In this post I talked about the illuminating and convicting work of the Holy Spirit in believers. Here, I want to talk about the EMPOWERING work of the Holy Spirit because these two dynamics go together. They workl together in the sense that the Holy Spirit instructs (illuminates) us as to the will of God, and then EMPOWERS us to actually do His will.
This line of argument seems quite apparent, however, let me add some perspective.
In Romans 7:15–20, Paul says,
15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. (ESV)
It is rather clear that what Paul is saying is that he cannot help but sin. Even though Paul knows it’s bad, he does it anyway. He knows it’s bad because the Torah has instructed him so. He has been illuminated by the teaching of the Torah.
Sinning out of ignorance or passion is one thing. Sinning when one is fully aware that it’s against the will of God is another thing altogether. The question we need to answer about this text in Romans is, “Is Paul describing the normal Christian life?” It seems from Paul’s use of present tense that he is describing his current situation (the time that he is writing). Because of this, many people think that Paul is describing the average Christian life. Not only this, but many people think that he’s describing the common Christian experience because so many people go through exactly what Paul is talking about. “I knew it was bad, but I did it anyway!”
There is another school of thought, however, that interprets the passage differently. That school of thought argues that Paul is talking about his experience PRIOR TO experiencing the fullness of the Holy Spirit (“baptism in the Holy Spirit”) as a Christian. His use of the present tense, then is for rhetorical purposes. This interpretation of Romans 7 is strengthened through the fact that in the very next chapter Paul talks about the role of the Holy Spirit in overcoming sin in the life of the believer (Romans 8). Not only this, but also in Romans 6 he talks about how those who are in Christ are not to be enslaved by the power of sin.
So where do we come out on the issue? Will Christians always be “not perfect, just forgiven,” or can they actually have victory over the power of sin in their lives? For me, I think the answer is rather simple. If the Holy Spirit has proved his presence in our lives by illuminating us to the will of God, then he will certainly further prove his presence by empowering us to actually do that will, no matter how hard or impossible it may seem.
Personally, I do not believe that God would ask us to do something, then withhold his help in doing it. That would be quite, well, unjust. I believe that when God, through the Holy Spirit, instructs us to obey, he then gives us the power to obey through the Holy Spirit.
This is the sense in which the Holy Spirit both INSTRUCTS/ILLUMINATES and then EMPOWERS.
This is the very work that the grace of Christ does: make it possible for our good intentions to become reality. The more we try, the more we are able (enabled) to choose righteousness.