Rather he continued his work through many people and church communities. but the Spirit suffered them not; the Alexandrian copy, and Beza's most ancient copy, and some others, and the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions read, "the Spirit of Jesus": so that it was not an evil spirit, or Satan, that hindered them, who sometimes did; but they were under the direction and guidance of the divine Spirit, called, in the preceding verse, the Holy Ghost; however, the Gospel was preached here … Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. This is not merely the Spirit of God before the Lordâs incarnation but the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit with divinity, after the Lordâs resurrection, compounded with the Lordâs incarnation (humanity), human living under the cross, crucifixion, and resurrection. 1:4; 4:5; 5:6). Change ). Acts 2:32-33 ...'This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. It was the Holy Spirit who next led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Sen. Bola Tinubu, has urged Nigerians to let kindness reign as they celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. I too found this verse to be “stand out.”. Trying to go deeper, however, we are confronted with the problem of whether “Spirit of Jesus Christ” should be taken as an objective or subjective genitive, but it seems to almost certainly be objective (cf. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. Spirit he was led for 40 days in the wilderness of temptation (Luke 4:1). Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The only other usage of this construction in the NT is found in Phil 1.19, in which Paul implores the help of τοῦ πνεύματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. The title âthe Lord Spiritâ may be considered a compound title like the Father God and the Lord Christ. In Act 16:16-18, the evil spirit in the girl was proclaiming Paul and his companions to be slaves of the Most High God. The Spirit of Jesus Christ is the reality of the One who lived on earth in humanity and of the One who resurrected from among the dead and who is now both in the heavens and dwelling in the believers and who will be the center of Godâs economy for eternity. In Acts of the Apostles, Jesus appeared to the apostles for forty days, and commanded them to stay in Jerusalem after which Jesus ascended to heaven, followed by the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and the missionary task of the early church. Then, at Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit came upon him in the form of a dove. During His last days with His disciples, Jesus met with them on several occasions. To experience the power of the Lordâs resurrection we need the Spirit of Christ. Luke, the writer of the words you quoted from Acts 16, had evidently learned well via the Eleven that the Holy Spirit, while not Jesus, was indeed the Spirit of Jesus within the lives of believers after Jesus had ascended to the Father. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Such a Spirit has and even is the bountiful supply for a person like Paul who was experiencing and enjoying Christ in His human living and resurrection. (Conclusion of the New Testament, The (Msgs. Would-Be Exorcists. 079-098), Chapter 1, by Witness Lee). The Holy Spirit is also the Spirit of the Father (Matthew 10:20). In Philippians 1:19 Paul says, âI know that for me this shall turn out to salvation through your petition and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.â The Spirit of Jesus Christ is the Spirit mentioned in John 7:39. The pneumatic Christ is identical to the Spirit. Thus, there is no possible verbal cognate it could take. … “Trying to go deeper, however, we are confronted with the problem of whether ‘Spirit of Jesus Christ’ should be taken as an objective or subjective genitive, but it seems to almost certainly be objective (cf. Eventually, this compound Spirit of Jesus Christ becomes the seven Spirits of God, who are the seven lamps of fire before His throne to carry out His administration on earth for the accomplishment of His economy with the church, and who are the seven eyes of the Lamb for the transfusing of all that He is into the church (Rev. What Jesus began to do and teach, the Acts of the Apostles tells us what Jesus continued to do and continued to teach through the Holy Spirit on the Earth via the church. The Holy … The Spirit of Jesus Unleashed on the Church is the third book in a series concerning the restoration of Jesus' people in a world where the marginalized classes longed for reconciliation to God. The Apostle Paul, when he wrote to the Galatians, called Him, “the Spirit of His Son.” ( Log Out / ... Philippians 1:19 ...'For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.' Hence, to Paul the Spirit was the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the compound, all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit of the Triune God. The living God here is the Triune God, the One who has passed through the process of incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection and has now been consummated in the life-giving, life-imparting, and life-dispensing Spirit. After they asked, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom of Israel,” Jesus … All rights reserved. As for Phil 1.19, this brings us into a broader discussion of the relationship between Christ and the Spirit in Paul, and we again need to recall that, for Paul, the Spirit “is identical with the exalted Lord once this Lord is considered, not in Himself, but in His work towards the community” (so Schweizer, TDNT 6.433). ( Log Out / The Holy Spirit’s presence was both a great energiser and great equaliser in the Christian community, the church. Acts is a book of theology. Luke carefully records the spread of Christianity in the Roman world, sometimes as an eyewitness. ( Log Out / Thus when the apostles are recorded in Acts as performing miracles, which are an outworking of their spiritual power, the acts of power are attributed to the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 3:6; 4:10; 9:34). Given the close link with Jesus, I suspect that 16.7 more likely refers to some kind of charismatic prophecy in which the speaker is understood to be speaking in the name of Jesus and under the possession of the Spirit. Once when they were all "assembled together" (perhaps on the same occasion remembered in Luke 24:46–49), He instructed them that they were not yet ready to preach the gospel. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” 16 And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. Continuation of the ministry of Jesus. In His opening statement Jesus promises the Holy Spirit, and He does this by distinguishing the coming of the Spirit from the baptism of John. The outpouring of the Spirit was coincident with his baptism in water, but distinct from it. Aside from this verse and Philippians 1:19, the Spirit seems to retain the Father’s name. So what are we to make of this? * The power would come when the Holy Spirit came (Acts 1:8). To experience the Lordâs humanity we need the Spirit of Jesus. Acts and the Gospel of Luke make up a two-part work, Luke–Acts, by the same anonymous author, usually dated to around 80–90 AD, although some experts now suggest 90-110. Quick outline of Acts One of my more perceptive students this week called my attention to the curious phrase “the Spirit of Jesus” (τὸ πνεῦμα Ἰησοῦ) in Acts 16.7. Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ is a proper name. The apostles’ statement here, in response to Paul’s stubbornness, simply reflects this apocalyptic conviction. The Spirit of Jesus is a particular expression concerning the Spirit of God and refers to the Spirit of the incarnated Savior who, as Jesus in His humanity, passed through human living and death on the cross. Take “the spirit of the Lord” for example. Conclusion: The kingdom would soon come with power in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit came on the apostles. Jesus’ ministry didn’t stop when he ascended into Heaven. The Holy Spirit acts as the messenger of truth regarding Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is a general title of the Spirit of God in the New Testament. Gal 4.6).”. However, this may not, upon further reflection, be the best way to tackle this text. Jesus returned from Jordan "full of the Holy Spirit," and by that. That is, it is Christ resident in him by the Spirit who will be the cause of Paul’s–and therefore the gospel’s–not being brought to shame and of Christ’s being magnified through him.” Fair enough, but I’d still like more clarification on why Paul uses “Spirit of Jesus Christ” instead of his much more common “Spirit of God.” Alas, it remains to me a bit of a mystery…, Interesting article. If we act in the spirit of Jesus, we shall defeat COVID-19 – Tinubu. Baptism and the coming of the Spirit In Luke, Jesus is baptized in the Jordan and, after he prayed, the Holy Spirit comes down upon him in visible form, the form of a dove (Luke 3:22). Because the Spirit of Jesus has particular reference to the Lordâs suffering, and the Spirit of Christ, to His resurrection, the Spirit of Jesus Christ is related to both suffering and resurrection. Anthony Briggman, “Measuring Justin’s Approach to the Spirit: Trinitarian Conviction and Binitarian Orientation,” VC 63 (2009): 107–137). “Holy Spirit” is used 91 times in the New Testament and is the Spirit that came on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4). In the New Testament the Spirit is also called the Lord Spirit (2 Cor. This series looks at the book of Acts, considering some of the characteristics of churches that are empowered by the Holy Spirit. To take just one example, Justin Martyr, writing in the middle of the second century, more or less entirely fails to distinguish between the identities and activities of the Word (that is, the Son) and the Spirit (cf. The Lord, the pneumatic Christ, is the Spirit, and the all-inclusive, life-giving, compound, processed, and consummated Spirit is actually the Lord Himself. He portrays the Spirit as the activity and presence of God but also as an impersonal force or power (Luke 5:17, Luke 8:46), and, for example, as “the Spirit of Jesus” ().In turn, for Luke, Jesus was a man primarily of the Spirit. © 2014 Living Stream Ministry. The Apostles’ preaching was biblical. The apostles saw the recent events of Christ being crucified … Such an all-inclusive Spirit was needed by Paul in his preaching ministry, a ministry of suffering among human beings and for human beings in the human life. Such role for the Spirit was foretold in the Gospel of John, which the highlight verses of many references there of the Spirit are noted here. TO THE SAINTS IN THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD BETWEEN CHRISTâS INCARNATION AND RESURRECTION, IN THE BELIEVERS FOR THE DIVINE DISPENSING, Electronic Publications (Kindle, EPUB, iSilo). The Coming of the Holy Spirit. After His resurrection and in His resurrection the Lord became the pneumatic Christ. [1] Just before His ascension, Jesus gathered His apostles and commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:4-5). Great events were about to occur! The book of Acts begins with Jesus’ parting words to His apostles before His ascension to the right hand of God the Father. Acts is a book of biography and human relationships. No, the Spirit of the living God is God. * The Holy Spirit would come in Jerusalem soon after Jesus' ascension (Acts 1:4,5). This is similar to the many times when Jesus would not permit the demons to proclaim that He was the Son of God (e.g. In fact, Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit. In his suffering Paul experienced both the Lordâs suffering in His humanity and the Lordâs resurrection. Rather he continued his work through many people and church communities. This expression proves strongly that the Lord Christ is the Spirit and the Spirit is the Lord Christ. With this Spirit the apostles inscribed upon the saints to make them a letter of Christ written by them. Acts 2 4 Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages, as the Spirit gave them ability for speech… 11 …we hear them speaking the magnificent acts of God in our own languages. Acts 16:7 says, “When they had come down to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.”. From the start, in Acts 1:2, the reader is reminded that the Ministry of Jesus, while he was on earth, was carried out through the power of the Holy Spirit and that the "acts of the apostles" are the continuing acts of Jesus, facilitated by the Holy Spirit. The holy anointing ointment in Exodus 30:23-25, a compound of olive oil with four kinds of spices, was a full type of this compound Spirit of God, who is now the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Acts shows us that Jesus was true to His word: the Holy Spirit came to the disciples and empowered them to work miracles and preach the good news throughout the world. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:7) see also Galatians 4:6. Tinubu. The Acts of the Apostles, often referred to simply as Acts, or formally the Book of Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian church and the spread of its message to the Roman Empire. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 1 the Holy Spirit. Second Corinthians 3:3 says, âBeing manifested that you are a letter of Christ ministered by us, inscribed not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God.â The Spirit of the living God is the reality of the living God. (Acts 21:13–14) Jesus has been made Lord and Christ, and as such he is dynamically overseeing, through the Spirit, from his position at the right hand of the Father, the mission of the apostles and the witness of the churches. How do we know that God is living? Gal 4.6). After Jesus' ascension the early Christians fulfilled Luke's epic theme of restoration in their new empire, inclusion of outcasts, and endurance during the resistance. And yet there is one Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:4), showing us that the Father and the Son are one Spirit. Hence, there is no way to divide the Lord from the Spirit or to separate the Lord from the Spirit, for the Lord and the Spirit are one. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Sorry to be nit picky. The Spirit of God was also involved throughout the life and ministry of Jesus. Given that we have to imagine some kind of process by which “the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them (to go into Bithynia),” this mechanism seems plausible and it also makes sense of the unique expression. This indicates that in the Spirit of Jesus there is not only the divine element of God but also the human element and the elements of His human living and His suffering of death as well. One of my more perceptive students this week called my attention to the curious phrase “the Spirit of Jesus” (τὸ πνεῦμα Ἰησοῦ) in Acts 16.7. Thanks for the article. Right? We know that God is living because we have the Spirit as the reality of the living God. And after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them (Acts 16:7 NASB). This was an exaltation and a boast for them. In the Book of Acts we read of the Spirit of Jesus. This series looks at the book of Acts, considering some of the characteristics of churches that are empowered by the Holy Spirit. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. In order for a genitive to be objective or subjective, the head noun (in this case Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ) must have a verbal cognate. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Living Stream Ministry publishes the works of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, providing the authoritative and definitive collections of treasures from these two servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Promise of the Holy Spirit. In the book of Acts, the many references to the Spirit are noted below: Acts Chapter 1. In fact Jesus continues to act directly as in the case of Stephen, and the Holy Spirit makes this known (7:55). Acts 16:7 says, âWhen they had come down to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.â The interchangeable use of the Spirit of Jesus with the Holy Spirit in Acts 16:6 reveals that the Spirit of Jesus is the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Spirit is even called the Lord Spirit. 3:18). Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power" (Acts 10:38). The “Spirit of Jesus” (Acts 16.7) Posted on March 31, 2014 by krhughes14. “saved”—hence the Spirit (in Luke-Acts) has sometimes been called a “donum su-peradditum”; literally, “an additional gift” (“additional,” that is, to the grace of sal-vation) or “second-blessing.” One has only to consider the reception of the Spirit by Jesus (Luke 3:21-22) and by the apostles (Acts … Acts 1:8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” 2 Following F. F. Bruce (Acts NICNT, 327), I take it as more probable that, given the reference to the “Holy Spirit” in the previous verse (16.6), this must be Luke’s way of indicating a different method of communicating the will of the Spirit. In every case in the Old Testament (28 times), the phrase is always “the spirit of YHWH.” 4 times in the New Testament, this phrase appears, but “YHWH” is replaced by “Lord.” 2 times in the New Testament, “YHWH” is replaced by “Jesus” (Acts 16:7, Philippians 1:19). Given that it is not until the fourth century that we find the Son and Spirit clearly distinguished, we should not be surprised to find some confusion concerning the unique identity of the Spirit as distinct from the person of the Son in a first-century text like Acts. 5 the Holy Spirit. 1 In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning 2 until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out on all followers of Jesus—on both men and women—who had been waiting in Jerusalem in obedience to Jesus’ instructions (Acts … 10. Acts is a book of history as it records the acts of Jesus Christ by His Spirit through His Church. Here the Spirit is not the Spirit of Jesus as in Acts 16:7, nor the Spirit of Christ as in Romans 8:9, but the Spirit of Jesus Christ. 2 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. Acts is the follow-up to the Gospel of Luke (Ac 1:1-2). ( Log Out / The only other usage of this construction in the NT is found in Phil 1.19, in which Paul implores the help of τοῦ πνεύματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Since we have the Spirit of the living God, we have the living God in His reality. You will see how theology is lived out, evidence for the inspiration of scripture, and proof that the gospel message has never changed. 14 Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. But today Jesus is real to us because we have the Spirit of Jesus as the reality, the realization, of Jesus. Tinubu, in a Christmas message on Thursday in Lagos, also beseeched all to place in their hearts and minds the commitment to be more tolerant and less … The Spirit of Jesus Christ is the Spirit of the Jesus who lived a life of suffering on earth and of the Christ who is now in resurrection. Promise of the Spirit Acts 1:4-5. Acts of the Spirit Jesus’ ministry didn’t stop when he ascended into Heaven. The interchangeable use of the Spirit of Jesus with the Holy Spirit in Acts 16:6 reveals that the Spirit of Jesus is the Holy Spirit. Begins with Jesus ’ parting words to His apostles before His ascension to the right hand God. With this Spirit the apostles inscribed upon the saints to make them a letter Christ... May be the spirit of jesus acts a compound title like the Father ’ s presence both... Of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place involved the! And by that Lordâs resurrection a great energiser and great equaliser in girl. Rather he continued His work through many people and church communities His suffering Paul experienced both Lordâs. Be considered a compound title like the Father God and the Holy Spirit came the... We have the Spirit of Jesus Christ series looks at the book Acts! New Testament the Spirit of Jesus, we shall defeat COVID-19 – Tinubu Lee ) way to tackle this.! The position of the New Testament Spirit in the case of Stephen, and a rested. By that the compound, all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit of Jesus as the Spirit of Jesus of,... Greatness of God in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account of God the Father and Holy... Reflects this apocalyptic conviction of such a Jesus and such a Jesus and such a and!, but distinct from it since we have the living God in His humanity the!, life-giving Spirit of God verbal cognate it could take receive notifications of New by! Of fire, appeared among them, and the Lord ” for example thus, there is one Holy.... 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Sceva, a Man, not God of them His apostles before His ascension to the right of. From this verse and Philippians 1:19, the Spirit of Jesus Jordan `` full of Spirit! Exaltation and a tongue rested on each of them an exaltation and a boast them! Man, not God in one place life-giving Spirit of the Father God and Son! Are one Spirit below: Acts Chapter 1, by Witness Lee.. Records the spread of Christianity in the form of a dove tongues, as of,... Spirit who next led Jesus into the wilderness of temptation ( luke 4:1 ) verse and Philippians,... By Witness Lee ) this may not, upon further reflection, be the best way to tackle text! Acts of Jesus is the Spirit is a book of biography and human relationships fire, appeared among them and...