THE HOLY SPIRIT IN VARIOUS ASPECTS

Romans 1:3, 4

3. Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

4. And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

Romans 8:2, 4, 9,12-14, 23, 26

2. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

4. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

9. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

12. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

23. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

26. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Romans 14:17

17. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

We approach, in the Epistle to the Romans, a spiritual temple, from the illuminated windows of which there shine out beams of lofty, divine truth concerning the Holy Spirit. This Epistle presents to us the doctrine of the Holy Spirit's indwelling men's hearts with a symmetry and clearness quite as remarkable as the other doctrines which it contains. We see the Holy Spirit presented to us in various aspects in the Scriptures we have taken from the Epistle to the Romans. He is brought before us as a Witnessing Spirit, the Spirit of holiness and life, a Guide, the Spirit of crucifixion, the Spirit of Sonship, the Spirit of hope and anticipation, the Spirit of prayer, the Spirit of gladness.

In Romans 1:3, 4, we have the Witnessing Spirit. In this instance the Lord Jesus is said to have been of the seed of David according to the flesh, and the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

Here the Holy Spirit is witnessing to the divinity of the Lord Jesus by raising Him from the dead. The Holy Spirit has ever been the witness of Christ's divinity. This same Holy Spirit witnesses to our consciousness, that Jesus is, indeed, the Son of God and the Savior of mankind. He also witnesses to our personal salvation.

In Romans 8:2, we have the Spirit of holiness and life. One definition for law is "rule of action." The Holy Spirit, the Author of life, does actually give perfect deliverance from all the power of sin and death, as the apostle Paul in the text to which we have just referred, clearly states the Holy Spirit had done for him.

This is the first work of the Holy Ghost in sanctifying the soul. This, of course, is subsequent to our justification by faith. The Holy Spirit comes to take possession of our souls, and breathes into us the life of Jesus. He thus becomes to us a new law of life and power in our spiritual being, and this new law lifts us above, and sets us free from, the old law of sin and death.

Just as a law of physics lifts one above the law of gravity -- the power of my will can raise my hand in spite of the fact that a. physical law makes inert matter fall to the ground -- the law of sin and death has power over all unsanctified persons because the principle of sin, the disease of sin, is latent within every unsanctified soul.

The Holy Spirit establishes a new law of feeling, thinking, choosing, and acting; and this new law lifts us above the power of sin, making it natural to be holy. This is not of, nor by, ourselves, but because He, the Holy Spirit, now dwells within the heart and has supreme control. If this were not true then one is not made free from the law of sin and death. To be made free from the law of sin and death certainly means that it no longer has any dominion whatever over one.

In Romans 8:4,12-15 we see the Holy Spirit very clearly presented as Guide and Director of our spiritual lives. And if we remain true to this divine leadership, we shall never go astray. That means, however, that we must always obey our divine Guide, we must ever follow our heavenly Leader. Unless we heed the checks and the promptings of the Spirit, we cannot expect Him to keep us in the way of peace and happiness.

The Spirit leads us by the Word, by providence, as well as by direct illumination. It is supremely important that we heed this leadership in its triple aspect. In endeavoring to follow the Spirit, without a due appreciation of the Word and providence, we open the door to an evil spirit who passes himself off as the Holy Spirit. Satan, as Lucifer, once lived in heaven next to the throne of God. Having become thoroughly acquainted with the Holy Spirit, he is now able to impersonate the Holy Spirit and so deceive the unguarded. Jesus said that Satan is able to transform himself into an angel of light -- or rather, to make himself appear as an angel of light, and thereby deceive many. The Angel of Light is the Holy Spirit.

If we try to follow the Word, without a due regard for the Holy Spirit and providence, we will soon find ourselves in dead formality, and in the end we will be lost. If we attempt to follow Providence, regardless of the Spirit and Word, we will apostatize into rationalism and be consigned to hell.

The Christian life is not a mere moment of blessed transformation, but a life of continual abiding in God. Step by step we must walk with Him, maintaining the habit of depending on Him and yielding constant obedience to Him.

Next we have the Holy Spirit presented as the Spirit of Crucifixion. The Holy Spirit is the One who presents to us the place of death and resurrection. And the attitude of the Christian life is that we are reckoning ourselves dead indeed unto sin. This is what is meant by "mortifying our members." And rest assured, crucifying self can be done only by the aid of the Holy Spirit. If we attempt it without His help, we shall only meet failure.

The Holy Spirit is also the Spirit of Sonship. This is clearly unfolded in verse 14. The Holy Spirit brings us into the intimate relation of sons. We are made partakers of Christ's Sonship through His indwelling life; and the prayer of the Master becomes fulfilled in us, "That the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them." As the bride shares the bridegroom's family and home, so we partake of all the privileges, immunities, glories, and prospects of Christ's own glorious life. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God."

In verse 23, the Holy Spirit is presented to us as the Spirit of hope and anticipation of the coming glory. The Holy Spirit within us awakens a consciousness of this coming glory, calling forth an eager longing for it.

Just as the embryo birdling in its shell, when the time for its birth draws near, presses through the restraints that confine it, bursting its fragile shell and leaping forth into liberty, so the sanctified soul stretches out even now its nascent wings, groaning within itself for the coming glory. Truly, we may enjoy the first fruits of the glorious future now.

What we have seen of answered prayer, of power over nature, of victory over circumstances, of divine life in our earthly sphere, are but an earnest of the kingdom we shall inherit -- the kingdom which Adam lost. And as the Holy Spirit in us is teaching us the Millennial song, He is illuminating our vision of the coming glory as He calls us out to prove, even here, our celestial wings.

Oh, let us not be disobedient to these heavenly visions; let us not repress these outreachings; let us not quench these immortal fires; let us not crush out the heavenly inspirations and aspirations which carry with them, not only the prospect, but the vital power of an endless and boundless life!

We next see the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of prayer. This view is given us in verse 26, which reveals to us the deep mystery of prayer. This is the divine mechanism which words cannot interpret, and which theology cannot explain; but which the humblest saint recognizes even when he does not understand.

Oh, the burdens that we must bear but cannot understand! We know that we should see in them a divine message -- they are an echo from the throne and a whisper from the heart of God. And so we can just pour out the fullness of our hearts, when sorrow crushes our spirits -- and know that He hears, He loves, He understands.

In verse 17, we see the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of gladness. And the Spirit of gladness is essential to power for service and effective testimony for Christ.

Here we see the pure spirituality of the Lord's salvation. Such temporalities as eating, drinking, sacraments, water baptism, other church rites, ceremonies, and institutions have nothing to do with our salvation. False religions always magnify temporalities, such as church ordinances, and minimize the spiritual graces. We receive righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost regeneration. These graces are made perfect in sanctification when their antagonisms are eliminated.