Holy Ghost Part 1
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- Category: Bible Studies
- Published on Monday, 28 November 2011 02:59
- Written by Aurelius Raines
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Holy Ghost Part 1
Among those who profess the Christian faith are significant numbers of believers that believe in holiness of life, body and spirit. Within this segment of Christian believers, the subject of the Holy Ghost is the source of many differences that have created a spirit of division among people, who in principle, believe in the unity of God's people. Keeping in mind that the unity of God's people is essential for God's plan in this world, it is a wise thing to seek the mind of God when it comes to understanding the working of the Holy Ghost in the times in which we live. This understanding is best achieved by not thinking of the Holy Ghost in terms of Christian experience over the last one hundred and fifty years. Instead, one should seek an understanding of the Holy Ghost in the context of the New Testament message. If one starts with Jesus’ teaching, one can learn about the nature and working of the Holy Ghost. Based on the plain teachings of the scripture, one can safely conclude the Holy Ghost is available for all believers, and when the Holy Ghost fills a believer, that believer will experience a change in life and attitude toward God and man.
This study will begin by making some observations about the Holy Ghost. The first mention of the Holy Ghost in the New Testament appears in Matthew 1:18. The Bible student learns from this verse that the Holy Ghost conceived seed in a virgin by the name of Mary. The result of this conception was the birth of Jesus Christ. Later, we learn that the Holy Ghost appeared in the form of a dove at Jesus’ baptism. The Apostle John, in his writings, testified that God did not give the Holy Ghost to Jesus in small portions (John 3:34). Therefore, at the baptism of Jesus, the Holy Ghost led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. Before his ascension, Jesus directed the apostles to preach the gospel in the entire world baptizing new believers by the authority of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. These few examples give the Bible student an idea of the role of the Holy Ghost in the world today. Let us examine the roles of the Holy Ghost as revealed by Jesus Christ.
A good place to start with the teachings of Jesus Christ in regards to the Holy Ghost is in John 14: 15-17. Please consider the following words of Jesus Christ:
If ye love me, keep my commandments. 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. KJV
What is evident in this passage of scripture is Jesus promised to pray to God so he could send the disciples another Comforter. While Jesus was in the world, he was the Comforter for the disciples. However, earlier in the discourse Jesus spoke of leaving the disciples to return to the Father. In Jesus’s absence, the disciples will still need a Comforter. However, this Comforter would not be sent to the world in general. Jesus placed a condition on sending the Comforter who is also known as the Spirit of truth. Jesus promised to send the Spirit of truth if the disciples would love him and keep his commandments. Since the world in general does not love Jesus nor keep his commandments, it cannot receive the Spirit of truth. Jesus’s comments in this verse are very informative as to who can be a receptacle for God’s spirit.
It is important to understand the truth regarding who is able to receive the Comforter. Some would have believers to believe that it is possible to receive the Comforter through superficial means like fasting and praying. Needless to say because one fasts or prays does not mean one obeys the commandments of Jesus. Obedience is the overruling requirement one must meet before the Holy Ghost, which is the Comforter, will come and dwell in a believer. Works of righteousness such as making personal sacrifices, praying, fasting, Bible reading, church attendance, and financial contributions to a ministry are not a substitute for obedience. 1 Samuel 15:22, 23 is a passage of scripture in the Bible that will support the role of obedience as superior to ritual acts.
In this passage (1 Samuel 15:22, 23) Saul was charged with the slaughter of the animals captured from the Amalekites. Instead of slaughtering the animals, Saul informed Samuel that the people had sacrificed the animals to God. Samuel’s response assures us that obedience plays a greater role in being a candidate to receive the Holy Ghost than rituals like sacrifice. Samuel said the following, “Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” KJV
Rebelling against the directives of God will prevent one from being able to receive the Holy Ghost. Rebelling in the context of Samuel’s message to Saul involved not following the simple directions that came from heaven. If we learn anything from this passage in Samuel, it is that one whom God has rejected will not receive the Holy Spirit. The world, having rejected God, cannot receive the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, we can take the same message from the New Testament regarding who can be a receptacle for the Holy Spirit. This passage is found in Acts 5:32.
In his response to the council explaining why he continued to preach in the name of Jesus, Peter said, “And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.” KJV The world cannot receive the Holy Spirit because it does not obey God. Those who profess Christ as savior cannot using rituals like fasting and praying as a substitute for obedience in an attempt to become filled with the Holy Spirit. However, those who obey God will not only know about the Holy Spirit, they will have the Holy Spirit to dwell with them and in them.
Obedience is necessary to fulfill the last issue Jesus addresses in John 14:17. When the Holy Spirit dwells in a person, that person gains a personal knowledge of God that is not possible without the aid of the Holy Spirit. This is in contrast to the world which cannot know God because it is not able to receive the Holy Spirit. Though it may seem judgmental to say the world cannot know God, this is what Jesus taught. Furthermore, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is not something that comes and goes. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in the hearts of those that are obedient. Such being the case, the believer is always in a position to know God through the Spirit of God that dwells in them. We learn more about what Jesus taught about the Holy Spirit in John 14:26.
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
The above passage teaches us that Holy Ghost, also known as the Comforter, will be sent from God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ. The work of the Comforter when it is sent to the world will be narrow. The Holy Spirit will come to teach us everything God wants us to know. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit will bring remind the believers of the things that Jesus taught when he was in the world. Therefore, we can know beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Holy Spirit will not teach us things that go beyond what Jesus taught us when he was in the world. Our knowledge of God and the arrival of the Comforter will confirm the very things that Jesus taught when he was on the earth.
A summary of what we have discussed this far assures us that keeping the commandments of God is a necessity before one can receive the Holy Spirit. Those who obey the Gospel will receive an infilling of the Holy Ghost which will comfort them. This experience is something that those who do not obey the commandments of our Lord will not be able to receive. Furthermore, the Holy Ghost, when it fills the believer, will lead the believer into the truth that was taught by Jesus when he was on the earth. These simple facts taught by Jesus are the beginning of understanding the work of the Holy Ghost in the experience of the followers of Christ. Part two of this study will continue a study of the Holy Ghost by closely examining the scriptures which speak of Him.