Mission Venture Ministries

Salvation is purposed by the Father, accomplished by the Son, and applied by the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit’s action in salvation, all that Christ has accomplished brings no value to us. As Scripture consistently presents, the Spirit graciously, effectively, and permanently gives us Christ Jesus and every blessing He has secured. Our salvation is in Christ alone and by His Spirit alone, since the Holy Spirit is the bond by which Christ effectually unites us to Himself. 

On the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus informs His disciples of the unbroken solidarity between Him, the Father, and the Spirit. 

When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take from Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; this is why I said that He takes from Mine and will disclose it to you (John 16:13–15). 

The Spirit’s ministry thus carries out a specific mission, marked by the full scope of saving glory; revealing, calling, and uniting sinners to the resurrected and exalted, life-giving, Savior and King of kings. With His persevering Christ-centeredness, the Spirit personally sustains Christ’s mission; the Spirit, in fact, delivers and affects Christ’s salvation. The Spirit delivers not only the benefits, but the Benefactor; He gives us Christ Himself (Titus 2:14; Romans 8:9). Salvation, as Scripture presents it, comes by a real union with the real Christ, a personal bond to the Person of Christ by the Person of the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus affirms the eternal Trinitarian structure for redemption. Salvation is a divine act and divine gift, and in its entirety, attains by the purpose and work of the Triune God – “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:13–14). 

Being born again is not a physical thing; instead, it is a spiritual rebirth by the Spirit of God. God takes away a sinner’s old sinful spirit and gives him His own Spirit so that he becomes God’s child. The Holy Spirit gives birth to us and makes His dwelling within us from that moment on. It is through the Holy Spirit that God makes us new creatures in Christ Jesus and adopts us into His family. 

“Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:5-7). 

God seals us with His own Spirit; demonstrating that we are His priced possession. We belong to Him, we are owned by Him and we are His children. Therefore, we can face life with faith and confidence knowing that our lives belong to the Almighty God who will lovingly watch over us and take care of us. 

As we see, without the third person of the Godhead, it is impossible to be born again. He convicts us of sin, of God’s righteousness, and God’s coming judgment. When we accept Christ’s sacrifice, the Holy Spirit by His own power gives us a new spiritual nature, comes to dwell in us, and helps us grow and mature spiritually. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

The Holy Spirit is the one who convinces us of our sin of not believing in Jesus Christ and helps us realize how utterly helpless and hopeless we are without God. “And when He comes, He will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment” (John 16:8). 

When a sinner responds to God’s call, accepts the saving grace of the cross of Jesus Christ by faith, declares with his mouth “Jesus is Lord,” (Romans 10:9) and believes in his heart that God raised Jesus from the dead; he becomes saved, born again and a new creature in Christ Jesus because the Holy Spirit takes residence in him. 

Once this takes place, the Holy Spirit transforms the believer, gives gifts to empower the body of Christ, and produces fruit in those who live by the Spirit. 

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