Who is God? Part 5

The Deity of the Spirit 

     In this post I would like to take a further look at the Holy Spirit, and in particular His divinity.  

     First, He is called the Spirit of God (Rom 8:9), the Spirit of the LORD (Isaiah 11:2, Acts 5:9), and the Spirit of Christ (1Peter 1:11, Gal 4:6).  

     In the account of Annanias and Sapphira, Peter asked him why he lied to the Holy Spirit, and then tells him that he has not lied to men but to God (Acts 5:3-4).In Hebrews 3:7-11 we see the Holy Spirit was provoked by the Israelites in the wilderness. In Numbers 14 we read of the refusal to enter the promised land, and how the LORD was the one angered by this (Numbers 14:11), and His subsequent refusal to allow them to enter in. Compare also Isaiah 6:8-10 with Acts 28:25-27, where it is shown that the LORD in Isaiah's passage is the Spirit in the Acts quotation.  Likewise we read that the Scriptures are inspired by God, but we also see that it is the Holy Spirit who moved men in this process, equating the Spirit with God (2Tim 3:16, 2Peter 1:20-21). These accounts serve to show us that the Holy Spirit is indeed equated with God in the scriptures.

     As Christians we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, the dwelling place of the presence of God. This is true of us as individuals, and also corporately as the body of Christ when we come together. Who but God can claim a temple to be worshipped in? Likewise we believe that Christ dwells in our hearts by faith, but in truth this is accomplished by the presence of the Holy Spirit filling the temple's of those who believe (1Cor 6:19, Eph 2:19-22, 2Tim 1:14) 1Peter 2:4-5, Eph 3:16-17). 

     As further proof of the Holy Spirit's divinity we see that He shares the attributes of God in that He is omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-10), omniscience (1Cor 2:9-16), omnipotence ( Luke 5:17, Eph 3:16-20, Romans 8:11), was at creation (Gen 1:2, Job 33:4), and is eternal (Hebrews 9:14). 

     And finally the Holy Spirit's work in regeneration or the new birth as seen in John 3:5-7, and Titus 3:4-7.

     

Who Is God? Part 4

The Holy Spirit

     In previous posts we have explored God the Son, His pre-existance, His appearing in the Old Testament as the angel of the Lord, and His taking on flesh and dwelling among men. We also looked at God the Father. Now lets take a look at the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit.

     We first see record of the Spirit of God at creation, "And the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters" (Gen 1:2). Likewise the Biblical record closes with this invitation, "The Spirit and the bride say come" (Rev 22:17). In between we see the activity of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, the promise of the Spirit in the New Covenant era, and the ultimate fulfillment of that promise in the book of Acts and onward.

      There is much to learn about God's Spirit, and for now I will take a rather broad look at this topic and elaborate more in future posts. 

     The Old Testament records numerous instances when the Holy Spirit came upon individuals and anointed them for a specific task. Exodus 31:2-4 records the Spirit's anointing in the making of the tabernacle. Likewise we see The Spirit of the LORD coming upon Sampson in Judges 14:6, 19, 15:14. When Saul was anointed king over Israel the Spirit came upon him and he was changed (1Sam 10:6-10). After Saul's disobedience the Spirit of the LORD departed from him as well (1Sam 16:14). David pleads that God would not remove the Holy Spirit from him as well, after his sin with Bathsheba (Psalm 51:11).

     In Isaiah 63:10-14 we read that the Holy Spirit was in the midst of the Israelites as they left Egypt and journeyed towards the promised land. It was He who gave them rest, and it  was also the Holy Spirit who was grieved by the people's disobedience (Heb 3:7-11). So we see that the Holy Spirit can be resisted (Acts 7:51), He can be grieved (Eph 4:30), and quenched (1Thess 5:19). 

     While it is true that the Holy Spirit was active in the Old Testament, yet He did not dwell within men. It was always God's desire to tabernacle (dwell) with mankind, but sin caused a separation that made this impossible. While God graciously forgave, yet he could not dwell within man to the extent that He desired. However we read of the New Covenant and the promise of the Spirit to come and inhabit His people. Lets take a look at these passages briefly. 

     We read in Ezekiel 36 of the New Covenant God would make with His people Israel. Part of that involved heartfelt obedience to His commands, something that we all struggle with as humans. "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances." (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

     "It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophecy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days." (Joel 2:28-29)

     In The gospel of John we have the words of Jesus as well, 

     "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you." (John 14:16-17) 

     Jesus elaborates further in John 16:7-14 on the coming of the Holy Spirit, and His convicting work, and His teaching and guidance. Finally, we read in Luke 24:49, and Acts 1:8, of the Promise of the Father, and the power for witnessing that the Holy Spirit provides. 

     In a future post I would like to examine the Holy Spirit in the life and ministry of Jesus, and the fulfillment of the Promise as found in the New Testament, and How it effects us today.

     

     

     

     

Who is God? Part 3

God the Father

For You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us and 

Israel does not recognize us. You O LORD, are our Father,

our Redeemer from of old is Your name.

Isaiah 63:16 NASB

     In Genesis 1:1 we read that "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." We established the fact in a previous post, that the word used for God in this passage is Elohim, and in the plural. Not two God's, for God is one ( Deut 6:4), but there is a plurality hinted at. We also saw this with the angel of the LORD poring out fire and brimstone from the LORD upon Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:24). We have established that the angel of the LORD is non other than the pre-incarnate son of God, Jesus Christ, who was with God at creation (John 1:1-3, Col 1:15-16). So what does this mean?

     Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God. No one has seen God (the Father) at any time. It is Jesus who has revealed Him (John 1:18). We read in John 4:23-24 that God is spirit. When His disciples asked Him to show them the Father He replied that if they have seen Him, they have seen the Father (John 14:7-9). In fact He is the only way to the Father (John 14:6). 

     There are numerous verses throughout the New Testament that refer to God the Father. I will just highlight a few of them for this post. The first one is found in Matthew 3: 16-17. This was the occasion of Jesus' baptism. As He came up out of the water the Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove, and a voice from heaven declared This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

     Again we see on the mount of transfiguration a similar thing when God the Father declares, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I an well -pleased; listen to Him" (Matt 17:5). Notice God the Father in heaven, Jesus on earth. We read of Jesus praying to His Father (Matt 6:9-15), teaching about His Father (Matt 5:45, 48). Notice that His Father is our heavenly Father, a concept that is not as clearly brought out in the Old Testament. 

     We again read of Jesus pleading with His Father in the garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:39), and crying out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?"  as He hung dying on the cross (Matt 27:46). 

     During His trial Jesus answers the high priest, declaring that He will sit at the right hand of power, and come with the clouds of heaven. This was an obvious reference to Daniel 7:13-14, and Psalm 110: 1, where Jesus is shown to be exalted by God the Father( see also Phil 2:9-11). 

     

     Some of the best references to the Father are found in John's gospel. Here are several of them.

John 5:19, 26, 37, 43, 6:37-46, 8:42, 54, 12:27-28, 14:16-24. These are just a few, there are many more that we could look at. What we see is that Jesus is God, and the Father is God. Jesus is not the Father, and the Father is not the Son. They are both God, yet not two God's, but one in unity and essence. 

     Read Paul's greeting in Colossians 1:1-3, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother. To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you. Again note that the Father, and the Son, Jesus Christ are both mentioned in this greeting from Paul. This is common in his other epistles as well (Eph 1:1-3, Gal 1:1-3, Phil 1:1-2). 

     The Bible clearly teaches that God exists as the Father and also the Son. The Son was sent by the Father, and subjected Himself to the Father. He was obedient to the point of death, and has now been exalted by the Father. There is so much more that can be said, and I will save that for future posts.

Who is God? Part 2

        The Messenger of the Covenant

"But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, 
too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you one will go forth for Me to be ruler
in Israel. His goings forth are from
long ago, from the days of eternity."
Micah 5:2 NASB 

     Continuing with the topic of the angel of the LORD, I would like to take a look at The exodus of Israel out of Egypt. In the previous post I briefly mentioned the account of the burning bush found in Exodus 3. In the other appearances of the angel of the LORD that I referred to, the angel appeared as a man. In this instant He appears in the flame (Exodus 3:2). As Moses goes to investigate the burning bush he is commanded not to come near, but to remove his sandals because he is standing on holy ground (Exodus 3:4-5).

     The purpose of the angel's appearance to Moses was to inform Him that He the LORD, had seen the affliction of the Israelites and was about to deliver them from their bondage (Exodus 3:6-8). notice especially verse 8 that speaks of the land God would bring them to. The land of the Hittites, Amorite, Perizzite, Hivite, and Jebusite. This comes up again a few chapters later.

     As the Israelites leave Egypt the angel of the LORD leads them out in a pillar of cloud by day, and by a pillar of fire at night (Exodus 13:21-22, 14:19). Now we get to Mount Sinai, and the giving of the law,
     And the LORD told Moses, "Behold, I shall come to you in a thick cloud..." (Exodus 19:9).
     Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently ( Exodus 19:18).

     It is here that the LORD makes a covenant with the people, giving them His law to obey, and promising them that if they obeyed Him and kept His covenant they would be His own possession among all the people of the earth. God called Moses to come up to the top of the mountain, and it is here that He declares He will send His angel to go before them,

     Behold I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Be on your guard before Him and obey His voice; do not be rebellious toward Him, for He will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in Him.  But if you will truly obey His voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and an adversary to your adversaries. For My angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them. Exodus 23:20-23 NASB

     Again we see reference to what the angel of the LORD told Moses previously. Another interesting thing is that we see that The LORD has put His name in the angel. This angel is divine, bearing the name Jehovah, The I Am Who I Am.  This is the LORD Jehovah promising to send His angel to go before them and bring them into the promised land. This is similar to what we read when Lot was fleeing Sodom, The LORD poured out brimstone and fire from the LORD in heaven. Notice in this passage the instances where I and his are interchanged. In fact Acts 7:38 records that it was the angel of the LORD on the mountain speaking to Moses. What is God trying to reveal to us about Himself?

     We read in Isaiah 63 that The LORD became Israel's Savior, and the angel of His presence saved them (Isaiah 63:9-14). Another interesting discovery is that of the presence of the Holy Spirit here as well,
     But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit (Isaiah 63:10), and speaking of the parting of the Red Sea, Where is He who put His Holy Spirit in the midst of them (Isaiah 63:11)? Now we see another aspect of God as well. Something we will pursue more in another post.

     In wrapping this post up lets take a look at Malachi 3:1 where we read,

     "Behold, I am going to send My messenger and he will clear the way before Me. And the LORD, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold He is coming," says the LORD of hosts  (NASB).

     The new testament applies this prophecy of a forerunner to John the Baptist, who was the one to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 1:1-11, John 1:6-13, 15-18). The messenger, or angel of the covenant is none other than Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God who was there at the exodus, at the Red sea, who gave the law on Sinai, and led the children of Israel through the wilderness 40 years. He is the one who called to Moses out of the bush, and then called him up the mountain. Moses spoke with Him face to face, and now we read in the New Testament that in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells (Col 1:19).

   

     

   

   

Who is God? Part 1

     Who is God? How is God defined? What is He like? These questions are vital to our knowledge of the one true God, yet in our finite minds we struggle to grasp the answers. Man, in his attempts to explain God falls into the trap of making a little god, a god who is like him, a god of his own invention. We need God to reveal Himself to us, if we are to know Him in spirit and truth ( John 4:23).

     God has chosen to reveal Himself to mankind, starting at the very beginning. We read in Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."  God reveals Himself as creator, in the very beginning. If God was there to create all of this, then who created God? If something greater than God created God first, then God ceases to be God. 

     The Hebrew word for God in Gen 1:1 is translated Elohim. The interesting thing about this word for God is that is is in the plural. This does not necessarily mean multiple Gods were there to create the world. In Deuteronomy 6:4 we read that the "LORD is our God, the LORD is one." The word one carries the meaning of first, standing alone, and also that of unity. So we can say that the LORD God alone is God. There is no other God beside Him (Exodus 20:3). LORD is a translation of the word JEHOVAH  meaning the eternal always existing one. So we see that God has always existed from eternity past. There was no one else who created Him. But what about the plurality hinted at by the title Elohim?

     If we read a little farther in the account of creation we come to an interesting verse. Then God said, "Let us make man in our image according to our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping  that creeps upon the earth. And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them (Gen 1:26-27). Here God reveals a little more to us.

     The plurality of God comes out in this verse. God says, "Let us" and, "Our image". If there is only one God, and no other, and He alone created the universe, what does this mean? Then we read that God created man in His image, in the image of God he created Them. 

     We see both plural and singular in these verses, referring to God, and also to the man He created, giving a hint of the unity of God, and also that of man. Just as mankind is a singular being yet made up of many, God also is a singular being, yet composed of a plurality. We see that man was created, a male and female, and in the image and likeness of God. People have contemplated what is meant by the image and likeness of God. Obviously we were not created to be God, we are not divine, but we have a body, soul, and spirit. We have been created with an intelligence, to reason, moral beings with the ability to make choices. We have within us a spirit that departs when this body wears out and passes away. God Himself has breathed into us the breath of life (Gen 2:7).

     John tell us that God is spirit (John 4:24), but what about a body? He also writes that no man has seen God (John 1:18, 6:46). Does the Old Testament record any instances of God appearing to men in a body? And if so, how do we reconcile this?

     Lets take a look at the life of Abraham, as there are several times that the LORD appeared to him recorded in the book of Genesis. Genesis 17:1 When he was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and established a covenant with him. In Genesis 18:1 the LORD appears again with two other men (angels). He comes to tell Abraham that Sarah his wife would bear him a son a year from now. The chapter goes on to tell of God's displeasure with Sodom and Gomorrah, and its coming destruction. Genesis 18:22, the two men leave and go towards Sodom while Abraham is left standing before the LORD. In this section of scripture we read of Abraham's interceding for Sodom, where his nephew Lot had settled (Gen 18:23-33). Abraham is standing face to face with the LORD talking to Him. He knows who He is as he calls Him LORD several times.

The chapter ends with the LORD departing, and then we have the events of Chapter 19 dealing with Lot and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The angels go to get Lot and his family out before the city is destroyed. We get to the point where the angels are leading Lot out, and he protests saying the mountains are too far away. He looks at a small town and asks if he can flee there. up until now we see the two angels mentioned. Now the LORD suddenly speaks to Lot. "Hurry escape there, for I can not do anything until you arrive there." (Gen 19:22). Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven (Gen 19:24). 

     That is an amazing passage of scripture. You have the LORD telling Lot That He cannot do anything until Lot is safe in Zoar. Next we see The LORD (on the earth) raining down fire and brimstone from the LORD (in heaven). This is JEHOVAH in both places. Once again a hint at plurality within the being of God. Again to be clear, I am not saying there are two Gods, or three Gods. The scriptures are clear that the LORD God is one, and I firmly believe that. Yet here we see The LORD on earth at the same time the LORD is in heaven.

     Jacob wrestled with a man until daybreak and would not let him go until he was blessed.(Gen 32:2-29). Listen to what Jacob says next, So Jacob named the place Peniel for he said, "I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved (Gen 32:30).

     The angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in a burning bush (Exodus 3:2). Immediately we are told that this is God. When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush (Exodus 3:4). The chapter goes on to record God's call to Moses, referring to the being in the burning bush as God in several places. When Moses asks God who sent Him, The angel of the LORD replies I Am who I Am (Exodus 3:14-15). It is here that we are first introduced to the sacred name of God, YAHWEH, also translated JEHOVAH, which we have already established that it means the eternal one. Exodus 33:11 records that God spoke with Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.

     The angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon in Judges 6:11-22, and to Sampson's parents in Judges 13:2-23. In both instances Gideon, and Manoah and his wife understood that they had seen God (Judges 6:22, 13:22). In fact, When asked by Manoah what His name was, The angel of the LORD replied, "Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?" (Judges 13:18) Compare this with Isaiah's messianic prophecy.

     For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forever more. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this (Isaiah 9:6-7). 

     This prophecy we find fulfilled in Jesus Christ. This adds and interesting element to the concept of the angel of the LORD. John tells us, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being (John 1:1-2). This is the beginning of John's gospel where he sets the foundation of who Jesus is, the eternal Word of God, who became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). He is the only begotten of the Father, sent by the Father, yet divine as the Father is divine. This explains the creation account where we see the plurality in Genesis 1:26-27. Jesus was there as God, with God. Colossians 1:13-16 also tell us that the Son of God is the image of the invisible God, and all things have been created by Him, and for Him. So was the angel of the LORD as found in the OLD Testament the preincarnate Christ?

     John said no man has seen God at any time, yet the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father has explained Him (John 1:18). Jesus stated to His disciples in John 14:7-11 that if they have seen Him, they have seen the Father. He speaks of a unity I am in the Father, and the Father is in me. Yet we also see that the Father is speaking from Heaven, while Jesus was on the earth (Matt 3:16-17, 17:1-5). This is in keeping with what we saw in the account of Sodom and Gomorrah.

     This is only scratching the surface, and I will post more on this. I would also like to take a look at the Spirit of God (The Holy Spirit) in a future post as well.