No Spirit, No Christian Life

Someone once told me I didn't talk about the Holy Spirit much in my preaching. It stung because they weren't wrong. It may have been a blind spot, and I suspect I'm not the only one. We simply don't speak about the work of the Holy Spirit nearly as often as we should.

I believe part of the problem is that when the Spirit is mentioned, people quickly start arguing about the charismatic gifts. But that's far too narrow a lens. Romans 8 makes it impossible to stay there. Without the Holy Spirit, we are powerless to live the Christian life, and this chapter shows us exactly why.

Romans 8 is one of the most cherished passages in all of Scripture. Spurgeon called it "the cream of the cream of Holy Scripture." What's remarkable is that at its heart, the chapter is primarily about the work of the Holy Spirit. Paul mentions him directly about twenty times, making Romans 8 one of the chapters with the most mentions of the Spirit in any New Testament letter.

The passage is filled with his ministry.

• The Holy Spirit makes our new life in Christ possible, freeing us from the old patterns of sin that once defined us (vv. 1–10).
• The Holy Spirit makes possible our future resurrection (verse 11).
• The Spirit indwells us and helps us put sin to death (verse 13).
• The Spirit leads us to live in a way that’s pleasing to God (verse 14).
• Through adoption by the Spirit, we are not just forgiven sinners; we are loved children, with the right to call God our Father (verses 14–15).
• The Spirit helps us in our weakness, praying for us when we can’t. He knows exactly what we need, and unlike us, he always prays according to God’s will (verses 26-27).
• Although he’s not mentioned explicitly, the Spirit is active at every part of our salvation from foreknowledge to glorification. He is the one who enacts our salvation and applies every one of its benefits to our souls (verses 29-30).

Paul bases his entire case for assurance firmly on the work of the Holy Spirit. No Spirit, no Romans 8. No holiness, no spiritual power, no sense of belonging, no confidence, no help when we are weak. We’d be lost without his ministry every moment of our lives.

John Blanchard gets it right: “A Christian may not always be conscious of the Holy Spirit’s presence, but he would not even be a Christian in his absence.” Another saint, William Macleod, said, “The work of the Holy Spirit is as needful as that of Christ.”

I never want to hear again that I don't talk about the Holy Spirit, because living a Christian life is just not possible without him. He is the reason we can open the Bible and understand it, pray and be heard, receive all the benefits of salvation, and engage meaningfully in the life of the church.

Where would we be without him? I'm grateful we never have to find out.