Open Bible Christian Ministry

Holiness of God/Knowing His Will
Home | Adam's Sin | Justification By Faith | Jesus Christ as the Risen Living Son of God | Definition of the Local Church | The Reason for Participation in the Local Church | Benefits of Participating in the Local Church | Power and Influence of the Holy Spirit in the Christian's Life | Vanity of Vanities | The Second Coming of Christ | Changed Life | The Edenic Covenant | The Adamic Covenant | Noahic Covenant | The Abrahamic Covenant | The Mosaic Covenant | The Palestinian Covenant | The Davidic Covenant | The New Covenant | Kinds of Suffering | Major Characteristics of The Bible | Praise | Revelation of God's Word | Love | The Six Days of Creation | Jealousy | Joy (Happiness) | The Lord's Prayer | Wisdom | Illumination of God's Word | Reading God's Word | God's Word Convicts | Obedience to God's Word | We Know God's Will Through His Word | God's Work in the Past | What is Man? | Sin | New Life : Based on Christ's Death | God's Word Corrects | God's Word Cleanses | God's Work in Our Lives | We Know God Through His Word | God's Word Confirms | Empowered by God | New Life: A Free Gift | The Song of Moses | Repentance | Remorse | Conversion | Salvation | Redemption | New Nature | Sharing Our Faith: Why? | The Work of the Holy Spirit On Salvation | Opening of Christ's Minstry | The Church | What Does The Lord Require Of You? | Pledges | 4 Spiritual Laws | What is The Bible? | Jesus Calls The Disciples | Temptation by the Flesh | Knowing the Will of God Through Circumstances and Counsel | God the Father of Believers | The Role of Children | God's Word Equips | The Offices of the Church | The Person of the Holy Spirit | Walking in the Spirit: Filling | Holiness of God | Proof Of The King : The Resurrection | God the Father of Christ | How To Be Saved | Accepting Christ | Giving | Our History | The Son of God | Meet the Staff | Current Projects | Blessings | Everlasting Life and Protection | Christ Revealed in John | Contributions to the Church | Bible Facts | Religious Links | Prayer Corner | A Season For Eveything | Dispensationalism | Personal Bible Study | Contact Us | Testimonies | Words of Inspiration | Christian's Guide to the New Life | He Is Crucified | He Is Risen

Isaiah 6:3  And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

Our greatest failing is in not realizing who God is and what His character is like.  God is NOT human.  He is God, and as such there is an infinite gap between the highest in us and the lowest in God.
The gap between God and us is unbridgeable from our side.  If the gap is to be bridged, it must be from God's side--for God is holy.  To be holy means "to be set apart."  God is set apart from the power, practice, and presence of sin, and is set apart to absolute righteousness and goodness.  There is no sin in God and God can have nothing to do with sin.  If we are to approach God, we must do so on God's terms.
     Somehow, we must be made holy--just as holy as God is.  Any holiness which falls short of God's holiness will not be able to stan in the presence of God.  Therefore, because of the holiness of God, we must have a new life in which our sins have been forgiven and done away with so that we actually can be separated from sin as God is.  This is the good news of the gospel--that CHrist died for our sins, having taken them upon himself. and has set us apart from them.  This is our positon before God which will never change.  Because of what God has done, we can enter boldly into the presence of God.
 
KNOWING THE WILL OF GOD THROUGH SUBMISSION TO THE SPIRIT
     The moment a repenting sinner receives Christ by faith into his heart the Holy Spirit immediately does five things for him:
 
1.  He regenerates the believer, that is, He gives him a new nature.. John 3: 5, 6 "Jesus answered, Verily, verily I say unto you, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingsom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
 
2. He baptizes the believer into the body of Christ....1 Corinthians 12:13  For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews of Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
 
3.  He indwells the believer...Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.  Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
 1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you. which you have of God, and you are not your own?
 
4.  He seals the believer... Ephesians 1:13  In whom you also trusted, after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that you believed, you were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.; 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption.
 
5. He fills the believer...Acts 2:4  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 4:8-10 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said unto them, You rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who you crucified, who God raised from the dead, even by him dors this man stand here before you whole. 7:55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.  13:52 And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Spirit.
 
All five of these ministries often occur at the moment of conversion.  The fifth ministry, however, should be asked for as many times as needed.  Ephesians 5:17-19 Wherefore be you not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Actually the word control is a better term than fill in describing this fifth ministry.  It does not mean that we get more of the Spirit, but rather that He gets more of us.
     The fifth ministry is lost when the believer either quenches ( 1 Thessalonians 5:19) or grieves (Ephesians 4:30) the Holy Spirit.  The fifth ministry can be regained by following the command of 1 John 1:9. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
     How can a Christian be certain that he is indeed controlled by the Holy Spirit on a daily basis?  First he must consecrate his body as a living sacrafice to the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:1,2).  Second, he must depend upon the Holy Spirit to convict him of sin (Psalms 139:23,24; 19:12-14). Finally he must look to the Holy Spirit for divine power in serving Christ (Acts 1:8; Galatians 5:16,17; Ephesians 3:16).

The New Open Bible/KJV

Dr. Odis C. Alexander
Hawthorne, CA  90250
Phone: 310-710-1652