THE SPIRIT OF GOD THAT LIVES WITHIN US
Sakkie Parsons
Translated from Afrikaans: Die Gees van God wat in ons woon
Translator: Robin Barker
Someone asked me what the difference is, when God’s Spirit, during the Old Testament times, shared with the people and the manner in which God’s Spirit shares with us today.
God, as you know, was always there and because He is Spirit, He as Spirit was always there:
GEN 1:1-2
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and he Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.JOHN 4:24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
I understand it like this.
Before the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, you can say, God’s Spirit rested on (came upon) the person when He required that person to do something for Him.
NUM 11:25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but did not do so again.
Take notice that God came down to Moses, He was not in Moses.
NUM 11:25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, …
Furthermore, take notice that God was upon or the in the seventy leaders, but He did not stayed in or upon them, so that what they did, they could only do it once.
NUM 11:25 and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but did not do so again.
I give you another example to demonstrate what I mean.
JUDGES 15:13-15
13 ”Agreed,” they answered. “we will only tie you up and hand you over to them. We will not kill you.” So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock.
14 As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands.
15 Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.
The New King James version (NKJV) of verse 14 reads as follows:
JUDGES 15:14 When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him. Then the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him; and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands.
You see and what I am going to say, I say this very respectfully towards our Lord, but this is the only way in which I can think of how to explain to you how I understand it:
In the times of the Old Testament God’s relationship with the people was, a relationship from a distance, but then Jesus came and He walked to Golgotha and the Cross filled to overflowing the distance between ourselves and God.
I could quote many verses to show how close God has now become to us, that He has come to live inside us and in other words, that He has actually now become one with you but I suffice with the following:
GAL 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
GAL 3:26-27
26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,
27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.The New King James version of verse 27 reads as follows:
GAL 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Who is this Christ who lives within you and me and with whom we have been clothed?
Who is this Jesus which is so close to us that He is both inside and outside of us?
JOHN’S DESCRIPTION OF THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT JESUS CHRIST
THE WORD BECAME FLESHJOHN 1:1-5
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.JOHN 14:8-9
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
In summary as I understand this:
In the times of the Old Testament God’s Spirit, in other words God came onto and over (covered) the people.
Then JESUS came and He said:
REV 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me
God does not want to occasionally rest upon us, in other words ‘now and then’ be part of us. No, He really wants to be permanently part of us. Jesus did not only redeemed us with His life which He sacrificed on the cross for us, but after that He still pleads with us to accept Him as our Saviour and allow Him to live within us so that He can give us eternal life.
If I think about my God and His love, I together with Paul can joyfully give praise.
ROM 11:33-36 DOXOLOGY
33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and[a] knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?”
35 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?”
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever!
Amen.
May it be so.
Greetings,
Sakkie