I've heard it said that Jesus did not make a "name" for the way of truth that He taught for the approx 3 years he was here on earth. And perhaps the reason was because He brought one way, one faith and one baptism. Some have said He didn't have to make a name because He didn't teach 2,000 or more different ways to worship God. That has always been an interesting question to me.
And Jesus said He didn't have a place to lay his head. Foxes have holes, birds nest but the Son of man hath not a place to lay His head. That's just so interesting to me. Why would Jesus go out homeless?
Apparently there was nearly always someone who would want Him to stay in their home. What a privilege...... Then were His disciples also homeless? Following His example. Perhaps they also would be welcome in the homes of the believers so they could visit..... A couple nights here and there etc. would it not be the simplest way possible and not to be a burden on anyone and what blessing for those who were chosen to invite the disciples into their homes.??
Indeed, Jesus is the Way, the only Way to God ( John 14:6) & we ought to have only one Church teaching the same as Jesus did. Yet, even though most will agree to Jesus being the only way, other suggestions have since cropped up to help us make sure that we do get to Heaven. Praying to the saints & departed loved ones, doing good works, purgatory, etc. are all believed in to guarantee acceptance. Yet all these things take away from the complete work of Jesus at the Cross & God's accepting it so that we might be forgiven. So by adding to our salvation, we actually remove Jesus from being the only Way to God.
As Jesus & His disciples travelled about, there would be occasions where they may have found some people who gave them shelter for the night, but not all would have aligned themselves with Jesus, especially because of pressure from the Jewish religious leaders to refuse Jesus. So when there was no roof to sleep under, maybe under trees or in caves became their overnight stop. It was a hard life indeed, but God's Message needed to go out, God's Power & Presence needed to be seen & God's Sacrifice needed to be offered - nothing, even lack of a roof, would deter Jesus in His Mission & His disciples would have learned many great lessons as well during their travels & hardships that would have stood them well, at which time they too would receive the Holy Spirit & go out on their Mission in the Spirit's Power.
To properly define the Holy Spirit, as you know would take several pages & even then we would not do justice because of our limited understanding from the Word. So briefly, without giving references at this stage, the Holy Spirit is:
a. a Person within the Triune God: proved by His Names, His Characteristics, His Works & His association with the Father & the Son.
b. He proceeded from the Godhead eternally & without any dividing or change in God's Nature.
c. He was involved in Creation, the Virgin Birth, in Christ's Life, Ministry, Death & Resurrection & also for the sake of mankind (convicting, regenerating, indwelling, baptizing, sealing).
d. He gave gifts to God's children & fills them so they can lead God-honouring lives with joy & in power. In so doing, He teaches us, guides us, gives assurance & comfort, & helps us to pray.
e. He came upon the men of old (including Christ's disciples) in measure, according to their appointment, but now, in fulness to reside in all of God's children.
f. He inspired the writing of God's Word & leads us into God's Truth & even today empowers men to preach the Gospel & to stand for Christ even in the face of death.
And so "what is the Spirit's Power?" As can be gleaned from the incomplete list above, the Holy Spirit is the very Presence of God sent to the world to bring conviction to the hearts of men of their sin & their separation from God and to indwell every one who has come to God in faith because of His Son. To us, we have all the resources from God to live a victorious life, using His Gifts for the blessing of His people, having the power & joy to serve God, to withstand Satan & his followers around us & to increase our faith when we falter. Yet He is so often stifled in His Work in us, because of unconfessed sin & by taking our eyes off Jesus & looking to the world or within ourselves. But "greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the World".
God is truth, Jesus brings truth to earth, the Holy Spirit is the truth. They are all three truth and they are the same truth.
The Holy Spirit is not a person, but it is truth. When you have the Holy Spirit in you, you have the truth of God in you.
The truth will lead all people to God. Truth is sent to people to convince and to bring conviction to the sinner. When a person has the Holy Spirit, they have the truth within them making it possible to speak the truth. When a person departs from the truth they are profane, meaning unholy and they cannot speak the truth.
It is confusing to think of the Holy Spirit as a person. The Holy Spirit is the truth that can go everywhere. It can be spoken, written, go out on the radio and television and the internet. Yes, truth it does convict the sinner. It can go throughout the entire world.
Read again what you have written with the knowledge that the Holy Spirit is the truth of God.
I can heartily agree with your first paragraph that the Triune God is very Truth. But then you say that the Holy Spirit is not a person. And it's at this point that we have to dwell.
Before I give you some Scriptures, let me ask, "what if God chose to embody His "Truth" (the Holy Spirit), with flesh, as He did to His "Word"? Would that alter your belief that the Spirit is more than the Truth (a Word) of God, but very God Himself by His Spirit?
Some Scriptures for you to consider that the Holy Spirit is not only the 'Truth of God' but sent from God as God: 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 (He is Intelligent, He searches, He knows, He has a Will); Ephesians 4:30 (He has feelings - can be grieved & He seals the believer); John 14:26 (He teaches; notice the pronoun); John 16:13, Romans 8:14; Acts 8:29 (He guides, leads, speaks, hears, glorifies God); Acts 13:4 (He commissions or despatches); Romans 8:26,27 (He intercedes); Matthew 12:31 (He can be blasphemed); Acts 5:3 (He can be lied to); Acts 7:51 (He can be resisted); Hebrews 10:29 (He can be outraged). And these are just a few to consider.
Then if we leave off the word 'Spirit' & replace it with 'Truth' in those Scriptures (as you asked me to try out), in some cases, it could work as the Spirit is Truth, as God & the Son are Truth. But in other cases, that just wouldn't work (e.g. how does the Truth (as a spoken Word) grieve, search, has a Will, feelings, hears, glorifies, commissions, intercedes, blasphemed against, etc.?). And then again, why did God not just use the word 'Truth' (as in 'the Truth shall set you free') but rather shows us that His Spirit (of Truth) was sent to accomplish these tasks? I can see if someone has difficulty with the Doctrine of the Trinity, then understanding the Spirit's part in the Godhead would be a problem.
And Jesus said He didn't have a place to lay his head. Foxes have holes, birds nest but the Son of man hath not a place to lay His head. That's just so interesting to me. Why would Jesus go out homeless?
Apparently there was nearly always someone who would want Him to stay in their home. What a privilege...... Then were His disciples also homeless? Following His example. Perhaps they also would be welcome in the homes of the believers so they could visit..... A couple nights here and there etc. would it not be the simplest way possible and not to be a burden on anyone and what blessing for those who were chosen to invite the disciples into their homes.??
As Jesus & His disciples travelled about, there would be occasions where they may have found some people who gave them shelter for the night, but not all would have aligned themselves with Jesus, especially because of pressure from the Jewish religious leaders to refuse Jesus. So when there was no roof to sleep under, maybe under trees or in caves became their overnight stop. It was a hard life indeed, but God's Message needed to go out, God's Power & Presence needed to be seen & God's Sacrifice needed to be offered - nothing, even lack of a roof, would deter Jesus in His Mission & His disciples would have learned many great lessons as well during their travels & hardships that would have stood them well, at which time they too would receive the Holy Spirit & go out on their Mission in the Spirit's Power.
Once again we need a definition of the Holy Spirit. What is the Spirit's power?
a. a Person within the Triune God: proved by His Names, His Characteristics, His Works & His association with the Father & the Son.
b. He proceeded from the Godhead eternally & without any dividing or change in God's Nature.
c. He was involved in Creation, the Virgin Birth, in Christ's Life, Ministry, Death & Resurrection & also for the sake of mankind (convicting, regenerating, indwelling, baptizing, sealing).
d. He gave gifts to God's children & fills them so they can lead God-honouring lives with joy & in power. In so doing, He teaches us, guides us, gives assurance & comfort, & helps us to pray.
e. He came upon the men of old (including Christ's disciples) in measure, according to their appointment, but now, in fulness to reside in all of God's children.
f. He inspired the writing of God's Word & leads us into God's Truth & even today empowers men to preach the Gospel & to stand for Christ even in the face of death.
And so "what is the Spirit's Power?" As can be gleaned from the incomplete list above, the Holy Spirit is the very Presence of God sent to the world to bring conviction to the hearts of men of their sin & their separation from God and to indwell every one who has come to God in faith because of His Son. To us, we have all the resources from God to live a victorious life, using His Gifts for the blessing of His people, having the power & joy to serve God, to withstand Satan & his followers around us & to increase our faith when we falter. Yet He is so often stifled in His Work in us, because of unconfessed sin & by taking our eyes off Jesus & looking to the world or within ourselves. But "greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the World".
The Holy Spirit is not a person, but it is truth. When you have the Holy Spirit in you, you have the truth of God in you.
The truth will lead all people to God. Truth is sent to people to convince and to bring conviction to the sinner. When a person has the Holy Spirit, they have the truth within them making it possible to speak the truth. When a person departs from the truth they are profane, meaning unholy and they cannot speak the truth.
It is confusing to think of the Holy Spirit as a person. The Holy Spirit is the truth that can go everywhere. It can be spoken, written, go out on the radio and television and the internet. Yes, truth it does convict the sinner. It can go throughout the entire world.
Read again what you have written with the knowledge that the Holy Spirit is the truth of God.
Before I give you some Scriptures, let me ask, "what if God chose to embody His "Truth" (the Holy Spirit), with flesh, as He did to His "Word"? Would that alter your belief that the Spirit is more than the Truth (a Word) of God, but very God Himself by His Spirit?
Some Scriptures for you to consider that the Holy Spirit is not only the 'Truth of God' but sent from God as God: 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 (He is Intelligent, He searches, He knows, He has a Will); Ephesians 4:30 (He has feelings - can be grieved & He seals the believer); John 14:26 (He teaches; notice the pronoun); John 16:13, Romans 8:14; Acts 8:29 (He guides, leads, speaks, hears, glorifies God); Acts 13:4 (He commissions or despatches); Romans 8:26,27 (He intercedes); Matthew 12:31 (He can be blasphemed); Acts 5:3 (He can be lied to); Acts 7:51 (He can be resisted); Hebrews 10:29 (He can be outraged). And these are just a few to consider.
Then if we leave off the word 'Spirit' & replace it with 'Truth' in those Scriptures (as you asked me to try out), in some cases, it could work as the Spirit is Truth, as God & the Son are Truth. But in other cases, that just wouldn't work (e.g. how does the Truth (as a spoken Word) grieve, search, has a Will, feelings, hears, glorifies, commissions, intercedes, blasphemed against, etc.?). And then again, why did God not just use the word 'Truth' (as in 'the Truth shall set you free') but rather shows us that His Spirit (of Truth) was sent to accomplish these tasks? I can see if someone has difficulty with the Doctrine of the Trinity, then understanding the Spirit's part in the Godhead would be a problem.
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