Post by Redeemed on Oct 1, 2022 7:26:53 GMT -8
We know that the supreme revelation of God comes to us in Jesus Christ, but what of the thousands of years which have passed since Jesus’ earthly ministry? Must we now be content with a past revelation? On the night before his crucifixion Jesus said to his disciples, “I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you” (John 14:18), and “It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I go not away, the Counselor will not come to you” (John 16:7).
It is through the Holy Spirit’s abiding presence that we experience now the living presence of the risen Christ. The Holy Spirit is not the Christ, but it is through the Spirit that Jesus Christ is working now in the world and in the Church. At Pentecost Christ entered into a higher ministry than was possible while he was on earth in a physical body. Whatever the Spirit does is the work of Christ. Whatever Christ is doing in the world today is being done through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who works in and through those who allow the Spirit to live in their hearts.
So it is that God is now revealing himself to human beings through the Holy Spirit, who may be called the Spirit of God, or the Spirit of Christ (cf. Matt. 3:16; 1 Cor. 6:11; 1 Pet. 4:14 with Rom. 8:9; Phil. 1:19; Acts 16:7; Gal. 4:6). Whatever direct experience we have of God comes to us through the work of the Holy Spirit. When we see God in nature, the Holy Spirit has pointed God out to us. When we feel the presence of the living Christ, it is because the Holy Spirit makes Christ known. When we read the Bible and understand God’s will, the Holy Spirit has been teaching us. The Spirit is the personal guide and teacher of every Christian and is the personal revealer of God.
Also fellowship with Christ is the work of the Holy Spirit. It is his task to take the things of Christ and make them known unto us, to make the person of Jesus vivid and real in our daily experience. That is what Paul is talking about here -- Christ made real to the heart, enabling him to satisfy the thirsts of the soul; Christ providing the power that it takes to do and meet the demands of both the law and the love of God. Fellowship with Christ is not only direction in what to do, but it is dynamic -- it is how to do it.
It is through the Holy Spirit’s abiding presence that we experience now the living presence of the risen Christ. The Holy Spirit is not the Christ, but it is through the Spirit that Jesus Christ is working now in the world and in the Church. At Pentecost Christ entered into a higher ministry than was possible while he was on earth in a physical body. Whatever the Spirit does is the work of Christ. Whatever Christ is doing in the world today is being done through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who works in and through those who allow the Spirit to live in their hearts.
So it is that God is now revealing himself to human beings through the Holy Spirit, who may be called the Spirit of God, or the Spirit of Christ (cf. Matt. 3:16; 1 Cor. 6:11; 1 Pet. 4:14 with Rom. 8:9; Phil. 1:19; Acts 16:7; Gal. 4:6). Whatever direct experience we have of God comes to us through the work of the Holy Spirit. When we see God in nature, the Holy Spirit has pointed God out to us. When we feel the presence of the living Christ, it is because the Holy Spirit makes Christ known. When we read the Bible and understand God’s will, the Holy Spirit has been teaching us. The Spirit is the personal guide and teacher of every Christian and is the personal revealer of God.
Also fellowship with Christ is the work of the Holy Spirit. It is his task to take the things of Christ and make them known unto us, to make the person of Jesus vivid and real in our daily experience. That is what Paul is talking about here -- Christ made real to the heart, enabling him to satisfy the thirsts of the soul; Christ providing the power that it takes to do and meet the demands of both the law and the love of God. Fellowship with Christ is not only direction in what to do, but it is dynamic -- it is how to do it.
