)

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit . . . .”

A witness tells what has been seen. In this verse, the witness is the Holy Spirit and His telling is into my mind. He says to me what He knows is true — that I am a child of God. This knowledge is not based on how I behave or how I feel. It is based on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and on the grace of God which God has given to me by faith.

The witness of the Holy Spirit is powerful. He speaks to me about who I am when I most need it, such as in the middle of those choices between the deeds of the flesh and the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ. He speaks to me when I am fearful, when I need to remember that the Father is my Father. He reminds me of our relationship, even that I can call Him ‘Abba’ (the Aramaic for ‘Daddy’). He speaks to me when I stumble, when I doubt my identity, when trials come and I suffer as Jesus suffered. The Holy Spirit is my assurance of eternal life and of my identity in the kingdom and family of God.

Chambers makes much of my role in obtaining this witness, that it will not come unless my attitude is right, again putting me in charge of what God will or will not do. But if my resistance, reasoning and arguments kept the Holy Spirit from speaking to me, then I would never have been saved in the first place. The grace of God is just that: grace = undeserved favor, goodness given by God not based on my worth or my goodness.

External circumstances often challenge my assurance of salvation. Satan’s lies will certainly cause me to question who I am. Others might look at me during my dismal worst and question that I am a Christian. When I sin I might question my identity as God’s child, yet despite those attacks and denials, the Holy Spirit is faithful to reassure me. It is His reassurance that gives me hope against those circumstances and lies.

Truth is truth. The witness of the Holy Spirit is to tell me what is true, not to reward me for my performance. Actually, when I fail, that is when I most need to be pointed back to redemption, and the Holy Spirit is faithful to do that. He wants me to obey but true obedience is impossible when my eyes are on my performance or on any kind of back-patting.

That said, performing well as a child of God is a blessing but also a danger. As a little child, I love the praise that comes when I do my best. As a little child, I swell with pride, take my eyes off Jesus and fall on my nose.

As a more mature child of God (hopefully), the Holy Spirit reminds me who I am so that when I do well, it is clear that the doing was by the grace of God and I turn all praise toward Him. Instead of pride and that internal pat on the back, humility and gratitude fill my heart. I know I am a sinner, but I also know that God is my Father because of Jesus. The Holy Spirit keeps my eyes on Jesus and assures me that all of what He has done put me into the family of God and keeps me there.

To God be the glory!

Sainthood

The term ‘saint’ is used in many ways. The Canadian Oxford Dictionary defines a saint first as “a person who is acknowledged as holy or virtuous and regarded in Christian faith as being in heaven after death.”

It also says a saint is “a person of exalted virtue who is canonized by the Church after death and who may be the object of veneration and prayers for intercession,” or “a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a Mormon.” The word is also used informal for a very virtuous person. However, I’m more interested in how the Bible uses it.

In Scripture, a saint is anyone who by salvation has been sanctified or set apart from sin through faith in Jesus Christ. In the mind of God, a saint is declared holy (which means set apart), not because of their own virtue, but by the imputed righteousness of Christ.

No one has to die to become a saint. Unfortunately, some Bible translators make it look like it because they did not directly translate Paul’s words. For instance, Romans 8:27 says, “Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

Paul actually wrote, “called saints” or “saints by calling” but it was replaced by “called to be saints” as if this happens when Christians step into eternity and are transformed and forever without sin.

Many passages indicate that no one has to physically die to become a saint, but they do have to be “dead to sin” and “alive to God.” Believers are called “saints” (Romans 1:7) and “saints in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:1) because they belong to the One who provided their sanctification. It is a status term that does involve progress, but refers to who I am, not what I do.

Perhaps translators could not bring themselves to call the ordinary, struggling-with-sin believer a saint. Because of this, “saint” became a term used for specific individuals who were considered extreme examples of the faith. These people were venerated as an inspiration to other Christians, initially by martyrdom. Ironically, this tradition is held by the very church that Paul wrote to saying that all are called saints!

The Mormons use this title a bit closer to the ‘all’ part of the definition in that they apply it to all members of their ‘church.’ However, the doctrines of the Mormons (Latter-day Saints) fall short from more important biblical foundations about God and the nature of salvation. For instance, any Mormon that I have talked to does not understand what it means to be saved by grace through faith.

It is biblical to link “saint” and “holy,” but the common understanding of holy has also drifted. “Holy” when applied to God does mean sinless perfection, but could never mean that when applied to human beings. We are not totally holy in this life, which is likely why “saints” seems appropriate only for dead people.

However, God says those who believe are holy, even while still alive! We are saints ‘by calling’ not by virtue. This is like serving in the military. When a recruit is sworn in and given the designation of ‘private,’ he or she is every much a soldier as a five-star general. The latter has more experience and knows far more about soldiering, but both are in the army and both are soldiers.

I am called a saint now, not called to be a saint. His Word tells me to recognize all His people as saints. We do not appoint a group of people to examine our lives years after we die to see if we performed a miracle or not. Instead we must recognize the status given to us by Jesus Christ and redemption.

Also, I think of how a newly sworn-in soldier must feel. He is declared “in the army” and must want to perform in a way that is worthy of that calling. He holds his head high and as he is told who he is, he makes every effort to live up to his calling.

I find this practical. When I feel less than saintly because I’ve messed up, or am tempted, or just not doing much for God’s kingdom, He reminds me of who I am. This isn’t about performance but status. Boot camp or decorated, as His soldier, I belong to Him and am a saint.