The Holy Spirit of Truth with Jesus brings Gods’ presence and power to bear in the world, empowering all creation and all created beings. (Source 1 below) John 16;13-14 says ” But when He, the Holy Spirit of Truth comes , He willguide you into all Truth.” John 14:17 “The Holy Spirit of Truth cannot be known to the world, because it neither sees him nor knows Him.” The OT spoke of the one Holy Spirit in Isaiah 44:3b”…I will pour out my Spirit on your off-springand my blessing on your descendents.” That is us; we believers! (We are “living His dream” right now!) Both we gentiles of the West and Messianic Jews in Israel now. (The surrounding nations of Israel are all ” poor in Spirit” and in need)
What part does the Spirit play in my salvation? How does He affect me? Where does He come from. Where is He first mentioned? What is he like? Why is He here? Does he have a father? What about other religions? We hear you! We hear you!
The definitions are from source 1, below. Holy’- Translated from the Hebrew root word ‘qadash and Greek ‘hag-‘. The basic meaning of qadash is “separateness , with-drawl”. It is first applied to God,and is early associated with ideas of purity and righteousness,long before the prophetic period.”..”in Gen.28:16’17 it is implied in the fear or dread which is inspired by His Presence. Then from Ex.3:5 God reveals Him-self and nature, Holiness is constantly stressed.”Spirit- The Hebrew and Greek words ‘ruach’ and ‘pneuma’ respectively are translated Spirit , both meaning literally “wind, breath. Both came to be used for the invisible,un-seen reality of living beings, especially of God and man.”
The above description of Holy as ” separate or with-drawn” , makes the act of God sending His Son ” to live amongst us”, -and as a tradesman instead of a brilliant academic or General –as an act of great love and sacrifice.This shows us His love and grace, and our significant worth to Him just as individuals. This is like us volunteering to live with lesser ‘beings’ in the fields.
This act of “being separate” from others is the process of sanctification, of which you and I are part of now (we are aliens in the land) It means to be called closer to God and His ways, and away from the actions of un-saved people.In the OT, first Abraham was “called out of “, and to a promised land; out of and separate from Ur, His fathers house/city. (After all he could have been called to minister in Ur itself. (for Ur’s character at that time, see post ” Victory Yes, Triumph Yes “). Secondly, certain times are separate and holy to the Lord,such as the seventh day Sabbath. The promised land of Canaan Ex.15:13, and Jerusalem Isa.11:9 were holy to the Lord, and not to be polluted by sinful conduct(Lev.18:27-8). Also the Temple and all ceremonial items, rituals and the Levitical priesthood were Holy, and kept separate.
A powerful picture is John17:16-8. Jesus is praying to His Father, in commissioning His disciples,” They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the Truth : Your word is Truth. As you have sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” Now when God says “Be Holy, as I am holy” (1 Peter 16:)-you know what is desired.
In John 3, Jesus is teaching Nicodemus, a Pharisee of the Jewish ruling council, at night. Verse 5,“I tell you the Truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless He is born again.” Verse 6 -8′”Flesh gives birth to flesh, but Spirit gives birth to Spirit. you should not be surprised at my saying, you must be born again.(ie to have the new, ‘resurrection’ Spirit and attitude) The wind blows where-ever it pleases. You hear its sound but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” Jesus is saying that the Holy Spirit is Sovereign. He works as He pleases in his renewal of the human heart. Here the spirit is described as ‘wind’.
In Acts 2:2-4,” The disciples were hiding from the authorities, and praying “in the upper room” on the day of Pentecost”. ” And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a violent rushing wind and filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them as like tongues of fire which distributed themselves and settled on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the spirit gave them voice.” It is recognized that it is the Holy Spirit that gives” power” to believers. It only comes with “heart-felt need and supplication.”
In The Great Commission Jesus authorizes the apostles in the fullness of the tri-une God-head-“In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”
There are many verses about the empowering agent of Scripture. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching..”“2 Tim.3:16.
From Source 2 We have “the Spirit of God hovered over creation. (Gen.1:2), and Elihu acknowledged to Job that the Spirit of God had made him and was the source of his life(Job33:4). Isaiah spoke of the one who is to come, one on whom the Spirit of the Lord would rest..”.(Isa.11:1ff-written 700 BC). Ezekiel prophesied that God would put His spirit with-in His People(us) and remove from them-‘us’-their (our) -hearts of stone and put with-in them -‘with-in us –hearts of flesh that would be obedient to God’s ways.(Ezek.36:26-7- written 500 BC)
That the Holy Spirit is a power, an influence, is plain from Acts1:8,” You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you (not ‘in ‘ you, but from above, as in all ‘heavenly blessings’) and you will be my witnesses…” (it is He who gives the power to evangelize the world’s streets) The Spirit was the agent of Jesus’ miraculous conception.(Math.1:18-20), as he “over-shadowed” the virgin Mary.(If you are not feeling the power of the Holy Spirit in your church -change something.)
Source 2 says ” The Spirit is a gracious personal presence who lives in one who has confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord. A personal Relationship to Godthrough Christ Jesus by the spirit of Truth is revolutionary. Paul argued that legalism or the law, and faith, are incompatible.
Further, God’s spirit comes to us as a gift based on our faith in Christ and His grace(Gal.3:1-5). God’s indwelling spirit comes to us as a pledge or deposit that one day we will be fully transformed and conformed to the image of Christ.(Rom.8:1-29;2 Cor.1:22)
Paul also asserted that where the Spirit of the (risen) Lord is, there is freedom, a growing freedom from the Law of sin and death.(2 Cor.3:18,cp Rom.8:2). The Spirit distributes gifts in the church that are designed to equip God’s people for serving and building up the body of Christ.(Eph.4:7-13), such as the gift of prophecy. Evidence that the Spirit of God is at work in a person or group is the fruit of the Spirit, “love,joy,patience,kindness,goodness,faithfulness,gentleness and self-control.”(Gal.5:22)
At the beginning of Scripture we see the Spirit at work in creation (not evolution! see previous posts) As Scripture closes(Rev.22:17) we see the Spirit and the bride,the church, issue an invitation for all who are thirsty to come and drink of the water of life- the Spirit.
It is comfortable to think of the work of Jesus as ‘finished”. The following is taken ‘sparingly’ from Source 3.
” Jesus meant only His work on earth as “finished”. Heb.4:10 says “For He -Jesus- has entered His Rest, He has ceased from His own works, as God (His Father) did from His works.(Gen.2:2-3) And yet He works now, in His present- day ministry of pleading His finished work for His people”(that is us,)(Isa.3:13) So now we have a heavenly intercessor – such as a court-appointed lawyer- pleading our case before God the father and ‘high judge’, so that we can come into the full knowledge and reality of His finished work, by faith- and then unto His ‘rest’ . (Heb.4:9-11) We also have an intercessor on earth ( yes the Spirit) who like-wise makes intercession for us according to the mind of Christ, and will of God.’ All three workings of the God-head are involved here.
We have not been left as orphans!
According to the Christ-centered plan of God, to enable the “Good News” of the Gospel to be spread “for the whole world”, ‘the divine exchange’ of Jesus (limited by His physical body) took place. This enabled the Holy Spirit to act where-ever God the Father and Jesus (who has been given all authority on earth and heaven, by God the Father- Mth.28:18 )” willed” it to happen.
‘ For Scripture declares;”like-wise the Spirit also helps our infirmities (failings):..as the Spirit makes intercession for us with words and sounds that cannot be uttered by man . And He that searches our heart knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because He makes peace for us his saints according to the will of God.”(Rom.8:26-7)ie The Holy Spirit takes hold of Christ’s intercessions him-self and then ,through us, uses them ,and returns them back to the throne of all power and authority, from where they came. “But when He ,the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you into all the Truth. He does not speak on His own, but only what He hears, and He will tell you what is to come”.John16:13.
Jesus said it was the Spirit that gave divine life (His ‘resurrection-powered – Life’, RPL’- also the abundant ‘zoe’ life) (Eph.1:19)to His spoken Word, The Word of God...so that the words He spoke were both Spirit and RPL life to those who received them.(John 6:63,68. 17:8) For the Word of God is sharper…Heb.4:12
More-over, the One who intercedes from the throne, is Him-self, the Living Word of God; who from the beginning was with God and was God(Jn1:1ff) He was the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us.(Jn1:14)”And His name is called The Word of God”.(Rev.19:13)
Yet it was God’s spoken word that brought the written word into existence. “for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man,: but Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”(2 Peter1:21; 2 Tim3:16;Acts1:16; 3:18; )
The written Word ,in turn, can only be interpreted and spoken into our hearts, by its real Author, The Spirit of Truth. “For all interpretations belong to God, Who speaks them to us by His Spirit.“(Gen.40:8;41:15-6;Dan 2:28;2 Peter1:20-1,Rev2:7,11,17.etc)”
Eph. 4:4 says” there is one body and one Spirit, even as you are called to one hope in your calling;one baptism one Lord,one faith , One God and Father of us all, who is above all, and through all and in you all.” The Holy Spirit has many divine forms , offices and functions, all according to the will of God the Father, but there is always just the one Spirit., un-like other religions.It would be abhorrent to God and to the peace of Christians, to think that there was more than one Holy Spirit of Truth.
Then there is the great discourse of John 14:26′ the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of what I have said. Lk.24:49 “Behold, I am going to send you what my Father has promised (The Spirit, as a form of “Saviour”) but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” 2 Cor.1:22″ He set His seal of ownership on us ,and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit,guaranteeingwhat is to come.” (“Ezekiel’s Prophesy” above) This is a brief description of the great in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit in believers today.
If you are reading as an un-believer BUT would like to learn How to Pray To Jesus to Come into your Heart, Please see Post “Spiritual Warfare Of Jesus Truth And the enemy”- near the end.
A final verse of’ ‘Spiritual power’ – Rom 8:11“And if the Spirit of Him ( the father)who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give Life to your mortal bodies through His Spiritwho (ie ‘a person’) Lives in You.” Praise God! What a promise! This is God’s Resurrected Life coming into our bodies either now when we are ‘born again’or when we are physically dead, but Spiritually just sleeping. Then living believers will join Him in the air at His Second Coming! 1Thess.4:17. This then leads to the rapture when we are alive with Christ! Please remember ‘Man’s spirit cannot see the things of God.”- but the spiritual man can see.” So lets believe and be free! Praise God!!
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Source 1- “The Living Bible Encyclopedia”. H.S. Stuttman Co. Inc., N.Y.N.Y. 10016. 1967
Source 2 -“Hollman Illustrated Bible Dictionary”. Holman Bible publishers , Nashville, Tennessee. 2003
Source 3 -“Calling All Intercessors”. Mary and Alan Wales, Oracle Ministries and Publications. 1984