CTSJ 2:3 (Winter 1996)

The Ministry of the Holy Spirit

In Old Testament Believers
1


Clifford Rapp, Jr, Th.M. *
Chafer Theological Seminary
[*Editors note: Clifford Rapp earned his B.A. degree from Biola
University; and a Th.M. degree in Old Testament Literature and
Exegesis from Dallas Theological Seminary. He is a professor of
Old Testament and general biblical studies at Chafer Theological
Seminary. Cliff also pastors Orange Coast Free Methodist Church,
Costa Mesa, California.]
Introduction
In John 14:17 Jesus says of the Holy Spirit, He dwells with you and will be in
you. This saying indicates a change in the ministry of the Spirit in the life of
believers, but what is the nature of the change? I will limit consideration in this
paper to the consideration of four ministries of the Spirit that are spoken of in the
New Testament, but not specifically mentioned in the Old: the ministries of
regeneration, indwelling, sealing and baptizing.
One can argue that because the Old Testament does not use terms for the
regenerating, indwelling, sealing, and baptizing ministries of the Spirit that all of
these ministries are part of the new relationship of the Spirit to the believer that
began at Pentecost.
2
However, an argument from silence is a weak argument to
begin with, but a careful look at scripture reveals several passages in which the
Bible does have something to say about these ministries in the Old Testament.
I would like to look individually at each of the four ministries of the Spirit
under consideration to try to determine whether or not they were a part of the
experience of Old Testament saints.
The Ministry of Regeneration
Ryrie defines regeneration as that act of God which imparts eternal life.
3


1
This article has been undertaken in honor of Paul E. Best, a friend and colleague at Chafer
Theological Seminary, who entered into his eternal abode on July 7, 1996.
2
Systematic Theology, by Lewis S. Chafer (Dallas: Dallas Seminary Press, 1948), p. 73.
3
The Holy Spirit, by Charles C. Ryrie (Chicago: Moody Press, 1965), p. 64.
Were Old Testament saints regenerated? Some have argued on the basis of the
experience of saints such as Nicodemus and Saul of Tarsus, who excelled in
Judaism, but were not regenerated, that regeneration was not available under
Judaism. That only with the beginning of the church age is regeneration
available.
4
This argument leads to the conclusion that since Old Testament saints
were not regenerated, they did not pass from an unsaved to a saved state.
5
This
in turns leads to the conclusion that since the Old Testament saints had a lesser
spiritual experience then they must have had a lesser form of evil with which to
contend.
6

Chafer attributes a form of renewal less than full regeneration to Old
Testament saints, but admits there is no definite doctrinal teaching relative to the
extent and character of that renewal.
7
What kind of an intermediate state could
there be between being spiritually dead and being born again, regenerated by the
Spirit? The Old Testament does not use the term regeneration, but the entire Bible
says nothing of semi-alive, renewed believers.
Others have argued from the conversation of the Lord Jesus with Nicodemus
that since Old Testament saints were a part of the kingdom that they must have
been born again. Aldrich expresses the argument this way,
It is assumed that regeneration is common to every dispensation. Some have
questioned this, but the matter is settled beyond dispute by the Word of God.
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom
of God (John 3:5). It is clear that the Old Testament saints were in the kingdom
of God (cf. Luke 13:2829); therefore, they must have experienced the new birth.
In addition, the doctrine of total depravity demands the new birth in every age
since the fall.
8
Additionally it could be pointed out that the highs of Old Testament
spirituality expressed in the Psalms and other devotional passages can only be
accounted for by the existence of born again believers.
A clear indication of regeneration in Old Testament saints is found in
Jeremiah 24:7, I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They
will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their
heart. These words are spoken of the Jews who would return from the Babylonian
captivity. The time that God would give them a heart to know Him is upon their
return from the 70 year captivity. This return began under the decree from Cyrus,

4
Chafer, p.73.
5
Ibid.
6
Chafer, p.83, It is evident that His [Christs] purpose was to assign a new and hitherto
unexperienced character to evil as it appears in this age.
7
Ibid., p.73.
8
Bibliotheca Sacra, Volume 114, Number 455, July-September, 1957, The Transitional Problem
in Acts, by Roy L. Aldrich.
king of Persia, in 538 B.C. As certainly as God fulfilled His word in bringing
them back to Judah, He also regenerated them.
The Ministry of Indwelling
Walvoord states that the ministry of indwelling is the abiding presence of the
Spirit
9
Chafer writes,
The present age is distinguished as a period of the indwelling
Spirit, whose presence provides every resource for the realization
of a God-honoring daily lifethe indwelling Spirit is now an
unlimited Resource who sustains in every aspect of human
lifeeach one without exception has received the Spirit and each
one is therefore confronted with the necessity, if he would fulfill
the divine ideal, of living his life in the enabling power of the
Spirit
10
The matter of the permanent indwelling of the Spirit being exclusive to the
church age is bolstered by the statement of John 14:17 that the Spirit will be in
you ( ). This is seemingly a distinct expression of indwelling. It is future
to the end of Christs earthly life, since it was spoken on the night of His betrayal.
It is contrasted with the current ministry of the Spirit in the apostles, He remains
with you ( ).
Is Christs statement in John 14:17 really a clear statement of the indwelling
of the Holy Spirit? Other ministries of the Spirit take place in the lives of
believers. How can the ministry of regeneration take place anywhere other than
in you? The sealing of the Holy Spirit takes place in the hearts of believers (2
Corinthians 1:22, ). Christs statement is most likely not
an exclusive reference to the indwelling ministry of the Spirit, but to the expanded
ministry of the Spirit in the church age.
Does Christs statement, he remains with you ( ), exclude
the concept of indwelling? An examination of the Greek usage of the preposition
para will show that it not only does not exclude the idea of indwelling, but that it
conveys that very sense when used with terms involving dwelling or lodging.
11

Six verses after this statement John uses similar language to describe the
relationship of the Father and the Son to the obedient believer (
, John 14:23).
12
Usually this is translated as we will make our abode

9
The Holy Spirit, by John F. Walvoord (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1954), p.
155.
10
Chafer, p. 123.
11
A Greek Grammar of the New Testament, by F. Blass and A. Debrunner, translated and edited
by Robert W. Funk (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1961), section 238, p. 124.
12
John 14:23.
with him
13
or we will make our home with him.
14
Certainly John is not intending
us to think that the Father and the Son are nearby, but external to us because he
uses the preposition (with, ).
Additionally, the vocabulary used in the Old Testament for the Spirits work
in peoples lives unmistakably indicates inward activity, not some nearby,
external operation.
When the Old Testament does speak of the Spirits coming on Old Testament
saints for the purpose of empowerment, it uses verbs which clearly speak of
coming within them: e.g., entering into (bo, Ezek. 2:2; 3:24), overpowering
(tsalah, Judges 14:6, 19; 15:14; 1 Samuel 10:10; 11:6), clothing (labash, Judges
6:34; 1 Chronicles 12:18; 2 Chronicles 24:20), being filled (male, Exodus
31:3; 35:31), and falling upon (naphal, Ezek. 11:5). None indicate the idea of
simply being near or in the vicinity of.
15
Further I might note that Ryrie cites John 14:16 as proof of the permanence of
the Spirits indwelling of Church age believers.
16
There the Holy Spirit is
promised to be with you ( ) for ever. If with you ( ) includes
the concept of indwelling, it seems rather arbitrary to say that with you (
) cannot include the same concept, especially when used with a verb of
dwelling. The contrast in the statement he remains with you and will be in you is
not a statement simply about indwelling, but about the greater ministry of the
Spirit in the church.
The Bible definitely states that the Holy Spirit did indwell believers prior to
the crucifixion. Matthew 10:20 declares that the Holy Spirit will speak in the
apostles ( ) the same expression used in John 14:17, He will be in you).
Joseph (Genesis 41:38), Joshua (Numbers 27:18), David (1 Samuel 16:1213),
and Daniel (Daniel 4:8, 5:1114, 6:3) all had the Spirit in them. To dismiss these
examples as being a temporary and limited indwelling of the Spirit is not sound
exegesis. There is no statement in scripture that the Spirit departed from any of
these men.
It is true that David prays that the Lord will not take His Holy Spirit away
(Psalm 51:11). It is also stated that the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul (1
Samuel 16:14). In a similar situation the scripture says of Samson, the Lord
departed from him (Judges 16:20). In evaluating these expressions, it is helpful to
note that in the Old Testament some believers had the Spirit come on them for a
specific, short term task, while others had the Spirit in them for an extended time.
Among those who were empowered by the Spirit for a specific, short term task

13
KJV and NASB.
14
NKJV, NIV, RSV, and NRSV.
15
The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, by Leon J. Wood (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing
House, 1976), pp. 8687.
16
Ryrie, The Holy Spirit, p. 43.
were Othniel (Judges 3:10), Gideon (Judges 6:34), Jephthah (Judges 11:29),
Samson (Judges 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14), Bezaleel and Aholiab (Exodus 31:16),
Azariah (2 Chronicles 15:17), Jahaziel (2 Chronicles 20:1, 2223), Zechariah (2
Chronicles 24:20), and Amassai (1 Chronicles 12:18). Those who experienced a
longer term ministry of the Spirit are Moses and the 70 elders (Numbers 11:17),
Joshua (Numbers 27:18), Saul (1 Samuel 16:14 by implication), David (1 Samuel
16:13), Elijah and Elisha (2 Kings 2:9, 15).
By distinguishing these two different types of experiences we can find
parallels with New Testament experiences. For example, Peter is said to be filled
with the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:4 to preach on Pentecost and then again in Acts 4:8
in making defense before the Sanhedrin. This intermittent filling of Peter to
empower him for specific tasks reminds us of Samson, who was filled on four
different occasions to win victories. No one thinks that Peter lost the indwelling of
the Spirit in between his fillings. As Chafer writes, The Holy Spirit is received
but once and He never departs; but there are many fillings as need for them
arise.
17
There is no biblical evidence that Samson lost the indwelling of the Spirit
in between his special empowerments by the Spirit.
The experiences of those Old Testament saints who had an extended
empowerment by the Spirit are more closely akin to the gifting ministry of the
Spirit than to the indwelling ministry. Ryrie defines a spiritual gift as a God
given ability for service.
18
Walvoord writes that the coming of the Spirit on these
Old Testament saints was, a sovereign gift usually associated with a special call
to service, and it had in view enablement for a specific task.
19
The similarity to
spiritual gifts is so close that Walvoord actually used the term gift to describe it
in the preceding quotation. Not all spiritual gifts were the permanent possession
of the persons to whom they were given. This seems to be the case with the
apostle Pauls gift of healing. On various occasions he was able to heal people
(Acts 19:1112; 28:8) and on other occasions he was not able to heal people
(Philippians 2:2627; 1 Timothy 5:23). The gift of healing was present in Pauls
early ministry, but seems not to have been present in his later ministry. No one
would suggest that the withdrawal of Pauls gift of healing indicates that the Spirit
did not permanently indwell him. So why should one read such an idea into the
interpretation of the experience of Old Testament saints? If Saul lost the gift of
administration and David was concerned that the gift might be withdrawn from
him does this not speak to the issue of indwelling?
Finally in considering the indwelling ministry of the Spirit in Old Testament
believers, one must raise the question, how can regeneration be sustained
without the continual indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit? It seems
impossible to conceive of God imparting the divine nature through regeneration

17
Chafer, p. 124.
18
Balancing the Christian Life, by Charles C. Ryrie (Chicago: Moody Press, 69), p. 94.
19
The Holy Spirit, Walvoord, p. 72.
and then abandoning the person whom He has regenerated. As Ryrie states of the
New Testament believer,
The Spirit cannot leave a believer without throwing that believer back into a
lost, unsaved condition. Disindwelling has to mean loss of salvation, and loss of
salvation must include disindwelling. The security of the believer and the
permanent indwelling of the Spirit are inseparable doctrines.
20

Chafer offers a similar opinion, The indwelling, being a feature of salvation
and secured by saving faith, is common to all regenerate persons alike. The Holy
Spirit is received but once and He never departs.
21
The new life consists of the
impartation of the Spirit and cannot exist apart from the Spirits presence. The
Old Testament believers must have been indwelt by the Spirit, if they were
regenerate.
The Ministry of Sealing
Enns writes,
The principal [sic] idea of sealing is that of ownership. The
believer is sealed with the Spirit to identify the believer as
belonging to God. Branding cattle would be a parallel; the rancher
puts his brand on the steer as a sign that the steer belongs to him.
God has put His seal, the Holy Spirit, within the believer to verify
that the believer belongs to Him. Second Corinthians 1:22
indicates that the Holy Spirit Himself is the seal Moreover, the
sealing is permanent--with a view to the believers ultimate
glorification (Eph. 4:30). Hence, the sealing not only emphasizes
ownership but also security. The Holy Spirit verifies that the
believer permanently belongs to God [emphasis in the original].
22
The Old Testament does not speak of believers being sealed for the day of
redemption. However, all the features of sealing are spoken of in the Old
Testament. Who can miss the matter of Gods ownership of Israel (Leviticus
26:12; Deuteronomy 26:1719, etc.) and of individual believers (1 Kings 19:18;
Psalm 1:6; Nahum 1:7, cp. 2 Timothy 2:19)? The indwelling Holy Spirit is the
seal (2 Corinthians 1:22) and it has been demonstrated that the Old Testament
saints were indwelt by the Spirit. As to the matter of the security of the believer,
the saints of former dispensations were regenerated and indwelt and, therefore,
must be as secure as those regenerated and indwelt today.



20
Basic Theology, by Charles C. Ryrie (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1986), p. 356.
21
Chafer, p. 124.
22
The Moody Handbook of Theology, by Paul Enns (Chicago: Moody Press, 1989), p. 269.
The Ministry of Baptizing
Enns defines the baptizing work of the Spirit as that work whereby the Spirit
places the believer into union with Christ and into union with other believers in
the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13).
23
When we come to the baptizing ministry of the Spirit there is unshakable
evidence that this ministry did not begin until the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. John
the Baptist spoke of it as a future ministry (Matthew 3:11). At the end of His forty
day post-resurrection ministry the Lord Jesus still spoke of it as something future
and very near (Acts 1:5). The before many days time frame that the Lord Jesus
speaks of in Acts 1:5 for the baptism of the Holy Spirit leads to the conclusion
that it took place in Acts 2 with the pouring out of the Spirit on Pentecost. This
conclusion is supported by the only other specific mention of the baptism of the
Spirit in the Book of Acts. In Acts 11:16 Peter calls the gift of the Spirit given to
Cornelius a fulfillment of John the Baptists prophecy about the baptism of the
Holy Spirit. In the following verse he declares that it was the same thing that
happened to the apostles. So the baptism of the apostles by the Spirit must have
occurred between Acts 1 and Acts 10 when Cornelius received the baptism of the
Spirit. The most likely occasion for this to have happened is on Pentecost in Acts
2.
The Old Testament believers were not baptized into the body of Christ, but
they had a similar concept. Israel was conceived of as Gods son, His first-born
son (Exodus 4:22; Hosea 11:1). Individual Israelites were sons of God by virtue
of their membership in the first-born son, Israel (Deuteronomy 14:1, 2). Year by
year they confessed this unity during the Passover celebration by declaring that
the Lord had brought them (not their forefathers) out of Egypt (Exodus 13:8, 9,
14, 15). On any other occasion that a parent was asked by his son about the
meaning of the testimonies, and the statutes and the ordinances which the Lord
commanded they were to refer to their (not their forefathers) slavery in Egypt
and Gods deliverance of them (not their forefathers) according to Deuteronomy
6:2025. The history of Israel, Gods first-born, was the personal history of each
Israelite just like the history of Christ becomes the personal history of each
believer, baptized into Christ.
We have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as
Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might
walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).
Conclusion
It has been demonstrated that the change in the Spirits ministries for church
age believers does not involve regeneration, indwelling, or sealing. Both the
Spirits ministries of regeneration and of indwelling are specifically mentioned in

23
Enns, p. 266.
the Old Testament. The ministry of sealing was present by implication. Of the
four ministries of the Spirit that have been considered the one specific ministry
that is exclusive to the church is that of baptizing.