Seeing the Progressive Revelation concerning the Spirit in the Word of God

God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Heb. 13:8), and He never changes; He is perfect in Himself, self-existing, and ever-existing without needing to have any improvement, change, or perfecting.

However, in His relationship with man, we see that God went through certain processes. In the beginning of the Bible we see the Spirit of God brooding upon the surface of the waters (Gen. 1:2), but in the New Testament we see that the Spirit is with our spirit (2 Tim. 4:22), and that there are the seven Spirits of God as the seven lamps of fire before the throne of God (Rev. 4:5; 5:6).

The Bible doesn’t say things randomly, neither did God mention titles of the Spirit in an arbitrary way; rather, all the titles of the Spirit mean something in particular, and there’s a progressive revelation concerning the Spirit in the Scriptures.

We need to come to the Lord first as we dive into His Word and open to Him, asking Him to enlighten us and open our mind to understand so that we would have a real appreciation of the process God went through and all that He is to us in the Spirit.

All that God is with all He has is in Christ, and Christ today is realized in and as the Spirit who is now with our spirit (Rom. 8:16). In Himself, God is perfect and complete, but in His relation to man, He went through many things and expressed many aspects of His rich being to us for our enjoyment and experience.

The Revelation Concerning the Spirit in the Old Testament

Right in the beginning of the Bible we see that “the Spirit of God was brooding upon the surface of the waters” (Gen. 1:2). In the Old Testament the Spirit is mainly the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Jehovah, and the Spirit of holiness. As the Spirit of God (Gen. 1:2) He is revealed in His relation to the creation. The Spirit of God brooded upon the death waters, and at God’s word, He brought forth life and all the living things.

As the Spirit of Jehovah, He is revealed in the context of His relationship with man. The Spirit of Jehovah came upon Samson and he judged Israel (Judges 3:10), and the Spirit of Jehovah rushed upon Saul and he prophesied (1 Sam. 10:6). In His relation to man in the Old Testament, the Spirit is revealed as the Spirit of Jehovah.

Another title for the Spirit in the Old Testament is the Spirit of holiness (which is wrongly translated as the Holy Spirit in some versions of the Bible). In Isa. 63:10-11 we see that the people of Israel rebelled and grieved God’s Spirit of holiness and in Psa. 51:11 David prayed that God would not remove the Spirit of holiness away from him.

As the Spirit of holiness, He sanctifies His people unto Himself, separating them from anything common and being with them as the Spirit of holiness. In Zech. 12:10 we also see the Spirit of grace, which will be poured out upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and on the house of David when the Lord will return the second time.

The Progressive Revelation Concerning the Spirit in the New Testament

In the New Testament we see so much concerning the Spirit! Right at the beginning, we read about the Holy Spirit coming upon Mary and even into her, conceiving “a holy thing” (the Lord Jesus, the first God-man). Then, we see the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the Spirit, and the seven Spirits of God. How much we need the Lord to open our eyes to see all the wonderful aspects and titles of the Spirit, that we may enjoy Him as the all-inclusive compound life-giving Spirit dwelling in us! Let’s get into more details concerning the Spirit in the New Testament:

The Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35; Matt. 1:20) was revealed initially in relation to the conception and the birth of Christ. The Holy Spirit came upon Mary and something was conceived in her; the divine essence entered into Mary and Christ as “the holy thing” was conceived. Wow! John the Baptist was only filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:15), but the Lord Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, had the Spirit as His essence, He was anointed by the Spirit (Luke 3:22), and He baptizes with the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8).

The term, the Holy Spirit, is very often used by the Lord Jesus in His speaking, and in the Acts when the Holy Spirit came upon the believers, and they did all kinds of signs and wonders (Acts. 1:8; 1:16; 2:4; 2:38; 4:8, 31; 5:3, 32; 6:5; 7:51, 55, etc). Paul also mentioned the Holy Spirit in his epistles, saying that God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5), the kingdom of God is joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17), abounding in the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 15:13), being sanctified in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 15:16), and many other places.

The Holy Spirit is therefore a general title in relation to the Spirit of God in the New Testament, bringing God into man and sanctifying man, working in man, being the power for man to do the work of God, and accomplishing God’s purpose.

The Spirit in John 7:39, which was not yet before the Lord was glorified, is not merely the Spirit of God, but the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit with Christ’s divinity, after the Lord’s resurrection, compounded with Christ’s humanity, His human living under the cross, His crucifixion, and His resurrection. This is the consummated Spirit which is drinkable by the believers for their daily salvation.

The Spirit of God is also mentioned in the New Testament as coming upon the Lord Jesus after His baptism (Matt. 3:16), and it was by the Spirit of God that the Lord Jesus cast out demons (Matt. 12:28). Paul says that the Spirit of God dwells in us (Rom. 8:9) – not only brooding upon us but now He is in us! We are the sons of God, those led by the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:14). The Spirit of God knows the things of God (1 Cor. 2:11), and He dwells in us, His temple (1 Cor. 3:16).

There are many other places where Paul speaks of the Spirit of God: 1 Cor. 7:40, 12:3; Eph. 4:30; Phil. 3:3. Also, see 1 John 4:3. The Spirit of God in the New Testament is in man and upon man, being one with man and leading man to do things for God. It is God Himself processed and consummated coming to man as the Spirit to be one with man.

The Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:7) is a very particular utterance by Paul, and is used interchangeably with the Holy Spirit in the previous verse. It refers to the Spirit of the incarnated Jesus who, as a man, passed through human living and death on the cross, being limited by God. Such a Spirit didn’t allow Paul to go in a certain direction, limiting him and directing him. In this Spirit there’s the elements of the Lord’s humanity, His human living, and His suffering of death, and we experience this aspect of the Spirit in some particular situations.

The Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9) implies that this Spirit is the embodiment and the reality of Christ Himself, the incarnated One. As the sent One, Christ accomplished everything God assigned to Him, and he went through incarnation, human living, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. This Spirit is mingled with our spirit, dwelling in us (Rom. 8:10 to impart Himself into us as resurrection life and power to deal with the death in our nature. The Spirit of Christ refers mainly to Christ’s resurrection and ascension, and He today lives in us, causing us to live in Christ’s resurrection by living in the mingled spirit.

The Spirit of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:19) is “the Spirit” referred to in John 7:39, typified by the compound ointment in Exo. 30:23-25. After Christ’s resurrection, the Spirit is compounded with His incarnation, His divinity, His perfect human living, His death, His resurrection, and His ascension. The Spirit of Jesus Christ is the all-inclusive bountiful supply for our Christian life for us to live Christ in whatever kind of circumstances we’re in.

Paul experienced such a bountiful supply even in prison, firmly believing that through the petitions of the saints and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, his situation will turn out to salvation. We today can enjoy the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ to live Christ, magnify Christ, express Christ, and manifest Christ to others no matter the circumstances or environment. What a bountiful supply!

The Seven Spirits of God (Rev. 1:4; 4:5; 5:6) are the seven lamps of fire burning before the throne of God and the seven eyes of the Lamb of God. The Spirit has been intensified sevenfold to counteract the degradation in the church, to produce the overcomers, and to accomplish God’s economy.

The compound Spirit of Jesus Christ has been intensified sevenfold to become the seven Spirits of God for the carrying out of God’s administration on earth for the accomplishing of His economy concerning the church (as the seven lamps of fire) and for the transfusing of all He is into the church and searching, burning, purifying, and saturating the church with God’s element (as the seven eyes of the Lamb). Today in the degradation of the church and the degradation of Christianity we can enjoy the sevenfold intensified Spirit to be produced as the overcomers who end this age and bring the Lord back!

The revelation concerning the Spirit in the Bible is progressive, from the Spirit of God to the Spirit of Jehovah, the Spirit of holiness, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and the seven Spirits!

Today toward the end of the age of the church we have the privilege of enjoying the consummated Spirit, the compound Spirit, the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and even the sevenfold intensified Spirit!

Don’t just “understand what the Spirit is”, but enjoy Him as such a Spirit! Exercise your spirit to call on the name of the Lord daily, pray over His Word, open to Him throughout the day in short and living prayers, and say Amen to His inward speaking, and all these aspects of the Spirit will be real to you in your experience!

Lord, we love You as the Spirit with our spirit, dwelling in us and supplying us constantly with what You are, have attained, and have obtained. Thank You for being the Spirit of Jesus Christ, bountifully supplying us with everything we need for us to live Christ and magnify Christ. Lord, You are the sevenfold intensified Spirit to produce us as Your overcomers in any degraded situation. Keep us in our spirit, Lord, and keep us exercising our spirit to experience and enjoy You as such a Spirit!

References and Further Reading

• Inspiration: Portions in, The Completing Ministry of Paul (ch. 7), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, “The Completing Ministry of Paul“, week 4 entitled, The Spirit with our spirit.
• Recommended further reading (verses and footnotes from the Recovery Version):
  # Phil. 1:19 footnote 4 on, the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
  # Acts 16:7 footnote 1 on, the Spirit of Jesus.
  # Rom. 8:9 footnote 4 on, the Spirit of Christ.
  # Rev. 1:4 footnote 5 on, the seven Spirits of God.
• Hymns on this topic:
  # We praise Thee, O God, / For the Spirit of Christ / Who has come to indwell us / And be all our life. / Hallelujah! What a Spirit! / Hallelujah! Within! / Hallelujah! Life abundant / That never shall end!
  # The Spirit of God today / The Spirit of Jesus is, / The God-man who died and rose, / Ascending to glory His.
  # We have found that Christ the Spirit is / Who within our spirit dwells; / How available, how near He is, / And His sweetness all excels.