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The Necessity of the Spirit
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Healthy spiritual practices are a pathway back to the life you were designed to live.
- J. L. Miller
Dr. J. L. Miller points out in his overview that the Holy Spirit will always be integral to any real spiritual change for the better. That does not mean that human effort and will are not involved. It is simply to say that they are grossly inadequate. The Holy Spirit will not change us if we are not willing, but no matter how willing we might be, we cannot change without the power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul captured the plight of the person who might want to change but who did not have the Holy Spirit: What I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. (Romans 7:15 [NIV])
Thankfully, Paul did not leave the believer in that hopeless state. He goes on to say:
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! … Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 7:24-25; 8:2 (NIV)
Although many of us talk frequently about humans having free will, Christians technically do not believe that we have the power to come to God on our own, let alone to become good or virtuous. We do not have free will by default. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). No effort on our part can get to God. God does not save us because we have earned it or because he is obligated (e.g., Rom. 4:4-5). No one can boast they deserve God’s favor (Eph. 2:8-9).
We can’t grow spiritually by trying or working harder. We must have help. And the only help that ultimately works is the help of God.
The power of the Holy Spirit is our only hope if we want to grow spiritually. There are things we can do as humans. There are practices, as we are going to learn about in this course. There are what are called “means of grace,” divinely appointed pathways toward spiritual growth. But none of them work without the Holy Spirit.
In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells his disciples that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on them. In the rest of Acts, we see this power manifested over and over again. On the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, those who just a few days before were cowering in hidden corners were publicly proclaiming Jesus as Lord, risen from the dead. They had a new boldness. They found themselves able to speak in languages they had never learned. In Acts 3, that same Holy Spirit empowered Peter and John to heal a lame man. In later chapters, they will have a Spirit-powered courage to face persecution and even stoning.
Practice over time allows us to change into a person who more innately embodies these different activities.
- J. L. Miller
Clearly, it will be no problem for the Spirit to change us. We should not be pessimistic about the prospect for real life change. Healthy spiritual practices are not some invention that someone invented recently. These are practices that believers have followed from the earliest Christians through two thousand years of history to today. By God’s grace, they work!
The invitation to spiritual growth is for everyone. As Revelation 22:17 says, “Come! Let the one who is thirsty, come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.