The term "the Holy Spirit" does not appear in Romans 8.
The Spirit of God is the Mind of Christ (1 Cor 2) or the Spirit of
Christ means that there are TWO spirits. Some hole that Father has a
Sprit, Son has a Spirit and Spirit has a Spirit: that makes 6 god
persons!
For the law of the
Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the
law of sin and death.
Romans 8:2
For what the law could not do,
in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Romans 8:3
That the
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us,
who walk not after
the flesh
(external body),
but after the Spirit (internal mind).
Romans 8:4
As polytheists demand a separate "person"
called the Holy Spirit to clean up the "totally worthless mess"
created by the Father god and the Son god, they also demand a
separated person called the Holy Spirit to make the Christian
dispensation work. This is a wholesale repudiation of the full Deity
which Paul understood to dwell in Jesus Christ (Colossians
2:9).
The context is
this: In Corinthians
chapter two, Paul relates the Mind of Christ to the Holy Spirit of
the Lord by showing how our
spirit relates to our
body. Now, this same Paul writes about the conflict between
his mind or
spirit and his body or flesh. He uses this parable to show how the law
(flesh directed) must be replaced with a new spirit or mind. This new
spirit through the gospel has power over our natural minds.
Later, Paul will show that a
holy spirit is our spirit made holy by caring for the things of the
Lord:
There is difference
also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the
things of the Lord, that she may be
holy
(g40) both
in body and in spirit (g4151):
but she that is married careth
for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. 1
Corinthians 7:34
And the very God of
peace sanctify (g37 make holy) you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul
and body be preserved blameless unto the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thesalonians 5:23
With this understanding, we are
not lost in the wilderness when we hear Paul say:
But if Christ is in
you, your
body is dead because of
sin,
- yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. Romans 8:10NIV
Worship under the Law of
Moses was external to
the spirit or inner nature. It consisted of rituals which appealed to
the human senses. For instance, ceremonial washing just washed the
body but it had no effect upon the heart or inner nature. Loud
rejoicing, dancing, singing, feasting and even the abuse of the body
could never change the inner nature and give one peace and a clear
conscience. For instance, Peter warned believers that baptism was not
the old ceremonial washing for the external body; it was the time and
place to ask God for a clear conscience. Remember, also, that
Antiphon related the spirit to the
conscience:
- when the body has given up the struggle,
- its salvation is the
spirit,
- which is ready to
fight on
- in the conscience that it is innocent.
Again, of these external
rituals Peter said:
Which was a
figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; Hebrews 9:9
Which stood only in
meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances,
imposed
on them until the time of reformation. Hebrews 9:10
The law of external things
demands washing of external things: buildings are sprinkled with
water or words to dedicate them. Bells, books, candles and buildings
are baptized to cleanse them and make them fit for a holy service.
Baby's bodies are "baptized" even in the womb to purify them
externally. However, these rituals had no power within
themsleves.
Peter used the Greek
parabole or parable to explain a figure
and in Matthew 13 Jesus said that all of the secrets of God were
hidden in parables from the foundation (casting down) of the world. The Jews should have understood:
For if the blood of
bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the
unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: Hebrews 9:13
How much more shall
the blood of Christ, who through
the eternal Spirit
offered himself without spot to God,
purge your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews
9:14
Peter, in Acts 2:38
said:
Then Peter said
unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,
and ye shall
receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost. Acts 2:38
In 1 Peter 3:21 the same writer
said:
The like figure
whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of
the filth of the flesh,
but the answer
(request
for) of a
good
conscience toward God,)
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:1 Pet 3:21
This is the gift of
A holy spirit and the woman must be
holy
(g40) both
in body and in spirit (g4151):
A clear conscience is a clear,
unobstructed, understanding or discernment of the Mind of
Christ:
Suneidesis (g4893) soon-i'-day-sis; from a prol. form of 4894;
co-
perception, i.e. moral
consciousness; - conscience.
For our rejoicing
is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity,
not with
fleshly
wisdom, but by the
grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more
abundantly to youward. 2Co.1:12
Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. 1Ti.3:9
Suneido (g4894) soon-i'-do; from 4862 and 1492;
to see completely; used (like its prim.) only in two past tenses,
respectively mean. to understand or become aware, and to be conscious or (clandestinely)
informed of: -
consider, know, be privy, be ware of.
For I
know nothing by
myself; yet am I not
hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. 1Co.4:4
Now we have received, not the spirit
of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 1
Corinthians 2:12
Eido
(g1492) i'-do; a prim.
verb; used only in certain past tenses, the others being borrowed
from the equiv. 3700 and 3708; prop. to see (lit. or fig.); by impl.
(in the perf. only) to know: - be aware, behold, * can (/ not tell),
consider, (have) know (-ledge), look (on), perceive, see, be sure, tell, understand, wish, wot. Comp.
3700.
Horao (g3708) hor-ah'-o; prob. to stare at
[comp. 3700], i.e. (by impl.) to discern clearly (phys. or ment.); by extens. to attend to; by Hebr.
to experience; pass. to appear: - behold, perceive, see, take heed.
Both the body and spirit or
conscience must be purged of sins because Jesus asked:
You foolish people!
Did not the one who made the outside
make the inside
also? Luke 11:40
Worship under
Christ would be inward
directed. There would be no external ceremony or ritual intended to
"move the worshippers into the presence of God" or to purify the
body. The Lord's Supper, the key purpose of early assemblies, worked
no magic other than as a
remembering-teaching time and place. However, those who refused to
remember grew "sick and died" spiritually. Therefore, baptism and the
Lord's Supper are more than ceremonies or types or figures.
Christian worship would be in
the spirit or mind in
listening to the Word of God and speaking it to one another. The
external reaction to the inward action would be "melody in the heart"
and not contrived melody and harmony which forces the external nature to "feel" so that it can be merchandised as
"spiritual" worship.
The word Spirit in both Hebrew and Greek defines the rational,
vital, mental nature of a person or God including the mind's
expression and function. "Spirit" may be a personal pronoun because our spirit or mental
disposition is our inner "man." In Scripture, even inanimate things
are personified. By analogy, the KJV uses the word "ghost" which, if
read without care, gives rise to the belief that God's Mind or Spirit
is somehow separated from Him as a third person.
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Think of Casper the ghost. We
know that ghosts are invisible.
However, if Casper
decides to materialize then we can see him.
You understand that
this does no mean that there are two Caspers: one is the
invisible Casper and we see his image or visible
manifestation. Similarly, you can never see the true me. Nor
can I see you. All you can see is the skin or visible
manifestation; and what you see is based upon your own
visual preconceptions or the light you bring to the process.
For instance, if identical twins are viewed with infrared
light they will not even look similar.
This is how Jehovah
revealed Himself to mankind in the face of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is God's Face, Image and Arm. As God projects Himself
into the physical realm, the "actor" in new "garments"
is the Lord.
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Whatever subject we are interested in, we know that
no understanding is possible unless we argee on the meaning of words.
Unfortunately, we often ignore that fact when it comes to the Words
of God. For instance:
Spirit in Greek
is:
Pneuma
(g4151) pnyoo'-mah;
Literally: a
current of
air, i.e.
breath (blast) or a breeze;
figuratively, a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, by implication the vital principle, mental
disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, doemon, or (divine)
God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit: - ghost, life, mind. Comp. 5590.
Now, God chose to reveal
Himself in the figure of Father and Son. Why do you suppose God's
spirit was not symbolized by a human role? In the book of Proverbs
Wisdom (Sophia) is a she and
in the New Testament God's Spirit and Word are a he. However, we understand figurative language or we do
not understand God at all.
Paul often wrote about the deep
mysteries of God hidden in ways we cannot know unless He reveals
Himself to us. He cried out to the Romans:
O the
depth (bathos) of the riches both of the
wisdom (Sophia) and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Romans 11:33
For who hath known
the mind
(nous) of the Lord? or
who hath been his counsellor (companion adviser) ? Romans 11:34
For of him, and through
him, and to him,
are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. Romans 11:36
I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that
ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
unto God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1 (I.e. crucify
the flesh)
And be not conformed to this
world: but ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good,
and acceptable, and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a
right
spirit within me.
Ps.51:10
The One God (the Lord) has a
Mind which we cannot understand. God has His
Word and His Wisdom with Him. He speaks by His Breath or Spirit.
Furthermore, God does not have a companion to advise Him.
This is because He
is One God (Deut 6:4) Who is the Of,
THROUGH and the TO. He
is the Shepherd, Sheepfold, the Gate and the Flock of the Spiritual
world.
The Greek for mind is compared to the same word (g5590) as
Spirit and carries some of the same meaning.
Mind is:
Nous
(g3563) nooce; prob. from the base of 1097; the intellect, i.e. mind
(divine or human; in thought, feeling, or
will); by impl. meaning: - mind,
understanding. Comp. 5590.
Paul will round out this
message in First Corinthians, chapter two. There, he will say that
the Holy Spirit or the Mind of God Which has no companion-advisers is
made known to our mind by the Mind of Christ. Therefore, if we want
to hear from God He is ready to speak through His Words.
Paul quoted Isaiah who used
the word "spirit" rather than "Mind":
The Bible repeatedly says that
there was no other God beside Jehovah. He even said if there was
another one, He did not know about it
Thus saith the
Lord the King of Israel, and his
redeemer (His Arm) the Lord of hosts; I am the
first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. Isaiah 44:6
And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it
in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things
that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them. Isaiah 44:7
Fear ye not, neither be afraid:
have not I told
thee from that time,
and have declared it? ye are
even my witnesses.
Is there a God (·eåloÇwahh)
beside (standing beside him, time without end) me?
yea, there is no God
(Rock); I know not any. Isaiah 44:8
If there is no El (singular)
standing beside
Jehovah then the Lord
and His Redeemer are one and the same God. God sent His own Arm to be the
redeemer or intercessor. However, that does not make two gods.
This is Jesus Who was the Rock
Who created all things as the Word of God speaking from the Spirit
world into the material world:
And did all drink
the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual
Rock that followed them: and that
Rock was
Christ. 1 Corinthians
10:4
Understanding this, Paul could
quote Isaiah who wrote:
Who hath directed
the Spirit
of the Lord, or being his counsellor
hath taught him? Isaiah 40:13
Therefore, the Spirit of the
Lord is the Mind of the Lord. Because Christ is the Lord, the Mind of
Christ is the Spirit of the Lord (1 Corinthians 2).
Isaiah was using Parable-like
language to show that God sent His own Arm to
do His bidding. Therefore, He is both Lord (Jehovah) and God
(Elohim). Isaiah uses personification to have us believe that Zion, the high mountains and
Jerusalem actually
speak to the cities of
Judah:
O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that
bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto
the cities
of Judah, Behold your
God Isaiah 40:9
Behold, the
Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm
shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. Isaiah 40:10
He
shall feed
his flock like
a shepherd: he shall
gather the lambs with his arm,
and carry them in his bosom,
and shall gently lead those that are with young. Isaiah 40:11
Isaiah, as he does several
times, returns to the creative process and speaks in a figurative
sense. For instance, Jesus said that the true meanings were hidden in
parables "from the
foundation of the world."
To Isaiah, not only is the God
of Israel in Jerusalem, it is the same God (Word John 1:1f) Who
created all things. Therefore, he asks a grave question: If this is
the God who created all things, how can the priestly class believe
that they can teach God by teaching His Mind or Spirit.
Who hath measured
the waters in the hollow of his hand,
and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the
earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the
hills in a balance? Isaiah 40:12.
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Who hath
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directed the
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Spirit of the Lord, or being his
counsellor
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hath
|
taught
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him? Isaiah 40:13
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Look again at Romans and see that by his quotation he
equates the Spirit of the Lord to the Mind of the Lord:
For who hath known
the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his
counsellor (companion adviser)? Romans 11:34
In 1 Corinthians 2, Paul
clearly proves that the Holy Spirit is the Mind of the Holy Lord
Jesus Christ.
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In the Christian dispensation believers
would "no longer teach their brothers" to know the Lord.
This word for teach is called the Oriental Incentive. That is, this teaching was done with a
schoolmaster bringing you to God with a a "peach-tree
switch." However, the new method of teaching will be
through gentle discipline such as "teaching and
admonishing."
-
- If you want to
teach me anything, you have to direct it to my
mind or spirit and not just to to my physical
senses. My spirit is the real me. Because God is pure or
Holy Spirit, if you could teach His Spirit you would
teach the One God of the universe.
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Because there is only One Lord God, there
can be none equal to
Him. If there is any
one equal to Him then He cannot be the One Lord God:
To
whom then will ye liken
me, or shall I be equal?
saith the Holy One.
Isaiah 40:25
God became His own
Intercessor because there was no man capable of interceding.
Failure happened when truth failed and truth failed when the prophets and priests began
consulting one another (undoubtedly at workshops) and making up their
own songs and sermons thinking that their words were superior to
God's Word:
Yea,
truth faileth; and he that departeth from
evil maketh himself a prey. And the Lord saw it, and it displeased
him that there was no judgment. Isaiah 5:15
The nature of God's
intercession is based upon the failure of truth and the fact that there was no person to intercede by delivering the Words of God to the
people. The offense was against God. Therefore, it must be
God
Himself being His
own Rock, Lord, Arm or Intercessor to be the
"door" or "interface" between Himself as the Spirit "interior" and to
mankind as His "exterior."
And he saw that
there was no
man, and wondered that
there was no intercessor: therefore his arm
(power or seed)
brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. Isaiah 59:16
So shall they fear
the name of the
(1) Lord from the west, and his
(2) glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall
come in like a flood, the
(3) Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.
Isaiah 59:19
This Intercessor would come in
the name (singular) of Father, Son and Spirit.
However, these are not names
but works or offices. His one name would be Jehovah-Saved, Joshua or
Jesus. For instance, when Jesus said that He had all authority and we could baptize in the
name (singular) or the full authority of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Peter baptized in
the name
of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, what Peter actually did is a commentary upon Christ's
command. After Christ sat down beside the glory He laid aside to
become human, there is no longer Father, Son and Spirit. Jesus is:
This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah
about Messiah:
For unto us a child
is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his
shoulder: and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The
Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
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Wonderful Counselor
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Jesus The Son The Right Arm the
Redeemer is
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Mighty God
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Everlasting Father
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Prince of Peace
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There was no failure of religious ritual or ceremony;
of gifts and sacrifices. Rather, the first cause of the problem was the failure to teach God's truth.
Therefore, to be consistent with the prophecy, the Intercessor
and Redeemer must come as the Word of God. Therefore, the Arm of God or the power
required to make spiritual changes is contained within His incarnated
seed.
And the
Redeemer (to buy us back) shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. Isaiah
59:20
The old failure was priests and
prophets ignoring God's words and speaking their self-composed songs
and sermons. Therefore, the New Covenant demands that those who have
the Seed, Word or Arm of God as His power, continue tospeak that
seed or word or the
covenant is broken. To
throw away the Seed is to throw away Jesus. Jesus even went so far as
to equate His Words (seed) to both Spirit and Life (John
6:63):
As for
me, this is my covenant
with them, saith the Lord;
My
spirit------that is------------------upon----thee, and
my words-----which I have put ----in
-------thy mouth,
shall not depart out of thy
mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed,
nor out of the mouth of
thy seeds seed, saith
the Lord, from henceforth and for ever. Isaiah 59:21
When the words of Christ depart out of the
preachers, singers or book writers the Spirit of God has been cast
down and God is made into a
liar.
Earlier, Isaiah showed that the Spirit would
not be a "person" but the Spirit of or mental dispositions all
related to the Words of God. There is not a single prophecy of "spirit" as a
person who superceded the Word and who puts into us hand-clapping,
singing, dancing, drama or out-of-control body movements. Now, listen
carefully to Isaiah who prophesied of the seven-fold spirit of God as
Messiah.
AND there shall
come forth a rod out
of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch
shall grow out of his roots: Isaiah 11:1
And the
spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
(Which is) the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel
and might,
the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; Isaiah 11:2
And shall make him
of quick
understanding in the
fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes,
neither reprove after the hearing
of his ears:
Isaiah 11:3
When God or pure Spirit rules in the physical world He is the
Lord. This intercession between the Spirit
and physical world is done with His Word, breath (spirit) or arm. We
can see from the following illustration that man cannot bridge the
great gulf between the Spirit world and the "earth" world. Therefore,
God "reaches through" with His Arm and connects us to Him through His
Arm in the person of Lord, Jesus Christ.
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Spiritual World
God
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- Great Fixed Gulf-
- You Cannot Get
There
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Physical world
Man
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Father
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As Arm stretched out to
mankind
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Son
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God in man, Christ in man, man in Christ,
Citizenship in Heaven
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The Spirit
of the Lord is the Mind of
the Lord. In mankind's mind or spirit is that which is capable of
being instructed by God. If the
Holy Spirit is a separated Being, then God Himself does not have a "resident" mind or spirit but must
depend upon the third member of the Godhead to do the thinking for Him.
There is an equivalent Hebrew
word for God's "Spirit." In the Old Testament this Spirit is
illustrated by the wind. For instance, "God walks upon the wings
(feathers) of the wind (spirit)."
We do not lose by seeing the
parable nature of God's description of Himself. In truth, Jesus said
that the knowledge of God was hidden in parables from the beginning
of creation.
The Hebrew for
Spirit is, again, not represented as a
person:
Ruwach (h7307) roo'-akh, roo'-akh; from 7306;
wind; by resemblance breath, i. e. a sensible (or even violent
exhalation;
Figurative: life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extens. a region
of the sky;
by resemblance
spirit, but only of a
rational being
(including its
expression and functions):
Because the Bible uses
mind and spirit
interchangeably, we must conclude that the Mind of God is His Holy Spirit, intellect, understanding,
or the mental expression and functions of a rational Being. Remember
that
"Holy" is not the first name of a third
person of the Godhead.
Rather, holy is
an adjective; it defines the spiritual quality of God's Holy Mind or
Mental Disposition. We use the personal pronoun of God's Spirit
because His Spirit defines His true invisible nature. God is not made
of parts: He is pure or Holy Spirit, undiluted by anything which is
not Spirit.
This Holy Mind or Spirit of God
represents His
nature, expression or function which "understands" the deep things of
His Own Infinite nature and then expresses it to Mankind in Words.
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit
searcheth all things,
yea, the deep things of
God. 1 Corinthians 2:10
Again, if Spirit here means the
third member of the God family then God does not have the ability to understand Himself or express Himself
and could not, therefore, be the omnipotent God. This invented God
even needs the third "person" to search His (God's) own deep
knowledge. However, Scripture understands how God searches even as we
search our own heart:
And thou, Solomon
my son, know
thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect
heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord
searcheth all hearts,
and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts:
if thou seek him,
he will be found of thee;
but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee
off for ever. 1 Chron 28:9
The spirit of
man is the candle of
the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the
belly. Proverbs
20:27
As Inspiration often uses
parable to explain the invisible God, Paul proves our point by
comparing God's Spirit to our
human spirit which is the knowing, thinking, rational part of our being. We, too, are triune in nature:
For what man
knoweth the things of a man, save (except) the spirit of man which is in him?
even
so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God (which is in Him). 1 Corinthians 2:11
For who hath known the
mind of the
Lord, that he may
instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. 1Co.2:16
We are triune natured; we are
not triplets. Rather, our spirit is in us and is us. This is how God
defines His own Spirit which, to make sense, must be in His One
Being. In the same way, God's Word was with God and was God (John
1:1f)<
Again,
If the Holy Spirit
is a third person, separated from God and able to do His own
thinking,
And then if He is the only way
God, the First Person, has of communicating His feelings
Then God the Father is helpless
and incomplete without the third person.
However, if God's Spirit is
like our spirit and is an integral part of His Being never separated into another Person,
then God is complete, self-contained and is not an inferior God. This was the understanding of
almost all early scholars even when they used the word "trinity" or
"person" to identify the separate internal natures of the One
God.
Now, we can make a New
Testament comparison to show that the Spirit is
the Mind:
Scripture will interpret
Scripture if we just listen. For instance, Paul said:
And they put him in
ward, that the mind of
the Lord might be shewed them. Le.24:12
For who hath known the
mind of the Lord? or who hath been his
counsellor (companion adviser) ? Romans 11:34
Paul quoted Isaiah who
wrote:
Who hath directed
the Spirit
of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him? Isaiah 40:13
Therefore, the Mind of God is
the Spirit of God who is pure or Holy Spirit.
And the
Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said unto
me, Speak; Thus saith the Lord; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel:
for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them. Eze.11:5
Mind and spirit are not quite
identical: the mind is that rational nature of manking while spirit
is the mental disposition of that mind. We speak of an intelligent
mind which neverless has a "nasty spirit" or the "spirit of the
world." Therefore, Paul spoke of a mental disposition of God which
allows us to know the specific facts given (free of charge) by
God:
Now we have received, not the spirit
of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 1
Corinthians 2:12
For out of much
affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but
that ye might know
the love which I have
more abundantly unto you. 2 Co. 2:4
Notice that we do not receive
the Holy Spirit as an agent or "person" to interpret the mind of God
so that we might know. Rather, by having the spirit which is
of God we have the free knowledge which
Jesus said was within His spirit-loaded words. Furthermore this
"gift" removes the blinders from the eyes and the plugs from the
ears.
Our spirit is not a
who but a which.
However, because our spirit is the knowing part of our nature, the
spirit is also a whom
when it stands for or "personifies" our real nature. When we say, "She has a sweep
spirit" we mean that she has a sweet personality.
Now, look at what Jesus said of
His own Words:
It is the
spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
John 6:63
If Jesus is speaking of the
spirit as a fellow member of the Godhead then those who say that the
Bible is the Holy Spirit are correct. However,
if the Spirit is the mind or mental disposition as demanded by the
Hebrew and Greek, then the Words of Christ carry His mind or Spirit.
Paul agrees with this in the parallel "singing" passages of Ephesians
5 (spirit) and Colossians 3 (words).
God put His spirit into all
humans to make them alive and capable of communing with Him. Only
when our spirit lines up or conforms to God's Spirit can we say that
we have a holy spirit.
The Greek word for Spirit is
the same for God's
Spirit and
man's
spirit because mankind
is made in the image of God and both have a rational nature or mental
disposition. Again,
Pneuma
(g4151) pnyoo'-mah; from 4154; a current of air, i.e. breath
(blast) or a breeze; by anal. or fig. a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by impl.) vital principle, mental
disposition, etc., or
(superhuman) an angel, doemon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the
Holy Spirit: - ghost, life, spirit (-ual, -ually), mind. Comp.
5590.
There is only one Spirit. Therefore, when the Spirit of Christ was in
the prophets we understand that He breathed His Words into them so
that they received inspired thought:
Searching what, or
what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them
did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ,
and the glory that should follow. 1 Peter 1:11
Let this
mind be in you, which was also in Christ
Jesus: Ph.2:5
The like figure whereunto even
baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of
the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ:
Who is gone into
heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and
powers being made subject unto him. 1 Peter 3:22 1 Peter 3:21
FORASMUCH then as
Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased
from sin; 1Pe.4:1
hoplizo (g3695) hop-lid'-zo; from 3696; to
equip (with weapons
[mid. and figurative.]): - arm self.
For though we walk in the
flesh, we do not war
after the flesh: 2 Cor
10:3
(For the
weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of
strong holds;) 2 Cor 10: 4
Casting down
imaginations, and every high thing that
exalteth itself
against the knowledge of God,
and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 2 Cor 10: 5
The Greek literal weapon--
hoplizo (g3695) hop-lid'-zo; from 3696; to
equip (with weapons
[mid. and figurative.]): - arm self.
Hoplon (g3696) hop'-lon; prob. from a prim.
hepo , (to be busy about); an implement or utensil or tool (lit. or fig., espec. offensive for war): -
armour, instrument, weapon
By the
word of
truth, by the power of
God, by the armour
of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 2 Cor 6:7
The hoplon or Greek aspis was a
shield. Most shields were also capable of being drummed with the
sword to make a "musical" instrument to panic the enemy.
HOPLITE
Or in Hebrew:
Keliy (h3627) kel-ee'; from 3615;... vessel
or weapon): - armour
([-bearee]), artillery, bag, carriage, instrument, jewel,
psaltery, sack, stuff, thing, tool, vessel,
ware, weapon,
/ whatsoever.
That
chant (scatter words like tongues) to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David; Am.6:5
I will also praise thee with
the psaltery, even
thy truth, O my God:
unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel. Psa
71:22KJV
Everyone recognizes that
music disarms!
If the Spirit is the Spirit of
Christ then the Holy Spirit as a third being was not in the prophets or this would have left Christ
without a Spirit. However, we understand that when Jehovah-Saved
(Jesus or Joshua) breathed on the prophets He put His Mind or Spirit
into their mind or spirit. This allowed them to see and foresee
events as God would
Some Old Testament parallel
passages show the spirit - word connection:
The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. 2 Samuel 23:2
Yea, they made their
hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should
hear the law, and the words
which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of
hosts. Zechariah 7:12
Paul continues with his analogy
between God and His Spirit and man and his spirit. He then shows that
the Mind of the Lord is the Holy Spirit and is the Mind of
Christ:
For who hath known
the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him?
But we have the mind of
Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16
The Greek word for
mind is comparable to the word for
spirit:
Nous
(g3563) nooce; prob. from the base of 1097; the intellect, i.e. mind
(divine or human; in thought, feeling, or
will); by impl. meaning: - mind, understanding. Comp. 5590.
Conclusion: to have the Mind of Christ revealed
through His Word is to have the means to a holy Spirit. One may have
the words without having the Spirit. Therefore, the ink on paper
words are not the
Holy Spirit or a holy mind. However, they are the Christ-designed
carriers of His Mind or mental disposition or spirit.
They have as much power and
deserve the same respect as the words coming directly from the lips
of Jehovah-Saved or Jesus.
However, if they are "cut and
pasted" to create our own message then they are just ink on paper.
The very definition of legalism throughout the Old Testament is a
rejection of the God behind the revealed Words by shaping those words
to "fit the situation." This was to fail to "justify God" and
therefore to make God a liar.
Without this understanding, Romans Seven and
Eight are filled with contradictions and will lead presumptious and
mercinary people to believe that they are directly guided by the Holy
Spirit just as an airplane is directed by an "autopilot." Give up
this notion and most divisive, commercial religion will cease..
The bonus is that you will have
the total
Deity dwilling within,
among and walking beside you. After all, Paul said that God is not
far from any of us. This elememinates the ceremonial legalism of
attempting to call God's Spirit into our presence with rituals
devoted to body worship rather "worship in spirit" or in mind.
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Kenneth
Sublett
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