THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Part 2)
“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” (John 5:39 NKJV)
The Holy Spirit is primarily on a mission to reveal Christ to the believers, to glorify Christ in and through the believers, and to transform the believers progressively in their thoughts, speech, emotions, actions or character into the likeness of Christ (John 16:12-15, 2 Cor. 3:18).
In the first part of this piece we began to examine the revelation of Christ which the Holy Spirit seeks to disclose to the believers and why the believers must grow in the revelation knowledge of Christ.
Let us recap what we have examined so far.
First, the Holy Spirit seeks to reveal the love of Christ to the believers (Eph. 3:14-19, 2 Cor. 5:12-15).
Second, the Holy Spirit seeks to reveal the blessings of the finished work of Christ to the believers (Eph. 1:15-20, Phile. 1:3-6, 2 Pet. 1:1-4).
Third, the Holy Spirit seeks to reveal Christ as the end of the law for righteousness and as the ultimate fulfillment of all the Old Testament types, shadows, symbols, ceremonies or rites (Heb. 10:1-5, Rom. 7:4-6).
In this piece we shall further consider the revelation of Christ which the Holy Spirit seeks to give the believers and how the Holy Spirit gives the revelation of Christ to the believers.
Fourth, the Holy Spirit seeks to reveal Christ as the prototype or model of the new creations:
The ultimate purpose and product of the redemptive work of Christ is the birth of new creations, sons of God, who are fully conformed to the image of Christ in their recreated spirits so that Christ might be the firstborn among many brethren (2 Cor. 5:17).
The Scripture amply states this truth.
Romans 8:
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. (NKJV).
Hebrews 2:
10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,
12 saying: “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.” (NKJV).
While the Holy Spirit seeks to reveal the nature, beauty, glory, power and majesty of the risen Lord Jesus Christ to the believers, He also seeks to bring the believers into the full recognition or realization of the truth that Christ is their image, prototype or model and thus they share the same nature, beauty, glory, power and majesty with Christ.
In His prayer for His disciples, the Lord Jesus reveals that His disciples share same glory with Him.
John 17:
22 “And 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. (NKJV).
The Hebrew writer also testifies that Christ by His suffering and death has brought us to glory.
Hebrews 2:
10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Paul attests to the truth that the believers are joint heirs with Christ.
Romans 8:
15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (NKJV).
Paul also testifies that the believers are one spirit with Christ.
1 Corinthians 6:
15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot?
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Certainly not!
16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.
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“
17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. (NKJV).
Paul further testifies that believers are raised up together with Christ and seated in Christ.
Ephesians 2:
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (NKJV).
John the beloved also testifies that just as Christ is, so also are believers in this world.
1 John 4
17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. (NKJV).
Paul also testifies to this truth.
1 Corinthians 15:
47 The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. (NKJV).
Knowing and internalizing the truth that as a new creation you are one spirit with Christ, thereby possessing same life, nature, glory and authority with Christ will make you an effective ambassador for Christ in this world, doing the works that Christ did and even greater works than what He did.
But how does the Holy Spirit give the revelation of Christ to the believers?
The Holy Spirit primarily gives the revelation of Christ to the believers in and through the Scripture.
The Scripture bears witness of Christ, testifies of Christ, and reveals Christ to us!
The Lord Jesus explains this truth to the unbelieving Jews.
John 5:
39 “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
40 “But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
45 “Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you–Moses, in whom you trust.
46 “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.
47 “But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (NKJV).
After His resurrection, the Lord Jesus rebuked two of His disciples while He communed with them on their way to Emmaus for their foolishness and He explained, expounded and interpreted to them in all the scriptures (the Old Testament writings) all the things concerning Himself.
Luke 24:
25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
26 “Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?”
27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. (NKJV).
The Holy Spirit seeks to unveil Christ hidden behind the shadows, types, symbols and rites of the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit seeks to tear away the veil of human tradition, philosophy, or culture in the believer’s mind so that he may see Christ as He is in the Scripture.
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Like the Jews, many people today are not seeing Christ for who He is in the Scripture because of the veil in their minds while reading the Scripture.
2 Corinthians 3:
14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.
15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.
16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. (NKJV).
Many believers today are not growing in the revelation knowledge of Christ Jesus which the Holy Spirit gives in and through the Scripture because they are not diligent in searching, reading, studying and meditating in the Scripture.
Paul aptly explains that we cannot receive or understand revelation knowledge of Christ without reading the epistles.
Ephesians 3:
1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles–
2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you,
3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already,
4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),
5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: (NKJV).
Beloved, while the Holy Spirit is on a mission to give you full, precise and accurate revelation knowledge of Christ, yet you will remain in your ignorance if you fail to receive humbly from the Holy Spirit by spending quality time daily to hear, read, search, study and meditate in the Word of God diligently.
Find out more about the mission of the Holy Spirit in the believers in Part 3 of this piece.
Prayer: My Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for revealing to me today that Christ Jesus is my new spiritual identity or image. My Dear Holy Spirit, help me to be diligent in receiving from You the revelation knowledge of Christ by diligently hearing, reading, studying, and meditating in God’s Word, in Jesus’ name. Amen.