Exploring Some Similarities Between the Spirit of God, the Word of God, and the Son of God ?
I thought it would be interesting to explore some of the similarities, between the Spirit of God, the Word of God, and the Son of God. I heard a little saying the other day, that goes like this.. “The Spirit of God, uses the Word of God, to make us more like the Son of God.” So I thought that was a kind of cute saying, and an interesting way of looking at it. But let’s go ahead and read some verses of scripture, and see what God actually says.
The Spirit of God
And let’s begin with Genesis 1, verses 1 & 2; “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; And the SPIRIT OF GOD, was moving over the surface of the waters.” The Spirit of God, was “settling Himself” so to speak, over the earth, and preparing to have His influence upon it. God had already created the heavens and the earth, evidently through His own Spirit, and now His Spirit was about to “shape” and “refine”, what He had created.
And of course John 1, verses 1 thru 3 tells us; “In the beginning..” (just like Genesis 1, verse 1) “In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him, nothing came into being that has come into being.” So then, the Word of God, is very similar to the Spirit of God, to say the least.
But on top of that, Hebrews 1, verse 2 says; “But in these last days, He (God) has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also, He made the worlds.” So then who exactly did create all that has been created? Was it the Spirit of God, or was it the Word of God, or was it the Son of God? The only answer would have to be.. Yes, it was all three. Or, are the three, all one? We learn from John 1, verse 14, that the Word of God, is the same as the Son of God! And so the only question that would remain, is.. Is the Spirit of God, also the same as the Son of God?
Now, I might mention, as you no doubt already know, there is only one, Spirit of God. Right?
Ephesians 4, verse 4 tells us; “There is one body, (the body of Christ) and one Spirit, (the Holy Spirit of God) just as also you were called in one hope of your calling.” Verses 5 & 6 go on to say; “One Lord, (the Lord Jesus Christ) one faith, (the faith in the Word of God) one baptism, (baptism in water, for the forgiveness of sins; That was the only baptism that existed any longer, when this verse was written) one God and Father of all; Who is over all, and through all, and in all.”
And Acts 17, verse 28, says; “..For in him we live, and move, and have our being.” God the Father, permeates everything, and everyone, and is above all. That’s what the scripture says; God the Father is “the Father of all; Who is over all, and through all, and in all.”
But let’s get back to the fact, that there is only one, Spirit of God. 1 Corinthians 12:13 says; “For in one Spirit, we were all baptized into one body..” There’s that one Spirit, and one body, and one baptism again. “Whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given one SPIRIT to drink.” One “SPIRIT” to drink. That’s an interesting way to phrase it.
God uses the words “eat” and “drink”, figuratively, to represent the partaking of, and the sharing of, God’s blessings, which are given, through the SPIRIT of God.
For example, in 1 Corinthians 10, verse 3, speaking of Israel as they wandered through the wilderness, the scriptures says; “They all ate the same spiritual food.”
Now the physical food that sustained Israel, for the most part, was the manna from heaven, that God supplied for them. But what was the spiritual food that God supplied for them, which had the power to sustain them spiritually? Well, it was the same thing that sustains anyone spiritually. What “food” sustains us spiritually, today? It’s the Word of God that sustains us. And that is the very same “food” that God gave to the Israelites in the wilderness; He gave them His Word. And it would have sustained them all, as they entered into the promised land of Canaan; And it would have sustained them all, as they entered into the promised land of heaven, if they would have just believed it, and obeyed it.
But they choose NOT to trust in God’s WORD. And they chose NOT to obey God’s WORD; And therefore they chose NOT to be “partakers” of the spiritual food, which was God’s WORD. And that’s the same problem people have today. They simply refuse to be “partakers” of the Word of God; And so they starve to death spiritually.
How do you “partake” of the Word of God? Do you just read what the Word says? Do you just listen to someone preach what the Word says? Or do you DO what the Word says? How do you “partake” of the Word? Well, I would think that if you’re going to partake of God’s word, then you’re going to have to do more than just hear it or read it.
For example, how do you “partake” of the Lord’s supper? Do you just read about it in the new testament? For example, Do you just read about what Paul “received from the Lord”, and what he “delivered unto you” ?
Here’s what Paul delivered unto us; “..That the Lord Jesus on the night in which He was betrayed, took bread; And when He had given thanks, He broke it and said; This is My body, which is for you; Do this in remembrance of Me. Likewise also the cup, after having supped, saying; This cup is the new covenant in My blood; Do this, as often as you might drink it, in remembrance of Me.” (1 Corinthians 11:23 thru 25) Have you then “partaken” of the Lords supper then, when you read those words? I don’t think so. You might have learned about the Lord’s supper, but you haven’t “partaken” of it yet.
Don’t you actually have to DO what it says? Don’t you have to actually “TAKE, and EAT”, as the Lord said, in Mathew 26:26. And don’t you have to TAKE the cup and “DRINK from it, as He said in verse 27. Isn’t that how you “partake” of the Lord’s supper! And isn’t that how you “partake” of the Word of God, by actually DOING what it says to do?
Remember what we’re told in James 1:22; “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” That’s how you partake of God’s Word. And that’s how you “partake” of the Spirit of God!
Now getting back to the Israelites in the wilderness, 1 Corinthians 10, verse 3 said; “They all ate the same spiritual food”, and verse 4 says; “And all drank the same spiritual drink; FOR..” Do you know what that word “FOR” means.. Well, it means.. Here comes an explanation of what I just said. HOW did they all drink the same spiritual drink? And HOW did they all eat the same spiritual food? Well, here’s the explanation of how they did it.
“FOR, they drank, (they “partook”) from the spiritual rock, that accompanied them; And that rock, was Christ.” Christ is THE “spiritual rock”. Just like the song says; “On Christ the solid Rock I stand; All other ground is sinking sand”.
Do you remember the little parable that Jesus taught, about the wise man who built his house upon the rock? In Mathew 7, verses 24 thru 27, Jesus said; “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and DOES them, (you’re not “partaking” if you’re not “doing”) ..everyone who hears these words of Mine, and DOES them, will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; And it did not fall! For it was founded on the rock!”
“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not DO them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell! And great was the fall of it!”
And great was the fall, of all but two persons, out of an entire generation of Israelites, who were saved from their Egyptian bondage, only to perish in the wilderness, because they did not DO, what the Word of God commanded. “And with whom was God angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear, that they would never enter His rest? Was it not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they could not enter in, because of unbelief.” (Hebrew 3:17 thru 19) Unbelief, is the absence of trust in God’s word, which results in disobedience to God.
But, for those who did NOT perish in the wilderness; For those who DID trust in God, they “ate and drank” of the spiritual “Rock”, which was Christ! But how was Christ, out there in the wilderness with Israel?
Ask yourself this.. Who was the leader of the nation of Israel, throughout that 40 years of wandering in the wilderness? It was Moses, right? And whose Word was guiding Moses, as he guided the people? It was the Word of God, right?. And who IS the Word of God? The Word of God, is of course, Christ, the “Spiritual Rock”.
When you “partake” of the Word of God, you “partake” of Christ. And when you obey the Word of God, you obey Christ. And when you obey Christ, you have spiritual life, don’t you? Yes you do! “He has become the Savior, of all those who obey Him.” (Hebrew 5:9) “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6)
Psalm 119:105 says; “Your Word, is a lamp to my feet and a light to my way.” Christ and the Word, are the way!
John 17:17 says; “Thy Word is truth.” Christ and the Word, are the truth!
John 6:63 says; “The words that I have spoken to you, are Spirit and are life.” Christ and the Word, are SPIRIT, as well as life!
Jesus said to His apostles, in John 14, verses 16 & 17; “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever, the Spirit of truth..” (So then the Spirit is the truth!)
And in verse 26 Jesus says; “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
Jesus then said in John 15, verse 26; “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me..” The Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father”. And that means.. “to come out from within the Father”. God the Father, is the very source of the Holy Spirit; The Holy Spirit comes out from within the Him!
And Jesus also said, in John 16, verse 13; “But when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth; For He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; And He will disclose to you what is to come.”
But now, listen to what Jesus says in verse 28; (John 16, verse 28) “I came forth from the Father, and have come into the world..” So then Jesus Christ the Son, came forth from the Father, just like the Holy Spirit, came forth from the Father. And since the Word, and the Christ, are one and the same, we know that the Word comes forth from the Father. So then all three, the Word of God, and the Son of God, and the Spirit of God, all came forth from the Father!
Do you see the preeminence of the Father? All three are dependent upon the Father. Now Colossians 1, verse 18 tells us; “And He (Christ) is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” But who gave Christ all that preeminence? Well it was the Father of course.
And 1 Corinthians 15:27 tells us; “For He has put all things under His feet. But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him, is excepted.” So then it is really God the Father, who is “above all”. Because the Word of God, and the Son of God, and the Spirit of God, ALL come forth from within the Father, and all are dependent, upon the Father.
Do you remember what Jesus said about the Holy Spirit, in John 16:13.. He said, the Helper, the Spirit of truth, “..will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak..” And Jesus had said, in John 12:49; “For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me, has given Me a commandment as to what to say, and what to speak.”
They all come forth from within the Father, who is above all, and through all, and in all. And no one speaks of His own initiative; But speaks only, as He has been directed from the Father.
I need to conclude now, and in doing so, it’s simply amazing, to see all the similarities, between the Word of God, and the Son of God, and the Spirit of God.
The Spirit GIVES life, and the Son IS the life, and the life is IN the Word; IF we will hear the Word, and believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And if we will confess our faith in Him, and repent of our sins, and be baptized for the forgiveness of our sins, and remain faithful unto death. Then we will have that life.
The invitation is yours, as we stand and sing our closing hymn.
