When man was created, nothing in the universe had the nature of God. Only God Himself had the divine nature. None of the millions of creatures were holy; only God Himself was holy. But one day this God, who is Spirit and who is holy, became flesh to be mingled with man and to put on humanity. He did this because He wanted to make man holy, to sanctify man. The basic principle of incarnation is that “the Spirit the Holy” of God entered into the unholy man to make him holy. In other words, He wanted to make the man who was without God’s nature into a man with God’s nature. Thus, from this time onward, the title the Holy Spirit appeared in the Bible. Strictly speaking, therefore, the Holy Spirit is for the purpose of making the unholy man holy, that is, making the man who is without God’s nature into a man with God’s nature.

I think the brothers and sisters are clear about my speaking. You may say that God in eternity was Jehovah, and you may also say that He was God. At that time, the Spirit of God was called the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Jehovah as well. It was not until later, when God became flesh, that the Spirit of God began to be called the Holy Spirit. After the incarnated God entered into death and also into resurrection, His Spirit had a new title, that is, the life-giving Spirit. It was at this time that the incarnated God became the life-giving Spirit, because He had passed through death and resurrection. His death solved all the problems between man and God, and His resurrection released the life that was within Him. Therefore, by this time He was not merely the Spirit, but He was also the Spirit who gives life.

The Spirit was first the Spirit of God because He was God. God is Spirit, and the Spirit is the Spirit of God. Later, at the time of God’s incarnation He became the Holy Spirit, that is, “the Spirit the Holy.” He comes to make unholy man into holy man, that is, to make the man who is without the divine nature into a man with the divine nature. Therefore, He is the Holy Spirit. Then the Lord entered into death and resurrected. In this death and resurrection, the Spirit became the life-giving Spirit. Whose Spirit is this life-giving Spirit? He is “the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” This Spirit can sometimes also be called “the Spirit of Jesus,” and sometimes “the Spirit of Christ.” Under what circumstances is He called “the Spirit of Jesus?” If you read Acts 16, you will see that the Spirit of Jesus is a title used in times of the apostles’ sufferings for the Lord in hardships, in persecutions, in taking the way of poverty, and in being reproached for His sake. This is the Spirit who led Jesus of Nazareth to live a life of poverty on earth and to suffer persecution and shame. Therefore, Acts 16:7 refers to “the Spirit of Jesus.” What about the Spirit of Christ? “The Spirit of Christ” is in Romans 8:9. Moreover, Romans 8:11 says that “if the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,” then this One “will also give life to your mortal bodies.” Therefore, Romans 8 does not emphasize the aspect of following the lowly Nazarene by suffering hardship, being put to shame, and taking the way of the cross. Rather, it emphasizes living out the Lord’s life. Thus, the Spirit of Christ is mainly for resurrection. Romans 8 is a story of resurrection in which not only the spirit is made alive, but even the mortal body is also made alive. Hence, “the Spirit of Jesus” is one story and “the Spirit of Christ” is another story.

Moreover, Philippians 1 mentions “the Spirit of Jesus Christ,” joining “Jesus” and “Christ” together. This is because in Philippians there is a story of suffering. The apostle seemed to be saying, “The bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ will be my salvation. Even though I am here in prison, in bonds and chains, yet this Spirit, who is not only the Spirit of Jesus but also the Spirit of Christ, and not only the Spirit of suffering but also the Spirit of resurrection, will enable me to overcome the afflictions and bonds.” Therefore, in Philippians, there is suffering and there is also release because the Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

This Spirit of Jesus Christ is the life-giving Spirit. “The life-giving Spirit” refers to the function of the Spirit, whereas “the Spirit of Jesus Christ” is the title of the Spirit. Today this Spirit belongs to Jesus, to Christ, and to Jesus Christ. This Spirit, who is Christ Himself, gives us life. Therefore, there are not several spirits, but there is only one Spirit in several stages. Before the Word became flesh, the Spirit of God was simply the Spirit of God. But after the Word became flesh, the Spirit of God became the Holy Spirit, “the Spirit the Holy.” Then later, after the Lord passed through death and resurrection, this Spirit became the life-giving Spirit, who belongs to Jesus Christ, so He is called the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of Christ, and the Spirit of Jesus Christ. We may use a handkerchief as an illustration. If you put a white handkerchief into a vat of blue dye, it becomes a blue handkerchief, and if you put the blue handkerchief into a vat of red dye, it becomes a purple handkerchief. The white handkerchief, the blue handkerchief, and the purple handkerchief are not three handkerchiefs; rather, they are one handkerchief in three stages.
Home | First | Prev | Next