"Even half a century after the event itself, Oscar Cullmann’s illustration from the events of the Second World War remains helpful for illuminating the present character of life in the Spirit. In that war, D-Day (the decisive intervention of the Allied Forces’ invasion of Europe in 1944) took place a year before the coming of VE-Day (the end of the war in Europe in 1945). In the interim, the battles remained fierce and bloody, even though the decisive act had taken place. So it is in redemptive history. The D-Day of redemption has taken place in Christ’s death, resurrection, ascension, and giving of the Spirit. He has acted decisively against the powers of sin, Satan, and death which tyrannized his people. Yet the skirmishes with sin (as well as with Satan and death) continue to be severe. They are real and painful. But they take place within a different context from any struggle with sin that marked the old life in Adam from which the Spirit was absent. Now the Christian engages in conflict with sin from the standpoint of deliverance from the prisoner-of-war camp; the decisive victory over the dominion of sin is a present reality in the Spirit; the final victory is assured. But there is still blood-letting, and the whole armor of God must be worn. The Christian is, as Abraham Kuyper underlined, still ‘under the treatment of the Spirit.’ V-Day is yet to come.”
Sinclair Ferguson, The Holy Spirit
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