2 Corinthians 6:6; By the Holy Ghost

2 Corinthians 6:6 By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,

“By the Holy Spirit” is the most profound words of what constitutes the transformed Christian life. The impact on society is tremendous! The cultivation begins with the reading of God’s written Word with prayer. We recall the Apostle Paul was an avid learner of the Old Testament before his conversion. Without the Holy Ghost, his study under Gamaliel seemed to be futile until his conversion. The Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, began to indwell him and teach him the truth of God’s Word.

He began to “walk in the spirit” (Galatians 5:16a) and “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). Martyn Lloyd-Jones observed well when he said, “The in-filling of the Spirit is essential to true Christian quality in our life. That is why we are commanded to be filled with the Spirit…This is commanded in order that our graces may grow, in order that the fruit of the Spirit may develop in us and may be evident to all. It is as we are filled with this life that the fruit and the graces of this life will manifest…This filling is an absolute necessity for true service. Even our Lord Himself did not enter upon His ministry until the Holy Spirit had descended upon Him. He even told the disciples, whom He had been training for three years, who had been with Him in the inner circle, who had seen His miracles and heard all His words, who had seen Him dead and buried and rise again, even these exceptional men with their exceptional opportunities He told to stay where they were, not to start upon any ministry, not to attempt to witness to Him, until they had received the power that the Holy Spirit would give them. This is something, therefore, that is vital to our witness. It was the whole secret of the ministry of the Apostle Paul.”

Indeed, not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6). Amen.