Tag Archives: how much more

LUKE’S GOSPEL…A CASE FOR HOLY SPIRIT – 27a

Bible Study, ,

“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” … “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬, ‭9‬-‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

A friend of mine, years ago, arbitrarily decided that the Holy Spirit should be known as, “Holy Spirit” without the definite article , “the”, in Greek, “ho”. My question was, “Is this true to Scripture?” 

When we examine the New Testament, we will find that the definite article always precedes His name, that is , “the Holy Spirit”. How significant is this? Can there be another holy spirit that does not refer to the third person of the Trinity? 

There is a variation of between Jesus’ words recorded in Matthew 7…

“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…and Luke 11,

“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give (the – not in the original text) holy spirit to those who ask him!”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Matthew says, “Good things…”

Luke says, “Holy Spirit…” or “holy spirit…” since there are no uppercase letters in the original Greek text. One word is not in Luke’s text…the definite article “ho” meaning “the”. 

If Jesus’s words do not refer to the Holy Spirit, what did He mean? Was He contradicting Scripture by telling us that we need to ask God for the Holy Spirit before He will come to indwell us? However, nowhere in Scripture are we taught that the Holy Spirit comes to indwell us at our request. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to us when we believe in Jesus. He is Christ’s representative, His “other self” whom He promised would come when He, Jesus, went away. 

“But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”

‭‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭15‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

On the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit came, Peter  declared, in response to the question…

“When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭37‬-‭39‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It is clear, then, that the indwelling of God’s Spirit is part of the salvation “package”. It’s a done deal. 

“For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To be continued…

HOW MUCH MORE

Bible Study, ,

HOW MUCH MORE

But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not   part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.

The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ who, through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (Heb. 9: 11-14).

“How much more” is a rabbinic teaching method. If the lesser is true, then the greater has even more weight than the lesser.

If the earthly high priests went into the Most Holy Place to offer animal blood on the Mercy Seat in the earthly tabernacle which made the worshippers ceremonially clean, but was not able to cleanse the conscience, how much more did the blood of Christ which He offered in the heavenly tabernacle, make the worshipper spiritually pure before God!

The Levitical high priests ministered in a sanctuary which was nothing more than a copy of the true sanctuary in heaven. Everything they did was only a copy of what was done in heaven. From God’s perspective, Jesus was “the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world” (Rev. 13: 8). Before the earth and its bounty came into being, God’s plan was already in place to redeem mankind through the blood of His Son. Although His death took place at a specific time in history, its effects covers the whole span of time.

The religious leaders were offended with Jesus because He claimed to have the right to forgive sins without a sacrifice. In their book, no sacrifice meant no forgiveness because they did not realise that every sacrifice offered on the altar in the temple was merely a picture of what had taken place before the creation of the world. If they were trusting in the blood of animals for forgiveness, their faith was misplaced. Only Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1: 29). John the Baptist recognised His sacrifice long before He was crucified.

If the blood of animals was able to make the offerers ceremonially clean, how much more then, is the blood of Christ able to make the sinner clean by removing his sin forever. It is not just covered – it is removed, as the Azazel – the scapegoat, was driven into the wilderness after the sins of the nation were symbolically pressed on him. The prophet Isaiah recognised the significance of Jesus’s sacrifice in his vision of the suffering Servant.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isa. 53: 6).

Once again, as we gaze on the sacrifice of Jesus, we see the Trinity at work, fully involved in the redemption of mankind. God the Father was there – His plan in action through the Son and through the Spirit whose anointing on Jesus enabled Him to offer Himself without flinching as a perfect sacrifice of atonement to God.

The Holy Spirit was God’s agent through whom Jesus was conceived, anointed for His ministry, ministered the works of God, died, and rose again. He was given to us to live in us as the perfect representative of Jesus, giving us the same power that Jesus had to live in harmony with the Father as His beloved children. How foolish of the readers to think that they could go back to the old system to save themselves from persecution and experience the same benefits they had from the death of Jesus! It would not work for them and it will not work for us.

Even if we are not Jewish and do not fully understand the significance of their priesthood and sacrificial system, the fact remains that it is only through Jesus that we can enjoy the benefits of complete forgiveness, cleansing from our sin, a clear conscience before God and full acceptance with Him through the ministry of our great high priest.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

HOW MUCH MORE…

Bible Study, ,

HOW MUCH MORE…

“But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.

“For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:15-17.

And the river of grace flows on and on and on!

One man; one sin, condemnation; death – the tragic story of humanity. It took just one act of disobedience to release a Pandora’s Box of terrible consequences on the whole human race and the universe itself which God created perfect to sustain man’s earthly home. Once out of the box, those consequences could never be retrieved and stuffed back.

However, we not only have to live with those consequences; we also continue to add to them by agreeing with and perpetuating Adam’s rebellion. And so, through one trespass, condemnation and death came on the human race… but into our sorry plight stepped another man…

Paul was quick to explain that what God did to rescue man, not only rescued us from the consequence of sin but also elevated us to a position even greater than we had before the fall. That is so much like God!

Before Adam’s disobedience, the first pair, who were created in His image to share a unity with their Creator, with each other and with the world in which they lived, were the visible expression of the unity in the Godhead. But sin came in, disrupted the unity and brought chaos into the harmony of God’s creation. Not only Adam and Eve were condemned but also the whole human race because each succeeding generation was born with the nature of Adam. And the crux of it all is: we deserved it!

Now here comes the “how much more” bit!

Through the gift of God’s grace (the favour He lavished on us regardless of us), the effects of what Jesus did on the cross flow to all who receive Him and we don’t deserve it. This is the majesty of God’s grace. We deserve nothing but condemnation and death because we have confirmed God’s judgment on us by our own sinfulness. Yet God has provided, not only forgiveness but also much more – righteousness through grace, underserved favour that releases upon us a new status – children of God, and all the privileges and benefits of being God’s kids!

However, Paul said that it’s even more than that. Not only are we God’s sons and daughters, but we are also on the same level as His Son – kings, reigning in life through Him and with Him. What does that mean? Jesus showed us what it means to reign in His earthly sojourn. He was never the victim of anyone or anything. He lived in absolute submission to the Father, and carried out the Father’s will in everything He said and did.

“Reigning in life” is not about lording it over other people; it’s about being in control of ourselves by being in submission to God. Now that takes grace! Our natural bent towards selfishness and self-will is still there, wanting to be in charge but, because the Holy Spirit is now resident inside us, representing Jesus to us and giving us the power to submit to Him, we are able to overcome our natural bent and live under His authority.

As we are being set free from our fears, our inhibitions, our misunderstandings and our unbelief to embrace the truth that Jesus, not us, is Lord, so we are able to say “no” to ourselves and “yes” to Him, more and more. The “old man” is dying and the “new man” is coming alive. Circumstances no longer control or terrify us because He is in charge. His peace guards our hearts and minds; His word fills our thoughts and mouths.

Now that is reigning in life!

Acknowledgement

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Be Real With God

Christian Life, , , ,

BE REAL WITH GOD

Ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him as stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him? (Matt. 7: 7-11)

This could well be a part of Jesus’s teaching on prayer but for one thing – the context. If we ignore the following parable, we might think that He advocating persistence in prayer, which is a reality about prayer in other contexts, but not in this one.

So what is He talking about?

His story seems to indicate that God values a transparent two-way communication in our dealings with Him. When a child asks straight out for what he wants, a father will not be devious and give him what he has not requested. If earthly, fallible human fathers treat their children well, how much more will a perfect heavenly Father give the best to His children?

The issue is: If God is open and honest with us, how open and honest are we with Him? We fool ourselves if we think that we can fool Him by our words while at the same time try to conceal what’s in our hearts. Be real with God. Jesus taught Bartimaeus, the blind man, this lesson when He asked him,

What do you want me to do for you? (Mark 10: 51)

Jesus was not stupid. He knew what Bartimaeus’ problem was, but He wanted him to verbalise it. Why? Because it was important for the blind man to admit his need. Jesus drew him out to ask for what he wanted. He wanted him to play open cards with Him so that He could respond to him according to his heart need.

This lesson is not only applicable to our interaction with the Father. It is equally important that we be transparent with people as well. This does not give us a licence, however, to be brutal in our honesty. There is a way to be open with people that invites trust, not offence. Jesus put it this way:

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matt. 7: 12)

Let’s take this a little further. What about the way Jesus spoke to and about the Pharisees? Was He not being brutal in His transparency? Was He contradicting His own principles? Did He expose the wicked hearts of the Pharisees in the spirit of Torah?

In order to uncover His purpose, we must check His motive. What was His intention when He spoke to them as harshly as He did? There may be several reasons but let’s look at a few.

  1. They were the spiritual leaders of the people. They were the educated ones who were responsible for interpreting, modelling and teaching the Had Jesus remained silent, He would have given them permission to continue being hypocrites, teaching one thing but contradicting what they taught by their behaviour. By publicly exposing their hearts, He warned them about what they were doing and, at the same time, the people who admired them for the wrong reasons. They did not follow the teaching of Torah which they expected their followers to do.

 

  1. The Pharisees thought they were the watchdogs and critics of the people. They did what Jesus warned His disciples not to do. They judged others by their own standards and heaped guilt and condemnation on those who failed. That was not to be their role. They were to lead by example, not alienate by condemnation. Jesus alerted the people and warned the Pharisees that they were themselves under condemnation for what they were doing. This was their opportunity to repent.

 

  1. Jesus offended their minds to expose their hearts. Their reactions to Him revealed what was in their hearts. They were not interested in walking in the way of Yahweh. They enjoyed the praise they received from people while living their wicked lives in secret. Jesus told them the truth so that they would have an opportunity to repent, and so that they would have no excuse for what they did when they came into judgment.

John the Baptist was equally brutal in the way he spoke to the religious leaders. He called them “a brood of vipers” – not a very flattering title or a way to “win friends and influence people”! Luke concluded his report with these words:

And with many other words, John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them. (Luke 3: 18)

Good news, John? In this case, the context makes it clear that John’s harsh words were part of the good news he was telling them. If his hearers knew what was in their own hearts, perhaps they would realise that what John taught about Messiah was true – that He had come to take away the sin of the world and to give them the Holy Spirit who would separate out the wheat from the chaff in their lives.

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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