FBCD_FaithEssentials_June_FlipBook

Todd Gaddis

Christian faith teach otherwise, I believe this baptism is synonymous with salvation itself. Paul addressed this subject often, likening the Holy Spirit to both a seal and deposit. As He said, “Having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13, emphasis added). ” At this time, God “anointed us . . . and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit , guaranteeing what is to come” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22, emphasis added). The seal indicates God’s authentication and ownership on our lives, whereas the deposit is a pledge in the present that God will bring our salvation to fruition, award us our future inheritance in Christ, and see that we spend eternity in His presence. The Bible says, “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:9,16, emphasis added). Note carefully the bold faced personal pronoun in that verse. The Holy Spirit is not an it but a Person, a He in fact. “Himself” is capitalized because the Spirit is God, the third member of the Trinity. Possessing all the attributes of God, not only did He participate in creation (Gen 1:2), He’s absolutely vital to the regeneration process as well (John 3:5,6, Titus 3:5,6). But since we’ve already discussed much of this, I want to focus on these additional roles unique to the Holy Spirit. Not only does the Spirit baptize, He also produces the following in every believer: Fruit— Jesus proclaimed in the Sermon on the Mount, “You will know them by their fruits. So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit” (Matthew 7:16,17). “My Father is glorified by this; that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples,” He said the night before His death (John 15:8). A HE, NOT AN IT

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