The Truth About The Holy Spirit (Part Two)

Learning the truth about the Holy Spirit means understanding and embracing the relationship of being Spirit-filled to spiritual maturity. It’s the filling ministry of the Holy Spirit that brings the teaching about Him into every facet of life and service. In other words, filling is the channel by which the Spirit’s ministries are worked in and through believers. Being Spirit-filled is not always clearly understood and embraced. Let’s look at Paul’s words to us. He says, “But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one” (1 Corinthians 2:15). He who is spiritual speaks of a mature and maturing relation to the Holy Spirit. Spiritual maturity involves both time and control by the Spirit. Earlier in the chapter, Paul contrasts the world’s wisdom with the wisdom of God, revealing that true wisdom comes from the Spirit: “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:12). The spiritual man, therefore, is equipped with God’s wisdom, enabling him to judge all things accurately. He can see beyond appearances and understand the true nature of reality. When Paul says, “He who is spiritual appraises all things,” he’s not suggesting that the spiritual person is judgmental in the worldly sense. Rather, this appraisal is the ability to discern spiritual truths and to distinguish between what is of God and what is not. Hebrews 5:14 speaks of mature believers who have their “powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” The spiritual man possesses the maturity and spiritual insight to evaluate situations, teachings, and behaviors according to the standards of God’s Word. Be encouraged!

Dr. Robert L. Taylor, Th.D., Bible teacher & expositor