It has been said before, but it bears repeating: if it were not for the Holy Spirit, you and I could never be saved. It is true that our Lord Jesus Christ has won us redemption by his own blood, but if the Holy Spirit had not extended His finger to apply it to our black hearts, we would have perished in our iniquity.

And how does the Holy Spirit apply these benefits to us? He cleanses us by the blood of Christ, to be sure! But how does He apply to us our Crown of Life, our Immortality of Spirit, and our titles as kings and heirs of God? How does He sanctify us?

Dearly beloved of God, we are not cleansed by our own efforts and made fit for the kingdom by our wits and our discipline. The Holy Spirit has delivered the death blow to your old self; He is the sword of God, and He has pierced the transgressor through by the power of Christ's resurrection. That old man lays dying; he will never inherit a thing. And though he may be wretched in his death throes, God the Holy Spirit has crowned you as a child of the King, and He is revealing to you the marvels of His glory. Let the devil rage, and let the old man die. Christ has bought you redemption, and a crown, and a kingdom, and He means for you to have it. "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32). The Holy Spirit will lead you into this kingdom by the hand, and He will serve as your Master and Protector along the way.

Labels: holy spirit