In Whom Did Abram Believe?

 In the beginning was the Word...

John 1:1

 

     We read in Genesis 15 the account of Abram and the son promised him by the LORD. in verse 1 we read,

     After these things, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision saying, "Do not fear,  Abram, I am a shield to you; your reward shall be very great." (Gen 15:1 NASB)

     We see that the word of the LORD came to Abram. This was in a vision. Was it a voice from heaven, or did this word come in some other way?  Abram responds to this with a request for an heir, a child, as he was childless (Gen 15:2-3). Now the word of the LORD comes to Abram. First in a vision and now as a person as we will see.

    

     Then behold the word of the LORD came to him saying, "This man will not be your heir, but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir." And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." (Gen 15:4-5 NASB)

     Notice that the word of the LORD is personified in these two verses. The pronoun He, is used in referring to the word of the LORD here. The word of the LORD takes Abram outside and asks him to count the stars. This is someone present before Abram who then speaks to him further and promises Abram that his descendants would be exceedingly numerous. 

     Abram believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness (Gen 15:6)

     Abram believes in the LORD in whose presence he is standing. The word of the LORD reveals himself to Abram as the LORD who called him out of Ur to go to a land which he would be given to possess. This divine being then makes a covenant with Abram as well. (Gen 15:7-21). So who is this? 

     We read in John 1:18, that no one has seen God at anytime, but the only begotten in the bosom of the Father has explained or revealed Him. This is Jesus, the one in whom all the fullness of deity dwells (Col 2:9). This same Jesus is revealed as the Word in John 1:1-5, 14. The one who came to Abram,  the one in whom Abram believed was Jesus Himself, appearing in a pre-incarnate form as the word of the LORD.

     

God and Governments

 Here in America we are sure facing a lot of stress and division during this election cycle. Sadly I see a lot of tension, fear, distrust, and even anger among professing Christians. Here are a few verses to ponder in the days and weeks ahead. Perhaps the Bible can help us gain a different perspective.

     This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets it over the lowliest of men. Daniel 4:17 NKJV

     While the word was still in the kings mouth, a voice fell from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom is departed from you! And they shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen: and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses." Daniel 4:32-33 NKJV

     Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.  Romans 13:1 NKJV

Now we could dig in depth into these verses but for the sake of brevity I will only make a few observations. First of all we read in these verses that it is God who ultimately raises leaders and bring leaders down. We do not understand all His reasons for why we see certain men in power, but be sure of this, God in His sovereign purpose rules in the kingdoms of men. We also can infer from this that rulers are not necessarily godly men. The verses in Daniel refer to Nebuchadnezzar, who was not someone we would emulate as Christians. 

Paul's reference in Romans 13 was written in the days of the Roman Emperor Nero, one of the cruelest leaders the world has seen. It was this Nero who persecuted the early church, throwing Christians to the beasts in the Roman coliseum. Yet we see Paul saying that God places leaders in their positions of authority, and we are to respect and submit unto them. Also we can pray for them so it will go well for us (1Tim 2:1-3). As Christians can we at least do this?

So in closing remember that whether your candidate won or lost, your party is in control or not, as  Christians we look to Jesus as our Savior and King. It is ultimately His kingdom that we are citizens of, and are to seek (Phil 3:20, Matt 6:33), not the kingdoms of this world. Our best efforts should be put into reaching the lost for Jesus Christ, as His is the only Kingdom that will endure (Daniel 2:44, 4:34, 7:13-14, Rev 11:15).

     

The Holy Spirit in the Ministry of Jesus

      While Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God, it is equally true that He emptied Himself and took on flesh. (Phil 2:6-8, John 1:1, 14). Theologians have wondered over the implications of this emptying of Himself. What did it entail? Humanly speaking we don't understand it fully perhaps, but the fact remains that Jesus became a man, and lived among us as one of us, sharing in our human limitations, although He never ceased to be God. 

     That leaves us with a question. The gospel accounts are filled with miracles. Jesus healed multitudes of people. He cast out demons, raised the dead, cursed the fig tree, fed 5,000, and then a short time later another 4,ooo  with just a few loaves of bread and fish. He taught the people with an authority that took them by surprise. It was unlike anything they had seen or heard up to that point. Again, the gospel record of Jesus is filled with the miraculous. How did He do it? Of course He was God in the flesh, the Son of God. Did His miracles flow from His divinity? Or did He operate another way in the days of His flesh? 

     You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God

anointed Him with the Holy Spirit

and with power, and how he went

about doing good and healing

all who were oppressed by the devil, 

for God was with Him.

Acts 10:38 NASB

     Here we see the answer to this question. Jesus ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit during His time upon this earth. Beginning with His baptism Jesus was filled with the Spirit (Luke 3:21-22), and led by the Spirit (Luke 4:1). After His temptation in the wilderness He returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:14). It is at this point He enters the synagogue and reads from Isaiah 61:1-2,

     The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. 

This He applied to Himself (Luke 4:18-21). Now the crowd did not react to well to this statement and they tried to kill Him. However he next taught in Capernaum, and the people there were amazed at His teaching, For it was with Authority (Luke 4:32). The crowd had the same reaction to His sermon on the mount (Matt 7:29).

      Behold My servant whom I have chosen; My beloved in whom I am well pleased; I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles (Matt 12:18 NASB, Isaiah 42:1 NASB). 

     Reading these verses brings one to the baptism of Jesus as the Holy Spirit descends upon Him, and the voice from heaven proclaims, "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." (Matt 3:16-17)

     In Luke 5:17 we see that the power of the Lord (The Holy Spirit) was present for Jesus to Heal. As concerning casting out demons Jesus states in Matthew 12:28, "If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you."

     So we see that as the God-Man, Jesus lived and ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit. He spent time alone in prayer as He "recharged" for another day. even in His arrest and crucifixion He relied upon the Holy Spirit for the strength to go through it (Heb 9:14).

     We read these final words Jesus shared with His disciples as He prepared to ascend, "And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on High." (Luke 24:49 NASB)

     Just as Jesus operated in the power of the Holy Spirit in His days on the earth, so we also are dependent upon this very same power as we also go forth to advance His kingdom! 

     

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.

     

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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.

     

     

     

     

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