Christ and the Holy Spirit by Winston Atkinson
CHRIST AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
By WINSTON ATKINSON
OUTLINE
INTRODUCTION:
1. Jehovah God, a Triune Being.
2. Cooperation between the three personalities of the God-head.
3. Man should seek to know the three personalities of the Godhead. a. The role each played in redemption. b. The relationships they sustained.
4. In the present study, attention is focused on: a. Christ--The Word of God. b. Holy Spirit--the Spirit of God.
I. HOLY SPIRIT FORETELLS THE COMING OF CHRIST.
A. Prophecies of Christ's coming.
B. Spirit foretells of His birth.
C. Prophecies of His life and ministry.
D. The Spirit foretells His last days.
II. THE HOLY SPIRIT IN INCARNATION.
A. Meaning of incarnation and the necessity of it.
B. Gabriel's promises to Mary.
C. Gabriel's explanation to Joseph.
D. Christ, begotten of the Father through the Holy Spirit.
III. THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE LIFE OF CHRIST.
A. Holy Spirit as a constant companion.
1. Holy Spirit at Christ's baptism..
2. Holy Spirit at the temptation.
3. Holy Spirit given without measure.
B. A two-way subjection.
1. Christ and the Holy Spirit subject to each other.
2. Each with a function to perform.
IV. THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE WORK OF CHRIST.
A. Worked miracles by the Holy Spirit.
B. Rejoiced in the Spirit.
C. Anointed by the Holy Spirit.
D. Gave commandments through the Holy Spirit.
V. HOLY SPIRIT WITH CHRIST IN DEATH.
A. Offered Himself through the Holy Spirit.
B. Resurrected by the Holy Spirit.
VI. OBSERVATIONS WORTH CONSIDERING.
A. The Holy Spirit worked through the incarnate Word.
B. The Holy Spirit's analysis of Christ. C. The Spirit is upon Me.
INTRODUCTION
The Bible unveils many truths about God, about the things of God, and about the Persons of God. Though we, as finite beings, are not able to fully fathom all the mysteries that yet shroud the Godhead, we can believe what is written.
Jehovah God is revealed in the Bible as a Triune Being. To the Corinthians Paul said, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (2 Corinthians 13:14). In this verse God, the Father, Christ, the Son and the Holy Spirit are presented to us as working together, just as they always have from the "beginning." But, that does not mean there were three independent persons who were in coexistence from Eternity. Only God, as an independent Being, has always existed (Psalms 90:1-2).
The other two, which go to make up the Trinity, are His Spirit and His Word. These two are integral parts of God, and can no more be separated from Him than the spirit and means of expressing himself can be divorced from a normal living man. Christ was a manifestation of God in the flesh. He was the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). The Holy Spirit is a manifestation of God in the Spirit. Christ was the Eternal Word of God; the Holy Spirit the Eternal Spirit of God.
It should be emphasized that God, His Spirit, and His Word are fundamentally one, while they are, at the same time, regarded as three distinct personalities. Admittedly, these truths are difficult of comprehension; but, we must believe them because that is what the Bible teaches.
Since the three personalities of the Godhead have planned their work together, for the redemption of man, it behooves man to seek to know the role each has played and the relationships sustained to each other as they perform their individual duties. In this study, we are primarily interested in Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Just as it is difficult to separate, in one's mind, the three members of the Godhead, in the work of redemption, it is equally difficult to separate Christ and the Holy Spirit during His earthly ministry. This is true because of the complete cooperation between the two, a fact clearly set forth, not only in Old Testament prophecies, but in the New Testament teachings of the life of Christ as well.
HOLY SPIRIT FORETELLS THE COMING OF CHRIST
The first and very obvious work of the Holy Spirit, relative to Christ the Eternal Word, was to tell of His coming to earth and of the mission He would seek to accomplish. Speaking of Old Testament holy men, Peter tells us, ". . . . men spoke from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). The Holy Spirit foretold, through these prophets, the major facts in the life and death of Christ, even before He came to earth.
Prophecies of Christ's Coming In the Old Testament, there are numerous references to His coming. Sometimes, in a very general way, the Holy Spirit predicted the nature of His advent; and, sometimes He was more specific, revealing even the time of His coming, facts about His earthly lineage, etc. Consider these:
(1) Seed of woman (Genesis 3:15) (2) Descendant of Shem (Genesis 9:26-27) (3) Seed of Abraham (Genesis 12:3; Genesis 18:18; Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3:16; Hebrews 2:16) (4) Of the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10; Micah 5:2) (5) Of the stock of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1-2; Isaiah 11:10) (6) Of the lineage of David (Isaiah 9:7; Jeremiah 23:5)
Spirit Foretells Of His Birth
Even without the New Testament accounts of the birth of Christ, a student of the Bible would not be at loss to know the main facts involved. The Holy Spirit frequently mentioned, not only His coming, but often revealed bits of information about His birth. Consider:
(1) Born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) (2) Place of birth (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:5-6) (3) Flight into Egypt (Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:15) (4) Killing of the male children (Jeremiah 31:15; Mat-thew 2:17,18)
Prophecies Of His Life And Ministry To God's people in Old Testament times, the Holy Spirit proclaimed the nature of the man would be the Messiah. Through a careful study of these prophecies, much can, be learned about His life and ministry.
(1) A prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15) (2) A priest like Melchizedek (Psalms 110:4) (3) His ministry in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1-2; Matthew 4:15-16
The Spirit Foretells His Last Days The price of atonement was the death of Christ. Hence, the tragic scenes of Calvary and His victorious resurrection be-comes the very focal point of His life. The Holy Spirit fore-told more events of the Last days of Christ than of any other period of His life. Let us consider these:
(1) His triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Isaiah 62:11; Zachariah 9:9) (2) His betrayal by a friend (Psalms 41:9) (3) Sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zachariah 11:12,13) (4) Details of His trial and crucifixion a. His silence when accused (Isaiah 53:7) b. His many sufferings (Isaiah 53:4-6) c. The piercing of His hands and feet (Psalms 22:16; Zachariah 12:10) d. The insults and mockings (Psalms 22:6-7; Psalms 109:25) e. Offered gall and vinegar (Psalms 69:21) f. Lots cast for His garments (Psalms 22:18). g. Not a bone to be broken (Psalms 34:20; John 19:36). h. His burial with the rich (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60).
(5) His resurrection (Psalms 16:10; Acts 2:27-31).
(6) His ascension (Psalms 68:18; Psalms 110:1; Ephesians 4:8-10).
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN INCARNATION
Meaning Of Incarnation And The Necessity Of It.
Since man had sinned and thus, by Sin, had forfeited life God planned, from the very beginning, to send His Son, the Eternal Word, that man by Him might be reconciled to God and regain the life which, he had lost. Speaking of this event, John said, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, as the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). Thus, the Eternal Word of God became the Incarnate Word. The literal meaning of "Incarnate" is to embody in flesh; and so, when we speak of the Incarnation, we refer to the process, whereby the Eternal Word of God appeared in history as the man Jesus Christ. Incarnation, the union of one in the Godhead with humanity, was necessary to reveal God to man in the fullness of His love and to make possible a way of salvation. (See John 3:16 and 2 Corinthians 5:18-21). Just as the Holy Spirit had clearly foretold, through the prophets, the coming of Christ, His work, his betrayal, and His trial and crucifixion, we would surely expect Him to have a part in the Incarnation.
Gabriel's Promises To Mary. In Luke's account of the Incarnation, the evidence is un-deniable. An angel named Gabriel was dispatched from Heaven to the city of Nazareth with a message for a virgin named Mary. The angel informed her that she was "highly favored" of the Lord. Being "greatly troubled at the saying," the angel bid Mary, "Fear not, for thou hast found favor with God" and then further explained, "thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shall call his name Jesus." Mary was confused as to what was meant and asked the angel "How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?" The angel Gabriel answered her and said, "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore the holy thing which is begotten, shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). This was to be in ful-fillment of two of the Spirit's prophecies concerning the com-ing of Christ: (1) That He was to be the seed of woman (Genesis 3:15); (2) That He was to be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14).
Gabriel's Explanation To Joseph.
Now let us look at the same story again and this time from Matthew's account. A man named Joseph was engaged to be married to Mary when "she was found with child of the Holy Spirit." Joseph "being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But when he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she shall bring forth a son; and thou shall call his name Jesus; for it is He that shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:18-21). In these two accounts of the birth of Christ, we clearly see the divinity of Christ set forth through the relation of the Holy Spirit to Him in the Incarnation. While there will always be unanswered questions relative to this mysterious event, the fact remains that the Holy Spirit played a part in the Incarnation.
Christ, Begotten Of The Father Through The Holy Spirit, In John 1:14 Christ is called, "The only begotten from the Father" and in John 3:16 He is mentioned as "His only begotten Son." We see now that Christ was begotten of the Father but that the begettal was through the Holy Spirit. It seems that when God is the outstanding one, Christ is spoken of as having been begotten of Him; but, when the Holy Spirit is prominent, Christ is mentioned as the begotten of the Holy Spirit. So once again, we see the full cooperation of the three personalities of the Godhead, this time in the Incarnation.
Holy Spirit As A Constant Companion.
We have seen that the Holy Spirit, playing his usual role of organizer, had a part in organizing the plans for Christ to come to earth and make possible the scheme of redemption. Through the prophets, he revealed, in parts, these plans to God's people over a period of over 4,000 ears. Finally in the fullness of time, he assisted the Eternal Word in becoming the Incarnate Word. However, His work in the scheme of redemption did not end with the Incarnation. He was always with Christ as Comforter and ever accompanied Him and was subject to Him throughout His life.
(1) Holy Spirit At Christ's Baptism. The Holy Spirit was present at the baptism of Jesus. Mat-thew said, "And Jesus, when He was baptized went up straight-way from the water: and lo, the Heavens were opened unto Him and He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him" (Matthew 3:16). Mark's record reads like this, "And straightway coming up out of the water, He saw the Heavens rent asunder, and the Holy Spirit as a dove descending upon Him." Luke records this event in these words, "And the Holy Spirit descending in a bodily form, as a dove, came upon Him, and a voice came out of Heaven. thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased" (Luke 3:22). John the Baptist told the people that he did not know Christ until God said, "Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and abiding upon Him, the same is He that baptizeth in the Holy Spirit." Then John declared, "I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God" (John 1:33-34).
So, at the baptism of Jesus, the Holy Spirit came upon Him and manifested Himself in the form of a dove. The Holy Spirit then remained with Him throughout His earthly life.
(2) Holy Spirit At The Temptation.
Very soon after Jesus was baptized, we find the story of His temptation and again the Holy Spirit was present. Matthew says, "Then was. Jesus lead up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of him" (Matthew 4:1). In Mark's gospel we read, "And straightway the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness" (Mark 1:12).
(3) Holy Spirit Given Without Measure.
Thus far in our study, we have seen the Holy Spirit as He clearly foretold many of the events involved in the coming of Christ. Through the scriptures we have witnessed His role in the Incarnation. By faith we have seen His abiding presence throughout the life of Christ. This abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, with Christ, is further described as His being "full of the Spirit" (Luke 4:1). In Luke 4:14 we read, "And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee." Perhaps the clearest term used to describe the existence of the Spirit's presence with Christ is. "without measure." It was used by John the Baptist in John 3:34, "For He whom God hath sent, speaketh the words of God: for He giveth not the Spirit by measure." God gave the Holy Spirit to Christ in the fullest possible degree. Just as the Holy Spirit was given in a limited or modified degree to the Apostles and others, He is also given to Christians today. But, to the Messiah, He was given "with-out measure." The truth is now very clear. At His baptism, Christ was given the witness of the Spirit and now He is "full of the Spirit."
(1) Christ And The Holy Spirit Subject To Each Other. At this point it should be emphasized that a two-way sub-jection existed between Christ and the Holy Spirit. As has been previously indicated, the earthly life of Christ was under the influence and close supervision of the Holy Spirit. In a very real sense, Christ was subject to the Holy Spirit. Yet, on the other hand, there was a sense in which the Holy Spirit was subject unto Christ. When He promised the Apostles another Comforter, the Holy Spirit, He said, ". . . . whom I will send unto you from the Father" (John 15:26). Again He said, "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 go away, I will send him unto you" (John 16:7). Evidently then, the Spirit was also subject unto Christ; however, let us not stumble at this fact. How could these two be subject unto each other? The answer is simply that this is further evidence of the very intimate relationship and close cooperation which existed between these two manifestations of God.
(2) Each With A function To Perform. The Holy Spirit was the Eternal Spirit of God; and as such, had certain functions to perform, just as He has always done from the creation even to the present. Likewise, Christ, the Eternal Word of God, now manifested as God in the flesh, had certain duties to discharge. As these two faithfully carried out their part in the scheme of redemption, their cooperation was so complete that they were subject to each other and to God the Father. Notice that the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, was to be sent by Jesus; but, He was to proceed from the Father (John 15:26). Notice again, the Spirit did "not speak from Himself." He was to speak only those things which He would hear. Jesus said, "He shall take of mine, and shall take of mine, and, shall declare it unto you." Again Jesus said, "All things whatsoever the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that He taketh of mine, and shall declare it unto you" (Jahn 16:13-15).
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE WORK OF CHRIST
We have seen that during the life of Christ on earth, He "was full of the Holy Spirit" and that He had the Spirit's help in the fullest possible degree "without measure." The Spirit was subject to Him; but, at the same time, His whole life was under the influence of the Spirit.
Worked Miracles By The Holy Spirit.
Now let us examine Christ's life more closely and see the Holy Spirit as He aids Him in His work. The Holy Spirit was Christ's constant companion, partner and co-worker during His personal ministry. God, through Isaiah had said, "Behold, my servant whom I have chosen; my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit upon Him, and He shall declare judgment to the Gentiles" (Isaiah 42:1). In chapter twelve, verse twenty-eight, of his book, Matthew declared the fulfillment of this promise. Christ also announced its fulfillment when He acknowledged, "But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the Kingdom of God come unto you" (Matthew 12:28).
Rejoiced In The Spirit.
Another interesting passage is Luke 10:21 where it is said, "In that same hour He rejoiced in the Holy Spirit." While we may not fully understand how, nevertheless, it is plainly stated that the Holy Spirit aided Him, even in His rejoicing.
Anointed By The Holy Spirit.
Perhaps the most interesting story involving the Spirit's assistance, is found in Luke, chapter four. Here we see the Holy Spirit with Him as He begins His ministry of preaching. Jesus, like most any other young preacher, apparently desired to preach one of His first sermons in His hometown. Luke re-cords, "And he came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and He entered, as His custom was, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read." We are told that He chose a passage from the book of Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1-2) in which the prophet had foretold the nature of the preaching of the coming Messiah. Jesus read, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because He anointed me .to preach good tidings to the poor: He hath sent me to proclaim release to the cap-tives, and recovering sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18; Luke 4:18).
In the verses He read, Isaiah had vividly depicted His mission with four striking statements. He would (1)"Preach the Gospel to the poor;" (2)be sent to "heal the broken hearted;" (3)"Preach deliverance to the captives, sight to the blind, and liberty to the bruised," and He would (4)"Proclaim that a year of Jubilee to all the world, had come." With these words, Isaiah had pictured Him as an Evangelist and Emancipator, a Physician and as a Herald of better items. After the reading, Jesus sat down to deliver His sermon. The complete sermon is not recorded, but He, no doubt, stunned His audience with these opening words, "Today hath this scripture been fulfilled in your ears" (Luke 4:21).
In this statement, He boldly claimed to have been anointed by the Holy Spirit. Anointing was the method by which prophets, priests and kings were consecrated and set apart to their several offices. The prophet had said Christ would be anointed, not with the "anointing oil" as usual, but with the Holy Spirit. So when Jesus closed the book and said, "Today is this scripture fulfilled," He was openly announcing Himself as the "promised one," evidenced by the Spirit's close association with Him in His ministry of preaching and healing.
Gave Commandments Through The Holy Spirit. As further evidence of the Spirit's work with Christ, let us consider Acts 1:2 where it is stated that Christ "had given commandment through the Holy Spirit unto the Apostles whom He had chosen." Here we have Luke stating that Christ was speaking by the Holy Spirit. This was after Jesus had been crucified, buried, resurrected and was just before His ascension. The Spirit was still His co-laborer. These Apostles were soon to be guided by the Holy Spirit, as they preached, but even now as He gave them the commission, Christ was speaking by the Holy Spirit.
HOLY SPIRIT WITH CHRIST IN DEATH
From the beginning the Holy Spirit cooperated fully with Christ. He was a part of His Incarnation. Christ was filled with His power and influence during His preaching career. The Holy Spirit was with Him in the working of miracles. He felt the Holy Spirit's assistance in training and commissioning the Apostles.
Offered Himself Through The Holy Spirit.
Now Christ has one more function to perform. He must pay the price for man's reconciliation to God. "Apart from shedding of Blood there is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22) and so, He must shed His blood as an atonement for sin . Here again, the Spirit enters the picture. The Bible teaches that His blood, through the Holy Spirit, became the cleansing power of sin. "For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling them that have been defiled, sanctifieth unto the cleanness of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish unto God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God" (Hebrews 9:13-14).
Resurrected By The Holy Spirit. But the story does not end with the death of Christ. With His body in a borrowed tomb and His soul in the Hadean world, the Spirit did not cease to function. The Holy Spirit was present and had something to do with His resurrection. Paul said, "But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, He that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through His Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Romans 8:11).
OBSERVATIONS WORTH CONSIDERING
The Holy Spirit Worked Through The Incarnate Word.
Since the Holy Spirit, as the Eternal Spirit of God, is the Third Member of the Godhead, we would naturally expect to find Him working in the interest of the redemption of human souls. God, the Father, manifested a deep and abiding concern for lost souls even before "times eternal" (Titus 1:2), evidenced by His "eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Ephesians 3:11).
Christ, the Eternal Word, who became Emmanuel, "God with us," was equally anxious to bring about man's redemption and His reconciliation to God. As the Incarnate Word, He "gave himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity" (Titus 2:14).
Even so, the Holy Spirit was no less interested in the eternal destiny of lost souls. His primary objective was to assist in bringing about man's restoration to his rightful and proper place with God. To that end, He fully and completely dedicated himself to every act of His work, from His predictions of the coming of Christ through His role in the Incarnation and even in His part of raising Christ from the dead.
While it is true that the Holy Spirit constantly worked with the other two members of the Godhead, for the benefit of lost souls, it is equally true that all of his activities were channeled through Christ the Incarnate Word. He never once operated in a direct manner to the end that a soul might be saved. During our Lord's earthly life, all the work done by the Holy Spirit was done through the divine person, of Christ. Only those persons were moved upon by the Holy Spirit, who came into personal contact with the Incarnate Word or to whom He personally imparted His influence and power. He who would benefit from the operation of the Holy Spirit must come to know Jesus, the Eternal Word of God now manifested as the Incarnate Word.
The Holy Spirit is still anxious that souls be saved. His interest has not decreased nor has His method of operation charged. He still operates for man's redemption, but never directly upon man, the sinner. Just as all that He did for man's salvation, during the earthly life of Christ, was through the Incarnate Word, so all that He does now for human redemption is through the "written word."
The Hebrew writer said, "The Word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword" (Hebrews 5:12). To the Ephesians Paul said the Word of God is, "the sword of the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:17). Jesus had promised the Apostles, "Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth is come, He shall guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13). Paul later said, "We speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth" (1 Corinthians 2:13).
As a result, today, we have in our possession the written word of God. The Spirit still operates, but just as He did operate through the Incarnate Word, now He operates through the "written word." He who would know God and be saved, must come to know Him through Christ and through the Spirit's revelation of Christ in the "written word."
THE HOLY SPIRIT'S ANALYSIS OF CHRIST
We should observe, for another thing, in Luke four, where we find Christ claiming to be anointed by the Spirit, what a striking account our Lord gave to the congregation at Nazareth, of His own office and ministry. In His message He revealed the Spirit's analysis of Him and His work. The Spirit anointed Him to preach the Gospel to the poor; to heal the broken hearted; to preach deliverance to the captives; sight to the blind and liberty to the bruised; and, to proclaim a year of Jubilee to all.
Let us, today, be very careful that we know in what light we ought to chiefly regard the Christ. Here we often fail. We can learn much from the Spirit's view of Him. Of course, it is right and proper to think of Him as God, for truly He is. It is good that we know Him as a Great Prophet, as the head of all things, as the King of Kings and as the Judge of the earth. But, we must know Him as the Spirit anointed Him and revealed Him. We must know the Christ as the friend of the poor, the physician of diseased hearts, the emancipator of enslaved souls.
These are the principal offices He came to earth to fulfill. He was not a foreign dignitary who could not be touched by the common needs of man. He was a man; in fact, He was God clothed in human flesh; and, consequently full of compassion for human needs. How miserably we fail, as His ambassadors, when we fail to hold Him up to the world in the light in which He was regarded by the Holy Spirit at Nazareth and throughout His earthly life.
THE SPIRIT IS UPON ME As a concluding observation, consider the statement of Christ to the congregation assembled at Nazareth. He quoted the prophecy "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me." And then said, "Today is this fulfilled." When Christ spoke, He could truthfully say, "The Spirit is with me." The Spirit had prophesied of His coming, had begotten Him in incarnation, had assisted in the working of miracles and in other acts of His ministry; and now He could say "he guides me when I speak." No doubt the success of Christ, as a teacher, may be attributed to this fact. When He spoke, He touched the heart. The words which fell from His lips had the power to move and motivate His audience.
Yes, there is power in the words which are spoken, if they are directed by the Spirit. And, today, without that spiritual consecration, in the pulpit as well as in the pew, preachers may preach and people may hear, but in vain. Have you ever wondered why well educated, polished and experienced preachers can deliver a whole series of sermons and yet not move one single soul?
Doubtless there are many reasons, yet I am confident that often our preaching its without fruit because our words are not truly from the Spirit. Our words return void and empty because they are not God's words. When we speak, we are not so "full of the Spirit" and His words, that we can say, as Jesus did, "the Spirit is upon me." Unconsciously we often expect results based upon our own initiative, our own ability and our own experience in the art of handling words. We fail to recognize the impossibility of our task without the power of the Spirit's words. We often are not cognizant of His power and influence upon us and our hearers. Hence, our words become powerless because they are purely of human origin and devised of human wisdom.
A story is told of a young Christian lady who was visiting a lunatic asylum. As she made the rounds, her soul was filled with sadness and pity at the sights she saw. By and by she was led into a room where there was but one patient, a young girl of the same age as herself. She was standing in the corner of the room, her face almost touching the wall. In stony hopelessness she stood, immobile and rigid as a statue. She neither looked nor spoke. She might have been as dead as the statue she represented but that she still stood on. It was a heart-breaking spectacle. "Will you speak to her?" asked the doctor, "we can do nothing with her. She has been thus for days; but one like yourself might move her." The young lady, trembling with emotion, with one upward cry to heaven for help, stepped forward, gently laid her hand on the listless form and, with tears in her eyes, spoke one sentence of yearning sympathy and compassion. The poor patient turned, gazed for one moment, her form quivered, and she burst into tears! The doctor exclaimed, "Thank God, she may be saved!" The visitor could never recall the words she had used; but they had done their work. Oh! The power of words if they are of divine origin!
Brethren, our words today can have the same influence and lasting effect upon our hearers, if we are confident of their source and aware of their power. As Christ was ever guided by the Spirit, let us be equally willing to be guided by the Spirit as we use His words in written form. Every time we speak, let us resolve to be "full of the Spirit" in the sense that our message is His message. This we can accomplish through a diligent study of the Bible and by and by our ser-mons will become almost totally filled with scriptures.
Lord help us to ever be guided by Thy Spirit even as Thy Son was during His earthly life. Amen.
STUDY QUESTIONS 1. Why should man seek to know the relationship which existed between Christ and the Holy Spirit?
2. Why is it difficult to separate the work of Christ from the work of the Holy Spirit, during the earthly ministry of Christ?
3. Explain the process of incarnation.
4. Why was the incarnation a necessary step in God's plan for re-deeming fallen man?
5. What role did the Holy Spirit play when the "Word" became flesh?
6. Why is Christ spoken of as having been "begotten" by both the Father and the Holy Spirit?
7. The Holy Spirit was closely associated with Christ during his personal ministry. List at least five times specifically mentioned.
8. What is the meaning of "full of the Spirit" (Luke 4:1) and "he giveth not the Spirit by measure" (John 3:34)?
9. In what way was Christ, as the "incarnate Word," subject to the Spirit?
10. Was the Spirit's influence over Christ limited or complete? Think!
11. Explain how the Spirit was subject to Christ.
12. What does the close cooperation between Christ and the Holy Spirit prove?
13. Compare the relationship of the Holy Spirit and the incarnate Word, with the Holy Spirit and the written word.
14. In the Holy Spirit's analysis of Christ's life and work (Luke 4:18-19) He did not think of Christ as some foreign dignitary or as an untouchable potentate. Identify the Christ as He was revealed in the Spirit's view of Him.
15. As a teacher of God's Word today, is there a sense in which I can say, as Jesus did, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me?" May our failures be attributed to our lack of consciousness of this?