Why
Believing Christians Have Two Spirits
In the
process of Bible study, some Christians have come to understand why some have
received “two spirits” from God. If that
sounds confusing, we let the Scripture and our study tools explain.
We first
encounter the word “Spirit” in Genesis 1: 2, which says: “…And
the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the deep.” {Note the
capitalized letter “S”.) This reference is to the member of the Godhead that we
know as the “Holy Spirit”, as differentiated from God the Father and God
the Son. Our Strong’s Expanded
Concordance Hebrew Dictionary #7307 defines the word “spirit” / “ruwach” as
“wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible exhalation; figuratively
life…” (BOLD emphasis added.)
We next
encounter the word “spirit” in Genesis 41: 8, which says: “…And it
came to pass in the morning that his (Pharaoh’s) spirit was troubled;”
(Note the letter “s” is not capitalized.) This reference is to the spirit of a
mortal human being. The Strong’s Dictionary definition (#7307) is the
same as noted above. Note there were options for the reader to determine which key
word in the definition (wind vs breath vs life) is most appropriate for the use
presented. Once again we rely on the guidance
of the Bible translator, Myles Coverdale, who advised us to consider the
CONTEXT in which words are used. He said: “It will greatly
help you to understand scripture if you note not only what is spoken and
written, but of whom and to whom, with what words, at what time, where, to what
intent, with what circumstances, considering what goes before and what follows. (https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Myles_Coverdale )
The first
usage of “Spirit” in Genesis Chapter One that says: “moved upon the face
of the deep” draws us to the first definition of “wind”. However, the second usage of “spirit” in Genesis Chapter 41, seemingly could apply
to Pharaoh’s breath / breathing and / or his overall life “being
troubled.” . Either way it is a human trait / characteristic.
Remember from
our previous studies that the LORD God created man in the image of God (Genesis
1: 26-27), and that God is a Spirit (John 4: 24). (Upper-case “S”) Further, and most relevant to this discussion
is that the Scripture says: “ And the LORD God
formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2: 7)(Emphasis
added.) In this manner the Bible explained
how each of us gained our “spirit” (lower-case “s”) through the first
man Adam.
Now what
about the “second spirit” found in some Christians as noted in the title
of this post?
First I want
to remind you of the Scripture that tells of what happened to our Lord Jesus
immediately after He was baptized by John the Baptist. The Bible says: “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of
the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit
of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And
lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased. (Matthew 3: 16-17) (See also: Mark 1: 10;
Luke 3: 22; and John 1: 52-53) Remember that although He was the Son of God,
He had taken a human body to not only be able to better relate to us by
experiencing life as a man; and be tempted by the Enemy as we have been (Matthew
4: 1-11; ; 2 Corinthians 5: 21; Hebrews 4: 15); but primarily to take upon His
body all our sins to bring about our Salvation. In His human form our Lord
Jesus was showing His followers and us today that there was a connection
between His being recognized most favorably by both the voice of the Father in
Heaven and the appearance of the Holy Spirit of God, descending
like a dove and lighting on Him.
Also remember that near the end of His Earthly Ministry, our Lord
Jesus told His Disciples that He would be leaving to return to His Father. But
knowing they would feel remorse from losing Him, He promised to send a
“Comforter”, specifically the Holy Spirit who would teach them and guide
them, and “abide in them forever.” (John 14: 15-29; 15; 26; 16:
1-20). The Lord’s words came to reality
when the disciples received the Holy Spirt on the Day of Pentecost. (Acts 2: 1-41)
As we recall Bible history, this was likely the first instance in
which those who believed in God received the Holy Spirit to “abide in them
forever”. We remember that the Holy Spirit came upon several Bible notables in
the Old Testament including the prophets who could prophesy / speak for
God; and kings such as Saul and David. (1
Samuel 10: 1-9; Psalm 51: 10-11) However, as another of my teachers pointed out
(Jimmy Swagart Ministries), evidence is lacking that the “second Spirit”
remained with them “forever”.
But in the New Testament, we recall the Lord Jesus’ meeting
with the Pharisee leader Nicodemus, during which the conversation turned to the
requirement for “a man’s being born again” to be able “to enter into the
Kingdom of God”. That described receiving remission for sins and eternal life. (John
3: 1-21) Note the Lord’s words: “Except a man be born
of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. “ (Emphasis
added) Having been born of a woman (through water / amniotic fluid) as noted
above, the person has received the initial “spirit” at birth. However, It would
be the intervention of the “Holy Spirit” (the Second Spirit) that would be the
key to eternal life. (Verse 3: 16)
Most relevant to Christians today is the CONTEXT in which these
statements were made. Remember the Lord was speaking only to members of the
Nation of Israel as related to the Gospel of the Kingdom. (Matthew 10: 1-7) Further, He had not paid our sin debt through
His crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection. Now we are Christian believers
under the Gospel of Grace…if we truly believe. (1 Corinthians 15: 1-4; Romans
10: 9-13)
What characterizes us as “Christian believers” today is that we
have received the “Second Spirit” / the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12: 13; Romans
8: 1-27; Ephesians 1: 1-14; https://www.gotquestions.org/receive-Holy-Spirit.html
)
Dr. W. A. (Bill) Robinson
No comments:
Post a Comment