Rejoicing Through the Spirit - Evangelical Caucus/Devotional

“If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” (1 Peter 4:14).

The indwelling Holy Spirit allows us to rejoice, no matter how greatly we suffer or are persecuted.

One of the greatest scientific breakthroughs of the past half century has been the discovery of the DNA molecule, which carries unique and essential genetic information about all living beings. The most well-known practical application of DNA has been the “fingerprinting” technique in which genetic information from one DNA sample is compared with that of another. If the information matches, it’s highly probable, but not absolutely certain, that the samples identify the same individual.

While discoveries about DNA’s ability to more precisely determine physical identity have been newsworthy, God long ago established His infallible truth regarding spiritual identity. The apostle Paul gives us the basic criterion by which we can know if we are believers: “However you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him” (Rom. 8:9). This reinforces Jesus’ teaching to Nicodemus about being born again (John 3:3-6). Therefore, all genuine believers will know the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence.

The Spirit’s presence in our lives is one final reason we have to rejoice in trials and sufferings. Peter calls the Holy Spirit “the Spirit of glory” because as deity the Spirit has glory as an essential attribute. Although that glory doesn’t manifest itself today as it did in the Old Testament (e.g., the cloud in the tabernacle), the Spirit’s indwelling a Christian is nonetheless real for any who are undergoing a trial.

First Peter 4:14 is referring to a special grace that goes beyond the normal indwelling of the Spirit. It is much like the extraordinary power that Stephen realized before and during his stoning (see Acts 6:15; 7:55-60). God’s Spirit gave him amazing composure and strength and lifted him above normal pain and fear. The Holy Spirit also blesses us with abundant grace, specially suited to our times of need. Therefore, it should be hard for us to react with any attitude but rejoicing, no matter how difficult our trials.

Thank God for the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, who ministers daily in your life.

When one studies the Word of God as faithfully correctly translated. it is found in the potion subdivided as Chapter Six of Paul's inspired epistle to the local assembly at Rome, that the mature bondslave of The Christ demonstrates that one is dead to sin and alive unto God through Him, the Lord Jesus Christ.

This passage similarly dealt with in Simon Peter's admonishments about the new life in Christ to the dispersed Hebrews, is commented on by F. B.Meyer in his "Through The Bible Day By Day," quaintly speaking of the figurative position of "the grave" in one's temporal on-going life:

"The Apostle urges the disciples to make a clean break with sin. As our Lord’s grave lay between Him and His earlier life, so there should be a clean break between our life as believers and the earth-bound life, which was dominated by lawless passions. Sometimes God employs the acid of persecution or suffering to eat away the bonds that bind us to our past. Let us accept these with a willing mind. The one condition of reigning with the enthroned Christ is to submit to His cross. Of course, we must die to animal instinct, to the blandishments of the world, and to the temptations of the evil one; but it is quite as important to die to our self-life, whether it be clothed in white or black!
We are summoned to a life of prayer. But in order to promote fervency in prayer we must be sober-minded and self-controlled, 1 Peter 4:7; loving, 1 Peter 4:8; and faithful to our stewardship of all God’s entrusted gifts, 1 Peter 4:10. Let us cultivate the invariable habit of looking up from our service, of whatever kind, to claim the ability to do it for the glory of God, 1 Peter 4:11."

This was equivalently spoken of by Paul for us the Gentiles who hathe indwelling Spirit guiding us:

"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him" (Romans 6:6-9 AV)

One should examine oneself to see if he/she be "in The Faith" as to whether progressive sanctification is willingly taking place, with the old (hu)man's habits having been so completely discarded that they are not revived in the "new (hu)man."

It is an appearance of those old slain habits in a professor's earthly conduct that the persecutors compulsively whine about and act on.

Like you the reader, I pray that the Personality of Messiah be glorified by my own behavior through the power of the Spirit over the Sin principle and the bent toward sinning.

Amen.

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