What role does the Holy Spirit play when a person is saved?
At salvation, the Holy Spirit enlightens a person’s understanding of the Gospel, regenerates the old dead spirit by outside power, restores fellowship, and indwells the believer. The old sin nature becomes a new divine nature, and the regenerated spirit is brought into consort with the eternal God, beginning effect on the body and Christian walk.
Les teaches that understanding the Gospel means recognizing that Christ died for me and for you. As the Holy Spirit enlightens our understanding, He regenerates that old dead spirit. Then the dead spirit realizes that yes, I have died: you and I, the ego, the I, the old Adam was crucified. It was placed on the cross in the mind of God because God did it on our behalf. As soon as we do that, He regenerates our spirit by that outside power, the fellowship is restored, and He comes in to dwell in the person of the Holy Spirit. This old sin nature now becomes a new divine nature, and this generated part is now in consort with the eternal God. It begins to have its effect on the body, and that begins our Christian walk, where we grow in grace and knowledge. Les also points to Romans chapter 6, where Paul makes plain that we must identify with what Christ accomplished on our behalf on the cross, fulfilling God’s demand that the soul that sinneth must surely die; He died my death.