I have been dealing with the restoration of Spiritual Health and its relationship with Righteousness being restored to those are One with Christ and so I will continue. But first Pastor Hoekstra's writing on Grace and the Holy Spirit. Then on ward into my subject with the use of the ESV translation and as always I will edit as the LORD leads me. Christ being the Spirit of Truth as revealed elsewhere.
"Holy Spirit Empowering: Three Terms, One Reality"
"You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now . . . you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . . And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 1:5, 8; and Acts 2:4)
"When the book of Acts addresses Holy Spirit's empowerment for ministry, three different terms are used to describe the same reality. When Jesus promised this power, He used the term "baptized with." "You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." When He indicated that this power would result in a worldwide witness, the term "come upon you" was used." You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." Then, when these promises of the Spirit were fulfilled, the term employed was "filled with." "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit."
It is clear that these three sets of terms in Acts 1 and 2 are all referring to the same spiritual phenomenon which Jesus Himself experienced. When the Holy Spirit empowers Jesus' followers for witnessing of Him, in spirit by the Spirit and Truth. Each terminology may carry its own descriptive implications. To be "baptized with" the Spirit is like being inundated by Him. To have the Spirit "come upon you" is like being "impacted from above" by Him. To be "filled with" the Spirit is like overflowing with Him. Nevertheless, although the words each bring their own picture, they all are describing the same reality. All three terms are biblically accurate, although "filled with the Holy Spirit" is used most frequently throughout Acts.
These Promises of Holy Spirit's empowering cannot be monopolized by any of religions many denominational groups or theological heritage. Nor can they be ignored by any individual or segment within the Body of Christ. These Truths are for all of GOD's children. Every disciple of the LORD Christ Jesus must continue to learn and to grow in this essential spiritual empowerment.
Perhaps a word of clarification is in order. These Promises are about the Spirit's indwelling the people of GOD. The Holy Spirit definitely lives within every born again believer in Jesus Christ. "Do you not know that you are the temple of GOD and that the Spirit of GOD dwells in you?" (1Corinthians 3:16). The Spirit already lived within the apostles when they were given these Promises. "And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit'" (John 20:22). These Promises are about the indwelling Spirit flooding and overflowing our lives with the empowering reality of His presence." But to what degree, could be asked as He comes in as a fully grown mature Spirit but our spirit is not so at that point. It requires training and nurturing as any child does.
Righteousness tends to Spiritual Life:
Deuteronomy 32:44-47 and Proverbs 4:22 "Moses came and recited all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he and Joshua the son of Nun. And when Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, he said to them, "Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess."
Proverbs 4:20-27 "My son, be attentive to My words; incline your ear to My sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil."
Proverbs 11:17-25 "A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself. The wicked earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward. Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live, but he who pursues evil will die. Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the LORD, but those of blameless ways are His delight. Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered. Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion. The desire of the righteous ends only in good; the expectation of the wicked in wrath. One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered."
Proverbs 12:24-28 and 19:23 "The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor. Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth. In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death."
Proverbs 19:16-23 "Whoever keeps the commandment keeps his life; he who despises His ways will die. Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and He Will repay him for his deed. Discipline your son, for there is hope; do not set your heart on putting him to death. A man of great wrath will pay the penalty, for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again. Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. What is desired in a man is steadfast love, and a poor man is better than a liar. The fear of the LORD leads to Life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm."
Ezekiel 20:5-17, 18-21 "Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day when I chose Israel, I swore to the offspring of the house of Jacob, making Myself known to them in the land of Egypt; I swore to them, saying, I am the LORD your God. On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands. And I said to them, Cast away the detestable things your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the LORD your God. But they rebelled against ME and were not willing to listen to ME. None of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. "Then I said I would pour out MY wrath upon them and spend MY anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. But I acted for the sake of MY name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made Myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt. So I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. I gave them MY statutes and made known to them MY rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live. Moreover, I gave them MY Sabbaths, as a sign between ME and them, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them. But the house of Israel rebelled against ME in the wilderness. They did not walk in MY statutes but rejected MY rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; and MY Sabbaths they greatly profaned. "Then I said I would pour out MY wrath upon them in the wilderness, to make a full end of them. But I acted for the sake of MY name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out. Moreover, I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land that I had given them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands, because they rejected MY rules and did not walk in MY statutes, and profaned MY Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols. Nevertheless, MY eye spared them, and I did not destroy them or make a full end of them in the wilderness.
"And I said to their children in the wilderness, Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor keep their rules, nor defile yourselves with their idols. I am the LORD your God; walk in MY statutes, and be careful to obey MY rules, and keep MY Sabbaths holy that they may be a sign between ME and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God. But the children rebelled against ME. They did not walk in MY statutes and were not careful to obey MY rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; they profaned MY Sabbaths."
Ezekiel 33:14-16, 17-20 "Again, though I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' yet if he turns from his sin and does what is just and right, if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks in the statutes of life, not doing injustice, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he shall surely live.
"Yet your people say, 'The way of the LORD is not just,' when it is their own way that is not just. When the righteous turns from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it. And when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he shall live by this. Yet you say, 'The way of the LORD is not just.' O house of Israel, I Will judge each of you according to his ways."
Luke 10:25-29 and Romans 10:5 and Galatians 3:12 "A lawyer stood up to put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?" And he answered, "You shall love the LORD your GOD with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." Jesus said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live." But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
Romans 10:5-13 "For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) "or 'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that GOD raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (to be healed in spirit which is Salvation, restored to GOD as a Christ one). For with the heart one believes and is Justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved (repeated here again to show its importance). For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes Him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between (should be Hebrew instead of the higher heretical elites of the) Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is LORD of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him. For "everyone who calls on the name of LORD Will be saved (is restored to spiritual health, which is Salvation, as a Christ one)."
Galatians 3:10-14 "For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them." Now it is evident that no one is justified before GOD by the law, for "The righteous shall live by faith." But the law is not of faith, rather "The one who does them shall live by them." Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the Promised Spirit through faith."
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