Scripture
John 14:15-31 (ESV)
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,[a] to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be[b] in you.
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 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 that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 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 that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.
Devotional #70: "The Holy Spirit"
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. The Spirit is not an impersonal force that emanates from the Godhead but is a full person with the same eternal attributes. As the Father is omnipotent, so is the Son and the Holy Spirit. Each person of the Godhead is also of the same substance—none being inferior to the other.
“It is the particular property of the Father to beget, of the Son to be begotten, and of the Holy Spirit to proceed from the Father and from the Son” (Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 2). These actions are set in eternity and so do not indicate any type of “causation” or imply any degradation in their divine status. The Father “eternally begets,” the Son is “eternally begotten,” and the Holy Spirit “eternally proceeds.”
So what does it mean that the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father and the Son?” The Spirit is always “sent out” by the Father and the Son. “I will pray to the Father, and He will give you another Helper.. even the Spirit of Truth” (John 14:17). “But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name” (John 14:26). The Scriptures never speak of the Holy Spirit sending the Father or the Son, just as the Scripture do not speak of the Son begetting!
“It is the particular property of the Father to beget, of the Son to be begotten, and of the Holy Spirit to proceed from the Father and from the Son” (Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 2). These actions are set in eternity and so do not indicate any type of “causation” or imply any degradation in their divine status. The Father “eternally begets,” the Son is “eternally begotten,” and the Holy Spirit “eternally proceeds.”
So what does it mean that the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father and the Son?” The Spirit is always “sent out” by the Father and the Son. “I will pray to the Father, and He will give you another Helper.. even the Spirit of Truth” (John 14:17). “But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name” (John 14:26). The Scriptures never speak of the Holy Spirit sending the Father or the Son, just as the Scripture do not speak of the Son begetting!
Questions
- How is the Holy Spirit similar and different from the other two persons in the Godhead?
- In everyday Christian talk, when we say the “power of the Holy Spirit,” what do we mean?
Scripture
John 10:17-18 & Ephesians 1:13-14 (ESV)
17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
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13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee[a] of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,[b] to the praise of his glory.
Devotional #71: "The Covenant of Redemption"
Our understanding of the Covenant of Redemption and the Trinitarian nature of the Godhead are intertwined. The pre-temporal covenant in the Godhead to save the elect is what theologians call the “covenant of redemption,” an agreement made by the members of the Trinity to save the elect. The Father’s role would be to “plan” salvation, the Son, to “accomplish” salvation, and the Spirit, to “apply” salvation.
The salvation of the elect is a Trinitarian act of grace. Remember that God was working on our behalf long before we ever existed (Ephesians 1:4).
The salvation of the elect is a Trinitarian act of grace. Remember that God was working on our behalf long before we ever existed (Ephesians 1:4).
Questions
- Why do we usually only that Jesus for our salvation?
- How does the roles each person in the Trinity play in salvation relate to their roles in the Godhead?
Scripture
Hebrews 9:14 (ESV)
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our[a] conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Devotional #72: "Union With Christ"
God’s work of redemption becomes real to us through the work of the Holy Spirit. Before the regenerating (John 3:3) power of the Spirit, we stood outside the promises of God, without hope. Christ’s work was foreign and a mystery to us. Only by the work of the Holy Spirit are we (1) united with Christ and all the benefits of redemption. We are now regenerated, adopted, justified, sanctified, and will be glorified. The Holy Spirit is given to us as a seal on our heart, never to be broken. Not only are we united to Christ, but we are also (2) united to all the saints (John 17) of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. We are all truly the sons of Abraham and are not the living embodiment of the gospel as we worship and work together.
Question
What is the Holy Spirit’s principle role? How does this play out in our daily lives?