Fighting for “Marriage Equality”

May 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment

One of the common slogans that are being proclaimed in today’s society from the proponents of homosexual marriage is: “We are fighting for marriage equality.” Based on this slogan, all who have stances against homosexual marriage are said to be against marriage equality and equal rights.

There are many problems with this slogan that proponents of homosexuality use. I will mention a few:

  • They are not for marriage equality. No matter how many times they may say they are for equality in marriage, they are not. You cannot consistently hold this view. Everyone, including proponents of homosexual marriage, DO NOT want marriage equality. Why is this? Everyone will draw the line somewhere. Everyone will say about a certain group of people, “They should not be allowed to get married.” Everyone excludes someone. You may say, “no I don’t. Everyone should be able to marry anyone that they love.” If you say this, you really haven’t thought it through. If you want marriage equality, do you want equality for those who desire bisexual marriage (the ability to marry a man and a woman)? Do you approve of polygamous marriages? Do you approve of a man marrying a five year old child? Do you approve of a woman marrying her dog? If you would say no to any of these, why? Why do you make an arbitrary disctinction and lift up your relationship desire above others? It is because you do NOT really believe in marriage equality. You just want justification for the relationship that you are currently in. That’s it. You have no logical reason to exclude these other relationships I have mentioned if you are for marriage equality.
  • We already have marriage equality. Everyone is already able to get married to someone of the opposite sex. We all have this same, equal right. Instead, what proponents for homosexual marriage are fighting for is MORE rights than everyone else.
  • Marriage “redefinition” does not equal marriage “equality.” What proponents are really fighting for is the redefinition of marriage, not marriage equality. The word “marriage” has always been defined as ‘a committed relationship between a man and his wife that is sanctioned by God.’ Their desire to  redefine what ”marriage” is shows that they don’t want equality. They don’t want marriage as every other person is able to have it. They want something different; rights beyond what we all currently have.

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Holy Spirit: An Introduction

April 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment

imageIt is unfortunate that the Holy Spirit is so shrouded in mystery within the church. I’m sure many of us would say that compared to what we know about the Father and about Jesus Christ, we know very little about the Holy Spirit. There are many reasons for our lack of understanding about the Spirit. I will mention 3:

  • He is not like us! If we could easily comprehend everything there is to know about the Holy Spirit (along with the Father and Son), they would not be God! God reveals Himself in a way that we can begin to understand some things about Him.
  • We tend to at times overreact to false teachings of other religious groups. There are some religious groups that have a very distorted, and I would go as far to say, blasphemous teachings about the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, with these groups that put so much focus on the Spirit and His work in their lives, we tend to underemphasize how the Spirit works in our lives, even to the point in limiting in our own minds what the Spirit does.
  • We really have studied about the Holy Spirit on many occasions but do not realize it because of preconceptions we have while approaching scripture. For instance, whenever you hear the word “God,” who is it that you think about? Usually the Father. There are so many verses within the Bible that mention God that nowhere in the context would narrow this only to the Father. There are many times within both the Old and New Testament scriptures that the word “God” refers to all three individual members of the Godhead, and times when the word God refers to the entire Godhead.

I hope we can get beyond what others say about the Holy Spirit, and see the truth of what the scriptures say about the Spirit of God. Please check out the following articles/sermon outlines on the Holy Spirit of God:

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The Holy Spirit: Our Helper and Motivator

April 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment

In this article, we will briefly look at a few more blessing that we receive by having the Holy Spirit literally indwelling our bodies as Christians.

A Motivation NOT to Sin in Our Body.

Paul, after a section in which he encourages the brethren to live as a new creation, speaking and acting differently than we used to, he says, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." (Ephesians 4:30)

Also as we return to our text in 1 Corinthians 6:

1 Cor 6:13-20 - "Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up [our bodies] by His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s."

The Holy Spirit: Our Helper

He gives us strength in the inner man (Ephesians 3:16)

“that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man”

It is by the Spirit we are able to put to death the deeds of the body (Rom 8:13)

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

The Spirit helps us in our weaknesses, even interceding on our behalf to God when we don’t know what to pray (Romans 8:26-27)

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

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The Seal of the Holy Spirit

April 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment

imageIn the previous article, we examined the Holy Spirit’s role in regenerating the believer. He gives the believer new life spiritually by His presence in the believer. He washes the sinner clean. In this article, we will examine some blessings of having the Holy Spirit literally indwelling the body of the Christian.

The Seal of the Holy Spirit

We are told in the scriptures that the Holy Spirit is given to us as a seal (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). The teaching we need to get from the idea of the Spirit being given to us as a seal is three-fold:

1.     A seal in New Testament times was a sign of ownership and authenticity. A king or ruler would have a signet ring or some way to mark something as being from them or belonging to them. This is the case with the seal of the Holy Spirit. This seems to even be prophecies about by Isaiah in Isaiah 44:3-5:

"For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring; 4 They will spring up among the grass Like willows by the watercourses.’ 5 One will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’; another will call himself by the name of Jacob; another will write with his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’ and name himself by the name of Israel."

Those who have the Holy Spirit poured out on them not only will be given life, springing up among the grass, but also the outpouring of the Spirit will cause people to know they are the Lord’s. They belong to Him. This point is made in Romans 8:9:

"But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His."

Also in 1 Corinthians 6:19 , the text in which we saw the Spirit dwells in the body of the Christian:

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God , and that you are not your own?

We have been bought with a price and we have been given the Holy Spirit. We are the Lord’s temple. We belong to Him.

2.     The Seal of the Holy Spirit shows we are the sons and daughters of God.

Galatians 4:6-7 – "And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." (Also see Romans 8:15)

3.     The Seal of the Holy Spirit is a proof that God gives us that He will give us our future inheritance; a “down payment”

Ephesians 1:13-14 – "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in which also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."

This sealing happens at the point of salvation. Also, notice the prepositions used here. It is not by the Holy Spirit we are sealed, but WITH the Holy Spirit. He Himself is the seal that shows we belong to Christ and are God’s sons and daughters. The Seal of the Holy Spirit also is called a guarantee (NKJV), an earnest/down payment, or a pledge (NASB) of our future inheritance. Because we have the Spirit dwelling in us, we can be assured that God will deliver the full payment of our reward.

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The Spirit’s Role In Regeneration

April 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment

After convicting a sinner to believe the Gospel and to repent, the Spirit gives new life (regenerates) the sinner. This work of the Holy Spirit was prophesied about in the Old Testament in a few places:

Ezekiel 37:13-14- "Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. “I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life”

This prophecy tells us that God will put His Spirit into those who are dead (in their sins), and by doing so, will breath new life into them. God performs the miracle of resurrecting the soul that is dead. He in a sense “breathes” life into them. Following this passage in verses 24-28, Ezekiel makes it clear that this work of the Holy Spirit will happen when “David My Servant shall be king over them” and be their “one Shepherd,” reigning over them “forevermore” under an “everlasting covenant” where God [through the Spirit who is poured out upon the people] will forever dwell with His people.

Another verse that shows this idea of the Holy Spirit giving life to that which is dead is in Isaiah 32:15, where Isaiah pictures the giving of the Spirit as a wilderness being given life giving water:

“Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is counted as a forest.”

The big question we must ask is, “When does the Lord do this?” When is it that He pours out His Spirit on people to give them new life. I believe this question is answered in Acts 2:38-39:

"Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 for the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Peter, recounting the prophecy of Joel in this text and the surrounding context, a prophecy in which the Spirit was promised to be poured out on men of all nations, give revelation and confirmation of that revelation, bring judgment, and give salvation to those who call upon the Lord. This calling upon the name of the Lord [the name of Jesus Christ] happens at baptism, the point in which we receive the promised Holy Spirit. At this moment, when the Spirit is given to us, He regenerates us, and cleanses us by the blood of Christ.

Some passages that show this work of the Holy Spirit:

“But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." – Titus 3:4-7

God by His mercy washes us and regenerates us through the Holy Spirit who is poured out on us abundantly by His mercy and grace.

John 3:5 – "Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." (also see 1 Corinthians 12:13)

This washing at baptism the Holy Spirit accomplishes is necessary if we want to enter the kingdom of God.

Also, at this point of washing, the Spirit sanctifies us:

1 Peter 1:1-2-  "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood"

This is another text that mentions the Father, the Spirit, and the Son altogether in one verse. Within this text in 1 Peter 1:2, we are told that we have been sanctified by the work of the Holy Spirit. This point is also made in 1 Corinthians 6:11. After recounting the many sins in which the Corinthian Christians were wrapped up in before they became Christians, He says:

1 Cor. 6:11- “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."

The Holy Spirit justified us. He made us right with God and acquitted us of our crimes against God. He also sanctified us. He made us Holy; set apart for God’s purposes and glory.

In Romans 8, we see an amazing chapter that shows us the work of the Holy Spirit. In verses 10-11, Paul makes the following point:

“And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

imageIf Christ is in us (Christ abides in us through the Spirit- 1 John 3:23. The same is the case with the Father – 1 John 4:13), although our bodies are dead in sin, we can be given life through the Spirit who dwells in us. He will give life also to our mortal bodies. The word here for dwells is “oikeô,” which means to inhabit or to dwell within.

If we remember the prophecies in the Old Testament, we saw that the Holy Spirit Himself would be poured out and would give new life to the believer. As Romans 8:10-11 shows, the Holy Spirit inhabits the body of the believer. This is also seen in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20:

"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s."

I will talk more about this text shortly, but in this text it is clear that the Spirit Himself is given to us as Christians. He is in you; in your body. Within this text and its context, the body is mentioned at least 8 times, one of which says that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit Himself.

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The Spirit’s Role in Convicting the Sinner

April 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment

We don’t think about the Holy Spirit’s role in conversion enough. Whenever we think of the work of God saving us, weimage tend to mainly think about the cross, which is understandable. So much of the New Testament focuses on Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice for our sins. But we need to also see how vital a role the Holy Spirit plays in our salvation

We already began to see this in our last lessons. The Holy Spirit has inspired and confirmed both the Old and New Testaments so we don’t have to be in the dark when it comes to knowing God’s will and what it is we must do to be pleasing to Him. But this is usually where our focus on the role of the Holy Spirit in conversion ends. We at times may fall into the trap of seeing Him as not doing much more than giving us the word of God so we can come to salvation and know how to live as Christians. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The Holy Spirit does give us the word, as we saw last week, but He has done more than we give Him credit for at times. Without the work of the Holy Spirit, salvation would not be possible! This article and the following one on the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit are meant to show you why.

Conviction through His Piercing Sword

First of all, we know from the New Testament that the Holy Spirit plays a vital role in bringing the sinner to conviction over his/her sin. Jesus says:

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment”   -John 16:7-8

Jesus makes it clear that it would be the work of the Holy Spirit to convict the world of their sin, which is necessary if anyone is to be saved. But how does He do this? He does it through the Gospel. Peter says in 1 Peter 1:12 that the Apostles “have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven” The Gospel is a powerful message. It is the message that God the Spirit uses to bring men to salvation. Also take note of 1 Peter 1:22-23:

“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever”

The Spirit, through His word, has given us the ability to be born again by the power of God.

Some may at this point say, “Yes, we already know this. The Holy Spirit gave us the word so we can know what we must do to be saved. Other than this, He is not that active in the process. But whenever we stop here, we miss what Jesus said earlier about the Holy Spirit. When the Gospel is being preached, the HOLY SPIRIT is the one who is convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. We at times separate the sword of the Spirit from the one who is wielding it! (see Hebrews 4:12)

Consider the following illustration:

Whenever a plumber comes over to your house to fix the toilet, do you give the tools all of the credit for doing the job? Or after your mechanic fixes the car, do you say, “Well, I gotta hand it your wrenches and other tools. They did a mighty fine job fixing my car?” No. The mechanic gets the credit for the work he did. The same should be the case with the Spirit of God. He is the One working. Jesus did say that when the word comes, it will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He said, “And when He [the Holy Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” We must give credit where it is due!

In the same way, as the word of the Spirit is being taught, the Spirit Himself is working to pierce the hearts of unbelievers. We tend to give the word of God the credit, when we should be giving the Spirit of God credit in how He is working through the preaching and teaching of His word. The word of God is the sword that He uses to pierce the heart of unbelievers (and believers).

Remember when Stephen was preaching to the crowds in Acts chapter 7. He made this interesting comment about the response of their ancestors to the prophets and also the crowds response to himself:

“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”

We see in this text that if someone resists or rejects the word of God being preached, they are rejecting the Holy Spirit of God! And I would say the opposite also. If you accept and obey the word of God, you are accepting and obeying the Holy Spirit.

Response to the Word of the Spirit

There are two main responses that the Spirit receives to His work:

  1. What we see in Acts 7. The people were pierced to the heart by the words of Stephen, but they resisted the Spirit of God, and ending up putting Stephen to death
  2. What we see in Acts 2. The people respond favorably to the word. They were cut to the heart by the preaching of the word of God, and led to believe the Gospel and repent. They received forgiveness of their sins.
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The Spirit’s Inspiration and Confirmation of the New Testament

April 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Inspiration: New Testament

The Apostles

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” (John 14:26)

"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13)

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit…” (1 Cor 2:12-13)

Gifts of Revelation (1 Corinthians 12-14; Romans 12:3-8; Ephesians 4:11-12; Acts 20:28)

 

Confirmation: New Testament

  1. Through Miracles
  • The Apostles (Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:3-4)

“And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.” (Mark 16:20)

“After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.” (Heb 2:3-4)

  • The Identity of Jesus (Mark 2:1-10, Acts 2:22, 10:38)

"Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know” (Acts 2:22)

"God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him." (Acts 10:38 )

"That you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…" (Mark 2:1-10)

    1. Through Fulfilled Prophecy
  • The Destruction of Jerusalem (Mt 24:1-2)
  • Coming of False Teachers, Persecution, etc.
  • The Return of Christ…it’s coming!!
  1. The Implications of the Spirit’s Work in Inspiration and Confirmation: Just think of the implications of all scripture being given to us through the Holy Spirit. This shows how we as God ‘s people depend on the Holy Spirit each day in our lives. The work of the Holy Spirit is the reason why you can have direction from God’s word. The work of the Holy Spirit is what shows us what we need to do to be pleasing to God and escape eternal damnation. We would be in the dark without His work!
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The Spirit’s Inspiration and Confirmation of the Old Testament

April 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment

It is clear in the teachings of Scripture that it is given by God, the Holy Spirit. Here are a couple verses that show this:image

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work”. (2 Tim 3:16-17)

“knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21)

As we saw in our article in this series on the Deity of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit, we saw that the Bible is God-breathed, meaning that God Himself is the one who gives the words of scripture. We also saw that the Holy Spirit is the breath of God i. (Job 32:8; 33:4; 34:14-15), proving that the Holy Spirit is God. He has inspired the Bible as we have it (the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments)

In this article, I would like to show how the Holy Spirit inspired and confirmed the Old Testament scriptures. I will approach each section of the Old Testament (The Law, the prophets, and the writings)

Inspiration of the Old Testament

The Law: Moses (Genesis – Deuteronomy)

    Moses wrote the Law of God by the Spirit

"Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it all alone.” (Num 11:17)

"You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them” -Neh 9:20

He gave the tablets to the Israelites that contained the Ten Commandments, which were written by the "Finger of God"

1. Finger of God = Holy Spirit (cp. Matthew 12:28 & Luke 11:20)

"But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. (Matt 12:28)

"But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. (Luke 11:20)

The people rejected and provoked the Spirit when they disobeyed the Commandments of Moses in the wilderness (Heb 3:7-11, Isaiah 63: 10)

 

The Prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, The Twelve, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel)

    "Thus says the Lord" used over 400 times in this section of scripture

    "The word of the Lord came to…" is used over 100 times

Elijah and Elisha: (2 Kings 2:9; 15) Elisha asks that a double portion of the Spirit that rested upon Elijah rest upon him, which we see fulfilled after Elijah goes to Heaven.

As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, 11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. (1 Peter 1:10-11)

"However, You bore with them for many years, And admonished them by Your Spirit through Your prophets, Yet they would not give ear. Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. – (Nehemiah 9:30)

 

The Writings (Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, Chronicles)

    David said, "The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me; his word is on my tongue. 2 Sam 23:2 (ESV)

    "Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying, 44 ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES BENEATH YOUR FEET"’? -Matt 22:43-44; Also see Mark 12:36, Acts 1:16, Acts 4:25

 

Confirmation: Old Testament

 

Through Miracles

i. The Law: Moses (Genesis – Deuteronomy)

1. Moses performed many signs before Pharaoh.  After 9th plague: “Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh; yet the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land." Ex 11:10

2. The plagues in Egypt done by the hand of the Lord, The Holy Spirit

"And Moses said to the people, "Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of slavery; for by a powerful hand the LORD brought you out from this place. And nothing leavened shall be eaten". -Ex 13:3; also see 9:2-3  (Verses that show H.S. is the "Hand of the Lord" 1 Chron 28:19, 30:12; Acts 13:9-11, 11:21; Ezek. 3:14-15; 37:1)

3. Performed many miracles in the Wilderness through the Spirit (Heb 3:8-9)

 

ii. The Prophets Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, The Twelve, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel

1. Elijah

  • Raised the dead
  • Parted the Jordan
  • Called fire from Heaven
  • Causing the rain the cease for 3 1/2 years
  • Was caught up to heaven in a whirlwind

2. Elisha

  • Parting of the Jordan
  • Miracle of the vessels of oil
  • Miracle of the bread
  • Healing of Naaman
  • Floating of the axe head
  • Resurrection of the man touched by his bones

Confirmation: Through Fulfilled Prophecy

Deuteronomy 18:20-22

"But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ 21 "You may say in your heart, ‘How will we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’ 22 "When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him."

When the prophets that were inspired said something that was going to happen, IT HAPPENED! This was validation/confirmation that their message was from God.

  1. Moses’ prophecy of the Messiah/Prophet to come
  2. Daniel’s prophecy of the four kingdoms
  3. Isaiah’s prophecies of the Suffering Servant and His miraculous works
  4. David’s prophecy of the resurrection of the Messiah
  5. Joel’s prophecy of the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
  6. Etc…  (Click here to see 48 prophecies fulfilled by Jesus in the NT)
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The Deity of the Holy Spirit

April 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment

imageThere are many religious groups that teach wrong things about God. One such false teaching is that the Holy Spirit is not God. A careful study of scripture will show that the Holy Spirit is God, one of the three members of the Godhead/Trinity.

Holy Spirit is called God: Acts 5:3-4

“But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? 4 "While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”

In this text, we are told that to lie to the Holy Spirit is to lie to God.

Holy Spirit active in creation: Genesis 1:2, 26; Job 33:4

“The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters…Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness’” (Gen 1:2, 26)

“The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4). (see also Psalm 104:30)

Who gave the scriptures? God or the Holy Spirit? The scriptures are "God breathed," and are from the Spirit of God (2 Tim 3:15-17/2 Peter 1:20-21, Many instances when the "Spirit comes upon someone" and they speak for YHWH; 1 Cor 2:13-14).

Here is a simple logical argument that the Holy Spirit is God.

  1. The Scriptures are God-breathed (2 Tim 3:15-17)
  2. The Holy Spirit is the Breath of God (Job 32:8; 33:4; 34:14-15)
  3. The Holy Spirit, who is God, gave us the Scriptures

This is one of the many instances when the word "God" is used it is referring specifically the Holy Spirit.

Who are we a temple of? We as the people of God are God’s temple. This is made clear in scripture (2 Corinthians 6:16, 1 Corinthians 3:17). We are also called the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). We are a dwelling place of God in the SPIRIT (Ephesians 2:20-22)

  1. We are the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:17)
  2. The Holy Spirit dwells in us (Eph 2:20-22)
  3. The Holy Spirit is God

Are we born of the Spirit or born of God? John 3:3-5 says that we are born of the Spirit, but John 1:13 says we are born of God, along with seven other instances in 1 John.[1]

  1. We are born of God (John 1:13)
  2. We are born of the Spirit (John 3:3-5)
  3. The Holy Spirit is God

Holy Spirit: Yahweh? Whenever I preached about the authority of Christ, I compared many Old and New Testament verse to show that when Yahweh is being mentioned in the Old Testament, this name includes Jesus[2]. The same is the case with the Holy Spirit

· Acts 28:25-27/Isa. 6: Isaiah sees this amazing vision of Yahweh. After he is undone by the vision, and after His sin is forgiven, we see this statement:

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me." Isaiah 6:8

This statement by God brings us back to the time of creation where He referred to Himself as “us,” once again showing the plurality of the Godhead. In verses 9-10, we have a text that is used a few times in the New Testament, including in Acts 28:25-27. In this text Paul says this was the Holy Spirit speaking this, using Isaiah to do so.[3]

· Heb. 10:15-17/ Jer. 31-33-34:

Jeremiah 31:30-34 is a well known prophecy about the New Covenant that Yahweh gives. The Hebrews writer says that the Holy Spirit said this.

· Heb 3:7-8/Psalm 95: (cf Isaiah 63:7-14)

Who did Israel reject in the wilderness? Psalm 95 tells us that they rejected Yahweh. Hebrews 3:7-8, which quotes this passage where Yahweh is speaking, says it was the Spirit that spoke Psalm 95. After quoting the Spirit in this text, the Hebrews writer then cautions his readers not to depart from the living God.

Holy Spirit has God’s attributes:

· Holy: He is referred to as the Holy Spirit about 90 times in the Bible.

· Eternal: Heb 9:14[4]

“how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

· Omniscient: Isa 40:13-14; 1 Cor 2:10-11

Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, Or as His counselor has taught Him? 14 With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, And taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, And showed Him the way of understanding?

· Omnipresent: Psalm 139:7-8 [5]

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.”

HOLY SPIRIT: A DISTINCT MEMBER OF THE GODHEAD

Some people think that the Holy Spirit is actually the same Person as the Father and the Son. But the Scriptures clearly teach a distinction between the Persons of the Trinity. Whenever we see Him referred to as “the Spirit of God” or “the Spirit of Christ,” that may lead us to think that he is either one of Them, or at least a part of them; that just as we have a spirit that is a part of us, so to the Spirit is part of the Father, or of Christ. Scripture shows us that the Spirit is a distinct person. He has his own will, as we saw in 1 Cor 12:11. He is also mentioned in scripture along with the other members of the Godhead as though they are three separate, distinct beings.

· Mt 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”

· 2Co 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

· Eph 4:4-6  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

Also, look at the account of Jesus’s baptism.[6] Here the Son is baptized; a voice from Heaven says, “This is my beloved Son”; and the Holy Spirit, like a dove, rests upon Jesus. All of this occurs simultaneously. All three of the members of the Trinity are seen here at the same time, obviously distinct from one another.

Understanding the identity of the Holy Spirit is important as Christians! You may ask “Why is it so important to believe in the deity and personhood of the Holy Spirit?” It is crucial because you cannot give Him the honor and respect that He deserves if you don’t consider Him a Divine Person.

[1] 1 John 2:29, 3:9, 4:7, 5:1, 5:4, 5:18 (2x)

[2] See http://www.evangelismhelp.com/is-jesus-jehovah/ for these verses

[3] Some people may respond by saying that these quotes where the Holy Spirit is speaking are nothing more that the Spirit inspiring men to speak. They say He is not the one literally speaking in these quoted texts. I use Isaiah 6:8 to show that “elohim”/“YHWH” refers to Himself as “us.” YHWH is a plurality (see Genesis 1:26 also, where “elohim” refers to Himself as ‘us’). It should not be surprising to see that all three members are referred to as YHWH if all three are God. The Spirit inspired men to speak His word, the word of YHWH (Genesis 15:1, 4; Exo 9:20; Jer 1:2; Ezra 1:1).

[4] Some believe this text is showing that Jesus gave a “spiritual” sacrifice and that the Holy Spirit is not being referenced when the Hebrews writer mentions “the eternal Spirit.” This is a possibility.

[5] This could be a reference to the Father (who is spirit) or the Holy Spirit/Spirit of God, or both. YHWH is the One that is being referred to in the text. As seen above, the name YHWH includes all three members of the Godhead/Trinity.

[6] Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22

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The Person of the Holy Spirit

April 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Many think of the Holy Spirit as a vague, impersonal force rather than a personal being. The Jehovah’s Witnesses are imageone example of such a group. This is what they believe about the Holy Spirit, “The holy spirit is not a person and it is not a part of a Trinity. The holy spirit is God’s active force that he uses to accomplish his will. . . . To a certain extent, it can be likened to electricity.”[1] But this is not what scripture teaches.

A PERSONAL BEING

Though the word “Spirit (pneuma) is neuter, personal, singular, masculine pronouns are used of the Holy Spirit, such as “He,” “His,” or “Himself.” These personal pronouns are used over 20 times referring to the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit does things that only a personal being can do:

He hears:

· "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. -John 16:13 (NASB)

He speaks:

· "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me” -John 15:26

· And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot." Acts 8:29 (also see Acts 10:19; 13:2)

He has a “will:”

· All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. -1 Cor 12:11

· For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements -Acts 15:28

He teaches: Luke 12:12

· "for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say "

He Loves: Romans 15:30

· " Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me " (also see Romans 5:5)

He can be lied to: Acts 5:3

· But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?

He can be blasphemed: Matthew 12:31-32

· “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.”

He can be insulted: Hebrews 10:29

· “Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?”

He directs Paul where to (and not to) preach – Acts 13:2; 16:6-7

· “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13:2)

· “Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. 7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.” (Acts 16:6-7)

I could keep on going, but these should suffice to show that the Holy Spirit is a personal being. He is not an impersonal force as the JW’s believe. This belief (that he is an “it” or an impersonal force) is blasphemous.

[1] Should You Believe in the Trinity? (New York: The Watchtower Bible and Tract Soc., 1989).

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