This information on
THE HOLY SPIRIT has been adapted from
What the Bible Teaches by Reuben A. Torrey, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 17th Edition (c) 1898 (not 1998) by Reuben A. Torrey
The text is arranged with supporting Scripture. The adaptor has replaced Torrey's King James Bible quotes with quotes from the New International Version.
Apply Scripture has linked each verse to the King James Bible.
THE PERSONHOOD
OF THE
HOLY SPIRIT
In this page the term "personhood" is used to mean the fact that the Spirit is a living being, a "person", as opposed to a non-living object or influence.
The Importance of the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
If the Spirit is a distinct Divine, being we should worship Him.
If it is simply an influence from God we should not.
Should we worship the Spirit as we worship the Father and the Son? This is a most important question.
We need to determine whether the Holy Spirit is a divine being, and therefore, worthy of our adoration, our faith and our love, or simply an influence emanating from God, a power that God imparts to us.
If the Spirit is a Divine Person and we do not realize it, we are robbing a Divine Being of the love and adoration which are his due.
On the other hand, if the Spirit is simply an influence from God, worshiping it is idolatry, just as it would be idolatry to worship God's compassion or His immortality or His anger, since they are merely things.
Let us consider a secular analogy.
Americans honor George Washington the person for his characteristics and actions.
Americans honor his patriotism, as well as his military and political leadership.
They do not honor the characteristics and actions themselves. Medals and awards are given for bravery, not to bravery.
If the Spirit is a power, we should seek to control it. If it is a divine being, we should submit to it.
It is important to determine whether the Holy Spirit is a power that we can acquire and use, or whether the Holy Spirit is a personal being infinitely wise, infinitely holy, infinitely tender, who is to get hold of us and use us.
The idea of a supernatural power we can control is heathenish. Following a divine being leads to humble submission, self-emptying, and self-renunciation.
Seeking to control a supernatural power, Leads to Self-exaltation.
It is important to our spiritual growth to recognize the personhood of the Holy Spirit.
It is of the highest importance in our spiritual growth that we know the Holy Spirit as a person.
Many can testify to the blessing that came into their lives when they came to know the Holy Spirit not merely as a gracious influence (emanating, it is true, from God), but as an ever-present loving friend and helper.
The Fact that the Holy Spirit is a Person, not a Thing.
We may believe in theory that the Holy Spirit is a person. Do we treat Him as a person in our real thought of Him, or in our practical attitude toward Him?
Do we regard Him as indeed as real a person as Jesus Christ -- as loving, wise and strong, as worthy of our confidence and love and surrender, as Jesus is?
What Christ had been to the disciples during the days of His personal companionship with them, the Spirit later came to be. Do we know "the communion" or "fellowship" of the Holy Ghost?
The Spirit of God is not simply Jehovah.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
Since Jehovah is a spirit, it would make no sense to talk about the spirit of God if the "Spirit" is Jehovah.
It would be like talking about "the wind of wind" or "the heat of heat."
Various pronouns that clearly imply personhood are repeatedly used of the Holy Spirit.
John 15:26 When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
John 16:7-8, 13-14 [7] But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
[8] When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:
[13] But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
[14] He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.
The use of these pronouns is the more remarkable from the fact that in the Greek language the word Spirit is a neuter noun, and according to Greek usage, the pronouns that refer to it should be neuter, and yet in numerous instances a masculine pronoun is used, thus bringing out very strikingly how the Bible idea of the person- hood of the Holy Spirit dominates grammatical construction.
There are instances, of course, where the natural grammatical usage is followed and a neuter pronoun is used, like we see in Romans 16:16, 26.
But in many instances this construction is set aside and the masculine personal pronoun is used to refer to the neuter noun.
THE PERSONAL
ATRIBUTES
OF THE
HOLY SPIRIT
MANY CHARACTERISTICS THAT ONLY A PERSON
CAN POSSESS ARE ASCRIBED TO THE HOLY SPIRIT.
The Holy Spirit has knowledge.
1 Corinthians 2:10-11 [10] but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
[11] For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
Doesnt a computer have knowledge?
That's a thing, not a person."
The concept of 'knowledge' must not be confused with the concept of 'information' or 'data'. '
Knowledge' is a concept that requires a living being. A book may contain 'data' or 'information', but the book doesn't 'know' the information.
Admittedly, at least in theory, man might some day produce computers so advanced that we would consider them 'alive', but nothing like that currently exists.
Even the most advanced computers simply store and retrieve characters, do mathematical operations and logical comparisons such as determining whether one quantity is greater than, less than, or equal to another quantity.
The Holy Spirit has will -- He makes determinations.
1 Corinthians 12:11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
Romans 8:27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
The word here translated "mind" is a comprehensive word including the ideas of thought, feeling and purpose.
Compare Romans 8:7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.
Romans 15:30 I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.
The Holy Spirit is intelligent.
Nehemiah 9:20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst.
Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
Obviously, intelligence and sentience are needed to instruct and to call for particular work.
Sentience' is not the same as intellect or intelligence.
A sentient being understands that there is a 'big picture'.
It understands abstract concepts such as honesty, loyalty, community, and honor.
It can conceive of events in the distant future. For example, retirement or graduation from school
A sentient being is alive and has intelligence, but a creature can be alive and intelligent yet not be sentient.
Cats, dogs, and horses are intelligent, but probably not sentient.
Compare Ephesians 1:11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will ....
The Holy Spirit is described as (morally) good.
Nehemiah 9:20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst.
Rain is 'good' because it allows crops to grow; when 'good' is used in that sense it simply means 'beneficial
When the Spirit is described as 'good' it means good in the moral sense, i.e., good as distinguished from evil.
The Holy Spirit is able to grieve.
Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
Compare Psalms 118:26a Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.
Many Acts That Only a Living Entity can Perform are ascribed to the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit searches the deep things of God.
1 Corinthians 2:10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
Hebrews 3:7-9 [7] So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice,
[8] do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert,
[9] where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did."
Revelation 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
Note: This does not necessarily mean "speak" in the literal sense, i.e., to cause air to vibrate or to form words.
In many instances when people say "the Spirit spoke to me" they mean that they had an overwhelming feeling that they knew was from God.
Most often, this will be after they have been praying specifically for an answer regarding a specific problem. For example, "Should I take the job I'm being offered?"
This terminology can be particularly confusing and intimidating to young children and new believers, who think that they have not "heard from God" unless they heard a voice.
Since they never hear a voice, they think, "God doesn't speak to me."
This can be taken a step further as, "Since God never speaks to me, I must not be saved."
It is especially important for those who are more mature in the faith to take the initiative and explain the terminology without being asked.
Galatians 4:6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."
The Holy Spirit hears.
John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
Romans 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
The Holy Spirit has feelings. He "intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."
Sometimes a feeling such as love, joy, sadness, sorrow, frustration, or anger is so strong that it cannot be fully expressed in words.
Romans 8:26 ... the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
The Holy Spirit gives testimony.
John 15:26 When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
The Holy Spirit teaches all things.
John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
John 16:13-14 [13] But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
[14] He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.
Nehemiah 9:20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst.
1 Corinthians 2:10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
The Holy Spirit reminds men of things past.
John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
The Holy Spirit leads or directs men what to do.
Romans 8:14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
[6]Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.
[7] After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.
The Holy Spirit prevents men from doing things.
Acts 16:6-7 [6]Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.
[7] After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them..
The Holy Spirit calls men to work and appoints them to office.
Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
The Holy Spirit goes forth upon the mission to which He is sent.
John 15:26 When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
Psalms 104:30 When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.
The Holy Spirit tells what is yet to come.
John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
The Holy Spirit convicts the world of guilt in regard to sin.
John 16:8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:
In biblical usage, "to convict" does not mean a criminal conviction.
It means the Spirit will make men realize their sinfulness and feel guilt for their misdeeds.
The Holy Spirit takes sides in disputes.
Isaiah 63:10 Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them.
The Holy Spirit sometimes changes sides in disputes.
Isaiah 63:10 Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them.
The Holy Spirit fights against those who rebel against Him and grieve Him.
Isaiah 63:10 Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them.
Hebrews 3:7-9 [7] So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice,
[8] do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert,
[9] where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did."
The Holy Spirit chastises, disciplines, rebukes.
Hebrews 3:7-9 [7] So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice,
[8] do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert,
[9] where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did."
Compare Proverbs 3:11-12 [11] My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline and do not resent his rebuke,
[12] because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.
The Holy Spirit makes decisions on the basis of events and reasoning.
Isaiah 63:10 Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them.
The Spirit did not change sides like the wind -- out of pure coincidence; He changed sides because they rebelled against Him.
When He saw rebellion He had several choices:
The Holy Spirit performs works.
-
ignore the rebellion and continue to support them
-
punish them and continue to support them
-
ignore them and let them fend for themselves
-
change sides and actively fight them
-
He made a conscious decision to respond in a particular way.
1 Corinthians 12:11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
This is not talking about work in the sense of physical movement, such as a truck might do.
It is along the lines of the Jewish concept of mitzvot, i.e., "good works" such as charity.
This Chapter begins with a discussion of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit lives with believers and lives in believers.
John 14:16-17 [16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever
[17] the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
The Holy Spirit fellowships with believers.
2 Corinthians 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
To "fellowship" means to commune, to join together, to socialize, to "hang out with" someone.
The Holy Spirit takes direction.
John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Psalms 104:30 When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?
1 Corinthians 3:16 New English Bible Surely you know that you are God's temple, where the Spirit of God dwells.
An Office is predicated of the Holy Spirit that could only be predicated of a person.
John 14:16-17 [16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever --
[17] the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.
But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
It is the office of the Holy Spirit to be "another Counselor" (or paraclete) to take the place of the absent Savior.
Is it possible that Jesus Christ could use such language in speaking of an impersonal influence or power?
John 16:7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away.
Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
The Holy Spirit is treated in ways that only a person, not a thing, is treated.
The Holy Spirit is rebelled against.
Isaiah 63:10 Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them.
Hebrews 3:7-9 [7] So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice,
[8] do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert,
[9] where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did."
People cause the Holy Spirit to grieve.
See Isaiah 63:10 in the previous point.
Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
The Holy Spirit can be insulted.
Hebrews 10:29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
Acts 5:3 Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?"
The Holy Spirit is blasphemed against.
Matthew 12:31-32 [31] And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
[32] Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
"To blaspheme" means to slander a celestial being.
Note: God deals with man in a series of 'ages'. Each age has a different set of rules. For instance, the Garden was one age, the Law, ushered in by Moses, was another age, the age of grace, ushered in by Jesus, is another age, and the Millennial Kingdom, during which Satan will be bound and Christ will physically preside over the nations, is another age, "the age yet to come."
THE DEITY
OF THE
HOLY SPIRIT
The Divine Attributes of the Holy Spirit.
Christianity holds that four attributes distinguish a divine being from all else: (1) omniscience, (2) omnipotence, (3) omnipresence, and (4) eternalness.
Each of the four distinctly Divine Attributes is ascribed to the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is eternal.
Hebrews 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
The Holy Spirit is omnipresent.
Psalms 139:7-10 [7] Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
[8] If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
[9] If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
[10] even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
The Holy Spirit is omnipotent.
Luke 1:35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
The Holy Spirit is omniscient.
1 Corinthians 2:10-11 [10] but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
[11] For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
The Divine Works of the Holy Spirit
Three distinctively divine works are ascribed to the Holy Spirit.
Creation is ascribed to the Holy Spirit.
Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Psalms 104:30 When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.
The Holy Spirit imparts life.
John 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
Romans 8:11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Genesis 2:7 the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
The Holy Spirit quickens mortal men; He makes them spiritually alive.
Note that there is a difference between "quickening" man and physical "life." To "quicken" means to give spriritual life.
Colossians 2:13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
Compare the following two passages:
Genesis 2:7 the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Genesis 2:17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.
John 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
In the following passage, note that Paul says the Spirit will give life, indicating a future action. The people he is talking to are already physically alive. Clearly, he is talking about spiritual life.
Romans 8:11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
The Holy Spirit is the author of divine prophecies.
2 Peter 1:21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
2 Samuel 23:2-3 [2] The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.
[3] The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: "When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, "
The Holy Spirit forgives sins.
John 20:22-23 [22] And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
[23] If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
Verse 23 is a source of fundamental doctrinal disagreement between Protestants and Catholics.
According to the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D., at Pentecost Jesus expressly gave those present (or at least the Apostles) the power to forgive men's sins or to deny forgiveness.
This is the verse the Catholic Church relies on in claiming that, as the successors to the Apostles, Catholic priests, and only Catholic priests have the power to forgive sins.
Protestants, on the other hand, interpret the two verses differently. In the first sentence, "Receive the Holy Spirit," Jesus is addressing those at Pentecost. For example, the Apostles.
In the second sentence, "If you forgive ...," Jesus is speaking to the Holy Spirit.
He is speaking aloud so that those present will know the commission Jesus has given the Holy Spirit.
He is also confirming that sins are not always forgiven -- the Holy Spirit determines whether the sinner is truly repentant.
This is like an emcee saying to an audience "Folks, please welcome Jerry Seinfeld! Why don't you tell us a few jokes?"
Would you expect each member of the audience to start telling jokes?
There is not even one verse in the entire New Testament where any apostle or disciple claimed to have the power to forgive sins.
The Holy Spirit refuses to forgive the sins of the unrepentant.
See the discussion of John 20:22-23 in the previous point.
Statements which refer to the Lord of Jehovah in the Old Testament that are applied to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament.
Statements which in the Old Testament distinctively name the Lord, God, or Jehovah, as their subject are applied to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament.
That is, the Holy Spirit occupies the position of Deity in the New Testament thought.
Analogous passages between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Isaiah 6:8-10 [8] Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
[9] He said, "Go and tell this people: `Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.'
[10] Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed."
Acts 28:25-27 [25] They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet:
[26] `Go to this people and say, "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving."
[27] For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'"
This same passage is applied to Jesus Christ. May it be that in the threefold "Holy" of the seraphic cry:
Isaiah 6:3 And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."
We have a hint of the tri-personality of the Jehovah of Hosts and hence the propriety of the threefold application of the vision?
Exodus 16:7 and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?
Hebrews 3:7-9 [7] So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice,
[8] do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert,
[9] where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did."
Psalms 95:8-11 [8] do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert,
[9] where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did.
[10] For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways."
[11] So I declared on oath in my anger, "They shall never enter my rest."
The way in which the Name of the Holy Spirit is coupled with that of God.
The name of the Holy Spirit is coupled withthat of God in a waythat it would be impossible for a reverent and thoughtful mind to couple the name of any finite being with that of the Deity.
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 [4] There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
[5] There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
[6] There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
Matthew 28:19-20 [19] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
[20] and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
2 Corinthians 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
The Holy Spirit is called God.
Acts 5:3-4 [3] Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?
[4] Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."
THE HOLY SPIRIT
DISTINGUISHED
FROM THE FATHER
AND THE SON
The Bible draws a clear distinction between the Holy Spirit and the Father and the Son.
They are separate persons.
Luke 3:21-22 [21] When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened
[22] and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever --
They have mutual relations to one another.
See Luke 3:21-22 above, where Jesus prays (to the Father), the Spirit descends on Jesus, and the Father speaks to Jesus.
See John 14:16 above, where Jesus asks the Father, and the Father will send the Spirit, who is another counselor.
They act upon one another.
See Luke 3:22 where the Spirit descends on Jesus.
See John 14:16 in the preceding point.
They speak of each other.
See John 14:16 above, where Jesus says He will speak to the Father and the Father will send the Counselor.
They speak to one another.
Luke 3:22 where the Father speaks to Jesus.
They apply second- and third-person pronouns to one another.
Luke 3:22b And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever --
The doctrine of the Trinity is not expressly taught in the Bible.
It is implied by various passages about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The doctrine of the Trinity is not expressly taught in the Bible; it is the putting together of truths that are taught.
It is clearly taught in the Bible that there is but one God. It is also clearly taught that there are three Divine Persons -- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
A clear distinction is drawn between Jesus Christ, who was on the earth, the Father who spoke to Him from heaven, and the Holy Spirit who descended in a bodily form as a Dove, upon Him.
Luke 3:21-22 [21] When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened
[22] and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
A clear distinction is drawn between "the name of the Father" and "of the Son" and "of the Holy Spirit."
Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
A clear distinction is drawn between the Son who prays and the Father to whom He prays, and the "Another Counselor" who is given in answer to the prayer.
John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever --
A clear distinction is drawn between Jesus Christ, who goes away and the Holy Spirit, who comes to take His place.
John 16:7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
A clear distinction is drawn between the Son exalted to the right hand of the Father, and the Father Himself, and the Holy Spirit, whom the Son receives from the Father and sheds upon the church.
Acts 2:33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
SUBORDINATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
TO THE FATHER AND THE SON
In His present work, the Holy Spirit is subordinated to the Father and to the Son.
The Holy Spirit is sent by the Father and also by the Son.
John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
John 15:26 When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
Elsewhere, we are taught that Jesus Christ was sent by the Father:
John 6:29 Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
John 8:29, 42 [29] The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.
[42] Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me."
The Holy Spirit is called "the Spirit of God" and "the Spirit of Christ" and "the Spirit of Jesus."
Romans 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
Compare Acts 16:7
[7] After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them..
The Holy Spirit speaks not from Himself, but speaks the things which He hears.
John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
In a similar way Jesus said of Himself "my teaching is not mine, but His that sent me."
John 7:16 Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me.
John 8:26 I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is reliable, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.
John 8:40 As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things.
It is the work of the Holy Spirit to glorify Christ.
John 16:14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.
In a similar way, Christ sought not His own glory, but the glory of the Father who sent Him.
John 7:18 He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.
The Father commands the Spirit.
John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
Psalms 104:30 When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.
John 15:26 When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
John 16:7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
John 16:8 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
The Spirit does not command the Father or the Son.
This must be inferred from the fact that there is no place in the Bible where the Spirit commands either the Father or the Son.
The Work Of The Holy Spirit
THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT IN THE UNIVERSE
The Creation of the material universe and man is accomplished through the agency of the Holy Spirit.
Psalms 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Colossians 1:16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
Genesis 1:2-3 [2] Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
[3] And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light
The maintenance of living creatures is through the agency of the Holy Spirit.
Psalms 104:29-30 [29] When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.
[30] When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.
The development of the present order of things from the early chaotic, undeveloped state, is accomplished through the agency of the Holy Spirit.
Genesis 1:2-3 [2] Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.3] And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
Genesis 2:7 the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Note 1 -- Seemingly, each new and higher impartation of the Spirit of God brings forth a higher order of being -- inert matter, motion, light, vegetable life, animal life, man (the new man), Jesus Christ.
This is Biblical development, as distinguished from the godless evolution so popular today.
This, however, is only hinted at in the Bible. (Note: Even if macro-evolution is true (the theory that some molecules started making copies of themselves, which became increasingly more complex).
It would require the direct, immediate, and continuing involvement of a supernatural being in order to overcome the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which says, in essence, "Left alone, complex things break down into simpler things."
This theory is known as "theistic evolution", i.e., God-driven and directed evolution.)
Note 2 -- The Word of God is even mo replainly active in each stage of progress in creation.
The term "God said" occurs ten times in Genesis 1.
THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT IN MAN IN GENERAL.
The Holy Spirit bears witness to the truth regarding Jesus Christ.
John 15:26-27 [26] "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
[27] And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
Acts 5:30-32 [30] The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead -- whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree.
[31] God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.
[32] We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.
Note 1 -- At first sight this testimony would seem to be confined to the believer, for John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me says "Whom I will send unto you" (i.e., of course, believers),
but in the next chapter, verses 7 and 8 "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment",
Where the Holy Spirit's work in the world is distinctly described, it says, "I will send him unto you."
The truth seems clearly to be that the Spirit works on the world through the believers to whom He is sent.
If we as believers realized the utter dependence of the world upon us for the Spirit's gracious work, would we not be more careful to see that the Spirit found in us an unobstructed channel?
How slowly the world comes to know Jesus because of the unfaithfulness of the church.
Note 2 -- John 14:16-17 [16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever --
[17] the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
It is the Spirit's special work to bear witness to Him who is the truth - Jesus Christ.
John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Note 3 -- It is only through the testimony of the Holy Spirit that men ever come to a true knowledge of Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:3 Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
If you wish men to get a true view of Jesus Christ -- such a view of Him that they may believe and be saved -- you must seek for them the testimony of the Holy Spirit.
Neither your testimony, nor even that of the Word alone, will effect this -- though it is your testimony or that of the word which the Holy Spirit uses.
But unless your testimony and that of the word is taken up by the Holy Spirit and He Himself testifies, they will not believe.
This explains why it is that one who has been long in darkness concern- ing Jesus Christ so quickly comes to see the truth when he surrenders his will to God and seek light from Him.
John 7:17 If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.
Acts 5:32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.
It explains also why it is that when you have shown a man the truth about Christ over and over again and he has seen nothing, suddenly it all bursts upon him, and he sees and believes.
The Spirit has borne His witness to Christ.
It was not merely Peter's words about Christ that convinced the Jews of the truth concerning Christ on the Day of Pentecost.
It was the Spirit Himself bearing witness.
If you wish men to see the truth about Christ, do not depend upon your own posers of expression and persuasion, but cast yourself upon the Holy Spirit and seek for them His testimony and see to it that they put themselves in a place where the Spirit can testify.
This is the cure for both ignorance and skepticism concerning Christ. Confer John 7:17.
Note 4 -- The testimony of the Holy Spirit to Christ is different from His testimony to our sonship. We will discuss that later.
The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment.
He convicts the world of its sin in not believing in Christ.
Acts 2:36-37 [36] "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.
[37] When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
With a convincing that is self-condemning, the Holy Spirit convinces the world of Christ's righteousness attested by His going to the Father, the coming of the Spirit being in itself a proof that Christ has gone to the Father.
Acts 2:33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
He convicts the world of judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. He was judged at the cross.
Compare Colossians 2:15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
John 12:31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.
Hebrews 2:14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death -- that is, the devil --
It is our commission to preach the Word and look to the Holy Spirit to produce conviction.
Acts 2:4, 37 [4] All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
[37] When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
Oftentimes the reason why we fail to produce conviction is because we are trying to do it ourselves.
Let us not forget on the other hand that it is through us the Spirit produces conviction.
John 16:7-8 [7] But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
8] When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:
THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN BELIEVERS
The Holy Spirit makes anew or regenerates the believer.
Titus 3:5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
John 3:3-5 [3] In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
[4] "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
[5] Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit."
Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
Regeneration is the Holy Spirit's work. Regeneration is the impartation of life, spiritual life, to the one "dead in trespasses and sins." It is the Holy Spirit who imparts this life.
Ephesians 2:1 [1] As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
[2] in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
John 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
Note 1 -- In 2 Corinthians 3:6, we are told that the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
This is sometimes interpreted to mean that the literal interpretation of the Scripture kills, but that the interpretation that gives the spirit of the passage gives life.
It means nothing of the kind, as the context shows. This is a favorite perversion of Scripture with those who do not like to take the Bible as meaning just what it says.
Still another false interpretation is that the letter means the old covenant, the law; the spirit, the new covenant, the Gospel.
But this is not the thought. The contrast, as is seen from verse 3 is between the mere written word written with ink, and the living word written in the heart "with the Spirit of the living God."
This much is true in the second interpretation, that the law was "the ministration of death."
(verse 7), because unaccompanied by the Spirit's power, and the gospel is a ministration of life, because it is a ministration of the Spirit. But the Gospel is a ministration of the Spirit and of life only when the Gospel is preached "not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (1 Corinthians 2:4) or as Paul puts it in another place (1 Thessalonians 1:5) when the Gospel comes "not in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost."
The mere letter of the Gospel will merely condemn and kill unless accompanied by the Spirit's power. The ministry of many an orthodox preacher and teacher is a ministry of death.
It is true that the word of the Gospel is the instrument God uses in regeneration.
Compare James 1:18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
1 Peter 1:23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
1 Corinthians 4:15 Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.
But it is not the bare word, but the word made a living thing in the heart by the power of the Holy Spirit.
No amount of preaching, no matter how orthodox it may be, no amount of mere study of the Word, will regenerate unless the Holy Spirit works.
It is He and He alone who makes a man a new creature. This He is ever ready to do when the conditions are supplied.
But we are utterly dependent upon Him. Just as we are utterly dependent upon the work of Christ for us in justification, so we are utterly dependent upon the work of the Holy Spirit in us for regeneration.
Regeneration is the impartation of a new nature -- God's nature.
2 Peter 1:4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
It is the Holy Spirit who imparts this to us, makes us partakers of the divine nature.
Compare Luke 1:35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
This is done through the Word.
2 Peter 1:4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
1 Corinthians 4:15 Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.
To put it in a word: The human heart is the soil, the preacher or teacher plants the seed, the word of God is the seed, the Spirit of God causes the seed to grow, and the Divine nature is the result.
Note 2 -- The Spirit of God dwells in the one thus born of the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?
Some say that it is not the individual believer, but the church in which the Spirit of God dwells. But consider:
1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
This shows that Paul conceives of the individual believer as the temple of the indwelling Spirit.
In the indwelling of the Spirit we have an advance upon the work of regeneration.
That is a momentary act, the impartation of life, the implantation of a new nature. But in the indwelling Spirit is an abiding presence.
John 14:16-17 [16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever --
[17] the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
The Holy Spirit dwells in everyone who belongs to Christ.
Romans 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
The Corinthian believers were very imperfect believers, but Paul told them that they were temples of the Holy Spirit even when dealing with them concerning gross immorality.
See 1 Corinthians 6:15-19 [15] Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!
[16] Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh."
[17] But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.
[18] Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.
[19] Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
The Holy Spirit dwells in every child of God.
In some, however, He dwells back in the hidden sanctuary of their spirit and is not allowed to take possession as He desires of the whole man -- spirit, soul and body. Some, therefore, are not distinctly conscious of His indwelling, but He is there.
What a solemn but glorious thought. If we are children of God we are not so much to pray that the Spirit may come and dwell in us; for He does that already.
We are rather to recognize His presence, His gracious and glorious indwelling, and give Him complete control of the house He already inhabits, and strive to so live as not to grieve this Holy one, this Divine guest.
We shall see later that it is right to pray for "the filling" or "baptism" with the Spirit. What a thought it gives of the hallowedness of life and of the sacredness of the body, to think of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.
How carefully we ought to walk so as not to grieve Him. How consider- ately we ought to treat these bodies, and how sensitively we ought to shun everything that will defile them.
Note 3 -- This indwelling Spirit is a source of everlasting satisfaction and life.
John 4:14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
Compare John 7:37-39 [37] On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.
[38] Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."
[39] By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
It is clear that the water here spoken of is the Holy Spirit.
The one who drinks of this water "shall never thirst" or literally shall not thirst for eternity.
He has a fountain within. No need now to go outside for satisfaction.
He is independent of environ- ment for life and joy.
Why then do so many professed Christians feel compelled to run into the world for their satisfaction?
The Holy Spirit sets the believer in Christ free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1-2 [1] Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
[2] because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
In the preceding chapter we see what the law of sin and death is. (Romans 7:9-24) Paul had been aroused by the law of God to see what was holy and just and good. He delighted in this law after the inward man.
(verse 22) and strove to keep it. But he found that there was not only this "holy and just and good" law without him, but he found there was another law in his members warring against the law of his mind. This law of sin and death was, that when he would do good evil was present.
(verse 21) "To will is present to me, but to do that which is good is not."
(verse 18) In this wretched position of approving of the law in his mind, but in servitude to the law of sin and death in his actions, Paul found himself until he discovered in Christ Jesus a third law, "the law of the Spirit of life." This law set him free from the law of sin and death so that now he not only could "will" but also "do," and the righteousness of the law was fulfilled in him who walked not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:3)
It is the work of the Holy Spirit.
We need to give up trying to live right in our own strength and stop living by the energy of the flesh.
When we surrender to the Holy Spirit to live after Him and walk in his blessed power, He sets us free from this awful law of sin and death.
There are many professed Christians today living in Romans 7:9-24. Some even go so far as to reason that this is the normal Christian life.
But in verse 9 Paul tells us distinctly that this was "when the commandment came," and again in
verse 14 that this was his experience as "carnal, sold under sin," but in Romans 8:9 he tells us how not to be in the flesh but in the Spirit.
In the eighth chapter of Romans we have the picture of the true Christian life, the life that is possible to and that God expects from every on of His children -- the life where not merely the commandment comes, but the Spirit comes and works obedience and victory.
Life not in the flesh but in the Spirit, where we not only see the beauty of the law, but where the Spirit imparts power to keep it. (Romans 8:4) We still have "the flesh," but we do not live after it; we "through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body." (Romans 8:13) We walk after the Spirit and do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16) We "have crucified the flesh with the passions and lusts thereof." (Galatians 5:24) It is thus our privilege in the Spirit's power to get daily, hourly, constant victory over the flesh and over sin.
But this victory is not in ourselves, not in any strength of our own. Left to ourselves, deserted of the Spirit of God, we would be as helpless as ever.
It is still true that in us, that is, in our flesh, no good thing dwells. (Romans 7:18) It is all in the Spirit's power.
The Spirit's power may be in such fullness, that one is not conscious even of the presence of the flesh -- it seems dead and gone -- but it is only kept in the place of death by the Holy Spirit's power.
If we try to take one step in our own strength we fall. We must live in the Spirit and walk in the Spirit if we are to have victory. (Galatians 5:16, 25)
Note -- in John 8:32, it is the truth that sets us free and gives victory over sin, and in Psalms 119:11, the indwelling word. In this, as in everything else, what is attributed to the Spirit in one place is attributed to the word elsewhere.
The Holy Spirit strengthens the believer with power in the inner man.
Ephesians 3:16 [16] I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
The result of this strengthening is seen in the following:
Ephesians 3:17-19 [17] so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, [18] may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, [19] and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
The Holy Spirit leads us into a holy life - a life as sons of God, a godlike life.
Romans 8:13-14 [13] For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, [14] because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
Not merely does the Holy Spirit give us power to live a holy life, a life well pleasing to God when we have discovered what that life is; He takes us as it were by the hand and leads us into that life.
Our whole part is simply to surrender ourselves utterly to Him to lead and mold us.
Those who do this are not merely God's offspring which all men are, neither are we merely God's children. "These are sons of God."
The Holy Spirit bears witness together with the spirit of the believer that the believer is a child of God.
Romans 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
Note that Paul does not say that the Spirit bears witness to our spirit but with it -- "together with our spirit," is the exact force of the word used.
That is, there are two who bear witness to our sonship; first our spirit bears witness that we are children of God; second, the Holy Spirit bears witness together with our spirit that we are children of God.
How does the Holy Spirit bear His testimony to this fact?
Galatians 4:6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."
It is only when "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law is fulfilled" in me "who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit" (v. 4) and I "through the Spirit of God do mortify the deeds of the body"
(v. 13) and when I am surrendered to the Spirit's leading
(v. 14) -- it is then and only then that I can expect
(v. 16) to be realized in my experience, and to have the clear assurance of sonship that comes from the Spirit of God testifying together with my spirit that I am a child of God.
There are many seeking this testimony of the Holy Spirit in the wrong place; namely, as a condition of their surrendering wholly to God, and confessing the crucified and risen Lord as their Saviour and Lord. The testimony of the Holy Spirit to our sonship comes after all this is done.
The Holy Spirit brings forth fruit in the believer in Christ-like graces of character.
See The Fruit of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit quickens the mortal body of the believer.
Romans 8:11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
This, as the context shows, refers to the future Resurrection of the body. This is the Spirit's work.
The glorified body is from Him. It is a spiritual body.
We now have the first fruits of the Spirit, but are waiting for the full harvest, the redemption of the body.
Romans 8:23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Note. -- There is a sense in which the Holy Spirit even now quickens our bodies.
Matthew 12:28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Acts 10:38 [37] You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached -
[38] how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
James 5:14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
By His Holy Spirit God imparts new health and vigor to these mortal bodies in the present life.
Psalms 104:29-30 [29] When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.
[30] When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.
The Teaching Work Of The Holy Spirit In The Believer
THE HOLY SPIRIT TEACHES ALL THINGS.
The Holy Spirit guides the believer into all the truth.
John16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
This promise was made in the first instance to the Apostles, but the Apostles themselves applied it to all believers.
1 John 2:20, 27 [20] But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.
[27] As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit -- just as it has taught you, remain in him.
It is the privilege of each of us to be "taught of God."
Each believer is independent of human teachers -- "you need not that any man teach you." This does not mean, of course, that we may not learn much from others who are taught of the Holy Spirit.
If John had thought that he would never have written this epistle to teach others.
The man who is most fully taught of God, is the very one who will be most ready to listen to what God has taught others.
Much less does it mean that when we are taught of the Spirit we are independent of the Word of God.
For the Word is the very place to which the Spirit leads His pupils and the instrument through which He instructs them.
Ephesians 6:17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
John 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
Ephesians 5:18-19 [18] Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
[19] Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
But while we may learn much from men we are not dependent upon them. We have a Divine teacher, the Holy Spirit.
We shall never truly know the truth until we are taught by the Spirit. No amount of mere human teaching, no matter who our teachers may be, will give us a correct understanding of the truth; not even a diligent study of the Word either in the English or original languages will give us a real understanding of the truth.
We must be taught by the Holy Spirit. And each of us may be so taught.
The one who is so taught will understand the truth of God better, even if he does not know a word of Greek or Hebrew, better than one who knows Greek and Hebrew and all the cognate languages, but is not taught by the Spirit.
The Spirit will guide the one He teaches into all the truth. Not in a day, nor in a week, nor in a year, but step by step. There are two especial lines of the Spirit's teaching mentioned.
(a) "He shall declare unto you the things that are to come."
Many say we can know nothing of the future, that our thoughts on the subject are guesswork. Anyone taught by the Spirit knows better.
(b) "He shall glorify me (i.e., Christ), for he shall take of mine, and shall declare it unto you."
This is the Holy Spirit's especial line with the believer as with the unbeliever, to declare unto them the things of Christ and glorify Him.
Many fear to emphasize the truth about the Holy Spirit lest Christ be disparaged, but no one magnifies Christ as the Holy Spirit does.
We shall never understand Christ nor see His glory until the Holy Spirit interprets Him to us.
The mere listening to sermons and lectures, even the mere study of the Word, will never give you to see "the things of Christ."
The Holy Spirit must show you, and His is willing to do it. He is longing to do it.
I suppose the Holy Spirit's most intense desire is to reveal Jesus Christ to men. Let Him do it.
Christ is so different when the Spirit glorifies Him by taking of the things of Christ and showing them unto us.
The Holy Spirit brings to remembrance the words of Christ.
John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
Here again we have teaching of the Holy Spirit, but we have something besides.
This promise was made primarily to the Apostles, and is the guarantee of the accuracy of their report of what Jesus said; but the Holy Spirit does a similar work with each believer who expects it of Him, and looks to Him to do it.
He brings to mind the teachings of Christ and the Word, just when we need them for either the necessities of our life or of our service.
How many of us could tell of occasions when we were in great distress of soul, or great questioning as to duty, or great extremity as to what to say to one whom we were trying to lead to Christ or to help, and just the Scripture we needed -- some passage we had not thought of for a long time and perhaps never in this connection -- was brought to mind.
It was the Holy Spirit who did this, and He is ready to do it even more when we expect it from Him.
Is it without significance that in the verse following this blessed promise, Jesus says: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you?"
If we will just look to the Holy Spirit to bring to mind Scripture just when we need it and just the Scripture we need, we will indeed have Christ's peace.
The Holy Spirit reveals to us the deep things of God which are hidden from and foolishness to the natural man.
It is primarily to the Apostles that He does this, but we cannot limit this work of the Spirit to them. Also:
The Holy Spirit imparts power to discern, know and appreciate what he has taught.
1 Corinthians 2:9-14 [9] However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" --
[10] but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
[11] For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
[12] We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
[13] This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
[14] The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Not only is the Holy Spirit the author of divine revelation -- the written word of God -- He is also the interpreter of what He has revealed. How much more interesting and helpful any way deep book becomes when we have the author of the book right at hand to interpret it to us.
This is what we always may have when we study the Bible.
The author, the Holy Spirit, is right at hand to interpret.
To understand the book we must look to Him and the darkest places become clear.
We need to pray often with the Psalmist: "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." (Psalms 119:18)
It is not enough that we have the objective revelation in the written word, we must have the (subjective) inward illumination of the Holy Spirit to enable us to comprehend it.
It is a great mistake to try to comprehend a spiritual revelation with the natural understanding.
It is the foolish attempt to do this that has landed so many in the bog of "the higher criticism."
A man with no aesthetic sense might as well expect to appreciate the Sistine Madonna because he is not color-blind, as an unspiritual man to understand the Bible simply because he understands the laws of grammar and the vocabulary of the languages in which the Bible was written.
I would as soon think of setting a man to teach art because he understood paints, as to set him to teach the Bible because he understood Greek and Hebrew.
We all need not only to recognize the utter insufficiency and worthlessness before God of our own righteousness,
which is the lesson of opening chapters of the Epistle to the Romans, but also the utter insufficiency and worthlessness in the things of God of our own wisdom.
This is the lesson of the first Epistle to the Corinthians, especially the first to the third chapters. See, for example.:
1 Corinthians 1:19-21, 26-27 [19] For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."
[20] Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
[21] For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.
[26] Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.
[27] But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
The Jews had a revelation by the Spirit but they failed to depend upon Him to interpret it to them, so they went astray.
The Jews of old had a revelation by the Spirit but they failed to depend upon the Spirit himself to interpret it to them, so they went astray.
So Christians today have a revelation by the Spirit and many are failing to depend upon the Holy Spirit to interpret it to them and so they go astray.
The whole evangelical church recognizes theoretically at least the utter insufficiency of man’s own righteousness.
What it needs to be taught in the present hour, and what it needs to be made to feel, is the utter insufficiency of man’s wisdom. That is perhaps the lesson which this twentieth-century of towering intellectual conceit needs most of any to learn.
To understand God's word we must empty ourselves utterly of our own wisdom, and rest in utter dependence upon the Spirit of God to interpret it to us.
To understand God’s Word, we must empty ourselves utterly of our own wisdom and rest in utter dependence upon the Spirit of God to interpret it to us. We do well to lay to heart the words of Jesus himself in Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children."
When we have put away our own righteousness, then, and only then, we get the righteousness of God.
Philippians 3:3-9 [3] For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh --
[4] though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:
[5] circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee;
[6] as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
[7] But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
[8] What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
[9] and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ -- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
Romans 10:3 Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.
When we put away our own wisdom -- then, and only then, we get the wisdom of God.
1 Corinthians 3:18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise.
Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
1 Corinthians 1:25-28 [25] For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.
[26] Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.
[27] But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
[28] He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things -- and the things that are not -- to nullify the things that are,
When we put away our own strength, then, and only then, we get the strength of God.
Isaiah 40:29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
1 Corinthians 1:27-28 [27] But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
[28] He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things -- and the things that are not -- to nullify the things that are,
Emptying must precede filling. Self poured out so that God may be poured in.
We must daily be taught by the Spirit to understand the Word.
We cannot depend today on the fact that the Spirit taut us yesterday.
Each new time that we come in contact with the Word, it must be in the power of the Spirit for that specific occasion.
That the Holy Spirit once illumined our mind to grasp a certain truth is not enough. He must do it each time we confront that passage.
Each new contact with the Word must be in the power of the Spirit. That the Holy Spirit once illumined our mind to grasp a certain passage is not enough.
Each time you come to the Word in study, in hearing a sermon, or reading a religious book, there ought to be as distinct as your intercourse with the external means, the definite act of self-abnegation, denying your own wisdom and yielding yourself in faith to the Divine teacher
The Holy Spirit enables the believer to communicate to others in power the truth he himself has been taught.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 [1] When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.
[2] For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
[3] I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.
[4] My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power,
[5] so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
1 Thessalonians 1:4-5 [4] For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you,
[5] because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
We not only need the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth in the first place, and the Holy Spirit in the second place to interpret to us as individuals the truth He has revealed, but, in the third place also we need the Holy Spirit to enable us to effectually communicate to others the truth He Himself has interpreted to us. We need Him all along the line.
One great cause of real failure in the ministry even when there is seeming success, and not only in the ministry, but in all forms of service by Christian men and women, is from the attempt to teach by "enticing words of man's wisdom" -- i.e., by the arts of human logic, rhetoric and eloquence -- what the Holy Spirit has taught us.
What is needed is Holy Spirit power "demonstration of the Spirit and of power."
There are three causes of failure in preaching:
First. Some other message is taught than the message which the Holy Spirit has revealed in the Word -- men preach science, art philosophy, sociology, history, experience, etc., and not the simple word of God as found in the Holy Spirit's Book, the Bible.
Second. The Spirit-taught message, the Bible, is studied and sought to be comprehended solely by the natural understanding -- i.e., without the Spirit's illumination. That, alas, is too common even in institutions where men are being trained for the ministry.
Third. The Spirit-given message, the Word, the Bible, studied and comprehended under the Holy Spirit illumination, is given out to others with "enticing words of man's wisdom," and not "in demonstration of the Spirit and of power."
We need, we are absolutely dependent upon, the Spirit all along the line. He must teach us how to speak as well as what to speak. His must be the power as well as the message.
The Holy Spirit helps, guides and gives power to the believer in prayer.
Jude 1:20 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Romans 8:26-27 [26] In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
[27] And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
The disciples did not know how to pray as they ought to, so they came to Jesus and said: "Lord, teach us to pray."
Luke 11:1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
John 14:16-17 [16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever --
[17] the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
Romans 8:26 (above)
He teaches us to pray.
True prayer is prayer in the Spirit -- i.e., the prayer the Spirit inspires and directs.
When we come into God's presence we should recognize our infirmity, our ignorance of what we should pray for, or how we should do it, and in the consciousness of our utter inability to pray aright, look up to the Holy Spirit, and cast ourselves utterly upon Him, to direct our prayers, to lead out our desires an guide our utterance of them.
Rushing heedlessly into God's presence and asking the first thing that comes into our mind, or that some thoughtless one asks us to pray for, is not praying "in the Holy Spirit," and is not true prayer.
We must wait for the Holy Spirit, and surrender ourselves to the Holy Spirit. The prayer that God the Holy Spirit inspires is the prayer that God the Father answers.
Note 1 -- Romans 8:26-27 (above)
The longings which the Holy Spirit begets in our hearts are often too deep for utterance, too deep apparently for clear and definite comprehension on the part of the believer himself in whom the Holy Spirit is working.
God Himself must "search the heart" to know "what is the mind of the Spirit" in these unuttered and unutterable longings.
But God does know what is in the mind of the Spirit, He does know what those Spirit-given longings mean, even if we do not, and these longings are "according (to the will of) God," and He grants them, so it comes to pass that:
Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
Note: 2 1 Corinthians 14:15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.
The Holy Spirit helps, inspires the believer to and guides him to praise and thanksgiving.
Ephesians 5:18-20 [18] Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
[19] Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,
[20] always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Not only does He teach us to pray, He also teaches us to render thanks. One of the most prominent characteristics of "the spirit- filled life" is thanksgiving.
Acts 2:4, 11 [4] All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
[11] (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs -- we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!"
True thanksgiving is "to God, even the Father," through or "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ," in the Holy Spirit. The same is true of prayer.
Ephesians 2:18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
The Holy Spirit inspires worship on the part of the believer.
Philippians 3:3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh --
Prayer is not worship, thanksgiving is not worship.
Worship is a definite act of the creature in relation to God. Worship is bowing before God in adoring acknowledgment and contemplation of Him.
Someone has said: "In our prayers we are taken up with our needs, in our thanksgiving we are taken up with our blessings, in our worship we are taken up with Himself."
There is no true and acceptable worship except that which the Holy Spirit prompts and directs.
John 4:23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
The Flesh seeks to enter every sphere of life. It has its worship as well as its lusts.
The worship which the flesh worships is an abomination to God.
(Herein we see the folly of any attempt at an interfaith worship service, where the representatives of different religions attempt to worship together.
There is certainly a difference between Christians of different denominations worshipping together as contrasted to persons who believe in different gods or who claim to believe in the same God of Christianity but in truth have fundamentally different beliefs.
For example, Muslims who worship the deistic Allah, orthodox Jews who deny that Jesus is the Messiah, Christians, and Mormons, who claim that Jehovah was once a man on "another earth" and that he became the god of this universe and that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three separate gods.
Not all earnest and honest worship is worship in the Spirit.
A man may be very honest and very earnest in his worship and still not have submitted himself to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the matter and so his worship is in the flesh.
Oftentimes even when there is great loyalty to the letter of the Word, worship may not be "in the Spirit."
That is to say that our worship may not be inspired and directed by Him. As Paul puts it, we must have "no confidence in the flesh
Even when there is great loyalty to the letter of the Word, worship may not be "in the Spirit".
That is to say that our worship may not be inspired and directed by Him.
To worship right we must "have no confidence in the flesh,"
We must recognize the utter inability of the flesh. That Our natural self is in contrast to the Divine Spirit that dwells in us.
The Spirit should mold everything in the believer in order to worship acceptably.
We must realize the danger of the flesh, self, intruding itself into our worship.
In utter self-distrust an self-abnegation we must cast ourselves upon the Holy Spirit to lead us aright in our worship.
Just as we must renounce any merit in ourselves and cast ourselves upon Christ and His work for us upon the cross for justification.
We must renounce any supposed capacity for good in ourselves and cast ourselves utterly upon the Holy Spirit and His work in us, in holy living, knowing, praying, thanking and worshipping and all else that we are to do.
The Holy Spirit calls men and sends them forth to definite lines of work.
Acts 13:2-4 [2] While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
[3] So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
[4] The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.
The Holy Spirit not only calls men in a general way into Christian work, but selects the specific work and points it out.
"Shall I go to China, to Africa, to India?" many are asking, and many others ought to ask.
You cannot rightly settle that question for yourselves, neither can any other man settle it rightly for you.
Not every Christian man is called to China or Africa, or any other foreign field, or to the foreign field at all.
God alone knows whether He wishes you in any of these places.
He is willing to show you.
How does the Holy Spirit call?
The passage above does not tell us.
It is presumably, purposely, silent on this point. Perhaps, so we don't think He must always call in precisely the same way.
There is nothing to indicate that He spoke by an audible voice, much less that He made His will known in any of the fantastic ways in which some profess to discern His leading.
Examples of this include: twitching's of the body, opening the Bible at random and putting the finger on a passage that may be construed into some entirely different meaning than what the inspired writer intended by it.
But the important point is, He made His will clearly known and He is willing to make His will clearly known to us today.
The great need in Christian work today is men and women whom the Holy Spirit calls and sends forth.
We have plenty of men and women whom men have called and sent forth, or who have called themselves.
(There are many today who object strenuously to being sent forth by men, by any organization of any kind, who are, what is immeasurably worse than that, send forth by self, not by God.)
How shall we receive the Holy Spirit's call?
By desiring it, seeking it, waiting upon the Lord for it, and expecting it.
Many a man is saying, in self-justification for staying out of the ministry, or for staying home from the foreign field: “I have never had a call.”
How do you know that? Have you been listening for it?
God speaks often in a still small voice. Only the listening ear can catch it.
Have you definitely offered yourself to God to send you where He will?
While no man ought to go to China or Africa unless he is clearly and definitely called, he ought to definitely offer himself to God for this work, and be ready for a call, and listening sharply that he may hear it when it comes.
No educated Christian man or woman has a right to rest easy out of the foreign field until they have definitely offered themselves to God for that work, and it is clear no call from God has come.
Indeed, a man needs no more definite call to Africa than to Boston, or New York, or Chicago.
The Holy Spirit guides in the details of daily life and service, as to where to go an where not to go; what to do and what not to do.
Acts 8:27-29 [27] So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,
[28] and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet.
[29] The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."
Acts 16:6-7 [6] Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.
[7] When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to
It is possible for us to have the unerring guidance of the Holy Spirit at every turn of life.
For example, in personal work it is manifestly not God's intention that we speak to every one we meet.
There are some to whom we ought not to speak. Time spent on them would be taken from work more to God's glory.
Doubtless Philip met many as he journeyed toward Gaza before he met the one of whom the Spirit said: "Go near, and join thyself to this chariot."
So, is He ready to guide us also. So also in all the affairs of life, business, study, everything, we can have God's wisdom.
There is no promise more plain and explicit than the following:
James 1:5-7 [5] If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
{6] But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
[7] That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;
Here are really five steps;
First. That we "lack wisdom." We must be conscious of and fully admit our own inability to decide wisely.
Not only the sinfulness, but the wisdom of the flesh must be renounced.
Second. We must really desire to know God's way, and be willing to do God's will. That is implied in the asking if the asking is sincere.
This is a point of fundamental importance.
Here we find the reason men oftentimes do not know God's will and have the Spirit's guidance.
They are not really willing to do whatever the Spirit leads.
It is "the meek" whom He guides in judgment and "the meek" to whom "He will teach his way." (Psalms 25:9) It is he that "willeth to do his will" who shall know, etc. (John 7:17)
Third. We must "ask," definitely ask for guidance.
Fourth. We must confidently expect guidance. "Let him ask in faith, nothing doubting." (John 7:6-7)
Fifth. We must follow step by step as the guidance comes. Just how it will come no one can tell, but it will come.
It may come with only a step made clear at a time. That is all we need to know -- the next step.
Many are in darkness about guidance because they do not know what God will have them do next week, or next month, or next year.
Do you know the next step? That is enough. Take it and He will show you the next.
Numbers 9:17-23 [17] Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped.
[18] At the LORD's command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp.
[19] When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the LORD's order and did not set out.
[20] Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the LORD's command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out.
[21] Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out.
[22] Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out.
[23] At the LORD's command they encamped, and at the LORD's command they set out. They obeyed the LORD's order, in accordance with his command through Moses.
GOD'S GUIDANCE IS CLEAR Guidance
1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
Many are tortured by leadings they fear may be from God, but of which they are not sure. You have a right, as God's children, to be sure.
Go to God. Say, "Here I am, heavenly Father, I am willing to do thy will, but make it clear.
If this is thy will I will do it, but make it clear if it is so."
He will do so, if it is His will, and you are willing to do it; and you need not, and ought not to do that thing until He does make it clear.
We have no right to dictate to God how He shall give His guidance: by shutting up every other way, or by a sign, or by letting us put our finger on a text.
It is ours to seek and expect wisdom, but it is not ours to dictate how it shall be given.
1 Corinthians 12:11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
Two things are evident from what has been said thus far about the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer:
First. How utterly dependent we are upon the Holy Spirit at every turn of Christian life and service.
Second. How perfect is the provision for life and service that God has made and what the fullness of privilege that is open to the humblest believer through the Holy Spirit's work.
It is not so much what we are by nature, either intellectually, morally, spiritually, or even physically, that is important, but what the Holy Spirit can do for us, and what we will let Him do.
The Holy Spirit often takes the one who gives the least natural promise and uses him beyond those who give the greatest natural promise.
Christian life is not to be lived I the realm of natural temperament, and Christian work is to be done in the power of the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is willing and eagerly desirous to do for each of us His whole work.
He will do for each of us all that we let Him do.
There are instances, of course, where the natural grammatical usage is followed and a neuter pronoun is used, like we see in Romans 16:16, 26.
But in many instances this construction is set aside and the masculine personal pronoun is used to refer to the neuter noun.
Baptism With the Holy Spirit
THE HOLY SPIRIT TEACHES ALL THINGS.
The Holy Spirit guides the believer into all the truth.
Baptism with the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God coming upon the believer, filling his mind with a real understanding of truth, and taking possession of his faculties, imparting to him gifts not otherwise his, but which qualify him for the service to which God has called him.
A number of suggestive phrases are used in the New Testament to describe one and the same experience:
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"Baptized with the Holy Spirit"
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"Filled with the Holy Ghost"
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"The Holy Ghost fell on them"
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"The gift of the Holy Ghost was poured out"
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"Receive the Holy Ghost"
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"The Holy Ghost came on them"
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"Gifts of the Holy Ghost"
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"I send the promise of my Father upon you"
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"Endued with power from on high"
Acts 1:5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people!
Acts 10:44-46 [44] While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.
[45] The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.
[46] For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
Acts 11:15-17 [15] As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning.
[16] Then I remembered what the Lord had said: "John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
[17] So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?
Acts 19:1-6 [1] While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples
[2] and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
[3] So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they replied. [4] Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus."
[5] On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
[6] When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
Hebrews 2:4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
1 Corinthians 12:4, 11, 13 [4] There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
[11] All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
[13] For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body -- whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free -- and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Luke 24:49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.
Baptism with the Holy Spirit is a definite experience. A person can and should know whether he has received it or not.
Acts 19:1-2 [1] While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples
[2] and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"
Acts 8:15-16 [15] When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, [16] because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
Galatians 3:2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?
Baptism with the Holy Spirit is not baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
Baptism with the Holy Spirit is an operation of the Holy Spirit distinct from and subsequent and additional to His regenerating work.
Note: Torrey uses the term "regenerated" as a synonym for "saved."
Acts 1:5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
Here was a company of regenerated men pronounced so by Christ Himself. And yet, Baptism with the Spirit lay for them some days in the future.
John 15:3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
John 13:10 Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you."
Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
In this company of baptized believers were certainly some regenerated people but we read in the following:
Acts 8:15-16 [15] When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
[16] because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
They were already saved, but not yet baptized with the Holy Spirit. We see the same thing here:
Acts 19:1-2 [1] While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples
[2] and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"
Acts 19:6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
A man may be regenerated by the Holy Spirit and still not be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
In regeneration there is an impartation of life, and the one who receives it is saved; in the Baptism with the Holy Spirit there is an impartation of power and the one who receives it is fitted for service.
EVERY TRUE BELIEVER HAS THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Romans 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
But not every believer has the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, though every believer, as we shall see, may have.
The Baptism with the Holy Spirit may be received immediately after the new birth -- as, e.g., in the household of Cornelius.
In a normal state of the church every believer would have the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, as in the Church at Corinth.
1 Corinthians 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body -- whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free -- and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
In such a normal state of the church Baptism with the Holy Spirit would be received immediately upon repentance and baptism into the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.
Acts 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
But the doctrine of Baptism with the Holy Spirit has been so allowed to drop out of sight, and the church has had so little expectancy along this line for its young children, that a large portion of the church is in the position of the churches in Samaria and Ephesus, where someone has to come and call the attention of the mass of believers to their privilege in the Risen Christ and claim it for them.
Baptism with the Holy Spirit is an experience connected with and primarily for the purpose of service.
Acts 1:5, 8 [5] For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
[8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Luke 24:49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.
Acts 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Acts 9:17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord -- Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here -- has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:4-14 [4] There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
[5] There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
[6] There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
[7] Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
[8] To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
[9] to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
[10] to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
[11] All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
[12] The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
[13] For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body -- whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free -- and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
[14] Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.
Baptism with the Spirit is not primarily intended to make believers happy nor holy, but to make them useful.
In every passage in the Bible in which the results of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit are mentioned they are related to testimony and service.
Baptism with the Holy Spirit has no direct reference to cleansing from sin.
It has to do with gifts for service rather than with grace of character.
The steps by which one ordinarily receives Baptism with the Holy Spirit are of such a character and Baptism with the Holy Spirit makes God so real that the Baptism is in most cases accompanied by a great moral uplift, or even a radical transformation, but Baptism with the Holy Spirit is not in itself either an eradication of the carnal nature or cleansing from an impure heart.
It is the impratation of supernatural power or gifts in service, and sometimes one may have rare gifts by the Spirit's power and few graces.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 [1] If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
[2] If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
[3] If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Matthew 7:22-23 [22] Many will say to me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'
[23] Then I will tell them plainly, `I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
It is indeed the work of the Holy Spirit to cleanse from sin, and to empower one for and lead one into a life of victory over the world, the flesh and the Devil, but this is not Baptism with the Holy Spirit.
It is, however, more fundamental and important. It is well to remember also that Jesus promised a two-fold baptism. "with the Holy Ghost and with fire." This can not be interpreted to mean two contrasted baptisms, one of blessing and the other of judgment.
The Greek does not permit this interpretation. It is one two-fold baptism. Many seem to get only part of it, "the Holy Wind," but the "fire" is for us too, if we claim it.
And fire searches, refines, consumes, illuminates, makes to glow, energizes, spreads. "Fire" is what many need today, and it is for us.
THE RESULTS OF BAPTISM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
The specific manifestations of Baptism with the Holy Spirit are not precisely the same in all persons.
1 Corinthians 12:4-10 [4] There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
[5] There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
[6] There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
[7] Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
[8] To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
[9] to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
[10] to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
"There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit."
The gifts vary with the different lines of service to which God has called different persons.
The church is a body, and different parts of the body have different functions, and the Spirit imparts to the one who is baptized with the Spirit those gifts which fit him for the work to which the Spirit has called him.
For example, many in the early church who were baptized with the Holy Spirit spoke with tongues, but not all.
Acts 10:46 [46] For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. ...
Acts 19:6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
1 Corinthians 12:27-30 [27] Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
[28] And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.
[29] Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
[30] Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
So today the Holy Spirit imparts to some gifts as an evangelist, to others as pastors and teachers.
To others as "helps, governments", etc.
There will be some gift to each person baptized with the Holy Spirit.
See "The Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit at the bottom.
The Holy Spirit gives to each person individually as the Spirit chooses. The Holy Spirit is absolutely sovereign in deciding how -- in what special gift, operation or power -- Baptism with the Holy Spirit shall manifest itself.
It is not for us to pick out some place of service and then ask the Holy Spirit to qualify us for that service; it is not for us to select some giftr and then ask the Holy Spirit to impart to us that gift.
It is for us to simply put ourselves entirely at the disposal of the Holy Spirit to send us where He will, to select for us what kind fo service He will, and to impart what gift He will.
He is absolutely sovereign, and our position is that of unconditional surrender to Him.
I am glad that this is so: that He, in His infinite wisdom and live, is to select the field, service and gifts and not I, in my shortsightedness and folly.
It is because of a failure to recognize the absolute sovereignty of the Spirit that many fail of the blessing and meet with disappointment.
They are trying to select the gift and so get none.
Of course, it is scriptural, while recognizing and rejoicing in the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit, to "covet earnestly the best gifts."
1 Corinthians 12:31 But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.
Baptism with the Holy Spirit always imparts power in service.
Acts 1:5, 8 [5] For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
[8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
The power may be of one kind in one person and of another kind in another person, but there will always be power -- and the very power of God at that.
As sure as anyone who reads these pages, who has not already received the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, seeks it in God's way, there will come into his service a power that was never there before -- power for the very work God has for you to do.
The results of that power may not be manifest at once in conversions.
Acts 7:55-60 [55] But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
[56] "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
[57] At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him,
[58] dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
[59] While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
[60] Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he [died].
Baptism with the Holy Spirit imparts boldness in testimony and service.
Acts 4:29, 31 [29] Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.
[31] After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Baptism with the Holy Spirit converts cowards into heroes.
Acts 4:8-12 [8] Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people!
[9] If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed,
[10] then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
[11] He is "`the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.'
[12] Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
Baptism with the Holy Spirit causes a person's primary focus to be on God and Christ and spiritual things.
Acts 2:4, 11 [4] All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
[11] (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs -- we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!"
Acts 4:31, 33 [31] After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
[33] With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.
Acts 4:8-10 [8] Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people!
[9] If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed,
[10] then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
Acts 9:17, 20 [17] Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord -- Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here -- has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
[20] At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.
Acts 10:44-46 [44] While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.
[45] The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.
[46] For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
Ephesians 5:18-19 [18] Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
[19] Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,
The man who is filled with the Holy Spirit will not be singing sentimental ballads, nor comic ditties, nor operatic airs while the power of the Holy Spirit is upon him.
If the Holy Spirit should come upon one while listening to the most innocent of the world's songs he would not enjoy it. He would long to hear something about Christ.
THE NECESSITY OF BAPTISM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
Baptism with the Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary in every Christian for the service that Christ demands and expects of him.
Jesus Christ commanded the disciples not to enter upon the work to which He had Himself called them until baptized with the Holy Ghost.
Luke 24:48-49 [48] You are witnesses of these things.
[49] I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.
Acts 1:4-5, 8 [4] On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.
[5] For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
[8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
NOTE 1 -- They were rarely fitted for the work by experience, and by association with Himself, and by long training at His own hands, but the further preparation of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit was so all-essential that they must not move without it.
NOTE 2 -- There was apparently imperative need that something to be done at once. The whole world was perishing and they alone knew the saving truth.
Nevertheless Jesus strictly charged them "wait."
What a testimony to the all-importance of "the Baptism with the Holy Spirit" as a preparation for work that shall be acceptable to Christ.
Jesus Christ Himself, though the only begotten Son of God, did not enter upon His ministry until the Spirit of God had come upon Him, and He had thus been "anointed with the Holy Ghost and power."
Acts 10:37-38 [37] You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached --
[38] how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
Luke 3:22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
Luke 4:1, 14, 17-19 [1] Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert,
[14] Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.
[17] The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
[18] "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,
[19] to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
When the apostles found believers in Christ they at once asked whether they had received the Holy Ghost, and, if not, they at once saw to it that they did.
Acts 8:14-16 [14] When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.
[15] When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
[16] because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
Acts 19:1-2 [1] While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples
[2] and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
WHO RECEIVES THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?
Baptism with the Holy Spirit was not merely for the apostles, nor merely for those of the apostolic age, but for "all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call" as well, i.e., it is for every believer in every age of the Church's history.
If any believer in any age does not have the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, it is solely because he does not claim his privilege in Christ.
Acts 2:38-39 [38] Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
[39] The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off -- for all whom the Lord our God will call."
The promise of these verses is "the "Baptism with the Holy Spirit" or "gift of the Holy Spirit."
Acts 1:4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.
Acts 2:33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
THE REFILLING WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
The same disciple (Peter) is said to have been "filled with the Holy Spirit" on three different occasions.
Acts 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Acts 4:8, 31 [8] Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people!
Acts 4:31 [31] After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
It is not enough that one be filled with the Holy Spirit once. We need a new filling of the Holy Spirit for each new emergency of Christian service.
THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH THE BAPTISM IS GIVEN
Before we go over the conditions of receiving the Baptisim Holy Spirit, we need to understand that this can be a separate event apart from water baptisim.
Once again, The purpose for believing in Jesus is getting saved and having the Holy Spirit live inside of Us.
There is a different purpose for receiving the Baptism with the Holy Spirit. The Baptism with the Holy Spirit is a separate and distinct work of the Holy Spirit.
When a non-believer hears the message of the gospel and chooses to believe in Jesus and receive salvation, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of that person at that very instant.
The theological term for this is “the indwelling.” It means the Holy Spirit dwells inside of you.
This truth is found in many places in the Bible (Romans 8:8-11 for example).
Once a person has the Holy Spirit living inside of him (indwelling), he is now eligible for some other experiences that the Holy Spirit brings, the greatest of which is known as “The Baptism with the Holy Spirit.”
When a Christian receives the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, then he/she receives power (Acts 1:8) to represent Jesus in a way that he/she was not able to previously.
This power is available for every Christian to receive, but unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, there are a lot of Christians who say they have never received it.
These are two separate experiences and two separate works of the Holy Spirit. The “indwelling” is when He comes to live inside of you.
The “Baptism with the Holy Spirit” is when He equips you with power.
These are both important, but they are not the same thing.
They produce different effects and are given for different purposes.
The fundamental conditions upon which the gift (or Baptism with the Holy Spirit) is bestowed are:
Repentance
Faith in Jesus Christ as an all-sufficient Savior (apart from works of the law
Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of sins
Note: The Bible does not mention baptism of the Holy Spirit outside of these 3 conditions.
All 3 conditions may have to be met before receiving the Baptisim of the Holy Spirit.
Some believers today testify that they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit after repentance and asking God to fill them with his Spirit.
Some of these believers had not been water baptized but they became water baptized after they were baptized with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 10:44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.
Acts 15:8-9 [8] God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.
[9] He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.
Galatians 3:2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?
For those who believe in Jesus Christ, Baptism with the Holy Spirit is sometimes conditioned on the believer's knowing that there is such a blessing and that it is for him now.
Acts 19:2, 6 [2] ... "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
[6] When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
God gives the Holy Ghost to those who obey Him.
Acts 5:32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.
Obedience means absolute surrender. This is really involved in true repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
It is one of the most fundamental conditions of entering into this blessing.
It is the point at which thousands fall short today.
Baptism with the Holy Spirit is given to those who have already believed in Christ and may or may not have been baptized with water.
Many times it happens due to an answer to definite prayer.
However, there may be much earnest praying and still the Holy Spirit may not come because the prayer is not in faith.
The faith that receives the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, as every other blessing, is the faith that counts it as its own.
Acts 8:15-17 [15] When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
[16] because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
[17] Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
Luke 11:13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
James 1:6-7 [6] But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
[7] That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;
Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
1 John 5:14-15 [14] This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
[15] And if we know that he hears us -- whatever we ask -- we know that we have what we asked of him.
WATER BAPTISM IN THE BIBLE
Do believers need water baptism?
The answer is yes, because baptism testifies of our salvation experience, and it also reveals a few additional points.
Is water baptisim required for salvation?
In Luke 12:50. Jesus said: “I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am until it is completed."
When Jesus spoke about this baptism he was not speaking about what had happened to Him three and a half years earlier – when He was immersed in the Jordan River.”
When He said thadt He had “a baptism to go through” He was talking about His death, burial and resurrection.
There is an inherent relationship between Jesus’s work, His death, His burial, and how He rose on the third day. This is all directly related to baptism.
A practical example Here is an example: The gospel of Matthew speaks about Jesus arriving at the Jordan River.
John was confused by this, and said, “You know I have need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?” (Matthew 3:14)
Then Jesus said, “Permit it to be so…to fulfill all righteousness”.
What does He mean?
When Jesus was baptized – when He came up from the water after having been immersed by John—a voice from heaven, God’s voice, was heard.
The heavens opened up and a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son”.
Biblically, the word Son, often times is related to the concept of servant.
Why is God pleased with Jesus?
Matthew 3:17 reveals to us that God the Father said this about Jesus as He came up out of the water after His baptism: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Why was the Father pleased with Jesus?
Jesus's baptism conveyed to God the Father that His Son was going to submit to His purposes.
Jesus’s baptism demonstrated obedience – He was going to obey God’s will for His life.
He was going to go to Jerusalem. Furthermore, He was going to die on Passover.
Not only was he going to die, but he was also going to be buried and on the third day and rise from the dead.
Two important aspects of baptism
There are two things we learn based upon Luke 12:50, as well as from all the passages that deal with Jesus’s baptism.
Baptism identifies with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is testifying of His faith.
He first needed faith to believe and then baptism followed.
It is believing in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead and confessing with our mouths that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9-10) that saves us, and it is our baptism that testifies of this salvation.
Secondly, there’s something else we need to deal with, and that is the motivation for baptism.
In Acts 2:37 Peter had been teaching a group of people.
When they heard the message, it pierced their hearts. Then they said to Peter and to the other apostles, “What shall we do now?”
The question, in effect, was how they could obtain salvation.
Then Peter revealed the normative thing to do when someone wants to respond to the gospel.
Peter answered, “You repent and be baptized, each one of you, in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
This is the normative response to God’s work of salvation! He has already done the work, and we receive it by faith.
Is baptism part of the means of salvation?
Most New Testament scholars are convinced that Mark did not write verses 9-20 in Mark chapter 16. These verses appear to have been added by the early Church Fathers.
Let's put this aside and look at what
Mark 16:16 says: “The one having believed and who has received baptism, shall obtain salvation”.
If this was how the verse ended, we would have to say: YES, baptism is necessary.
However, notice what follows… It says: “But the one who does not believe, is condemned”.
It does not say that the one who is not baptized will be condemned (The thief on the cross was not baptized but Jesus told him that he would be with Him in paradise because he believed – Luke 23:42-43).
When we put that whole statement together, however, it teaches us that although we are not going to be condemned if we are not baptized it is never-the-less a normative behavior that accompanies salvation.
What does this tell us? It is and only belief, that is necessary to be saved. Failure to believe will bring about condemnation.
However, as previously shown. Biblically there is a link between water baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit.
Biblically believers can receive the Holy Spirit before water baptism through repentance and obedience to God.
However, water baptism is an act of obedience that proclaims God's servant is willing to surrender and serve him and is linked to Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
THE WORK OF
THE HOLY SPIRIT
IN PROPHETS
AND APOSTLES
The Distinctive Character of the Work of the Holy Spirit in Prophets and Apostles.
The work of the Holy Spirit in Apostles and Prophets differs from His work in other believers.
He imparts to Apostles and Prophets a special gift for a special purpose.
1 Corinthians 12:4, 8-11, 28-29 [4] There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
[8] To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
[9] to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
[10] to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
[11] All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
[28] And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with giftsof administra- tion, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.
[29] Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
The doctrine which is becoming so common and so popular in our day, that the work of the holy Spirit in preachers and teachers and in ordinary believers.
Illuminating them and guiding them into the truth and into the understanding of the Word of God, is the same in kind and differs only in degree from the work of the Holy Spirit in Prophets and Apostles, is thoroughly unscriptural and untrue.
It overlooks the clearly stated and carefully elucidated fact that while there is "the same Spirit", "there are diversities of gifts", "diversities of ministrations", "diversities of workings" and that not all are prophets or apostles.
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 [4] There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
[5] There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
[6] There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
1 Corinthians 12:29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
NOTE -- Those who desire to minimize the difference between the work of the Holy Spirit in Apostles and Prophets, and his work in other men, often refer to the fact that the Bible says that Bezaleel was to be "filled with the Spirit of God" to devise the work of the Tabernacle, as a proof that the inspiration of the prophet does not differ from the inspiration of the artist or architect.
However, they are ignorant of the fact, or forget that the Tabernacle was to be built in accordance with the pattern shown to Moses in the Mount and that, therefore, it was itself a prophecy, and an exposition of the truth of God.
It was the word of God done into wood, gold, silver, brass, cloth, skin, etc. There is much reasoning about inspiration today that appears at first sight very learned, but that will not bear much rigid scrutiny or candid comparison with the word of God.
There is nothing in the Bible more inspired than the Tabernacle, and if the higher critics would study it more they would give up their ingenious but untenable theories.
Results of the Work of the Holy Spirit in Prophets and Apostles.
Truth hidden from men for ages, and which they had not discovered, and could not discover by the unaided processes of human reasoning, has been revealed to Apostles and to Prophets in the Spirit.
Ephesians 3:5 [4] In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,
[5] which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets.
The Bible contains truth that men never had discovered, and never would have discovered it left to themselves, but which the Father in great grace has revealed to his children through His servants, the Prophets and the Apostles.
We see here the folly of testing the statements of Scripture by the conclusions of human reasoning or "the Christian Consciousness."
The revelation of God transcends human reasoning, and a consciousness that is truly and fully Christian is the product of the study and absorption of Bible truth.
If our consciousness differs from the statements of this book, it is not yet fully Christian, and the thing to do is not to try to pull God's revelation down to the level of our conscious- ness, but to tone our consciousness up to the level of God's Word.
The Revelation made to the Prophets was independent of their own thinking; it was made to them by the Spirit of Christ which was in them -- and was a subject of inquiry to their own mind as to its meaning. It was not their thought, but His.
1 Peter 1:10-12 [10] Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care,
[11] trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
[12] It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
No prophetic utterance was of the Prophets' own will, but they spoke from God, and the Prophet was carried along in it by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1:21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
It was the Holy Spirit who spoke in prophetic utterance; it was His word that was upon the Prophets' tongue.
Hebrews 3:7 So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice,
Hebrews 10:15-16 [15] The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
[16] "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds."
Acts 28:25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet:
2 Samuel 23:2 The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.
The prophet was simply the mouth by which the Holy Spirit spoke.
As a man, except as the Spirit taught him and used him, the prophet was fallible as other men are, but when the Spirit was upon him, and he was taken up and borne along by the Holy Spirit, he was infallible in his teachings.
The teaching, indeed was not his, but the Holy Spirit's.
God was speaking, not the prophet. For example, Paul doubtless had many mistaken notions, but when he taught as an apostle, under the Spirit's power, he was infallible -- or rather, the Spirit who taught through him, and the consequent teaching, were infallible -- as infallible as God.
We do well to carefully distinguish what Paul may have thought as a man, and what he actually did as an apostle.
In the Bible we have the record of what he taught as an apostle, with the possible exception of the following:
1 Corinthians 7:6, 25 [6] I say this as a concession, not as a command.
[25] Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.
Here he does not seem to have been sure that he had the word of the Lord and is careful to note the fact, thus giving additional certainty to all other passages.
It is sometimes said that Paul taught in his early epistles that the Lord would return during his lifetime, and in this was of course mistaken.
But Paul never taught anywhere that the Lord would return during his lifetime.
1 Thessalonians 4:17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
In this, as he was still alive, he naturally did not include himself with those who were fallen asleep in speaking of the Lord's return.
Quite probably he did believe that he might be alive, and the attitude of expectancy is the true attitude in all ages for every believer.
Paul probably rather believed he would live to the coming of the Lord, but he did not so teach.
The Holy Spirit kept him from this as all other errors in his teachings.
The Holy Spirit in the Apostle taught not only the thought (or "concept") but the words in which the thought was to be expressed.
1 Corinthians 2:13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
This is not only a necessary inference from the fact that thought is conveyed from mind to mind by words, and if the words were imperfect the thought expressed in those words would necessarily be imperfect, but it is distinctly so stated.
Nothing could be plainer than Paul's statement "in words, which the Spirit teaches."
The Holy Spirit has Himself anticipated all these modern ingenious but unbiblical and false theories regarding His own work in the apostles.
The more carefully and minutely one studies the wording of the statements of this wonderful book, the more he will become convinced of the marvelous accuracy of the words used to express the thought.
To a superficial student the doctrine of verbal inspiration may appear questionable or even absurd, but any regenerated and Spirit-tauht man who ponders the words of the Scripture day after day and year after year will become convinced that the wisdom of God is in the very words, as well as in the thought which is expressed in the words.
It is an impressive fact that our difficulties with the Bible rapidly disappear as we note the precise language used. The change of a word or letter, of a tense, case, or number would land us in contradiction or untruth, but taking the words just as written, difficulties disappear and truth shines forth.
The Divine origin of nature shines forth clearly under the use of the microscope as we see the perfection of form and adaptation of the minutest particles of matter.
So likewise the Divine origin of the Bible shines forth clearly under the microscope as we note the perfection with which the turn of a word reveals the absolute thought of God.
QUESTION: If the Holy Spirit is the author of the words of Scripture, how do we account for variations in style and diction? - - that, for example, Paul always uses Pauline language, and John, Johannean, etc.
ANSWER: If we could not account at all for this fact it would have little weight against the explicit statement of God's Word, with anyone who is humble and wise enough to recognize that there are a great many things which he can not account for at all, which could be easily accounted for if he knew more.
But these variations are easily accounted for. The Holy Spirit is quite wise enough and has quite enough facility in the use of language in revealing truth to and through any individual, to use words, phrases and forms of expression in that person's vocabulary and forms of through, and to make use of that person's peculiar individuality.
It is a mark of the Divine wisdom of this book that the same Divine truth is expressed with absolute accuracy in such widely variant forms of expression.
The utterances of the Apostles and the Prophets were the Word of God.
When we read these words we are not listening to the voice of man, but to the voice of God.
Mark 7:13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.
2 Samuel 23:2 The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.
THE WORK OF
THE HOLY SPIRIT
In Jesus Christ
THE HOLY SPIRIT TEACHES ALL THINGS.
The Holy Spirit guides the believer into all the truth.
Baptism with the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God coming upon the believer, filling his mind with a real understanding of truth, and taking possession of his faculties, imparting to him gifts not otherwise his, but which qualify him for the service to which God has called him.
A number of suggestive phrases are used in the New Testament to describe one and the same experience:
-
"Baptized with the Holy Spirit"
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"Filled with the Holy Ghost"
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"The Holy Ghost fell on them"
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"The gift of the Holy Ghost was poured out"
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"Receive the Holy Ghost"
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"The Holy Ghost came on them"
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"Gifts of the Holy Ghost"
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"I send the promise of my Father upon you"
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"Endued with power from on high"
Acts 1:5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
How the Holy Spirit Worked in Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit.
Luke 1:35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
In regeneration the believer is begotten of God; Jesus Christ was begotten of God in generation. He is the only begotten Son of God.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
The regenerated man has the carnal nature received from his earthly father and the new nature imparted by God.
Jesus Christ had only the new holy nature. He was, however, real man as he had a human mother.
Jesus Christ led a holy, spotless life, and offered Himself to God, through the working of the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
Jesus Christ was anointed for service by the Holy Spirit.
Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,
Luke 4:14, 18-19 [14] Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. [18] "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, [19] to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
Luke 3:21-22 [21] When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too.
And as he was praying, heaven was opened [22] and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove.
And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
Compare Luke 4:1, 14 [1] Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, [14] Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.
Jesus Christ was led by the Holy Spirit in His movements.
Luke 4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert,
Jesus Christ was taught by the Spirit who rested upon Him.
The Spirit of God was the source of His wisdom in the days of His flesh.
Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him -- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD
Matthew 12:17-18 [17] This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: [18] "Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations."
John 1:33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, `The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'
The words the Holy Spirit spoke to Jesus were the words of God.
John 3:34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.
Jesus Christ gave instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles Jesus had chosen.
Acts 1:1-2 [1] In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach [2] until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.
Jesus Christ performed His miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 12:28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Jesus Christ was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Practical Inferences from the Work of the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ.
Several things are evident from the study of the work of the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ.\
(1) The completeness of His humanity. He lived, thought, worked, taught, conquered sin and won victories for God in the power of that same Spirit whom we may all have.
(2) Our dependence upon the Holy Spirit. If it was in the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, lived, worked and triumphed, how much mor are we dependent upon Him at every turn of life, service and conflict with Satan and sin!
(3) The wondrous world of privilege, blessing, victory and conquest that is open to us. The same Spirit by which Jesus was begotten is at our disposal for us to be begotten of Him. The same Spirit by which Jesus Christ offered Himself without spot to God is at our disposal for us to offer ourselves without spot, the same Spirit by which Jesus was annointed for service is at our disposal for us to be annointed for service, and so on through all the points given above.
Jesus Christ is our pattern, the firstborn among many brethren. Whatever He realized through the Holy Spirit is there for us to realize also.
Note: In biblical usage, the term "firstborn" does not mean "the one born before all others". It means the one with the primary right of inheritance.
1 John 2:5-6 [5] But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: [6] Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
The Gifts and Fruit of The Holy Spirit
THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
1 Corinthians 12:4-14 [4] There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
[5] There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
[6] There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
[7] Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
[8] To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
[9] to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
10] to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
[11] All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
[12] The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
[13] For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body -- whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free -- and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
[14] Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.
1 Corinthians 12:27-30 [27] Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
[28] And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.
[29] Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
[30] Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
The Holy Spirit brings forth fruit in the believer in Christ-like graces of character.
THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT | |
|---|---|
1 Corinthians 12:4-14 |
1 Corinthians 12:27-30 |
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* There is a gift of "helps" (for instance, I have that.) These are people who feel comfortable supporting others in carrying out their ministry.
They may never be "in the spotlight", but without their assistance the other person's ministry would be less effective.
Note that there is a difference between the gift of helps and being lazy or feeling too insignificant or inferior to try taking a leading role in ministering.
Galatians 5:22-23 [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
[23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Compare Romans 4:17 As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations."
He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed -- the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 5:5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
All real beauty of character, all real Christlikeness in us, is the Holy Spirit's work, it is His fruit. He bears it, not us.
Notice these graces are not said to be the fruits of the Spirit, they are the fruit. There is a unity of origin running through all the multiplicity of manifestation.
It is a beautiful life that is set forth in these verses. Every word is worthy of earnest study and profound meditation. "Love", "joy", "peace", "long-suffering", "kindness", "goodness", "faith", "meekness", "self-control." Is not this the life we all long for, the Christ-life?
It is not natural to us, and it is not attainable by any effort of the flesh or nature.
The life that is natural to us is set forth in the three preceding verses:
Galatians 5:19-21 [19] The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
[20] idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
[21] and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.
I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But when the indwelling Spirit is given full control in the one He inhabits, when we are brought to realize the utter badness of the flesh and give up in hopeless despair of ever attaining to anything in its power -- when, in other words, we come to the end of self and just give over the whole work of making us what we ought to be to the indwelling Holy Spirit, then, and only then, holy graces of character are His fruit.
Do you wish these graces in your character and life?
Renounce self utterly and all its striving after holiness, and let the Holy Spirit, who dwells in you, take full control and bear His own glorious fruit.
(We get the same essential truth from another point of view in the following passage.)
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Settle it clearly and forever that the flesh can never bear this fruit, that you can never attain these things by your own effort, that they are "the fruit of the Spirit."
We hear a good deal in these days about "ethical culture," which usually means a cultivation of the flesh, until it bears the fruit of the Spirit.
It can not be done until thorns can be made to bear figs, and a bramble bush grapes.
Luke 6:44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers.
Matthew 12:33 Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.
We hear also a good deal about "character-building." That is all very well if you let the Holy Spirit do the building, and then it is not so much building as fruit-bearing.
See, however, the following:
2 Peter 1:5-7 [5] For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;
[6] and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;
[7] and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
We hear also about cultivating graces of character, but we must always bear in mind that the way to cultivate true graces of character is by submitting ourselves utterly to the Spirit to do His work.
"This is sanctification of the Spirit."
1 Peter 1:2 To God's elect, strangers in the world, ... [2] who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
There is a sense, however, in which cultivating graces of character is right.We look at Jesus Christ to see what we ought to be, then we look to the Holy Spirit to make us this that we ought to be.
THE FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT | |
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Galatians 5:22-23 |
2 Peter 1:5-7 |
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Galatians 5:22-23 [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
[23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
2 Peter 1:5-7 [5] For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;
[6] and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;
[7] and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
The Names Of The Holy Spirit
Why should we examine the names of the Holy Spirit?
In many cultures, including Roman-era Israelite culture, people were given descriptive names.
For instance, Isaac means "he laughs", Abraham means "father of a multitude".
Thus, by examining the names of the Holy Spirit we learn about the characteristics and traits of the Holy Spirit and about the relationship between the Spirit and others.
The Holy Spirit is called "The Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
The word means "breath," or "wind." Both thoughts are in the word as applied to the Holy Spirit.
In the following passages we have the idea of the Spirit as the breath of Christ and of God.
John 20:22 And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
Genesis 2:7 the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Compare Psalms 104:30 When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.
Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
In the following passage we have the idea of the Spirit as the wind.
John 3:6-8 [6] Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
[7] You should not be surprised at my saying, `You must be born again.'
[8] The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
It may be beyond us to fathom the full significance of this name as applied to the Holy Spirit, but this much seems clear:
The Spirit is the outbreathing of God, His life going forth to bring things to life.
Possibly we should notice the fact that the breath is itself the vital principle, and some have thought that the Spirit is therefore the inmost life of God.
The Holy Spirit is called "The Spirit of God" and "God's Spirit."
This is the same essential thought as the term "the Spirit" but His Divine origin, character and power are emphasized.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?
1 Corinthians 3:16 New English Bible Surely you know that you are God's temple, where the Spirit of God dwells.
Romans 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.
And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
The Holy Spirit is called "The Spirit of the Lord."
Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him -- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD --
Compare Isaiah 63:14 like cattle that go down to the plain, they were given rest by the Spirit of the LORD. This is how you guided your people to make for yourself a glorious name.
The Holy Spirit is called "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord.
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,
The Holy Spirit is called "The Spirit of the living God.
2 Corinthians 3:3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
The Holy Spirit is called "The Spirit of Christ."
This name brings out the relation of the Spirit to Christ as well as to the Father.
Romans 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.
And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
Compare Acts 2:33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
The Holy Spirit is called "The Spirit of his Son.
Galatians 4:6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."
This name is given to the Holy Spirit in especial connection with His testifying to the sonship of the believer.
It is "the Spirit of His Son" who testifies to our sonship.
The Holy Spirit is called "The Spirit of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:19 for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.
The Spirit is not merely the spirit of the eternal word, but the spirit of the word incarnate, Jesus Christ.
It is the man Jesus exalted to the right hand of the Father who receives and sends the Spirit.
Acts 2:32-33 [32] God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.
[33] Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear
The third person of the Trinity is called "The Holy Spirit.
The name emphasizes the essential moral character of the Spirit. He is Holy in Himself. He imparts holiness to others.
Luke 11:13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!
Compare 1 Peter 1:2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Oh, if we only realized more deeply and constantly that He is the Holy Spirit.
Well may we, as the seraphim, bow in His presence and cry, "Holy, Holy, Holy."
Yet how thoughtlessly many talk about Him and pray for Him.
We pray for Him to come into our churches and our hearts, but what will He find there?
The Holy Spirit is called "a Spirit of Fire.
Isaiah 4:4 The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire
This emphasizes His searching, refining, dross-consuming, illuminating, energizing work.
Note: Metal is often refined by melting. Impurities rise to the top and are scooped off, leaving refined metal. The layer of impurities is called "dross."
The Holy Spirit is called "a Spirit of Judgment.
Isaiah 4:4 The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire
The Holy Spirit is called "The Spirit of Holiness."
Romans 1:4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
This possibly emphasizes his holiness even more than the name "the Holy Spirit."
The Holy Spirit is called "The promised Holy Spirit."
Ephesians 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.
Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
Confer Acts 1:4-5 [4] On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.
[5] For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
Acts 2:33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
The Holy Spirit is called "The Spirit of Truth."
John 14:17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
John 15:26 When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
Compare: 1 John 5:7 Revised Standard Version And the Spirit is the witness, because the Spirit is the truth.
The Holy Spirit is called "The Spirit of Life."
Romans 8:2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
Each of the following names is based on Isaiah 11:2
The Holy Spirit is called "The Spirit of Wisdom.
The Holy Spirit is called "The Spirit of Understanding.
The Holy Spirit is called "The Spirit of Counsel.
The Holy Spirit is called "The Spirit of Power.
The Holy Spirit is called "The Spirit of Knowledge.
The Holy Spirit is called "The Spirit of the Fear of the Lord.
Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him -- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD --
The Holy Spirit is called "The Oil of Joy.
Hebrews 1:9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.
It is important to understand the significance of oil when this was written.
"Oil" does not refer to petroleum, but rather olive oil, a major crop at the time.
It served as food, was burned in lamps for light, and was traded for other goods and currency.
This is also a most beautiful and suggestive name of Him whose fruit is first "love,", then "joy."
Confer Galatians 5:22 [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
[23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
The Holy Spirit is called "The Spirit of Grace."
Hebrews 10:29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
This name brings out the fact that it is the Holy Spirit's work to administer and to apply the grace of God.
Not only is He gracious, but He is making ours, experimentally, the multifold grace of God.
The Holy Spirit is called "The Spirit of Glory.
1 Peter 4:14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
This name is intended to teach not only that He is glorious Himself, but that He imparts the glory of God to us.
Compare the following two passages:
1 Peter 4:13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
Romans 8:16-17 [16] The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
[17] Now if we are children, then we are heirs -- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
The Holy Spirit is the administrator of glory as well as grace, or rather of a grace that culminates in glory. Compare the following
Ephesians 3:16-19 [16] I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
[17] so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
[18] may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
[19] and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Thus we see that the Father is the one who dispenses grace, but the Holy Spirit is the one who delivers it to the recipient.
The Holy Spirit is called "The Eternal Spirit."
Hebrews 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
The Holy Spirit is called "the Counselor."
John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
John 15:26 When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
John 16:7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
== DISCUSSION ==
Reviser's Note: This Point brings up an interesting linguistic point.
In Torrey's Edition the three excerpts read "the Comforter," not "the Counselor," because they were from a different translation. Other translations use the word "Advocate."
Which translation more accurately conveys the sense of the original?
A counselor advises; he provides counsel.
In many cases, his counsel is anything but comforting: "For this type of crime, there's no way you won't be sent to prison. There's no way you will get less than ten years in the state penitentiary.
They'll be letting you off easy if they give you twenty years in prison."
In context, the passages provide no sense of "comforting", consoling, etc. "... the Counselor ... will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." "the Counselor ... will testify about me."
Clearly, in these passages the sense is that the Spirit is an advisor.
Of course, He will testify and teach about the love of the Father and of the Son, and we all should take comfort in such love.
Torrey states: The word translated "Counselor" literally means "one called to another's side," the idea being one at hand to take another's part.
It is the same word translated "one who speaks in our defense" (advocate) in this excerpt:
1 John 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.
But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense -- Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
The thought is that the Holy Spirit is one who is called to our side, one who is ever ready "to stand by us," to take our part.
It is a wonderfully tender name for this Holy One.
When we think of the Holy Spirit He seems so far away, but when we think of the Paracletos, or in plain English, our "standbyer," or our "part- taker," how near He is.
In what numerous ways He stands by us will appear when we come to consider His work.
But let us get this thought firmly fixed now, that the Holy Spirit is one called to our side to take our part.
"Ever present, truest friend, Ever near thine aid to lend."
ANALOGIES OF
THE HOLY SPIRIT
TO THE WIND
Like the wind, the Spirit is sovereign.
John 3:8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
1 Corinthians 12:11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
Like the wind, the Spirit is invisible.
John 3:8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.
Like the wind, the Spirit is inscrutable, incomprehensible.
John 3:8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.
Like the wind, the Spirit is indispensable.
John 3:5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit."
Like the wind, the Spirit is lifegiving.
Ezekiel 37:8-10 [8] I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
[9] Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.' "
[10] So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet -- a vast army.
Compare John 3:5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit."
Note: Much at least of the difficulty in John 3:5 would disappear if we would remember that "spirit" means "wind" and translate literally: "no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the wind."
In other words, unless a man is born of the cleansing and life Giving power of the Spirit, or of the cleansing word:
John 15:3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
Ephesians 5:25-27 [25] Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
[26] to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
[27] and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
James 1:18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
1 Peter 1:23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
Like the wind, the Spirit is irresistible.
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Compare Acts 6:10 but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.
A man filled with the Holy Spirit is transformed into a cyclone.