I. NAMES.

      1. Old Testament.

      The first biblical mention of the Holy Spirit is in Genesis 1:2, in the story of creation, where the name given is, "the Spirit of God": "The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."

      This continued to be the name of what we call "the Holy Spirit" until God assumed covenant relations with his chosen people in the time of Moses, in the personality of Jehovah. While the people were still at Mount Sinai, Moses said, "Would that all Jehovah's people were prophets, that Jehovah would put his Spirit upon them" (Num. 11:29). The "Spirit of Jehovah" is, from this time, the characteristic Old Testament designation of the Holy Spirit.

      2. New Testament.

      The Spirit of God, or the Spirit of Jehovah, of the Old Testament, becomes "the Holy Spirit" in the New Testament. This is the characteristic New Testament name, occurring not at all in the Old Testament except in one instance, Psalms 51:11, where David prayed, "Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy Spirit from me." The Old Testament names of the Holy Spirit persist in the New Testament, as is seen from Matthew 3:16, "the Spirit of God"; and from Acts 5:9, "the Spirit of the Lord." Other New Testament names of the Holy Spirit are: "the Comforter (John 14:16), "the Spirit of truth" (John 14:17), "Spirit of Christ" (Rom. 8:9), the "Spirit of Jesus" (Acts 16:7), the "Spirit of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:19), the "Spirit of his Son" (Gal. 4:6).

II. NATURE.

      The Holy Spirit is not manifested at first as a distinct personality, but, "in the elder Scriptures the Spirit of God is, in general, his life, his vital energy, his innermost self. As the spirit of a man is the man, so the Spirit of God is God. It may be the mind of God, and so God himself. Thus, as regarding the Most High, the Spirit was an effluence, the energy of God pouring forth; as regarding things, it was an affluence, his energy flowing upon; as regarding men, it was an influence, his energy flowing into."¹

      A wonderful and noteworthy fact in the Old Testament is God's assumption of distinct personality in the presence of Jehovah dwelling in the midst of a chosen people in the Cloud, in the Tabernacle, and in the Temple, "the Holy One, the Redeemer of Israel." Thus God was in the midst of his people.

      When God came into close covenant relations with his chosen people in the person of Jehovah, the Spirit of God continued to operate under the name of the "Spirit of Jehovah." In its operation it continued to be the "vital energy" of God, directed by Jehovah for his purposes of grace.

      A higher manifestation of God's glory followed in his Incarnation, when the One who had dwelt in the midst of his people in the Cloud became flesh and made himself "in all things like unto his brethren." His name is now Jesus. He is still the Holy One and the Redeemer of his people. During the personal ministry of Jesus, the divine power continued [38] to operate under the name of "the Spirit of God," under the personal direction of Jesus, the Son of God. For a little time Jesus tarried in his world. When, as of old, he was driven away by disobedient belief, it was then that a third manifestation of God came in the Holy Spirit's assumption of personality. It was not God's will to leave the world without his presence, therefore the Comforter came, dwelling in his people as God had before dwelt among them.

III. PERSONALITY.

      "A distinct person must have thought, feeling, and purpose all his own. All these the Holy Spirit has; and they are not the less his own because he adopts them all from the Father or from Christ. He teaches (John 14:26), therefore thinks. That he also feels, Paul shows us in warning the Ephesians that the Spirit may grieve (Eph. 4:30), and in assuring the Romans that he joys (Rom. 14:17), and loves (Rom. 15:30). It is as expressly an exercise of will that he commanded Philip to join the devout treasurer of Candace (Acts 8:29), or Peter to visit Cornelius (Acts 10:19, 20), or the church at Antioch to commission Barnabas and Saul (Acts 13:2, 4), or, again and again checks the activity of the missionaries (Acts 16:6, 7). Most explicit of all is the sobering and steadying message to the Corinthians who were covetous of showy gifts, that the selfsame Spirit provides to every man severally as he will (1 Cor. 12:11).²

      The personal name of the Holy Spirit is the Comforter. As God sent his Son into the world, so the Father would send the Comforter in answer to the request of Jesus, "I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may be with you forever" (John 14:16). Thus Jesus returned to his Father, leaving with his disciples the comforting expectation of the Holy Spirit, who assumed personality on the day of Pentecost and became in his various operations the manifestation of God in the world.

      This assumption of distinct personality by the Holy Spirit made it possible for the New Testament writers to speak of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; each of the three being God, and the three constituting God.

IV. OPERATION.

      1. In the Old Testament.

      In creation the divine energy went forth in the Spirit of God which "moved upon the face of the waters."

      When the people were building the tabernacle at Mount Sinai, Jehovah filled Bezalel "with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; and to devise skillful work, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work in all manner of skillful workmanship. And he hath put in his heart that he may teach" (Ex. 35:30-34). Artistic skill and ability to teach were thus imparted by the Spirit of God.

      When David was anointed by the prophet Samuel, "the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon him from that day forward" (I Sam. 16:13). David received power from the Spirit of Jehovah.

      The Spirit of God not only imparted skill, but was also the Spirit of revelation. Nehemiah in his prayer to God expressed the common opinion of the Jews that the prophets spoke as the Spirit of God gave them utterance; "thou testifieth against them by thy Spirit through thy prophets" (Neh. 9:30). This is also the idea expressed in Isaiah 61:1, "The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek." Ezekiel believed that he spoke under the influence of the Spirit of Jehovah; "the Spirit of Jehovah fell upon me and he said unto me, speak" (Ezek. 11:5).

      The Old Testament functions of the Spirit of God are summed up in Isaiah 11:2: "The Spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of Jehovah."

      2. In the New Testament.

      (a) In the Person and Work of Jesus.

      The coming of the Christ into his world in the person of Jesus was the most momentous fact of human history. The activity of the Spirit of God in connection with this event is noteworthy. To Zacharias was promised a son, who, as the forerunner of the Lord, should be "filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his birth" (Luke 1:15). The angel Gabriel was sent to Nazareth to tell a betrothed virgin that she would bear a son who should be called "the Son of the Most High." In answer to her perturbation the angel explained, saying, "the Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also the [39] holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). At the birth of John, Zacharias is prophesying in the Holy Spirit, not only concerning his son, but also concerning "the dayspring from on high" (Luke 1:78). And there was Simeon, upon whom the Holy Spirit had come, and to whom the same Spirit had revealed that "he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ," and who "came in the Spirit into the temple" (Luke 2:25-27) when the parents brought in the child Jesus. Thus we observe the Spirit of God preparing the way for, and accomplishing the fact of the Incarnation.

      When the time came for Jesus to inaugurate his ministry, the Holy Spirit from heaven testified that he as the Son of God (Matt. 3:16). In order that he might be prepared for his work of redemption, he was "led up of the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil" (Matt. 4:1). He thus obtained through the leading of the Spirit, a practical experience of the problems of the task of redeeming men who were oppressed by Satan.

      After his temptation "Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee" (Luke 4:14). He came to Nazareth, entered into the synagogue, and read the prophecy of Isaiah which begins "the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor," and announced to the people, "to-day hath this scripture been fulfilled in your ears" (Luke 4:16, 21). In this wonderful manner the Holy Spirit brought the Son of God into the world and qualified him and endowed him for his work.

      The Holy Spirit not only came upon Jesus and into him, but now proceeded from him in power, under his own personal direction. When people were amazed at his mastery over evil spirits, he explained his wonderful works by saying that he cast out demons "by the Spirit of God" (Matt. 12:28).

      The Holy Spirit was not foreign to Jesus. In the later Scriptures he is called the "Spirit of Jesus." The Holy Spirit's operation in him, and through him, was therefore the necessary and natural expression of Jesus' being.

      (b) In the Person and Work of the Apostles.

      When the twelve disciples were sorrowing because Jesus was soon to leave them to go to his Father, he gave them the promise of the Comforter (John 14:16). On the Mount of Olives, he gave them his parting promise and charge just before his ascension, saying, "tarry ye in the city until ye be clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49), and, "ye shall receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you" (Acts 1:8).

      The promise of Jesus was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost when "there came from heaven a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them tongues, parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:2-4).

      This miraculous manifestation and impartation of the Holy Spirit was related only to that occasion, and we cannot therefore expect to have it reproduced or imitated in our own experience. It was at once the demonstration of the Lordship of Jesus who had been crucified, and at the same time the induement of power for the apostles. Pentecost has not been repeated. The nearest approach to similar phenomena was in the household of Cornelius (Acts 10), where, however, the purpose of the manifestation was distinctly different, being intended to indicate God's willingness to accept the Gentiles.

      The coming of the Holy Spirit upon the twelve on the day of Pentecost, meant more than comfort and power. Before he went to his Father, Jesus had spoken thus of the coming Comforter to his apostles: "He shall teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said unto you" (John 14:26). "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13). It is evident that the apostles understood that the coming of the Holy Spirit upon them on Pentecost was the fulfillment of this promise. Luke, the historian of the occasion, says: "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4). Peter explained the phenomena by quoting the prophecy of Joel which related the gift of prophecy to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

      What it meant for the apostles to experience the operation of the Holy Spirit, not only as the Comforter, but also as "the Spirit of truth," is explained by the apostle Paul in I Cor. 2:6-16. Paul speaks of God's wisdom hidden in mysteries which were unknown to the wise men of the world, and impossible of [40] knowledge to those who were unspiritual. But the deep things of God were revealed freely to the apostles "through the Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God" (1 Cor. 2:10). This revelation was freely given and the apostles spoke it to men "in words which the Spirit teacheth" (1 Cor. 2:13). The revelation was so full that Paul could say "we have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor. 2:16).

      Peter who was the spokesman on Pentecost, believed that the Gospel was revealed through the Holy Spirit, and that it was preached "unto you by the Holy Spirit sent forth from heaven" (1 Pet. 1:12).

      The revelation of the truth through the Holy Spirit was not confined to the spoken words of the apostles. They not only spoke, but also wrote under the control of the Spirit of truth, so that we have, from the pens of the inspired writers in the New Testament Scriptures, not only the historical narrative of the progress of the church of God, but also the revelation of God's will concerning the church.

      (c) In the World.

      Of the relation of the Holy Spirit to the world Jesus said, "When he is come he will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to the Father; of judgment, because the prince of this world hath been judged" (John 16:8-11).

      This Work of conviction was accomplished by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The coming of the Holy Spirit demonstrated the fact of the glorification of Jesus at the right hand of God, manifesting the sin of those who rejected him in disbelief. His going to the Father demonstrated his righteousness, although he had been numbered with the transgressors in his death. His assumption of a place at the right hand of God reversed the judgment of the Prince of this world who had succeeded in crucifying Jesus by false accusation before earthly tribunals.

      Because Jesus went to the Father and sent the Holy Spirit to announce his assumption of Lordship, it still stands true that the man who rejects Christ is convicted of sin, and of his own unrighteousness, and is in danger of judgment.

      (d) In the Conversion of Sinners.

      The King James Version of Peter's words, "Repent ye therefore, and be converted" (Acts 3:19), has been displaced by the Revised Version, "Repent ye therefore, and turn again." Upon the old version was founded the doctrine of conversion by the immediate and therefore miraculous, operation of the Holy Spirit. A better understanding of the constitution of man and of the Scriptures necessitates and confirms the modern, accurate translation. Conversion to God concerns and engages the whole being of man. In no similar situation is a man passive or utterly dependent upon influences which disregard his nature. A man can only change or be changed in his life by influences which seek and secure the co-operation of his own faculties. God made him so, and therefore does not disregard his own order when turning a man to himself. A change of conduct or character presupposes deliberate judgment, adequate motive, and effective will. Therefore, when there comes to a man the experience expressed in the words, "born of the Spirit," we may be sure the Holy Spirit has the proper material to offer to the judgment, to the motive, and to the will.

      Inasmuch as the Holy Spirit is "the Spirit of Christ" he does not disregard the will of Christ in his manner of operation. Therefore, while it is said that we are "born of the Spirit" (John 3:5), it is also said, "Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth" (James 1:18), and, "having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the Word of God, which liveth and abideth" (1 Pet. 1:23).

      Observation and experience confirm our judgment that in conversion the Holy Spirit does not operate apart from the word of God, spoken or written. There are no recorded instances of conversion to God apart from some knowledge or some impartation of his word.

      (e) In the Believer.

      To all who believe the message of the gospel, this was the promise given by Peter on the day of Pentecost: "Ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him" (Acts 2:38, 39).

      The unspeakable gift of the indwelling Spirit of God is granted only to those who obey him (Acts 5:32). Therefore Peter said, "Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). [41]

      The birth of Christ was the incarnation of the Word. Since the beginning of obedience to the gospel of Christ on the day of Pentecost, we have the continuing and ever present miracle of the incarnation of the Spirit of God in believers. As we meditate upon this indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we find it to be the fulfillment of the promise of Jesus who said, "If a man love me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him" (John 14:23).

      What the indwelling Spirit does for believers is written in the New Testament Epistles. In the eighth chapter of Romans, Paul tells us that we are free from condemnation because "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made us free from the law of sin and of death." In verse 11, our immortal bodies are to be raised from the dead "through his Spirit that dwelleth in you." In verse 13, "by the Spirit" we are to "put to death the deeds of the body." In verse 14, we are "led by the Spirit of God," and are therefore, "sons of God." In verse 15, the Holy Spirit is "the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." In verse 16, "the Spirit himself beareth witness with our Spirit, that we are children of God." In verse 26, "the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered," and in verse 27, the Spirit "maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God."

      The indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the believer is strongly and beautifully characterized by Paul in a striking figure of speech in 1 Cor. 3:16; "know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" If the reference be to the church is a congregation of believers, the fact is not less true in regard to each individual Christian.

      Paul wrote to the Galatians: "because ye are sons, God sent for the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father" (Gal. 4:6). Therefore he says "walk by the Spirit" (Gal. 5:16), for if we are led by the Spirit there will be in our lives "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control" (Gal. 5:22, 23), which are the "fruit of the Spirit."

      To the Ephesians Paul wrote that the Spirit was the seal and "an earnest of our inheritance" (Eph. 1:13, 14). Paul's prayer was "that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man" (Eph. 3:16). To the whole church the Spirit imparted unity "in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3). Paul also writes, "grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption" (Eph. 4:30). He also writes, "be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18).

      But the Holy Spirit was not simply to dwell in the believer for his individual help, but was also to proceed from him as the Spirit proceeded from God and from the Son, in power. Jesus said, "he that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believed on him were to receive" (John 7:38, 39). A variety of such operations of the Holy Spirit proceeding from believers is mentioned in 1 Cor. 12:4-11.

      When we ponder the meaning and the value to ourselves of the personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we will be careful not to "quench the Spirit" (1 Thes. 5:19).

      (e) In the Church.

      The Church is the body of Christ. It is to be expected therefore, that the Spirit of Christ will animate the church, and that the will of Christ will become operative in and through the church, because of the Spirit of Christ which dwells in it. We are not surprised therefore to read in Acts 13:2, 4, that the Holy Spirit selected and sent Paul and Barnabas from the church at Antioch to the foreign mission work. Nor are we surprised to learn from Acts 15:28, that the Holy Spirit was active in composing the difficulty which threatened a schism in the church over the question of the relation of the Gentiles to the gospel and to the law of Moses. "Nor do we deem it strange to hear Paul say to the elders of the church at Ephesus in Acts 20:28, "Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you bishops, to feed the church of the Lord which he purchased with his own blood." We cannot think of the Holy Spirit residing in the church indifferent to its sustenance and preservation.

      The Holy Spirit is the life-giving principle of the church, the body of Christ, as the Spirit of God is the very life of God himself. Consequently, we expect a Spirit filled church to give manifold evidences of the presence of the Spirit. We have satisfaction therefore [42] in 1 Cor. 12, where Paul, speaking of the church under the figure of a body, says, "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are diversities of ministrations, and the same Lord. And there are diversities of workings, but the same God, who worketh all things in all. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit to profit withal. For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit; to another faith, in the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, in the one Spirit; and to another workings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discernings of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; and to another the interpretation of tongues; but all these worketh the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each one severally even as he will."

      According to this scripture, the church is the incarnation of the Holy Spirit fulfilling in its activities every relation which Christ constituted between himself and the world.

      One of the first words of Jesus to those who looked longingly after him was, "come" (John 1:39). The message of Jesus to the world in his personal ministry was, "Come unto me and I will give you rest." The Spirit speaking through the church by the gospel of Christ is continuing to say to all nations, Come. Thus, through the church, the Holy Spirit continues to testify of Christ, and the closing words of the book of Revelation say, "The Spirit and the bride say, come" (Rev. 22:17).

[DH 38-43.]