The Great Doctrines of the Bible Part 15

3. IT GIVES THE BELIEVER CONFIDENCE IN G.o.d'S PROVIDENCE TO BELIEVE THAT ALL THINGS ARE WORKING TOGETHER FOR HIS GOOD

Seeing that Christ, the believer's Head, is exalted far above all things in heaven and earth, it is possible for the believer to be master of circ.u.mstances, and superior to all his environment (Eph.

1:22; cf. Col. 1:15-18).

4. CHRIST HAS BEEN MADE HEAD OVER ALL THINGS FOR THE CHURCH.

That is to say, that everything is subject to Christ, and that for the Church's sake. Eph. 1:22 (R. V.)--"And he put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church." Christ is the fullness of the Father for the Church (Col. 1:19; 2:9, 10). Christ bestows the Holy Spirit upon the Church (Acts 2:33-36; John 7:37-39). He receives for, and bestows upon the Church spiritual gifts (Eph. 4:8-12).

THE DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

I. THE PERSONALITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

1. PERSONAL NAMES GIVEN TO THE SPIRIT.

2. PERSONAL p.r.o.nOUNS USED OF THE SPIRIT.

3. THE SPIRIT a.s.sOCIATED WITH THE FATHER AND THE SON.

4. THE SPIRIT POSSESSES PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS.

5. PERSONAL ACTS ARE ASCRIBED TO THE HOLY SPIRIT.

6. THE SPIRIT IS SUBJECT TO PERSONAL TREATMENT.

II. THE DEITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

1. DIVINE NAMES ARE GIVEN TO THE SPIRIT.

2. DIVINE ATTRIBUTES.

3. DIVINE WORKS.

4. NAME OF THE SPIRIT a.s.sOCIATED WITH NAMES OF THE DEITY.

5. COMPARISON OF OLD TESTAMENT Pa.s.sAGES WITH SOME IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.

III. THE NAMES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

1. THE HOLY SPIRIT.

2. THE SPIRIT OF GRACE.

3. THE SPIRIT OF BURNING.

4. THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH.

5. THE SPIRIT OF LIFE.

6. THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE.

7. THE SPIRIT OF PROMISE.

8. THE SPIRIT OF GLORY.

9. THE SPIRIT OF G.o.d AND OF CHRIST.

IV. THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

1. IN RELATION TO THE WORLD.

a) The Universe.

b) The World of Mankind.

2. IN RELATION TO THE BELIEVER.

3. IN RELATION TO THE SCRIPTURES.

4. IN RELATION TO JESUS CHRIST.

V. OFFENCES AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT.

1. BY THE SINNER.

a) Resisting.

b) Insulting.

c) Blaspheming.

2. BY THE BELIEVER.

a) Grieving.

b) Lying to.

c) Quenching.

THE DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

We are living in the Age of the Spirit. The Old Testament period may be called the Age of the Father; the period covered by the Gospels, the Age of the Son; from Pentecost until the second advent of Christ, the Age of the Spirit.

All matters pertaining to the doctrine of the Holy Spirit should, therefore, be of special interest to us who live in this age of special privilege. Yet how ignorant is the average Christian concerning matters pertaining to the Spirit. The Christian church today needs to heed Paul's exhortation: "Now concerning spiritual gifts (or, perhaps better, "matters pertaining to the Spirit"), I would not have you ignorant." May it not be that the reason why the sin against the Holy Spirit is so grievous is because it is a sin committed in the light and with the knowledge of the clearest and fullest revelation of the G.o.dhead. We cannot, therefore, afford to remain in ignorance of this all-important doctrine.

I. THE PERSONALITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

It seems strange that it should be necessary to discuss this phase of the subject at all. Indeed, in the light of the last discourse of the Master (John 14-16), it seems superfluous, if not really insulting. During all the ages of the Christian era, however, it has been necessary to emphasize this phase of the doctrine of the Spirit (cf. Arianism, Socinianism, Unitarianism).

1. WHY IS THE PERSONALITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT QUESTIONED?

a) Because, as Contrasted with the Other Persons of the G.o.dhead, the Spirit Seems Impersonal.

The visible creation makes the personality of G.o.d the Father somewhat easy to conceive; the incarnation makes it almost, if not altogether, impossible to disbelieve in the personality of Jesus Christ; but the acts and workings of the Holy Spirit are so secret and mystical, so much is said of His influence, graces, power and gifts, that we are p.r.o.ne to think of Him as an influence, a power, a manifestation or influence of the Divine nature, an agent rather than a Person.

b) Because of the Names Given to the Holy Spirit.

He is called _breath, wind, power._ The symbols used in speaking of the Spirit are _oil, fire, water,_ etc. See John 3:5-8; Acts 2:1-4; John 20:22; 1 John 2:20. It is not strange that in view of all this some students of the Scriptures may have been led to believe, erroneously of course, that the Holy Spirit is an impersonal influence emanating from G.o.d the Father.

c) Because the Holy Spirit is not usually a.s.sociated with the Father and the Son in the Greetings and Salutation of the New Testament.

For ill.u.s.tration, see 1 Thess. 3:11--"Now G.o.d himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you." Yet we must remember, in this connection, that the Apostolic Benediction in 2 Cor. 13:14 does a.s.sociate the three persons of the Trinity, thereby a.s.serting their personality equally.

d) Because the Word or Name "Spirit" is Neuter.

It is true that the same Greek word is translated _wind_ and _Spirit;_ also that the Authorized Version uses the neuter p.r.o.noun "itself," when speaking of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:16, 26).

As we shall see later, the Revised Version subst.i.tutes "himself"

for "itself."

The importance of the personality of the Spirit, and of our being a.s.sured of this fact is forcibly set forth by Dr. R. A. Torrey: "If the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person and we know it not, we are robbing a Divine Being of the love and adoration which are His due.