Category Archives: Holy Spirit

The Spirit of God (I)

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God (I Corinthians 2:9-11).

It is reasonable to deduce that there are things about God we shall never know. It is a reasonable deduction because God is infinite in all His attributes, as we have seen, and we are mere finite creations. A finite mind can never grasp all the possibilities and nuances of infinite divinity. “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29). The only things we can know for certain are those things the Spirit of God explicitly reveals and those things that can be reasonably deduced from the things the Spirit of God has revealed. Extreme care must be taken that we stay within the limits of what a finite mind may know about the nature of the infinite God.

As we have seen, the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead. He is co-equal in every way with the First and Second Persons of the Godhead. He is God, yet He is not the Father and He is not the Son. It would be an error of the greatest magnitude to think of the Holy Spirit as merely God’s power or energy, dependent upon the Father for its existence. In fact, it would be wrong to think of the Holy Spirit as an “it” at all. The Holy Spirit, as we have seen, has Person status, and He has always existed because God has always existed and He is God. The Holy Spirit has divine omnipotent power (Rom. 15:13) and since He is God there is nothing He cannot do (Luke 1:37).

In a previous article, I tried to offer an analogy of the triune nature of God by comparing it with our own tripartite human nature. As I pointed out then, the analogy is faulty because there is no true analogy for the triune Godhead. But the analogy can be used for contrast, which is also helpful. For the triune nature of God is quite different than the tripartite nature of man. Let’s observe the following.

• God is three divine Persons while man is one mortal person.
• God is three divine Persons Who are co-equal and co-eternal. Man is one mortal person with three parts, body, soul and spirit (I Thess. 5:3) which, while they are all three essential for personhood and intended to go together, seem to have a hierarchical relationship.
• The three Persons of the Godhead are each fully and equally God, while the parts of the body are not fully persons without each other.
• The three Persons of the Godhead are uncreated and self-existing while the body and its three parts are created.
• In God, each Person is fully and equally God, and their unity is perfect and indivisible. In man, the parts are not persons, and their unity is contingent and vulnerable to disruption (as in death).

We can see then that the relationship of the Spirit of God to God is quite different than that of the spirit of man to man. Man’s spirit alone is not fully man; The Holy Spirit in Himself is fully God.

Everything that can be said of God can be said of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the Holy Spirit is called God (Acts 5:3,4). He is identified as Jehovah ( Exod. 17:7, with Heb. 3:7-9; Num. 12:6, with II Pet. 1:21) and as the Most High Jehovah (Psalms 78:17, 21; cf. Acts 7:51) He is eternal (Heb. 9:14) and the Creator of man (Job 33:4). In creation He garnished the Heavens (Job. 26:13). He is omniscient in knowledge (I Cor. 2:10), omnipresent (Psalm 139:7), He is omnipotent in power (Luke 1:35; Rom.), and He is the source of miraculous power (Matt. 12:28, with Luke 11:20; Acts 19:11, with Rom. 15:19). He is co-equal with the Father and the Son (Matt. 28:19; II Cor. 13:14). Jesus was raised from the dead by the Spirit (I Pet. 3:18; Rom. 1:4) and the new birth comes under the work of the Spirit of God (John 3:3-5).

While the Nature and work of the Holy Spirit of God is addressed in multiple passages throughout scripture, He is probably misunderstood by more people in and out of the church than either the Father or the Son. The Holy Spirit is usually considered mysterious, perhaps because of His spiritual nature. And while that nature is unobservable to the human vision (cf. John 3:8), it is knowable and understandable by the things that are revealed in scripture (I Cor. 2:10) to the mind’s eye. The Spirit of God is a “revealer” not a “concealer.” The Holy Spirit brings order, not chaos. We will address more about the Holy Spirit of God in the next few entries.

Eric L. Padgett

These Three Are One (Part III)

The New Testament clearly teaches these facts: The Father is God (John 6:27; I Pet. 1:2). But Jesus is also identified as God (John 1:1-3; 20:28; cf. also, e.g., John 12:37-40; Is. 6:1-10). And the Holy Spirit is also identified as God (Acts 5:3,4; II Cor. 3:17; cf. Psalm 139:7). However, the Father is never identified with Jesus or the Holy Spirit, nor is Jesus ever identified with either the Father or the Holy Spirit, nor is the Holy Spirit ever identified with either the Father or the Son.1 There are three divine Persons in one God. This is what the Bible teaches, though we may not fully comprehend it.

No analogy is ever perfect but when I think of ways to explain the relationship of the three Persons of the Godhead I think of few analogies. First, I think of a triangle. A triangle consists of three sides, three vertices (the points at which the sides meet) and three angles. If you do not have these three parts, you do not have a triangle. Yet, they make up only one triangle. Another analogy that is often used is an egg. An egg has three parts: The shell, the white and the yoke. The three parts make up only one egg, yet each part is the egg. You cook the yolk and not the shell, but you still say you cooked an egg. Another analogy might be a musical chord. A chord consists of three distinct notes that harmonize to create one unified sound. Each note is fully present, yet together they form a single musical entity. Finally, I think of our own human nature. We have a body, soul and spirit. We are a triad, as it were. In fact, we are created in the image of God. Now none of these analogies are perfect because the triune Godhead is unique, but they do help to visualize in our own minds what can be very difficult concept to grasp, namely, God’s triune nature.

The best thing we can do is to look at the scriptures which either explicitly state or are consistent with the verses given above. Let’s begin with Jesus’ baptism. The Bible tells us that Jesus approached John the Baptist to be baptized (Matt. 3). Immediately after He was baptized, as He was stepping up out of the water (Mark 1:10), the heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended in a bodily shape like a dove and the voice of God spoke from Heaven, saying, This is my Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased (Matt. 3:16,17). There are three distinct Persons in this account. There is the Father, the Spirit, appearing as a dove, and, Jesus. They are in three, separate locations. The Father is in Heaven. The Son is in the Jordan river and the Spirit is moving from Heaven to where the Son is. The Father speaks from Heaven identifying Jesus as His Son, in Whom He is well pleased. The Holy Spirit is seen descending and lighting upon Jesus and remaining there, thus indicating His distinction from the Son (John 1:33).

Another instance worthy of note, is the Great Commission. In giving the great commission (Matt. 28:18-20), Jesus commanded baptism. Notice how Jesus expressed this command. “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus commanded baptism on the authority of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In doing this, Jesus placed the Son and the Spirit on an equal level of authority with the Father.

When we think of the nature of the Spirit described in the scriptures, we should realize that the Spirit has “personhood.” That is, He has traits that indicates He is an individual with will, rationality and feelings. The Holy Spirit is always spoken of as an He, not an it. The Holy Spirit can be grieved (Eph. 4:30), He has the potential of being lied to (Acts 5:3), He can be vexed (Is. 63:10), He has intention and is responsive to human action (Is. 63:10), He speaks (Acts 13:2), He teaches (John 14:26), He testifies (John 15:26), He strives (Gen. 6:3), He commands (Acts 8:28), He intercedes (Rom. 8:26), He sends workers (Acts 13:4), He calls (Rev. 22:17), and He works (I Cor. 12:11), etc. We will delve more into the nature of the Spirit at a later time in greater depth but for now it is important to note that He is not a force, but a person, separate from the Father, yet God. He has all the attributes of deity, including omnipotence (Luke 1:35; Rom. 15:19 ), omnipresence (Ps. 139:7-13) and omniscience (I Cor. 2:10 ), just as does the Father and Son.

Jesus stated that when He went back to the Father, that the Holy Spirit would be sent to the apostles. “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me” (John 15:26). This statement of Jesus’ clearly identifies three Persons of equal divine status but with different work. After Jesus completed His work here and He returned to the Father, He would send the Spirit of Truth from the Father to the apostles. The Spirit would then testify of Jesus to and through the apostles (John14:26:16:3, etc).

Another instance of the triune nature of the Godhead being mentioned is found in Paul’s three-fold blessing in II Cor. 13:14. Much like the three-fold formulas found in the Old Testament discussed in a previous installment, Paul includes all three Persons of the Godhead in his blessing. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen” (II Corinthians 13:14). In this three-fold formula, Paul places each of the three on an equal footing while differentiating their separate works.

John’s symbolic description of God’s throne in the Revelation also gives a glimpse of the triune nature of God. In this vision, John saw One that sat on a glorious, heavenly throne (4:2). This is presumably God, the Father. Before the throne were seven lamps, which are said to be the seven Spirits of God (4:5). This is a symbolic way of representing the Holy Spirit. Also in the midst of the throne stood a lamb as if it had been slain (5:6) which is an obvious reference to the Son (Is. 53; John 1:36; I Pet. 1:19,20; Heb. 12:2, etc.). So we have in John’s vision all three Persons of the Godhead symbolically represented. Furthermore, we have the three-fold praise directed toward the throne, Holy, Holy, Holy (4:8).

Besides these texts there are many other passages which reference all three Persons of the Godhead in some way. This site lists 58 Triadic passages and answers some objections to them. There are other sites which provide passages which support the triune nature of God. It is a doctrine clearly taught in scripture, but it is not always easy to grasp all that it entails.

“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (I John 5:7).

Eric L. Padgett

Endnotes

  1. There are certain exceptions to this (Is. 9:6, e.g.) but they do negate the overall tenor of this point, that the divine Persons of the Godhead are separate from each other while all being God. Each of those passages need to be examined more closely and independently to understand them more fully.

These Three Are One (Part II)

Beyond the Genesis elohim passages, there are many other passages which add detail to the doctrine of the triune Godhead. In this installment, we will look at some other Old Testament passages. Again, it is not suggested that the writers of these Old Testament passages understood clearly all that they were speaking or writing, but in the light of New Testament revelation, they all become much clearer to us. In our third installment we will look at the New Testament on the subject.

The Plurality of the Godhead in Genesis 11

In Genesis 11 we have another reference to the plurality of the Godhead. When man in his hubris tried to build a tower that would reach to heaven, God said “Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech” (Genesis 11:7). It has been suggested that the plural used here is a mere literary device, the so-called “Majestic We.” Kings and those in power will sometimes speak in the plural to emphasize their authority. It is believed that this practice began because God used it that way in these passages (see here). The first problem with this is that in scripture no Hebrew king ever followed such an example and identified himself with a “royal we.” Actually, neither did the kings of the east like Darius (Ezra 6:12) or Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:21). Second, God could very well speak in the royal we precisely because of His triune Nature not in spite of it.

A Revealing Encounter in Exodus 34

Another tremendous passage that is often overlooked is found in Exodus 34. Moses had requested to see the glory of God (Ex. 33:16). God told Moses that no one could see His face and live but that there was a place by Him (33:21) and he could stand in a cleft of a rock (33:22) and God, after covering Moses with His hand (33:22) so he couldn’t see God’s face, would allow him to see His hinder parts as He passed by and would cause all His goodness to pass by and proclaim the name of the Lord (Ex. 33:19-23). The Text tells us that the next morning Moses went up the mountain and “LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there” (Exodus 34:5). At the same time that the Lord stood with Moses there, the Lord also passed before him and proclaimed the name of the Lord (34:6,7). And then Moses, after bowing his head, said, “O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us” (Ex. 34:9).

There are at least two things worthy of note pertaining to the topic of the triune nature of the Godhead in this passage. First, the Text seems to clearly say that the Lord stood by Moses at the same time that the Lord passed by Moses declaring the name of the Lord. This is reminiscent of John 1:1-3 where the Word was both God and the Word was with God at the same time. In this instance, the Lord was both standing by Moses and passing in front of him at the same time.

The second interesting thing is that Moses asked the Lord to let “his Lord” go among them. Previously, Moses had said to the Lord “Thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me” as he led the children of Israel to the promised land (Ex. 33:12). The Lord assured Moses that His Presence would go with Moses and Israel (33:14). This precipitated Moses asking God to see His glory. Now that Moses had seen it, he said “Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us” (34:9). Who was Moses’ Lord? It was the Presence of God (33:14). It was the Angel of His Presence that saved them (Is. 63:9). It was the second Person of the Godhead by Whom Moses stood.

Psalm 110:1 – A Divine Conversation

In a very similar way, David wrote, “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool” (Psalm 110:1). David said the Lord (Jehovah) said to his (David’s) Lord (Adonay) “sit Thou on my right hand until I make Thy enemies Thy footstool.” Who was David’s Lord (Adonay)? Jesus said this passage was speaking of Messiah, of Himself (Matt. 22:42-46; Mark 12:35-37). Peter and Luke applied the passage to the resurrection f Christ (Acts 2:30-36). But it shows a conversation between two lords, between the Father and the Son within the Godhead. The verse implies that “the LORD” (Jehovah) speaks to “my Lord,” pointing to a distinction of persons within one divine essence. It is the same distinction that Moses had made (Ex. 34:9).

Isaiah 6 and the Triune God

In Isaiah 6, Isaiah sees a glorious vision of God, of Jehovah, and of the triune nature of the Godhead. Isaiah saw “the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple” (6:1). Isaiah sees the Lord (Adonay) sitting on a throne. In response, Isaiah says “mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD (Jehovah-ELP) of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). So Isaiah sees the Lord (Adonay) and identifies Him as Jehovah. Jehovah is spoken of in the singular, i.e., His (Second person singular) train filled the Temple (6:1). And yet the Lord asks, “Whom shall I send” (singular) and then “who will go for us?” (plural). Here again, the Lord speak of Himself in the plural. This combination of singular and plural pronouns is intentional. It indicates a plurality in the unity and suggests the triune nature of the Godhead.

Just as an aside, the word translated “train” in the KJV is elsewhere translated as robe or hem. But Isaiah chose the plural shulayv instead of the singular shulo to indicate the glory of Adonay in the temple. The usage of the plural could be just a Hebrew literary device to emphasize God’s majesty, but it is also consistent with interplay of plural and singular terms in relationship to God’s triune nature.

But we are not left to guess about whom Isaiah saw in his vision for the apostle John, in describing Jesus’ miracles applies this passage (Isaiah 6) to Jesus and says “These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him” (John 12:41). Isaiah says he say the Lord, Jehovah (6:5) and John says he saw Jesus, or the Second Person of the Godhead (John 12:41). Furthermore, it is interesting to note John quotes from the LXX. In that text there is a shift from the one blinding their eyes and dulling their hearing and hardening their heart to the one healing them. It is “He” who blinds (that is, God, cf. II Thess. 2:11; Psalm 81:11,12; et. al.) but “I” (that is, Christ, cf. Mal. 4:2; Is. 53:5) will heal. This is also consistent with the plurality of the Godhead.

Finally, while repetition is one form of emphasis, given all the other nuances and intracasies of this passage, it seems significant, or at least consistent with the triune nature of the Godhead to repeat the holiness of God thrice, Holy, Holy, Holy (cf. Rev. 4:8).

Conclusion

Other Old Testament passages address the plurality of the Godhead in various ways. We have examined various Christophanies in the Old Testament of One who was worshiped as God yet distinct from Him (i.e., Gen. 32 where Jacob wrestles a “man” Who is identified as God, or Manoah and his wife who see the angel who is called God (Jud. 13:22). There are also verbal formulas that are of a triune nature, such as the Holy, Holy, Holy of Isaiah and the triple blessing of God commanded of Aaron (Num. 6:24-26). Additionally, like the word “Elohim,” the word “Adonay,” used about three hundred times in the Old Testament, is also plural and is used with singular verbs (e. g., Isaiah 6:1). Finally, references to God’s Spirit suggest that He is both God but separate from Him (Is.48:16; 63:10; Gen, 1:3; II Sam. 23:2; etc.).

These Three Are One (Part 1)

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one (I John 5:7).1

As we have seen, there is but one God. And yet, the Bible clearly teaches here and in the totality of its revelation that there are three Persons in the Godhead, or, in one God. The common word for this is the Trinity. Though that word is not explicitly found in scripture, the idea is there from the first verses to the last chapter of the Bible. While Moses (and Adam and Abraham and all other saints mentioned in scripture) may not have understood the triune nature of God, he speaks to it often, as do other Old Testament authors. In this installment, we will focus on one particular passage and then broaden our scope to cover more of the Old Testament landscape.

The very first verse of the Bible teaches so much. One very interesting aspect of this verse is that the word translated God, elohim, is plural. It literally means “gods.” This is the word translated most often in scripture as “God.” It is true that Hebrew sometimes uses the plural of some words to intensify the meaning. But it’s not the word elohim alone that is significant. It’s the connection of the plural noun “elohim” to the singular verb “created” (bara) that makes it so unique. In Biblical Hebrew, standard grammar demands that a singular noun govern a singular verb and a plural noun govern a plural verb.2 Moses was an educated man (Acts 7:22) and would not have made such a simple mistake as to confuse number grammatically. The text could literally be translated, “In the beginning, the gods He created…” To be grammatically correct, the text should read either “God He created” or “gods they created.”

Grammatically, there are no parallels in Hebrew to this construction which is consistently used in the Old Testament. There are instances of collective, plural nouns receiving the action of a masculine, singular verb (i.e., mayim and shamayim, Gen. 1:1, 7), but this is very different from the use in the elohim passages. And it wasn’t only Moses. Nearly every Old Testament book uses elohim and very often it is connected to a singular verb (i.e., II Chron. 26:7). The use of a singular verb with the plural elohim in scripture is not a mistake, it is intentional and suggests the idea of the Trinity. Furthermore, it is a testament to the inspiration of the scriptures that Hebrew authors and other persons in scriptures across the centuries and from various backgrounds utilized the same grammatical peculiarity in referring to deity. This, in itself, is astonishing.

A further support of this view is that Genesis1:26 contains the statement, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). This grammatical structure indicates a plurality of Persons. Some say God was using the majestic “we.” But God does not use the majestic “we” in other important passages, (ie., Ex. 20 “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me…”). Others say He was speaking to the angels. But angels are created beings and were not of the same nature as God. We are not made in the image of angels (Psalm 8:5;Heb. 2:7-9). It is better to take this as referring to the three Divine Persons of the Godhead. So from the very first verse of the Bible, and from the first chapter elsewhere, we are given a glimpse of the triune nature of God.

It is a glimpse. A foreshadowing of a truth more fully revealed in the New Testament. This is not unusual. Various prophecies, types and metaphors arising from the various tabernacle services and utensils and other forms of Old Testament worship revealed in parts the coming redemptive work of Messiah. These things were not fully understood until the Holy Spirit revealed them clearly in the New Testament. As Paul explained, “Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit” (Ephesians 3:5). And so it is with the triune nature of God. What was hinted at and suggested in the Old Testament regarding the nature of God, is now more fully revealed in the New Tesament.

Accordingly, we have also in connection with Genesis 1:1 the New Testament commentary on this passage in John 1:1-3. John says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John clearly intends to comment and elaborate upon the Genesis text. While John’s purpose may have been to combat certain false doctrines regarding Jesus’ nature, he nevertheless corroborates the view that Genesis 1:1 is meant to encompass the triune nature of the Godhead.

John’s statement is just as unique as the Genesis passage. John states the Word was both with God and was God. Now, in our world and reality it is not possible to both be with and be the same thing. I am myself. I am not with myself, not in any sense about which we normally speak (unless we speak in euphemistic way, i.e., we might say someone is beside himself). But both of these things were true of the Word Who became flesh (John 1:18). He was with God and He was God. This explains how God could say, “Let us make man in our image and after our likeness…” (Gen. 1:26). God the Father was speaking to at least the Second Person of the Godhead, the Logos or Word. John emphasizes this once again in his first general epistle ( I John 1:1-3).

Even standing on its own, it seems to me to be clear that the use of the plural elohim with a singular masculine verb in Genesis 1:1 (and throughout the Old Testament) is speaking to, at the very least, a plurality of the singular God and, in its fullest revelation, the triune nature of the Godhead. We have not even touched upon the fact that Spirit of God is explicitly mentioned in the Text as a separate quantity (Gen. 1:3). More will be said about the Spirit in future installments. And more will be said about other Old Testament passages that add to the doctrine of the triune Nature of God.

Endnotes

  1. I know this verse is controversial with many. However, I hold it to be sacred scripture. You may find part of my reason for holding it thus here (https://mtvchurchofchrist.org/wp/?p=594). Just because many do not find it authoritative, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be used in defense of the truth it states. I will not let other Christian’s skepticism of this verse dictate my use of it any more than I would let modernists skeptics doubts of other passages limit my use of them. I have found that many merely follow what they have been told rather than do their own research and come to their own conclusions, unfortunately.
  2. ”A good command of Hebrew also requires proficiency in using grammatical gender and number correctly, as nouns, verbs, and adjectives are all gendered and must agree in terms of number.” from https://www.hebrewpod101.com/blog/2021/03/18/hebrew-grammar-overview/#2; A Concise Hebrew Grammar Guide

Eric L. Padgett

The Lord, He is God

There is one and only one true and living God. This is explicitly taught in the Scriptures.

Isaiah consistently and often affirms this most important truth. Isaiah wrote, “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou has made heaven and earth…Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only” (Isaiah 37:16,20). Again he writes, “To whom will ye liken God? Or what likeness will ye compare unto Him” (Isaiah 40:18). And again, “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One” (Isaiah 40:25). Yet again, Isaiah affirms there is only one God: “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me” (Isaiah 45:5). Once more, he writes, “…there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me” (Isaiah 45:21). With a most powerful declaration of God’s singularity, Isaiah records the words of the Lord: “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them. Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any” (Isaiah 44:6-8). “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no savior” (Isaiah 43:10,l1). Finally, “For I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me” (Isaiah 46:9).

Moses affirmed the same truth: “Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him” (Deut 4:35,39). Again, “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand” (Deut. 32:39). King David affirmed, “Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears” (II Samuel 7:22; I Chron. 17:20; Psalm 18:31; Psalm 86:10). His son Solomon wanted all the people of the earth to know that “the LORD is God, and that there is none else” (I Kings 8:60). Jeremiah taught that there is none like the Lord, Who is the true and living God (Jer. 10:6, 10). Namaan confessed that “Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel” (II Kings 5:15). Hezekiah stated that “thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth” (II Kings 19:15). The Levites acknowledge that “Thou, even Thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee” (Nehemiah 9:6). The prophets Hoshea, Joel and Zachariah all affirmed that there is but one Lord over all the earth (Hosea 13:4; Joel 2:27; Zechariah 14:9).

In the New Testament, Paul adamantly affirmed “There is one God…” (I Tim. 2:5). He wrote, “As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many), But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him” (I Corinthians 8:4-6). Paul was condemned by the craftsmen almost throughout all Asia who made silver shrines to the pagan goddess Diana because their craft was in jeopardy by his teaching. Paul had persuaded and turned away much people, saying that there be no gods, which are made with hands (Acts 19:26). James affirmed that there was but one God and that the demons also know this (James 2:19). Paul and Jude agree that He is the only wise God (I Tim. 1:17; Jude 25).

Furthermore, Paul said that God is not only the God of the Jews but of all others, as well, so, he affirms, it is God that justifies (Rom. 3:29,30). Therefore, the same Lord is over all (Rom. 10:12). The scribes acknowledged that “there is one God; and there is none other but he” (Mark 12:32). Jesus said that Jehovah is the “only true God” (John 17:3). Paul once again affirmed there is one God and Father of all (Eph. 4:6).

Contrasting the True and Living God with idols, the Psalmist says “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them” (Psalm 115:4-8). They are all fake gods, made up gods, no gods at all but the figment of man’s vivid imagination. Jeremiah said, “Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.” (Jer. 51:17,18).

One of the most powerful demonstrations that there are no gods other than Jehovah, the true and living God, was when Elijah challenge the prophets of Baal (I Kings 18). Elijah “came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him” (I Kings 18:21). He then proposed a challenge, let the true God answer by fire. The prophets of Baal called upon their god, “O Baal hear us. But there was no voice nor any that answered” (I Kings 18:26). “And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked” (I Kings 18:27). In truth, there was no such god as Baal. “They cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded” (I Kings 18:28,29). Then Elijah dowsed the sacrifice to Jehovah with water and cried “Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench” (I Kings 18:37-38). “And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God” (I Kings 18:39).

So scripturally, there can be no doubt. There is only one God. Only one true and living God. All other “gods” are false gods, or no gods at all. They are the creations of man’s imagination, made from wood and stone and are lifeless and heartless. They are created to validate man’s lusts and desires for power. They are powerless apart from the threats of their creators. They are created by man but the true and living God created man.

And logically, the same argument can be made. God, by definition, is the supreme being. There cannot be multiple supreme beings in the sense of an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God. The cosmological argument demands an uncaused First Cause, not first causes. Even the Greek and Roman pantheons produced a more dominant god, in Zeus and Jupiter. While they are not supreme in any way near the Biblical sense, their status denotes the need for a superior authority. Indeed, there must be an ultimate authority for there to be morality. If there were multiple “supreme” gods, then there could be multiple moral “truths,” which would entail logical contradiction and morality would be merely the whim of some arbitrary feeling or demand of a set of conflicting dictates from an undetermined set of powerful beings. Many questions would be unanswered. There is no logical way to harmonize a pantheon of powerful beings with the order of the universe or the philosophical order of the Supreme being of Judeao-Christian scriptures.

There is but one answer to all these questions and that is…

The Lord, He is God

Eric L. Padgett

The Angel of the Lord

We have seen that the Presence of God is everywhere and that the Person of God is on His throne in Heaven. Last time we introduced the idea of theophany, the veritable appearance of God in the world in some form. It is how God chose to make Himself known to the world in some instances. Those theophanies are also Christophanies, where the pre-incarnate Christ appeared in the world. Sometimes the Lord’s pre-incarnate appearance was referred to as the angel of the Lord.

First of all, consider that God appeared to Moses in a bush that burned but was not consumed (Exodus 3:1-6). This unconsumed burning bush caught Moses’ attention and piqued his interest. He turned aside to see it, going out of his way, which indicates it was some distance away, yet noticeable. This event was more than a miracle, more than just a bush that was not consumed with the fire that engulfed it, for, from within a flame of fire that covered the bush, incredibly, the angel of the Lord appeared to him (Ex. 3:15).

This was not merely just some one of the myriad of the angels of God. It was “the angel of the Lord,” identifying this” angel” as unique among divine messengers. We learn that God called unto him from out of the midst of the bush, further equating the angel of the Lord with God, Himself! Yet further proof of the divine encounter is that Moses was required to take the shoes from off his feet because that place was holy ground. It could only be considered holy ground only if God was there. Even further tightening the connection between the angel of the Lord and God, is that the one speaking says, “I am the God of they father, the God of Abraham…” (Ex. 3:6).

What is the significance of this appearance? God had told Abraham over four hundred years earlier that the children of Israel would go into bondage in a land that was not theirs and serve them four hundred years (Gen. 15:13,14). But God promised to bring them out again and the people who had enslaved them would pay dearly (Gen. 15:14). God sealed that promise with Abraham by His own theophanic revelation as a smoking furnace and a burning lamp (Gen. 15:17). The time had now come to bring an end to their captivity (Ex. 3:8). The children of Israel had been brought, as it were, by God “out of an iron furnace, even out of Egypt” (Deut. 4:20). Israel had gone through the fire and water and God had brought them to a wealthy place (Psalm 66:12). It was the angel of the Lord that said “I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you” (Judges 2:1).

When God had commanded Abraham to offer up his only son Isaac, it was the angel of the Lord that stayed his hand (Gen. 22:11). Twice the angel of the Lord speaks to Abraham, but it is what He says that is great interest.

And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice (Genesis 22:16-18).

Note that the angel of the Lord says “By Myself have I sworn, saith the Lord…” (22:16). The angel identifies Himself as the “LORD”, or Jehovah. All the affirmations of this Angel indicate that He was divine, and not merely one of the myriad of created angels at God’s disposal. The Angel says, “you have obeyed My voice” (22:18). This can only be God.

Though the phrase ‘Angel of the Lord’ is absent in this passage, the Lord’s appearance to Abram at Mamre (Gen. 18:1) bears similar characteristics to other theophanies/Christophanies. Yet, the Bible says three “men” appeared to Abraham on the plains of Mamre (Gen. 18:2). While they are talking, the Text suddenly changes from the plural to the singular, from “they” (v.9) to “He” (v.10). Moreover, “He” promised to return again in a year to see that Sarai would have a son, even though they were both old and Sarai had passed the age of childbearing (Rom. 4:18-21). This is the kind of promise only God could make. The Bible text says that while apparently two of the “men” then left and went toward Sodom, Abraham was left to stand before the Lord, or Jehovah. We find that two angels come to Sodom (Gen. 19:1), which identifies two of the three men as angels and the one that did not come was the Second Person of the Godhead.

It seems fitting that the Second Person of the Godhead would appear to Abram and Sarai and announce that they would have a son in a year in fulfillment of the promise the Lord had made to Abraham some twenty-five years earlier since, He, Himself, would come in the fulness of time and be born of a virgin and be the ultimate fulfillment of that spiritual promise to bless all the earth.

Scripture records several other encounters with the Angel of the Lord: His appearance to Hagar in the wilderness (Gen. 16:7-13), to Gideon (Judges 6:11-24), to Manoah and his wife regarding Samson’s birth (Judges 13:3-22), as Israel’s divine guide (Ex. 23:20-23), to Joshua before Jericho (Josh. 5:13-15), and more. It is clear, that God has appeared in times past in some visible, tangible form to guide, and sometimes judge, His people. This shows God’s personal interest in our affairs and the development of the Scheme of Redemption. These theophanies/Christophanies were powerful testimonies to that fact God cares and is interested in man’s salvation.

One final note. In the mythologies of at least the western world there were stories of gods appearing in various forms to man. But these were very different than what we see in the developed theology of the Bible. Consider the following.

First, the nature of the divinity is drastically different. Jehovah is transcendent, holy, and unchanging. Theophanies reveal His presence without diminishing His divine nature. But the appearances of the gods in mythology (i.e., Greek and Roman, an others) are often anthropomorphic, flawed, and subject to human-like emotions and desires. In the second place, the purposes are completely different. Theophanies serve to reveal God’s will or guide His people (e.g., the burning bush, Mount Sinai) while mythological appearances often involve deception, seduction, or personal whims of the gods (e.g., Zeus taking the form of a swan to seduce Leda). In the third place, consider the moral framework. Biblical theophanies emphasize holiness, justice, and divine authority. Encounters often demand reverence and obedience while mythological appearances frequently reflect the gods’ capricious nature, often leading to morally ambiguous or tragic outcomes. And finally, consider the form of the appearance. God appears in various forms, fire, cloud, angelic messenger, but always with a clear divine purpose. Greek and Roman gods take on human or animal forms, often to manipulate or interact with mortals in unpredictable ways. Ultimately, mythological depictions of divine interaction pale in comparison to the biblical portrayal of God’s direct involvement in the unfolding Scheme of Redemption.

Through the unfolding drama of Scripture, the appearances of the Angel of the Lord serve as profound glimpses of God’s personal engagement in human history. These theophanies/Christophanies reveal the Second Person of the Godhead actively working within His creation, guiding, delivering, and establishing His covenantal promises. Unlike the flawed and capricious deities of mythology, who often descend for self-serving ends, the biblical manifestation of God demonstrates divine intentionality, holiness, and redemptive love. From the burning bush to the patriarchs, these encounters remind us that the God who appeared in times past is the same God who ultimately took on flesh to dwell among us, fulfilling His promises in the person of Jesus Christ. His involvement is not distant, but deeply personal, pointing humanity toward redemption and the culmination of His divine plan.

Eric L. Padgett

God Is in Heaven

While the Bible and reason teach that God is omnipresent, the Bible and reason just as clearly teach that God also resides in heaven. The Bible is very clear about this.

Jesus taught us to pray by saying, “Our Father, which art in heaven…” (Matt. 6:9). In this simple statement, He clearly affirms that the first Person of Godhead, the Father, resides in Heaven. Several things need to be addressed in this connection. First, this post assumes the triune nature of God. That is, that God is three Persons in One God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This topic will be addressed in another post, but for our purposes here, it will be assumed as correct. Second, while the Father is in Heaven on His Throne, the second and third Persons of the Godhead may be elsewhere. For instance, in Jesus’ baptism, the Father spoke from Heaven, the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove and Jesus was in the Jordan being baptized. Thus, while in some sense God’s Presence is everywhere, as we have seen, the Person of the Father was in Heaven on His throne.

When Jacob went out from his father unto Haran, he came to a certain place where he pillowed his head upon some stones (Gen. 28:10,11). In a vision from God, he dreamed there of a ladder whose top reached to Heaven and the angels of God were ascending and descending upon it (v.12). But above the ladder was Jehovah (v13). Jacob said, “How dreadful is this place. This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (v17). Heaven, then, in Jacob’s view, in the Biblical view, was the House of God.

When Solomon prayed at the dedication of the Temple he had built as a “house of habitation” for God (II Chron. 6:2), He made clear that God’s actual dwelling place is in Heaven (II Chron. 6:39). On multiple occasions Solomon would say of God, “Then hear Thou from Heaven” (6: 23, 25, 27, 35) which he would call “Thy dwelling place” (6:21, 30, 33, 39). During Hezekiah’s day, it is said the prayer of the children of Israel was heard and that it went up to Heaven, to His holy dwelling place (II Chron. 30:27). Isaiah said that God dwells in the high and holy place (Is. 57:15). Every time we read of Heaven, it is always spoken of as being upward.

The following is a list of passages which refer to Heaven in some form as God’s dwelling place:

Gen. 28:17- This is the House of God, the gate of Heaven
II Chron. 6:39 – Heaven Thy dwelling place
II Chron. 30:27 – Holy dwelling place, even Heaven
Psalms 123:1 – Dwellest in the heavens
Is. 57:15 – Dwell in the high and holy place
Is. 63:15 – Heaven is called the habitation of the holiness and glory of God
Matt. 23:9 – Your Father in heaven
II Chron. 20:6 – God in heaven
Psalm 115:3 – Our God is in the heavens
Is. 66:1 – Heaven is the place of His rest
Gen. 21:17 – Angel of God called out of heaven
Gen. 24:3 – The Lord, the God of Heaven
Gen. 24:7 – Lord God of Heaven
Josh. 2:11 – He is God in Heaven
II Chron. 36:23 – Lord God of Heaven – Ezra 1:2
Ezra 5:12 – God of Heaven – (6:9,10; 7:12, 21,23; Neh. 1:4,5; 2:4,20; Psalm 136:26; Dan. 2:18,19,37,44; John 1:9; Rev. 11:3;16:11)
Job 22:12 – God is in the height of heaven
Psalm 14:2; 53:2 – God looked down from Heaven
Psalm 57:3 – He shall send from Heaven
Psalm 80:14 – God look down from heaven and visit
Eccl. 5:2 – God is in Heaven
Is. 14:13 – satan said I will ascend into heaven and exalt my throne above the stars of God
Dan. 2:28 – God in Heaven (Matt. 22:30)
Dan. 5:23 – Lord of Heaven
Matt. 23:20 – He that swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and Him that sits thereon
Mark 16:19 – In heaven is the right hand of God
Acts 7:55 – Looked into Heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God
Rom. 1:18 – Wrath of God is revealed from Heaven
I Thess. 4:16 – Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven
Heb. 9:24 – Jesus went into Heaven itself to appear in the presence of God for us
I Pet. 3:22 – Is gone into Heaven and is on the right hand of God
Rev. 3:12 – New Jerusalem comes down from God out of Heaven
Rev. 20:9 – Came down from God out of Heaven- Rev. 21:2
Rev. 21:10 – Out of Heaven from God

A distinction needs to be made between the various uses of Heaven in the Bible. The word “Heaven” is used in a least three ways. Heaven is used, first of all, in reference to the atmosphere surrounding the earth (Gen. 1:20; Psalm 104:12). Then it is used of the place where the stars are, the universe (Gen. 1:14,15; Psalm 19:1). But Heaven is also used of where God resides (II Cor. 12:2; II Chron. 6:39). It is in the third sense that we are speaking about now. Sometimes, however, the other two heavens are used interchangeably with God’s place of dwelling (e.g., Psalm 103:19 – The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all).

God is a spirit (John 4:24). A spirit does not have flesh and bones (Luke 24:39), but a spirit may at least have a body or form (I Cor 15:44; cf. Ex. 33:23). His Presence is everywhere, but His Person resides in Heaven, the third Heaven, where He sits upon His throne, a representation of His sovereignty and rule. God exists and resides somewhere outside and superior to the created, material universe, in some sense as Spirit and where ever that “place” is, is Heaven. Heaven, then, is the eternal realm of God’s personal presence, inseparable from His eternal existence.

The Bible repeatedly affirms that while God’s Presence pervades all creation, He Personally dwells in Heaven. Scripture portrays Heaven as the seat of His throne, the realm of His glory, and the place from which He engages with His creation in a personal way. Understanding the distinction between His Presence and His Person, strengthens our comprehension of God’s nature–He is both transcendent over the universe and imminent in His interaction with His people (Acts 17:27,28). As we grasp this truth, we are invited to approach Him with reverence, recognizing that His throne in heaven is not a limitation of His being but an expression of His divine order and majesty (Heb. 10:19-22).

Eric L. Padgett

How Does satan Influence Us?

Look around. See the evil. There can be no doubt that real, palpable evil exists in this world. There are child molesters, murderers, torturers, liars, cheaters, thieves, abusers of the innocent and helpless and so many more disgusting and abhorrent people and actions in this world. How did evil come to be in the world? The Bible clearly teaches that the devil is responsible for the evil that is in the world (Gen. 3). But how does the devil operate in this world today to bring about evil? How does satan work?

First, satan does not bring about evil through miraculous means. Maybe you’ve seen a movie which portrays satan taking over the mind and body of a person, causing them to do some terrible thing. While evil spirits have possessed people in the past (e.g. Matt. 8:16, 28-34), this does not occur today. The reason for this is that the age of the miraculous has ceased (Zech. 12:1,2; I Cor. 13:8-13; Eph. 4:7-16). God does not now work miraculously in the world (i.e., invoking a superior law of God in a way superseding the laws of nature for to teach some spiritual truth). But if God does not work in this world today through the means of the miraculous, then neither does satan for, if he did, that would leave Christians without a viable defense. However, the Bible teaches that God has made a way of escape from every temptation (I Cor. 10:13; II Tim. 3:16; James 4:7; Eph. 6:10-17).

Second, satan does not act immediately. By “immediately” I mean he does not act directly, without mediation or agency. To be even more precise, satan does not act directly upon the human heart. Again, this question can be settled by understanding how God operates on us as Christians and on the unbelieving world. God does not act directly upon the heart of the alien sinner or of the child of God. If He did, then individuals would cease to be free moral agents but would become puppets instead. The false doctrine of Calvinism teaches that God operates directly on the human heart and some chosen few are irresistibly saved, but the Bible nowhere teaches this. In fact, many passages like the Great Commission teach just the opposite (Matt. 28:18-20; cf., Gal. 5:4).

In fact, clear examples can be shown where God worked on the heart of the alien sinner through the agency of His word. In Acts 8, God did not work directly upon the heart of the Ethiopian Eunuch but rather through the agency of His revealed word. Philip began in Isaiah 53, and, using others scriptures, preached unto him Jesus (Acts 8:35). This was even during the time when miracles were available to first century Christians. It was only through the agency of God’s written and spoken word that he learned what he needed to do to be saved (Acts 8:35-39).

Even in the case of Cornelius and his household, even when God allowed him to miraculously speak in tongues before he was forgiven of his sins, he first had to send for Peter to have him tell him words whereby he would be saved (Acts 10:6; 11:14). In Acts 2, those present for the Pentecost feast likewise were “pricked in their heart” when they heard the words of scripture Peter quoted and correctly applied (Acts 2:37). If God does not act directly upon your heart, then neither does (or can) satan.

The truth is, even I can move you to do things through the agency of words. If I tell you I would like you to come over because I have freshly baked, chewy, chocolate chip cookies, if you have any desire for freshly baked, chewy, chocolate chip cookies, you might be tempted to come over. If I, with an angry tone in my voice, called you a stupid idiot and told you I despised you, I think I would be able to incite an emotional, if not a physical, response from you. On the other hand, if a man whispers in a woman’s ear, among other sweet enticements, that she was a desirable, gorgeous creature with unsurpassed beauty, he might well move her heart amorously. These actions would all be precipitated through ideas conveyed through words.

Ideas conveyed through the medium of words have great power. Just as a man can influence another man through words, God influences us through the agency of His revealed Word. And, by the way, we also influence God through our words in prayer (Phil. 4:6).

Therefore, satan works through words and the ideas these words convey, to move us to act upon our own lusts. James said, “Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:14,15). Notice that it is our own lusts that entice us. When satan tempted Eve, he did so through the medium of words (Gen. 3:1 – “and he said unto the woman…”) because she saw that the tree was good for food and a tree to be desired (Gen. 3:6).

Observe how this works in the following examples. Luke states that satan entered into Judas’ heart (Luke 22:3). How did he enter Judas’ heart? Directly and immediately? No. Judas was already a thief at heart (John 12:6). When he saw the precious ointment being used to anoint Jesus instead of being used to line his own pockets, he balked (John 12:1-5). But notice, when he finally realized his own transgression, Judas said “I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood” (Matt. 27:1-5), indicating his own culpability. In the same way, Peter asked why satan had filled the hearts of Ananias and Sapphira to lie to the Holy Ghost (Acts 5:3). But in verse 4 he asks why they, themselves, had conceived this thing in their own hearts.

How exactly satan initially prompts people, the Bible does not explicitly say. He used Peter’s fears to tempt Christ not to go to Jerusalem (Matt. 16:23). In His response, Jesus said Peter did not savor the things of God but the things of man. We also know that God works in this world through His divine providence (i.e., using natural laws to bring about His purposes) to aid us, otherwise there would be no efficacy in prayer (Matt. 7:7). The working of satan in this world could never be anything more than what God is doing.  The Bible says that angels are ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who will be the heirs of salvation (Heb. 1:14). There is spiritual activity going on at a level we do not normally or naturally comprehend (Rev. 12; II Kings 6:16,17; etc.). As Christians, we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12).  But one thing is clear: neither the Holy Spirit nor satan work directly upon the human heart.

 

(More on this issue later)
Eric L. Padgett

The Season for Fruit

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper (Psalm 1:3).

When God created the world, He created it to bear fruit. The fruit tree was to bear fruit (Gen. 1:11) as were the animals God created to inhabit this world (Gen. 1:22). All this fruit was created by God so that man could benefit from them (Gen. 1:29). God also commanded man to “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it” (Gen. 1:28). After the Flood, the command to be fruitful was reissued to Noah and his descendants (Gen. 8:17).

A law that God established for the physical creation was that everything that produced fruit would reproduce only after its kind (Gen. 1:11). This law is seen in action everyday and is so well established that every tree is known by its fruit (Luke 6:44). Orange trees produce oranges, apple trees produce only apples, pear trees produce only pear trees, etc. This is also seen in the animal kingdom. Squirrels produce only squirrels, dogs only dogs, cats only cats and monkeys only monkeys. This one fact, by the way, forever defeats the hypothesis of evolution!

These principles, these laws, that are seen so readily in the material world, are also seen in the spiritual world. Just as God created the material world to bear fruit, Christians are created to bear fruit unto God (Rom. 7:4). The Lord has chosen us that we should go forth and bear fruit (John 15:16). In fact, Jesus said if you do not bear fruit, God will take you away (John 15:2). As we go forth and bear much fruit, God is glorified and we show ourselves to be the disciples of Christ (John 15:8).

A good tree will not bring forth corrupt fruit and an evil tree will not bear good fruit (Luke 6:43). Remember, a tree will reproduce after its kind. Thus, a good tree, because it is the product of good seed, will not bear evil fruit. If the seed is bad, then the tree is bad. When the seed is the good seed of the word of God, the result cannot be bad when it is mixed with a good and honest heart (Luke 8:11). Good fruit is brought forth in the individual when that person hears the word of God, and with patience, and a good and honest heart, keeps that word (Luke 8:15).

What are some of the fruits Christians may bear? Some fruit may be financial support and, consequently, fellowship in reaching the lost. Paul described a “certain contribution” made by the brethren in Macedonian and Achaia to the poor saints at Jerusalem as “fruit” (Rom. 15:28; cf. Phil 4:16,17). Other fruit may be holiness and everlasting life (Rom. 6:22; cf. Prov. 11:30). Still other fruit would be qualities such as “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Gal. 5:22-23). Offering the “sacrifice of praise to God continually” is a fruit that we may bear (Heb. 13:15).

And the list could go on but the point is God promises us that if our delight is in the law of the Lord, if we meditate in it day and night, we shall be like a tree that is firmly planted by the river of waters, where we will receive a continuous source of spiritual nutrients (Psalm 1:1-3). We will then produce fruit because the things we think about will be those spiritual things revealed in the word of God. We abide in Him and He in us through the word (John 15:2-4). Christ abides in us as His word abides in us (John 15:4,7). Faithful Christians will produce only the fruit that the word of God demands (John 15:4,5). We will bear fruit after the nature of the seed. It’s the law!

Eric L. Padgett

The Holy Spirit and the Day Of Pentecost

A passage that is usually offered in support of the view that the Holy Spirit literally and personally dwells in the body of the Christian in a non-miraculous fashion is Acts 2:38: “Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” The expression “and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” is said to constitute scriptural proof of the non-miraculous, personal and literal indwelling position. It is said that this passage proves that the Holy Spirit is given to those who are baptized for the remission of sins at the time of their baptism. But let us look at the context of this passage further.

Imagine, first of all, being a Jew in first century Jerusalem on the first Pentecost after the Lord’s resurrection. You would have as a knowledge base the Old Testament scriptures. The first thing you know of the Spirit of God is His work in creation (Gen. 1:2; Job 26:13). You would also know of His inspiring the prophets (e.g., Num. 11:25,26,29, et. al) and men who wrote the Old Testament, such as David (II Sam. 23:2). You would know of His empowering men such as Sampson, whom the Spirit of the Lord began to move at times (Jud. 13:25). In short, you would know of the miraculous power conferred by the Spirit of God upon His people. Please investigate further the knowledge that first century Jews would have had of the Spirit’s work in their history through the Old Testament Scriptures. Also, they would have understood that the Spirit had not spoken by the prophets for 400 years!

Furthermore, being a Jew in first century Jerusalem you would no doubt have heard of the work of Jesus and His apostles. (This would have stood in stark contrast to the prophetic silence of four centuries.) You would know that, at the very least, He was reported to be a “doer of wonderful works.” You would have heard that it was reported that He had raised individuals from the dead. You may have even been among the great multitudes of people who were flocking to Him to be healed of some dreaded disease because His fame went abroad into all the land (Matt. 9:26; Luke 4:54; 5:15). Maybe you had even heard that He taught that His apostles would be empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak words they had not studied (Matt. 10:20). Perhaps you heard Him say that He cast out devils by the Spirit of God (Matt. 12:28). Possibly, if you had kept up on the news swirling about Jerusalem after Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion, you would have heard it said that Jesus had miraculously risen from the dead by the power of the Spirit and appeared to His apostles and told them that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit and be endued with power not many days hence (Acts 1:4-8).

Moreover, if you were present in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost you would have heard of the commotion caused by the apostles of the Lord when they were astonishingly heard to be speaking in languages they had never studied (Acts 2:1-8).

Then, these apostles begin speaking and quoting the Old Testament prophet Joel: “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come” (Joel 2:28-31).

After this Peter states unequivocally, “This is that.” “This” referred to their being able to speak in languages they had never studied and “that” was Joel’s prophecy that the Spirit would be “poured out.” The Spirit’s being “poured out” was initially fulfilled in the gift of speaking in unlearned foreign languages by the apostles. This was also the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise that the apostles would be baptized in the Holy Spirit and be endued with supernatural power (Acts 1:4-8). To be baptized in the Holy Spirit was to be endued with power from on high, according to Jesus!

Now, when Peter tells these Jews who were present in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost to “Repent and be baptized everyone of you for the remission of sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (2:38), what do you suppose they would have immediately understood? Do you think they would have thought, “Ah! Peter is promising us the non-miraculous personal and literal indwelling of the Holy Spirit!”? Why, they had never even heard of such a thing! It was not in their experience.

What would they have thought, really? They would have thought that they would receive the same kind of power the apostles had received because they would have remembered Joel’s prophecy just quoted by Peter that their sons and daughters and young and old men would prophesy, dream dreams and see visions. Which, by the way, is what subsequently happened in New Testament history.

Rather than supporting a non-miraculous, personal and literal indwelling of the Holy Spirit’s person, a doctrine nowhere taught unequivocally in scripture, this passage teaches that the reception of the Holy Spirit was an outpouring of miraculous power by the Spirit upon the apostles. They needed this to be reminded of the words of Christ and to bring to their knowledge all truth He had not yet taught them (John 14:26; 16:13). They then were able to impart the Holy Spirit, i.e., pass these miraculous gifts to others, by and only by the imposition of hands (Acts 8:8) in fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy.

Acts 2:38 is a fulfillment of what Jesus said in Mark 16:15-18:”And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

Acts 2:38 parallels Mark 16:15-18. In Mark 16:17 Jesus says that “these signs shall follow them that believe.” But He does not tell us how that would occur. The way some interpret Acts 2:38 they would have to reason that miraculous signs were given immediately at baptism. But we know that it was through the apostles laying their hands on an individual that this occurred (Acts 8:18).

Also, please notice this passage says nothing about the Holy Spirit inhabiting the physical body of the Christian. It says nothing about God’s Spirit literally or personally being in the body of the Christian. The passage says nothing about the Holy Spirit doing anything non-miraculously. So to offer this passage as proof that the Holy Spirit literally and personally inhabits the body of the Christian in a non-miraculous way is completely without warrant.

See also this entry.

Eric L. Padgett