I have heard it said that the Holy Spirit regenerated believers in the Old Testament as today but did not indwell believers as He does today.

In what way did the Holy Spirit operate differently in the New Testament believers than in Old Testament believers?

Since He is a member of the Trinity, eternally pre-existant, how did His role change at Pentecost?

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Scott
PCA
North Carolina


"Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)"
Hebrews 10:23

Scott, as best I can understand the orthodox understanding:

Always has the Holy Spirit been he who regenerates believers, convicting them of sin, working faith in their hearts, etc, though indeed more obscurely in times past.

The Spirit certainly worked very visible and extraordinary deeds under the Old Testament: prophesy, miracles, etc.

However, just as the coming of Messiah was the great promise of the Old Testament, so is the coming of the Spirit the great promise of the New.

For to Christ was the Spirit given in a way never before imagined, above measure and in the fullest; and as such, a new age was inaugurated whereby his body partakes of this anointing.

Thus, we who are now in Christ, who are his members, receive a plentiful effusion of the Holy Spirit, over and above the regenerating and sanctifying, the "creative" acts common to all dispensations of the covenant; we are sealed in such a manner that we have a fountain of living water welling up within us--a peculiar blessing to this economy, and the great blessing of the present church. This commenced at Pentecost.

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Paul Korte
OPC
Flint, MI

They who perceive in themselves discoveries of the divine goodness, so full and absolutely perfect, and who make them the subject of earnest meditation, will never embrace new doctrines, by which the very grace they feel so powerfully in themselves is thrown into the shade. --John Calvin

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Our Christology, in a sense, drives our pneumatology; the pouring out of the spirit upon Christ above measure brought in the general pouring out of the spirit upon his body. This is distinct from regeneration; for the pouring out of the spirit to Christ obviously was not for the purpose of regenerating him.

So whereas the were particular and specific giftings of the Spirit before Christ, it was not general to the body as it is now.

Is this what you were looking for?

So, is it fair to say God elected, regenerated, justified and adopted Old Testament believers in substantially the same way as New Testament believers?

In the New Testament, the "gift" of the Holy Spirit was more than His presence to guarantee redemption and aid in sanctification? If so, what additions specifically does the the Holy Spirit add... did not Old Testament believers have the Holy Spirit to illuminate their understanding of Scripture then?

Hey Scott,

Yes, absolutely.

First, let me quote a short passage from Owen to answer this (Commentary on Hebrews, viii.6):

Neither doth this concern only the plentiful effusion of him with respect unto those miraculous gifts and operations wherewith the doctrine and establishment of the new covenant was testified unto and confirmed: however, that also gave a signal difference between the two covenants; for the first covenant was confirmed by dreadful appearances and operations, effected by the ministry of angels, but the new by the immediate operation of the Holy Ghost himself. But this difference principally consists herein, that under the new testament the Holy Ghost hath graciously condescended to bear the office of the comforter of the church. That this unspeakable privilege is peculiar unto the new testament, is evident from all the promises of his being sent as a comforter made by our Savior, John 14-16.; especially by that wherein he assures his disciples that “unless he went away” (in which going away he confirmed the new covenant) “the Comforter would not come; but if he so went away, he would send him from the Father,” John 16:7. And the difference between the two covenants which ensued hereon is inexpressible.

Sorry, but I will have to finish this later -- stream of kids trick-or-treating at my door.

Thanks for bringing this up; it is something I have puzzled over. clearly, for the reasons already stated, the Spirit worked in many ways both in the old and new covenant. But there's a difference too -- especially since Jesus promised a comforter and believers were clearly affected at Pentecost. Explaining what is new and different has been a challenge to me.

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JWithnell
Member Bethel OPC
Virginia
http://learningyesican.blogspot.com/

Any further thoughts on this?

If there was no or little indwelling of persons in the OT by the Holy Spirit we should not expect to read what Paul says in Galatians 4:29 concerning Isaac and Ishmael:

"But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now."

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Rev. Daniel Kok
Pastor of Grace Reformed Church (URCNA)
Leduc, Alberta CANADA

"What sort of pledge and how great is this of love towards us! Christ lives for us not for himself!"
John Calvin, Commentary on the Hebrews (7:25)