Who Is This Holy Spirit?

Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come,

 He will guide you into all truths: for he shall 

not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He 

shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will 

shew you things to come. He shall glorify Me; 

for He shall  receive of Mine, and shall shew 

it unto you. All things that the Father hath 

are Mine: therefore said I, that he shall take

 of Mine, and shall shew it unto you.

John 16:13-15 

     Before I begin I must point out that the Holy Spirit has before the word "Spirit" the Greek word "ἐκεῖνος", is a demonstrative pronoun used to in reference to a thing previously mentioned or implied, that which is already familiar, and we must remember that word in Greek is not the same as in our English so to add "τὸ" a definite or demonstrative article that means "the" and "πνεῦμα" that means "Spirit" then the translation is that He the Spirit and this is to be understood that the "Spirit" is not some etheral force, rather the Spirit has personhood. So the doctrine that the Holy Spirit is God, of the Godhead, the third Person of the Godhead is correct. Therefore when Jesus gives us that the Spirit will show you things it is God through the Person of the Holy Spirit that now lives in all of God's children that is showing you what is of Jesus Christ.
     The pietistic movements that have come to be such as: The Pentecostal, Charasmatic, or Restorastional movements have none of the reality of the New Testament about them for they teach experiential Christianity over the rugged truth of the death of Jesus Christ. For those movements what is required is a pious atmosphere, and prayer and devotion and call this supernatural. This is not supernatural nor miraculous as this does not teach the cost of the passion of God, the stain of the blood of the Lamb and is not marked, not shown by the Holy Spirit. Men are looking unto themselves and to not look with awe and wonder this work of God. This is what is taught in the New Testament. 
     What is taught in the New Testament is this type of Christianity and Christian experience. The experience of the New Testament is that of a personal passionate devotion to the Person of Jesus Christ. Every type of so-called Christian experience that is not found in the New Testament is to an experience detached from the Person of Jesus Christ. Here is a major problem with Liberal or experiential Christianity: there is no regeneration, no being born again into the Kingdom of God, the place where Jesus Christ has gone to be your Savior. Liberal Chrisstianity sees Jesus as a pattern, and example, and that He is but He is more, and not just s some idea of a pattern. Jesus Christ was Savior before time began because Jesus is God, not a separate god, but God. Before creation Jesus, the Word of God existed, and God seeing all things at once, no need of sequential time, set aside His Word to be the Savior and this is the Gospel of the Bible. God is not a Being as we are for He is something entirely different and He knows all, the beginning, the middle, and the end and has given to all who believe upon the One whom He sent to earth, Jesus Christ, who is the Savior before time this free gift of faith. Now after you have received this free gift of faith the Holy Spirit now indwelling in you; will teach you and does in you subjectively all that Jesus Christ has done for you and me objectively.  
     The big question: Will you receive this free gift of faith? Will you put aside all that is not of Scripture, those things that make you feel pious, godly, and see yourself as you really are: a sinner in need of salvation. Will you obey Him, and listen to Him, our teacher, the Holy Spirit and leave all the consequent to God? 

Let the wicked forsake his way,
    and the unrighteous man his
thoughts: and let him return unto
    the LORD, and He will have mercy
upon him; and to our God, for He will
   abundantly pardon.
                      Isaiah 55:7

The gift of God is in your reach

Richard L. Crumb    

Approved Concentration

But God forbid that I should glory, 

save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

by whom the world is crucified unto me, 

and I unto the world.

Galatians 6:14

     Remembering the day that you or I made the decision to put our faith, our belief in Jesus Christ.  This day changed us are there was emotion as to our decision as to our Lord Jesus Christ who was and is our Savior. You may have cried, shouted, sung songs of joy, even danced about exuberantly because you have a faith in the Savior Jesus Christ. Vows were made, vows that He would always be first in your life. You made changes in the way you lived those external things that you had come to know were abhorrent to God. You attempted to change those external things: and then, life hit you hard, questions came up that seem not to have answers, circumstances in your life changed as they willed and your faith began to waver. Is this not what has happened to many of us? Yes! We were now planted in the "garden of God" but our roots were not yet deep causing us to not be grounded in God. Paul had those same things happen to him and yet he had something we had to or have to develop: a strong coherent underneath deepen root system so that when our circumstances in life change we, like Paul, would not become so distressed, so emotional, so questionable (not that questions are wrong) that we allow life to cloud over our faith. A problem that had and is following many is that there is not a deep spiritual coherent life for you, or me, allow ourselves to be grounded in externally. Paul, and we too should, be consistent and grounded in the fundamentals. What is our fundamental as to our faith? It is the agony of God in the Redemption through the cross of Jesus Christ. 

     What is it that you believe? Is it the agony of the cross and if so and you have allowed yourself to diminish its importance: get back to the fundamental fact of Christianity: it is the cross! It cross is the infinitesimal thing and it is more important than anything in this world. Liberal Christianity, and in many Churches that are not necessarily liberal, have gotten away from this narrative, they are not teaching about the agony of the cross, this tragedy of God for this then means that this type of faith produces nothing. It does not convey the energy of God even though it carries something that is interesting but it is not that which pleases God. Yes, it is this foolishness of preaching that is done to save those that believe. 

      Do you want to know the energy of God? If so, look to the cross, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The energy of God can be your energy but only after you begin to brood on the tragedy of God. Too many who call themselves Christian have not cut themselves loosed from their personal interest in their spiritual and considered, with any depth, the tragedy of God and if you do: the energy of God will be in you. You will not have to produce it! You will not have to go about in some euphoric trance and call yourself, or see yourself as pious. That is to concentrate on yourself and this is not the right thing on which to concentrate. We must come to the point whereby our energy, our concentration is in the truth of God, and the cross. It is the cross that must come to be the center of our lives. In those movements that concentrate on spiritual experiences the concentration is not on the cross of Jesus Christ, only the effects of the cross. This criticism is justified as there is a feebleness of spiritual energy because the is not enough, if any, brooding on the tragedy of God: the cross of Jesus Christ. There is where redemption lies, and it there were we come to have the redemption that only comes from our faith in Jesus Christ, an Authentic Christian Faith that has as its foundation: the cross. By the Grace of God, by the Love of God, by the Mercy of God, you can have redemption, salvation, and have the promises of God applied to you and one such great promise is eternal life with Him. Do you want that more than yourself? 

Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth iniquity,

     and passeth by the transgression of the remnant

of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger for ever,

     because He delighteth in mercy.

He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us;

    He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou will cast

all their sins into the depths of the sea.

                        Micah 7:18-19

Redemption can by yours

Richard L. Crumb

Redeemed From The Curse Of The Law: Part 3

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law,

 being made a curse for us: for it is written, 

Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 

that the blessing of Abraham might come 

on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we 

might receive the promise of the Spirit 

through faith.

Galatians 3:13-14 

     There are two things that we must examine: redemption and faith. Abraham was given a promise: first that God would leave the country in which he was now living and go to a land that God would show him. God (how God spoke to him we do not know, we only know God spoke) that Abraham leave behind his father's house. Are we not also told to deny ourselves, the life that we may be living and even if this is to remove ourselves from our family, we are to do it and if so as with Abraham God promised to bless, and all who blessed him would also be blessed. Furthermore, that in Abraham all families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3). I do not know about you but this would take faith, not simple faith, but a faith in God. God appeared before Abram who was then 90 years old and God told Abram to walk before Him and be thou perfect (Genesis 17:1) and that God would make a covenant between Abram and God and more; God would make nations of thee (Genesis 17:5-6) and then God said that He would establish His covenant between Himself and Abraham and with the seed of Abraham and this was to be an everlasting covenant that He would be their God, to Abraham and to his seed. Now the faith of Abraham was put to the test and this test was time and age and yet he had not had a child with Sarai his wife as promised so Abraham took things into his own hands. Does this not sound much like what we do or have done? Now after having a child with the maidservant, a time when Abraham took things into his own hand and by this unfaithfulness a son was born and caused much trouble in the house of Abraham. God then when Isaac, the child born according to the promise of God given to Abraham was a young man, took Isaac to cause Isaac to be a sacrifice, that is to be killed. Wait a minute: Was not Isaac promised to Abraham by God? Yes! Was there not a promise that the Gentiles would be blessed by Abraham's seed? Yes! And now God was going to have Abraham to kill the promised child. Yes! Abraham in faith did exactly what God had to told him to do and the story is well known that when Abraham was going to kill his son God provided a redeemer and that redeemer was a ram caught in the thicket. Abraham had not held back his son and believed and had faith in God. Salvation came to Isaac and this by God's redeemer. Due to the faith of Abraham and his obedience no matter the consequences God blessed him and promised that his seed (plural) would multiply as the stars of heaven and the sand of sea shore, and that through Abraham his seed, this seed was given the word "his" and that this singular "his" or seed would possess the gate of "his" enemies. This is what Paul now describes to us as to who that "seed" was ascribed and that was to Jesus Christ for it is by Him that His enemies would be possessed. Now due to the crucifixion this blessing of Abraham would be able to be fulfilled toward all nations, that is this promise applies to you, to all who have come to faith in Jesus Christ. You and I can now receive the promise of the Spirit of God. Redemption is now available but not to those who do not come to have Authentic Christian Faith. It is this Authentic Christian Faith that has its foundation in the truth, unaltered, that we are sinners and in need of salvation, to be redeemed, and this is by the One sent forth to us by God: Jesus Christ. We do nothing but to accept this free gift of faith and if you have heard the pure word of God then you have a response to give: either receive that free gift of faith or reject this gift. 
     This is the Good News that we hear and that we bring to the world. We are the bearers of this Good News and God will bless us as we bless the nations, our friends, family, with this Good News. Our faith to be Authentic Christian Faith places our lives in the hands of God, to be obedient no matter the consequences, just like Abraham. We obey even when we do not understand because our faith is in a Holy God who has come to redeem. What did we do to earn this redemption? Nothing! All we have done is to accept His free gift of faith and then we change and become in the image of His Son. It might take time, and it often does but our lives must change if it is true that we have come to Authentic Christian Faith, no just a faith, but an Authentic Christian Faith in Jesus Christ our Redeemer. 
     Liberal Christians want to add works, speaking in some form of gibberish or to say that God has given to them some special revelation. Really? Is not the word of God in the Bible the inspired word of God and that word of God is all we need to live according to His will? Yes it is! Jesus was not some "good" man, and example, no, Jesus was and is God! Jesus is the Man who was both Man and God united to be the propitiation for our sins. No one has the right to soften this fact: You and I are sinners! Jesus is the Redeemer! It is only by our faith in Him that we have been redeemed! Abraham had faith in God and was blessed, we have faith in God, Jesus Christ and we have and will be blessed eternally. This fact that we must undergo a transformation into His image be an offensive thing according this culture whereby man is at their center but it is not to one who has heard the word of God, received this free gift of faith and allow God to transform them into the image of Jesus. The world will not understand, but to an Authentic Christian: they do understand. 
     Listen to this hymn:
Nearer, my God to Thee,
     Nearer to Thee!
E'en though it be a cross
     That raiseth me.
    Listen again:
In the cross of Christ I glory,
     Towering o'er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
     Gathers round its head sublime. 
 Don't miss this blessing: Choose to receive this free gift of faith, allow God to change you and make you into this person that only God can change you into: the image of His Son Jesus Christ. No, you won't be a little Jesus Christ, but you will be living as He did, innocent and free from sin.

For thus saith the LORD,
     Ye have sold yourselves for nought;
and ye shall be redeemed without money.
                      Isaiah 52:3

Is this not better?

Richard L. Crumb