Law in the Kingdom Economy (5)
Do not quench the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5.19
The work of the Spirit
That is a curious word, “quench.” It means “to extinguish” or “to put out” or “restrain.” It’s curious to think that human beings somehow possess the ability to restrain or extinguish the work of the Spirit in their lives. But what is the work of the Spirit?
In simplest terms, we can say that the work of the Spirit, Who dwells within each believer, is to make us willing and able to do the good pleasure of God (Phil. 2.13). Notice the dual emphasis: The Spirit must work both on our desires and aspirations—so that we are, first of all, willing to do God’s pleasure; then He must actually empower us for the doing of whatever it is that pleases God, since apart from our Lord we can do nothing (Jn. 15.5). And guiding all this willing and doing is the Spirit’s goal of making us more like Jesus (2 Cor. 3.12-18).
Our hearts, we know, are not naturally inclined to seek or obey the Lord (Jer. 17.9); thus, if we are ever going to be, in the first place, willing to do what pleases God, we must have some drastic overhaul of our hearts—our affections. This is precisely what the Spirit comes to do in bringing us into the new covenant, as David, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel testify (Ps. 51.10; Jer. 31.31-34; Ezek. 36.26, 27).
Power to be witnesses
From the moment we receive the Spirit of God, Who is the agent of new birth (Gal. 4.4), we begin to be willing to do what pleases our heavenly Father, out of gratitude for the saving mercy He has extended to us in Jesus Christ. But being willing is not enough. We must also be able.
Jesus said that, when the Spirit of God comes upon us, He would bring with Him spiritual power to enable us to be witnesses for Jesus Christ (Acts 1.8). Apparently, being witnesses for Christ pleases the Father, for it is this work that the Spirit is primarily commissioned to accomplish within us.
But being witnesses is, first, a matter of the kind of people we are and only secondarily of what we do in the world. The Spirit brings power not, in the first instance, so that we might go witnessing, but that we might be witnesses. The work of the Spirit in enabling us to do what is pleasing to God is above all a work of character-formation, making us into the very character of the Lord Himself (2 Cor. 3.12-18). This is above all a work unto holiness, which every believer is commanded to seek and pursue (2 Cor. 7.1).
Our ability to do the work of witness-bearing depends upon the Spirit’s work within us, making us more like Jesus so that we might be witnesses to Him in every aspect of our lives.
Unto holiness
The Spirit is working to make us holy. Which only makes sense; He is, after all, the Holy Spirit, and we would expect any power that He exerts within or through us to be expressive of His Presence and character.
He is working in each believer to transform us into the image of Jesus Christ, and in every church to build it up as a holy temple unto the Lord (Eph. 2.21, 22). All other works and manifestations of the Spirit of God in or through the believer or the church are merely incidental or instrumental to the larger end of making us willing and able to do what pleases God so that holiness may result and we may be witnesses to Jesus.
God’s pleasure
So, what is it, precisely, that pleases our heavenly Father?
Various things: It pleases Him to give us the Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit (Lk. 12.32; Rom. 14.17, 18). That is, God is pleased to have transferred us into His new economy, where the currency is grace and the goal is obedience to His Law.
So it follows that, since God is pleased with the life of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, we should walk in His steps and follow in all His ways (Lk. 2.22; Matt. 17.5). And it pleases God that we should not quench the work of His Spirit, Whom He and the Son have sent that we might be holy.
Thus if we as individual believers, and our churches as expressions of the Body of Christ, would not quench the Spirit, but would realize His full working in and among us, we must resign ourselves to His purposes and His means of accomplishing the ends for which God has sent Him to us. And that has little or nothing to do with ecstatic utterances, mystical visions, or signs and wonders.
Rather, it has everything to do with being taught the Law of God by the Spirit of God that we might live, by His power, the life of Jesus Christ unto holiness (Ezek. 36.26, 27). If we neglect the Law of God—through indifference or outright rejection—we quench the Spirit, and thus displease our heavenly Father, to such an extent that even our prayers become an abomination to Him (Prov. 28.9). Further, if we reject the Law, our love for God and our neighbors will grow cold, since the Law contains the keys to true and effective love (Matt. 23.12; 22.34-40).
The mind of the Spirit comes to increasing fullness in those who delight in, love, and obey the Law of God (Rom. 8.5-9). Love the Law and you enter the freedom and power of the Spirit to set you free from sin into a life of grace and justice. Ignore or neglect the Law, and you quench the power of God for righteousness, peace, and joy. In the Kingdom economy of God, the Holy Spirit works to redeem the world by grace as the citizens of God’s Kingdom draw upon His power by obeying His Law and all His Word.
For reflection1. How would you explain the work of God’s Spirit in a believer’s life to someone who has just come to faith in Jesus? How should that person engage the Spirit’s work? How will he quench it?2. Meditate on Deuteronomy 30.1-10, Jeremiah 31.31-34, and Ezekiel 36.26, 27. What is the role of the Spirit of God in the new birth? How does He use the Law for our good?3. Why can we not have the mind of the Spirit apart from the Law of God?
Next steps—Transformation: Spend some time in prayer today, waiting on the Spirit to search you (Ps. 139.23, 24). Are there any areas of your life where you are quenching rather than engaging the Spirit?
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: Our daily Scriptorium study presses on in Ephesians 5. Our Read Moore podcast is working through The Gospel of the Kingdom, looking for the true Gospel of the Lord. The Crosfigell teaching letter continues our study of the life of Brigit, a contemporary of Brendan. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
