10.  He might sanctify us.

But he does this through the Word.  “Sanctify them in the truth:  thy word is truth” (John 17:17).

11.  He might purify us.

But he does that through the Word.  “Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently” (1 Pet. 1:22).

12.  He might cleanse us.

But he does that through the Word.  “Already ye are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you” (John 15:3).

13.  He might make us free from sin.

But he does that through the Word.  “But thanks be to God, that whereas ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered; and being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness” (Rom. 6:17, 18).

14.  He might impart a divine nature.

But he does that through the Word.  “Whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust” (2 Pet. 1:4).

15.  He might fit us for glory.

But he does that through the Word.  “And now I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you the inheritance among all them that are sanctified” (Acts 20:32).

16.  He might strengthen us.

But he does that by his Word.  “Strengthen me according to thy word” (Ps. 119:28).

In the above cases we have covered all the conceivable things a direct indwelling Spirit could do for one, and have also shown that all these things the Spirit does through the word of God.  It is not claimed that a direct indwelling of the Spirit makes any new revelations, adds any new reasons or offers any new motives than are found in the word of God.  Of what use, then, would a direct indwelling Spirit be?  God makes nothing in vain.  We are necessarily, therefore, led to the conclusion that, in dealing with his children to-day, God deals with them in the same psychological way that he deals with men in inducing them to become children.  This conclusion is strengthened by the utter absence of any test by which we could know the Spirit dwells in us, if such were the case.

WHAT THE SPIRIT DOES FOR CHRISTIANS.

1. He is active in our birth.  “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).