Empowered by God

One of the most common excuses for not becoming a Christian is the fear of failure to live the Christian life. Besides overlooking the fact that men cannot be saved on the basis of good works (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 Spirit;) We must not go up and down as tale-bearers, carrying ill-natured stories, to the prejudice of our neighbor's good name and the destruction of brotherly love. Misrepresentations, or insinuations of bad intentions, ot of hypocrisy in what is done, things our of our reach or cognizance, tese come within reach of this prohibition. As this evil is too common, so it is of great malignity. If any man seems to be religious and bridleth not his tongue, that man's religion is in vain. this objection neglects the truth that God provides the power to live the Christian life. Before Christ was cruified He promised the coming of the Holy Spirit to help believers (John 16:13, 14 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.) The Spirit was in the apostles a Spirit of prophecy; it was foretold that he should be so, and he was so. The Spirit spoke of the apostasy of the latter times. John, when he was in the Spirit has things to come shown him in vision. The subsequent events of the Book of Acts supply ample evidence of the fulfillment of this prophecy (Acts 4:7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this? The question they asked them was, "By what power, or by what name, have you done this? By what authority do you these things?" (the same question that they had asked their Master: "Who commissioned you to preach such a doctrine as this, and empowered you to work such a miracle as this? You have no warrant nor license from us, and therefore are accountable to us whence you have your warrant." Some think this question was grounded upon a fond conceit that the very naming of some names might do wonders, as,The Jewish exorcists made use of the name of Jesus. Now they would know what name they made use of in their cure, and consequently what name they set themselves to advance in their preaching. They knew very well that they preached Jesus, and the resurrection of the dead, and the healing of the sick, through Jesus, yet they asked them, to tease them, and try if they could get any thing out of them that looked criminal., 33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. The great vigour, spirit, and courage, with which they published and avowed this doctrine; they did it not softly and diffidently, but with liveliness and resolution, as those that were themselves abundantly satisfied of the truth of it, and earnestly desired that others should be so too.; 6:8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. He was full of faith and power, that is, of a strong faith, by which he was enabled to do great things. Those that are full of faith are full of power, because by faith the power of God is engaged for us. His faith did so fill him that it left no room for unbelief and made room for the influences of divine grace, so that, as the prophet speaks, he was full of power by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts. By faith we are emptied of self, and so are filled with Christ, who is the wisdom of God and the power of God. ).

The power of the Holy Spirit was not designed solely for the first-century church. Rather, all Christians are indwelt by the Spirit and thus have His power available (1 Cor. 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? He that is joined to Christ is one spirit. He is yielded up to him, is consecrated thereby, and set apart for his use, and is hereupon possessed, and occupied, and inhabited, by his Holy Spirit. This is the proper notion of a temple--a place where God dwells, and sacred to his use, by his own claim and his creature's surrender. Such temples real Christians are of the Holy Ghost. Must he not therefore be God? But the inference is plain that hence we are not our own. We are yielded up to God, and possessed by and for God; nay, and this is virtue of a purchase made of us: You are bought with a price. In short, our bodies were made for God, they were purchased for him. If we are Christians indeed they are yielded to him, and he inhabits and occupies them by his Spirit: so that our bodies are not our own, but his. And shall we desecrate his temple, defile it, prostitute it, and offer it up to the use and service of a harlot? Horrid sacrilege! This is robbing God in the worst sense. Note, The temple of the Holy Ghost must be kept holy. Our bodies must be kept as his whose they are, and fit for his use and residence). However, living the Christian life under the Spirit's power must not be thought of as simply allowing the Spirit to take contl while the believer does nothing. The believer still must live the Christian life, though he does it through the Spirt's power. (Romans 8:13) says, "If you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live." It is "you" who are to put to death the sinful deeds of the body, but you are to do it through the Spirit's power.

The Christiian who struggles in his own strength to live the Christian life will fail. He must by faith appropriate daily the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:4, 5 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us. Both in our justification and in our sanctification, the righteousness of the law if fulfilled. A righteousness of satisfaction for the breach of the law is fulfilled by the imputation of Christ's complete and perfect righteousness, which answers the utmost demands of the law, as the mercy-seat was as long and as broad as the ark. A righteousness of obedience to the commands of the law is fulfilled in us, when by the Spirit the law of love is written upon the heart, and that love is the fulfilling of the law. Though the righteousness of the law is not fulfilled by us, yet, blessed be God, it is fulfilled in us; there is that to be found upon and in all true believers which answers the intention of the law. Us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. This is the description of all those that are interested in this privilege--they act from spiritual and not from carnal principles; as for others, the righteousness of the law will be fulfilled upon them in their ruin). Described practically, this means that the believer trusts the Spirit to empower him in specific instances such as sharing his faith with others, resisting temptation, being faifthful, etc. There is no secret formula that makes the Spirit's power available. It is simply a reliance on the Spirit to help.