The Salvation of the Triune God (2)
[Romans 8:1-4]
Today, I want to reflect on the salvation of the Holy Spirit in the "salvation of the Triune God." Let us look at Romans 8:2: "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."
Is the Holy Spirit God? I ask this question because some people claim that the Holy Spirit is not God. They assert that the Holy Spirit is merely "the power of God" or "the strength of God." However, the Bible clearly states that the Holy Spirit is God. Let's look at Acts 5:3-4: "But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."
Here, Peter tells Ananias that he lied to the Holy Spirit, and then says, "You have not lied to men but to God." This shows that the Bible affirms that the Holy Spirit is God.
The Holy Spirit is everywhere. Let us look at 1 Corinthians 6:19: "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" When we believed in Jesus, God gave us the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Therefore, the Holy Spirit lives within each of us who believe in Jesus. In other words, God has made us the temple of the Holy Spirit. As such, each of us, as believers in Jesus, is scattered throughout the world as the temple of the Holy Spirit. This means that the Holy Spirit is God who is present everywhere. However, Satan, as a created being, cannot be everywhere. Of course, we, as created beings, cannot be everywhere either. The Holy Spirit was present when God the Father and God the Son created all things. That is, the Holy Spirit is the Creator. Let's look at Genesis 1:1-2: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." Here, "the Spirit of God" refers to the Holy Spirit. This creation could only have been done by God, as a created being cannot create. The Holy Spirit, being God, created the heavens and the earth alongside God the Father and God the Son.
The Holy Spirit is equal to God the Father and God the Son, meaning the Holy Spirit is God. Let us look at 2 Corinthians 13:13: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all." This verse is often used by pastors as a benediction at the end of worship services. In this benediction, we see "the Lord Jesus Christ," "God," and "the Holy Spirit." This passage demonstrates that the Holy Spirit is equal to God the Father and God the Son, showing that He is God in the doctrine of the Triune God.
What Kind of God is the Holy Spirit?
Let’s look at Romans 8:2: "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." The Holy Spirit is the God of life. In other words, the Holy Spirit is life itself. The Holy Spirit is life itself. God the Father, who has existed eternally, is life. The Son, Jesus Christ, said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). The Holy Spirit is life (Romans 8:2). The Holy Spirit is the God who created life. The Holy Spirit is the God who gives life.
Now let’s look at Romans 8:2 in the modern translation: "This is the power of the Holy Spirit who gives life through Christ Jesus..." The Holy Spirit is the God who gives us not only physical life but also spiritual life. The Holy Spirit saves us. The Holy Spirit saves us based on the salvation that Jesus Christ has provided. ["In Christ Jesus" (verse 2)]. Jesus Christ died for us while we were still weak and ungodly (Romans 5:6), He died for us when we were still sinners (verse 8), and by His death, He reconciled us to God while we were still enemies (verse 10). Now, in Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation for those who are in Him (Romans 8:1). It is on the basis of this salvation of Jesus Christ that the Holy Spirit saves us.
In Romans 8:2, the Apostle Paul says, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” Here, “law” refers to power. The Holy Spirit has power. Because of this, the Holy Spirit can carry out our salvation based on the salvation of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit’s power is, in a word, omnipotent. The Holy Spirit is an omnipotent God. The Holy Spirit applies the salvation that Jesus Christ accomplished for us about 2,000 years ago and makes it ours (our forgiveness of sins, our salvation).
The "law of sin and death," meaning the power of sin and death, is also formidable. No one can overcome this power. Therefore, before we believed in Jesus, we were all under the power of sin and death, being slaves to sin. But the Holy Spirit saved us, liberated us, and set us free (verse 2). Let’s look at Colossians 1:13-14: "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." [Modern Translation: "God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son. We have received freedom and forgiveness of sins through the price that the Son paid with His blood."]
We must live filled with the Holy Spirit. Then, we will be able to overcome the power of sin and death. In those who are filled with the Holy Spirit, God’s power is manifested. The Apostle Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, boldly preached Jesus Christ to the rulers and elders of the people. Let’s look at Acts 4:8: "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, 'Rulers of the people and elders...'" When Peter was not filled with the Holy Spirit, he denied Jesus three times. Let’s look at Acts 4:31: "And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness." When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we receive power and become witnesses for Jesus. Let’s look at Acts 1:8: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will boldly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ with a martyr’s faith, even amidst hardships, adversity, obstacles, and persecution. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Let’s look at Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law." While living on this earth, if we are filled with the Holy Spirit and bear the nine fruits of the Spirit, when the Lord returns to this world, we will be transformed into glorious bodies and go to heaven. There, the fruits of the Spirit will be fully and completely manifested, and we will live forever with the Lord.