| The Christian Life | June 1943 |
“Take up your cross and follow Me”
The Holy Spirit of God
MUCH is said in the Bible about the Holy Spirit of God and the part it plays in the outworking of the divine purpose toward mankind. It operated in connection with the creative work. (Gen. 1:2) It is said to have striven with man. (Gen. 6:3) It inspired God’s holy prophets. (I Pet. 1:10-12) It descended upon Jesus like a dove. (Matt. 3:16) It was shed forth upon the waiting church at Pentecost. (Acts 2:33) It is a Comforter to the church. (John 14:26) It leads the Christian. (Rom. 8:14) Christians are said to be begotten by it (I Pet. 1:3), and then quickened by it, (Rom. 8:11) and those who obtain joint-heirship with Christ in the Kingdom must be born of the Spirit—John 3:3-8
Furthermore, Christians are said to be anointed of the Spirit. (I John 2:20,27) The Apostle Paul speaks of being sealed with the Holy Spirit. (Eph. 1:13) The Holy Spirit is something which can be grieved. (Eph. 4:30) It can be quenched. (I Thess. 5:19) It also bears witness to the Christian that he is a child of God.—Romans 8:16
The word “spirit” in the Old Testament is a translation of the Hebrew word ruwach, the primary significance of which is wind. “Spirit” in the New Testament comes from the Greek word pneuma, which also means wind or “current of air.” But let no one hastily conclude from this that the Holy Spirit is merely a holy wind, because nothing could be further from the truth.
In the Old Testament, this Hebrew word ruwach, translated spirit, is also translated blast 4 times, breath 27 times, mind 6 times, smell 8 times, wind, winds and windy 96 times. In every instance the thought behind the word is that of an invisible power or influence. The wind is powerful, yet invisible; hence, in the Hebrew language, was called ruwach. The same word was also associated with many other manifestations of invisible power. The mind itself exercises, power over the body, yet it is invisible, hence was designated ruwach by the ancient Hebrews.
Likewise, in the New Testament, the Greek word pneuma, meaning primarily, the wind, took on a variety of meanings which were always associated with invisible power. The word pneuma appears in our English language in such expressions as pneumatic and pneumatology, which, of course, are related to air and its functions.
In Genesis 1:2, we read that the “Spirit of God [ruwach] moved upon the face of the waters.” This means simply that the power of God—His vehicle of energy—fecundated the waters, or rendered them prolific.
In the New Testament we read, “Holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit [pneuma].” This means simply that the holy influence, or power of God, energized their minds, causing them to express and record thoughts such as He wished to have expressed.—II Peter 1: 21
Different Manifestations
The Spirit of God, as it operated in the creative work, and upon the minds of the Old Testament prophets, was a mechanical manifestation of God’s power. It enabled the prophets to express the will of God through their writings without being fully aware of the significance of many of the things which they wrote, or were recorded by others for future fulfillment.—Jer. 36:4; I Pet. 1:10,11
In the case of Jesus and the church, however, the Spirit’s operation has also been explanatory and sympathetic, as is indicated by the expressions, “Spirit of truth,” “Spirit of … a sound mind,” “Spirit of love,” “Spirit of joy,” “Spirit of faith,” “Spirit of hope,” “Spirit of meekness,” “Spirit of wisdom and revelation.” This sympathetic ministry of the power of God began with the baptism of Jesus, and reached the church at Pentecost, approximately three and a half years later.
Thus we see that before the Holy Spirit’s work, as manifested in the Old Testament writings, could be made useful for the upbuilding of the “new creation” of this age it must reveal, first to Jesus, then to the apostles, the true understanding of that which had been merely mechanically recorded b the prophets.
When our Lord began His ministry, He covenanted with His rather to be guided by the divine will as largely expressed in the Old Testament Scriptures; and, through a further inspirational power given especially to Him, that Spirit revealed to Him the true meaning of those Scriptures. Concerning this the prophet had foretold: “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding the Spirit of counsel and might.”—Isa. 11:2
But while Jesus was blessed with a special miraculous revelation of truth—the outward manifestation of which was seen by witnesses as a dove descending from heaven—which enabled Him immediately to understand the mechanically written messages of the ancient prophets, He only partially passed that information on to His apostles. He knew they were not yet able to “bear” it.—John 16:12,13
To the public of His day Jesus spoke in “parables and dark sayings”; and although He later explained some of those parables to His apostles, yet they did not and could not understand Him fully, for “the Holy Spirit was not yet: given” to enlighten them. (Matt. 13:10-13,34; John 7:39) In the process of revealing the divine plan, there must needs be a further inspirational operation of the Holy Spirit—it must also function as a revealing power upon the minds of the apostles. It was this that began at Pentecost.
At Pentecost the Holy Spirit, as a miraculous power of illumination, came upon the “twelve apostles of the Lamb,” enabling them to understand, not only the prophetic testimony of the Old Testament, but also to comprehend, in harmony with those Spirit-inspired Scriptures, the teachings of Jesus Himself. This was in fulfillment of the promise that Jesus gave to His apostles, that when the Spirit of truth should come it would guide them into “all truth.”—John 16:13; 14:16,17,26
Thus we see that what occurred at Pentecost was simply a repetition of Jesus’ experience at the time of His baptism. It was at Pentecost that the apostles became the inspired messengers of God, to be used of Him in completing the revelation of His will to the church. A similar miraculous manifestation of God’s power came to the Apostle Paul at a later date.—Eph. 3:3-7; Col. 1:25,26
At Pentecost there was a still further manifestation of the Spirit or power of God, which enabled the apostles, and even others, to do things beyond the normal power of man, such as speaking with tongues. There was a special need for this in the Early Church.
The gift of speaking with unknown tongues was not that of inarticulate gibberish, but rather the ability to speak intelligently in the actual language of some foreign country, although not understood by the one thus empowered to speak. This was a wonderful aid on the day of Pentecost, and later, in giving a quick witness for the truth throughout the known world.
But these miraculous gifts of the Spirit were not to continue, nor did they inspire or illuminate the mind of the possessor, except as the interpreter conveyed the meaning. (I Cor. 14:5,27,28) Paul writes, “Charity [divine love] never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge [along with ability to interpret tongues], it shall vanish away.”—I Cor. 13:8
From the foregoing, we can see why Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of truth. We can see also that in reality the entire Word of God, the Bible, is a product of the Holy Spirit, being written under the supervision and operation of God’s power. It is in this way that God’s power reveals to the Christian the good purpose of His will.
Operations of the Spirit
The Bible calls our attention to various operations of the Holy Spirit in the Christian’s life, such as the “baptism,” “anointing,” “begetting,” “birth,” “sanctification,” “witness,” and “seal” of the Spirit. These various terms are largely illustrative, and convey to our minds the many ways in which the power and influence of God affect our lives, both now and in the life to come.
The baptism of the Spirit was visibly manifested at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was said to have been “poured out” upon the waiting disciples. Previously, Jesus Himself had been similarly baptized of the Spirit. The church receives the baptism of the Spirit because it constitutes His Body. This function of the Spirit comes to the church through Jesus, the Head. Concerning this the Apostle Peter said at Pentecost, “Therefore being at the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He [Christ] hath shed forth this, which we now see and hear.”—Acts 2:33
In this connection, it is interesting to note the expression “shed forth.” This language is easily understood as descriptive of the shedding forth of God’s power, or influence, but it would be difficult to understand how the alleged third person in a trinity of Gods could be “shed forth.”
The expressions “see” and “hear,” as used in connection with the shedding forth of the Spirit, have reference, of course, to the outward manifestations that were then given, such as the cloven tongues of fire, ability to speak with tongues, etc. But these manifestations were merely the evidence to others and did not constitute the real and important value of the baptism of the Spirit or power of God. There is nothing in the apostolic writings to justify us today in expecting repetitions of this Pentecostal “baptism” of the Spirit, as many erroneously suppose.
As individuals, Christians come under the baptism of the Spirit through the immersion or burial of their wills into the will of God, and thereby become inducted into the body of Christ. In I Corinthians 12:13 we read, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
This immersion by the Spirit into the body of Christ is possible by reason of the surrender of our wills to Him, and our acceptance of Him as our Head. Thus the will of God, through Christ, becomes the directive influence in our lives—not miraculously, but in proportion as we yield ourselves to that which the Holy Spirit of God has already caused to be recorded in the written Word.
In Revelation 20:4, we have a further reference to what is implied in the thought of being baptized into the body of Christ. Here, the individual members of the Christ body are said to be those who are “beheaded” for the witness of Jesus and the Word of God. Each individual Christian is beheaded in the sense that he renounces his own will and accepts the headship of Jesus.
Born of the Spirit
Jesus explained to Nicodemus that in order to enter into the Kingdom of heaven it is necessary to be born again, or born of the spirit. The reference in this instance is to the full and abundant entrance into the Kingdom of heaven which takes place in the first resurrection. (II Pet. 1:11) The reason it is necessary to be born of the spirit in order to enter the Kingdom is because, as the apostle explains, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.” (I Cor. 15:50) Of Jesus it is said that He was put to death in the flesh and made alive in the spirit. (I Pet. 3:18) This was Jesus’ Spirit birth. In this respect He was the firstborn from the dead, and in Hebrews 12:23 the church of Christ is spoken of as the church of the firstborn.
The manner in which the Scriptures use the term “birth” and “born” in connection with the change of nature to be experienced by all who are to become joint-heirs with Christ in His Kingdom, shows that this marvelous work of Christ is accomplished the power or influence of God. For this reason, it is spoken of as being born again, or born of the spirit.
Failing to note all that is involved in the matter of being born of the Spirit into the Kingdom of Christ, many have mistakenly applied this expression to what takes place at the beginning of the Christian life. It is hest to describe that which occurs at the start of the Christian life as a “begetting” of the spirit, or the beginning of the new life. Indeed, the word begetting really means a beginning of life.
The scriptures use the terms “begetting” and “birth” in order to convey to our minds the thought that those who are called of God during this age, and who come under the influence of the spirit of God, receive, first, the beginning of a new life, and, in the resurrection, the completion of that life. This is otherwise described by the apostle as “this mortal” putting on “immortality.”—I Cor. 15:53
The scriptures which describe the work of the Holy Spirit as a begetting influence in the Christian life specifically designate the “Word of truth” as the begetting agency. For example, “Of His own will begat He us with the Word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.” (James 1:18) To this statement Peter adds his testimony, saying, “Being born [begotten] again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.”—I Pet. 1:23*
* There is only one Greek word in the New Testament translated “begotten” and “born.” Whether the reference is to the complete birth or to the beginning of the new life is determined by the context.
In the symbolism of begetting we have emphasized the fact that in addition to becoming a member of the body of Christ through baptism of the Spirit, the Christian also becomes a “new creature,” that is, a new life is begun in him. This new life, if properly nourished by continual feeding upon the Word of truth, will ultimately be “born” a divine being in the resurrection.
Peter says, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature.” (II Pet. 1:4) Thus the Spirit-begotten Christian, inspired with this new hope of life on the divine plane with Jesus, no longer sets his affections on earthly things, but, being even now by faith risen with Christ, sets his affections on things above, “where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” Concerning this Paul says, “Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ; who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.”—Col. 3:1-4
Sanctification of the Spirit
In I Peter 1:2, the apostle uses the expression “sanctification of the Spirit.” The Greek word translated sanctification is hagiasmos, which, according to Prof, Strong, signifies “purification.” It should be remembered that this is a purification based upon God’s standards of what is right and wrong. In the full expression of His will not only are there certain things from which we must refrain, but also there are things which we must be actively engaged in doing. Full sanctification, or heart purification, therefore, cannot be attained except through an entire devotion of one’s self to do God’s will in every respect. Thus one is completely set apart as a co-worker with God.
This sanctification of the Spirit is accomplished through the Word of truth. In II Thessalonians 2:13, it is associated directly with a “belief of the truth.” In Ephesians 5:26, it is said to be accomplished with “the washing of water by the Word.” Jesus prayed on behalf of His church, “Sanctify them through Thy truth.”—John. 17:17
In John 17:19 Jesus declares that He had sanctified Himself for the sake of His disciples, that they might be sanctified by the truth. Jesus had never been a sinner. Nevertheless, He was separated, set apart, devoted, to the doing of His Father’s will, through obedience to that will as it had been recorded by the prophets as they were influenced by the Holy Spirit. It was because Jesus was thus fully surrendered to the doing of His Father’s will that He could truthfully say, “I and My Father are one.”—John 10:30
While the Christian’s sanctification most assuredly includes separation from the sins of his past life, yet if it goes no further than a mere refraining from outward forms of immorality, it can not be said that such an one is fully sanctified in the sight of God. As long as there is a mixture of self in our devotion to God we are not fully sanctified. But when we can say from the bottom of our hearts, “Lord, Thy love at last has conquered, none of self, but all of Thee,” then our devotion to Him is unadulterated—we are truly sanctified. This blessed result is accomplished through our full obedience to the Word of truth—the Holy Spirit of truth.
The Witness of the Spirit
Romans 8:16 declares, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” From this we see that the witness of the Spirit is the intelligence reaching us through the Word by which we are given the assurance that we have been adopted into the divine family, and that God is dealing with us as His children. There has been much discouragement on the part of many sincere believers due to their failure to recognize that this particular operation of the Spirit, like all the others, comes through the written Word, dependent, of course, upon our obedience to that Word.
The Spirit’s witness is not merely a matter of feelings, or of occult suggestion or impressions implanted upon the Christian’s brain. Rather, it comes through the hearing and obeying of the many declarations of the written Word which outline the course of the Christian—the narrow way—and tell us of the experiences which will be ours if we are faithfully walking in that way.
By reading the 16th and 17th verses of Romans 8, it will be noted that the particular witness of the Spirit to which Paul here refers is the privilege of suffering with Christ. I Peter 1:11 shows that the Holy Spirit, through the prophets, testified concerning the “sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.”
If, through the baptism of the Spirit, we have been inducted into the Christ company, then we should expect to participate in the suffering that has been foretold concerning the Christ. If we are experiencing such suffering, it means that the Spirit of God testifying through the prophets witnesses to us that we are children of God; and, if we continue faithful, will share in the promised “glory to follow.”
The apostle also declares that those who “live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” (II Tim. 3:12) If, because of our faithfulness to God and to the truth, we find that we are being ostracized by our friends who do not see and appreciate these glorious things as we do; if we are hated because of our stand for the truth; or if in other ways we are privileged to bear the reproaches of Christ, then the testimony of the Word, coinciding with our own experiences, constitutes a reassuring witness of the Spirit which should encourage us to greater faithfulness in doing God’s will.
The Seal of the Spirit
God’s gift of the Holy Spirit also “seals” us. In Ephesians 1:13 the apostle speaks of being “sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.” This is a lucid statement of what the sealing of the Spirit implies. It is a further function of God’s power, reaching us through the Word of truth.
It was God’s Holy Spirit that inspired all the writers of the Bible, and in these writings are hundreds of divine promises by which we are sealed, or guaranteed success and victory. These promises cover every possible need of the Christian, and leave no room whatever for doubt but that, if we do our part, God will see us through to glory.
But we must do our part—God expects that of us!
God’s promises assure us that when we sin “we have an Advocate with the Father”; when we are weak, His strength will make us strong; when our enemies attack us, He is greater than all our enemies; when we need spiritual food, He will give us the bread of life; when we need correction, He will chastise us for our ultimate good; if we are tired and discouraged, He will be to us as a refreshing Rock in a weary land.
When we need protection, God will be to us a Fortress; if we are prone to worry, He assures us that the very hairs of our head are numbered. If we are concerned about our material needs, He bids us to take no thought for the morrow, for He knows our needs, and will supply them in harmony with what His wisdom sees best.