Part 13
Those that are amiss in the area of the Spirit in their theology usually are quite divisive in nature. They often will enter into a good church and become a division to the assembly just to teach their falsehood. While pastoring in the Midwest, we had a man attending our church. He was a strong fundamentalist and a joy to have in the fellowship. His wife, however was a full blown charismatic.
She had attended our church a time or two and happened to show up one Sunday when I was speaking about the Devil's counterfeits, one of which was tongues. She left during the closing prayer. I told the man I was sorry if it offended her — He interrupted men and said, "Don't worry — she needed it."
The following Wednesday the husband told me he had overheard a phone call his wife had made to a woman pastor. His wife described what I had said. She paused then said, "Yes, I think he's just the spirit of antichrist too." Needless to say, they do believe they are right and everyone else is wrong.
A small fundamental church in Kansas many years ago was functioning well and a charismatic couple became members. Within a year the church had split over the issue of tongues.
Missionaries have related several times that Charismatics have entered towns where good works were already established and rented buildings as close as possible to the churches and set up loud speakers outside to disrupt the services of the established churches and try to draw the believers to the excitement of the new group.
Bancroft mentions the need to hold the doctrine of the Spirit in the correct light and that we need to hold it in the right proportion. A balanced doctrine of the Spirit is needed.
Some term the 20th century as the century of the Spirit. Much of the emphasis early in the century came from the missionary zeal that was generated by the early missionaries. They realized that it was the empowerment of the Holy Spirit that would get the job done.
It would be an interesting study to relate the decline in missions interest to the incline of the charismatic movement, as well as the decline of teaching about the Holy Spirit in fundamental churches.
In recent years there was a real emphasis on the gifts and the Spirit's ministry through them. There has been some good, coming from this study of the Spirit.
In recent years we have had a fresh look at the gifts of the Spirit, not only in the negative with tongues and healing, but in the positive with the realization that believers are gifted to do different things within the local church. This emphasis on the Spiritual gifts has helped some to realize that all members of the body are important and can be beneficial to the Lord's work.
The thought we want to gain is that we should study the scriptures and determine what they say about the Holy Spirit. We should then determine in our minds to go no further than Scripture states, as some have.
I would like to look for a moment at a promise, a purpose, a power and a program, in which the Holy Spirit is involved in. These items are the current main function of the Holy Spirit.
I. THE PROMISE
When the Lord was speaking to the disciples He promised to send the Holy Spirit to minister.
"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; "Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." John 14:16-17
Some things to notice briefly from this text:
A. "another Comforter" would indicate a very close resemblance of characteristics to the Lord Himself. He was speaking in the context of leaving the disciples.
B. He will "abide" with them "forever." This is a promise of the Spirit's presence throughout all of eternity. He is for our benefit and not the world's; the world won't receive Him.
C. The Spirit was not yet indwelling them. This was a future occurrence for the disciples.
D. The coming of the Comforter was to be directly related to Christ's ascension to be with the Father.
"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." John 16:7
Just why the Lord had to leave before the comforter could come is not clearly stated in the Word, however we can do some logical assuming for a possible answer.
There is a matter of sin that had not been taken care of for the Old Testament saints and the living apostles. The Holy Spirit could not indwell until the sin nature was cared for. This could not occur until the work of the cross and the atonement for sin in the heavenly tabernacle. Thus, we can assume that the Holy Spirit's delay was due to the incomplete work of the cross. Upon the resurrection, the Spirit was free to come to indwell all believers.
II. PURPOSE
There was to be an indwelling of believers:
"Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." John 14:17
There was to be a testimony of Christ:
"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me;" John 15:26
Not only by the Spirit, but the following verse mentions that the apostles also would be witnesses.
There was to be a revealing of things to the apostles. John 16:12-15. This revealing resulted in the apostles setting down the books of the New Testament.
This text mentions again as some of the other verses "truth". The Spirit is truth and nothing false can come from Him.
There was to be an empowerment. "But ye shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit is come upon you...." Acts 1:8a We will dwell on this empowerment in the final section of our study of the Spirit.
III. POWER
Acts 1:8 mentions that the apostles were to receive power to do the job set before them. "But ye shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit is come
upon you...." Acts 1:8a As you read through the book of Acts this empowerment is quite evident in the lives of the apostles.
IV. PROGRAM
The program was to be the propagation of the Gospel after the power was received.
"...And ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Acts 1:8 b
There are some symbols and names that are used of the Spirit that we need to look at in brief.
SYMBOLS OR TYPES
1. Clothed With Power: Luke 24:49 We have this being in residence. We can call upon Him for His help and aid at any moment of the day.
2. The Dove: Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32. Walvoord suggests that there are four aspects to the dove that make it a fitting type of the Spirit, beauty, gentleness, peace, heavenly nature and origin. The choice of a dove to symbolize the Holy Spirit was a calculated decision on the part of God. The dove must symbolize nicely the Spirit.
3. The Earnest Of The Spirit: 2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:14 "Of what is the Spirit the Earnest? The Scriptures make it clear. All the future blessings of God are assured by the presence of the Holy Spirit. His presence is our guarantee. Our inheritance, our salvation, our glory, our fellowship with God, our likeness unto Him, our freedom from sin and its evils, all are represented in the token payment of the Person of the Spirit." (Walvoord, John F., A.M., Th.D.; "The Holy Spirit"; Grand Rapids: Dunham Publishing Co.; 1958, p 20)
4. Fire: Acts 2:3 Again, the symbol of fire was chosen to symbolize a specific aspect of the Spirit's ministry. This was the time when the church was being started. It was time when the message of the Gospel would go forth into the world to change lives. The symbol of fire is also used in the Gospels to symbolize judgment.
5. Oil: A number of Old Testament references seem to use oil as a type of the Spirit. Exodus 27:20-21, Leviticus 2:1-16, Leviticus 14:10-29, Exodus 40:9-16, Leviticus 8, 1 Samuel 10:1, 16:13, 1 Kings 1:39, Psalm 23:5.
In thinking of the Holy Spirit as being pictured by oil let me share a comment. The Pastor's Manual put out by Baptist Publications/Spring 1976/p 38/Denver mentions a man wanting to drive an iron bar into a timber. He drilled a hole the correct size, but the iron was rusty. He feared splitting the timber so poured oil into the hole. The iron was driven in without harm to the wood. So, with church change, we must allow the Holy Spirit to be our oil.
How true in our witnessing — take a little oil with you.
Oil shows the holiness, consecration and sanctification of the Spirit. He is pure, He is set apart, and He is an integrated part of every believer.
6. Seal: 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30. The term indicates a number of things to the believer, ownership, safety, authority, a completed agreement, security, mark of recognition, and an obligation. The Holy Spirit is all of these things to us.
Ownership: We are the Lord's whether we act like it or not. He has bought and paid for us — we are His.
Safety: There is nothing that can harm us. We are His and He cares for His own.
Authority: The Lord has authority over us. Indeed, like ownership, we often do not live like it, but He does own us and He does have authority over us. That authority may be set aside by the believer, but God will one day exercise His authority.
A Completed Agreement: The deal of the Gospel is done. We accepted Christ as payment for our sin, and He has done the rest. There is nothing more to do, the deal is set, the deal is finished, the deal is complete.
Security: There is a guarantee of security. We are sealed by the Spirit and this is God's sure mark that we are His.
Mark Of Recognition: Because we are His, we are marked as His so that the principalities and powers of the air can know where we stand.
Obligation: It is God that is obligated to do as He has said. It is His legal obligation to live up to His commitment. It is however, our moral obligation to live up to our end of the bargain. He will not force us to do so, but He certainly desires that we commit ourselves to Him.
7. Servant: Walvoord presents the servant of Abraham going for a wife for Isaac as the picture of the Spirit going after the bride for Christ. The Spirit's work in salvation being the picture.
You must admit as we continue in our study that the Holy Spirit is in the background of the ministry of God to the believer. He is very important, yet He is always in the back room serving the believer. We have the pure, perfect Servant as an integrated part of our lives, and yet we so often treat that Servant as the cruel slave owners of years past treated their slaves. Someone to do the dirty work — someone that is totally insignificant. How the Lord must grieve when we treat Him so.
8. Water: John 4:14; John 7:37-39. The characteristics of water can be seen in the ministry of the Spirit. He can be calm and waiting to work, or He can be powerful as the sea in a storm. He can carry the believer along as the sea transports the ships of commerce. He is the need of life, as is water. Without water our bodies thirst, without Him our souls thirst.
9. Wind: John 3:8; Acts 2:1-2; 2 Peter 1:21. As the sea moves the ships, so the wind can move ships from port to port. The wind is powerful to change the landscape. In the life of the believer the wind of the Spirit can do monumental landscaping. I was given a postcard from Matthew Rushmore, by my son after he had visited the monument. The card showed the before and after of the mountain. As we look at the lives of believers, we can see even more drastic changes than even the sculptor of Rushmore.
NAMES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
1. The Spirit: 1 Corinthians 2:10; John 3:6-8. This title depicts his nature. He is a spiritual being and has no body. It also seems to me that this may be a name that gives us a little familiarity with Him. The terms Holy Spirit and Eternal Spirit seem to be a little stiff, yet the Spirit seems to give evidence that one that knows Him might have a familiarity that comes
from knowledge and maybe even friendship. After all if we can call The Father, Abba Father, which means Daddy, according to most commentators, and we call The Son a friend, why shouldn't we have a friendship with the Spirit as well. The thought of a teacher that is not somewhat of a friend is foreign to my thinking as a teacher.
2. Eternal Spirit: Hebrews 9:14. This depicts his state of existence. He is eternal in nature — He has always existed and always will exist. Some seem to think that this person is for their ultimate high, for their personal benefit. He is there for the believer, to minister, to teach, to lead, but He is not there to give them a high in the worship service, he is not there to serve the believer, He is not there to bring about miraculous things of desire for the believer. He is not the spirit version of Santa Claus which gives riches and fortune to those that ask Him. He is the Eternal Spirit, the almighty God that we should desire to serve.
3. Comforter: John 15:26,
"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send
unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me;"
This name should bring us to the realization that He wants to be a comfort to us in times of trouble — at all times for that matter, not just when we are in trouble. We can receive comfort in good times as well as bad.
The last thought of the verse is one of great importance as well. The Spirit is to give witness or testimony of the Son. He is not here to be lifted up, He is not here to lift up Himself, so why is He the center of attention in so many worship services? It seem that any group that concentrates on the Spirit is doing damage to His image and ministry.
4. Holy Spirit: Luke 11:13 His holiness should be a challenge to us as we realize that He is a permanent resident. We ought to live as if we really believed that.
He is holy, He is our Holy guide, He is our Holy Leader, He is our Holy teacher, He is our Holy Comforter. He is holy at all times. Any ministry He has with us is a holy ministry, one that is free from sin, free from error, and free from all possibility of error. A ministry and minister to trust.
5. Holy Ghost: Romans 5:5,
"And hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost who is given unto us."
His presence should result in the love of God flowing out through us. This will automatically result as we walk with Him and allow the Spirit to work in and through us. This love of God is not something that we must struggle to produce, it is not something that we should concentrate on doing, it is something that will automatically become a part of our daily life, if we are in a proper relationship to Him.
Loving the unlovely, befriending the friendless and ministering to the miserable, is not something that we as humans automatically do, but it is something that we as believing humans will automatically do — if we are correctly related to God.
6. Spirit Of Truth: John 15:26; 1 John 5:6
There is nothing but truth that is revealed by the Spirit. We can trust the Word that he inspired and we can trust the leading that He can give to us on a daily basis. There is no falsehood in Him, because He is truth. His character will not allow for falsehood, nor can falsehood exist within Him, for if there be anything false in Him, then He is not God. God is truth.
7. Spirit Of Grace: Hebrews 10:29 As we allow Him to show through, we will become gracious acting people — we will have grace toward others. I have met some believers that are so very caustic in their dealing with other people. I often wonder how they are related to their God. If God is full of grace, and He indwells us, then how can we not be gracious, if we are in a proper relationship with Him?
8. Spirit Of Wisdom:
"And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the
spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord," Isaiah 11:2
This is clearly not a promise of these things to us in this age, it is a prophecy of the coming Messiah. However, this text speaks of the same
Spirit that indwells the believer today so it gives us some insight into the ministry of the Spirit to all of mankind that has been redeemed.
Imagine, the wisdom of the universe is a part of a being that is an integrated part of us. We have available to us the wisdom that the Holy Spirit has. We have all wisdom, if we ask. James mentions,
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all
[men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."
James 1:5
9. Spirit Of Understanding: Isaiah 11:2 He has all the understanding that He needs when we are in serious trouble or problems. He can minister to us perfectly, because He understands perfectly what we are up against. He knows what we need and can give it to us when we are down. He is our understanding minister.
10. Spirit Of Counsel: Isaiah 11:2 When we need His leading, He is our perfect, and truthful counsel. When He leads us into a decision, we can kick back and know that it was the correct one. We can trust in those decisions, even later when things seem to be so wrong. We can look back and know that the decision was from our Perfect counsel and God.
11. Spirit Of Might: Isaiah 11:2 In Acts 1:8 it is mentioned that the Lord would give power in witness. This power is available to us today. As we go out to witness, we have the power that the apostle Paul had, for the Spirit has not changed.
12. Spirit Of Knowledge: Isaiah 11:2 He knows God for He is God, and He can share His knowledge with us. We can know God as we go into the Word seeking that knowledge. The Holy Spirit will lead us into the knowledge that He desires us to have each day.
Imagine the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, Counsel, might and knowledge In Residence.
As I was working through these names I was impressed with the thought that if we had a pastor or friend living next door, which had perfect wisdom, understanding, counsel, might and knowledge and the many other items depicted by these names, that the person would be constantly answering our questions. RIGHT? So why aren't our prayer closets filled
the same way seeking all of these things from the Holy Spirit that dwells within us?
13. Spirit Of Promise: Ephesians 1:13,
"In whom ye also trusted, after ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also after ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,"
We have God's promise that our salvation is sure, living within.
I will list some of the other names with a reference to get you started on your own study. This would make a good devotional study. Take one name each day to study and consider.
14. Spirit Of Glory: 1 Peter 4:14
15. Spirit Of God: 1 Corinthians 3:16
16. Spirit Of Jehovah: Isaiah 11:2
17. Spirit Of The Lord Jehovah: Isaiah 61:1
18. Spirit Of The Living God: 2 Corinthians 3:3
19. Spirit Of Christ: Romans 8:9
20. Spirit Of His Son: Galatians 4:6
21. Spirit Of Jesus: Acts 16:6,7
22. Spirit Of Jesus Christ: Philippians 1:19 cf. Galatians 4:6, Romans 8:9
23. Spirit Of Life: Romans 8:2
24. Spirit Of The Lord: 2 Corinthians 3:17,18
1. We will be looking at the Spirit in an academic manner, yet there is no reason that you shouldn't apply those academic thoughts to your own personal life, and get to know the One that has indwelled you since your spiritual birth.
2. We, the believers of the church age, are of all believers of all time thus far, most special, for we have the Holy Spirit in residence. We have the Spirit indwelling us. We have the Spirit available to minister to us. We seldom, however call upon Him to minister unto our needs.
3. A short story will close our introduction.
A pastor friend and I took a trip to Colorado Springs yesterday to see some friends of mine. About ten miles outside of Denver my car had a flat tire. As I started to get out to fix the flat the pastor said, "Sit still, Joe, I'll take care of it." This he did with much dispatch, and dirt as well I might add. After brushing his suit off he returned to the car and we continued on toward our destination.
As we entered town, I noticed a bar alongside the road. Knowing the pastor would not approve of going inside I told him to stay in the car while I went in for a drink.
As we continued into town I became convicted of my drinking. Not knowing how to pray, I asked the pastor to pray for me which he did without hesitation.
We arrived at my friends' house safely and after introductions, sat down to coffee. Knowing my friends did not like religion I asked the pastor to go into the living room while we talked in the kitchen.
Before leaving town I asked the pastor to help me pick out a good camera so we found a department store. Upon much looking and discussing the pastor told me the model 301 was by far the best buy for me. I wanted a model 1440. It was more expensive, but much nicer looking, so I bought it.
On the return trip to Denver late that night we had an accident. The car turned over in the ditch. I was pinned in and couldn't move. The pastor walked ten miles to get help. Upon his return with help I was too busy thinking about myself to thank the pastor.
The next day laying in the hospital bed, I thought back over the previous day's events. I had gone all day without thanking the pastor for his help, friendship and advice. I had also set him aside twice while I indulged myself in sin and fellowship with ungodly people. I hadn't even followed his advice about the camera, advice that I had asked for.
By the way, is this the way you treat the Holy Spirit? Do you set Him aside when you're with ungodly people? Do you reject his advice? Do you thank Him for the many things He does for you?
Consider this story and its ideas in relation to your life with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a person; He is a friend; He is a comforter -- treat Him accordingly.
AN OVERVIEW OF THE DOCTRINE OF
THE HOLY SPIRIT
In the next few minutes you will receive a bird's eye view of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
As a lost person you were in the depth of sin and unable to do anything about your situation. You were lost and on your way to eternal torment in the lake of fire. At some point in your life you were confronted with God. You may have faced Him when looking at the stars on a summer evening when you realized that there had to be some power that put those stars in place. At some point in time you were confronted with God.
If you are a believer now, you were at some point in your life confronted with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You accepted that message of salvation and became a child of God.
At the point that you accepted Christ as your savior you were introduced into the body of Christ. The body of Christ is the family that makes up all living believers on the earth. We have local assemblies of believers that we call churches.
At the point of salvation you received a heavenly guest who took up residence within you. His name is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is Almighty God in residence.
We have all the magnificence of the Godhead resident inside of ourselves. This is why Paul told the Corinthian Christians that they were the temple of the living God. We are the temple, or dwelling place of God.
The Holy Spirit is just as much a person as you and me. He has the attributes of a person such as will, volition, and intelligence. He is a personable being that is desirous of fellowshipping with you and me.
He is highly intelligent, for He knows all things. He is highly compassionate, for He is God Himself. He is very strong, for He is all-
powerful. He is all loving, for He is Love. THAT is the person that you have living within you.
How do you live your life? Do you do your own thing when no one is looking, thinking that you are getting away with it? WRONGO. God knows all that you do.
WHEN WE BELIEVE, WE ARE SAVED.
IT IS CALLED REGENERATION.
1. The Regeneration Of The Holy Spirit: At the moment that you accepted the Lord you were saved. At that point a whole bunch of things happened to you in one instant. The important one that happened was that you were born again, or regenerated. It was the placing within you of a new nature as well as the Godhead. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit all came to live with you. John 3:3 "...ye must be born again...." Titus 3:5
2. The Baptism Of The Holy Spirit: One of the other things that happened to you is that you were baptized into the body of Christ. It was the placing of you into the family of God. This is not Water baptism, but is a baptism in the spiritual realm that we have nothing to do with. It is automatic and we don't have to seek it or desire it. 1 Corinthians 12:13, "For by one Spirit were we all baptized into one body...."
3. The Indwelling Of The Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit comes to live within you at the moment of your salvation. This coming to live with you is called INDWELLING and is a study in and of itself. He is within us for many purposes that we will be looking at in this study. Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Romans 5:5, Galatians 4:6.
4. The Gifting Of The Holy Spirit: Again at the point of salvation you were given one or more spiritual gifts that you are to develop and use for the building up of your local church. Ephesians 4:11 tells us that the gifts are for the building up of the church, or the training of others to do the work of the Lord.
The gifts are as follows: Teaching, Pastor — teacher, Helps, Administrations, Ministry, Exhortation, Giving, Ruling, and Evangelists. There are other gifts mentioned, however these have passed away. They
were used by the early church to show that Christ was the Messiah of the Old Testament. They are what we call sign gifts. The listings are found in Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:28-30; Ephesians 4:11. We will look at the gifts further in a later study. There is also information concerning the gifts in the ecclesiology section.
5. The Empowerment Of The Holy Spirit: As we walk with the Lord He will ask us to do certain things for Him. He does not leave us to find ways and means of doing these things, but has empowered us to do them. When He asks us to witness to a friend we don't have to go out and muster up a basket full of courage and boldness. We have the Holy Spirit living within us who will give us the courage and boldness. There is nothing too big or too hard for you as long as you have the Holy Spirit empowering you. (1 Corinthians 2:3-5 shows the power of God in contrast to the power that we have. See also Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8.)
May the message we give be God's message with Power. As you go out to witness for your Lord, you will find, often times, that you are amazed at how effective you are in countering objections and questions. This is the power of the Spirit. Once years ago my wife and I witnessed to a man. As he would object, we would have references from the Word to disprove him. As he would question, we would answer. Finally after an hour or two, he buried his head in his hands on his knees and said, "Wait a minute, you have me confused." It was not we that confused him; it was the Word and power of God.
6. The Filling Of The Holy Spirit: The filling of the Holy Spirit is used in contrast with being drunk with wine in the book of Ephesians. We are to be controlled by the Holy Spirit as fully as the person is controlled by the wine when he is drunk. We are to be controlled by the Holy Spirit at all times. This is the case anytime we have confessed all of our sin, according to 1 John 1:9, and have turned control over to Him. If we are controlling our life then He is not, and we are not filled. Ephesians 5:18, "And be not drunk with wine, in which is excess, but be filled with the Spirit"
The idea is not to be out of control, but to allow the Holy Spirit to lead, to teach and to show forth His fruit as Galatians tells us. Being filled is being controlled by Him.
7. The Convicting Of The Holy Spirit: When we as believers have sin in our lives we are not in fellowship with God. We will be convicted by the Holy Spirit of that sin so that we will confess it and remove it from our life.
The term used is a legal term that has the idea of convicted in a court of law. We will know when something is hindering our life and walk with God. The Holy Spirit will point out any sin to us as we pray and we will seek to be filled with the Spirit.
1 John 1:9 is God's answer to sin. Confess it and He will forgive it. Confess has the idea of agreeing with God on what you have done, as well as a decision not to do it again.
8. The Leading Of The Holy Spirit: As we go out into life, He will lead us into the profession, the marriage, the place of residence, etc. that He desires for us, if we will allow Him to do so. Romans 8:14 mentions, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." We can be led by the Spirit if we allow it. Leading comes from the Word, prayer, and His peace. Some add one further source of leading, and that is the advise of other believers.
A chapel speaker years ago mentioned of the advice of Christians, "Be sure they are Spiritual." You cannot trust the advice of a believer that is not walking with God. You probably should not rely heavily on the advice of a spiritual believer either. God is able to lead. Rely on the big three above for most of your leading. It is not wrong to seek advice to check out your thinking, but allow God to have the final part in your walk. (Galatians 5:18; Acts 16:6-10; Acts 13:4; Acts 8:29.)
9. The Teaching Of The Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit teaches the believer. I John. 2:27 mentions,
"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you; but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him."
You receive the teaching of the Holy Spirit primarily in two ways:
a. By reading and studying the Word of God and reacting to what you read and learn.
b. By listening to teachers and preachers. A teacher or preacher normally puts in many hours of preparation and prayer when getting ready for a lesson or sermon. That preparation can be a good basis for you to learn from. Don't assume all that you hear is gospel truth, for man can err, but listen, consider and learn from those that teach you.
You learn anytime that you are open to the Word of God. (1 Corinthians 2:9-10 also.)
10. The Praying Of The Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit intercedes for us in our prayers. Romans 8:26 says that He groans. At times we pray asking for something. "Oh, Lord, I Have To Have A Corvette To Impress That Neat Chick I Just Met." The Holy Spirit will groan. NO. That is not what it is talking about. We need to pray according to the Word. We need to pray for our needs.
We need to pray for the lost world. We need to pray for the furtherance of God's work and glory.
There are times when things are so bad and mixed up in our lives that we don't know how to pray. He does, and He prays for us in accordance with God's will for us. (Romans 8:27)
He also at times leads us to pray for certain things at certain times. He directs our prayer life to those things that are needed at the time. Many years ago I was working on a lesson at my computer. I stopped for a moment and was thinking of some of the people at our church. A couple that we did not know, except by face and name came to my mind. I felt that I should pray for them. I prayed for quite awhile for them in general ways. I remember asking God to care for them in whatever situation they were in that day. A few days later I was talking to a friend and he informed me that the husband had died and the wife was being informed of his passing at the time I was praying. The Holy Spirit leads His people. Be open to His leading.
Romans 8:26 states,
"Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit himself maketh
intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."
Two things: He leads in what to pray for and He intercedes and/or sharpens the focus of our prayers.
CONCLUSION
To tie all this up into a package that you can put into practice in your life, you need to first of all be a Christian. That is, one that has trusted Christ as their Savior. Secondly, you need to have given your life to Him for His service and control. That is dedication. Look at Romans 12:1,2.
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, Holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
Present it and leave it there. One of our pastors years ago mentioned of this verse, "The problem with living sacrifices is that we keep getting down off the alter." Commit yourself to Him. Thirdly, you need to allow the Holy Spirit to control your life.
Every part of your life will be better if the Spirit is able to control your life. You may find trials and problems, yet you will know that God is in control and doing what He wants to in your life.
He wants to be your Teacher.
He wants to be your Comforter.
He wants to be your Companion.
He wants to be your Power.
He wants to be your Leader.
He wants to be your Prayer Warrior.
He wants to be your Convictor.
He wants to be the very center of everything that you do, be it leading to the college of His choice, leading to the mate of your life, leading to the
church of His choice for you, helping you in times of troubles, empowering you to witness to your friends, helping you to submit to authorities, or learning from the pastor in the messages.
EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO — HE WANTS TO BE INVOLVED IN.
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS DEITY
"The great trinitarian strife is usually called the Arian controversy, because it was occasioned by the anti-trinitarian views of Arius, a presbyter of Alexandria, a rather skilful disputant, though not a profound spirit. His dominant idea was the monotheistic principle of the Monarchians, that there is only one unbegotten God, one unoriginated Being, without any beginning of existence. He distinguished between the Logos that is immanent in God, which is simply a divine energy, and the Son or Logos that finally became incarnate. The latter had a beginning: He was generated by the Father, which is the parlance of Arius was simply equivalent to saying that He was created. he was created out of nothing before the world was called into being, and for that very reason was not eternal nor of the divine essence. The greatest and first of all created beings, He was brought into being that through Him the world might be created. He is therefore also mutable, but is chosen of God on account of his foreseen merits, and is called the Son of God in view of His future glory. And in virtue of His adoption as Son He is entitled to the veneration of men." (Berkhof, Louis; "THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES"; Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1937, p 84, 90-91, p 84)
Arius held that the Holy Spirit was the first created being produced by the Son, an opinion very much in harmony with that of Origen." (Berkhof, p 90)
". . .in AD 381 the general Council of Constantinople met, it declared its approval of the Nicene Creed and under the guidance of Gregory of Nazianzus accepted the following formula respecting the Holy Spirit: 'And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-giving, who proceeds from the Father, who is to be glorified with the Father and the Son, and who speaks through the prophets.'" (Berkhof, p 90-91)
I would refer you to Pache's book on the Spirit for a very good study of the deity of the Spirit.
Some disputed the deity of the Spirit in the early days of the church. We will see this more in another study, let it suffice to mention Arius. He taught that God created Christ and that Christ created the Spirit. This was refuted by the Nicene Creed in A.D. 325.
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS DEITY
1. HIS DEITY IS SEEN IN HIS ATTRIBUTES
He is eternal, Hebrews 9:14 "...eternal Spirit....". Since, only God is eternal, we might safely assume that the Holy Spirit is Deity.
He is omniscient, 1 Corinthians 2:10-12, we won't read the whole text but vs 10 mentions, "...for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God." and vs 11 tells us, "For what man knoweth the things of a man, except the spirit of man which is in Him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." Also Luke 2:25-32; John 14:26; 16:12,13. Again, only God has the attribute of omniscience, thus the Spirit must be God.
He is Omnipresent, Psalm 139:7-10. Vs 7 mentions, "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?" He indwells all believers at once. John 14:17 shows this when Christ promises the Spirits coming to the disciples. He, being omnipresent, must be God.
He is omnipotent, Zechariah 4:6, "...Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." The context speaks of a mountain becoming a plain. This is the Spirit of God, the one that was the instrument of creation. The Father declared the creation, the Son spoke, and the Spirit made it so.
Luke 1:35 mentions the conception of Jesus. This would certainly take a tremendous power of deity. Also in Job 33:4, Elihu declared that the Spirit had made him.
He is truth, 1 John 5:6, "...And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth." Only God "is truth," thus the Spirit must be God.
He demonstrates sovereign acts. We are told that He gives spiritual gifts as He wills in 1 Corinthians 12:11.
He is involved in our salvation. 1 Corinthians 6:11,
"And such were some of you; but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name
of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."
Only God can be involved in our salvation.
Some misc. texts that show other ideas along this line. Isaiah 40:13; Romans 3:2; 2 Timothy 1:7; 2 Timothy 1:7; Romans 16:27.
2. HIS DEITY IS SEEN IN HIS NAMES
He is called the Spirit of God: Genesis 1:2, "...And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." (1 Corinthians 2:11 also.) This would indicate that the Spirit is an integrated part of God, thus we must assume that He is deity.
He is called eternal Spirit: Hebrews 9:14,
"How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the
eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God...."
Only God is eternal.
There are several names that I will just list with a reference for you further study.
He is called the Spirit of Jehovah, Isaiah 11:2
He is called the Spirit of the Living God, 2 Corinthians 3:3
He is called the Spirit of the Lord Jehovah, Isaiah 61:1
He is called the Spirit of Christ, Romans 8:9
He is called the Spirit of Jesus, Acts 16:6,7
3. HIS DEITY IS SEEN IN HIS ACTIVITIES
His deity is seen in His work in creation. Genesis 1:2; Psalm 104:30; Job. 26:13, "By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent." The Spirit's part in creation demands omnipotence, which in turn demands deity.
His deity is seen in revelation. Acts 28:25, "...Well spoke the Holy Spirit by Isaiah, the prophet, unto our fathers," Only God has revealed His message to mankind. The New Testament declares the Spirit to be the instrument of revelation. (2 Peter 1:21 mentions also that the prophets spoke as they were moved by the Spirit. 2 Samuel 23:2,3 mentions, "The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and his word was in my tongue.")
His deity is seen in Christ's birth. Luke 1:35,
"And the angel answered, and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come
upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee...."
Another indication of power, or omnipotence.
His deity is seen in His work of conviction. John 16:7-11, The text speaks of the Spirit convicting the world. Only God could undertake such a task. The conviction of one person would require God, much less conviction of the entire human race as it has walked the earth through the ages.
His deity is seen in His work of regeneration. John 3:3-6. These verses tell us that rebirth comes only by being born of the Spirit. Christ was speaking to Nicodemus.
His deity is seen in His work of resurrection. Romans 8:11,
"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in
you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also give life to
your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."
Only deity has power over death.
His deity is seen in his activity with the church. He is involved with the church. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6; Revelation 3:22.
4. HIS DEITY IS SEEN IN HIS ASSOCIATIONS WITH GOD
Acts 28:25 mentions that the Holy Spirit spoke through Isaiah, and in Isaiah we find it is mentioned that God was communicating with Isaiah (Isaiah 6). Another set of verses which indicate the same idea are Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Hebrews 10:15-17
The lie of Ananias and Sapphira was linked to the Holy Spirit in Acts 5:3, and to God in vs 4.
The Baptismal formula of Matthew 28:19 and the benediction of 2 Corinthians 13:14 both show the Spirit with the Son and The Father. 2 Corinthians 13:14,
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen."
He is identified as the temple of the believer, while we are also called the temple of God (1 Corinthians 6:19 cf. 1 Corinthians 3:16, indeed, 3:16 mentions both God and the Spirit. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?." Colossians 1:27 mentions that Christ is in us as well).
The phrase "another comforter" indicates that the Spirit is of an identical nature with Christ. Christ Himself identifies the Spirit as of the same status, or nature as Himself.
He is also linked to God in the administration of the church. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6
The above proofs should give only one conclusion, and that conclusion would be that The Holy Spirit is God. He is person three within the trinity from eternity past.
1. We know His leading is sure and guaranteed as correct. He is truth, and He would not lead us counter to His nature, or the Word.
2. He sealed us — we know we are eternally secure. He is our guarantee. He can not all of a sudden not guarantee. Our surety is based in The Eternal Almighty God.
3. His deity should show us His love, grace and longsuffering in the fact that He is within us and we step willfully into sin. He could strike us dead, yet He awaits our repentance and correct living.
4. It should curb our wrong doing. HE IS WITHIN. He is witness of all that we do.
Surely, realizing these things should correct some of our wrong living, and wrong thinking.
THE PERSONALITY OF
THE HOLY SPIRIT
THE SPIRIT HAS THE CHARACTERISTICS OF PERSONALITY
He has life: Romans 8:2, "...the Spirit of life...." 2 Corinthians 3:3, "...Spirit of the living God...." Dare I suggest we need Him in our worship services. We are often very dead. He isn't some doctrine we study. He is real, He is alive, He is active. This should add to the friendship aspect of our relationship to Him. He is living and alive, and can react to all that we share with Him.
He has intelligence, knowledge & thought: 1 Corinthians 2:10, 11 mentions that He can know. Romans 8:27, "And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit...." He has a mind. He can think and know, thus He can be interactive in leading and guiding us. He is not just a power within us, He is a person — someone that we can communicate with — someone that has perfect compassion that understands our hurt and many other things.
He has purpose: Isaiah 11:2 is a prophecy that the Spirit will be upon the Messiah to minister. 1 Corinthians 12:11 tells that He gives the gifts as He wills indicating that there is specific purpose in His work. Not only can He purpose to do things, but He purposes that we do things. We are not placed upon this earth to take up space and resources; we are here to bring glory to God and to serve Him. Part of the Spirit's purpose is to aid us in these accomplishments.
It is a neat concept to consider that God has given us a purpose and job to do, then He has given us all that we need to do that job. He has done it all. He saved us so that we can respond to Him, He gave us the purpose and He gave us the Spirit to help us do the work.
He has activity: He was active in creation (Genesis 1:2). He was active in getting the church off the ground (Acts 2:1-4). He is active within the church through individual believers. Each believer is indwelt by the Spirit,
thus He is able to lead not only the individual, but also the church through their collective leading.
He is active in the lost segment of mankind as well. The Scripture is clear that He is in the business of convicting the lost, but more importantly he is active in drawing the lost to the Lord. Without His drawing and activity on our part, we would still be lost.
He has freedom: "Now the Lord is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." 2 Corinthians 3:17 We are told that He gives the gifts as He wills (1 Corinthians 12:11). He acts as He wills, and has freedom to do so. We might add one qualifier to that statement. He acts freely within the prescribed plan that was set by the Trinity in eternity past. He, nor any member of the Trinity, will ever act independent of the decree and consent of the other members of the Trinity.
He not only IS free, but he creates freedom. Within our Christian life, we have a great freedom. We often find ourselves worried about what we can't do, but seldom think of all that we can do. We have great freedoms within our Christian life. We are also free to limit those freedoms for the sake of our fellow believers or our testimony.
He has self-consciousness: (WILL/ VOLITION) 1 Corinthians 12:11 "as He will". He knows Himself — is conscious that He has life and that He exists. This is an eternal consciousness as God the Father has, as God the Son has. Since He is truly God, He naturally will have the eternal consciousness of God.
He knows what He is all about. He does not need us to tell Him what to do, nor how to do for us. He knows the Father's will for our lives; we need not tell Him what to do.
He has emotions: Ephesians 4:30 mentions that we can grieve Him. This would require emotions.
Is there any sense in which His emotions become our emotions after salvation? Either His emotions become linked with ours, or we are made more sensitive to things that He is concerned with. Example: Today when driving, if I hit a bird, I have a sick feeling in my stomach, as well as a sorrow. Before I was saved, I was trying to hit birds. Some change. In my
pre-salvation days — I went hunting and fishing all the time. In the post salvation days — I really am taken with those creatures of God that I have removed life from. Indeed, I cleaned some fish My son caught in 1990 and one wasn't dead yet. I had to kill it. Not a good feeling.
I have seen many hard people that come to know the Lord who become easily moved by spiritual or sad things. I don't know that our emotions are linked with those of the Spirit, yet we seem to become more sensitive to those things that He knows and loves.
He has love: Romans 15:30,
"Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me."
As God, He is Love, according to the Word. Since God loves the lost, it would be logical to assume that the Spirit would encourage us to pray for the lost.
How do we see His love? Do we really understand how much He loves us? He seeks us before salvation. He convicts us before salvation. He transforms us, baptizes us, and does many other things at salvation. He convicts, guides, empowers and indwells us after salvation. His indwelling allows for His fruit to come forth through us to make us better people.
He has goodness: Nehemiah 9:20,
"Thou gavest also thy good Spirit to instruct them,
and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth,
and gavest them water for their thirst."
It follows that His goodness would proceed to us, as well as through us to others. As you study the Spirit and the fact that His characteristics come through us to others, should bring us to consider whether we are really allowing Him to do what He wants through us. Are we really like the Spirit when we are with other people?
He has will: He gives the gifts as He wills (1 Corinthians 12:11). If He gives gifts as He wills, and He does, It follows that the gift that each of us has is the exact gift that He wants us to have. Thus we might realize that if
He has made us a teacher, that we should not be upset that we aren't a giver or pastor-teacher. We should be satisfied with what He has willed for us.
By implication the fruit of the Spirit, (Galatians 5:22,23) indicate His will. His life produces the fruit through the believer. There must be a will to do so, for the purpose that He wills.
THE SPIRIT HAS RECOGNITION AS A PERSON BY CHRIST
Christ Called The Spirit The Comforter, Or Helper: John 14:16 The terms comforter and helper depict a person that can assist. Christ would have chosen other terms had the Spirit been a force or power that was to come. He is a person that can comfort and help in time of trouble, not just a force or power to move us along through life.
Christ Used Personal Pronouns In Reference To The Spirit: John 16 mentions several: Him (7), He (8), He, himself (13), He (15). Indeed, the Spirit is referred to with personal pronouns by the authors of Scripture. It should be pointed out that the pronouns are masculine rather than neuter according to Pache. (Pache, Rene; "The Person And Work Of The Holy Spirit"; Chicago: Moody Press, 1954, p 13)
It would be illogical to deny the personality of the Spirit, when others use personal pronouns to speak of Him.
THE SPIRIT HAS ASSOCIATIONS WITH THE FATHER AND
SON
He is mentioned in the baptismal formula: Matthew 18:19 The Father and the Son have personality — so must He.
He is mentioned in the benediction of 2 Corinthians 13:14:
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen."
It seems foolish to deny personality for the Spirit and yet allow it for the Father and the Son.
THE SPIRIT HAS THE ACTIONS OF A PERSON
He Speaks: He clearly communicates with believers. If there is communication, then many other things are indicated. Will, ability, intelligence, etc. 2 Samuel 23:2, "The Spirit of the Lord spake by me...." Acts 8:29, "Then the Spirit said...." Revelation 2:7, "...the Spirit saith...."
He Prays: Paul tells us that when we don't know how to pray that the Spirit is making "intercession" on our behalf (Romans 8:26). This indicates that He knows our minds, and has the ability to communicate with The Father. Neither of these are abilities a power or force might have.
He Guides: One of the ministries that He has with the Christian is guidance, be it guidance in study of the Word, or guidance in finding the Lord's will.
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God,
they are the sons of God." Romans 814
He calls and commissions: This requires many of the attributes which we have already seen. Only a being with personality can accomplish these things in another beings life. He calls and commissions men and women to ministries around the world. Acts 13:2, Acts 20:28.
He Commands: He commanded Phillip to go to the Eunuch Acts 8:29. This requires planning and authority. Phillip was submitting to the plan of the Spirit for his life.
He Dwells In Believers: Only a being with personality can dwell with another being. John 14:17 mentions, in relationship to the Spirit, "...and shall be in you."
He Teaches: The teacher with no personality is the teacher that is not a teacher. Personality is required of any teacher. The Holy Spirit has the ability to teach which indicates many of the things that we have mentioned. Will, intelligence, and ability to communicate — are all qualities of personality. John 14:26
I will just list some other aspects of this point with a reference for your further study:
He Reproves: John 16:8
He Sends: Acts 13:4
He Forbids Some Actions: Acts 16:6,7
He Empowers: Acts 1:8, 2 Peter 1:21
He Testifies: John 15:26,27
THE SPIRIT CAN BE TREATED AS A PERSON
The Spirit can be vexed: Isaiah 63:10,
"But they rebelled, and vexed his Holy Spirit therefore he was
turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them."
Vexed means to annoy or disturb. In relation to this item, we need to understand that we have a responsibility to Him — to treat Him as a person.
The Spirit can be grieved: You cannot grieve a force or power, but it is possible to grieve a person. Grieving the Spirit should be the last thing that the believer would want to do, yet it so often occurs. Ephesians 4:30
The Spirit can be lied to: Ananias and Sapphira tried to lie to the Spirit, but failed. To know a lie requires intelligence. On the other hand no normal person would attempt to lie to a power or force. Acts 5:3
The Spirit can be resisted: In Stephen's sermon he encouraged the listener to be open to the Spirit.
"Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do ye." Acts 7:51
Notice that the result of resisting the Spirit is being stiff-necked. This should be a warning against resisting the Spirit, even the first time. There is a real danger of becoming hardened when we begin to put off the moving of the Lord.
The Spirit can be called upon: Ezekiel 37:9 is the beginning of the vision of the dry bones arising and being assembled. The Spirit is called to breath life into the dead. If called upon, there is an expected possibility of response.
The response is that action of personality that we ought to look forward to when we pray.
The Spirit is to be obeyed: It is inconceivable to think that we would obey anything less than a person. Acts 10:19-21 tells us that Peter was told to go meet some men and he followed the instructions. Acts 16:6ff Paul is guided and commanded by the Spirit.
Others items of interest: The Spirit can be quenched, 1 Thessalonians 5:19; The Spirit can be blasphemed, Matthew 12:31; The Spirit can be revered, Psalm 51:11; The Spirit can be tempted, Acts 5:9
THE SPIRIT HAS NAMES INDICATING PERSONALITY
As you look at the names of the Spirit it will become obvious that there is personality indicated. We will not go into these names, but I might mention that Pache on pages 12-13 has a listing of these for your study.
1. He is a person and is indwelling us, thus He should be our Personal Friend. If He is less, then you need to be with Him more.
2. He is very active and most of His activity is for our benefit. Are we ever thankful for what He does? Do we ever thank the Lord for the Spirit's ministry to us?
3. "The Mystery Of God's Spirit"
"It is said that while Dr. J. H. Jowett was ministering in England he once decided to preach on the text 'The wind bloweth where it listeth.' Upon studying the text he realized that he knew nothing about the wind. He decided to consult a sailor about the actions of the wind. When he went to the harbor he approached a sailor and asked the question, 'Can you tell me something about the wind?' The sailor looked as if he thought the man demented and said, 'No.' He pressed the question and said, 'But you have been sailing the seas all of your life, you must know something about the wind.' 'I repeat, sir, that I do not know anything about the wind. All I know is that when I feel the wind blowing I raise my sails and I am wafted on to my port.' Dr. Jowett hurried back to his study — he
had his sermon." F. Crossley Morgan (Stuber, Stanley I. and Clark, Thomas Curtis; "TREASURY OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH"; New York: Association Press, 1949, p 366)
May we become immediately active when we feel the spirit blowing our way.
4. Personal opinion:
We long to know God.
We long to know Christ.
Do we long to know the Spirit?
We desire a deeper walk with God the Father.
We desire a closer walk with God the Son.
Do we desire a more holy walk with God the Holy Spirit?
God is God. If we want to know Him better why do we always aim our desire toward 2/3's of Him? I'm not talking about fuzzy feelings, tingling tongues and hipped healings. I'm just talking about getting to know God — all 3/3's of Him.
As we learn of the Holy Spirit, I believe it will bring us to a more holy walk and a more holy work.
"Belief In The Holy Ghost"
"Years ago George Bernard Shaw wrote his whimsical way: 'I am no more a Christian than Pilate was, or you, gentle reader; and yet, like Pilate, I greatly prefer Jesus to Annas or Caiaphas; and I am ready to admit that, after contemplating the world and human nature for nearly sixty years, I see no way out of the world's misery but the way which would have been found by Christ's will, if he had undertaken the work of a modern practical statesman.'
"'Do we obey the unveiling of God's conscience in Christ? So we believe in the Holy Ghost — in God present and active within us, supplementing our weakness, enlightening our ignorance, molding our wills, keeping us in unity with lovers of Christ everywhere,
and equipping us with every grace and gift we need to make our world Christian if we let him? Are we merely God-seekers, or are we God-possessed, God-led, God-empowered?
"To believe in the Trinity is to live with Father, Son, and Spirit and to know what God is to those who trust him." Henry Sloane Coffin (Stuber, Stanley I. and Clark, Thomas Curtis; "Treasury Of The Christian Faith"; New York: Association Press, 1949, p 369370)
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE OLD
AND THE NEW TESTAMENT
"There are great mysteries in connection with the Trinity that the human mind cannot explore. They are beyond the realm of our comprehension. Take for example the location of each member of the Trinity in the universe. The Bible speaks of the Father being in heaven. That is His special residence. The Lord Jesus is at the right hand of the Father making intercession for His people. The Word of God tells us that the Holy Spirit is here on earth dwelling in the Church, the Body of Christ, and in believers. Yet, these Three are so closely knit together that what thought comes to the mind of One is also on the minds of the Others. They are inseparable and work together in perfect harmony and unity." (Epp, Theodore H.; "THE OTHER COMFORTER"; Lincoln: Back to the Bible Broadcast, 1966, p 24)
This indicates correctly the location of the Spirit in this age, however this was not so prior to Pentecost. Just because we have the Spirit indwelling us personally, it does not mean that He has had the same relationship with all believers of all times. Indeed, we have mentioned that we are unique to all ages in the past in that we DO have the Spirit living within us.
Let us look at the differences between the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament and the Holy Spirit in the New Testament.
The Spirit of God is closely related to the Spirit of man in both testaments.
The Spirit in the Old Testament was an integrated part of God's plan of creation from the beginning. He didn't just happen onto the scene in the book of Acts. Genesis 1:2, "...And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the water." Pache has some further information on the Holy Spirit and His part in creation. (Pache, Rene; "The Person And Work Of The Holy Spirit"; Chicago: Moody Press, 1954, 29)
The Spirit is mentioned in many other places in the Old Testament. A word study would be of benefit in this area for further study.
In the New Testament we see the Spirit on the day of Pentecost and His part in the founding of the Church (Acts 2:4). He is spoken of many other times in the New Testament. We have already mentioned some of His ministries which are declared in the New Testament.
The Spirit is an integrated part of both Testaments, yet there are some distinct differences in His ministry. We will see this as we move along.
It is of interest that in both of the Testaments, the same word is used of both the spirit of man and The Spirit of God. Indeed, all but two references in the New Testament translated spirit are the same Greek word.
Let us look into the two Testaments and see what we can find concerning the Spirit.
THE SPIRIT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Spirit was limited in the Old Testament period. He did not indwell the believer. Isaiah 59:21 does promise a different and better ministry in the future for the Jew. This will be fulfilled in the end time. Joel 2:28-29 looks forward to this time as well. Peter mentioned that this was what happened on the day of Pentecost, yet the entire text looks to the end times for a complete fulfillment. This is one of the cases where we see a partial fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy, and a yet future COMPLETE fulfillment at a later date in time.
The Spirit in the Old Testament had a general ministry to the nation of Israel. The Spirit was given to the Israelites for the purpose of instruction (Nehemiah 9:20). There was an aspect of teaching via the Holy Spirit even in the Old Testament. We, however, see this much clearer in the New Testament times when every believer has that teaching in residence.
We also see a protective aspect to the Spirit's ministry in the Old Testament (Haggai 2:4,5). I must wonder just how strongly some of the Old Testament saints might have clung to this particular text and promise in their hard times. "Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD;
and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I [am] with you, saith the LORD of hosts: [According to] the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not."
It needs to be understood that in the Old Testament the Spirit did not indwell all believers as He does now. This is seen in the following facts.
a. David knew that the Spirit could be taken from him. (Psalm 51:11. 1 Samuel 16:13 mentions the occurrence of the Spirit coming upon David. It was at his anointing by Samuel.) This to me seems to have been a situation that might well have been very frustrating to the Old Testament believer. To know the ministry of the Spirit and to know that He might not be there the next day would have been a worrisome thing. Imagine the sinking feeling that Samson must have had when he knew that the Spirit's power was removed from him.
There is a sense in which we should see this concept within the church. We know that the Holy Spirit cannot be taken from us, but we should also remember that when we walk in our own power the Spirit has little, if any, input into our lives and ministries. We know that all have the Spirit in full measure, however if the Spirit is not in control, He might as well not be present. The key in this age is to allow the Spirit free movement in our hearts and minds.
b. The Spirit departed from king Saul. 1 Samuel 16:14,
"But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him."
Again we see that the Spirit was not resident in the believers. He did come upon individuals at times, but there is no indication that there was an indwelling of the Spirit as there is in the New Testament.
Indeed, indwelling was an impossibility in the Old Testament. He is the seal of our salvation, and salvation had not been provided as yet in the Old Testament. The Old Testament saint was awaiting his completed salvation. Their sin was only covered until the Lord Jesus could care for their sins.
c. The craftsmen of the Old Testament were especially helped with the Spirit for their work (Exodus 28:3; 31:3). It must have been very special to these men to see their skills enhanced by the work of the Spirit. These were craftsmen and yet the Spirit was upon them in a special way for this ministry unto the Lord.