ChatGPT Partial or Progressive Sanctification
Holy Spirit filling full is either/or, not partial of both/and
ChatGPT responses (see the last section below) help to clarify the meaning of whole or partial filling of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christ follower. There are basic principles regarding the Holy Spirit’s control of our lives. When we continue to search the Scriptures, we identify why we believe what we believe. I realize that the perception of partial may be a misnomer that really means progressive. How can there be no dual residence of the flesh and the Spirit or “partial filling” because God is all or nothing for standardss of direction, going only one way at a time.
For example, worry and peace cannot be two who walk together and be agreed. They cannot coexist. There is replacement.
Define sin compared to the filling of the Holy Spirit
The word sin means “to miss the mark” or the target of holiness or complete perfection, which is impossible by human effort. Sin is going off the path in the wrong direction. At the point of salvation, being “born again” into the new life is to start the journey to become more like Christ. This is the beginning of either/or. In other words, put off the old and put on the new. Then there is incremental growth or progress to keep on doing that. In other words there are three stages of sanctification (being made holy acceptable to God):
- A moment in time
- During time
- After time
A moment in time is the point of surrender to accept the free gift of God by surrending my way to His one way (positional sanctification), like a newborn baby. God sees us through Jesus as holy. First, we are saved from the penalty of sin (Romans 6:23). Next, we are saved from the power of sin by means of the power of the Holy Spirit replacing our will. During time is the same as gradual or progressing (experiential sanctification currently on earth by surrendering to the leading of the Holy Spirit moment by moment). Finally, we are saved from the presence of sin. After time means death to be alive with Christ Jesus (fully sanctified or glorification).
Romans 8:1–11 clarifies the characteristics of the filling of the Holy Spirit
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
What a reminder! The Holy Spirit indwells us. We choose to surrender to being led or by taking control that quenches and grieves Him. To stop or make Him not control us is to depart from the path of fulfilling God’s plan and purpose for our lives, which is to become more like His Son Jesus.
Filling of the Holy Spirit is all or nothing
Filling (fullness) is either/or — as in completely filled or completely empty, not both/and — which would be equated to partial. Experientially we are one or the other, full or empty. Yet, we grow by degrees or capacity to become more like Christ (progressive by degree, not by partial surrender of obedience). “Not my will but Yours be done” is all or nothing — God’s way, not my way. With God, either He leads, or my fleshly desires lead, but both opposites cannot lead simultaneously. To be partially filled would be a two-headed monster. We are either going one direction or another.
In other words, there is no shared space or partial space simultaneously leading the way. We are either being led by the Spirit or led by the flesh (Romans 8:6). God doesn’t share. He takes over all. The flesh does not share control with God. The flesh and the Spirit are at war (Galatians 5:17).
Here are some other reliable resources to check as we both enjoy research:
- Charles Stanley — “Walking in the Holy Spirit” https://youtu.be/r-9L2-aVR4I
- BlueLetter Bible — https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/stewart_don/faq/the-holy-spirit-and-us/14-how-does-a-person-become-filled-with-the-holy-spirit.cfm
- BibleHub — https://biblehub.com/galatians/5-17.htm
And here is ChatGPT response
The concept of the flesh being at war with the Spirit is a biblical idea found in Galatians 5:17, where it says, “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other so that you are not able to do whatever you want.”
This passage suggests that there is a conflict or tension between our fleshly desires and the desires of the Holy Spirit within us. The “flesh” refers to our sinful human nature, with its self-centered and worldly desires, while the “Spirit” refers to the presence and work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
The tension between the flesh and the Spirit can be seen in the choices we make and the actions we take. If we give in to our fleshly desires, we will not be living according to the Spirit’s guidance and will, and vice versa. This is why the passage goes on to describe the “works of the flesh” and the “fruit of the Spirit,” and why it emphasizes the importance of walking by the Spirit and not gratifying the desires of the flesh.
In terms of “either/or” versus “both/and,” the idea of the flesh being at war with the Spirit suggests that we cannot serve two masters or pursue two conflicting agendas simultaneously. We must choose to follow either the flesh or the Spirit, as they are opposing forces that cannot be reconciled or combined.
However, it is important to note that this does not mean that the flesh and the Spirit are completely separate or unrelated. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives can help us to overcome our fleshly desires and to live in a way that is pleasing to God. As we grow in our relationship with God, the Spirit can transform our desires and align them with His will, enabling us to live a life that reflects both His love and His holiness.