Apr 20, 2019
Was the new birth unknown before the day of Pentecost? Were Old Testament saints indwelt with the Holy Spirit? What is the distinction between the work of the Holy Spirit in regenerating people in giving them new life and the work of the Holy Spirit in baptizing them into the body of Christ? If the uniqueness of the Christian Church is not that we are born again, not that we are children of God, and not that we are God’s family, then what is it? The uniqueness of the Christian church is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, being baptized by the Holy Spirit, being members of the body of Christ, and being the bride of Christ. Believers in the church age have the special privilege of an intimate relationship with their Lord Jesus Christ.
Our passages mentioned include: John 3:3, 10; John 7:39; John 14:17; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 5:30-32, Hebrews 1:8-9; Psalm 110:1; Revelation 6:2; Matthew 25:1-13; Mark 13:31; and Colossians 3:1-4