A STUDY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

A STUDY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Part Nineteen)

By Bob Myhan

The omniscience and omnipresence of God were affirmed by David in the following psalm.

O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. (Psalm 139:1-12)

Though many refer to the omnipresence of God when defending a literal, personal, direct indwelling of the Holy Spirit, such an argument proves too much and, therefore, proves nothing.

As observed previously, it is necessary that we remember the distinction between presence and indwelling. Though God is present where alien sinners are, He does not indwell them. Thus, His presence is one thing and His indwelling another.

It must also be kept in mind that the Holy Spirit possesses all the qualities or attributes of deity. Therefore, if the Holy Spirit indwells all faithful Christians literally, personally, directly, then all faithful Christians possess, in their bodies, all the qualities or attributes of deity. If this is not the case, why is it not?

But it must also be taken into account that He is distinct from the Father and Son as a separate, individual person (Mt. 3:16-17) and that He has identity (Acts 13:2). As an individual having identity, He is an indivisible entity. He cannot be divided up and parceled out. It is therefore impossible for the totality of His person to literally, personally and directly indwell the body of every Christian. Such would result in an individual, personal, divine entity for every Christian. Again, if this is not the case, why is it not? We bring this series of articles to a close with a quotation from H. Leo Boles.

A person, then, is the indivisible self which is and acts as a self-conscious being and free moral agent; his personality is that which makes him a person rather than a brute or a thing; his nature is the sum total of the traits of mind and heart which the self possesses and expresses more or less perfectly, consciously and unconsciously. Personality in God is the sum total of the infinite attributes resident in the inmost depth of his one divine nature; the three persons in the Godhead are the three individualities, the three personal centers of consciousness, the three separate self-conscious and self-determining persons or selves” (The Holy Spirit: His Personality, Nature, Works, p. 33). &

God has not only made it possible for everyone to be saved by sending His Son into the world to die for every man but has also given marching orders, initially, to the apostles and, subsequently, to those who have already been saved.

While the Great Commission was given only to the apostles, a part thereof was to prepare disciples to at least try to win the lost ones with whom they would come in contact.

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. (Mt. 28:16-20)

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2 Tim. 2:1-2)

There are at least four reasons personal evangelism is superior to pulpit preaching in reaching the lost: there is a vast number of opportunities for personal evangelism; there is a multiplicity of teachers (each one teach one); there is the power of personal contact; there is the fact that a home Bible study can be fitted to the needs of the prospect more readily than a pulpit sermon.

There are at least five reasons some Christians not evangelize: some don’t have a deep love for souls (John 3:16; Rom. 10:1; 1 Cor. 9:19-22); some think they do not “know enough” to teach (Heb. 5:11-14); some are overly cautious (Eccl. 11:4); some do not have a strong enough faith (2 Cor. 4:13).

There are several Bible examples of personal evangelism. First, Jesus called some pretty enthusiastic workers into the apostleship.

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. (Matt. 4:18-22)

As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." So he arose and followed Him. Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. (Mt. 9:9-10)

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." (John 3:1-8)

So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:5-14)

Surely, these were not merely accidental encounters but providential opportunities of which Jesus took advantage.