THE HOLY SPIRIT, #1 -- Tomorrow:
"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him? . . . And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption" (Luke 11:13; Eph 4:30)
Any one, even casually familiar with life in Christ Jesus, realizes the Holy Spirit is vital to spiritual life. The Lord Jesus represented the Father as eager to "give the Holy Spirit" to those who ask Him. The initial request for the Holy Spirit comes when we believe the Gospel and call upon the name of the Lord; i.e., "What shall we do?" "What must I do to be saved," or "Here is water, what doth hinder me to be baptized?" (Acts 2:37; 16:31; 8:36). When we are baptized into Christ, we receive "the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). He is given to us – sent into our hearts – because we "are sons" (Gal 4:6). Once He takes up residence within us, we are solemnly charged not to grieve, distress, or cause pain to Him. It is fitting that we have some understanding of the powerful, yet sensitive, Holy Spirit of God.
The Holy Spirit is precisely identified by that very term: HOLY SPIRIT. He is a "Spirit," as distinguished from a mere visible form. A spirit does not have a body like we, and other forms of created life, have. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples. They thought they were seeing a spirit. Jesus told them something that helps us to understand about a spirit: "a spirit hath not flesh and bones" (Lk 24:39). It is not tangible.
He is also "holy," untainted by sin or deficiency in any form. He is not a mere influence, power, or force, but as Person. The Holy Spirit is powerful, but is not a force like wind or storm. He is not a mere influence, like an idea, imagination, or dream. He is a Person with an mind and feelings. He speaks, leads, and has a purpose.
A SPIRIT. Before Jesus Christ died, rose again, and ascended back to heaven, very few people associated a spirit with something good or beneficial. The very idea of a spirit brought fear to most people. It will be profitable to spend some time on this subject.
Holy Ghost. The King James Version uses the term "Holy Ghost" ninety times in eighty-nine verses. Some examples follow. "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost" (Matt 1:18). "And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness" (Mk 4:1). "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). "And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us" (Rom 5:5).
This version also uses the expression "Holy Spirit." It is found in the following texts: Psalm 51:11; Isaiah 63:10-11; Luke 11:13; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 4:8. Because both expressions are used, some have supposed the "Holy Ghost" and the "Holy Spirit" are not the same–that they are two different spirits. This is not so. They refer to the same Person–the Holy Spirit of God.
The word "Ghost" is an old English word that means "spirit." In prior centuries, the common perception of this word was related to the dark and mysterious world. Even modern English dictionaries view the word from that standpoint. Modern synonyms for "ghost" include demon, phantom, spook, apparition, and gremlin. You can see how confusing it could be to think of as "HOLY ghost."
This is not all as far-fetched as it may appear at first. Even in Bible times, the word "spirit" was often associated with the dark and evil world. In fact, until Jesus went back to heaven, this is the idea that prevailed. For example, there is an historical event that occurred over twenty five years after Jesus went back to heaven. The Gospel of Christ had been preached during this time, yet a lot of misunderstanding remained. On one occasion, the Apostle Paul confronted some people from the Grecian city of Ephesus who were "disciples." They had "not so much as heard whether there is a HOLY Spirit" (Acts 19:2). Because they had been baptized with the "baptism of John" the Baptist, Paul told them of Jesus, and baptized them into Him. I gather these men knew of evil spirits, but not the HOLY Spirit. What a remarkable situation!
There is a vast world of evil spirits that will help us appreciate the HOLY Spirit more fully. Satan himself is a spirit. He is called "the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph 2:2). Satan does not work alone, but has a vast army of wicked spirits at his disposal. This evil empire includes demons, or devils in the KJV (Lev 17:7; Matt 4:24; 1 Tim 4:1), unclean spirits (Matt 10:1; Acts 5:16; Rev 16:13), evil spirits (Luke 7:21; Acts 19:12-13), familiar spirits (Lev 19:31; Isa 8:19), and seducing spirits (1 Tim 4:1).
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for the gift of the Holy spirit.