Ch.7. Conversion Getting In.

Part I The Spirit and the Hearing of the Gospel.

Although the Goal of Salvation is the calling Out a people for god's Name, people enter this community on a one at a time – Almost every aspect of Getting-in is a Work of the Spirit, beginning with the Proclamation and Revelation of the Gospel.

1. Christ's saving work begins in the heart of the Individual by the Holy Spirit. For Paul the new Eschatological perspective includes Jews and gentiles all on the same grounds – members of the people of God. How to GET -IN and STAY – IN is included in Paul's Soteriology.
   Conversion Biblically means making disciples from former pagans. Jesus has commanded, “Go make disciples”, not “Go, make converts.”
2. The Spirit nad GETTING _ IN. - This includes :- hearing the Gospel, faith, the various images of real conversion, the Gift of the Spirit and baptism in Water. So here is the Process:
   a) Hearing the Gospel. This precedes faith in the heart. Rom 10:14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

Rom 10:15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"

b) Faith comes by Hearing. 1Th 2:13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. Cp 2 Thess 2:13-14 Eph 1:13 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,
The Gospel as the TRUTH must be believed i.e. trusted, as revealed by the Spirit.

3. The Spirit and Preaching.

   In 1 Cor 3: Paul contrasts his own ministry with that of Moses and indirectly with “other peddlers of another Jesus”.
   In doing so, he refers to his own ministry as a “Ministry of the Spirit” (of the new Covenant, empowered by the Holy Spirit and results in others receiving the Spirit. It is accompanied by “Far greater glory” which is the Work of the Spirit. It unveils the glory which is in the face of Jesus Christ.

It involves CONVICTION of the truth of the Gospel and also signs and wonders resulting in changed Lives.

1Th 1:5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

1Th 1:6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 1Th 1:7 so that you became an example (model Christians) to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

Rom 15:18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed,

Rom 15:19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ;

Cp. 1 Cor 2 :1-5; 4:1-21; 9:1-2

1Co 2:4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

1Co 2:5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (empowered words and powerful deeds) 2Cor 5:13

cp. Eph 6:17 Speak forth the Word of God into the darkness of this world.

Ch .6. A People for His Name.

The Spirit and the People of God.

Based on the Work of Christ, the Holy Spirit calls forth a newly constituted People, and makes the "A People for His Name".

In the New Testament, Conversion always took place in the context of a church Community. Individualism, relativism and secularism are very prevalent characteristics as a result of the so-called Enlightenment. The Individual with all his rights and opinions became the be--all and end-all of everything. Narcissistic self-interest became the characteristic of our generation.

There must be a return to the understanding of the People of God as a community of true Believers.

Gen 12:1  Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.
Gen 12:2  And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
Gen 12:3  I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." 

Here we have the people of God and the Abrahamic covenant. 

It is no longer the Nation, that is in focus in the New Covenant but the community entered by individual faith in Christ, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the Baptism in water.

Notice these verses:

Num 6:27  "So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them."

Put my name upon the children of Israel - i. e. pronounce My Sacred Name over them in blessing them. God will give effect to the benediction pronounced by the priests. Barnes Notes

Deu 28:10  And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you.
that all nations should perceive or see “that the name of the Lord is named upon Israel.” The name of the Lord is the revelation of His glorious nature. It is named upon Israel, when Israel is transformed into the glory of the divine nature (cf. Isa_63:19; Jer_14:9)K&D Commentary.

Also check these verses 2 Sam 7:23; 2 Chron 7:1; Is. 43:7; Jerm 14:9. Daniel 9:19

To be Saved means to be joined to the People of God.  There is no salvation outside being joined to the church, the Body of Christ. No one shakes a hand not joined to a body. God is saving "a People for His Name".
All saints are God's holy(set apart) People  Col 3:12 They ae God's Elect. 1 Thess 1:14 Daniel 7:18 and 2 Thess 2:13

Ch.5. (cont) The Spirit and the Mission to the Gentiles

Questions to answer from the Scriptures before reading this blog.
1. If the Jews are the chosen people of God where do the Gentiles fit in to God's plans?
2. What is the Abrahamic Blessing in Galatians 3 :14?
3. How could the gentile Believers be assured of their Inheritance in Christ? Ephesian 1:13-14
4. Where is our certainty (we Gentiles) that our future is secure? Romans 15:13?
                                               --------------------------------------------
The inclusion of the Gentiles in the End-time People of God with the Jews as One People of God on the basis of the Work of Christ on the Cross and the Gift of the Holy Spirit is the theme of this section. compare Romans and Galatians.

Rom 15:5  May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,
Rom 15:6  that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom 15:7  Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
Rom 15:8  For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs,
Rom 15:9  and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name."
Rom 15:10  And again it is said, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people."
Rom 15:11  And again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him."
Rom 15:12  And again Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope."
Rom 15:13  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Gal 3:14  so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

Here the Blessing given to Abraham = the Promise of the Spirit. They have experienced the Holy Spirit as a living and dynamic Reality. The Blessing of Abraham is not simply "Justification by faith" - it refers to the life of the Future now available to both Jew and Gentile achieved through the death of Christ but applied by the dynamic life of the Spirit - all by faith.

Eph 1:13  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,
Eph 1:14  who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory.

Here he addresses these Gentile Ephesian Believers directly when he says, "the Holy Spirit of Promise." This guaranteed the final inheritance for Jew and Gentile alike. [Note: our/your (you)] Jews and Gentiles all receiving the promised Holy Spirit as God's "down-payment" or deposit of our final inheritance.
This is a fulfillment of Deut. 30:1- 6, compare Rom. 2:29 and Eph. 4:1-3

Deu 30:1  "And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God has driven you,
Deu 30:2  and return to the LORD your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul,
Deu 30:3  then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you.
Deu 30:4  If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there he will take you.
Deu 30:5  And the LORD your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess it. And he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers.
Deu 30:6  And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.
Cp. Rom 2:29  But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

Eph 4:1  I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
Eph 4:2  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
Eph 4:3  eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Isa 11:10  In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

The Coming of the Spirit, is the Key to the future orientation of Paul and the early church.
By the Spirit we abound in hope. Romans 15:13 We have absolute certainty of our future in Christ.

Ch.5. (cont.) The Spirit as Evidence and Guarantee of the Future

The most prominent "not yet" feature of Pauline Eschatology is the bodily resurrection." The Spirit's decisive role is not Agency, but, the indwelling Spirit  as the Divine Pledge of our future  bodily resurrection. The Spirit is closely connected with our bodily resurrection. Rom 8:11  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall quicken also your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 

The Popular Bible Commentary says,

"But if, etc. The body will indeed die, but despite this grace will triumph even over physical death; even the body that must die will ultimately fully share in redemption, at the resurrection, through the indwelling Holy Spirit
Him that raised up Jesus from the dead, etc. This expression has a demonstrative force here: the fact that the indwelling Spirit is the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is a pledge that the spiritual quickening will be followed by the physical quickening.
He will quicken even your mortal bodies. This is most naturally referred to the final resurrection of the body; for, although ‘quicken’ might of itself include something already begun, the word ‘even’ (or, ‘also’) seems to limit it to the bodily resurrection. This truth of revelation is so important, and so distinctive, that it deserves the emphasis thus given to it. ‘Even’ the body which here succumbs to the effects of sin, shall be quickened; the victory of redemption will be complete when this occurs.
Through, or, ‘on account of,’ his Spirit that dwell-eth in you. It is difficult to decide between the two readings. The Sinaitic manuscript supports ‘through,’ and has turned the current of opinion in favor of that reading. As early as the latter part of the fourth century the variation was introduced into a controversy respecting the Divinity of the Holy Spirit ‘Through’ would point to the fact that the Holy Spirit which is now working moral renovation in us will be the Agent in completing the triumph in the resurrection of the body.

The Holy Spirit guarantees our "future Life" in our Immortal Bodies. Though destined for death, our bodies are destined for Eternal Life, because the Spirit dwells in us. 2Co 5:5  He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. ESV Rom 8:23  And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Thus the Presence of the Spirit in us is the Guarantee of our final Redemption of our bodies.

The Nature of our Redeemed Bodies.

1Co 15:44  It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
1Co 15:45  Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
1Co 15:46  But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual.
1Co 15:47  The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.
1Co 15:48  As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.
1Co 15:49  Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
There are 'Spiritual Bodies' , contrasting our present existence with our future Heavenly one. It is supernaturally fitted for our life in the Spirit, (without all our present weaknesses.) Php 3:20  But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Php 3:21  who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
(Fully adapted to that heavenly life of the Spirit.)

(This is not Greek dualism [body/spirit dualism) That the body as second rate to the spirit is to be sloughed off. But the New Empowering of the Spirit despite present bodily weaknesses.
2Co 5:4  For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
2Co 5:5  He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

1Co 15:35  But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?"
1Co 15:36  You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.
1Co 15:37  And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.
1Co 15:38  But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.

continued. Pauls Endtime Perspective

This governed all his Theology. i.e. How he thinks, talks and sees about: Christ, the Church, Salvation, ethics, the Present, the future, everything.
He says, 1 Corinthians 10:11 "We are those upon the End of the ages has come."
2Co 5:14  Clearly, Christ's love guides us. We are convinced of the fact that one man has died for all people. Therefore, all people have died.
2Co 5:15  He died for all people so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the man who died and was brought back to life for them.
1Co 7:31  Those who use the things in this world should do so but not depend on them. It is clear that this world in its present form is passing away. GW

With the Coming of Christ the new order has begun. Viewing according the flesh is "the old order".

Eschatologically speaking Salvation in Christ is the Final Salvation. What He has promised has come in reality. We have been saved.Rom 8:1  So those who are believers in Christ Jesus can no longer be condemned.
Rom 8:2  The standards of the Spirit, who gives life through Christ Jesus, have set you free from the standards of sin and death.
Rom 8:3  It is impossible to do what God's standards demand because of the weakness our human nature has. But God sent his Son to have a human nature as sinners have and to pay for sin. That way God condemned sin in our corrupt nature. GW.

But the process continues. - We are being saved. 1Co 1:18  The message about the cross is nonsense to those who are being destroyed, but it is God's power to us who are being saved.

Rom 5:9  Since Christ's blood has now given us God's approval, we are even more certain that Christ will save us from God's anger.

Redemption is both "already" Eph 1:7  Through the blood of his Son, we are set free from our sins. God forgives our failures because of his overflowing kindness.
and yet "not yet". Eph 4:30  Don't give God's Holy Spirit any reason to be upset with you. He has put his seal on you for the day you will be set free from the world of sin. So also is our Adoption Romans 8:15;23 and our justification (the Gift of Righteousness) Romans 5:1 Galatians 5:5.

The Church is seen as an End times Community. We are strangers here. our true citizenship is in Heaven. Php 3:20  We, however, are citizens of heaven. We look forward to the Lord Jesus Christ coming from heaven as our Savior.

Ethical Life does not consist of Rules to live by, but rather, empowered by the Spirit we now live the life of the future in the present age, i.e. the same Godly Character as God Himself.
1Co 6:1  When one of you has a complaint against another, how dare you go to court to settle the matter in front of wicked people. Why don't you settle it in front of God's holy people?
1Co 6:2  Don't you know that God's people will judge the world? So if you're going to judge the world, aren't you capable of judging insignificant cases?
1Co 6:3  Don't you know that we will judge angels, not to mention things in this life?
1Co 6:4  When you have cases dealing with this life, why do you allow people whom the church has a low opinion of to be your judges? GW
Christians are Heavenly Radicals as they live the "already" but "not yet" in this present age.

Ch.5. The Beginning of the End

The Spirit as Evidence of the "Presence of the FUTURE.

(The Visitation of God through the Spirit establishes Believers as a thoroughly Eschatological People who live the life of the future in the present as they await the CONSUMMATION)

In the Light of this, Professor Gordon Fee was asked what would be his Pastoral Purpose? "I would set about with a single passion to help the local body of believers recapture the NT Understanding of itself as an eschatological Community.

[Eschatology has to do with the Time of the End) This leads to the jewish Hope that God would through the Messiah bring a dramatic End to the present Age

fig 1.

The Present Age                         l                         The Coming Age

_____________________________________________________________

Satan's time                                l              God's Time

sin                                               l              righteousness

sickness                                      l               wholeness

death                                           l               resurrection

no Spirit                                      l               the Spirit

_____________________________________________________________

The new Testament believers because of the Coming of the Spirit believed the OT Hope had been fulfilled. It began with the work of Christ and their experience of the Promised Holy Spirit.

                                                           THE END

________________________________fig.2______________________________________________

                             Begun                                                                Consummate

The Present age  l___________________________>l        The Coming Age

a Time of the 

"flesh"                   l       Between the times                     l       The Time of the Spirit

Note: Jesus and the Proclamation of the Kingdom. as Real in His Ministry but in the Future.

Because of the Death and resurrection of Christ and the Coming of the Holy Spirit the end times were set in motion.

They awaited the resurrection of their bodies at the Second Coming of Christ.

They lived in between the times. ALREADY the future had begun, NOT YET had it been completely fulfilled. This is the Eschatological framework which determines everything about the NT Church. - how they lived/ how they thought /how they  understoodtheir place in the world, abot to disappear on out of the way.

Ch.4. God -- in Three Persons

The Spirit and the Trinity.

For Paul the Gospel of Salvation is central. The Redeeming Work of Christ is applied by the Spirit. Paul's own encounter of God in Salvation, as God the father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This new understanding transforms His Theological understanding of God as the Trinity.

Trinitarian Texts

2Co 13:14  May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. 

Adam Clark's Commentary "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ - All the favor and beneficence that come from and through the Redeemer of the world; as the Lord, the ruler and governor of all things; as Jesus, the Savior of all men by his passion and death; as Christ, the distributer of all that Divine unction which enlightens, comforts, harmonizes, and purifies the mind. May this most exalted, glorious, and all-sufficient Savior, be ever with you!
And the love of God - God, your Maker, in that infinite love which induced him to create the world, and form man in his own image and in his own likeness, that he might be capable of knowing, loving, and enjoying him for ever; and God in the fullest manifestations of that love which caused him to give his only begotten Son, to the end that they who believe on him should not perish, but have everlasting life. May this God of love, and this love of God, be ever with you!
And the communion of the Holy Ghost - May that Holy Spirit, that Divine and eternal energy which proceeds from the Father and the Son; that heavenly fire that gives light and life, that purifies and refines, sublimes and exalts, comforts and invigorates, make you all partakers with himself!
Κοινωνια, which we translate fellowship and communion, signifies properly participation; having things in common; partaking with each other. This points out the astonishing privileges of true believers: they have communion with God’s Spirit; share in all its gifts and graces; walk in its light; through him they have the fullest confidence that they are of God, that he is their father and friend, and has blotted out all their iniquities: this they know by the Spirit "

1Co 12:4  Now there are various kinds of gifts, but there is one and the same Spirit;
1Co 12:5  various forms of official service, and yet one and the same Lord;
1Co 12:6  diversities in work, and yet one and the same God--He who in each person brings about the whole result. 

Adam Clark: "In the three preceding verses we find more than an indirect reference to the doctrine of the sacred Trinity.
Gifts are attributed to the Holy Spirit, 1Co_12:4.
Administrations to the Lord Jesus, 1Co_12:5.
Operations to God the Father, 1Co_12:6.

He who may think this fanciful must account for the very evident distinctions here in some more satisfactory way."

Eph 4:4  There is but one body and but one Spirit, as also when you were called you had one and the same hope held out to you.
Eph 4:5  There is but one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Eph 4:6  and one God and Father of all, who rules over all, acts through all, and dwells in all.

The Basis for Christian Unity is the ONE GOD.So the One Lord causes us to believe in the Onebaptism as a   Witness  - One God who is over all and in all.

Salvation is the Work of the Trinity.

See Romans 5:1-8 God's Love is demonstrated historically in Christ's death for us. This is the Essential element of His Work and His Character. Christ died fpr the powerless and those actively sinning and breaking His Laws.

The Holy Spirit makes this Great Love a Reality in our hearts.Rom 5:5  and that this hope never disappoints, because God's love for us floods our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 

Without this crucial work of the Spirit we have no peace with God. Without real hope. God's love is experienced in the Life of a Believer as the Holy Spirit pours it into our hearts.

1Th 1:4  knowing as we do, brethren, that you are beloved by God and that He has chosen you.
1Th 1:5  The Good News that we brought you did not come to you in words only, but also with power and with the Holy Spirit and with much certainty, for you know the sort of men we became among you, as examples for your sakes.

Barnes Notes: Not in word only - Was not merely spoken; or was not merely heard. It produced a powerful effect on the heart and life. It was not a mere empty sound that produced no other effect than to entertain or amuse; compare Eze_33:32.
But also in power - That is, in such power as to convert the soul. The apostle evidently refers not to any miracles that were performed there, but to the effect of the gospel on those who heard it. It is possible that there were miracles performed there, as there were in other places, but there is no mention of such a fact, and it is not necessary to suppose it, in order to see the full meaning of this language. There was great power manifested in the gospel in its leading them to break off from their sins, to abandon their idols, and to give their hearts to God; see this more fully explained in the notes on 1Co_2:4.
And in the Holy Ghost - Compare the notes on 1Co_2:4. It is there called the “demonstration of the Spirit.”

Th 1:5  We know this because the Good News we brought came to you not only with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit, and with complete certainty. In the same way you know what kind of people we were while we were with you and the good things we did for you. [God's Word]
With (In )power — in the efficacy of the Holy Spirit clothing us with power (see end of verse; Act_1:8; A)ct_4:33; Act_6:5, Act_6:8) in preaching the Gospel, and making it in you the power of God unto salvation (Rom_1:16). As “power” produces faith; so “the Holy Ghost,” love; and “much assurance” (Col_2:2, full persuasion), hope (Heb_6:11), resting on faith (Heb_10:22). So faith, love, and hope (1Th_1:3).JFB's Commentary
See also these verses : 2 Thess 2:13; 1 Cor 1:4-7; 1 Cor 2:4-5; 1 Cor 2:12; 1 Cor :11; 6: 19-20

Gal 3:1-5 Romans 8 :3-4

Paul sees the Spirit and Christ as distinct Personalities

Rom 9:1  I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—
Rom 15:30  I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf,
Note here: "Through our Lord Jesus Christ" and "By the love of the Spirit". Both these expressions use [dia] A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through (in very wide applications, local, causal or occasional). In composition it retains the same general import: - after, always, among, at, to avoid, because of (that), briefly, by, for (cause) . . . fore, from, in, by occasion of, of, by reason of, for sake, that, thereby, therefore, X though, through (-out), to, wherefore, with (-in). In composition it retains the same general import.Strongs
-- Greek, By or through διά  dia our Lord Jesus Christ; It means probably out of love and regard to him; in order to promote his honor and glory, and to extend his kingdom among people.
---διά  dia. By the mutual love and sympathy which the Spirit of God produces in the minds of all who are the friends of God. I beseech you now to manifest that love by praying earnestly for me.

Where the role of the Spirit is here on earth indwelling all true believers, the Risen Christ is 'located' in heaven at the Father's right hand. The Holy Spirit is not some impersonal force, an "it", but fully personal. God of very God. God is personally among us by His Spirit, to help us in our weaknesses. The Living God is present with us as the "empowering"Spirit.

p.31. The Spirit as the Spirit of Christ

The First Advent of Christ to the earth marks our understanding of God, now known as the "Father of our Lord Jesus Christ".
2Co 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
2Co 1:4  who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
1Pe 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

He sent His Son to redeem us.Gal 4:4  But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
Gal 4:5  to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 

The Coming of the Son marked our Understanding of the Spirit of Christ
Gal 4:6  And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!".Rom 8:9  You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
Php 1:19  for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,

The Holy Spirit carries on the Work of Christ.

The Resurrected Christ sits at the right hand of God, interceding for us..

Those who have received the Spirit now have the mind of Christ.

1Co 2:12  Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. ….1Co 2:15  The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.
1Co 2:16  "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ. 

Note: Spirit People are God's Children and fellow heirs with God's Son. Rom 8:14  For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
Rom 8:15  For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"
Rom 8:16  The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
Rom 8:17  and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. 

They know the power of Christ's Resurrection and the fellowship of His Suffering.

Php 3:10  that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
Php 3:11  that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 

Christ is the Centre of all Spirit Activity.

1Co 12:3  Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says "Jesus is accursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except in the Holy Spirit.

The Lord is to be understood in terms of the Spirits work among us. He brings freedom and transforms us into "the Glory of the Lord".

P.28 THE SPIRIT AND THE GODHEAD.

In Pauls letters there are 140 occurrences of [pneuma] i.e.wind , breathe or spirit.
He uses Holy Spirit 17 times then designates Him as"the Spirit of God"/ or His Spirit 1times; the Spirit of Christ 3 times

1. The Holy Spirit
2Co 13:14  May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
This was His full name for NT Christians.From this text 13:14 distinct from but one with the Father and the Son.
2. The Spirit of God.
Paul sees the Spirit as primarily linked to God(the Father.He uses the name,Spirit of God,much more than Spirit of Christ.
Gal 4:6  And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
1Th 4:8  Therefore he who despises does not despise man, but God, who also has given us His Holy Spirit.
2Co 5:5  And He who has worked in us for this same thing is God, who also is giving to us the earnest of the Spirit.
Gal 3:5  He who gives you His Spirit and works miracles among you--does He do so on the ground of your obedience to the Law, or is it the result of your having heard and believed:
In the OT God fills with the Spirit.   Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
Exo 31:3  And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all workmanship,   God pours out the Spirit.. Joel 2:28  And it shall be afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams; your young men shall see visions.
Joel 2:29  And also I will pour out My Spirit on the slaves and on the slave women in those days.  The Spirit also causes Charismatic activities.
Balaam : Num 24:2  And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him,
Num 24:3  and he took up his discourse and said, "The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
Othniel :Jdg 3:9  But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.
Jdg 3:10  The Spirit of the LORD was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the LORD gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim.

In 1Co 2:10  these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
1Co 2:11  For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
1Co 2:12  Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.
Here only the human spirit knows the thoughts of a man. i.e the human interior consciousness.

But similarly only the Spirit of God knows the mind of God.
1 Cor 2:10  The Spirit  searches everything , even the depths of God.For the Spirit - The Holy Spirit, or the Spirit of God; see 1Co_2:11.
Searches - This word does not fully express the force of the original ἐρευνᾷ  ereuna. It means to search accurately, diligently, so as fully to understand; such profound research as to have thorough knowledge. So David uses the Hebrew word חקר  chaaqar in Psa_139:1. So the word is used to denote a careful and accurate investigation of secret and obscure things, in 1Pe_1:11. Compare Joh_7:52; Rom_8:27; Rev_2:23, where it is used to denote that profound and accurate search by which the desires and feelings of the heart are known - implying the most profound knowledge of which we can have any conception; see Pro_20:27. Here it means, that the Holy Spirit has an intimate knowledge of all things. It is not to be supposed that he searches, or inquires as people do who are ignorant; but that he has an intimate and profound knowledge, such as is usually the result of a close and accurate search. The result is what the apostle means to state - the accurate, profound, and thorough knowledge, such as usually attends research. Barnes Notes on the NT.

He knows and understands Gods hidden wisdom.1Co 2:7  But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.

In Romans  8  :26  -27 God knows the Mind of the Spirit : who intercedes for us. The Spirit is distinct from God the Father, but He is also the interior expression of the Unseen God's personality and the Visible manifestation of Gods activity in the world.

The Spirit of God/or of Christ

Calling the Spirit "the Spirit of Christ" is evidence that Paul knew that Christ was fully God. From the OT he knew that the name Spirit of God, now he recognises the name 'Spirit of Christ as well. He uses either to indicate the activity of one or the other to be communicated to the believer.

Eg, the Church is Gods temple because He the Spirit of God dwells in its midst.

1Co 3:16  Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?
He also gives His Holy Spirit to us who He calls to be holy.

1Th 4:7  For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.
1Th 4:8  Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. In the texts with "the Spirit of Christ" he emphases the work of Christ. Gal 4:6  And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"
Rom 8:9  You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 
Php 1:19  for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,

ch. 3. Cont. The Person on the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit reveals what God has prepared for us believers.

1Co 2:9  But as it is written, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard," nor has it entered into the heart of man, "the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
1Co 2:10  But God has revealed them to us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God.
Revealed = G601ἀποκαλύπτω apokaluptō ap-ok-al-oop'-to
From G575 and G2572; to take off the cover, that is, disclose: - reveal. Strongs

Paul explains why this is no longer hidden, “for God revealed unto us” the wonders of grace pictured in 1Co_2:9. We do not have to wait for heaven to see them. Hence we can utter those things hidden from the eye, the ear, the heart of man. This revelation (apekalupsen, first aorist active indicative) took place, at “the entry of the Gospel into the world,” not “when we were admitted into the Church, when we were baptized” as Lightfoot interprets it.
1. Through the Spirit (dia tou pneumatos). The Holy Spirit is the agent of this definite revelation of grace, a revelation with a definite beginning or advent (constative aorist), an unveiling by the Spirit where “human ability and research would not have sufficed” (Robertson and Plummer) RWP

2. He utters mysteries by the Spirit when speaking  in Tongues 1 Cor. 14:2

3. Prophetic Utterances result directly from Speaking by the Spirit. 1Co 14:3  But he who prophesies speaks to men words of edification, encouragement and comfort. 

4. Sinful Practices are put to death. Rom 8:13  For if you live according to the flesh, you shall die. But if you through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live. 

5. We are Strengthened by the Spirit Eph 3:16  that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; 

6. According to Philippians we serve God by the Spirit.Php 3:3  for we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God, and glory in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh:

We love by the Spirit of God Col 1:7  even ye learned of Epaphras our beloved fellow–servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,

Col 1:8  who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit - The love wrought in you by the Holy Spirit. It was not mere natural affection, but love worked in their hearts by the agency of the Holy Spirit. Barnes.

7. We have been sealed by the Spirit. Eph 1:13
Eph 1:13  in whom also you, hearing the Word of Truth, the gospel of our salvation, in whom also believing, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 
sealed: sphragizo  = to set a seal upon, or mark with a seal, for security from Satan
- to mark a person by setting the impress of a seal or stamp of ownership. To confirm or authenticate placing beyond all doubt.
eg. A sealed Document shows what it really is supposed to be.
A Notary sealed Document
Cp 2 Cor 1 22  And He has sealed us and having given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

8. They walk by the Spirit. 
Gal 5:16  I say, then, Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Gal 5:25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
walk = peripateo  to make ones way or make progress, making due use of the opportunities. in Hebrew = to live : to regulate ones life, to conduct one's self.
Live according to the Influences and the promptings of the Holy Spirit, yielding to His every direction. Rom 8:1--13 Gal 5:22-23; 
A. Clark " If the Spirit of God dwells in us and rules in our hearts, the whole carnal nature will be destroyed and the works of the flesh abandoned.

9. Washed by the Spirit ( Renewal and Renovation)
Tit 3:5  not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
Tit 3:6  whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

The whole idea of "pouring out" is difficult imagery. We can't imagine the pouring out of personhood or washing by the Holy Spirit. cp. 1Co 6:11  And such were some of you. But you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
What Paul says of the Spirit he says of Christ Himself. Luke speaks more of being "filled with" the Holy Spirit. Paul uses "giving us His Spirit", or "receiving or having the Spirit".

Notes these verbs describing the Spirit
1. Cor 2:10 The Spirit searches all things.
1 Cor 2:11  He knows The Mind of God.
1 Cor 2:13 He teaches the content of the Gospel...
1 Cor 3:16 He dwells among or within believers
1 Cor 12:11 He accomplishes all things
 2Cor 3:6 He gives Life to those who believe
Gal 5:18 He leads us in the ways of God.
Gal 5:17 He has desires in opposition to the flesh or carnal nature.
Romans 8:26 He helps us in our weakness
Romans 8:26-27 He intercedes for us
Romans 8:28 He works all things together for our good
Ephesians 4:30 He is grieved by our sinfulness.

The fruit of the Spirit's indwelling us are the personal attributes  of a loving God.

The Spirit to Paul is not just an "it", but a real person. He is related to the Father and the Son.

THERE IS UNITY OF SUBSTANCE AND DISTINCTION OF PERSONS IN THE TRINITY.

Ch.3. (2) The Renewed Presence

Strife and Divisions were , were dismantling the Temple of God in Corinth. The gathered church is the place of His own personal presence by the Holy Spirit. The local church is Gods temple, isHis Dwelling Place, in the community where it is placed. There must be a separation from all worldliness and idolatry in the Dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. He dwells corporately and individually among us.

The Individual Believer as Gods Temple.

In 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20  Or do you not know that your bodies are a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is within you--the Spirit whom you have from God?
1Co 6:20  And you are not your own, for you have been redeemed at infinite cost. Therefore glorify God in your bodies. 

Here Paul applies the temple imagery to the individual believer. The context is sexual Immorality because some of the Corinthians were suggesting that the human spirit was not affected by what happens in ones body including having sex with a prostitute. But Paul will have none of that. Theyyd been bought with a price therefore glorify God in your bodies. God now dwells in temples not made with hands. They belong to God who purchased them through Christs sacrifice. and now dwells in them by His Spirit. His sanctifying presence getting us ready for heaven.

2Co 3:18  And all of us, with unveiled faces, reflecting like bright mirrors the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same likeness, from one degree of radiant holiness to another, even as derived from the Lord the Spirit. 

Now we are the People of God individually and corporately.

3) THe HOLY WHO?  The Spirit as a Person. 

The fulfillment of the Renewed Presence of God with His People, the Spirit was understood by Paul in personal terms.

One young boy said, "I wish the Spirit was un-invisible".

a) He is spoken of in terms of (AGENCY). He is the Agent of the Godhead here on earth at this present time. Note that the conversion of the Thessalonians was by the sanctifying work of the Spirit. 

2Th 2:13  But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brothers beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth, 

cp. these verses. 1 Cor 6:11; Rom. 15:16 1 Thess 1: Rom 15:13

Ch.3 The Church as Gods Temple.

Please answer these questions before reading the blog.

1. What Old Testament imagery is used in these verses which relates to the N.T. church. 1 Cor 3:117; 2 Cor :1; 16; Eph 2:22...…………………………………………………………..

2. God has renewed His Desire to be with His People by the coming of who?...……………………

3. In this age the community of believers is being built together to become something special. What is it in Ephesians 2:21-22...…………………………………………………………………….

4. This building was to be in contrast to what was found in Corinth, ………………………..

Chapter 3 The church as God's Temple continued. 

God dwells in the midst of His People today as he did in the OT by means of the Tabernacle and the Temple of Solomon.

2 Cor 6 :16 We are the temple of the Living God. As God has said, "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." Cp. Lev 26:12; Jerm 32:3; Ezekiel 37:27

1Co 6:19  Or do you not know that your bodies are a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is within you--the Spirit whom you have from God?
1Co 6:20  And you are not your own, for you have been redeemed at infinite cost. Therefore glorify God in your bodies.

NB. a) Paul ties the Holy Spirit in the church to the "temple Imagery" in the context of the Spirits presence in the midst of the People of God. The Living God is present among us.

Cp. Eph 2:21  in whom every building having been fitly framed together, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord;
Eph 2:22  in whom you also are built together for a dwelling place of God through the Spirit.

b) You the church in Corinth are Gods Building. Do you not know what kind of building you are?

Ch.2. (cont) The Role of the Spirit in the New Covenant

2. The Indwelling Holy Spirit.

The Spirit is located in every true believer in Jesus Christ.  He is in you/us.

1Th 4:8  Therefore a defiant spirit in such a case provokes not man but God, who puts His Holy Spirit into your hearts. WNT.

This refers to sexual Immorality and sanctification by the Holy Spirit.

1Co 6:19  Or do you not know that your bodies are a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is within you--the Spirit whom you have from God?

1Co 14:24  But if all prophesy, and some unbeliever or one not instructed comes, he is convicted by all, he is judged by all.
1Co 14:25  And so the secrets of his heart become revealed. And so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you. 

Eph 5:18  And do not be drunk with wine, in which is excess, but be filled with the Spirit,
Eph 5:19  speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 

But be filled with the Spirit (alla plērousthe en pneumati). In contrast to a state of intoxication with wine.RWP.

The effect in inspiration was that the person was “filled” with an ecstatic exhilaration, like that caused by wine; hence the two are here connected (compare Act_2:13-18). Hence arose the abstinence from wine of many of the prophets, for example, John the Baptist, namely, in order to keep distinct before the world the ecstasy caused by the Spirit, from that caused by wine. So also in ordinary Christians the Spirit dwells not in the mind that seeks the disturbing influences of excitement, but in the well-balanced prayerful mind. Such a one expresses his joy, not in drunken or worldly songs, but in Christian hymns of thankfulness. Jameison, Fausset and Brown Commentary.

This Infilling is in the HEART. 

2Co 1:22  And He has sealed us and having given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

 2Co 3:3  For all can see that you are a letter of Christ entrusted to our care, and written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the ever-living God--and not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts as tablets. 

Gal 4:6  And because you are sons, God has sent out the Spirit of His Son to enter your hearts and cry "Abba! our Father!"
He DWELLS in us. 
1Co 3:16  Do you not know that you are God's Sanctuary, and that the Spirit of God has His home within you?
1Co 3:17  If any one is marring the Sanctuary of God, him will God mar; for the Sanctuary of God is holy, which you all are.