1:9 Alliance: Spirit Dependency
Editor’s Note: You can also listen to a podcast interview with Daniel Stegeman released in conjunction with this article.
Daniel Stegeman
Core commitment five of the 1:9 Alliance states, “We are committed to reliance on the Holy Spirit in all of life and ministry as He works in us through the Word of God.” Among the eight core commitments, there is no hierarchy; all are essential. However, “Spirit dependency” is unique because it affirms the necessity of the Holy Spirit for everything, including the execution of the other seven commitments. We can have sound theology and a biblical philosophy of ministry, but if life and ministry are not carried out in the power of the Spirit, it is all for naught.
We begin by affirming that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, co-equal with the Father and the Son. The classic trinitarian formula that God is “one in essence, three in person” reminds us that the Spirit resides alongside the Father and the Son in perfect harmony. At the same time, the Spirit is sometimes referred to as the “forgotten member of the Trinity,” remaining content in the shadow of the other members. We celebrate that there has been a renewed interest in pneumatology over the past 150 years.
There are many misconceptions about the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit has been abused and misrepresented in countless ways, but sketching such abuses is beyond the reach of this paper. Instead, I will contend that if we had a better grasp of the Spirit’s ministry, we wouldn’t expect things of the Spirit that the Spirit doesn’t do, and we wouldn’t give credit to the Spirit for things the Spirit never did.
The Ministry of the Holy Spirit
Here are six ministries of the Spirit:
First, the Spirit dwells with and in believers. In speaking of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said in John 14:17, “You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (ESV). The Spirit is not just near Christians, he is in them. He is the “indwelling Spirit” who empowers God’s people to live the Christian life.
Second, the Spirit teaches believers. Jesus said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26). As believers study and meditate on God’s Word, the Spirit illuminates the Scriptures, giving God’s people understanding.
Third, the Spirit testifies about Jesus. Jesus said, “But when the Helper comes … he will bear witness about me” (John 15:26). The Spirit transmits the life of Christ in, to, and through the believer. The Spirit has come to make Christ real to us and through us. The Spirit does not testify about himself. The Spirit exalts and bears witness to Jesus. Jesus said, “He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:14). Rather than elevating himself (the Spirit is the “shy” member of the Trinity), the Spirit works to point the believer to the reality of the person of Christ. Through the work of the Spirit, Christ becomes so real to the believer, it is only natural to conclude they have “been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).
The Spirit and the Son are so closely aligned that Scripture sometimes even links them together. Paul writes in Philippians 1:19, “for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance” (see also Rom 8:9).
Fourth, the Spirit is our advocate. The word translated “Helper” (ESV) in John 14:16, 26, 15:26, and 16:7 comes from the Greek word parakletos. This word can also be translated as advocate or counselor and carries with it the idea of one who comes alongside another to assist, defend, and provide comfort.
Fifth, the Spirit intercedes for believers. Romans 8:26 explains, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” At some point, every believer feels the despair of not knowing how or what to pray. When you experience this, Christian, take heart. The Spirit is interceding.
Sixth, the Spirit gives gifts to believers. The Bible says, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone” (1 Cor 12:4-6). Paul goes on to list several spiritual gifts and then concludes by saying, “All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills” (1 Cor 12:11). The Spirit gives these gifts to his people with the express purpose that they might use them for the edification and building up of the Body.
Though this list is not exhaustive, it does introduce us to the ministry of the Spirit. A more in-depth treatment would include the regenerating, sanctifying, and empowering work of the Holy Spirit. These are among the reasons why Jesus told his disciples, “it is to your advantage that I go away” (John 16:7). Jesus’ departure after his death and resurrection would result in a new measure of the Spirit’s presence and power.
Life in the Spirit
God’s design for the believer is dependence on the Holy Spirit. Not just in a small, limited manner, but in an all-encompassing way. Christians were not meant to live in their own strength and wisdom, without dependence upon the Holy Spirit. Our natural self-reliance must be shattered in such a way that we see our desperate need for the power of God to govern and sustain our lives.
We live in a culture and an age that love power, but it is always the power of man, and never the power of the Holy Spirit. As Jesus reminded his disciples, “apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). God’s people must come to a place of brokenness and humility where they are convinced that apart from the mighty working of the Spirit of God, they can do nothing.
Jesus’ own life serves as a model for Spirit dependency. Luke 4:1 says, “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days being tempted by the devil.” The believer should desire to be led by God in everything and be “filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18). We must be reliant upon the Spirit to produce in our lives the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) and the character of Christ.
I find great encouragement in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. After making the point that “the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God” and listing several such examples of unrighteousness, Paul tells these Corinthian believers, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor 6:11). Paul connects the believers’ justification and sanctification to the mighty work of the Holy Spirit. This is not something that anyone can produce by themselves. It is all of God, and all of grace.
The Necessity of Faith
Spirit dependency is vitally linked to faith. When we are fully dependent on the Spirit, it will result in a life of faith. The bible says, “For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Rom 14:23). God intends for his people to lean more and more into his grace and sufficiency, forsaking all self-reliance. It is always true that a life not dependent upon the Holy Spirit does not honor God.
One of the things that should characterize the people of God is a willingness to attempt great things for his glory. When you are led by the Spirit, you are not going to limit your Christian service to small, attainable ministry endeavors. You will take faith-filled risks. You will sacrifice your comfort and even your very life (Mark 8:35) for the gospel.
Much of the work of the American church is simply the work of man. We point to our big buildings and big budgets and say, “Look at what God has done!” All too often, ministry leaders have tried to build God’s church in the world’s ways. It is time to stop relying on tricks and gimmicks and cry out to God to work in us and through us, and to increase our faith.
The Spirit and the Word
Our theology of the Holy Spirit must always remain tethered to the text of Scripture. Many pastors and Christian leaders today claim to be “Spirit-filled,” and yet they execute their ministries with little regard for Scripture. They claim new revelations from God, and yet they fail to obey what he has already revealed in the Bible. The Puritan Richard Sibbes said, “Those that care not for the word are strangers to the Spirit, and they that care not for the Spirit never make a right use of the word.” [1]
We must never drive a wedge between knowing and studying God’s Word (Ezra 7:10) and having a Spirit-filled life and ministry. They are wed together. The people of God would do well to remember the words of Jesus: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13). This “truth” is contained in the word of God, and it is the truth that Jesus came to testify to (John 18:37).
A simple but eminently useful prayer would be, “Holy Spirit, help me to be obedient to God’s Word. Help me to honor Christ. And help me to depend upon you in everything.”
“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zech 4:6).
Daniel Stegeman - Fruitful Vine Ministry - Lewistown, Pennsylvania
[1] Richard Sibbes, ‘Divine Meditations and Holy Contemplations’: The Works of Richard Sibbes, Vol. 7 (Edinburgh, Scotland: Banner of Truth Trust, 2001), 48.