THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE PLAN OF REDEMPTION

Hebrews 9:13, 14

13. If the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Romans 8:13,14

13. 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.

Hebrews 10:14,15

14 By one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

15. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us.

Hebrews 2:4

2:4. God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to His own will.

Hebrews 3:7, 8

3:7. Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,

8. Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness) .

In these Scriptures we have brought to our attention some of the outstanding work of the Holy Spirit in the plan of salvation. He is here shown in His relation to Christ's death, which is the one and only thing that makes salvation possible. Without the death of Christ there would be no salvation at all. But in that sacrifice the Holy Spirit had a definite part. That is, He was present at Calvary to assist Christ in making the supreme sacrifice. Then we have Him presented as the witness of the new covenant. Also we have Him presented in relation to the supernatural signs and operations of the Gospel, as well as in respect to the decision we make for God. So we notice that the Holy Spirit is presented in the Scriptures given in this connection, as performing an important part in the scheme of redemption.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN RELATION TO CHRIST'S DEATH (Heb. 9:14)

The Holy Spirit was associated with the entire life of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was through His overshadowing that Christ was anointed for His special work. It was through the leading of the Holy Spirit that Christ was brought into the Wilderness to be tempted of the devil, and from this ordeal was led forth in victory. Christ was anointed with the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel to a fallen and hellbound race. Again we find that Christ cast out demons through the Holy Spirit. All through His life the Holy Spirit was in partnership with Him.

The Holy Spirit strengthened the blessed Lord for His agony in Gethsemane, and upheld Him so that He could not die before His time. The Spirit sustained Him in sweetness, gentleness, and spotless righteousness, through the awful ordeal of shame and suffering on Calvary's cross. We see the Holy Spirit in the last hours of Christ's life, ministering at the cross, taking part in the most important act of the Savior's life. "Christ . . . through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God." It was a dark hour indeed, when the Father's face was turned away from Him. But the blessed Comforter was with Him in that dark lone hour.

We have the assurance from the Christ Himself that just as the Holy Spirit was with Him in His crucifixion, so will He be with the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. When trying times come -- when the hour seems dark and lonely, when the load seems almost too heavy to bear, when the devil attacks in fury, when loved -- ones misunderstand and turn away, when friends once trusted betray the trust reposed in them -- then, thank God, the Holy Spirit is near and ready to comfort, and strengthen us through it all and enable us to keep the victory.

The Holy Spirit will help "whosoever will," likewise, to die to self and to sin. It is only through the Holy Spirit that one can be truly crucified. "If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live" (Rom. 8:13). But if we, without the Spirit's help, try to "kill" ourselves, we shall only be like poor old Nero, in a state constantly of attempted suicide. History records that Nero became so possessed of remorse for his misdeeds that he attempted to commit suicide, scores of times, by stabbing himself with his sword; but every time the sword began to prick he would draw it back and thus he never dared to stab himself to death. If we try to crucify ourselves, the task will never be completed. The Holy Spirit alone can crucify carnality and free souls from its dominion.

Let everyone who reads these lines make sure he receives the Holy Spirit. He will overshadow our last couch of pain, and on His mighty wings of love, will bear our souls to the bosom of the Father. It is our privilege to be presented without spot before the throne of God.

THE HOLY SPIRIT AS THE WITNESS OF THE NEW COVENANT (Heb. 10:15)

This is the Gospel revealed by the Holy Spirit to Jeremiah, in the dark and declining days of ancient Judaism, when through the broken windows of the earthly temple the prophet in vision looked to the light of a better morning.

The ancient covenant to Jeremiah must be very significant because the Apostle mentions it three times in the epistle to the Hebrews. Under the old economy the law was written on tables of stone. But now it is to be written upon our minds and upon our hearts. Thus it is made a part of our nature, thought, desires, and choices -- our entire being. It is made to be our very life. Then, even as a mother toils for her family, (no money could hire her for love impels her), so, because of our love for God, we choose to yield to Him our service of deepest devotion. Thus He becomes our God and we become His people. Our sins are not only forgiven, but forgotten. Our depraved self is no more. It has been slain by the Holy Spirit.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN RELATION TO THE SUPERNATURAL SIGNS AND OPERATIONS OF THE GOSPEL (Heb. 2:4)

The Apostle gives us, in this passage, a word picture of the preeminence of the "great salvation" as compared with the law.

The dispensation of Moses was introduced by angels and by man, but the Gospel was "spoken to us by the Lord," repeated by those who were sent directly by Him, and then confirmed to us by the Holy Spirit Himself. The Holy Spirit is still present in the church, and is still giving His confirmatory signs. He is doing this by miracles of grace in the hearts of men; by miracles of Providence in the church; by miracles in the bodies of those who trust Him.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN RELATION TO OUR IMMEDIATE DECISION FOR GOD (Heb. 3:7,8)

"To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts," is always the Holy Spirit's message to man. It is always a present message. It is always an urgent message, demanding immediate decision. Back of this message, He is always pointing to that solemn story of the Wilderness where God's chosen people came forth from bondage under His mighty hand, advanced under His glorious leadership to the very gates of Canaan, and then failed. In one fatal moment, they faltered, doubted and disobeyed; and then they went back to nearly a half century of disappointment and, at last, met a dishonored death. How sad, how desolate were those years in the Wilderness. The Israelites were moving but going nowhere. Toiling, suffering, but accomplishing nothing, simply marking time. Finally God said to them: "Ye have compassed this mountain long enough." There are men and women who have missed their Opportunity to obey the call of God. There is a moment when one must decide for God and heaven or perish. The Holy Spirit's message to him is ever, "To day, while it is called to day." It would be well for those souls who have been converted and then turned back when coming up to the light of holiness, to listen to His voice. Such persons are headed for the wilderness of a backslidden life, unless they make a drastic move in the right direction. The Apostle Peter tells us, "It had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment (the commandment to be holy) delivered unto them." (II Peter 2:21). The converted soul comes up to the gates of the Land of Promise, to the point of entire sanctification. And there is a moment when there is no time to lose. Then it is NOW or NEVER.

Even after we have received the Holy Spirit there are crisis hours in our lives. There are openings to higher levels, there are sacrifices to be dared; there are advances to be made; there are promises to be claimed; there are victories to be won. But they will not wait for us. They are passing by, and the Holy Spirit's message to us is, "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."