The Amazing Companion

The Amazing Companion

Some Surprises About The Holy Spirit

Moody Roberts

Published By Brentwood Christian Press

4000 Beallwood Avenue

Columbus, Georgia 31904-7217

Dedication

I hereby dedicate this work to

The Blessed

Holy Spirit

in hopes that all who read these

pages may learn more of Him and

be more yielded to Him.

Preface

To the reader who is trained in our modern theological schools, there are some things in these pages that will seem to be new doctrine. It has not been my purpose to be new or different. While pastoring churches in several states, I spent a good deal of my "Leisure" time in a study that I set out to do for my self. Over a period of ten years I looked at every passage I could find in the Bible dealing with the Holy Spirit. Without commentaries I sought to examine each passage in the light of the context around it with a purpose to learn all I could. (I do not mean to demean commentaries; rather for this particular study I wished only to learn as much as I could from the Word itself.) In this course I began to see some things that were new to me also. Without discrediting them I wrote them down and compared them with later passages to see if they stood the test of Bible unity. When I was through, I felt I had information that was valuable and should be passed on to all who will take the time to read these pages.

In the actual writing I did use a few ideas that I had received elsewhere, but it is predominately the passing on of my study notes. I do not expect that everyone will agree with all that I write. My request would simply be, "Read with your Bible in hand and compare what is written with the Bible passages to which reference is made. If you find help, I will be most grateful to the Holy Spirit that He would use me to help you know Him better.

If something herein seems novel to you, remember some of it was new to me also. Let me encourage the reader to study. If something is different from what you have been taught, it does not necessarily follow that it is wrong. Let the diligent study of the Holy Word determine whether these pages or any other writing be Biblically correct. If it is Biblically correct, who are we to discard it?

I do not claim any new revelation. God is not giving new revelations today. Neither do I claim any advanced scholarship. I may even appear to be brazen to offer some things I say. Let the reader be assured that it is not written with that purpose in mind. Really I have dared to express as humbly as I can what I believe I have learned to be true. I hope it will be seen that way and prove to be a spiritual blessing to many.

Moody Roberts

CONTENTS

1          The Holy Spirit Is God

2          The Sovereignty Of The Spirit

3          The Holy Spirit And Inspiration

4          The Enabling Work Of The Holy Spirit

5          The Indwelling Of The Holy Spirit

6          The Fruit Of The Spirit

7          The Blasphemy Of The Holy Ghost

8          The Holy Spirit And Prayer

9          The Realm Of The Spirit

10         The Baptism Of The Holy Ghost

11         The Holy Spirit's Regenerating Work

12         The Sanctifying Work Of The Holy Spirit

13         The Holy Spirit Identifying Or Witnessing

14         The Filling Of the Holy Spirit

15         The Anointing Of The Holy Spirit

16         The Guiding Work Of The Holy Spirit

17         The Holy Spirit - Our Teacher

18         The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit Is God

God is a Trinity. All theists believe there is a God. Some of them will acknowledge only one person in the God-head, that being the person called "the Father". Others will affirm the deity of the Son, even Jesus Christ. Often however the deity of the Holy Spirit is forgotten or just goes unnoticed.

The Holy Spirit is often referred to as "It". This is a great mistake, because He not only is a person; He is a person of Deity. Personal characteristics are ascribed to Him. He is an individual distinct from the Father and the Son. He has feelings, and He has a will. He can feel, think or reason, and make decisions. He performs acts of a person. He teaches, guides, sanctifies, loves, reproves, etc., showing Him to act as a person. Personal pronouns are ascribed to Him such as He, His, or Him. Some have called Him an influence, but He is much more than an influence. He does influence man, but He does it as a person. He can be grieved, lied to, resisted, tempted, etc. An influence cannot be grieved or lied to. He is a person.

He is not only a person; He is a person Who is God. He participated in the creation. He inspired the Scriptures, He regenerates sinners, and He has raised the dead even Jesus. He is omnipotent and omni-present. These are attributes only of God. Having laid out some of these thoughts, let us look at some scriptures that corroborate His Deity.

. We shall begin with Gen. 1:2. From this passage we may at least learn that the Holy Spirit has existed from before creation. As a pre-existing One, which would mean an eternal One, He would be seen to be God. Surely no one else existed before creation. We may also learn that He acted in creation. Scripture says, "He moved upon the face of the waters." As "the Spirit of God" His deity is recognized, and we recognize His relationship to the Father as being of Him and therefore proceeding from Him. The word translated "moved" we are told also means brooded over. In this we can see His love. As a hen gathereth her chicks under her wings, so also He brooded or hovered over the face of those waters. Here again we learn there is generating warmth in Him as He brooded there. It is interesting also to note the condition of that over which He hovered. It was an earth void and without form. It was as waste. Darkness prevailed upon the face of the deep. It was a perfect conception of ruin and degradation upon which the Spirit moved or brooded. Yet out of that He brought our beautiful world.

In Job 25:13 the Holy Spirit is seen again in His creative work. Gen. 1:1 tells us God created the heavens and the earth. John 1:3 speaking of Jesus, the Son of God, says that all things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. Job now includes the Holy Spirit in that creation. It was He Who moved upon or brooded over the face of the waters in Gen. 1:2. The beauty of the heavens then is ascribed to the work of the Holy Spirit Who is the Agent of God in all His work. Job says He garnished the heavens. Just what that is really saying is not explained. To garnish however means to decorate or adorn. When we think of how beautiful Heaven must be; we should remember, it is the Holy Spirit Who has decorated or adorned that beautiful place.

In chapter 33 and verse 4 Job again refers to the creative work of the Holy Spirit. He says, “The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life." What a high and holy view this should give us of man as the creature made of God thru the Holy Spirit. In the creation of man it is said that God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and he became a living soul. Job is telling us part of the same. He says, "...the breath of the Almighty hath given me life." Job 32:8 refers to a Spirit in man. Created in the image of God and receiving our life from the Holy Spirit, we too have a spirit. The breath or Spirit of the Almighty God teaches our spirit, and we are thus given understanding.

Psalm 104:30 continues the same idea. In this Psalm the Holy Spirit has spoken of the waters fleeing from the voice of God. He has then spoken of beasts and fowls living by those waters. After this He also speaks of sustenance for cattle and man. To the waters He then adds the sun and the moon. In verse 26 He says, "There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein." In verses 27-29 He shows all of these as dependent on God. Then in verse 30 He says, “Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth." Here the Holy Spirit is seen as proceeding from God. The Trinity is made of three distinct personalities, but each of them is seen as one and working in perfect harmony with the other two. The sending forth here of the Spirit and the creation seem to be related.

Isaiah in chapter 40 verse 7 tells us another side of His power. Here the opposite of creation is seen. It is a glorious thing that Jesus thru the power of the Holy Spirit could create all things (John 1:3; Gen. 1:2). It is just as wondrous to note that the dying of the grass and flowers. God's own creation, is the result of the Holy Spirit blowing on them the kiss of death. He has the power of life and death.

His creative work continues into the New Testament. Here is the first mention of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament (Matt. 1:18-20). It was similar to the original act of creation in Gen. 1:2. Yet it is very important that we do not say that He created Jesus. Jesus is God and has always been; thus, He needed no creation. He has not always been in a body though. The generating or creative work of the Holy Spirit in this case was that of Divine Power at work in the body of the virgin Mary. Without any marriage or carnal knowledge of a man she was with child. How? He did not create Jesus. There was no cohabitation of Mary with a mythological God. The Holy Spirit in miraculous power did generate the body of the divine Child. Verse 20 says, "...that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost."

The creative work of the Holy Spirit is also seen in the act of resurrection. In 1 Peter 3:18 the Spirit is the Agent of our Lord's resurrection. We note our Lord's suffering in verse 11. It has as its purpose bringing us to God. The God-Man is put to death in the flesh. God does not die, but His humanity does. The Spirit here, the Agent of resurrection, made Jesus alive again. In 1 Peter 4:6 a parallel is seen. Here reference is made to saints who have died. The same Spirit is their agent of resurrection.

Again we see this same work in Rev. 11:11. The two witnesses of the Tribulation period are killed and left in the street. After three and one half days lying in the street, the Spirit of life from God enters them and they stand on their feet. Here again is the creative power of the Spirit. He can bring to life that which has never lived, or He can restore to life that which lived and died. It was the same Spirit that raised up Christ, and it is the same Spirit that quickens us to spiritual life.

We also learn that the Holy Spirit is Omni-present. Note Psalm 139:7. David, beloved of God, is in this Psalm aware of the presence of the Spirit. He is surely not running away from Him, but rather he is magnifying the truth of the Spirit's omnipresence. How wonderful! Regardless of circumstances in which we find ourselves, the Holy Spirit is always with us who are saved.

The Holy Spirit is also omnipotent. In Acts 5:3 we find a man whose name (Ananias) means "whom Jehovah graciously gave." He must have been a beautiful baby. Circumstances around his birth may have meant it was not easy for his parents to have children. Thus when he was born, they recognized him as truly a gift from God. He was married to Sapphira whose name means "beautiful". This couple no doubt well respected in the church were a union of grace and beauty. They were likely known that way in their church. These two, however, were greedy. They sold a piece of ground and gave part of the proceeds to the church, but they professed to have given it all. Peter then accused this man of lying not to man or the church but to God. He is said to have lied to the Holy Ghost. In verse nine the beautiful one came and agreed with her husband. She knew better and thus was a party to the lie. Peter informed her that their tying to the Holy Ghost was also a means of tempting the Spirit of the Lord. It was like tantalizing God in His anger or what we sometimes refer to as tempting the providence of God. The result in both cases was death on the spot. This resulted in great fear in the church.

Then let's go over to Rev. 1:4. John is addressing the seven churches of Asia. He is going to give them the revelation of Jesus Christ that Jesus had received from the Father. John had received it by the signs the angel gave to him. Now an angel is a ministering spirit (Heb. 1:14). Those spirits sometimes take on the body of a man, but they are ministering spirits. He expresses grace from the Eternal One and then includes that the same grace is from the seven Spirits which are before the throne of that Eternal One. Since the stars in the hand of Christ were the "angels of the seven churches", one might wonder if these Spirits are those angels. Then, however, we notice that these angels must be men who are the pastors of those churches. (Rev. 1:20, 2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14) The seven Spirits are before the throne of God — not in His hand. Seven is a number used often in the Bible Interpretation to mean complete or fullness. Could this be then a reference to the Holy Spirit Himself in all of His fullness?

Since the grace of which John speaks is seen as coming from the Eternal One and these Seven Spirits, it seems reasonable to believe that this is the meaning here. Also Isaiah spoke of The Spirit of the Lord, Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Might, Knowledge, and Fear of the Lord in verse 2, Chapter 11. Continuing in verse 5 of Rev. 1 John says, "...and from Jesus Christ..." This then would give us the Father as the Eternal One, The Holy Spirit as the Seven Spirits, and Jesus Christ (the Three together as the Trinity) as the source from which would come the grace of which John speaks.

Again in Rev. 3:1 and 4:5 we learn of the Holy Spirit. In Rev. 1:4 grace was from the Seven Spirits of God as well as from the Father and from Jesus. In 3:1 the one giving the message has the Seven Spirits of God. The same One has the seven stars (pastors) in His hand. The Spirit is identifying Jesus. John in his vision 4:5 is able to see into Heaven. Before the throne of God he sees seven lamps of fire burning. He identifies these lamps as the Seven Spirits of God or the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Now lamps speak of light. John identifies Jesus in John 1 as the Light. In John 9:5 Jesus said, "As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world." In Rev. 4:5 the lamps before the throne are not identified as Christ, but rather as the Holy Spirit. In Matt. 5:14 Jesus said to His disciples who would be the beginning of His Church, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid." Thus Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Lord's Church are each referred to as light. How blessed! When Jesus was on earth, He was the Light of the world? Now that He is back in Heaven, His Church is the light of the world. Now here is a problem. His Church has no light in and by herself. It is said that like the moon reflects the light of the sun, the Church must reflect the light of the Son. Fine! The Church is made up of human believers. Though they have been touched by the Son and created anew in regeneration, they still bear in themselves the inabilities of the depraved nature. So where is the light? In those believers dwells the Holy Spirit. He being the seven lamps of fire He will lighten the believers and enable us to reflect the light of the Son.

The deity of the Spirit must be seen in His power. In Acts 6:3, 5, 10 the first deacons are being chosen. Among other things the qualification of a deacon was to be full of the Holy Ghost. Enemies of God and the Gospel were there of course to dispute with the man of God. The Bible declares they were "unable to resist" the wisdom and the Spirit by which Stephen spoke. Are we then out of place to speak of the Holy Ghost as an irresistible Spirit? It surely was not Stephen who was irresistible.

Then Stephen in Acts 7:51, 55 is addressing the council. He accuses them of always resisting the Holy Ghost. How can they resist Him if He is irresistible? The answer can only be that from a human responsibility standpoint, they like all unconverted men do resist the Spirit, and they do it continuously. From a standpoint, however, of God's sovereignty and power, when He begins to accompany His word as He chooses; the power of that Spirit is powerful to overcome the mind and heart of those to whom He so ministers.

The efficacy of that power is seen also in Rev. 2:7, 11, 29; 3:6, 13, 22. The Lord Jesus is speaking in these passages. In each case he gives a message to John to be given to the angel or pastor of that church. Because angels are messengers it is expected that these angels (pastors) will not keep the messages to themselves, but that they will transmit them also to their churches. These verses then are invitations for these churches to act on what they have heard. It is a way of impressing on them their responsibility to what they heard. It is interesting, however, that the Lord does not say let him hear what "I" say. Neither does He say, "Let them hear what the angel says." He instead says, "Let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Christ was physically already in Heaven seated at the Father's right hand. (He was not exalting the Spirit over Himself either.) Since He was physically in Heaven, He was sending these messages thru His servant to the angels (pastors). Those churches were made of human believers like ourselves. They might hear their pastor and yet not hear him. Here is a challenge for them to hear efficaciously what the Spirit was saying thru those pastors. This is ever the case. The Pastor's message may be ever so true, but if the Spirit does not effectively accompany that message to the hearer's heart; that hearer will not hear. Satan will snatch the truth from the mind.

Now in Rev. 22:17 is seen the cooperation of the Church with the Spirit. "The Spirit and the bride say come." It is the responsibility of the Church to preach that which the Spirit by inspiration has imparted to us. In fact where the Spirit has remained silent, the Lord's Church must remain silent. All the doctrines the Spirit has taught us are to be heralded as it were from the housetops. It is not ours to decide (pick and choose) what part of the Spirit's word is to be proclaimed. We must proclaim the whole counsel of God.

As the Church cooperates with the Spirit in this proclamation, she can also expect the blessing of the Spirit in the call of sinners to Christ. Apart from the Spirit's inspired word we have not, and we must not have any message to give. Preach that which is given ever so faithfully however, if the Holy Spirit does not bless that word to the hearer's heart, it will be in vain. Thus it is the Spirit and the Church cooperate to call sinners to repentance and life. How blessed the thought! The last reference of the Spirit in all the Bible, He is seen joining with the Lord's Church to herald forth the invitation of God to come and take the water of life freely.

What condescension is seen also! Could the Spirit not send angels to herald that invitation? Sure He could, but He didn't. Could He not raise up even the stones to tell His invitation? Sure, but He didn't. Could He not have sent back the saints who are no longer tainted by sin? Of course, but He didn't. Could He not have even done the work in our hearts without the agency of men's preaching or teaching? Could He not have created us anew spiritually by the simple word of Christ and the breath of His power as was the case in creating man physically? Of course, but He didn't choose any of these. Instead He chose to join with the Church to call sinners to Christ. What a challenge to us! Be faithful to teach what He has given to us. At the same time know that in all of our faithfulness, ours is only the external call. Before it will ever be effective to one sinner, the Spirit must join with us in the call taking it to the sinner's heart. All boasting then of what we have done has no room whatsoever. Yet what an honor that He has chosen to use us while He calls to Himself.

The Spirit's deity will be further manifested in His various works.

The Sovereignty Of The Spirit

In the preceding chapter we have discussed the Deity of the Holy Spirit. As God, He would also be sovereign. We shall see this in some incidents recorded in the Blessed Book

God sovereignly puts His servants where He wishes. We shall look at some examples in the next paragraphs.

In 1 Kings 18:12 Obadiah made a false supposition. It reveals, however, that he knew Elijah to be a man controlled by the Spirit of God. This statement in the text does not concern itself with the Spirit as indwelling Elijah. The action spoken is of the Spirit, but it is not concerned with the fruit of the Spirit. There is here no indication of the Spirit's infilling, for no preparation is here called for. The presence of the Spirit with Elijah is certainly herein stated. Obadiah knew him to be guided by and encouraged by the Spirit. Anointing is not the concern here either. Even guiding is an insufficient term. There seems to be a recognition here of the sovereignty of the Spirit in His action of carrying or putting His servants where He wishes. Elijah later reveals that Obadiah had supposed an error, because God had now purposed to have Elijah meet Ahab. His error was not in recognizing that sovereign action as a prerogative belonging to the Spirit. His error was in misjudging the purpose of God for that time.

A similar experience is seen in 2 Kings 2:9, 15, 16. In verse nine we have Elisha recognizing Elijah as being anointed of God. For this anointing Elisha had a deep longing. It was the one request he made to Elijah before the latter's departure. In verse 15 the sons of the prophets had seen Elisha use the mantle that had fallen to him from Elijah to part the waters of Jordan that he might cross again to the west side. Having watched those waters part for him, they said, "The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha." This term is again connected with power. Power is a prerogative of Sovereignty. In verse 16 the sons of the prophets refer to Elijah as having been taken up and cast on a mountain or into a valley by the Spirit. In other words the Spirit is sovereign to carry him where He wished. This is at least a reference to their knowledge of the Spirit's power.

Ezekiel experienced the same. In Ezekiel 3:12 the expression is, "...the Spirit took me up." Again in verse 14 it is, "...the Spirit lifted me up, and took me away." Now the name Ezekiel means "whom God will strengthen." God strengthening a man dependent on Him is the only explanation of what follows. Humanly speaking the man of God must have been quite perplexed. He had been commissioned and forewarned that his hearers would not heed his message. Here is the pull of God's call, I must go; but here is also the opposite pull of discouragement, what use is there to go if they will not heed. The expressions of verses 12 and 14 describe a condition the prophet was in. He is here as it were outside of himself and captured by the Spirit in the experience of this vision. It is a matter of the Sovereign Spirit getting his attention. Ezekiel (verse 14) was bitter with discouragement that God would call him to go without results. The hand of God was on him, however, how could he resist? Whether Ezekiel was in a vision or in reality, it is not absolutely clear. Nevertheless, the prophet says, "I sat where they sat..." He went where the people were. He became acquainted with all their sins and problems. We would expect that he learned to sympathize with their need.

Then God explained the prophet's responsibility to his commission. He is faced with the means and the burden of ridding himself of the blood of others. As the hand of the Lord was upon Ezekiel, and as the Lord talked with him, and as Ezekiel humbled himself in God's presence; the Spirit, we read, entered him again. Again he is set on his feet and hears the message from God. The message is one of assurance and of God's presence and guidance, but that assurance and guidance are within the effectual work of the Sovereign Spirit. Both the results and the place of service were in the Spirit's power and will. It would be well if we learned today that likewise where we serve and the results of our ministry are also in His will and power.

It is often a case today that God's pastors are sovereignly moved from one place of ministry to another. Some pastors are blessed of God to have a long and fruitful ministry in one location. When this is true, a minister should be humbly grateful to the Spirit for continuing to use him in the one location.

On the other hand it is not always (and maybe not as often as we think) the work of the Spirit or the will of the Spirit to keep the man of God in the same location for extended years. No pastor should have itching feet desiring to leave a work. Every servant of God should go to a work with the determination to stay as long as the Spirit will use him there.

How then can a man know that he should move? This writer believes a man should always leave before he loses his love for his people. His moving should not be prompted either by greed. Circumstances (varied in different situations) may indicate that the man is no longer effective in that particular situation. That does not mean it is the preachers fault, but for some reason his leadership has become ineffective. Let the minister examine himself, let him lay himself bare before the Lord. Let him seek the Lord's will. God may open the door for another place. When in the providence of God, circumstances in the one place indicate that the man's effectiveness has been lost or greatly diminished, and when in the providence of God a new door is opened, and when the Lord grants peace of mind to the minister about the change¹ it is a pretty good sign that God is "carrying" that man to the new place of service.

The Spirit is also sovereign in working miracles. Note Heb. 2:4. God acclaims the work of His Apostles. He is said to have spoken first of the great salvation we have. Then those apostles having heard Him went preaching that same salvation. God acclaimed their work and confirmed it to us by working thru them great spiritual gifts. They performed signs and wonders by the Spirit to confirm the authority of their message. They did not go performing miracles, as they chose, however. They did so when the Holy Spirit enabled them to do so. This He did by His own sovereign will.

In Acts 8:15-17 Philip had been preaching in Samaria where many of these people (Jews who had intermarried with Gentiles) had received the Word of God. News of their faith had reached the apostles; who, in turn, sent Peter and John to them. Peter and John, when they arrived, prayed for the Samaritans to receive the Holy Ghost. Now these people were not saved. They had believed the message and in baptism had identified themselves with the Lord Jesus. They knew nothing of the Spirit. Even Simon, the sorcerer, was among them. Peter and John having prayed for them laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. This is the first time anyone is said to have received the Holy Ghost since Jesus breathed on His disciples and said, "Receive you the Holy Ghost" as recorded in John 20:22. There is no mention of laying on of hands then. Here it is. There Jesus breathed on them. Here the apostles laid on hands. This would indicate that the sovereign Spirit is free to use whatever method He chooses.

We find another example of His sovereignty in Acts 9:17. Here is Ananias. He is a disciple of the Lord. His name means "Jehovah covers." He is not only covered so far as his past sins, but he is also covered so far as his protection. Nevertheless this covered one has been commanded to go to Saul of Tarsus, the great persecutor, and Ananias is afraid. Having been assured by the One Who covered as well as commanded, he went.

Now Saul means "asked for." He already had an intercessor. Ananias put his hands on Saul and spoke to him of the Lord's command and providence. He was sent that Saul might receive sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost. Now the record shows that he did receive his sight, and that he was baptized.

No place tells us here that Paul was saved. Some have suggested he was saved at verse 5 because he addressed Jesus as Lord. Then verse 6 has him asking the Lord what He would have him do. Some point to this as his time of conversion. In verse 11 Saul is praying. For what we are not told. We must remember, however, that prayer is not a new thing to this Pharisee. He envisions the receiving of his sight. Would this indicate anything about his prayer? Ananias spoke in verse 17 of receiving sight and being filled with the Holy Ghost. He did receive his sight. Then he was baptized. Does the receiving of spiritual sight unto salvation coincide here with reception of physical sight? Especially since his blindness came about in God's arresting him on the Damascus Road, it seems that the two may coincide in Paul's case.

Then again nothing is said about him being filled with the Holy Ghost. He received his sight, was baptized, and then he began preaching. Note verse 20. What are we to learn from these facts? First, it is not necessary and may not always be possible to pinpoint the actual moment of salvation. God is sovereign. One may be converted instantaneously, while another may be in a process brought to conversion.

God is also sovereign in the filling of the Spirit. John the Baptist was filled from the time he was born. We usually think of the Spirit's filling as some extra experience after salvation, but it wasn't with John. In every case from Matt. 1:1 to Acts nine, when it is said that someone is filled with the Spirit, they are immediately acting in some way for God. This was the case of the anointing in the Old Testament. So far in the New Testament the term of the Spirit being on or upon someone is used only in terms of describing the person. The term full of the Holy Ghost is used likewise. The only exception to this Acts 1:8 when the church is told she will be witnesses when He comes upon her. Thus it appears that the filling of the Spirit in the New Testament is synonymous with the anointing of the Spirit.

In Saul's case at hand, however, we are only told of Ananias' purpose in coming. That purpose is that Saul be filled with the Spirit. We are not told, however, that he was filled. Would anyone suggest that he was not? It appears that his filling was synonymous with his conversion. So we have at this point John the Baptist filled at birth, the disciples at Pentecost filled while met together in the church in harmony, numerous other occasions when collectively or individually disciples were filled and they acted for God, and now what appears to be Saul being filled at time of conversion. Why not then let us say that the Sovereign God dispenses His Spirit as He wishes and is not hamstrung by some changing method we might devise?

We may see that sovereignty expressed again in 1 Corinthians 12:7-9, 11-13. Only as we are enabled by the Spirit are we able even to confess Jesus as our Lord (verse 3). Our ministries are also by His enabling. The varying gifts of the Spirit are ours by the Spirit's ministration. One gift is not more important than another, for each is given by the Spirit. It is not ours to seek specific gifts. Rather the Spirit acts sovereignly to distribute the gifts as He wills. There are diversities of gifts, but there is unity in the Spirit. In one Spirit we are baptized into one body, 1 Cor. 12:13, and we are made to drink into one Spirit expressing the unity of the body.

The Holy Spirit And Inspiration

Inspiration is a very important work which is often misused. Many in our day will speak of inspiration only in the sense of great literature. It is thought of as the great gift of some special person. We are of course talking of much more than that. By inspiration we mean the very breath of God in one to produce the very words of God.

In the Old Testament there are many references to teach us of the divine inspiration of God's Word. There "the Lord" is not specified as "the Holy Spirit". That is not to say, "It wasn't the Holy Spirit." It is just a different use of terms. Many passages in the New Testament as well may teach divine inspiration without using the name, "the Holy Spirit."

It is important to remember that inspiration is God giving a direct revelation. We are not talking about illumination. Many times we have read a passage of Scripture and gained new insight to it that we had not known before. That is illumination. By direct revelation we mean new truth that had not been revealed before. A good example is Eph. 3:5, 16.

Paul is referring to what he called the mystery of Christ. He declares that men of other ages (generations, dispensations, or phases of God's kingdom as the A-millennialist would say) did not know about this mystery. Instead in his time he said it was revealed to the apostles and prophets. While Paul seems to be especially the apostle to whom this truth is revealed, he does not claim exclusive knowledge. He says it is revealed to Christ's holy apostles and prophets. How did they learn it? He is talking about the "mystery of Christ". He is talking about Jews and Gentiles being together in one body. Jews and Gentiles must be fellowheirs (same body). Both will be partakers of God's promise in Christ by the Gospel. As he relates this revelation, which God gave to him :3, he not only shares his revelation of the church; but in this he also makes claim to and teaches a work of the Holy Ghost. He is making claim to inspiration. It is that the Spirit (breath) of God breathed on him and made him to know a truth that not only he had not known, but all men of the past had not known it.

Having given this information to his readers, he wanted to encourage them. Wouldn't that truth be enough? He was being persecuted. They were about to give up thinking it was not worth the suffering and not wanting Paul to suffer for them. Paul then prays for them. He not only prays for them; he includes in his letter what he is praying for them so that he might encourage them and keep them from giving up. It is not outward power for which he prays. It is not even soul-winning power for which he prays. He prays for power to overcome discouragement. Note the multiplying of the power to overcome. First he prays the gift be granted of God. That is power in the very outset. The gift to be thus granted is to be according to God's glory (the riches of His glory). Can one expect more? This gift according to the riches of His Glory is to be a strengthening. Even that is not enough. The strengthening that God is to grant according to the riches of His Glory is a strengthening with might. There is one more step. All of this power to be granted of God is by God's Spirit, Eph. 3:16. In answer to this prayer those Ephesians must be able to go out and pull down mountains. That church must be able to conquer the town. They must be able to overcome all obstacles to evangelism. There must be nothing that can stand before them. THAT'S NOT WHAT HE PRAYED FOR!!!! What was it then? All this Power is the Spirit's work on the inside of these readers. It’s that it all might be in the "inner man". The verses that follow go on to build on the encouragement he would have them to experience as a result of this multiplied power in inner man.

In Acts 11:28 it is similar to Matt. 10:20. Here the Spirit is giving to Agabus some direct revelation. In other words by the Spirit he knew something not already given, and he in turn gave that message to the disciples.

In Matt. 22:43 our Lord is claiming inspiration for David. It is a reference to Psalm 110:1 in which David is saying that Jehovah said unto his Lord, "Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?" Thus the Lord is declaring that David spoke by the Spirit when he wrote that Psalm.

In Acts 28:25 Paul claimed inspiration for Isaiah. The context here is one in which Paul is seen as turning with his message of repentance from his people, the Jews, to the Gentiles. He claimed the passage being quoted from Isaiah as his authority to turn to the Gentiles. The particular reference in the verse is a statement of divine authority. It is saying that what Isaiah said is the Word of God. It was spoken by the Holy Ghost thru Isaiah.

Paul knew that he sometimes spoke by the Spirit's inspiration. In 1 Cor. 7:40 he had been discussing domestic policies. He expressed an opinion and declared that it was his opinion. That is he had not received this word directly from the Lord. At the same time his apostolic authority stands. Having expressed his opinion, he said, "and I think also that I have the Spirit of God." From a human standpoint, he acknowledged human weakness. At the same time he was expressing his dependence on the Spirit's inspiration, he thought he had it. / believe he did too.

Another interesting example of inspiration is seen in 1 Tim. 3:16; 4:1. First it must be seen that the God of this verse is said to have been manifest in the flesh. The only person who was or is God manifest in the flesh is Jesus the Christ. It is as a man then that He is justified. What is justification? It is that legal act of God that declares the person just. It is the Spirit that declares Him just. Also even His life in the flesh is by the direction and power of the Spirit. That direction or realm in which He walked also declared Him just. Then the writer turns abruptly to speak of the latter times. He says, "the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, diving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils." Actually the work of the Spirit here is inspiration or revelation. By the Spirit of God revealed to Paul what was going to happen in the latter times. Along with this should go 2 Tim. 3:16. The Word Spirit is not found here. The work of the Spirit is. It could very well be translated, "All scripture is given by the breath of God..." Breath and spirit come from the same Greek word, the same word translated "inspiration" in the above verse. All scripture is God breathed. It is all the same. Here the Spirit is seen as the source of our Bible and the Agent of the God-head to give it to man.

Then let us come to Heb. 3:7. The writer is quoting one of the Psalms, but he says, "As the Holy Ghost saith." What the Psalmist then had written by inspiration of God is now said to have been said by the Holy Ghost.

Note still further a passage in 1 Peter 1:11. Notice the indwelling of the Spirit in the Old Testament prophets. The prophets are said to have inquired and searched into salvation and prophesied of the coming grace. They searched for the time or manner of time the Spirit signified. That Spirit of Christ is said to have been in them. That Spirit testified before it happened that Christ would suffer and would reign afterwards.

This inspiration is also mentioned in 2 Peter 1:21. We are told that our Bible came not at man's decision. It was a product of holy men, but that's not all. Those holy men using their own vocabularies were prompted and guarded to write what the Holy Ghost directed.

Once more we see the Spirit's work of inspiration in Rev. 14:13. It is the word of God, but how do we get it? The Spirit breathes on holy men. Here it is John giving us a word that the Spirit breathed on him. In turn He relates it to us.

The Enabling Work Of The Holy Spirit

The enabling work of the Holy Spirit takes many forms. We shall examine many scriptures and seek to learn what we can about this very important work.

First let us look at Gen. 6:3. This would not usually be looked at as His enabling work, but let us see. The time is one of increasing population. It is a time of noticing pretty girls which is not unusual. It is here exceptional enough, however, for attention to be called to it. It is a time of lust evident by the intermarriage of whatever the Sons of God were and the daughters of men. The Speaker is the Lord. His name is Jehovah. He is the Self-existent One, the eternal "I Am". His word is a challenge. From it we learn that the Spirit spoken of is not a spirit of man. He is the Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit.

We learn that the Spirit in a time like that described above strives with man. This generally is spoken of as the drawing of a sinner to Christ. John 6:44 says, "No man can come unto me except the Father which hath sent me draw him..." We understand that no sinner who is not convicted and who is not thusly drawn can come to the Saviour, but this verse attributes that drawing to the Father. It is not the Holy Spirit spoken of here, though we often mistake Him to be. In 1 Cor. 12:3 we read, "...no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost." The action spoken of here is not called drawing as in John 6:44. It is enabling.

The term striving indicates a battle. It is a battle between the Holy Spirit and man. The Holy Spirit would certainly not fight against the Father's drawing. In fact it is He Who enables the sinner to respond to the drawing by the Father. In other words the Holy Spirit will never fight back and turn away a sinner who is coming to the Lord. Instead He makes him able to come. Yet the battle is not with Satan. In conversion of a sinner, the Spirit's work is to defeat Satan and thereby free the captive sinner so he can come; and remember it is the Father Who draws him to the Son.

Though the Psalm seems to be prophetic, yet Psalm 2:1-3 at least describes the disposition of man in all ages. So it was in the days of the text. God thus predicts a time when He will be victorious. He will not always contend in the battle with rebellious men. He contended then for a season and now contends for a season that the wrath of man might praise Him and magnify His glory and honor. At the proper time He did and shall restrain the remainder of that wrath that would not bring Him honor. He sent the flood and thus was victorious in His striving with those rebellious men. One day, we know not when. He shall laugh, He shall have rebellious men in derision (Psalm 2:4). He with the sword proceeding out of His mouth shall smite the nations and rule them with a rod of iron (Rev. 9:15). Again He will be victorious in His striving with rebellious men. Of course this is not the general interpretation given to this striving, but does it not honor God? Does it not thrill the Christian to know that God's Spirit will not always be subjected to the battle of rebellious men but will be Victor and set the captives under His feet.

The Lord gives as the reason for the cessation of the battle the fact that man is flesh. He is said to be flesh also. !n this he is surely classed with the Sons of God. Whoever they were they must have been fleshly beings. All flesh had made themselves corrupt (Gen. 6:12). In the flood all flesh that moved on the earth died (Gen. 7:21, 22). God is Spirit, and He declared His Spirit would not strive with flesh forever. Surely He will conquer flesh.

Still further thought is called forth when we understand that the word translated "strive with" was translated "rule in" in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament). From this we might gather that redeemed flesh can look forward to a new and spiritual body like unto our Lord's glorified body. For the redeemed the Spirit is surely to be ruler of our lives. Yet this tabernacle of corrupted flesh must put on immortality. Then we shall be one with Christ in answer to His prayer (John 17).

In the Latin Vulgate and others the word is translated "abide in". We know that all the redeemed have the Holy Spirit abiding in them. We might be challenged then by this translation to give diligence to make our calling and election sure. We may remember David's praying that God would not take His Holy Spirit from Him. With this we may also remember that, "...as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Remember also that, "Whosoever shall endure to the end, shall be saved."

Now let us go to John 4:23, 24. The Spirit's ministry here is aiding or enabling the worshipper. The woman enquired about the place of worship. Jesus corrected her. The place of worship was not the important thing. What was and is important is the agent of worship. The worship she understood was in the agent of the flesh. It was ritual. It split hairs over who could worship and where.

There was no real love for God in it. Our Lord informed her that the Father was seeking true worship. He reminded her that God is a Spirit. He thus lives and moves in the realm of the Spirit. This being true, the true worship must be also in the realm of the Spirit. The flesh is evil and corrupt; the Spirit is the Holy Spirit. The two are then not compatible, but of two different worlds. This being true, all that worship of the flesh in rituals, altars, sacrifices, etc. but devoid of love for Christ could not be accepted. It cannot now. The worship that the Father sought, the only acceptable worship, is a worship in Spirit and in truth. Now since we live in the flesh which is incompatible with the Spirit, how can we worship God? We can enter that realm and so worship only by the Agent of the Holy Spirit Himself. We are flesh and will be as long as we live. We are thus limited by the corruption we still carry. The Holy Spirit in us is not flesh. He is able to thus worship the Father. As we yield our spirits to Him, He completely unlimited is able and will worship the Father thru us thus enabling us to worship the Father in the realm of the Spirit and Truth by the Agent of the Holy Spirit.

The Gospel ministry is a work done in the energy of the Spirit. See 1 Cor. 2:4, 10, 11. and 13. In verse 4 the ability of man in persuasion is discounted. Rather the results are by the demonstration of the Holy Spirit in His power. We do not even understand spiritual things in the natural mind. The Spirit must search out the Spiritual truths and reveal them to us as stated in verse 10. This is illustrated in verse 11. As the spirit of man knows man, so it is that the Spirit of God knows God. Therefore He knows the "things of God". He compares spiritual things with spiritual and teaches them to us as in verse 13.

That enabling ministry is continued in 2 Cor. 3:3, 6, 8, 17, and 18. To Christians Paul writes that we are epistles of Christ. Just as the ink makes its inscription upon the paper, so must the Holy Spirit make His inscription upon our hearts. That inscription is to be read of all men. We thus by His enabling minister to a lost world. We minister the New Testament. Neither are we to be satisfied with a mere proclamation of truth in a cold mechanical way. Rather we are to give the meaning of the truth presented and to do it in the power of the Spirit. It is still the Spirit that gives life. That ministry of the Spirit is more glorious than the glory of Moses' face. He is not binding. He produces liberty. He is also about the business of changing us so as to manifest His glory.

We have seen that the Holy Spirit enables us to worship God and to minister as he has called us. Both of these need prayer. How do we get access to God? In Ephesians 2:18 and 22 Paul speaks of that access to the Father. Is that access not by Jesus Christ? Yes it is. That's why he says, "For through Him..." It is another case in which Jesus does not work independently of the other members of the Godhead. While we gain access to the Father thru Jesus, it is at the same time by the Spirit. He is the Breath, the Agent by which the work of the Word (Christ) is accomplished. The same unity of work is witnessed In verse 22. "In whom" again refers to Christ. In Christ the believers are made an habitation of God. In Christ we are made God's dwelling place. It Is done "through the Spirit." He is the Agent that accomplishes Christ's work.

Now come to 1 Cor. 12:3. Chapter 12 is clear on the Spirituality of Christian experience. The Spirit will never degrade the Lord Jesus. The Christian yielded to that Spirit within us will "not either.” By the same token man unconverted is controlled by the spirit in depraved man. The Inability of verse 3 is not being unable to form the words. It is an Inability of spirit. The natural man cannot honestly confess Jesus as his Lord. If we have truly confessed Him as Lord, It Is because we were enabled to do so by the Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:5 calls us next. Paul Is discussing results of our justification. One of those results he named as hope. He said that hope maketh not ashamed. It is because the love of God is shed abroad In our hearts. The Agent of that love shed abroad in our hearts Is the Holy Ghost. We do not naturally love. Especially do we not naturally love In face of tribulation as he had just mentioned. We love because the Holy Ghost produces love In us.

Moving then to Rom. 8:2, 4, 5, we see that the "Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" Is here spoken of as being the Owner, the Ruler, and/or the Author of a law or a principle of life. This Is far from the "Antinomian" attitude of "no law". Very true, we are not under law but under grace. Nevertheless, we are under law. God condemned and punished sin in His Own Son, Who completely fulfilled the righteousness of the law. That law could not make us righteous; it only showed us our unrighteousness. The "law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" delivered us from that law that condemns. The righteousness of that law is nevertheless fulfilled in us. How? It is by the power, the rule, "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” We are then described as walking after the Spirit and not after the flesh (8:4). In other words the Spirit becomes a principle or law unto us to produce in us the righteous life that the law of works could not produce. This is so because we live in a totally different realm. While once we lived In the realm of the flesh and effort of fallen humanity, we now live In the realm of the Spirit in which He not only directs but also enables (8:5).

Now In 1 Cor. 14:2, 15, 16 Paul is speaking of one who speaks in a language not understood by those about them. God understands them, but their companions do not. Though enabled by the Spirit he speaks in the Spirit, he is not understood. What he says is a mystery. Paul said he spoke not only with the Spirit but also so he could be understood. He will pray and sing so he can be understood. If one would speak to bless the saints with the Spirit, what good would It do If he is not understood?

Our obedience and purification must also be enabled by the Holy Spirit. In 1 Peter 1:22 the redeemed have purified their souls. How? The purification is in obeying the truth. That obedience is not of the flesh. It Is thru the Spirit. He is the enabling Agent.

In the next chapter we shall explore the truth of the Holy Spirit indwelling the saints.

The Indwelling Of The Holy Spirit

It is a very popular teaching that no one was indwelt by the Holy Spirit until Pentecost. Now we need to know if that is a true teaching. This writer is convinced that such teaching is a mistake. He means no condemnation to those who have taught him and others that idea, but he means only to call attention to what does the Bible teach about this doctrine.

First, let us come to Gen. 41:38. It is Pharaoh in Egypt who is speaking. This is the inspired record of what he said. Pharaoh is certainly not to be regarded as inspired of God. Yet the record of what he said is inspired. This inspired record of what he said is certainly true. Still it would not be wise to form a doctrine of indwelling Spirit on this verse alone. It may grant suggestion of such for Old Testament Saints, but better it is to wait for more definite confirmation than this question raised by Pharaoh, who is surely in certain cases at least a type of the Devil. We can at least learn that Joseph, the man of God, was recognized as having God's Spirit. From this we may gain the suggestion that one in whom the Holy Spirit dwells is noticeable as such even to wicked men.

Second, there is Caleb. Come to Numbers 14:24. Caleb had called for battle. He was a man of faith. He had voiced the belief that Canaan could be taken even though his comrades declared the enemy to be too strong. The people murmured against Moses and Aaron not believing Caleb. God declared these unbelieving men must die in the wilderness. He promised to bring Caleb into the land. One reason for Caleb's entrance was that he "fully" followed Jehovah. Even then he is not said to go into the land. Instead he is brought to Jehovah. Caleb is a man also of God's possession being called of Jehovah, "my servant Caleb". Before it is said that "he hath followed me fully" it is said that, "Because he had another Spirit with him". Here lies the secret of Caleb's entrance. The Spirit with one usually means guidance or comfort, but here it is said that he had another Spirit with him. It seems then that he had the Spirit. He is first one of God's own servants. His name means "dog", so let's say without any merit of his own being wholly, unworthy he is a servant of Jehovah, one of His own possession simply by grace. Being one of God's possession he believed the word of his Master that He would give the land. Thus the recipient of grace wa