Part
7 of 8
“The
Spirit”
In
this installment I’m attempting to define exactly what Paul means most often
when he uses the words “the spirit,”
as Paul uses it in conjunction with the
believers walk. Galatians 5:16a
This I say then, walk
in THE SPIRIT… There’s
significant truth to appreciate in this matter of “the
spirit” in Paul’s epistles. We need to look more closely.
The
Apostle Paul uses the term “the
spirit” ninety-two times in his thirteen epistles. Sometimes this
directly refers to “the Spirit”
of God. Other times it refers to “the
human spirit” of all men; and most other times and most importantly it
refers specifically to the “combined
spirit,” which is an amalgam of “the
Spirit of Christ” that indwells the believer’s human spirit.
We
begin to see this union of His Spirit and the believer’s spirit by verses
such as these.
2
Corinthians 3:17a Now
THE LORD (Jesus) IS THE SPIRIT…
1
Corinthians 6:17 But
HE THAT IS JOINED UNTO THE LORD
IS ONE SPIRIT.
Romans
8:16 THE
SPIRIT
itself beareth witness with OUR
(human) SPIRIT, that we are the children of God:
All
who have believed since the resurrection, possess the Godhead’s “One
Spirit” (Eph 4:4) in the form of Christ’s “Spirit
of life” (Rom 8:2a) within
them. The “Spirit of God” and “Spirit
of Christ” are one in the same; they are summed up as “Christ
in you” now as “that Spirit” in
you.
Romans
8:8-10 So
then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9
But ye are not
in the flesh, but in the Spirit,
if so be that the SPIRIT OF GOD
dwell IN YOU. Now if any man
have not the SPIRIT OF CHRIST, he is none of his. 10
And if CHRIST BE
IN YOU, the body is
dead because of sin; but the Spirit
is life because of
righteousness.
Eph
3:16 That
he would grant you… to be strengthened with might by HIS
(Christ’s) SPIRIT in
the inner man;
1
John 4:13 Hereby
know we that WE DWELL IN HIM (Christ),
AND HE IN US, because HE
(Christ) HATH GIVEN US OF HIS SPIRIT.
The
oldest manuscripts from which our King James Bible is derived had no
punctuation or capitalization. The translators took upon their selves to try
and distinguish between God’s Spirit and “the
spirit of man” (e.g., Zech 12:1, Prov 20:27, Eccl 3:21, 1Cor 2:12) by
the use of the capitalized and non-capitalized letter “s.” E.g., John
3:6b … that which is born
of the Spirit (Christ’s Spirit)
is spirit (the believer’s human spirit).
We
know from John 4:24a that God’s substance “is
spirit” as a table may be wooden. Paul makes clear in Eph 4:4 that God
is “one spirit,” not
three spirits. Christ to day is “the
Lord” and He is “that
Spirit.” Acts 2:36 … hath
made that same Jesus,
whom ye have crucified, both Lord
and Christ. Then also Paul tells us “NOW
the Lord
(the risen Jesus Christ) is
that Spirit” (2Cor 3:17a).
Therefore,
we may conclude that “the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” is nothing less than the reality of
the Lord Jesus Christ. It is by the “Spirit
of Christ” that we as believers may realize, experience, and
experientially come to know Him within us. John says believers possess the “anointing
(Spirit that is)
received of Him (1John
2:27). Everyone who is born of God the Father possesses the Godhead’s
Spirit by Christ within their spirit – by which they may “know.”
1
Corinthians 2:12 Now
we have received, not the
spirit of the world, but the spirit
which is of God; THAT
WE MIGHT KNOW (eido, inwardly know)
the things that are (Gk., charizomai, the favor, which is)
freely given to us of God.
It
is by the indwelling “Spirit of
Christ” that we come to know the “favor”
that we have received of God in Christ. Our union with the Father is by His
organic Spirit-life, which is found only in
“the Son” (1John 5:11-12). The Spirit of God first came into the world
via “the Son of God,” in the
person of Jesus of Nazareth. He was crucified and then raised from the dead to
become “the life-giving Spirit”
(1Cor 15:45). The “Spirit of
Christ” as He is today is the outcome of His resurrection from the dead
in His glorified spirit-body (Rom 1:3). Christ comes, as the “Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:2) into a believing man’s human
spirit the very moment that one believes (trusts) Christ as his Savior.
Christ’s “Spirit of life” in
the believer may then…flow out from their spirit via their soul faculties (mind,
emotion and will). As we continue to rely upon Him “who
is our life” (
Col
3:4a) we are changed to give expression to His indwelling “Lord’s
Spirit” of life (2Cor. 3:18).
The
eternal Christ was processed via the steps of incarnation, human living, death
of the cross, and resurrection; principally to become
“… the last Adam (Christ), (who became) a life-giving spirit” (1 Cor.
15:45b). First Christ was the eternal Spirit, then Son of Man, and then
again “the Spirit of life.” So we see that there have been
major changes in that…“NOW
the Lord is that Spirit”
(2Cor. 3:17).
Let’s
now consider Jesus’ own words here in John 7:37-38, exactly as it appears in
the KJV of the Bible.
“…
If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his
belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit,
which they that believe on him should receive: for the
Holy Ghost was not yet given;
because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”
NOTE:
The Italicized word “given”
in v38 is
as it properly appears in the KJV of your Bible.
We note this because the word “given”
does not appear in the
Greek Text. What would be the significance of this? It is significant because
it actually means “the Spirit of
Christ” not only could not be given,
but if we note the time in which this was stated – before the cross, the “Spirit
of Christ” as He is today simply “was
not yet” because Jesus had not yet been glorified through
resurrection – He had not yet become
“the Life-giving Spirit.” That is, Christ’s “Spirit
of life” (Rom 8:2a) was not
yet available because it did
not yet exist as He now is after His resurrection. Jesus had not yet died
and was not resurrected as “the
life-giving spirit” (1Cor 15:45). The
“Spirit” of the Godhead did not yet bear the marks of Jesus’ humanity as
the “Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus” now does since His resurrection.
The
word “spirit” is derived from
the Greek word “pneuma,” also
translated as the breath, wind, or air. Today the “Spirit
of life in Christ Jesus” is like the air surrounding us. He is so
available, to be received and taken in by
“as many as receive Him” (John 1:12, 20:22). We may be able to live
without food for several days, without water for about 2 days, but we cannot
enjoy the benefit of His sustaining life within us without having first
received Him into us and then continually
enjoying Him as “the breath of
life” (John 20:22).
Believers
are joined to Christ’s Spirit in their spirit but they also need to gain Him
in their self-souls, where all of us have been soul-sick since our human
birth. We may practically enjoy the fruit of His sustaining life in our spirit
by our self-soul submitting to abiding in union with Him in our spirit,
continually (John 15:5); by trusting Him and walking in accord with Him,
permitting Him to be the Lord (governor) of our life.
We
are first children, and then we grow up to follows His inner leading, as
God’s sons.
Romans
8:16 The Spirit
itself beareth witness with our
spirit, that we are the
CHILDREN of God:
Romans
8:14 For as many as are
LED BY THE SPIRIT of God, they
are the SONS of God.
In
time, either here on earth or hereafter all the Father’s organically birthed
sons will grow to express His life and nature that abides within their spirit.
We are first rebirthed to be “the
children of God,” and this is unshakable – we are
“sealed” by “the Spirit.
Only some of us go on to become the grown up “sons
of God” (Rom 8:14) as they learn to be “led
by” the indwelling “Spirit of
God” in Christ.
These
sons are the grown up children of God. Compare this to the physical; though we
have been born physically – we still need to maintain the health of life by
breathing, eating and drinking. Breathing is not as an event that is completed
once and for all, it must be continual. Receiving Christ’s as God’s One
Seed of life by our rebirth is a one time primary event; but “abiding”
in spirit (John 15:1-6, Gal 5:16, 25) is our daily dependence upon Him. This
is key to our daily life of rest and peace in Christ just as physical
breathing is key to our health being undisturbed physically.
Christ
is life generating and then also life sustaining by His inherent organic “Spirit
of life” in us. John 5:26 For as
the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the
Son to have life in himself. Jesus not only is
“the life” but also the sustainer of that life. He is the life supply
to man. He is as the vine tree, which supplies the life and nourishment to us
as attached branches (John 15:4-5),
as He flows to and through us.
The
union of Christ’s “Spirit of
life” in our spirit as one is “the
spirit” to which Paul so frequently refers as being necessary for
our daily walk. This is the co-mingled spirit
that we have by Christ’s Spirit
indwelling our spirit. Galatians
5:16 This
I say then, Walk in THE
SPIRIT, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
