Do You See the Holy Spirit?

My pastor throughout my pupil days was a exceptional man by the title of William Nonetheless. As is true in most vibrant ministries, there have been sure recurring themes in his preaching. Such ministries typically have distinctive burdens formed by expertise, context, and biblical insights — motifs that run like a melodic line via the music of their preaching. One such motif in Mr. Nonetheless’s ministry was an everyday reminder of the phrases of a Henry Francis Lyte hymn:

Suppose what Spirit dwells inside thee,
What a Father’s smile is thine,
What thy Saviour died to win thee.
Youngster of heav’n, ought to’st thou repine?

The hymn isn’t sung now — the tune is much from modern, we now have turn into allergic to “thee” and “thou,” and few at this time ever “repine”! We are able to afford the linguistic losses; however we can’t afford the theological and religious lack of the hymn’s exhortation to assume what Spirit dwells inside thee.

Forgotten Particular person of the Godhead?

These have been the times of what was normally described as “the charismatic renewal,” which in my teenage years was typically accompanied by the divisive difficulty of whether or not talking in tongues was the certain signal of the baptism of the Holy Spirit (and even of genuine Spirit-filled life). It was continuously acknowledged in sermons or addresses that the Holy Spirit was “the forgotten Particular person of the Godhead.” The mantra was so typically repeated that it appeared a truism. Who might doubt it?

However invariably, what was in view have been the presents of the Spirit (particularly talking in tongues and prophesying), not his Particular person. And over time, it grew to become pretty apparent that possessing spectacular (even apparently religious) presents is neither similar to, and even essentially accompanied by, communion with the individual of the Spirit or the evident manifestation of his fruit. In any case, Jesus himself indicated that it’s potential to train extraordinary presents and but not be recognized by him and subsequently to be bereft of the Spirit of grace (Matthew 7:21–23). Paul echoed the sentiment (1 Corinthians 13:1). Certainly, the “ministry” of some distinguished people left a Simon Magus–like impression of an ambition to train spectacular energy and even to appear accountable for the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:9–24).

For all the eye given to the presents of the Spirit, the “forgotten Particular person of the Trinity” remained simply that, and certainly an unknown Particular person. Lacking was the aspiration of the traditional prayer of the church:

Train us to know the Father, Son,
And Thee of Each, to be however One,
That via the ages all alongside
This can be our everlasting track.
Reward to thine everlasting advantage,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

It was this Trinitarian — “entire Godhead” — perspective on the Holy Spirit that was cherished by the most effective of the early fathers of the church. It was recovered on the time of the Reformation by theologians like John Calvin, and in later centuries by others like John Owen, Thomas Goodwin, and Abraham Kuyper. The lack of this attitude has meant (a minimum of throughout my lifetime) that an unnerving diploma of “evangelical” educating has had a unitarian somewhat than a Trinitarian tincture, specializing in the Father or the Son or the Holy Spirit, however not often on all three individuals of the blessed Trinity.

Who Is the Holy Spirit?

So, for all of the repetition of the mantra that the Holy Spirit is now not “the forgotten individual of the Godhead,” it’s questionable whether or not we take pleasure in richer, extra intimate communion with the Spirit himself. So, the lingering query (a minimum of for me) stays this: Who is the Holy Spirit? How can I feel what Spirit dwells inside me?

The reply absolutely requires a data of the entire Bible. There is no such thing as a shortcut — regardless of our cravings for one. For aside from the phrase of God, we now have no technique of understanding who he’s or deciphering how he works. We no extra invent the work of the Spirit than we invent the work of Christ.

My goal right here is to not decry real presents of the Spirit and their significance for the life we take pleasure in collectively in our church households. Neither is it to marginalize the church’s want for the ability of the Spirit to relaxation on our weak point — as long as we guard ourselves in opposition to the lust for energy that can eradicate our sense of weak point, for the reason that two belong collectively (2 Corinthians 11:29–30; 12:5, 9; 13:4). However neither presents nor power-deeds equate to the “fellowship/communion” of the Holy Spirit, to understanding him and bearing his fruit.

What would you consider a husband who answered the query “Why do you belief and love your spouse?” by saying, “She’s a improbable cook dinner, and I simply love consuming”? Or what would you consider a spouse who, requested why she cherished her husband, responded by saying, “He’s wealthy, he’s spectacularly good wanting, and he makes me look good — and I really like spending cash and having different folks take a look at me”? Would we not somewhat hear “I belief her due to who she is” or “I really like him as a result of he has given me the superb privilege of the communion of affection we take pleasure in”?

How then are we to consider him who indwells us?

Right here we should restrict ourselves to a quick (if Bible-reference intense) abstract reply that ought to develop our minds and heat our hearts (and maybe additionally damage our heads!). The Spirit who indwells us is the One who has a historical past with God’s functions and a historical past with God’s Son so that he may need a historical past with us.

Spirit within the Outdated Testomony

The primary biblical reference to the Holy Spirit is in Genesis 1:2: “The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” The Hebrew phrase ruach may be translated both “spirit” or “wind,” and typically this translation is disputed; however what can’t be disputed is the work of the Spirit in creation usually and in our personal creation specifically (Job 33:4 is a real assertion, irrespective of how Elihu’s speech is to be understood).

Quickly after the autumn, due to human sin, God introduced that his “Spirit shall not abide in man ceaselessly” (Genesis 6:3). Nonetheless, the Spirit superintended the lives of Outdated Testomony saints like Joseph (Genesis 41:38), led the folks of God within the exodus (Isaiah 63:10–14), and was grieved by them (Isaiah 63:10) — a certain indication of his private nature since we don’t grieve impersonal forces.

The Spirit additionally furnished presents for the development of the tabernacle (Exodus 31:1–5; 35:31). His presence rested on Moses, his seventy elders, and certainly on two others (Numbers 11:17, 25–26). On this final context, Moses, the mediator of the outdated covenant, expressed a prophetic aspiration for what solely Jesus Christ, the mediator of the brand new covenant, might grant: “Would that each one the Lord’s folks have been prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them” (Numbers 11:29).

This similar Spirit was in Joshua (Numbers 27:18) and stumbled on the judges of Israel, who functioned as anointed deliverers of God’s historic folks (Judges 3:10; 6:34; and so forth). He was the “spirit of prophecy” and of inspiration, via whom males spoke from God (2 Samuel 23:2; 2 Peter 1:21). He promised the approaching Messiah (1 Peter 1:12), whose life and character he would form (Isaiah 11:2; 48:16). He was, supremely, the Spirit of the Servant of the Lord, who would undergo however be exalted, who would “sprinkle many countries,” earlier than whom “kings [would] shut their mouths” (Isaiah 52:15), and in whose arms the spoils of his victory can be shared with “the robust” (Isaiah 53:12).

Spirit within the Gospels

It was this Spirit via whom the Lord Jesus was conceived within the womb of Mary as “the pinnacle of the brand new creation” (Luke 1:31, 35; the phrase is John Owen’s), in whose knowledge he grew (Luke 2:52; Isaiah 11:2), and with whom he was anointed for public ministry on the river Jordan (John 1:32–34; 3:22–35). By this similar Spirit — the very “finger of God” (Luke 11:20) — he was led into the wilderness (Luke 4:1), assailed the stronghold of Devil, and received the long-hoped-for victory promised in Eden (Genesis 3:15).

Spirit in Us

Now we come to the crux of the matter: The Lord Jesus, because the Christ of God, bore the Spirit and was borne by the Spirit all through the entire course of his life so that he may bestow the Spirit on his folks. When Jesus despatched the promise of his Father, fulfilling the prophecy of John the Baptist that he would baptize with the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:17; Acts 2:33), it was this similar Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus himself — and never one other or further or completely different Spirit — who was poured out upon the church on the day of Pentecost. That is the one baptism by which all of us share when, being born from above via the Spirit (John 3:3–5), we come to Christ in religion and repentance (1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 4:5).

This, then, is the “Spirit who dwells inside thee”! And we now have not completed surveying his Scripture-portrayed identification. For that is the similar Spirit who put the ending touches to the creation, who superintended the needs of God all through redemptive historical past, who was dwelling “with” the apostles within the individual of the incarnate Son (this I take to be the that means of John 14:17) and who got here to dwell “in” them following his dying, rising, ascending, and petitioning the Father to grant him the promised honor of bestowing one and the identical Spirit (and never one other) on them (John 7:37–39). The audible, seen, earthly drama of Pentecost revealed that the promised invisible transaction between Father and Son — “I’ll ask the Father, and he gives you one other Helper, to be with you ceaselessly” — had now taken place (John 14:16; Acts 2:33).

And this — to chop a millennia-long story quick — is the Spirit who satisfied the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment on the day of Pentecost (John 16:8–11; Acts 2:37–41), guided the toddler church via the phases of its early growth (e.g., Acts 8:29, 39; 10:19; 11:28; 16:7; 19:21), and is given to each believer because the Spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6). He, the indwelling Spirit, joins his voice with the prayer of the church in all ages for the Lord Jesus to come back (Revelation 22:17).

Suppose about all of that! This Spirit — this one and the identical Spirit, and no different — “dwells inside thee.” He’s the very Spirit who dwelled within the Lord Jesus.

Is that how you consider him?

Suppose Who Dwells Inside You

Do you see what this means? Maybe probably the most staggering, mind-stretching, heart-warming, life-transforming biblical truths we have to grasp in regards to the Holy Spirit are in truth these easy ones (albeit none can totally fathom them):

There aren’t two Holy Spirits — one in whose grace and energy the Lord Jesus lived and one other who now indwells you.
There aren’t a number of Holy Spirits — one in whose grace and energy the Lord Jesus lived, one who indwells you, one who indwells me, and a multiplicity of different Holy Spirits indwelling an innumerable firm of believers.
No! There may be just one Holy Spirit; and he who thus indwells me because the Spirit of Christ additionally indwells each believer I shall ever meet.

By means of this one Spirit of Christ, we will name out each “Jesus is Lord!” and “Abba! Father!” (1 Corinthians 12:3; Romans 8:15). This is the Spirit — and none different — who indwells you, Christian brother or sister.

To attempt to assume about this — to know its significance and rejoice in its actuality — requires feeding on each express and implicit biblical assertion in regards to the Spirit, letting every one inform our minds and remodel our considering, inflame our affections and mildew our wills. For the remainder of my Christian life, I subsequently have to be related to the “spiritual-drip” of this bibline resolution figuring out and describing the Spirit who glorifies Christ and leads us into the presence of the Father.

And lest we make an extra mistake: the truth that he glorifies Christ somewhat than himself (John 16:14) doesn’t imply that we must always not glorify him. For he’s to be ever glorified along with the Father and the Son.

Then, as we bear in mind to