Spirit of God

 Compiled by Rachel Cory-Kuehl, 1996

Most recently edited, October 2017

Scripture is from New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Ephesians 4:6 “... one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

This verse alone, should tell us who the Holy Spirit is. He is the “one God” whom Jesus called “Father”. Jesus said, “God is spirit” (John 4:24). Paul called Jesus “the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15). If “the Father” was in Jesus and with Jesus, but was invisible, then “the Father” IS spirit. If “your Father” is “in the secret place” with you when you pray, then God our Father IS spirit (Matthew 6:6, 18).

Who was Jesus’ Father?

Matthew 1:18 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.”

Matthew 1:20 “But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit was Jesus’ Father. Think of all the times Jesus spoke about His Father. He was speaking about the Holy Spirit. That certainly puts a new slant on the following verses.

John 16:28 Jesus said, “I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.”

John 16:32 “I am not alone, because the Father is with me.”

John 17:21 “You Father, are in Me . . .”

John 14:10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.”

ONE GOD - WHO IS SPIRIT

     And Jesus called Him “Father.”

Ephesians 4:6 “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all”

So then: The Father who “is spirit”, who dwelt in Christ without measure, also pours Himself through Christ - into us. We are thus made “one” with them just as Jesus prayed, “that they also may be one in Us” (John 17: 21).

     This is how “we abide in the Son and in the Father” (1John 2:24).

      This is how we have fellowship “with the Father and with His Son” (1John 1:3).

John 14:23 [Jesus said] “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”

NOTE: No mention here of a third divine being - just the Father and His Son. So when God said, “Let us make man in our image” (Genesis 1:26) we can understand that God the Father said those words to His Son.

The Father acts through His Son.

This principle is seen through all of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. God the Father has acted through His Son, in creation, in mediation, in reconciliation, in redemption, in judgment, and in the execution of judgment. Everything has been done THROUGH the Son.

            The same principle applies to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

FROM THE FATHER - THROUGH CHRIST - TO MEN

Titus 3:6 “This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” (NRS)

Acts 2:33 “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He [Christ] poured out this which you now see and hear.”

John 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom [or which] I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who [or which] proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.”

The Spirit of truth proceeds from the Father.

Christ would send this “Helper”.

This gift - would testify of Christ.

It would give proof of the resurrection and the identity of Christ.

PRONOUNS

     The Spirit is called “He”.

I need to make a note here, concerning the Greek pronouns used in our previous text, translated into English as “whom”, “who”, and “He”. This will be important as we proceed. Because the English translators believed in a triune God, they translated every word referring to the Spirit, with sex linked pronouns (like Who or Whom), rather than with neuter pronouns like “which”, or “it”.

John 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom [3739] I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who [3739] proceeds from the Father, He [1565] will testify of Me.”

      3739 ὅς hos {hos} including feminine ἥ he {hay}, and ὅ neuter ho {ho}

      Meaning: 1) who, which, what, that

      The word used in this verse is ὃ , which is the relative nominative neuter singular pronoun.

The word can quite correctly be translated “which I shall send to you” and “which proceeds from the Father”.

       1565 ἐκε?νος ekeinos {ek-i'-nos}

      Meaning: 1) he, she, it, etc. Origin: from 1563;; pronoun

      Usage: AV - that 99, those 40, he 40, the same 20, they 14, misc 38; Count: 251

The word used here is ἐκε?νος, which is the masculine singular pounoun. Therefore the word “He” is the correct translation. “He will testify of Me.”

Question: Who then is “He”? I believe that “He” refers to the Father. The Father would testify of Christ, by sending His Spirit through Christ - to men. At the baptism, the Father anointed Jesus with His Spirit. This anointing testified of Jesus calling and identify. The Father spoke from Heaven, “This is my beloved Son.” He then poured His Spirit upon Jesus. The dove was a public, visible symbol of that Spirit - like the oil poured upon Aaron and upon David.

Jesus said, “The Father who dwells in me, He does the works (John 14:10). He also said, “the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me (John 5:36). Conclusion: The Father, dwelling in Christ “testified” by doing the works.

The “works” testified. And the gift of the Spirit would “testify”. The giver of that Spirit (and therefore that testimony) was the Father. The channel or means by which that “gift” would come, was Jesus. Let’s try another verse.

Titus 3:5 “according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom (which 3739) He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior”

            Who is “He” ? Answer: God our Father. “. . . how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him” (Luke 11:13).

How do we receive the Holy Spirit?

    Answer: We must be baptized by Jesus Christ.

Matthew 3:11 [John the Baptist] “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33).

Anything repeated four times in Scripture is absolutely foundational !!!

Jesus would baptize His followers with the Holy Spirit.

He would “receive” this Spirit from His Father.

John 20:21-22 “So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”

Conclusion: The Holy Spirit is given to us by the Father, through His Son.

Acts 2:33 “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear” (NAS).

Jesus is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit!

John 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom [which] I shall send to you from the Father”

Luke 11:13 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

from the Father - through the Son - to us

Ephesians 3:14-18 “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”

            The Father would grant you His Spirit. And the effect would be Christ dwelling in your heart. Do you see the way it works? Christ is the channel. The Father pours His own Spirit through Christ. This enables Christ to dwell in us. We have fellowship with both the Father and His Son. We partake of Their nature, and we are thus changed - and healed.

Romans 8:11 “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

Question: Who raised Christ Jesus from death? Answer: His Father (1Peter 1:3; Galatians 1:1; Ephesians 1:17-20). The Spirit of the Father dwells in those who believe.

1 John 4:12-13 “No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.”

No man has seen the Father (John 6:46). He is “the invisible God” (Eph. 1:15).

Jesus is “the image of the invisible God”.

The Spirit of the invisible God, abides in us by His Spirit,

which He has given to us through His Son.

1 Corinthians 8:6 “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”

From the Father - through the Son - to us.

Ephesians 4:6 “one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

The Holy Spirit is called a “gift” from “the Father”.

Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Conclusion: The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to us,

which is given to us by the Father, through Christ His Son.

James 1:17-18 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

Ephesians 5:20 “. . . giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Holy Spirit is a “perfect gift” - just as Jesus was a “perfect gift”.

THE FATHER GETS THE CREDIT

How was Jesus to explain His continuing presence with them (and in them) after He returned to Heaven? How did Paul understand it?

Galatians 4:6 “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (NAS)

1Corinthians 15:45 “Thus it is written, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living being’; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. (NRS)

Paul believed the Spirit with them, and in them, was Jesus Christ. He is “the last Adam”.

Adam was the first “head” of the human race. He sold his entire family into slavery to Satan when he rebelled against his Creator. Jesus Christ has now been made “head” of those who come to God through Him. He is “the last Adam”.

God the Father poured Himself into and through His Son, thereby making Christ a “life giving spirit”. THIS is how God “has sent forth the spirit of His Son - into our hearts”. Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

Colossians 1:27 “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Ephesians 3:14-18 “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”

The Spirit of the Father dwelling in, and flowing through His Son, enables Christ to dwell in our hearts. The Spirit of the Father becomes “the Spirit of Christ”.

Romans 8:9 “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.”

           Do you see it? The “Spirit of God” became “the Spirit of Christ”.

Philippians 1:19 “For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.”

John 17:23 [Jesus prayed to His Father:] “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”

The Father IN Christ. Christ IN His disciples.

And the world would know that the Father sent His Son.

Ephesians 4:10 “He that descended [into the grave] is the same also that ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.”

Who descended into the grave? Answer: Jesus

Who would fill all things? Answer: Jesus

How does Jesus “fill all things” ?

Answer: The Spirit of God the Father flows through Jesus, into us.

Christ has been glorified by His Father, with the glory He had before the world was (Jn 17:5). Omnipresence, Omnipotence, and omniscience has been restored to Him.

HOW DO WE EXPERIENCE THE HOLY SPIRIT?

      Answer: As the presence of Christ.

John 14:18 [Jesus said] “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”

Matthew 28:20 [Jesus said] “I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.”

Matthew 18:20 [Jesus said] “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

Revelation 3:20 [Jesus said] “I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me.”

HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT SAYS TO THE CHURCHES

                      The words of each message are the words of Christ.

To the church of Ephesus:

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” “These things says He who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.” ‘To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life...’” (Rev. 2:7, 1).

           It is the Son of Man, who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks (Rev. 1:12-13). He is our High Priest. This is ancient Tabernacle imagery.

To the angel of the church of Smyrna:

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” “These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life:” “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2: 11, 8, 10).

And to the angel of the church in Pergamos:

“These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword (1:13,16):” ... He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna ...” (Rev. 2:12, 17).

           A sharp two-edged sword comes from the mouth of the Son of Man (Rev 1:13-16).

And to the angel of the church in Thyatira:

“... “These things says the Son of God” ...‘I am He who searches the minds and hearts. ... He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’” (Rev. 2:18, 23, 26, 29).

And to the angel of the church in Sardis:

“‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God. ... He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father ... He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’” (Rev. 3:1, 5, 6).

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia:

“He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God ... He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’” (Rev. 3:7, 12, 13).

And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans:

“To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. . . hear what the Spirit says to the churches’” (Rev. 3:14, 21, 22).

     Conclusion: To hear the Holy Spirit is to hear the voice of Christ!!

Acts 20:28 “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

Did the Holy Spirit die on a cross? No. The Holy Spirit who “purchased with His own blood” the church of God - is Jesus. The Spirit who made the Apostles “overseers” to shepherd His church” - is Jesus. The Apostles were empowered by Jesus. They heard Jesus. They were directed by Jesus. This is “the Spirit of Christ” (Romans 8:9).

THERE IS ONE SPIRIT

Ephesians 4:4 “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of you calling”

Ephesians 2:18 “For through Him [Christ] we both [Jew and Gentile] have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”

“God is Spirit” (John 4:24). God the Father IS the one original eternal uncreated “Spirit”. He beget a Son. He poured Himself into and through His Son. By this channel, God has revealed Himself to men. By this channel, men have access to God. The Son of God is the “one Mediator between God and man” (1Timothy 2:5).

If you make the Holy Spirit a third divine omnipresent being, who relays Christ’s messages to us, who comforts us, then you have added another mediator. You have inserted God between Christ and man.

Think about it. ONE Spirit. That means “the Spirit of God” - “the Spirit of the LORD” -“the Spirit of Christ” - “the Spirit of the Father” ALL are the same Spirit. Is this not what we see? One river flows from the throne of God and the Lamb.

THE RIVER OF LIFE

FROM THE THRONE OF GOD AND OF THE LAMB

Revelation 22:1 “Then he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” (RSV)

John 7:38 “He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (RSV)

When Jesus ascended, He had a new “spiritual body” and He was immortal, but He had not yet been glorified. On the Pentecost which followed His death, Jesus was glorified by His Father. The Father poured Himself - His Spirit - without measure into and through His Son. Jesus immediately poured this Spirit upon His waiting disciples.

WATER - A SYMBOL - FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT

We are “baptized” in water, and we are baptized with the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:8).

Christ gives to us “living water” which then flows out from us (John 7:38).

We are washed and made spiritually clean by “water and the word”(Ephesians 5:26).

The “early rain” and “latter rain” symbolize the outpouring of the Spirit (Hosea 6:3).

Water for Israel flowed from the smitten rock (Exo. 17:6).

We drink of the “water of life” (Revelation 21:6).

The “river of life” flows from “the throne of God and the Lamb” (Revelation 22:1).

WE ARE A TEMPLE FOR THE SPIRIT

1 Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that you are the Temple of God

and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”

Christ called the Temple, “My Father’s house” (John 2:16). This verse makes sense, when you realize that the Holy Spirit was Jesus’ Father. The Temple would therefore be the Holy Spirit’s “house”. And we would be the Temple of God the Father. The great Spirit Father would dwell in us, just as He dwelt in Christ.

Ephesians 4:6 “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

DIFFICULT PASSAGES CONCERNING THE HOLY SPIRIT

1 Corinthians 15:45 “And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam [Christ] became a life-giving spirit.’”

This passage is not puzzling, when we know that the Spirit of the Father, given to us through Christ, comes to us as the Spirit of Christ.

2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Ephesians 4:10 “He that descended [into the grave] is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things.”

WHAT ABOUT THE BAPTISMAL FORMULA?

Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

The Emperor Constantine commissioned and paid for a copying and compilation of the Scriptures known as the “New Testament”. The resulting Greek text is known as the “Byzantine”. New Scholarly work by those familiar with the ancient manuscripts has revealed no Greek manuscript older than the time of Constantine, which contains Matthew 28:19. The portion containing Matthew 28:19 is missing from every pre-Constantine Greek manuscript. One Aramaic manuscript survives. In that manuscript, Matthew 28:19 reads, “baptizing them in my name.” In other words, Christ commanded them to baptize in HIS name. Many other passages confirm that the disciples did just that.

Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 8:16 “For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Acts 19:5 “When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Romans 6:3 “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?”

Galatians 3:27 “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:11 “But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the     name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”

Eusebius of Caesarea wrote during the 4^th century. He was a “friend” of Constantine. In his work “Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Cpt 5, Section 2", he quotes Matthew 28:19 as “make disciples of all the nations in my name”. He quotes the passage in the same way in “Oration in Praise of Emperor Constantine, Cpt 16, Sect. 8" . He quotes the passage in the same way some 18 times. Finally, near the end of this life, he quotes the passage once, as “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”. He may have been influenced by his loyalty to the Emperor, or by fear of the Emperor.

Rather than copy and paste long textual material, I will simply refer you to some websites.

      http://www.onenesspentecostal.com/matt2819-willis.htm

      http://www.trinitytruth.org/matthew28_19addedtext.html

      https://discover-the-truth.com/2013/07/26/trinity-the-truth-about-matthew-2819-1-john-57/

      https://www.torahresource.com/pdf-articles/matt-28-19-a-text-critical-investigation.pdf

There are many, many more references in Google. Scholars are split on the authenticity of Matthew 28:19. For me personally, the evidence is very strong, that the disciples went about baptizing “in the name of Jesus Christ”.

Another oft sited verse is 1John 5:7. Most Biblical scholars today believe this verse was almost certainly altered, to include “three who bear witness in Heaven”. It is so noted in the margin of modern translations.

ANOTHER COMFORTER

John 14:16-18 “Jesus said, ‘I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, .’”

Let’s look at the entire passage:

John 14:16-18 “And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him for He dwells with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”

     First: Jesus would ask the Father, and the Father would give the new Comforter.

Second: It’s pretty obvious that Jesus was speaking of Himself as the Comforter who would come. He said, “I will come to you.” “I will come in to him.” “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20). The Comforter to come, would be His own spirit presence.

Third: Jesus referred to the new Comforter as “he”. If Jesus was speaking of His own glorified self, then He was referring to Himself in “third person”. Was that something Jesus did on other occasions? Yes. Especially when He used the title “Son of Man”, or when He spoke prophetically of things to come. (John 3:16, Matt. 8:20, Matt. 12:8, Matt. 12:40, Matt. 13:41, Matt. 16:27-28, Matt. 25:31, Matt. 26:64, many others).

Why would Jesus say that his Father would send “another” Comforter, if Jesus was talking about HIS FUTURE SELF? Answer: The new Comforter would not be the human, mortal Jesus they had walked with for 3 years. No. This would be the glorified Son of God, a being with divine power and presence. His glorious presence would flatten men as dead. (Not very comforting.) Better to communicate by His Spirit presence. I believe Jesus spoke of His FUTURE SELF in the “third person” because “He” would be very different from His present self (a limited human in mortal flesh). It is not proof. But it is suggestive.

Fourth: Jesus “was made a life-giving Spirit” (1Cor.15:45). He IS “the Spirit of truth” whom the world would not receive, and did not know. Jesus told His disciples, “you know Him, for He dwells with you.” Question: Who had dwelt with the disciples up to that moment? Answer: Jesus!

Fifth: Jesus said this “Spirit of truth” would be “in you”. Does not Christ dwell in our hearts? Yes. “God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son, into your hearts” (Gal. 4:6). “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27).

HE WILL GLORIFY ME

John 16:13 “However, when He the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority; but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine, and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”

Wow! How many times could Jesus say “He” in just four sentences? This is THE verse sited to “prove” that the Holy Spirit is not Christ Himself. Let’s see if we can make sense of it.

Jesus sometimes spoke of Himself in “third person”, as “He”or as “the Son of Man (John 3:16, Matt. 8:20, Matt. 13:41, Matt. 16:27-28, Matt. 25:31, many others). There is a strong possibility that Jesus was here speaking of His future glorified self.

This Spirit would “not speak on His own authority”. Jesus said the very thing of Himself (Jn 12:49; Jn 5:30; Jn 14:10). “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge.” “ My judgment is not mine, but His who sent me.” “My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me” (John 8:16). If we experience the Holy Spirit as the voice of Jesus, then it would fit - that this Spirit would “not speak on His own authority” or “of Himself”.

Don’t forget - Jesus has become a “life-giving spirit” (1Corinthians 15:45).

He will “take of what is Mine” and “all that the Father has is mine”. Could we say, “He will take from the Father and pass it on to you”? Is that a fair rewording? And is this not what we have already read, that God the Father communicates with mankind through His glorified Son. The Father is revealed through His Son.

He (Christ) received the Spirit of the Father without measure. Therefore all of the knowledge and power of the Father now flows through Christ the Son - including prophetic knowledge. He can tell us “things to come” - things which He did not know before He was glorified. This He did when He spoke to the prophet John.

John 7:38-39 “‘He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

“Father, glorify me,” Jesus said in His last public prayer (John 17:5).

How did the Father glorify Christ? Answer: He filled Him with His Spirit - which Christ then poured out upon the believers. When did the Father glorify Christ? Answer: On the Pentecost which followed Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of the Father.

Beginning at Pentecost, “many wonders and signs were done by the apostles (Acts 2:43). These miracles testified to - gave strong proof of - the resurrection of Christ. Paul wrote, “Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God . . . I have fully preached the gospel of Christ” (Romans 15:19).

Who then, is “the Spirit of truth”? Answer: God our Father. Who is the Comforter, who was to come, who receives truth from His Father and conveys that truth to us. I believe that Comforter IS the glorified Son of God - the “life-giving spirit” - the only Channel between heaven and earth.

continued next page

THE SPIRIT MAKES INTERCESSION FOR US

As Peter said, Paul wrote some “things hard to understand.”

Romans 8:26-27 “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind [intent and purpose] of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

First: Jesus said, “I am He who searches the minds and hearts” (Revelation 2:23).

Second: Jesus knows the Father. “...no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him” (Mat. 11:27). Only Jesus knows the mind of God the Father - who IS Spirit (John 4:24).

Third: Jesus is the ONLY mediator/intercessor between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5).

We have already said that the Father has filled Christ with His Spirit (given without measure). Christ then shares this spirit with us. This puts Christ between the Father and man. He is the one mediator.

Fourth: Christ - inspires our prayers, so that we will pray for that which is best (Eph. 6:18, Jude 20-21). He knows the mind of God. Thus inspired, we will pray “according to the will of God.” The intercession of Christ does not change the mind or will of the Father. His intercession helps us to pray for those things which His Father may gladly give.

Galatians 4:6 “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba Father!’”

THE SPIRIT SEARCHES THE DEEP THINGS OF GOD

1 Corinthians 2:10-11 “But God has revealed them [the good things He has prepared] to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, even the deep things of God.

For what man knows the things [thoughts] of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.”

The spirit of a man, which is in that man, “knows” the “deep things” [thoughts] of that man. Only you “know” your own thoughts. In the same way, only “the Spirit of God” “knows the thoughts of God”, because the Spirit is “in” God Himself. God’s Spirit is part of Himself.

            So far - so good.

God has revealed those “deep things” to us “through His spirit”. And how does God do this? Answer: He has poured His spirit through His own Son, who then shares pours this spirit upon us.

Jesus said, “Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him” (Matt. 11:27). These statements do NOT imply the existence of a third divine being called the Holy Spirit. Rather they suggest ONE supreme divine being, who “is Spirit”, whom Jesus called “My Father”.

After Jesus ascended to Heaven, He was glorified by His Father with the glory He shared with His Father before the earth was created (John 17:5). The Father poured His own spirit - without measure - into and through His Son (John 3:34-35). They became as one.

After He was glorified, Son of God had the ability to know “the deep things of God” - His Father. As the “one mediator”, He reveals those things to us.

GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

James 1:17-18 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

Ephesians 5:20 “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things [including the gifts of the Spirit] ?”

Ephesians 5:20 “. . . giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 12:4-11 “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons . . . But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.” (NAS)

Does a third divine being - the Holy Spirit - distribute gifts as He wills? Or - does God the Father, who “is Spirit”, distribute gifts as He wills?

We are to give thanks to God our Father for “all things”. Right? Therefore who gives the gifts of the Spirit? Answer: The Father. Jesus carries out the will of His Father, in the distribution of those “spiritual gifts”.

            Note: The Father’s will is supreme (Matt. 6:9-10).

Ephesians 4:7-8 “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: ‘When He [Christ] ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.’”

     Conclusion: The “gifts of the Spirit” are given to us from the Father - by and through Christ.

THE SPIRIT AT CREATION

Genesis 1:2 “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

           Note: Your understanding of this verse will depend upon your viewpoint. It is therefore not a “proof text”. The text says, “the Spirit of God.” It does NOT say “God the Spirit.”

The Son of God was the creator, acting as the agent of His Father (Hebrews 1:1-3 & 8-10; 1 Cor. 8:6; Rev. 4:9-11; Eph. 3:14-15; Eph 3:9; John 1:3&10; Col. 1:12-16).

Before He incarnated into human form and nature, the Son of God existed in the “express image” of His Father. God is Spirit, therefore Christ also was Spirit - prior to His incarnation. The Spirit at creation, could have been the pre-incarnate Son of God, or it could have been the Spirit of God the Father. This verse is not what we call a “proof text”, because it is open to several different interpretations, depending upon the views of the different interpreters.

THE GLORIOUS DOVE

Luke 3:22 (John 1:32) “And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased”

God the Father spoke from Heaven, “This is My beloved Son.” God the Father poured out His spirit upon His Son, publicly anointing Him. The Father thus set His seal upon His Son. The dove was a symbol of the Spirit, like the oil which was poured upon Aaron for the priesthood, and upon David who would become king of Israel. Only kings and priests were anointed. Jesus was anointed our future King, and anointed High Priest over all creation.

The Spirit is the “seal” of God. Ephesians 1:13 says, “having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise”. Just so, God the Father set “His seal” upon His own Son.

John 6:27 “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

“THE LORD GOD AND HIS SPIRIT HAVE SENT ME.”

Isaiah 48:16 “Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord God and His Spirit Have sent Me.” (NKJ)

ONLY the KJV and NKJV arrange the words to say “the Lord God and His Spirit have sent Me.” Other newer translations note God as the sender, of both “Me” [Christ] and “His Spirit”.

     “And now the Lord God has sent me and His spirit” (Isaiah 48:16). ASV, NAS, RSV, NRS

Isaiah 42:1 “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.”

John 5:37 “And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.”

John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

           If “the Father” is drawing men to His Son, then the Father “is spirit”.

John 8:18 “I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.”

           TWO WITNESSES: The Father AND The Son

John 12:49 “For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.”

John 17:21 “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

This verse also tells us just WHO the Spirit was that indwelt Christ. “You, Father, are in Me”. And then there is John 14:10 “the Father who dwells in Me does the works”.

John 17:25 “O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.”

John 20:21 “So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

1 John 4:14 “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.”

NOT ONE of these verses says that the Father AND the Spirit sent the Son.

SEVEN SPIRITS BEFORE HIS THRONE

Revelation 1:4 “John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ. . . ”

The “seven spirits” are mighty angels, who are called “spirits sent forth to those who shall be heirs of salvation” (Hebrews 1:7; Psalm 104:4). Through these mighty angels, Christ directs His war against the forces of Satan on the earth.

Revelation 8:2 “I saw the seven angels who stand before God.”

THE UNPARDONABLE SIN

Matthew 12:31-32 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”

Mark 3:29 “He who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.”

Why no mention of blasphemy against The Father? Why? Because the Father IS the original, uncreated Holy Spirit.

If the Father of Jesus Christ IS the Holy Spirit, then we can understand this passage to say that speaking a word against the human Jesus can be forgiven, but blasphemy against God His Father - will not. Blasphemy against Yahweh, the God of Israel would not be forgiven. Now that makes sense.

The Spirit is the means by which we have fellowship with the Father and with His Son (1John 1:3, John 14:23). To reject the Holy Spirit is to turn a deaf ear to the only source of saving conviction and power. To reject the Holy Spirit is to reject both the Father and the Son.

1 John 2:23 “Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”

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RESISTING THE SPIRIT - GRIEVING THE SPIRIT - QUENCHING THE SPIRIT

Acts 7:51 “You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.”

Ephesians 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption”

NOTE: “were sealed” is in the Greek aorist tense, which indicates a continuing action which is not yet finished. We are being sealed.

I Thessalonians 5:19 “Do not quench the Spirit.”

From the fall of Adam to the incarnation of Christ, the Holy Spirit was the presence of the Son of God (1 Pet. 1:11). He has always been the “one mediator” between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5). The “Spirit of Christ” testified beforehand, through the prophets, of His coming and His sufferings. While Christ was on earth, living as a man among men, the Holy Spirit was the presence of His Father, who drew men to Christ (John 6:44). At the incarnation, Christ had “emptied Himself” of divine power (Phil. 2:7). He must be “made like his brethren in all things” (Heb. 2:17). Now since Pentecost, the Holy Spirit is the vital presence of the Father and of Christ (Rom. 8:9-11) therefore to grieve the Holy Spirit is to refuse the pleading of God, through His Son.

Ephesians 3:14-18 “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”

           The Spirit of the Father is given through Christ, and we experience Christ within.

THE LOVE OF THE SPIRIT

Romans 15:30 “Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me” (Romans 15:30 ).

     Amplified Version.

If the meaning of the text changes, depending upon the reader’s personal doctrinal bias, then it is not a proof text. The example above is such a text. The love of the Spirit could be understood to mean: a. that love which the Spirit Himself (a third divine being) feels toward us, or b. that love which we experience in our own hearts when they are filled with the Holy Spirit. The same could be said for “the communion of the Holy Spirit” (2 Corinthians 13:14).

SANCTIFICATION OF THE SPIRIT

1 Peter 1:2 “Pilgrims of the dispersion . . . . elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.”

This also is not a proof text, because your interpretation will depend upon your viewpoint. “Sanctification of the Spirit” could mean: a. sanctification by the Father through His spirit OR b. sanctification by the Spirit (a third divine being).

            According to Jude, we are sanctified by the Father through Jesus Christ.

Jude 1:1 “Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ.”

THE HOLY SPIRIT INSPIRED OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS

2 Peter 1:21 “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were     moved by the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 28:25 “So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers.”

Who spoke through the prophets? Answer: the pre-incarnate Son of God. God the Father has always acted through His Son. This principle applies equally to that time before the Son of God incarnated to become also the Son of Man.

1 Peter 1:10-11 “Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.”

THEY LIED TO THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Acts 5:3-4 “But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? . . . Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.’”

Acts 5:9 “Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

Peter said, “You have lied to God.” He did NOT say, “You have lied to the third person of the Trinity.” Your understanding of this passage depends upon Whom you believe the Holy Spirit to be.

THE HOLY SPIRIT SAID

Acts 13:2 “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Acts 15:28 “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:”

Acts 16:7 “After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.”

Note: Translations from older manuscripts say “but the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them.”

The words of the Spirit ARE the words of Christ. Read the messages to the seven churches in Revelation Chapter Three. Who is speaking?

THE HOLY SPIRIT TEACHES

Luke 12:12 “For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Mark 13:11 “But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.”

     [Compare a parallel passage.]

Matthew 10:19-20 “But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.”

The Spirit who speaks IS the Spirit of the Father, which is poured out to us through His Son. We experience the voice of Christ. He is our Teacher. He is the “life-giving spirit” within us. He explains the things of God for us. The channel is Christ. But we give thanks to the Father for all things.

ACCESS BY ONE SPIRIT TO THE FATHER

Ephesians 2:18 “For through Him [Christ] we both [Jew and Gentile] have access by one [and the same] Spirit to the Father.”

Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). I believe this applies also to prayer. We come to the Father through Christ.

            Christ is the one Mediator between God and men (1 Tim. 2:5).

Because of what Christ has done, the Father can now communicate with us in a way that we can understand. The presence of God Our Father dwells with us and in us. Christ said that both He and His Father would make Their home with the one who loves Christ (John 14:23). The Holy Spirit is not only the Son, but also the Father. We have fellowship with the Son and with the Father (1John 1:3). We “abide in the Son and in the Father” (1John 2:24).

“For this reason

I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory,

to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,

that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (Ephesians 3:14).

We hope this study will prove a blessing.

Prophecy Viewpoint

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