C.In the Old Testament the Spirit of God was employed by man, whereas in the New Testament the Holy Spirit is the Lord in man.

Based upon the above two points we can conclude that the Spirit of God which descended upon man in the Old Testament did not come in His Person to be the Lord for man to obey, but as a power to be employed by man. We know that the Holy Spirit is a Person, but in Old Testament times the Spirit of God did not descend upon man in His Person. If He had descended upon man in His Person, He would have come as Lord, and man must obey Him. Nevertheless, in Old Testament times He descended as a power without His Person; therefore, it seemed instead that He obeyed man and was employed by man.

Take for example the gasoline in a car: it is without a person; it is not the master of the car for the car to obey. It is because the car does not have the power to move that the car is filled with gasoline. The gasoline is the moving power of the car and is used by the car. Likewise, God desired that Moses deliver the Israelites out of Egypt and lead them into Canaan, but Moses found himself lacking in power. He lacked the power to speak to Pharaoh in behalf of God. He also lacked the power to lead the millions of Israelites through the wilderness. Neither did he have the power to rule the house of Israel, nor the power to build a tabernacle for God according to the heavenly pattern. Undoubtedly, Moses was learned in all the knowledge of Egypt and was very capable; however, his limited learning and capability were not sufficient to meet the need of this great commission. Therefore, the Spirit of God came not to be his master for him to obey, but to supplement his lack of power and be under his command. Moses was like a bicycle that could run only ten miles per hour, and the Spirit of God was like a motor added to the bicycle which increased its speed to seventy miles per hour. Actually, the Spirit of God coming upon man in the Old Testament was just like the motor added to the bicycle, the purpose of which was not to become the master of the bicycle nor to control it, but to become its moving power and increase its effectiveness. This was exactly the meaning of the vision of the burning bush, which Moses saw when he was called (Exo. 3:2-3). The bush was Moses, and the fire was the Spirit of God that descended upon him. The bush was of little use, but the fire burning upon it became its strength.

Therefore we must keep in mind the principle that in Old Testament times, although the Spirit of God descended and became a great moving power to man, nevertheless He did not descend in His Person to become the Lord of man for man to obey; rather He descended upon man as a power to be employed by man.

However, the principle of the work of the Holy Spirit is entirely different in the New Testament. At this time, when He descends to work on man, He not only descends upon man to be the power to man, but He dwells within man and is mingled with man to be his life, thereby imparting God’s nature into man. This means that now He comes in His Person to dwell in man. Since He comes in His Person to dwell in man, He comes to be the Lord of man, requiring man’s obedience to Him. It is interesting that there is not a single sentence in the entire Old Testament which says that man ought to obey the Spirit of God. But in the New Testament we are told that the Holy Spirit takes the control over us (Acts 16:6-7) and that we ought to walk by the Spirit (Gal. 5:25). Second Corinthians 3:18 especially calls the Holy Spirit “the Lord the Spirit” (Gk.). The Holy Spirit today is the Lord, a Person. He dwells within us to be our Lord; therefore we must commit ourselves to Him and submit ourselves to His rule. He is not only our power, but also our Lord. He is not only the gasoline in the car, but the driver. He is not only the motor of the bicycle, but the owner who rides it. Not only does the moving power of the car depend on Him, but whether the car stops, proceeds, goes forward or backward-it is all under His driving and operating. Our nature and our life is of Him. He is our life, our nature, and our Lord.

D.In the Old Testament the Spirit of God is of a single aspect, whereas in the New Testament the Holy Spirit is of a double aspect.

We who are under the New Testament dispensation enjoy the double blessings of the Holy Spirit, namely, the aspect of His being power to us, and the aspect of His being our life and nature. Those living under the dispensation of the Old Testament enjoyed the Spirit of God only as the outward power, while those of the New Testament enjoy the Holy Spirit as the inward life as well. This does not mean that in New Testament times God terminates the aspect of the work that was done in the Old Testament, but rather He continues even more the former aspect and adds another aspect. In the Old Testament there was only one aspect, but in the New Testament there are two aspects; in the Old Testament there was only the outward, but in the New Testament there are both the outward and the inward. Therefore, under the dispensation of the New Testament, we can not only rely upon the Holy Spirit as the outward power to perform the work committed to us by God, but through the Holy Spirit as life within, we can mingle with God as one. What a glorious grace of God this is!
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