HOLY SPIRIT: PRESENCE OF GOD

Holy Spirit: Presence of GOD


God, the originator of all life, rules in the Heavens with His only begotten Son. The Two are united in Their work, will, and purposes of benevolence to every created thing. God is everywhere, blessing, sustaining, and drawing all through His Holy Spirit.

It is a tragedy that one of the most powerful truths of Scripture is also one of the least known.  This truth is beautifully summarized in Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord  our God is One Lord.”  Far from being some mystical trinity, the Monarch of the galaxies is a single Individual.  He is a loving Father and He rules in the Heavens with His only begotten Son.  Satan has sought to bury this beautiful truth about a personal God by bringing into Christianity the pagan doctrine of a triune godhead.

The Word of God, however, presents God as a single Being, united with His Son, in love, and purpose and will.  Paul’s letters to the Church always greet the believers on behalf of this Divine Duo– never on behalf of the Holy Spirit:

To all that be in Rome . . . Grace be unto you and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.  (Romans 1:7)

Unto the Church of which is at Corinth . . .Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the the Lord Jesus Christ.  (1 Corinthians 1:3, 4)

Paul . . . unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ:: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.  (1 Thessalonians 1:1)

When presented with Scriptural and historical proof that God is a single Entity and the trinity comes from paganism, most people are confused.  After all, the Bible does repeatedly refer to a “Holy Spirit.”  The question naturally arises, if there is no trinity, than what is the Holy Spirit?  The answer is simple: it is the Spirit of God.
Holy Spirit of God

Every living being has a spirit.  It is this which returns to God at death: “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”  (Ecclesiastes 12:7)  God also has a Spirit and it is this which is referred to as the Holy Spirit.  It is not a separate being, but it is the very spirit of God Himself.

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that  the Spirit of God dwells in you.  (Romans 8:9a)

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me.  (John 15:26)

But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.  (1 Corinthians 2:10)

The Bible reveals three basic truths about the Almighty.  He is:

1)  Omniscient (All-knowing)

2)  Omnipotent (All-powerful)

3)  Omnipresent (Present everywhere at the same time.)

All-knowing and All-powerful are relatively easy for human minds to grasp.  Every child views his/her parent as all-knowing and all-powerful, so it is not much of a stretch to picture God, our heavenly Father, in the same way.  However, the ability to be everywhere at once is a mystery we cannot fully understand.  In this, as in other things which divine wisdom has not seen fit to explain, we must accept it on faith.  “For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counselor?  For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to Whom be glory for ever . Amen”  (Romans 11:34 and 36.)

God

The third chapter of John reveals the work of the Spirit of God.  In this passage, Jesus explained to Nicodemus that the Holy Spirit was the active agent in the salvation of man: “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  (John 3:3)

Nicodemus did not understand, protesting, “How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?”  (John 3:4)

Jesus explained, saying, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:5-6)  Then, acknowledging that the work of the Spirit of God on the heart was a mystery difficult for finite minds to grasp, He added, “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh  and whither it goeth. So is everyone that is born of the Spirit.”  (John 3:8)
Oneness with God through the Spirit of God

Just before His crucifixion, the Jesus prayed a beautiful prayer in which He referred to the ONENESS He shared with His Father asking that the redeemed be able to share that same oneness with the Father and the Son:

Neither pray I  for these alone, but  for them also which shall  believe on Me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, are in Me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent Me.  And the glory which thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved Me.  (John 17:20-23)

Because the Spirit of God works in concert with the Spirit of Jesus, it is also referred to as the Spirit of Christ.  “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father!’ ”  (Galatians 4:6)  “Now if any man have not  the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.”  (Romans 8:9b)

The oneness which the Father and the Son share is through their Spirits being in unity.  This oneness they long to share with the fallen sons and daughters of Adam and it is done through the work of the Holy Spirit.
GOD is the Life-giver.  Death cannot exist in His presence; neither can sin.  The death of Jesus has proven for all eternity that as much as God hates sin, He loves the sinner even more.  When Moses begged to behold the face of God, he was told that he would be allowed to see the back of the Almighty, but not His face because, “Thou canst not see My face: for there shall  no man shall see Me, and live.”  (Exodus 33:20)  In the presence of infinite purity, a sinner would cease to exist.

However, God’s great heart of love still yearns for oneness with His earthly children.

Work of the Holy Spirit

It is the work of the Holy Spirit to draw men’s hearts to God in repentance.  What God cannot do Himself in the presence of man, He sends forth His Spirit to do.  Scant hours before His betrayal in Gethsemane, Jesus explained the work of the Holy Spirit, stating:

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.

And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.  Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.
(John 16:7-13)

It is the work of the Holy Spirit of God to save sinners.  He does this in a variety of ways.

Teaching

The Holy Spirit teaches divine truths to human hearts. “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 things that I said to you.”  (John 14:26) “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  (John 16:13)

Drawing

As the Holy Spirit teaches divine truths, the heart hardened by sin is softened by love and drawn to the Father.  “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are sons of God.”  (Romans 8:14)
Recreating

Just as the Holy Spirit was used in the creation of man, so is it vital in the re-creation of man into the divine image.

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."  (Romans 8:1, 2)

“For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 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 Elohim?”  (Hebrews 9:13, 14)

Interceding for Man

The Holy Spirit, being God’s own spirit, knows and is the mind of the Father.  Thus, He works intimately with human hearts, knowing and meeting their needs when the human himself cannot know or put into words his own needs.  What a gift of love is this!

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.  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.  (Romans 8:26, 27)

Giving Power for Sanctification

One of the last recorded statements of Jesus in Scripture before He was taken again to Heaven, reveals that the work of the Holy Spirit is to give power to men to live holy, sanctified lives and to cooperate with Heaven in the salvation of other souls.

“You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”  (Acts 1:8)
Comforting

God longs to comfort His children.  He does this through His Spirit.

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”  (John 14:16-18)
Holy Spirit – Vital Presence of God

The Holy Spirit is the active agent in the restoration of the divine image to the human soul.  It is the divine force that created the universe.  It is also the divine force that cleanses the human heart of sin.  Scripture explains how this is done:

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.  (Isaiah 55:10, 11)

The Word of God, infused with His Spirit, contains the power to do what it states.  Thus, when His Word states: “Neither do I condemn you: go and sin no more,” (John 8:11), grasp by faith that His Word, through His Spirit, has the power to do what it says.  This is the very reason why the Holy Spirit has been gifted to fallen mankind.

The Unpardonable Sin

However, great care should be exercised by all because it is possible to sin to the point that the Holy Spirit is driven away.  Paul warned of this when he told the Ephesians to “grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”  (Ephesians 4:30)  Hearts that have repeatedly rejected the invitation of mercy will eventually grow so hardened that they will no longer be able to hear the still, small voice calling to repentance.

Unpardonable Sin There are none so hardened as those who have slighted the invitation of mercy, and done despite to the Spirit of grace. The most common manifestation of the sin against the Holy Spirit is in persistently slighting Heaven’s invitation to repent. Every step in the rejection of Christ is a step toward the rejection of salvation, and toward the sin against the Holy Spirit.

In rejecting Christ the Jewish people committed the unpardonable sin; and by refusing the invitation of mercy, we may commit the same error. We offer insult to the Prince of life, and put Him to shame before the synagogue of Satan and before the heavenly universe when we refuse to listen to His delegated messengers, and instead listen to the agents of Satan, who would draw the soul away from Christ. So long as one does this, he can find no hope or pardon, and he will finally lose all desire to be reconciled to God.

The unpardonable sin is rejecting at last the presence of God in His Holy Spirit.  When this has at last been done, there is nothing left by which the human heart can be drawn to God.  This is why Jesus explained that sinning against the Holy Spirit is the one sin that is unpardonable:

Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.  (Matthew 12:31, 32)

This is no arbitrary withdrawal by God.  It breaks His heart of infinite love to at last withdraw His Spirit, but because He will never force the human will, He will never stay where He is not wanted.

By their doubt and unbelief God people do much to grieve the heart of God, and tempt a withdrawal of his mercy. But through all, His love is unchangeable. The waves of mercy may be beaten back, but again and again they flow to the hearts of undeserving human beings. God loves His purchased possession, and He longs to see them overcome the discouragement with which Satan would overpower them. Let no thought of unbelief afflict your souls; for unbelief acts as a paralysis upon the spiritual energies. Do not magnify your difficulties, but keep [the Master] in your remembrance, watching unto prayer.2

ONE at Last

When the great controversy between God and Satan is at last over, then the heart-yearning of the Heavenly Father will at last be satisfied.  Unable to be physically with His children while they were sinners, He can at last live among them.  He will be their God and they shall be His people.

One with God

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads.  (Revelation 21:1-4; 22:4)

Accept today the priceless gift of Heaven.  Your Heavenly Father is waiting with longing eagerness to draw you into a oneness with Him and His Son that is closer than anything you have ever experienced before.  Love unlimited, joys unimaginable await all who accept the presence of God in His Holy Spirit.

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is thirsty come. And who ever will, let him take the water of life freely…. He which testifies of these things saying, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Revelation 22:17, 20, 21