The Resurrection and the Holy Spirit

Who Works in Us to Achieve Resurrection Partially from Now On

“This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.” — Acts 2:32–33

It is very well known that the Holy Spirit is considered the most precious gift and the greatest endowment that God has given to man. For God sent Him as an inevitable result of the resurrection of Christ from the dead—that is, as a direct result of the shattering of Satan’s authority, the lifting of the curse of death, and the abolishing of the power of sin. These were the things that were impeding man’s qualification to see God or be in His presence, and which consequently deprived man of the grace of the Holy Spirit, His gifts, and His fellowship.

Therefore Christ warned His disciples before the cross, saying:

“ Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.” — John 16:7

As if Christ wants to say to us that His going away—that is, the resurrection including the ascension—is the source of the abundant good for us, as if it is accomplished for our account, and that it is the essential source by which the sending of the Holy Spirit is accomplished. Therefore, the work of the Holy Spirit is fundamentally linked to preparing us for the state of resurrection, that is, for a heavenly life as a new creation.

And the works of the Holy Spirit in man to qualify him to attain the resurrection—that is, the new creation—begin with baptism from water and the Spirit, in which death and resurrection with Christ are accomplished by a surpassing mystery:

“...buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” — Colossians 2:12

But let no one imagine that any person can attain the state of resurrection—that is, renewal as a new creation by the Holy Spirit in this age—to full attainment, as the Apostle Paul explains thus:

“...that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 3:10–14

It is abundantly clear here that with all that God has bestowed upon us of resurrection power in Christ, and with all the gift of the Holy Spirit, and with all diligent striving and continuous progress, we cannot affirm that we have attained what Christ attained for us—that is, the full resurrection life.

The Apostle Paul returns in another place, revealing that our redemption is still incomplete, for we await the redemption of our bodies by the final resurrection from the dead which we await with living hope:

“For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God... For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.” — Romans 8:19,22–23

Then the Apostle Paul warns all who exaggerate concerning the revealing of the resurrection—as if it has already occurred and as if we are living it fully now—declaring that such a teaching overturns the faith of some:

“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” — Ephesians 1:13–14

That is, the work of the Holy Spirit now regarding our fellowship in the resurrection of Christ does not exceed being a living hope according to the present, until it shall be powerfully revealed at the consummation of the ages.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.” — 1 Peter 1:3–4

However, the Holy Spirit does not remain in us without work, for He helps us in our prayer and weakness. So that we may be transformed from our form and take on the form of Christ who rose from the dead, little by little:

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” — 2 Corinthians 3:18

This is according to His work in us now: He prepares us for the blessed end of resurrection from the dead and participation in the glory of Christ.

And so that we may realize the extent of the connection and importance of the Spirit’s work concerning the resurrection, it is necessary to always remember that the first work Christ did after His resurrection was that He breathed into His disciples the Holy Spirit and entrusted it to them, to abide with them forever to complete the work after the Cross:

“ So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” — John 20:21–22

“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth... for He dwells with you and will be in you.” — John 14:16–17

This is the Holy Spirit, always expressed in the Gospel as the Spirit of Resurrection, who was the fundamental agent in the resurrection of Christ from the dead:

“...and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” — Romans 1:4

And He is also the One inevitably and necessarily entrusted with our resurrection from the dead:

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” — Romans 8:11

Here the Holy Spirit brings us after the resurrection to the Father, making no distinction between those near (Jews) and those far (Gentiles), for Christ died for both and made the two one new man before God:

“...and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near . For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.” — Ephesians 2:16–18