The Holy Spirit

(simple papers on a great subject)

Michael Vogelsang

I. The Holy Spirit - a Divine Person

The presence of the Holy Spirit on earth is one of the characteristic features of the Christian dispensation, but - sad to say - many Christians have departed more or less from biblical teaching about this important subject. Therefore it is our intention to outline in a series of short articles what the Bible has revealed about this divine person.

The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament

The Spirit of God is already mentioned on the pages of the Old Testament several times. The first mention is in connection with the work of creation: 'And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters' (Gen. 1:2). After man in his rebellion against God had fallen into sin and in the course of time had corrupted himself more and more, God said, 'My spirit shall not always strive with man' (Gen. 6:3).

In the Old Testament times the Spirit came upon certain people for a particular period to give them power to fulfil a specific task. Scripture tells us that the Spirit came upon man like Othniel, Gideon, Samson (Jud 3:10; 6:34; 14:6) David (1 Sam. 16:13), Azariah (2 Chron. 15:1), Ezekiel (1 1:5) and others. Of course, the Spirit also inspired the writers of the Old Testament books (2 Pet. 1:21). David was conscious about the fact that the Holy Spirit was speaking through him (2 Sam_ 23:2). The Spirit even used unbelievers for certain tasks as Balaam and Saul for example (Num. 24:2; I Sam. 10:10; 19:23).

The Old Testament believers knew about the influence of the Spirit that used them to fulfill certain tasks for God. But the Spirit only used them for a certain time. So David could pray in Psalm 51:11: 'take not the spirit of thy holiness from me'.

We can say the Holy Spirit worked on earth in the time of the Old Testament but did not dwell there. And it was not clearly revealed that the Spirit is a divine person. Now we can find features in the Old Testament that point to the fact of the Spirit being a divine person, but this is because we have the light of the New Testament to help us.

The Holy Spirit in the New Testament

First of all the New Testament confirms what we found in the Old: the power of the Holy Spirit. We read: `But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you' (Acts 1:8). And the book of Acts is a divine record of the working of the power of the Spirit. But the revelation of the New Testament about the Holy Spirit goes much further than what we find in the Old Testament: it clearly teaches that He is a divine person. The Old Testament believers knew God as 'one God', but in the New Testament this one God is revealed as three persons: God, the Father; God, the Son; and God, the Holy Spirit. One God, but three persons who act in complete harmony with each other. This is a truth we can neither understand nor explain but simply believe. That the Spirit is a divine person as much as the Son or the Father is declared at numerous places in scripture. Acts 5 is a very remarkable illustration of this if we compare verses 3 and 4: v. 3: `Why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Ghost' and v. 4: 'thou hast not lied to men, but unto God.

Firstly, we cannot lie to an influence or a power, but only to a person. And secondly the person called 'the Holy Ghost' in verse 3 is called 'God' in verse 4. There are number of things said about the Spirit that can only be said about a person:

He makes intercession (Rom. 8:26.27)
He searches and reveals (1 Cor. 2:10)
He teaches and reminds (John 14:26)
He testifies (John 15:26)
He reproves (John 16:8)
He has a will (I Cor. 12: 11)
He speaks (Acts 13:2)
He dwells (Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 8:16)
He leads (Rom. 8:14)
He can be grieved (Eph. 4:30)
He can be insulted (Heb. 10:29 N.Tr.)

As was said above there is complete harmony and unity in the Godhead. We just want to give a few examples of this unity.

(I) Unity in character

The New Testament tells us that God is light and God is love (1 John 1:5; 4:8). This is true of all three persons of the Godhead.

a) God is love

the Father loves (e.g. John 16:27)
the Son loves (e.g. John 15:9)
scripture mentions 'The love of the Spirit' (Rom. 15:30)

b) God is light (which speaks of Holiness)

the Father is holy (John 17:11 )
the Son is holy (Luke 1:35)
the Spirit is 'The Holy Spirit'

(2) Unity in action

Of this unity in action among the persons of the Godhead there are a lot of examples that could be mentioned. It may suffice to outline a few:

a) Golgotha

The Son offered Himself on the cross. The Father gave the Son. In the type of Gen. 22 we can say `they went both of them together' (Gen. 22:6). And Hebrews 9:14 adds that the Son 'through h the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God.'

b) Resurrection

As the Son of God the Lord Jesus could say '1 have power to lay it (His life) down and I have power to take it again' (John 10:18). His resurrection was one proof of His deity. But it is also true that 'Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father' (Rom. 6:4). And the Spirit is also mentioned in connection with the Lord's resurrection: '... declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead' (Rom. 1:4). He was 'quickened by the Spirit' (1 Pet. 3:18).

c) The salvation of sinners

In this blessed work we find the three persons of the Godhead active again. The three-fold parable makes this plain; First the good shepherd, the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, searches for the last sheep. Second the Holy Spirit in the picture of the woman with the light is active in searching for the last coin. Third the Father is watching and waiting for the lost son to return.

d) The exercise of gifts

In I Cor. 12 Paul writes about the different gifts and their exercise. lie teaches that the Holy Spirit gives the gifts and guides us in their exercise (v. 4, 7-12), the Son is the Lord to whom every servant is responsible (v. 5) and, finally, it is Cod (the Father) who works any fruit that results from their exercises (v. 6).

Is it really important?

Someone may ask if it is really such a vital matter if the Holy Spirit is a person or 'only' an influence or power. Without question it is a vital matter, and that for at least two reasons:

If we say the Spirit is only an influence or a power we would directly attack a fundamental truth of scripture: the truth of the trinity - one God but three persons. Even if we cannot grasp and explain this truth with our finite human minds we should hold fast to this orthodox Christian truth. All else would be an attack on the glory and majesty of God.
If the Holy Spirit is only an influence or a power this would have direct practical consequences for my Christian life. In that case 1 would be the one to decide, to act. I may do it in `the power of the Spirit' but the decision would be mine, because only a person can decide and act.

But scripture teaches plainly that the Spirit dwells in me and that He is the One who should decide and guide me on a path to honour God in my life.

May we search the scripture to find out what wonderful consequences are connected with the fact that a divine person, the Holy Spirit, dwells in the believer personally and in the assembly as a whole.

God's dealings with His own in the Christian dispensation is completely different from every dispensation before or after as far as the subject of the Holy Spirit is concerned, Christianity is characterised by two marvellous features:

a man, the blessed and glorified man Jesus Christ, is in heaven.
a divine person, the Holy Spirit, is dwelling on earth.

The coming of the Spirit announced by the Lord Himself

Several times the Lord told His disciples about the coming of the Holy Spirit. The first clear reference we have in John: 'But this spoke he of the spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified' (7:39).

In the Lord's farewell-message to His disciples in John 13-16 there are further references to the coming of the Spirit (e.g. 14:16,17,26; 15:26; 16:7, 13-15). We do not want to dwell on these passages now in detail but they contain some fundamental truth about the Spirit:

before the Holy Spirit would come the Lord had to fulfil His work on the cross and be glorified (7:39; 16:7).
the gift of the Holy Spirit comes directly from the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus, but also the Son is the one who gives the Spirit (14:16, 26; 15:26).
the world will not and cannot receive the Spirit. The gift of the Spirit is only for believers (7:39; 14:17).
the gift of the Spirit is not something temporary, but He will be with us and in us forever (14:16).
the Holy Spirit is the divine teacher whose task it is to witness of the Son and to glorify Him (14:26; 15:26; 16:13-15).

John the Baptist had said that the Lord would baptise with the Spirit (Mt. 3:11; Mk. 1:8; Lk. 3:16; John 1:33). Acts 1:5 and 1 Corinthians 12:13 show that this pointed to the day of Pentecost. In the case of Acts 1 the coming of the Spirit had not occurred, but the Lord promised it 'after now not many days' (1:5 N.Tr.). All this draws our attention to the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, the incident we might call the 'birthday of the church'.

The two aspects of the coming of the Holy Spirit

The careful reader of Acts 2:1-4 will not fail to notice that the coming of the Holy Spirit is described in two aspects. On the one hand there was 'a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind' that filled the house, and on the other there were 'cloven tongues, like as of fire' that sat upon each of the disciples. Already in Acts 1 the Lord had spoken about these two aspects when He said first that they should be `baptised with the Holy Spirit' (1:5), and then pointed out that the Holy Spirit would come upon them personally (1:8). So we can easily distinguish the following two aspects:

the collective aspect the Holy Spirit dwelling in the assembly. That is what Scripture calls baptism with the Holy Spirit, which occurred on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2).
The personal aspect - the Holy Spirit dwelling in each individual believer.

The collective aspect

As already mentioned the Apostle Paul explains in 1 Cor. 12:13 what had happened in Acts 2 - the baptism with the Spirit: 'For by one spirit are we all baptised into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free'. In the assembly there is no more national distinction (Jew or Gentile), and no more social distinction (bond or free), but a wonderful unity that cannot be destroyed. All believers are one body.

Paul mentions the same truth in Ephesians 2 in connection with the house of God: 'For through him we both (Jew and Gentile) have access by one Spirit unto the Father ... built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets ... a holy temple in the Lord ... an habitation of God through the Spirit' (Eph. 2:18-22). Therefore Paul could ask the believers: 'Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?' (1 Cor. 3:16).

The personal aspect

Scripture is no less clear in stating that the Spirit also dwells in each individual believer: 'But ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you ... But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you' (Rom. 8:9-11). So Paul could again ask the Corinthians a very similar question to the one mentioned above: 'What! Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you?' (1 Cor. 6:19).

On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit, a divine person, came here to form and dwell in the assembly collectively. From that day on He also makes His dwelling place in each person who has believed the gospel of salvation (Eph. 1:13).

II. A Divine Person on Earth

a man, the blessed and glorified man Jesus Christ, is in heaven.
a divine person, the Holy Spirit, is dwelling on earth.

The coming of the Spirit announced by the Lord Himself

before the Holy Spirit would come the Lord had to fulfil His work on the cross and be glorified (7:39; 16:7).
the gift of the Holy Spirit comes directly from the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus, but also the Son is the one who gives the Spirit (14:16, 26; 15:26).
the world will not and cannot receive the Spirit. The gift of the Spirit is only for believers (7:39; 14:17).
the gift of the Spirit is not something temporary, but He will be with us and in us forever (14:16).
the Holy Spirit is the divine teacher whose task it is to witness of the Son and to glorify Him (14:26; 15:26; 16:13-15).

The two aspects of the coming of the Holy Spirit

the collective aspect the Holy Spirit dwelling in the assembly. That is what Scripture calls baptism with the Holy Spirit, which occurred on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2).
The personal aspect - the Holy Spirit dwelling in each individual believer.

The collective aspect

The personal aspect

Part 3

The fact that the Spirit of God dwells in the believer is a wonderful truth, but do we know and enjoy the blessings that spring from this? In this article we are only able to deal with four of them.

The Holy Spirit as our advocate (comforter)
The Holy Spirit as the seal
The Holy Spirit as our earnest
The Holy Spirit as our unction

The Holy Spirit as our advocate

In the New Testament we find that the believer has two advocates. In I John 2:1 we see that the Lord Jesus Himself is our advocate, when we as children of God have sinned, 'we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous.' So the Lord Jesus is our advocate in heaven. But in John's gospel we read of an advocate on earth-the Holy Spirit. This is mentioned four times:

'And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you forever' (John 14:16).*
`But the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you' (John 14:26).
'But when the comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeded from the Father, he shall testify of me' (John 15:26).
'Nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you' (John 16:7).

I have used the word, comforter' for want of a better. It is one who carries on the cause of any one and helps him. This Christ did on earth; this He does now in heaven, and the Holy Ghost on earth: manages our cause, our affairs, for us. If 'solicitor' were not too common, it just answers the sense (Footnote in the JND, N.Tr.).

The Greek word used could be and has been translated in different ways. The main thought connected with the term is that of an advocate, comforter or helper.

a) As an advocate the Holy Spirit takes up our cause, pleads for us, deals with the matter.

b) As a comforter we need the Spirit in the different circumstances of our life. There are so many situations in which we may be sad or discouraged. What we need then is divine comfort and encouragement. The Holy Spirit, the divine comforter, will give us the encouragement we long for - individually and also collectively. Are we not living in days when we need comfort and encouragement in the assemblies? A wonderful example of this 'collective comfort' is seen in Acts 9:31: 'The assemblies then throughout the whole of Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being edified and walking in the fear of the Lord, and were increased through the comfort of the Holy Ghost' (N.Tr.).

c) As a helper the Holy Spirit deals with our weaknesses, as Paul writes in Romans 8:26: 'And in like manner the Spirit joins also its help to our weakness' (N.Tr.).

In feeling our weaknesses and infirmities, we turn to God in prayer. And in doing this we realise our limitations, `for we do not know what we should pray for as is fitting' (Rom. 8:26). Just then we have the Holy Spirit as our helper who 'makes intercession with groanings which cannot be uttered.' Even if we do not consciously realise this help of the Spirit, it is always there for us.

The Holy Spirit as the seal

The apostle writes to the Ephesians as well as to the Corinthians about the Holy Ghost as the seal:

... in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise' (Eph. 1:13).
'And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption' (Eph. 4:30).
'Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts' (2 Cor. 1:21.22).

There are four different aspects to the Spirit being the seal:

a) Sealing speaks of possession

Sealing something makes it clear who owns it. We belong to the Lord Jesus. He gave His life on the cross to possess us for Himself forever. No power in this world can deny that. The Holy Spirit who dwells in us is the guarantee.

b) Sealing speaks of safety

If someone seals something like a document, it must not be altered by anyone else. We are safe in the hands of the Lord Jesus. We do not only belong to Him, but He also is our security. No one is able to pluck us out of His hand or the hand of the Father. The sealing with the Spirit is the guarantee of this as well.

c) Sealing speaks of a finished work

A seal under a document proves that it is complete, or finished. It is the same with our salvation: nothing has to be or can be added to it. The salvation of spirit and soul is a present possession and the salvation of the body is a sure hope. When we believed the gospel of our salvation we were sealed with the Holy Spirit as a sign that the work necessary to accomplish this has been completed.

d) Sealing speaks of genuineness

If a document is sealed, this shows that it is the genuine document. An outward Christian profession, or form of godliness is not enough. God looks for reality. The Spirit in the Christian marks him out as a genuine believer.

The Holy Spirit as our earnest

This is another truth that Paul mentions in his letters to the Ephesians and Corinthians. Next to the verse in 2 Cor. 1:22, quoted above, there are two other occurrences:

'... the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory' (Eph. 1:13.14).
'Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the spirit' (2 Cor. 5:5).

While the sealing speaks primarily of the safety of those who belong to the Lord, the earnest speaks of the surety or certainty of our possessing things that belong to us, though v e do not actually possess them now.

a) In the epistle to the Ephesians the Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance. Paul describes the richness and glory of the inheritance: 'That in the dispensation of the fullness of times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth; even in him, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will; that we should be to the praise of his glory' (Eph. 1:10-12).

We may and should enjoy 'the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints' but the actual possession of this is still future. The Spirit is the earnest that there is not the faintest doubt that we will possess it in a future time.

b) In 2 Corinthians Paul writes about our new body. We are still in our bodies of weakness and infirmity, but our Saviour 'shall transform our body of humiliation into conformity to his body, of glory' (Phil. 3:21). When He comes we will receive a new body, 'a building of God, an house, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens' (2 Cor. 5:1 ). At present we groan in our weak bodies, but we look forward, with assurance to our new bodies because we have the earnest of this blessing - in the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit as our unction

The Apostle Paul writes of the unction of the Spirit (2 Cor. 1:21) and also the Apostle John:

'But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things' (l John 2:20).
'and yourselves, the unction which ye have received from him abides in you, and ye have not need that any one should teach you' (1 John 2:27 N.Tr.).

The 'unction from the Holy One' means spiritual knowledge and understanding. This does not mean that we understand everything as soon as we are born again. Rather it means that we have the general ability to understand the thoughts of God. We are able to recognise the voice of the Good Shepherd and to distinguish it from strange voices. This ability to discern is of utmost importance in our days when so many voices vie for our attention. The Spirit as the unction helps us to understand the truth. John in his gospel shows how the Spirit uses the Word to instruct us:

The Spirit will teach us and bring all the things to our remembrance which the Lord spoke on earth (John 14:26) we find this primarily in the gospels.
He will testify of Jesus (John 15:26) - this is something we find in the book of Acts.
He will guide us into all truth (John 16:13a). This is true of the Word of God in its entirety, but we could apply it especially to the epistles.
He will show us 'things to come' - this is particularly what we find in the book of Revelation.

All real knowledge of biblical truth is a result of the working of the Spirit opening the scriptures to us.

'Be filled with the Spirit'

This is an exhortation of Paul to the saints in Ephesus (5:18). In the book of Acts a number of people are mentioned of whom it is said that they were filled with the Spirit or full of the Holy Spirit. We may well ask ourselves, what is the meaning of these expressions.

The verse in Ephesians 5:18 puts two conditions in opposition to each other: 'And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.' Both conditions speak of influence or government. If I am drunk with wine, I am under the influence of alcohol; I am governed by it. This will be seen in my activities. A person under the influence of alcohol acts and behaves differently from a sober person. I think, the parallel is obvious.

If a believer is 'filled with the Spirit' he is under the influence of the Spirit. He is governed by the Spirit. This will be seen in his activities and behaviour. He will act differently from a Christian who is not filled with the Spirit.

The fact that saints are exhorted to be filled with the Spirit shows that it is a different matter from the Spirit indwelling believers. The Spirit dwells in every person who has believed the gospel of salvation, but not every believer is tilled with the Spirit. The difference may be described as follows.

When the believer is sealed with the Holy Spirit, the believer gets the Holy Spirit.
When a believer is filled with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit gets the believer. The Spirit has complete control of his life.

'filled with' or 'full of the Holy Spirit

The New Testament tells us of some people who were either 'filled with the Spirit' or 'full of the Holy Spirit'. Both terms are very similar in meaning, but not identical. We will see the difference if we take a look at the respective scriptures:

a) People who were filled with the Spirit:

John, the Baptist (Luke 1:15)
Elizabeth, the mother of John (Luke 1:41)
Zacharias, the father of John (Luke 1:67)
Peter (Acts 4:8)
Paul (Acts 9:17; 13:9)
The Jewish disciples (Acts 2:4; 4:31)
The Gentile disciples (Acts 13:52)

b) People who were 'full of the Holy Ghost':

The Lord Jesus, the perfect man (Luke 4:1)
The deacons of the assembly in Jerusalem (Acts 6:3)
Stephen (Acts 6:5; 7:55)
Barnabas (Acts 11:24)

Comparing the scriptures seems to show

a) Being filled with the Spirit

Could be a personal or a collective experience
Means the Holy Spirit takes control of the believer for a special task or service.
Is something that is also said of people not belonging to the dispensation of the assembly.

b) Being full of the Holy Spirit

Speaks more of a continuing or habitual condition.

Is only found in our Lord in perfection, and describes His whole life on earth. As He was full of the Holy Spirit all His life it is not said of Him that He was filled with the Spirit for a particular service.
Is also said of men who had this character; though it was not true of them all their lives without interruption.

How to be filled with the Spirit

First let me mention two things that are not necessary for us to be filled with the Spirit:

(1) Being filled with the Spirit is not a condition 'reserved' for mature believers. That would mean young Christian could not be tilled with the Spirit. Scripture often shows just the opposite. But if we are filled with the Spirit - if He controls our lives-this will inevitably lead to spiritual growth.

(2) There is no instance in scripture where believers prayed to be filled with the Spirit. In Acts 4:23-31 they prayed, and as a result were filled with the Holy Spirit. But they did not expressly pray for it.

But nevertheless the prayer in Acts 4 shows a heart condition that could lead to being filled with the Spirit. What characterised those disciples?

They were conscious of their own weakness and inability.
They expected nothing from themselves but all from God.
They recognised God as the Almighty, who had authority over their lives.
They accepted the Word of God as His Word which they applied to the circumstances of their life.
They recognised the Lord Jesus as the centre of the Word and counsel of God.
They showed devotion to and dependence on God.

The result was 'And when they had prayed they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and they spoke the word of God with boldness' (4:31). A daily life in devotion and dependence is the best way of giving the Spirit the control of our lives. If we are 'empty' of ourselves He can fill us. But if there are so many things that fill our hearts there is no room for Him to fill everything.

Results of a 'spirit-filled' life

There are many results to be found in scripture. I recommend you start searching for them. I would only like to mention three of them.

1. Spiritual strength

A lot of the people who were said to be filled with the Spirit lived in the beginning of Acts and were characterised by spiritual strength. Of Paul it is said: 'But Saul increased the more in strength' (Acts 9:22).

Do we lament about the lack of strength in our testimony and service? Has the Spirit of God changed? Certainly not! Surely the reason is that we are so little filled with the Spirit? He can give the same strength as in the beginning, though 1 am not saying He will act in the same way. Scripture tells us He will not do today everything He did at the beginning of the Christian testimony, but the same strength is available today for every believer.

2. Guidance Through the Holy Spirit

A spirit-filled Christian will be guided by the Spirit. The perfect example is again our Lord Jesus Christ. He walked and acted through the Spirit (Luke 4:1,14; Mt. 12:28). The disciples in Acts were also guided by the Spirit who spoke to them (10:19; 13:2), hindered them from going to certain places (16:6) and lead them in other ways. May we also desire to be guided by the Spirit in all the 'big' and 'small' issues of our lives.

3. Praise and joy

Spirit-tilled believers are joyful people, who can express their joy, praise and adoration (Luke 1:42 & 68). The exhortation in Ephesians 5 connects the fact of being tilled with the Spirit with praise and singing 'Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord' (v. 19).

So we have found:

Spirit-filled Christians are powerful Christians
Spirit-filled Christians are guided Christians
Spirit-filled Christians are worshipping Christians.

Do these things characterise my life or your life? May the Lord grant us this more and more.

Michael Vogelsang

To be continued