The Holy Spirit also took part in sending Jesus to be our Redeemer.
Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me. Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
(Isa 48:16-17 KJV)
Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last. Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.
(Isa 48:12-13 KJV)
The Lord God and His Spirit sent Jesus, who is also called “God’s right hand that stretched out the heavens” and the “Holy One of Israel” in the Old Testament, to redeem us (see previous blog entry “Why should I keep the commandments of Jesus?”).
But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus to life after you hung him on a tree and killed him. God has exalted to his right hand this very man as our Leader and Savior in order to give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who keep on obeying him."
(Act 5:29-32 ISV)
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
(Rev 1:8 KJV)
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
(Rev 1:17-19 KJV)
Jesus was there at the beginning and He will be there at the end of all things. He was raised from the dead and made eternally alive again to redeem us. The Holy Spirit is a witness to Him as our Redeemer and we are witnesses of Him, too, when the Holy Spirit lives within us.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
(Act 1:8 ISV)
And when they had prayed, the place in which they were assembled shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke the word of God with boldness. And the heart and soul of the multitude of those that had believed were one, and not one said that anything of what he possessed was his own, but all things were common to them; and with great power did the apostles give witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
(Act 4:31-33 Darby)
The Greek word for "Spirit" in the New Testament is "pneuma" which means "a current of air, that is breath (blast) or a breeze". We are given new “eternal life” by the Holy Spirit (breath) when we believe and accept Jesus as our Lord. We are also given power by the Holy Spirit to speak God's Word to others as His witness. This is the promise of God that Jesus said we would receive if we obey and love Him. Fully knowing and believing in who the Holy Spirit is and His power towards us is what I believe it means to be "baptized in the name of the Holy Spirit".
You, too, have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed in him you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of God's own possession, to his praise and glory. Therefore, because I have heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I never stop giving thanks for you as I mention you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father most glorious, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation through knowing Christ fully. Then, with the eyes of your hearts enlightened, you will know the hope of his calling, the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and the unlimited greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his mighty strength, which he put to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realm.
(Eph 1:13-20 ISV)
The Holy Spirit fills us and empowers us to be the disciples Jesus called us to be! In the book of Acts, I read about how the Holy Spirit empowered the Disciples to be witnesses of Jesus, and it encourages me to know that the Holy Spirit can do the same through me. He is my Helper who will give me the power to be a witness and to be a disciple that loves God with "all my strength" (see previous blog entry “Time to get serious”).
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Thursday, July 14, 2005
The Holy Spirit and Life
God's Spirit also had a part in the creation of man.
And God said: 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.'
(Gen 1:26 JPS)
And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
(Gen 2:7 ASV)
Ok, let's go back to what I learned about Jesus: Jesus is God's Word, and the commands that God gave to create man and the earth were spoken words. If I hold up my hand in front of my mouth when I speak, I will feel breath on my hand. Breath is needed in order to speak words. Genesis 2:7 states that God "breathed" life into man and Genesis 1:26 states that we were made after His likeness, so that means God has breath, too. So is there a connection between "breath" and "spirit"?
I checked Strong's Hebrew Dictionary and found out that the Hebrew word for "spirit" is “ruach” and the proper definition is “to blow” or "breathe"! Figuratively, "ruach" also means "life". So that means that God’s Spirit, His breath, gave us physical life. My conclusion, then, is that God's spoken Word and breath, which is Jesus and the Holy Spirit working together, created the form of man. Then man was given physical life by God's breath, the Holy Spirit.
If he set his heart upon himself, If he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath; All flesh shall perish together, And man shall turn again unto dust.
(Job 34:14-15 ASV)
You hide Your face, and they are troubled; You gather their breath, and they expire and return to their dust. You send out Your Spirit, and they are created; and You renew the face of the earth.
(Psa 104:29-30 LITV)
If God were to take back His breath from us, then we would return to dust. We need the Holy Spirit in order to live!
The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
(Job 33:4 KJV)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
(Joh 1:1-4 KJV)
God and Jesus are One and in them they have the same Spirit of life which they used to create us and give us life. This is how the three worked together as One to create us!
And God said: 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.'
(Gen 1:26 JPS)
And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
(Gen 2:7 ASV)
Ok, let's go back to what I learned about Jesus: Jesus is God's Word, and the commands that God gave to create man and the earth were spoken words. If I hold up my hand in front of my mouth when I speak, I will feel breath on my hand. Breath is needed in order to speak words. Genesis 2:7 states that God "breathed" life into man and Genesis 1:26 states that we were made after His likeness, so that means God has breath, too. So is there a connection between "breath" and "spirit"?
I checked Strong's Hebrew Dictionary and found out that the Hebrew word for "spirit" is “ruach” and the proper definition is “to blow” or "breathe"! Figuratively, "ruach" also means "life". So that means that God’s Spirit, His breath, gave us physical life. My conclusion, then, is that God's spoken Word and breath, which is Jesus and the Holy Spirit working together, created the form of man. Then man was given physical life by God's breath, the Holy Spirit.
If he set his heart upon himself, If he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath; All flesh shall perish together, And man shall turn again unto dust.
(Job 34:14-15 ASV)
You hide Your face, and they are troubled; You gather their breath, and they expire and return to their dust. You send out Your Spirit, and they are created; and You renew the face of the earth.
(Psa 104:29-30 LITV)
If God were to take back His breath from us, then we would return to dust. We need the Holy Spirit in order to live!
The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
(Job 33:4 KJV)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
(Joh 1:1-4 KJV)
God and Jesus are One and in them they have the same Spirit of life which they used to create us and give us life. This is how the three worked together as One to create us!
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
The Holy Spirit - in the beginning
I searched on "wisdom" in the Old Testament, and after studying many scriptures, I discovered that "wisdom" was there in the beginning, even before there was ever an earth.
I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of devices.
(Pro 8:12 JPS)
Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, power is mine.
(Pro 8:14 JPS)
The LORD made me as the beginning of His way, the first of His works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth; While as yet He had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the beginning of the dust of the world.
(Pro 8:22-26 JPS)
Wisdom was there when God established the heavens, the fountains of the deep, and the foundations of the earth.
When He established the heavens, I was there; when He set a circle upon the face of the deep, When He made firm the skies above, when the fountains of the deep showed their might, When He gave to the sea His decree, that the waters should not transgress His commandment, when He appointed the foundations of the earth; Then I was by Him, as a nursling; and I was daily all delight, playing always before Him, Playing in His habitable earth, and my delights are with the sons of men.
(Pro 8:27-31 JPS)
It is He who made the earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom, and who stretched out the heavens by His understanding.
(Jer 10:12 LITV)
Then I went back to the beginning of the Bible, to the book of Genesis, and I found that these scriptures matched up with the first reference to the "Spirit of God".
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 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 1:1-2 KJV)
In a previous blog entry (How does Jesus fit into the picture if we are only supposed to believe in one God?), I explained how Jesus is the Word of God. So if Jesus is God's "Word" that created all things, then these scriptures show how the Holy Spirit is God's "Power" within His Word. This helps to explain how Jesus and the Holy Spirit are One!
I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of devices.
(Pro 8:12 JPS)
Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, power is mine.
(Pro 8:14 JPS)
The LORD made me as the beginning of His way, the first of His works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth; While as yet He had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the beginning of the dust of the world.
(Pro 8:22-26 JPS)
Wisdom was there when God established the heavens, the fountains of the deep, and the foundations of the earth.
When He established the heavens, I was there; when He set a circle upon the face of the deep, When He made firm the skies above, when the fountains of the deep showed their might, When He gave to the sea His decree, that the waters should not transgress His commandment, when He appointed the foundations of the earth; Then I was by Him, as a nursling; and I was daily all delight, playing always before Him, Playing in His habitable earth, and my delights are with the sons of men.
(Pro 8:27-31 JPS)
It is He who made the earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom, and who stretched out the heavens by His understanding.
(Jer 10:12 LITV)
Then I went back to the beginning of the Bible, to the book of Genesis, and I found that these scriptures matched up with the first reference to the "Spirit of God".
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 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 1:1-2 KJV)
In a previous blog entry (How does Jesus fit into the picture if we are only supposed to believe in one God?), I explained how Jesus is the Word of God. So if Jesus is God's "Word" that created all things, then these scriptures show how the Holy Spirit is God's "Power" within His Word. This helps to explain how Jesus and the Holy Spirit are One!
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