The Bible recounts the vast and boundless ministry of God the Holy Spirit in a majestic way. Let us consider some momentous aspects of his ministry, especially those that refer to the new life of salvation:
a) He is the giver of life:
The book Job testifies how God’s Spirit created the universe: “His Spirit made the heavens beautiful...” (Job 26:13).
The first book of the Bible testifies that the Spirit of God started to ‘incubate’ the immeasurable variety of life on earth: “The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness. And the Spirit of God was hovering over its surface” (Genesis 1:2).
The coming of Jesus Christ [the Messiah] into our world was a miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit: “The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you [the virgin Mary], and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God'” (Luke 1:35).
Jesus himself explains that it is the Holy Spirit who gives a new and eternal life to all those who repent of their rebellion and wrongdoings and receive God’s forgiveness: “It is the Spirit who gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63). (See meditations 26 and 27)
The apostle Paul exults about this new life in his letter to the followers of Jesus in Rome: “The power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death” (Romans 8:2).
The apostle John explains in his Gospel that God’s life-giving Spirit ‘rebirths’ us as children of God: “To all who believed him [Jesus] and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan - this rebirth comes from God” (John 1:12-13).
The apostle Paul shows that the Holy Spirit awakens in the hearts of all those who are reborn, a deep desire to call God their Father: "You did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave [of sin] again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father’" (Romans 8:15).
b) He creates a new (messianic) community, consisting of all the followers of Jesus:
The apostle Paul shows the followers of Jesus in Corinth that as reborn children of God they belong to a new community, called the ‘Body of Christ’, or the ‘Body of the Messiah’. This messianic community is universal in being, and knows no discrimination of status, race, colour or nationality:
“Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles [non-Jews], some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into Christ's body by one Spirit, and we have all received the same Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13).
Furthermore, the apostle Paul urges the followers of Jesus in Ephesus (modern Turkey) to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to strengthen this God-given community life among them: “Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace” (Ephesians 4:3).
c) His presence in the lives of Jesus’ followers is God’s guarantee of the new heaven and earth to come:
The apostle Paul rejoices with the followers of Jesus in Corinth about the fact that the renewing presence of God’s Spirit in their hearts is like a first ‘instalment’ of the new creation to come: “[God] set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
(2 Corinthians 1:22).
To the Christians in Rome, Paul even speaks about the new eternal body they will receive when the new creation has become a reality: “And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering.
We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us” (Romans 8:23).
To the followers of Jesus in Ephesus, Paul explains that the fact that they received God’s Spirit is the proof that God will keep his promises concerning the new heaven and new earth to come: “The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God.”
(Ephesians 1:14)
In the same letter Paul summarises the basic facts of salvation: “And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.” (Ephesians 1:13)
Do you trust Jesus Christ [the Messiah] for salvation and did you receive the Holy Spirit once you believed? If so, then you are God’s own, beloved child.
The Bible verses Luke 1:35, Romans 8:15, 2 Corinthians 1:22 are quoted from the ‘New International Version’. All other texts are quotes of the ‘New Living Translation’.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
28. INTERRUPTION (k) - WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT ?
At various places in the first book of the Bible, God expresses himself in the plural (see also meditation 18):
• In Genesis 1:26 God speaks in the plural when he decides to create man: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...’” (see also meditation 18).
• Again, God refers to himself in the plural after Adam and Eve start to rebel against him: “And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil...”
(Genesis 3:22)
• When rebellious men want to deify themselves and build a godlike society (tower of Babel), God speaks of himself in the plural when he responds with judgment: “Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other” (Genesis 11:7).
It is especially in the New Testament that God (who is one) starts to make himself known as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
The apostle John writes in his first letter: “There are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word [i.e. Jesus Christ] and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one” (1 John 5:7).
The New Testament often mentions God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit even in one verse. Here are three examples:
• The evening before Jesus dies, he promises his disciples that he will send the Holy Spirit to them once he is back in heaven after his resurrection: “When the Counsellor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me” (John 15:26).
• When Stephen, the first Christian martyr, is stoned we read of him: “Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily upward into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God's right hand” (Acts 7:55).
• The apostle Paul finishes his second letter to the Christians in the Greek town of Corinth with the following prayer: “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14).
We just read in Genesis 1:26: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...’”
Furthermore, the apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Colossae (modern Turkey): “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).
Finally, Jesus himself said: “When you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me” (John 12:45) .
So, we must not guess how God the Holy Spirit looks like. The last three Bible verses lead us to an overwhelming discovery. God the Father and God the Holy Spirit look like Jesus!
The Bible verses Acts 7:55, Colossians 1:15 and John 12:45 are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’. 1 John 5:7 is a quotation from the New King James Version’. All other texts are quotes of the ‘New International Version’.
• In Genesis 1:26 God speaks in the plural when he decides to create man: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...’” (see also meditation 18).
• Again, God refers to himself in the plural after Adam and Eve start to rebel against him: “And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil...”
(Genesis 3:22)
• When rebellious men want to deify themselves and build a godlike society (tower of Babel), God speaks of himself in the plural when he responds with judgment: “Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other” (Genesis 11:7).
It is especially in the New Testament that God (who is one) starts to make himself known as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
The apostle John writes in his first letter: “There are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word [i.e. Jesus Christ] and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one” (1 John 5:7).
The New Testament often mentions God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit even in one verse. Here are three examples:
• The evening before Jesus dies, he promises his disciples that he will send the Holy Spirit to them once he is back in heaven after his resurrection: “When the Counsellor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me” (John 15:26).
• When Stephen, the first Christian martyr, is stoned we read of him: “Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily upward into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God's right hand” (Acts 7:55).
• The apostle Paul finishes his second letter to the Christians in the Greek town of Corinth with the following prayer: “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14).
We just read in Genesis 1:26: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...’”
Furthermore, the apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Colossae (modern Turkey): “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).
Finally, Jesus himself said: “When you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me” (John 12:45) .
So, we must not guess how God the Holy Spirit looks like. The last three Bible verses lead us to an overwhelming discovery. God the Father and God the Holy Spirit look like Jesus!
The Bible verses Acts 7:55, Colossians 1:15 and John 12:45 are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’. 1 John 5:7 is a quotation from the New King James Version’. All other texts are quotes of the ‘New International Version’.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
27. INTERRUPTION (j) - GOD’S LOVING EMBRACE
We saw in meditations 24 and 25 that the Bible urges us to seek God in remorseful repentance from our rebellious ways. In meditation 26 we read that we can trust God for complete forgiveness on the basis of our faith in the sacrificial death of his beloved Son, Jesus Christ [the Messiah].
Jesus assures us that heaven throws a party for us when we radically surrender to God: "I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." (Luke 15:7)
Jesus compares God’s love for penitent rebels with the compassionate father in the parable of the lost son: “So he (the lost son) returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.
His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening in the pen. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began” (Luke 15:20-24).
So, how will we experience ‘ God’s loving embrace’ when we return home to our heavenly Father?
When the apostle Peter spurs his conscience-stricken listeners on to return to God, he not only speaks of their need for repentance and forgiveness, but also of God’s compassionate response: “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
Already, six centuries beforehand, God had told through his prophet Ezechiel what such a ‘divine embrace’ after repentance and forgiveness would entail: “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away ...
And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you.
I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command” (Ezekiel 36:25-27).
On the evening before his death, Jesus promised his Jewish disciples that after his resurrection and return to heaven, he would send them the Holy Spirit: “I will send you the Counselor-- the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me” (John 15:26).
Jesus’ forerunner, John the Baptist, foresaw already that Jesus Christ [the Messiah] would be the giver of God’s Spirit. He said to his listeners: “I baptize with water those who turn from their sins and turn to God.
But someone is coming soon who is far greater than I am-- so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit...” (Matthew 3:11).
After his resurrection and before his return to heaven, Jesus met his friends regularly over meals. At one of those occasions he commanded them: “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what he promised.
Remember, I have told you about this before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5).
The apostle Peter later told his Jewish colleagues in Jerusalem about a meeting he had with people who were not Jews; yet, they were interested to hear the message of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah.
During that meeting God showed Peter that he would give his Spirit to everyone who repents and believes in his Son. Peter said: “Well, I began telling them the Good News, but just as I was getting started, the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning (see Acts 2).
Then I thought of the Lord’s words when he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
And since God gave these Gentiles (i.e. non-Jews) the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to argue?” (Acts 11:15-17)
The apostle Paul reminds the followers of Jesus in Rome: “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ [the Messiah], he does not belong to Christ” (Romans 8:9).
In other words, it is completely natural that God ‘embraces me in love’ and gives me His Spirit, after I come to him in repentance and faith in his Son Jesus Christ [the Messiah].
So, why is it that so many Christians are unsure about the presence and the work of God’s Spirit in their lives?
If you struggle with the same problem, you need to talk with God about it. You should find out what God’s Word [the Bible] says about the person and the work of the Holy Spirit. You might want to seek the counsel of other Christians.
Jesus promised: “If you sinful people 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” (Luke 11:13).
Next time we will look into the question: Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Bible verses Luke 15:7, Acts 2:38 and Romans 8:9 are quoted from the ‘New International Version’. All other texts are quotes of the ‘New Living Translation’.
Jesus assures us that heaven throws a party for us when we radically surrender to God: "I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." (Luke 15:7)
Jesus compares God’s love for penitent rebels with the compassionate father in the parable of the lost son: “So he (the lost son) returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.
His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening in the pen. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began” (Luke 15:20-24).
So, how will we experience ‘ God’s loving embrace’ when we return home to our heavenly Father?
When the apostle Peter spurs his conscience-stricken listeners on to return to God, he not only speaks of their need for repentance and forgiveness, but also of God’s compassionate response: “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
Already, six centuries beforehand, God had told through his prophet Ezechiel what such a ‘divine embrace’ after repentance and forgiveness would entail: “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away ...
And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you.
I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command” (Ezekiel 36:25-27).
On the evening before his death, Jesus promised his Jewish disciples that after his resurrection and return to heaven, he would send them the Holy Spirit: “I will send you the Counselor-- the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me” (John 15:26).
Jesus’ forerunner, John the Baptist, foresaw already that Jesus Christ [the Messiah] would be the giver of God’s Spirit. He said to his listeners: “I baptize with water those who turn from their sins and turn to God.
But someone is coming soon who is far greater than I am-- so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit...” (Matthew 3:11).
After his resurrection and before his return to heaven, Jesus met his friends regularly over meals. At one of those occasions he commanded them: “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what he promised.
Remember, I have told you about this before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5).
The apostle Peter later told his Jewish colleagues in Jerusalem about a meeting he had with people who were not Jews; yet, they were interested to hear the message of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah.
During that meeting God showed Peter that he would give his Spirit to everyone who repents and believes in his Son. Peter said: “Well, I began telling them the Good News, but just as I was getting started, the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning (see Acts 2).
Then I thought of the Lord’s words when he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
And since God gave these Gentiles (i.e. non-Jews) the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to argue?” (Acts 11:15-17)
The apostle Paul reminds the followers of Jesus in Rome: “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ [the Messiah], he does not belong to Christ” (Romans 8:9).
In other words, it is completely natural that God ‘embraces me in love’ and gives me His Spirit, after I come to him in repentance and faith in his Son Jesus Christ [the Messiah].
So, why is it that so many Christians are unsure about the presence and the work of God’s Spirit in their lives?
If you struggle with the same problem, you need to talk with God about it. You should find out what God’s Word [the Bible] says about the person and the work of the Holy Spirit. You might want to seek the counsel of other Christians.
Jesus promised: “If you sinful people 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” (Luke 11:13).
Next time we will look into the question: Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Bible verses Luke 15:7, Acts 2:38 and Romans 8:9 are quoted from the ‘New International Version’. All other texts are quotes of the ‘New Living Translation’.
Monday, August 9, 2010
26. INTERRUPTION (i) - HOW DO I RECEIVE GOD’S FORGIVENESS AND SALVATION ?
In meditations 24 and 25 we saw that ‘repentance’, as the Bible describes it, is the pre-condition for humbly approaching God to receive his forgiveness and salvation.
But how will I actually pacify God’s anger against me? How do I receive God’s forgiveness for my rebellion and my pride? How will our relationship be restored? In other words: how will I find peace with God?
The letter to the Hebrews gives us the first (obvious) clue: “It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
The Bible says that finding God’s forgiveness starts with hearing and believing the message concerning his only Son, Jesus Christ [the Messiah].
The apostle Paul declares: “Faith comes from listening to this message of good news -- the Good News about Christ.”
(Romans 10:17)
What then is this Good News [the Gospel] about Jesus Christ? The apostle Paul explains: “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others.”
(2 Corinthians 5:19)
In his letter to the christians in Rome, Paul clarifies that message as follows: “Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us” (Romans 3:24-25).
So, if we trust God for sending his Son into our world and if we believe that Jesus came to take the punishment for our rebellion and all its sinful consequences, God forgives us and saves us from his righteous anger.
The apostle John writes: “This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins” (1 John 4:10).
The apostle Paul puts the Good News of Jesus's sacrificial death for us in a nutshell by calling it “the message of the cross”.
He says to the followers of Jesus in Corinth: “I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction. But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
Finally, the apostle Paul begs us to accept and believe this message which he received from God: “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. We are Christ's ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, ‘Be reconciled to God!’ For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:19-21).
So, when Paul and his co-worker Silas were asked: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”, they simply answered: “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved...” (Acts 16:30-31)
Do you believe in the Lord Jesus for forgiveness and salvation?
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’.
For further study of ‘the message of the cross’, see meditations 5, 11, 22 and 23.
But how will I actually pacify God’s anger against me? How do I receive God’s forgiveness for my rebellion and my pride? How will our relationship be restored? In other words: how will I find peace with God?
The letter to the Hebrews gives us the first (obvious) clue: “It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
The Bible says that finding God’s forgiveness starts with hearing and believing the message concerning his only Son, Jesus Christ [the Messiah].
The apostle Paul declares: “Faith comes from listening to this message of good news -- the Good News about Christ.”
(Romans 10:17)
What then is this Good News [the Gospel] about Jesus Christ? The apostle Paul explains: “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others.”
(2 Corinthians 5:19)
In his letter to the christians in Rome, Paul clarifies that message as follows: “Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us” (Romans 3:24-25).
So, if we trust God for sending his Son into our world and if we believe that Jesus came to take the punishment for our rebellion and all its sinful consequences, God forgives us and saves us from his righteous anger.
The apostle John writes: “This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins” (1 John 4:10).
The apostle Paul puts the Good News of Jesus's sacrificial death for us in a nutshell by calling it “the message of the cross”.
He says to the followers of Jesus in Corinth: “I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction. But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
Finally, the apostle Paul begs us to accept and believe this message which he received from God: “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. We are Christ's ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, ‘Be reconciled to God!’ For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:19-21).
So, when Paul and his co-worker Silas were asked: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”, they simply answered: “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved...” (Acts 16:30-31)
Do you believe in the Lord Jesus for forgiveness and salvation?
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’.
For further study of ‘the message of the cross’, see meditations 5, 11, 22 and 23.
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