And I will pray the Father,
and He will give you another
Helper, that He may abide
with you forever--the
Spirit of truth, who the
world cannot receive,
because it neither sees
Him nor knows Him;
but you know Him for He
dwells with you and
will be in you.
John 14:16-17
Emotions are a part and parcel of humanity, they cannot be avoided, they may be dismissed in some fashion, but they are always present in our lives. It is the object of our emotion that determines the validity of our emotions and it is a fact; we can control our emotions. This may be difficult at times, but we can control them if our emotions have the foundation of Jesus Christ who is in control of all circumstances of life. Furthermore, Jesus sent to all believers the Holy Spirit to live within man, to guide him, to teach him, to present with him in all situations, and when we place our faith in Him, and in the promises of God, then we can control our emotions so that they are represented of God who is our object for our emotions. When situations or circumstances seem to be beyond our control, then we go to the One who is in control: God, the Holy Spirit and He prays for us making intercession for us and will comfort us: "Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort those who are in trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God: (2Corinthians 1:3-4). The Holy Spirit was promised to be sent to aid God's children: "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power form on high" (Luke 24:49). Yes, this promise is first to the Apostles and we find in Acts that the Holy Spirit did come to them and many were saved on the day of Pentecost. Jesus when speaking with the Apostles to give them comfort and a promise said: "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things I said to you" (John 14:26). This record of Jesus' words applied to the Apostles immediately, for Jesus was about to be crucified and would be leaving their sight and physical presence, therefore, they needed to know that they were not left destitute the Holy Spirit, God himself in the third Person would come to them and live in them. The words of Jesus are the words for all of God's children, they apply to us as well as they did to the Apostles, we are not to think that what Jesus said was only for the Apostles for the word is God communicating to His people telling them what He desires for them and what He will and is doing for them.
This sending of the Holy Spirit being true, a promise of God, for God never goes back on His word, then there must be an understanding of the Holy Spirit and how He works in our lives. If a person has created a religiosity that is not Scriptural, a religiosity that is cultural, and not spiritual, then their view and understanding of the Holy Spirit will be askew. Those who have the wrong understanding of the Holy Spirit are those who attempt to manage their lives, and even to manage the Holy Spirit by means of their own abilities, that is for them the empowerment of the Holy Spirit is experientially expressed, yet they do not know by means of true controlled experience, nor by true intellectual understanding of the Holy Spirit and they attempt to cause the Holy Spirit to have power in their lives, and this they do through many means that are relative to their feelings and not to God. To the Apostles they had faith in Jesus Christ and in His words, they loved Jesus Christ with a constant reality and the power or the Holy Spirit enabling them to live a life of Authentic Biblical Faith, in this world.
Why cannot cultural Christians have this same Authentic Biblical Faith? They believe they do! Yet, their exercise of "faith" is not Scriptural, rather it is self-serving. The simple answer to the question is: In a large degree cultural Christianity is not a product of Biblical truth. It is the product of a religious system created by and for nominal Christians. The Bible teaches us that we are powerless in and of ourselves: "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you do nothing" (John 15:5). Yes, it is true, we do much that is apart from Him, we make choices, we make decisions, we live this life as we see fit, yet no matter how we live, no matter what decisions we make apart from Him, God is Providential and will cause all things to work for the good of His people, yet, what we do apart from Him has very little to do with the realities of the kingdom of God. A life of spiritual reality requires the enabling influence of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we must examine our thinking about the Holy Spirit, is it faulty or is it Authentic Biblical Faith. This is where our study is going, to teach us what the Bible teaches us about the One whom God has sent to live in us.
Praise God! Lift your eyes to heaven for from God we have the power of the Holy Spirit who will testify of God to us: "But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me, and you also will bear witness, because with Me from the beginning" (John 14:26). What words of comfort for the Apostles, what words of comfort for us who truly believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and live lives of Authentic Biblical Faith.
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ
Himself, and our God and
Father, who has loved us and
given us everlasting consolation
and good hope by grace, comfort
your hearts and establish you
in every good word and work.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
Have Confidence In The Lord
Richard L. Crumb
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