THE HOLY SPIRIT - PART 2
“The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ; it is His representative. Here is the divine agency that carries conviction to hearts. When the power of His Spirit is revealed through the servants of God, we behold divinity flashing through humanity. When accompanied by the Holy Spirit, the presentation of truth as it is in Jesus will be of more value than all the honor or glory of the world.” {13MR 313.3}
“The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, which is sent to all men to give them sufficiency, that through His grace we might be complete in Him. The Lord has provided that we should always be under the teaching and influence of the Holy Spirit. We shall then discover that the law of God is holy, just, and good, and we would learn to delight in the law of God. We love the requirements of the law, and from our hearts render obedience to its requirements.” {14MR 84.3}
"Christ tells us that the Holy Spirit is the Comforter, and the Comforter is the Holy Ghost, "the Spirit of truth, which the Father shall send in My name." "I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him, for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you" [John 14:16, 17]. This refers to the omnipresence of the Spirit of Christ, called the Comforter.” MR Vol 14 -PG- 175 (Written to Brother Chapman from Petoskey, Michigan, June 11, 1891.)
Notice she says that the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, is the Spirit of Christ. In other words, it is the non-physical person of Christ, rendering Him omnipresent.
"They have one God and one Saviour; and one Spirit--the Spirit of Christ--is to bring unity into their ranks." Testimonies vol 9 pg. 189.
Volume 9 of the Testimonies takes in a period of the work from 1904 to the late summer of 1909. (See 9T pg 3) Ellen White has not changed her view on the Spirit penned in 1891 to Brother Chapman. In 1909 it is still the Spirit of the person called Christ.
The meek shall be as David, and David as an angel of the Lord. Every Christian will see in the face of every other the face of God in benevolence and brotherly love. We need, my sister, greater benevolence, greater first, then the simplicity of Christ will appear; contention will cease, because it is an offensive thing and grieves the Holy Spirit of God. No one who truly enjoys the Spirit of Jesus Christ will be fractious, suspicious, criticizing, accusing. Why? Because Christ is abiding in the soul temple. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the whole multitude of them that believed were of "one heart and of one mind." The Spirit of Christ animated the whole and became the whole heart of the whole community. Every pulse beat in concert. {21MR 155.6}
When the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the early church, "the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul" (Acts 4:32). The Spirit of Christ made them one. This is the fruit of abiding in Christ. . . . {3SM 20.2}
He who lives this life works out the principles of the kingdom of heaven. Taught of God, he leads others in straight paths. He will not lead the lame into paths of uncertainty. The working of the Holy Spirit in his life shows that he is a partaker of the divine nature. Every soul thus worked by the Spirit of Christ receives so abundant a supply of the rich grace that, beholding his good works, the unbelieving world acknowledges that he is controlled and sustained by divine power, and is led to glorify God. . . .” {AG 138.2}
Ellen White is consistent. She says that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the individual called Christ and not some other person - “ The working of the Holy Spirit in his life shows that he is a partaker of the divine nature. Every soul thus worked by the Spirit of Christ...”
When a sense of the loving-kindness of God is constantly refreshing the soul, it will be revealed in the countenance by an expression of peace and joy. It will be manifest in the words and works. And the generous, holy Spirit of Christ, working upon the heart, will yield in the life a converting influence upon others. . . . {AG 325.2}
Again in the above statement, it is the “generous HOLY SPIRIT of Christ, WORKING upon the heart”emphasis supplied. Similarly below, it is the Holy Spirit of the individual called Christ.
6. What we want is individual religion, personal piety. We want the Holy Spirit of Christ in our families. O that the truths which I have presented to you today may have a lasting influence upon your characters! O that the members of the church may come up to the help of the Lord,--to the help of the Lord against the mighty! If we have wronged one another, if have wronged our God, we should confess our sins to God and to one another; and we have the promise that "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." When we remove the rubbish from the door of the heart, the Lord will come in and make his abode with us, and we shall have daily a precious story to tell of the favor, love, and mercy of our Heavenly Father. {RH, April 16, 1889 par. 9}
O, how we grieve the pure, holy Spirit of Christ with our defiling sins! We are not prepared for the appreciation of the holy communion with Christ and with one another unless we are cleansed by his efficacy. {RH, July 5, 1898 par. 7}
7. The minister who makes the word of God his constant companion will continually bring forth truth of new beauty. The Spirit of Christ will come upon him, and God will work through him to help others. The Holy Spirit will fill his mind and heart with hope and courage and Bible imagery, and all this will be communicated to those under his instruction.” {GW 253.1}
Notice how she interchangeably uses the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Christ. Friends, it is one and the same thing. She is making the point that Christ is here with us and not some other individual. It is Jesus in person, and as mentioned earlier, invisible to the world and to our eyes. It is a mystery but it is the facts.
8. The grace of God takes men as they are, and works as an educator, using every principle on which an all-sided education depends. The steady influence of the grace of God trains the soul after Christ's methods, and every fierce passion, every defective trait of character, is worked upon the molding influence of the Spirit of Christ, until the man has a new motive power, and becomes filled with the Holy Spirit of God, after the likeness of the divine similitude. --U. T., March 16, 1896. {HL 300.5}
9. When the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the early church, "the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul" (Acts 4:32). The Spirit of Christ made them one. This is the fruit of abiding in Christ. . . . {LHU 296.2}
10. The juices of the vine, ascending from the root, are diffused to the branches, sustaining growth and producing blossoms and fruit. So the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit, proceeding from Christ, and imparted to every disciple, pervades the soul, renews the motives and affections and even the most secret thoughts, and brings forth the precious fruit of holy deeds.--Sketches from the Life of Paul, p. 131. {HL 300.3}
How great the diversity manifested in the natural world! Every object has its peculiar sphere of action; yet all are found to be linked together in the great whole. Christ Jesus is in union with the Father, and from the great center this wonderful unity is to extend . . . through all classes and diversities of talents. We are all to respect one another's talent; we are to harmonize in goodness, in unselfish thoughts and actions, because the Spirit of Christ, as the living, working agency, is circulating through the whole. . . . It is not striking actions that produce unity; it is the mold of the Holy Spirit upon the character. {OHC 169.4}
When the teacher will rely upon God in prayer, the Spirit of Christ will come upon him, and God will work through him by the Holy Spirit upon the minds of others. The Spirit fills the mind and heart with sweet hope and courage and Bible imagery, and all this will be communicated to the youth under his instruction. COL 131, 132. {PaM 109.4}
If teachers would ever bear in mind that it is the Holy Spirit that must reveal to the soul glimpses of heavenly things, and that as they work in the Spirit of Christ, this heavenly agent is impressing the mind with divine truth; if they would ever realize that angels are about them, that they are standing upon holy ground, much more efficient work would be done in our Sabbath-schools. The teachers would not be devoid of spiritual grace and power, for they would have a realization of the divine presence; they would understand that they were but the human agents through whom Christ was imparting His heavenly light. Their labors would be instinct with earnestness and power, and they would know that the Spirit helpeth their infirmities. {TSS 43.1}
When one is fully emptied of self, when every false god is cast out of the soul, the vacuum is supplied by the inflowing of the Spirit of Christ. Such a one has the faith which works by love and purifies the soul from every moral and spiritual defilement. The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, can work upon the heart, influencing and directing, so that he enjoys spiritual things. He is "after the Spirit" (Rom. 8:1), and he minds the things of the Spirit. He has no confidence in self; Christ is all in all. Truth is constantly being unfolded by the Holy Spirit; he receives with meekness the engrafted word, and he gives the Lord all the glory, saying, "God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit" (1 Cor. 2:10). "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God" (verse 12). {YRP 91.1}
What would become of the churches if there were no special seasons when the Spirit of Christ was sought for with earnestness and fervor, and the cold hearts were warmed by the rays of divine light? God wants to be inquired of by his people, before he pours out his Holy Spirit upon the church. How earnestly should every member pray and labor, and labor and pray for the deep movings of Spirit of God! {RH, June 26, 1888 par. 8}
The Spirit of God, as it comes into the heart by faith, is the beginning of the life eternal. What promise is less fulfilled in the church than that of the endowment of the Holy Spirit? Here is our greatest need. Let the spirit of controversy be put away, and let us seek for the living testimony of the Spirit of God. The teacher must be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Then the mind and spirit of Christ will be in him, and he will confess Christ in a spiritual and holy life. He will give evidence that the truth he has received has not been merely in theory, but that he has been sanctified through the truth. He can talk of Christ and him crucified in language that savors of heaven. He can present the will of God to man because his own heart has been brought into submission, and has been glorified by the Spirit of God. The sun of righteousness is risen upon him, that he may reflect its brightness to the world. {RH, February 9, 1892 par. 21}
Shall we not let the Spirit of Christ take possession of our hearts, that we may be cleansed from every taint of selfishness? When we allow our lives to be controlled by the Holy Spirit of God, we shall with willing hearts bring our gifts and offerings to him, that he may use them where they are most needed. {RH, September 26, 1907 par. 14}
Abigail presented by implication the course that David ought to pursue. He should fight the battles of the Lord. He was not to seek revenge for personal wrongs, even though persecuted as a traitor. . . . These words could have come only from the lips of one who had partaken of the wisdom from above. The piety of Abigail, like the fragrance of a flower, breathed out all unconsciously in face and word and action. The Spirit of the Son of God was abiding in her soul. Her speech, seasoned with grace, and full of kindness and peace, shed a heavenly influence. Better impulses came to David, and he trembled as he thought what might have been the consequences of his rash purpose. . . . {Conflict and Courage 169.3}
The Spirit of the Son of God was abiding in her soul - this is pre-incarnation talk friends.
“The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, which is sent to all men to give them sufficiency, that through His grace we might be complete in Him. The Lord has provided that we should always be under the teaching and influence of the Holy Spirit. We shall then discover that the law of God is holy, just, and good, and we would learn to delight in the law of God. We love the requirements of the law, and from our hearts render obedience to its requirements.” {14MR 84.3}
"Christ tells us that the Holy Spirit is the Comforter, and the Comforter is the Holy Ghost, "the Spirit of truth, which the Father shall send in My name." "I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him, for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you" [John 14:16, 17]. This refers to the omnipresence of the Spirit of Christ, called the Comforter.” MR Vol 14 -PG- 175 (Written to Brother Chapman from Petoskey, Michigan, June 11, 1891.)
Notice she says that the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, is the Spirit of Christ. In other words, it is the non-physical person of Christ, rendering Him omnipresent.
"They have one God and one Saviour; and one Spirit--the Spirit of Christ--is to bring unity into their ranks." Testimonies vol 9 pg. 189.
Volume 9 of the Testimonies takes in a period of the work from 1904 to the late summer of 1909. (See 9T pg 3) Ellen White has not changed her view on the Spirit penned in 1891 to Brother Chapman. In 1909 it is still the Spirit of the person called Christ.
The meek shall be as David, and David as an angel of the Lord. Every Christian will see in the face of every other the face of God in benevolence and brotherly love. We need, my sister, greater benevolence, greater first, then the simplicity of Christ will appear; contention will cease, because it is an offensive thing and grieves the Holy Spirit of God. No one who truly enjoys the Spirit of Jesus Christ will be fractious, suspicious, criticizing, accusing. Why? Because Christ is abiding in the soul temple. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the whole multitude of them that believed were of "one heart and of one mind." The Spirit of Christ animated the whole and became the whole heart of the whole community. Every pulse beat in concert. {21MR 155.6}
When the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the early church, "the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul" (Acts 4:32). The Spirit of Christ made them one. This is the fruit of abiding in Christ. . . . {3SM 20.2}
He who lives this life works out the principles of the kingdom of heaven. Taught of God, he leads others in straight paths. He will not lead the lame into paths of uncertainty. The working of the Holy Spirit in his life shows that he is a partaker of the divine nature. Every soul thus worked by the Spirit of Christ receives so abundant a supply of the rich grace that, beholding his good works, the unbelieving world acknowledges that he is controlled and sustained by divine power, and is led to glorify God. . . .” {AG 138.2}
Ellen White is consistent. She says that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the individual called Christ and not some other person - “ The working of the Holy Spirit in his life shows that he is a partaker of the divine nature. Every soul thus worked by the Spirit of Christ...”
When a sense of the loving-kindness of God is constantly refreshing the soul, it will be revealed in the countenance by an expression of peace and joy. It will be manifest in the words and works. And the generous, holy Spirit of Christ, working upon the heart, will yield in the life a converting influence upon others. . . . {AG 325.2}
Again in the above statement, it is the “generous HOLY SPIRIT of Christ, WORKING upon the heart”emphasis supplied. Similarly below, it is the Holy Spirit of the individual called Christ.
6. What we want is individual religion, personal piety. We want the Holy Spirit of Christ in our families. O that the truths which I have presented to you today may have a lasting influence upon your characters! O that the members of the church may come up to the help of the Lord,--to the help of the Lord against the mighty! If we have wronged one another, if have wronged our God, we should confess our sins to God and to one another; and we have the promise that "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." When we remove the rubbish from the door of the heart, the Lord will come in and make his abode with us, and we shall have daily a precious story to tell of the favor, love, and mercy of our Heavenly Father. {RH, April 16, 1889 par. 9}
O, how we grieve the pure, holy Spirit of Christ with our defiling sins! We are not prepared for the appreciation of the holy communion with Christ and with one another unless we are cleansed by his efficacy. {RH, July 5, 1898 par. 7}
7. The minister who makes the word of God his constant companion will continually bring forth truth of new beauty. The Spirit of Christ will come upon him, and God will work through him to help others. The Holy Spirit will fill his mind and heart with hope and courage and Bible imagery, and all this will be communicated to those under his instruction.” {GW 253.1}
Notice how she interchangeably uses the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Christ. Friends, it is one and the same thing. She is making the point that Christ is here with us and not some other individual. It is Jesus in person, and as mentioned earlier, invisible to the world and to our eyes. It is a mystery but it is the facts.
8. The grace of God takes men as they are, and works as an educator, using every principle on which an all-sided education depends. The steady influence of the grace of God trains the soul after Christ's methods, and every fierce passion, every defective trait of character, is worked upon the molding influence of the Spirit of Christ, until the man has a new motive power, and becomes filled with the Holy Spirit of God, after the likeness of the divine similitude. --U. T., March 16, 1896. {HL 300.5}
9. When the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the early church, "the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul" (Acts 4:32). The Spirit of Christ made them one. This is the fruit of abiding in Christ. . . . {LHU 296.2}
10. The juices of the vine, ascending from the root, are diffused to the branches, sustaining growth and producing blossoms and fruit. So the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit, proceeding from Christ, and imparted to every disciple, pervades the soul, renews the motives and affections and even the most secret thoughts, and brings forth the precious fruit of holy deeds.--Sketches from the Life of Paul, p. 131. {HL 300.3}
How great the diversity manifested in the natural world! Every object has its peculiar sphere of action; yet all are found to be linked together in the great whole. Christ Jesus is in union with the Father, and from the great center this wonderful unity is to extend . . . through all classes and diversities of talents. We are all to respect one another's talent; we are to harmonize in goodness, in unselfish thoughts and actions, because the Spirit of Christ, as the living, working agency, is circulating through the whole. . . . It is not striking actions that produce unity; it is the mold of the Holy Spirit upon the character. {OHC 169.4}
When the teacher will rely upon God in prayer, the Spirit of Christ will come upon him, and God will work through him by the Holy Spirit upon the minds of others. The Spirit fills the mind and heart with sweet hope and courage and Bible imagery, and all this will be communicated to the youth under his instruction. COL 131, 132. {PaM 109.4}
If teachers would ever bear in mind that it is the Holy Spirit that must reveal to the soul glimpses of heavenly things, and that as they work in the Spirit of Christ, this heavenly agent is impressing the mind with divine truth; if they would ever realize that angels are about them, that they are standing upon holy ground, much more efficient work would be done in our Sabbath-schools. The teachers would not be devoid of spiritual grace and power, for they would have a realization of the divine presence; they would understand that they were but the human agents through whom Christ was imparting His heavenly light. Their labors would be instinct with earnestness and power, and they would know that the Spirit helpeth their infirmities. {TSS 43.1}
When one is fully emptied of self, when every false god is cast out of the soul, the vacuum is supplied by the inflowing of the Spirit of Christ. Such a one has the faith which works by love and purifies the soul from every moral and spiritual defilement. The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, can work upon the heart, influencing and directing, so that he enjoys spiritual things. He is "after the Spirit" (Rom. 8:1), and he minds the things of the Spirit. He has no confidence in self; Christ is all in all. Truth is constantly being unfolded by the Holy Spirit; he receives with meekness the engrafted word, and he gives the Lord all the glory, saying, "God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit" (1 Cor. 2:10). "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God" (verse 12). {YRP 91.1}
What would become of the churches if there were no special seasons when the Spirit of Christ was sought for with earnestness and fervor, and the cold hearts were warmed by the rays of divine light? God wants to be inquired of by his people, before he pours out his Holy Spirit upon the church. How earnestly should every member pray and labor, and labor and pray for the deep movings of Spirit of God! {RH, June 26, 1888 par. 8}
The Spirit of God, as it comes into the heart by faith, is the beginning of the life eternal. What promise is less fulfilled in the church than that of the endowment of the Holy Spirit? Here is our greatest need. Let the spirit of controversy be put away, and let us seek for the living testimony of the Spirit of God. The teacher must be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Then the mind and spirit of Christ will be in him, and he will confess Christ in a spiritual and holy life. He will give evidence that the truth he has received has not been merely in theory, but that he has been sanctified through the truth. He can talk of Christ and him crucified in language that savors of heaven. He can present the will of God to man because his own heart has been brought into submission, and has been glorified by the Spirit of God. The sun of righteousness is risen upon him, that he may reflect its brightness to the world. {RH, February 9, 1892 par. 21}
Shall we not let the Spirit of Christ take possession of our hearts, that we may be cleansed from every taint of selfishness? When we allow our lives to be controlled by the Holy Spirit of God, we shall with willing hearts bring our gifts and offerings to him, that he may use them where they are most needed. {RH, September 26, 1907 par. 14}
Abigail presented by implication the course that David ought to pursue. He should fight the battles of the Lord. He was not to seek revenge for personal wrongs, even though persecuted as a traitor. . . . These words could have come only from the lips of one who had partaken of the wisdom from above. The piety of Abigail, like the fragrance of a flower, breathed out all unconsciously in face and word and action. The Spirit of the Son of God was abiding in her soul. Her speech, seasoned with grace, and full of kindness and peace, shed a heavenly influence. Better impulses came to David, and he trembled as he thought what might have been the consequences of his rash purpose. . . . {Conflict and Courage 169.3}
The Spirit of the Son of God was abiding in her soul - this is pre-incarnation talk friends.