5. Promises of Jesus regarding the receiving of the Holy Spirit
Asking for the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit in the parting words of Jesus
The Holy Spirit in the last days of Jesus Christ upon earth
Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Why does Jesus say the beggars in the Holy Spirit are blessed? It is because they sense their deficiency in the Holy Spirit and horribly recognize their sin. They understand they live far off from God and begin to renounce their arrogance, honour and self-righteousness. Like beggars, they start to stretch out their hands to receive God´s grace. Jesus promises them the unspeakable riches of heaven and all heavenly blessings as an eternal possession (Eph. 1:3).
John 3:5-8
5 Jesus answered (Nicodemus), “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, `You must be born again.` 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.
Jesus explained to Nicodemus, one of the 71 members of the High Council, (the parliament of his people), that without a new birth through the water of a repentance- baptism, such as practiced with John the Baptist, and without a receiving of the Holy Spirit no person could ever see, recognize, or enter the kingdom of God! J.A. Bengel wrote in his book, “Gnomon”, regarding this verse, that one should not make an understanding of the new birth too complicated. It implies, simply stated, a heart-felt faith in Christ (John 1:12-13). At the same time one should not intellectually trivialize the faith, for it signifies the new-birth of a person´s heart and mind.
The following words cast light on Jesus´ becoming flesh: “That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6) Christ´s being is the holy incarnation of the Spirit of God. Whoever wants to better understand the Holy Spirit should look to Jesus, for both are congruent, and in absolute agreement in terms of character, intention, power and holiness.
In Semitic languages the words wind and spirit arise from the root of the same word. The Spirit is compared to an invisible, yet clearly perceptible wind. Just as no one precisely knows where the wind comes from nor where it goes, so it is with the existence and motivation of a born-again follower of Christ. To his fellow human beings he remains incomprehensible. Nevertheless, the inner-peace he reflects and the deeds of his holy love will be felt.
Jesus further explained to the perplexed Nicodemus that the love of God and His own atoning death on the cursed wood of the cross were the hidden causes behind every new-birth (John 3:14-16). In addition, they made it possible for a sinner to be justified by faith in the Son of God ((John 3:17-18).
All of these explanations reach their summit in the words of Jesus: “Do not marvel that I said to you, `You must be born again.`”(John 3:7) This revelation of the Son of God is not only valid for Christians and atheists, but in the same measure for Jews and Muslims. Without a new-birth through the merciful Holy Spirit man remains spiritually dead in his sins (Eph. 2:1-10). The Spirit of the Father and of the Son is eternal life in itself, which has come to us through the words of the apostles of Christ (John 6:63; Rom. 8:10).
John 3:14-16
14 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Jesus had compassion upon the deputy in the Jewish High Council of his land (Sanhedrin), and explained to him the legal requirement of the Old Testament regarding the new-birth of sinners. As Moses had the bronze serpent lifted up in the wilderness as a symbol for the evil that had been judged (Num. 21:8-9), so too, it was necessary for Jesus to take upon Himself all the sin and evil of the world – in order to defeat the original serpent (Gen. 3:1). Out of love for all sinners He died, in their place before God, a legal “death of atonement”. As at the time of Moses, when every one who had been bitten by a snake could look to the bronze snake lifted up to be healed and saved, so too, can everyone look up to the crucified Jesus. By so doing they bind themselves to Him in faith. The atoning death of Jesus is what authorizes repentant sinners to receive eternal life.
Jesus expanded this analogy from the Old Testament and showed Nicodemus that it is the love of God the Father that is the hidden cause of this all-encompassing justification and gift of the Spirit. He offered up His beloved Son to be a sinless sacrifice of atonement and to die in the place of lawbreakers. By faith evil-doers could become justified in Him and receive eternal life in the Holy Spirit. Paul recognized and later confessed: “but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” (Rom. 8:10)
In this miniature gospel (John 3:16) we find the veiled confession to the existence and working of the Holy Trinity. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in an indissoluble unity, are bringing about the redemption of sinners until this very day.
John 4:23-24
23 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Jesus had explained deep truths in simple words to a despised woman bound up in ongoing adultery (John 4:1-22). After He had uncovered her sin, there broke out in her a longing for a pure life with God. She recalled the worship of the Creator on Mt. Gerizim, near Nablus, as well as in the temple at Jerusalem. Jesus told her that God was a compassionate Father who can be worshiped anytime and anywhere. This Father, however, desires that true worshipers recognize and confess their sins and accept their justification through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. They are to receive the Spirit of Truth. By so doing they recognize God as their Father and worship no unknown creator. They believe on the Father of Jesus Christ, who is also their father!
Jesus made a distinction between true and false worshipers. Buddhists worship the golden Buddha in their temples with an amazing patience and dedication. Muslims cast themselves down before their unfathomably great Allah up to 34 times a day, till their forehead touches the floor. Only Christians appear lazy, for they sometimes pray sitting, lying, in an airplane, or wherever they might happen to be. Jesus testified, however, that neither the external form nor the place of worship determined a person´s acceptance with God. Rather, the internal attitude of the worshiper was decisive, along with the knowledge of whom he is worshipping. True worshipers, as justified children of the Father, worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Jesus revealed to a sinner who was searching for true worship a great mystery - God is Spirit, and not an idol! At the same time, the Holy God is the primeval and original light that enlightens the understanding and the soul of man by His Spirit (I John 1:1, 5). He embodies sacrificial love that overcomes all evil and brings about an abiding fellowship between Himself and mankind (I John 4:16). God, however, does not allow Himself to be pressed into human forms. He is greater and more just and compassionate than we can ever comprehend. Both Ezekiel and John saw the glorious throne of God and recognized that One was sitting upon it. John compared Him to a clear-as-glass crystal, a sign of His holiness, and with the red-shining sardius stone, a sign of His blazing love. From the holiness of this almighty love there arises an emerald-green circle of energy around His throne. Therein it can be perceived that the incomprehensibly great God is no dreadful, horrible spirit, but our Father, full of holiness and filled with pure love (Ez. 1:1-28; Rev. 4:1-8).
Who worships the Father of Jesus Christ in spirit and in truth? Who dismounts from his monotonous carousel that continuously rotates around its own “I” and turns to direct his life totally toward the true God? Jesus Christ commanded His followers to first pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Then follow the requests for daily life: “Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” Whoever prays these words in the sense they were given in consciously and trustfully lines himself up with an innumerably great number of true worshipers. He is transformed into the image of the Father, and worships Him who has lifted us up in His holy love to the level in which He dwells (Matt. 5:48).
John 7:37-39
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirst, let him come to Me and drink, 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
The Feast of Tabernacles is one of the great celebrations of the sons of Jacob. They recollect, therein, the preservation of their fleeing people through the wilderness wanderings amid sparse conditions, giving thanks, at the same time, to their Covenant God for the fruit and wine harvest of the past year. The presence of enough water was always decisive for the survival of individuals and the entire community. Therefore, a heart-felt thanksgiving was offered to God for every drop of water.
Jesus called out on the last day of the feast to those present: “If anyone thirst, let him come to Me and drink!” He thereby testified that He is the source of life-giving water. He further indicated that the atoning sacrifice of His body would call forth streams of the Holy Spirit that would flow out in all directions of a world dying of thirst. Furthermore, the sensational miracle would happen that all who believe on Him (and establish a heart-relationship with Him) and all who drink from His living-waters would themselves become a source of living water for many others. Whoever follows Jesus remains called to be an irrigation conduit transporting the water of the Holy Spirit to others.
Asking for the Holy Spirit
Luke 11:5-13
5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, `Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him`; 7 and he will answer from within and say, `Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and go to you`? 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. 9 And I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
This exciting parable of Jesus should spur us on to not just ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit for ourselves. Much more, we should give the Lord of all grace no peace until He generously gives us the bread of life for our friends, acquaintances, relatives and co-workers. With His picture-sermon, Jesus challenges us to intercede continually for individuals, so that those dead-in-sin might be translated into eternal life through the Spirit of Holiness.
Jesus trustfully commands us to ask, to eagerly seek (until we recognize the will of God), and to knock on the door of heaven (until it opens) and we receive, from His fullness, “grace upon grace”. At the same time, Jesus promises to answer the prayers without stipulation. He assures us: Whoever asks the Father, receives, whoever searches, finds, and whoever forcefully knocks, to him it will be opened! In the event we detect a deficiency of faith, love, and hope in us or in our church, these chains of imperatives of Jesus call us to change our ways. They are to wake us to faith and thanksgiving. With the “Father names of God” Jesus gives us a most assured guarantee – that every single trust-filled petitioner will receive the grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, both for himself, and for his friends! This unique promise in the gospel should penetrate deep into our conscience and call forth faith-petitions in us for everyone whom the Spirit of Jesus brings to our attention.
John 6:63
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
Jesus assured His disciples that it was not foremost their asking and faith that saved them and ascertained eternal life for them. Much more, the words of Jesus contained from the very beginning His Holy Spirit. Whoever internalizes these words and translates them into faithful prayer receives from the Spirit of Jesus eternal life. The Lord wants to save us even before we ask Him for salvation and the new-birth. His words are full of Spirit and life. Whoever hears and believes lives eternally! Jesus said: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father´s hand. I and My Father are one.”
The Holy Spirit in the Parting Discourse of Jesus
John 14:16-18
16 “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
This last discourse of Jesus remains an inexhaustible jewel of Christianity. In these four verses Jesus speaks about the Spirit of Comfort, whom the Father and the Son will send to the insecure and abandoned disciples. The Comforter is called in Greek “PARAKLETOS”, and means a legal adviser in a court process, as well as a knowledgeable helper in legal questions and problems. This Spirit knows all 613 commands of the Old Testament and each and every one of the more than 1,000 commands of Jesus in the New Testament. Beyond that, He is well versed in the sacrificial laws of Leviticus, as well as knowing all the legal effects of Christ´s death of atonement. He understands the glorious mercy of the Father and is in Himself “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ” (Romans 8:2). Beyond that, He is also the power of God who enables us to obey and practice His laws. The Spirit of Christ is an all- encompassing judicial power over the world that overcomes Satan and his accusations. He makes our justification by the grace of the Father and the Son a reality.
Jesus asks the Father to give to His followers this Legal Adviser, in order that He might remain eternally with them, to help them believe, love and hope. This comforting helper is not a person, but a Spirit, who is truth through and through. He tolerates no lies, and allows no falsification of the Bible. This Spirit of truth cannot be understood by those who love not Jesus. They have no idea of His existence. His reality remains hidden from them (Matt. 11:25-26). Whoever is bound to Jesus through faith, however, and trusts Him from the heart experiences the presence of this Spirit and His continuous indwelling.
Jesus loved His disciples, and provided for them in body, soul and spirit. He knew that He would die, be resurrected, and then ascend to heaven. He did not want to leave His followers behind as orphans, however, and promised them His invisible return in the Spirit of Comfort, whom He would send to dwell in their hearts. The Holy Spirit is His own Spirit. At the same time, He is the Spirit of the Father. He said: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” (John 14:23; 1 John 4:16) The entire Holy Trinity desires to indwell the followers of Jesus through the coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus, however, will not just return invisibly to us in His Spirit, but also visibly at the end of time and in great glory. He will then judge the living and the dead and initiate a new world age.
John 14:26-27
26 “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. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Jesus explained that the Spirit of Comfort, the legal attorney of heaven, is none other than the Holy Spirit Himself. Jesus had asked His Father to send to us this good Spirit. The Father answered the prayer of His beloved Son (John 11:41, 42) and sent to us the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ. The Trinity of God is a spiritual unity that can never be divided.
Jesus encouraged His disciples by telling them that the Holy Spirit would bring to their remembrance His words, teaching, commands and promises. The Comforter, as a legal expert, would inspire and teach them in the event they needed special wisdom or insight, just as He had previously assured them: “But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you” (Matt. 10:19-20).
Jesus also revealed what the Paraklet, acting in His name, would produce in His followers - Peace! He would bring peace to their conscience, peace with their past, peace with themselves, and peace with their neighbours and antagonists ( Rom. 12:18-21). Through His Spirit Jesus gives us a peace that passes all understanding (Phil. 4:7), the peace that rests in He Himself. One who has not been born-again can never know this peace, and neither can any politician, philosopher or practicer of esoteric bring it about. The peace of God comes as the spirit of grace to mankind. Christians are different from all other people, which is not racism, but reality. Jesus forbids us to fear receiving the Spirit of Comfort or His peace.
John 15:26-27
26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
After Jesus had revealed that it was He who would send His followers the Spirit of comfort from the Father, He again emphasized that the Spirit of truth and righteousness would proceed forth from the Father. He had previously testified: “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.” (Matt. 11:27; John 3:35; 16:15). In His high-priestly prayer He said to His Father: “And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine” (John 17:10). The Son always subordinated Himself to His Father and honoured Him at all times. Our God is a humble God. Thus, we confess that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, while Orthodox churches only recognize the going forth of the Spirit to be from the Father.
The Spirit of truth does not represent some fuzzy philosophical reality, but testifies to the reality of the Father and the Son and their offer of grace, which expands over and beyond the Law of Moses. If the entirety of Christ is no longer proclaimed in a church the Spirit of truth no longer dwells there. This Spirit proclaims Christ to be the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, crucified in the place of all sinners, risen from the dead, ascended to heaven, where He lives today, sitting and ruling the worlds at the honourable right hand of the Father. The active mystery of His world rule, however, is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28).
Not only the Holy Spirit testified to the Crucified and Resurrected One, but also Christ´s disciples, who as eye-witnesses described His reality and His teaching in the gospels. Their witness is full of Spirit and of life (John 6:63) until this very day.
John 16:7
“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”
Jesus´ departure from His still immature disciples lay heavy upon Him. He knew, however, that without His crucifixion the Holy Spirit could not enter the world. The sin of the entire world had first to be atoned for through the death of the innocent Lamb of God. Only thereafter could the Spirit of the Father and the Son flow unhindered into a depraved world and redeem all those who desire to be redeemed. The death and ascension of Jesus were indispensable for the coming of the Holy Spirit. We must confess for all those born of dust: No Cross No Holy Spirit! Whoever thinks he can speak of a good, friendly Spirit of God, yet without true repentance or firm faith, is mistaken. The blood of the Lamb of God is the high price for the coming of the Holy Spirit to us.
Since Jesus offered Himself up on the cross for us all He possesses the right to send the Spirit of truth and of eternal life to all who believe on Him. In the English language, the expression “I will send Him” conveys clarity over the intention and the plan of Jesus. He died that we could live eternally. He offered Himself so that the Holy Spirit could enter into us. It is the firm will and the unchangeable goal of Jesus Christ to send us His Spirit. How do we respond to His unbounded offer?
John 16:8-12
8 “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment; 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to my Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”
Jesus proclaimed the Holy Spirit to be the “eye-opener” for the spiritually blind and for all those who perceive only a shimmer of light. We should faithfully ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit for our friends and enemies, for without Him they can never see the kingdom of God and all that belongs to it (John 3:3,5).
The Lord Jesus names three areas in which the Spirit of truth opens the hearts of His followers for the reality of the kingdom of God:
1. The understanding of sin has been deepened and made precise by the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Crucified One carried away, atoned for, and destroyed the accumulated sin of the whole world (John 1:29). He doesn´t need to die again for Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and atheists. His once-for-all death of atonement is sufficient for everyone. He reconciled the depraved world with the Holy God (2 Cor. 5:19-21). But then something dreadful happened. Most people took no notice of their right-of-reconciliation, or wilfully rejected it. Judicially speaking, there exists since the death of Christ no more sin. Rejection of this truth, however, led to the reign of unbelief, as well as the rejection of a completed forgiveness. The decisive sin of individuals, religions, and nations is that they do not believe in Jesus. All of their sins that were forgiven through the atoning death of Jesus fall back upon them!
2. The righteousness of God remains upheld even when the Thrice-Holy justifies sinners worthy of damnation. The resurrection of Christ signalized that His death of atonement in place of all sinners had been valid and accepted by God. Satan and death found no right or power over Him. The righteousness of God remains flawless because His Son stood up and represented sinners. The Lord Jesus ascended into heaven in order to realize, as our High Priest, our righteousness before God. “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified” (Heb. 10:14). Therefore, the followers of Christ love their Lord and Saviour, even though they have yet to see Him face to face.
3. The judgment of Satan began with the birth of Christ. In spite of the stall in Bethlehem and the murder of many children, the originator of evil was unable to prevent the birth of the Spirit-born Messiah. Following Christ´s baptism, he was unable to tempt Him in the wilderness or mislead Him through the wrong advice of Peter to abandon the way of the cross. Jesus loved His enemies and prayed for them amidst torrential pain hanging on the cursed cross (Luke 23:34). He believed in the presence of God, even though He had abandoned Him. He continued to hope when there was no more hope (Luke 23:46). Satan lost every battle against the meek Lamb of God. He could not hinder Christ´s death of atonement for sinners worthy of condemnation. Since the ascension of the Resurrected One, the devil has been cast out of the domain of God (Rev. 12:9-11). Since then he can no longer accuse the justified brothers and sisters of Christ. He still tries today, through his rearguard actions, to destroy the church of Jesus from within and without. He knows, however, that he has little time left to him. Christ is the Conqueror! His Spirit realizes every victory over Satan in the church.
John 16:13-15
13 “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. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.
After Christ´s ascension, the Holy Spirit revealed more and more to the apostles and servants of Jesus the development of history and the truth of the previously mentioned legal facts. What He revealed can be read in the Acts of the Apostles, in the letters of the ambassadors of Christ, as well as in the Revelation. One encounters there amazing agreement with the revelations given in the gospels.
The Lord and His Spirit lead the afflicted church on to final victory. In so doing, Jesus gives us insights into the harmony and cooperation in the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit reveals nothing of Himself. What the Father and Son tell Him is what He passes on. He also reveals to individual members of the church body future developments. The Holy Spirit does not glorify Himself or those He has Spirit-gifted, but Jesus, the Lamb of God! Jesus, too, did not glorify Himself, but gave glory at all times to His Father. Therefore, the Father has given all power and authority, in heaven and on earth, to the Son. The Son gave to the Holy Spirit the authority to build His church. Our God is a humble God. We will only understand His word and His ways when we allow ourselves to be changed by His humility and meekness.
For the sake of His unlimited humility and self-denial Jesus could testify that everything that the Father possesses also belongs to Him. The Father did not become poorer through the handing over of all power and authority to His Son. His fullness always remains fullness, even when He divides it out. The authorization of the Son and the Son´s complete submission to the will of His Father remain unabated basic elements in the Holy Trinity (Matt. 11:27; 28:18; John 3:35; 16:15; 17:10). Therein is revealed a mystery of the love of God: It never exalts itself, but always the other (John 17:1-10).
With great love, wisdom, and sensitivity, Jesus revealed to His disciples far-reaching principles and mysteries about the coming of the Holy Spirit. They could, however, not yet or only partially grasp these truths. The Spirit of the Father and the Son, which came a little later to the abandoned followers of Christ, refreshed and enlightened their memory. They could then testify to the Holy Trinity and understand their existence in this Spirit of truth and love.
John 17:20-26
20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 24 Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me…26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
Strangely enough, in the high-priestly prayer of Jesus we read not a word about the Holy Spirit, neither about the Comforter nor about the Spirit of truth. The Lord spoke, in a discussion of faith with His Father, in a high spiritual logic. His Father dwelled for all eternity in Him, also at His birth, when the Holy Spirit and the word of God became flesh in Him (John 10:30; 14:9, 10; 2 Cor. 5:19).
In that our High-Priest prays for us, He confessed that He will take up residence in us. He assured us of His glory, that we, too, may become one with Him and the Father, just as He and the Father are one. In this petition He intimated about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in His followers. This became absolutely certain with His words: “…that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” The love of God is the Holy Spirit, who is given to all who have been justified by the blood of Jesus (Rom. 5:5).
This prayer of faith lets us suspect that God is Spirit (John 4:24), the Lord Jesus is Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17-18), and that we, through His Holy Spirit, should also become Spirit (John 15:5; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 3:19-22; 4:14-21; 1 John 5:11-12; Rev. 21:7, 22-24 etc.).
Who is it that worships the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit and thanks Him with the devotion of his life for this unspeakable privilege? This spiritual privilege remains hidden from the wise and clever, from the esteemed and famous (Matt. 11:25-30). A great majority of the Jews, as well, do not recognize the realization of their calling (Matt. 13:10-17; Acts 28:26-28). But how does it look regarding our worship of the Holy Trinity in our practical life? (Eph. 1:13-14; 2:8-10). Are we, with our limited understanding, prepared to realize and believe what the Lord has prayed for us? The Holy Spirit will have to turn on more lights if it is to dawn on us just who the Holy Spirit is and what He wants to do in us! This increase in knowledge is closely connected to our repentance from all sin, egotism, and the pride flowing through our blood.
The Holy Spirit in the Last Days of Jesus Christ on Earth
John 13:21
When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me:”
Jesus, the love and holiness of God that had become man, had tried for months to transform His followers into His likeness. He gave them authority to heal the sick, raise the dead, and to cast out demons (Matt. 10:1-4; Luke 6:12-13; 10:17).
Nevertheless, the “old-man” in them kept surfacing again and again (Matt. 16:22-23; 26:69-75). One of the chosen twelve, Judas, loved money. He also kept the money box, and would steal from it (John 12:6). Perhaps he wanted to force Jesus to take up His kingly rule and show His omnipotence. He revealed to the authorities where Jesus was staying and delivered Him to the incumbent high priest for 30 pieces of silver (Matt. 26:15; 27:3-9).
Jesus, however, loved even His betrayer, and tried everything to get him to turn from evil (Matt. 26:21-25, 50). In reality, however, Jesus was deeply troubled in His spirit. He felt sadness in both His earthly soul and in His human spirit. Above all, His sadness related to the Divine Spirit, who filled His person. On several occasions Jesus suffered such sadness and grief that He even wept (Matt. 23:37-39; Luke 13:34-35; 19:41-44; John 11:33, 35, 38; 13:21). The Son of God suffered under the unbelief, spiritual blindness, obstinacy of the people, as well as under the power of death´s hold. He had come to redeem all, but His people could not fathom it. Their sin had not been atoned for and the Spirit of God had not yet entered them. They let their Saviour be crucified. He, however, as their true high priest, prayed for them: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
Luke 23:44-46
44 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 45 Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. 46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, into Your hands I commend My Spirit.” And having said this, He breathed His last.
Following a suffering on the cross that lasted several hours, along with the temptations of Satan, that tried to seduce the weakened Christ to hate His enemies and express unbelief toward God, the last minute of His earthly life arrived. Would He despair, and rebel against His Father in heaven? No! He believed, loved and hoped to the last second. He prayed: “Father, into Your hands I commend My Spirit.” He trusted the power, authority, and love of His Father. The Spirit of Jesus did not go erring in the wilderness after His death, but remained constant in the love and holiness of His Father. The Holy Spirit never dies, for He is eternal life. The earthly spirit of Jesus and his human soul however, which were one with the Holy Spirit, needed this leap of faith and hope into the eternal security of the almighty Father. Jesus prayed only the first half of an Old Testament song of faith, for He needed not the redemption named in the second-part of the Psalm. On the contrary, He Himself would be the Redeemer for many others (Psalm 31:5).
Jesus had prophesied: “Most assuredly I say unto you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain” (John 12:24). He, the One born of the Holy Spirit, had died, so that many Spirit-filled sons and daughters of God would arise out of His death.
John 20:21-23
21 Then Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
Jesus has risen from the dead! He has risen indeed! The Holy Spirit in Him never dies, for He lives forever. He is the life of the Father in the Son. There is no other hope for man on earth other than to receive this eternal life-Spirit from Jesus.
On the evening of His resurrection Jesus appeared to His fearful disciples and twice greeted them with words of peace. They desperately needed the peace of God that is higher than all our understanding! They not only needed this peace for themselves, but also for all of indifferent mankind.
Jesus immediately called His disturbed disciples to world missions. He gave to the run-away failures the breathtaking promise: “As the Father sent Me, so send I you!” Humanly speaking, this command is unthinkable and cannot be fulfilled. Spiritually speaking, however, it is the summary of all the teaching and commands of Jesus in the gospel. The life of a Christian is not to be lived in spiritual egoism or self-certainty. Much more, the Christian has the privilege to fulfil the commission of the love of God in seeing those dead in sin awakened to the Spirit of Life.
Jesus breathed upon His disciples as a sign that He had begun a new-creation. Just as God breathed into Adam the breath of life, so, in an even greater measure, Jesus breathed His life-Spirit into His dismayed disciples. His resurrection from the dead had proven that the Son of God is full of life-power that no one and nothing is able to suppress or destroy. Until this very day, Jesus is breathing His life-Spirit into all those who seek Him, who open themselves to Him and love Him.
Jesus then spoke to them a good command, one which changes people till the present day: “Receive the Holy Spirit!” The Lord did not say: Accept My Spirit through your decision of the will. Instead, He commanded them to not hinder the inflowing of His Spirit into them. The Spirit of God comes by itself, and wants to sink into us. We do not need to pull or try and coax Him. He comes by Divine will. We can gratefully open ourselves to the stream of God´s grace, for it has been continually flowing out into all continents since the completed reconciliation of the world to God by Christ´s death of atonement. Has this command of Christ reached you, dear reader? Did you understand it? Thank Jesus that the Holy Spirit has come to you! You did not earn Him, but Jesus loves you and wants to enliven you. He gives you His grace free of charge.
Never forget that the Spirit of God, who willingly comes to you, is holy through and through. He tolerates no lies, impurity or arrogance. He wants to overcome the hatred in you toward others and cast out your indolence or rage. The Holy Spirit of the love of God sanctifies you! You cannot continue to live as before. Your sin needs to be removed from your subconscious. The Spirit of truth compels you to confess all unrighteousness before God and to ask for forgiveness. If you have things in your possession not belonging to you give them back quickly and apologize. Don´t act as though you would be good and pure. Recognize and confess who you are, for the Spirit of Christ is holy and sanctifies you for the service of love and truth.
The gift of the Holy Spirit signifies an equipping to service for Jesus. Do you want to serve your Redeemer and thank Him for your salvation? He is waiting for you to display His holy love before your fellow men, for you to pray for them, to sacrifice, to offer your time for them. He wants the gospel of grace to overcome their spiritual blindness and their sin so that they can be redeemed for all eternity. Whoever permanently rejects the message of the grace of Christ hardens himself toward the Spirit of God and becomes ensnared, having heard the witness of Christ´s witnesses. Every true proclamation of the gospel has two effects: It either saves the sinner from the wrath and judgment of God or it ensnares and shackles him, since he has closed himself to the Spirit of Christ.
No man or bishop can in and of himself forgive sin. Whoever testifies to the gospel under the leading of His Spirit, however, can experience how the word of God possesses the power and authority to set men free from sin and demonic possession. It enables the life of God to be given further in the Holy Spirit.