The Holy Spirit in the New Testament

A Pentecostal Guide

William A. Simmons

• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9780830843787
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

In the early church, miraculous workings of the Holy Spirit were normal and normative. Today an ever-increasing number of Christians worldwide self-identify as Pentecostal or charismatic. William A. Simmons argues that this means the church needs a Spirit-centered interpretation of Scripture informed by a Pentecostal lens.In The Holy Spirit in the New Testament, Simmons provides an accessible New Testament introduction that discusses themes and passages of particular interest to Pentecostal readers. Each chapter explores the presence of the Spirit in a biblical book, then offers devotional applications to help readers respond to the text. In Matthew, for example, we discover that there is no Messianic era apart from the Spirit. For Paul in Romans, the Holy Spirit is the authenticating power and emotive heart of God. And Revelation is permeated with the illuminating voice of the Spirit from beginning to end.A Spirit-centered reading breaks down divisions between reason and spirit, mind and emotion. This book opens a dialogue between the academy and the church, demonstrating how sound exegesis speaks to Spirit-filled Christians. In the world and writings of the New Testament authors, we continue to encounter the revelatory presence of God.

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The HOLY SPIRIT in MATTHEW

HALLMARK OF THE KINGDOM

I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

MATTHEW 3:11 NIV

THE SPIRIT IS MENTIONED only a dozen times in Matthew. However, this low number belies its importance. The Spirit literally brackets Matthew’s Gospel from beginning to end. Starting with the generative work of the Spirit in the virgin birth and continuing until the very last words of Jesus in the Great Commission, the Holy Spirit sets the agenda for Matthew’s Gospel. For Matthew, there is no messianic era apart from the Spirit. Sickness, demonic oppression, and crushing poverty are no match for the in-breaking of the kingdom. This kingdom is exclusively brought to bear by the Anointed One, Jesus of Nazareth, who operates in the power of the Spirit of God.

Herein lies the hope-filled message for us as believers. Matthew’s portrayal of the Spirit assures us that the heavens are not closed but open. The Spirit speaks to his people by way of revelation, dreams, prophecy, and miracles. The incarnational presence of the Spirit in Jesus creates an open interchange between Creator and creation. In this way, God’s anointed Messiah brings about a Spirit-infused solidarity between heaven and earth. Even more wonderful, John the Baptist promises that Jesus will baptize us in the Holy Spirit and fire. This means that believers are immersed in the selfsame Spirit who inaugurated, sustained, and even now carries forward God’s end-time plan for the ages. For Matthew, the Spirit is not over this world or against this world, but in this world and for this world. The Spirit works in Mary’s womb in the virgin birth and works in Joseph’s mind to cope with that extraordinary birth. The Spirit is with Jesus at his baptism and in the wilderness of temptation. And he suggests something that at the time was unthinkable. God’s Messiah really cares about unclean Gentiles. After all, in a story unique to Matthew, the Magi from the East were Gentiles. They were some of the first visitors to the newborn king (Mt 2:1-16). Finally, the Holy Spirit does not recoil from our diseases, defects, and demons. For Matthew, the Spirit does not reject the world because of sin. The Spirit reclaims the world because of God.

Yet Matthew does not want his readers to be naive concerning the things of the Spirit. An unreflective receptivity without mature discernment can do more harm than good. Even though Matthew emphasizes the fulfillment of prophecy, he repeatedly warns against false prophets, false messiahs, and lying wonders.

PAUSE FOR PRAYER

For those who celebrate the power of the Spirit, Matthew’s caution merits special attention. We must not only worship in Spirit but also in truth. Indeed, the gift of discernment must be brought to bear on all aspects of the church so that we might judge what is of God. This kind of spiritual accountability is itself a prophetic ministry that is desperately needed in the church today (2 Pet 2:1; 1 John 4:1). Pray that God will grant you that special gift to discern what is true from what is false, what is from God from what is not.

THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN MATTHEW

The Holy Spirit “births” the messianic era (Mt 1:18-25). Matthew is careful to note that prior to Joseph and Mary coming together as husband and wife, Mary became pregnant through the Holy Spirit. The virgin birth came about through the direct agency of the Holy Spirit and was a fulfillment of prophecy (Is 7:14).1

Matthew’s account links the presence of the Holy Spirit and new birth. From the first day of creation to the virgin birth and even extending to the regeneration of all who believe in Christ, the Holy Spirit births new life (Gen 1:1-2). For Matthew, the incarnation wrought by the Spirit represents the new humanity of God, which in turn is the first installment of the restoration of all things (Rom 8:29; Jas 1:18). And unlike Adam, who failed God and humanity, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to triumph for God and his people (1 Cor 15:45; Rom 5:12-21). In sum, the “in-fleshing” of Christ by the Spirit conveys the intimate and immediate connection between the Spirit and all of creation. The Spirit longs to indwell God’s people and transform their physical bodies into the temple of God (1 Cor 3:16-17; 6:19-20).

Matthew informs us that the work of the Spirit can be awkward.2 The Spirit enters Mary’s life while she is unmarried and brings about a pregnancy that, in the eyes of all others, is illegitimate and shameful. As a conservative Jew, her fiancé, Joseph, has a real-world solution to an embarrassing problem: divorce Mary privately. God was fully aware of the social and religious factors facing this young couple. He engages them in the midst of these earthbound issues and directs Joseph via another divine gift: a special dream. Joseph takes action and, in spite of the enduring shame, takes Mary to be his wife.

The Holy Spirit actualizes the kingdom of God (Mt 3:13-17). If the Spirit-conceived Christ marks the beachhead of the kingdom in the world, then the Spirit-anointed Christ is an all-out assault against evil. From the moment Jesus receives the Spirit at baptism, he begins a relentless campaign to roll back the curse. He does so by way of healings, exorcisms, and raising the dead. Indeed, some form of the word heal or healed appears twenty-one times in Matthew. Jesus explicitly says that when he drives out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come among them. The very clothes of Jesus have semi-sacramental significance to effect healing (Mt 9:21; 14:36). Frequently Matthew states that Jesus healed all who were brought to him (see Mt 4:24; 8:16; 12:15; 14:14; 15:30; 19:2; 21:14). This kind of charismatic deliverance ministry brackets Jesus’ calling of the twelve apostles and is the hallmark of the Spirit-empowered church (Mt 10:1, 8; 2 Cor 12:12).

The Spirit, prophecy and dream revelation. For Matthew, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of prophecy and revelation. Even King David prophecies “in the Spirit” about the coming of the Messiah (Mt 22:41-45).3 In Matthew prophecy is the primary witness that Jesus is the Messiah. Some form of the word fulfill is used fifteen times in Matthew. All these instances are in conjunction with major messianic prophecies. For example, from the virgin birth (Mt 1:22-23) to the betrayal by Judas and subsequent arrest of Jesus (Mt 26:54-56; 27:9), fulfilled prophecy is proof positive that Jesus is the Messiah.

Matthew also emphasizes that the Spirit speaks through dreams. From the beginning of his Gospel to the end, Matthew uses the phrase “in a dream” no fewer than six times. Most of these dream revelations come to Joseph, the husband of Mary. Joseph is told in a dream not to hesitate to take Mary for his wife, for the child has been conceived by the Holy Spirit (Mt 1:20). Some dream revelations come to persons who are outside the pale of Judaism, such as the Magi from the East (Mt 2:12) and also to Pilate’s wife (Mt 27:19).

This feature in Matthew taps into the ancient Jewish belief that God reveals himself through dreams. From Genesis to Joel, the word dream or dreams appears over one hundred times in the Old Testament, with the greatest concentrations occurring in Genesis (30×) and Daniel (25×).

Once again, the prophecy of Joel comes into play. Joel states that the Spirit will be poured out on all flesh and that one of the charismatic consequences of this outpouring is that “your old men will dream dreams.” On the Day of Pentecost, Peter links this prophecy to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the church and is careful to include the part about dreaming dreams (Acts 2:17; Joel 2:28). Indeed, Paul had a dream of a man from Macedonia asking for help, and this led him and his missionary team to take the gospel westward into Europe (Acts 16:9). This decision would dramatically affect the church and by extension all of Western civilization. Although Paul’s experience is often translated as “vision,” Luke uses the same word as Matthew for “dream.” These world-changing revelations all came by a Spirit-inspired dream.

All of this constitutes a kind of “divine circularity” for Matthew. The Spirit that first inspired the prophecy is the same Spirit that reveals when the prophecy is fulfilled. Yet prophecy for Matthew is not just “foretelling” by the Spirit but also consists of “forth telling” through the Spirit.4 When describing the last days’ persecution of the saints, Jesus tells his disciples that they should not worry about what they will say to their oppressors, for the Holy Spirit will give them the words to speak (Mt 10:19-20).

The Holy Spirit: God’s final and effective work of salvation. One of the most important Scriptures in Matthew is found in 12:18-21. Once again Matthew is quoting a key messianic prophecy found in Isaiah 42:1-4 (see also Mt 11:5 and Lk 4:18-19). These passages join the person and work of the Holy Spirit with the end-time deliverance ministry of the Messiah. The operative words here are nations and justice. The word nations can also be translated “Gentiles.” The Holy Spirit is realizing the expansive ministry of Jesus that will eventually transcend the ethnocentricity of first-century Judaism (see Is 49:6). All of this feeds into the Great Commission (Mt 28:18-20). Here the Holy Spirit works as a full partner with the Father and the Son in bringing salvation to the world.

Justice (mentioned twice in Mt 12:18-21) speaks to the defining equity of the Lord, which the Holy Spirit brings about through Jesus. As part of the messianic era, all injustice and oppression will ultimately be exposed, judged, and swept away. In this way, the impeccable fairness of God is seen in his love for non-Jews and his care for the poor (Mt 22:1-13). By extension, crosscultural mission and benevolence are essential to the Spirit’s work in the church.

Sign seekers and the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (Mt 12:24‒32). Wherever there is power and influence, people will seek to exploit these qualities to their own advantage. The same holds true for the power of the Holy Spirit. Since the Spirit was so central to Jesus and his mission, Jesus has some harsh words for those who would abuse the Spirit. Matthew repeatedly warns of false prophets whose goal is to exploit the people of God and take advantage of their sincere faith. They peddle magic in the name of God and are savage in their abuse of the saints. They attempt to keep their ruse alive until the very end and yet are soundly rebuked by the Lord and experience eternal judgment (Mt 7:15-23).

Similarly, the enemies of Jesus taunt him to misuse his power. Whether it be the devil (Mt 4:1-11), corrupt religious leaders (Mt 12:38-42) or Roman officials (Lk 23:8), they all demand miraculous signs of the Lord. They have no intension of becoming genuine disciples of Jesus. They want him to compromise his relationship with the Father, grant some cheap trick to satisfy their cynicism, or succumb to an ungodly abuse of power. Such persons are evil and adulterous in the manner of Israel’s unfaithfulness to Yahweh (Ezek 6:9; 16:32; Hos 1:2). Jesus does grant them a sign, but it is the sign of Jonah. Matthew’s point is that only the miracle of the resurrection fully authenticates Jesus as the Son of God, the promised Messiah (Mt 12:39; 16:4; Lk 11:29-30).5

When addressing those who would misuse the Spirit, an even more heinous sin is revealed. After Jesus’ extraordinary season of healings and exorcisms, the Pharisees charge Jesus with casting out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons. They maliciously want to distort and displace the power of the Spirit with the power of the evil one. Their intent is to discredit Jesus and dissuade people from following him.

In response, Jesus levels his most severe indictment against these opponents. He points out that their charge is illogical and contradictory. He casts out demon...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication Page
• Contents
• Preface
• Introduction: Why a Pentecostal Guide to the Holy Spirit?
• 1 The Holy Spirit in Matthew: Hallmark of the Kingdom
• 2 The Holy Spirit in Mark: Authority and Obedience
• 3 The Holy Spirit in Luke: Good News for the Poor and Freedom for the Captives
• 4 The Holy Spirit in John: The Spirit of Truth
• 5 The Holy Spirit in Acts: A Promise Kept
• 6 The Holy Spirit in Romans: The Spirit of Adoption
• 7 The Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians: The Spirit of Wisdom and Grace
• 8 The Holy Spirit in 2 Corinthians: The Spirit of the New Covenant
• 9 The Holy Spirit in Galatians: The Spirit of Freedom
• 10 The Holy Spirit in Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon: The Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation
• 11 The Holy Spirit in Philippians: The Spirit of Joy
• 12 The Holy Spirit in 1 and 2 Thessalonians: Eschatology and Ethics
• 13 The Holy Spirit in the Pastoral Epistles: The Spirit of Power, Love, and Self-Control
• 14 The Holy Spirit in Hebrews: The Testimony of the Spirit
• 15 The Holy Spirit in James: The Wisdom of God
• 16 The Holy Spirit in 1 and 2 Peter: God’s Answer to Suffering for Christ
• 17 The Holy Spirit in the Johannine Epistles: The Spirit of Light and Love
• 18 The Holy Spirit in Jude: Praying in the Spirit
• 19 The Holy Spirit in Revelation: The Spirit of Prophecy
• Final Thoughts
• Scripture Index
• Notes
• Praise for The Holy Spirit in the New Testament
• About the Author
• More Titles from InterVarsity Press
• Copyright