The Person And Work Of The Holy Spirit

by T. M. Hyland | Category: The Person And Work Of The Holy Spirit | Jul 1944

We now turn to another matter of paramount importance to our subject,

THE RELATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TO THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

The book itself claims to have c6me from God; and although communicated through men of various types over a period of about 1,600 years, yet everywhere it declares the Holy Spirit to be its Divine Author.

With regard to the Old Testament writings this matter is at once resolved for us by the unequivocal testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Whether it be the Boy Jesus -in the temple, or the Man of Nazareth in the synagogue, the Master to the disciples, or the Preacher to the multitudes, the Teacher from God to the teacher of Israel, or this Man" to scoffing scribes and Pharisees, the Old Testament Scriptures are ever appealed to by Him as possessing Divine authority. Its holy words were on His lips during His temptation in the wilderness, "It is written," was His weapon against the tempter. Even from the darkness of the Cross came words of Holy Scripture, with which the lonely Sufferer expressed His utter anguish, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me ? "1 Again, after His resurrection, on the Emmaus road and in the upper room, His theme was the things concerning Himself in "all the Scriptures." Note the implications of this last statement; no part of the Old Testament can

possibly be excluded from its scope. The O Testament in its entirety is stamped with the hall-mark of Divinity by the risen Lord. Here are His words

"Oh foolish men, and slow o heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!" and then, "beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself." 2And to whom did the Lord ascribe the authorship of this Book whose words were ever His delight in the days of His flesh? Commenting one day on the words of one of the Psalms of David, He disclosed that David spake "in the Holy Spirit."3

If we turn to the writings of the apostles we find that they follow their Divine Master in ascribing the authorship of the Old Testament to the Holy Spirit. Here are two pregnant passages from Peter's writings "The prophets sought and searched diligently, ... searching what time or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did point unto,"4 and, "No prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit."5

1 Mark 15.34. Psalm 22.1.2 Luke 24.25.27.3 Mark 12.36.

4 1 Peter 1.10, 11. 5 Peter 1.21.

So much then for the verdict of New - Testament on the Old. Coming now to the New Testament we find the apostle Peter referring to,

"These things which now have been announced unto you by the Holy Spirit sent forth from heaven,"1

and placing the writings of the apostle Paul in the same category as "the other Scriptures."2

Speaking of the New Testament revelation the apostle Paul says "Which in other generations was not made known unto the sons of men, as it hath now been revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit."3

The direct testimony of Scripture to its Divine Author, although conclusive in itself, by no means constitutes the whole of the evidence. There is the testimony of fulfilled prophecy, a veritable bastion of the infallibility of Scripture. There is, too, the evidence-of the Unity of Scripture, which in itself is a miracle. How else could it be explained except by the fact that One Spirit inspired each of its many 'writers? Then there. is the evidence of the Plan of Scripture. No such conception as this ever had its origin in man.

"0 God, the thought was Thine,

Thine only could it be;

Fruit of the wisdom, love divine, Peculiar unto Thee.

For sure no other mind

For thoughts so bold, so free,

Greatness or strength could ever find; -

Thine only could it be."

And wh6 is competent to unfold to us this wonderful design? It must be One with intimate knowledge of the eternal purposes of God, in their conception as well as their unfolding and outworking. The Holy Spirit is that Person of the Godhead to whom this great mission is assigned.-

We shall be dealing later with the truth of the indwelling of the

Spirit of God in the believer, but let us here mark that the believer, being " born of the Spirit " and indwelt by Him, possesses evidence of the Divine authority of Scripture which is incomprehensible to "the natural man." "My sheep hear My voice," said the Good Shepherd, and it is that Voice which speaks to the believer out of the Holy Scriptures with a power so distinct, so different, so unmistakable that he could as well doubt his- own existence as doubt that it was the Voice of God. And in the measure that the believer heeds the Spirit's Voice in the Word, in that measure will it become apparent to his fellows that this is "a man in whom the Spirit of God is"4

Apposite here are the words of Pember -

"If a man be so blessed as to be indwelt by the Spirit of God, he will perceive divine wisdom shining in ever clearer light in the words of Scripture. Unspeakable awe will fill his mind as he perceives that he

1 1 Peter 1.12.2 2 Peter 3.16.3 Ephesians 8.5.

4 Genesis 41.38.

is becoming possessed of the secrets of God; and-yet more wonderful ! that the divine virtue with which those secrets are instinct is gradually changing his nature and transforming his whole being. Before such an experience as this scepticism vanishes and further evidence becomes superfluous."

Yes, "those secrets of God" can be discovered to us- only by the Author of the Book-the Holy Spirit of God. Mere human intellect and knowledge in themselves will never unlock - this door. This explains why so many men of brilliant intellect and erudition, who have spent many years in the study of the Bible, fail to discover those spiritual treasures which are "the joy and rejoicing" of the simplest believer.

It is because,

"The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged."1

How refreshing to listen to the words of a man who spent a lifetime in the study of the Scriptures; a man of great intellect and profound learning, yet carefully weighing its holy words in humble dependence upon the teaching of the Spirit of God ere are the closing sentences of that monumental work, "Greek Testament and Commentary," by Dean Alford

"I have now only to commend to my gracious God and Father this feeble attempt to explain the most mysterious and glorious portion of His-revealed Scriptures; and with it, this my labour of now eighteen years, herewith completed. I do so with humble thankfulness, but with a deep sense of utter weakness before the power of His Word, and inability to sound the depths even of its simplest sentence. May He spare the hand which has been put forward to touch His Ark."

These words breathe a reverence for the Scriptures well worthy of our emulation. They stand in bold contrast to the writings of a school of modern commentators who proceed to carve up the Scriptures as though they were a mere human production with all the inherent imperfections of man's work. To what a barren wilderness would these "blind guides" lead us! It has been truly said, "Evacuate

Scripture of its Divine authority and you so far paralyse its power for Divine consolation."

As for us ; let us betake ourselves to our Bibles, humbly seeking the Spirit's light, neither grieving Him by our unbelief nor yet tempting Him with our presumption.

Another matter claims attention here. We will need to speak of it with care lest we be misunderstood. Man is ever prone, to "put asunder" what God has "joined together." We have already made reference to the evils arising from using the Word of God apart from the Spirit of God. Conversely, there is also the grave danger of

1 1 Corinthians 2.14.

seeking an experience of the Spirit of God apart from the Word of God; and what pitfalls lie along that path! Cases could be cited of men and movements that have gone astray here; and what disaster has resulted! We do not fear to say that any - supposed experience of the Holy Spirit which leads to neglect of the Word of God is a spurious one. What a contradiction, to claim the leading of the Spirit of God and at the same time pay little regard to the words by which He has conveyed to us the mind of God! Yet this tendency is more common than may be supposed.. I have before me, as I write, a book purporting to explain an experience which it terms "the second work of grace." It supplies a series of definitions on which the doctrine of the matter is built, and yet for these,. no Scriptural support is either given or claimed.

There are two essential elements in all genuine spirituality; dependence on the Holy Spirit and subjection to the Word of God. Divorce these two things and you will have on the one hand a dead formalism without the graces of the Spirit, and on the other a tendency to presumption and fanaticism. Here then is our safe anchorage, let us not drift from it not the Word without the Spirit, nor the Spirit without the Word; but the Word of God and the Spirit of God.

We now turn to consider

THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN RELATION TO THE INCARNATE CHRIST, -

and we find ourselves again faced with a truth which human language seems inadequate to define or measure. Our safety lies in keeping close to the words of Scripture.

"How shall this be?" was Mary's question to Gabriel, when she heard the astounding message, "Thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name JESUS."1

Mary's question has been reiterated by many since her day. The answer she received was sufficient for her; and shall it not be sufficient for us ? Here it is:

"The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most

High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also that which is to be born shall be called holy, the Son of God."2

To godly Joseph, too, much perplexed, the angel's words were a sufficient answer:

"Joseph, thou Son of David, Fear not ... that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit."3

Thus is conveyed to us-the great mystery of the Holy Spirit's work in the human birth of the Christ.

And throughout the Lord's life and ministry the same Spirit is seen at work. At the beginning of His public ministry the Holy

1 Luke 1.31.2 Luke 1.35.3 Matthew 1.20.

Spirit" came upon Him " at the Jordan. In the Gospel record of the Jordan scene we have a clear revelation of the Trinity 9f the Godhead in Unity of operation,

-"The heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form, as a dove, upon Him, and a voice came out of heaven, Thou art My beloved Son; in Thee I am well pleased."1 Thus we have the Son on earth, fulfilling the will of the Father; the Father expressing His delight in the Son; and the Spirit, in holy accord, coming upon the Son to empower Him, as Man, to accomplish the will of His Father. Peter's comment on the Jordan scene is: "God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power."

It was in the strength of that anointing He went first to the temptation and then to His ministry. We read of Him being "full of the Holy Spirit," "led of the Spirit," and returning to Galilee in "the power of the Spirit." The firs t recorded words of ministry from His lips are, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach."3

His miracles too were attributed by the Lord to the Spirit of God,

and when at last

"He reached the cross,

Prepared to face the loss

Of all; to give His life,

Himself, in mortal strife,"

then it was " through the eternal Spirit" He offered Himself to God.4 This wonderful and mysterious work of the Holy Spirit in the Manhood of our blessed Redeemer belongs to the unfathomable mystery of the Incarnation. "Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness; He who was manifested in the flesh."

There is nothing in this truth of the Holy Spirit's work in relation to the Incarnate Christ that is in any way incompatible with the relationship of Deity. Both truths are presented to us in Scripture as a Divine revelation. We are not invited to understand them; a sense of propriety forbids us to argue about them; they must be received by faith. Thus received, can we not then discern a deep and wonderful connection between the Spirit's work in the Incarnate Son of God and the Spirit's work in the believer? For the ultimate purpose of God for all His children, whose native condition was that of being dead through their trespasses and sins, and of being "children of wrath," is that they should be "conformed to the image of His Son."5 "We shall be like Him"6 Like Him in all those lovely traits, Which in His lowly, earthly days, So beautiful we see."

1 Luke 3.21, 22.2 Acts 10.38.3 Luke 4.18.

4 Hebrews 9.14.5 Romans 8.29.6 1 John 3.2.

T. M. Hyland | Jul 1944
The Person And Work Of The Holy Spirit