Scripture: Genesis 1:1
[1] In the beginning God created heavens and the earth
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
This is the 11th Lecture on Genesis.
I’ve explained to you about the many names referring to God the Holy Father.
They are “Jehovah”, “the Spirit of the LORD,” “the Spirit of Wisdom,” “the Spirit of Judgment,” “the Spirit of Burning,” “the Spirit of glory,” and “the Seven Spirits”.
“Father God” and “Abba Father” are also the names that refer to God the Father.
I explained why God the Father has many names like this; it is to emphasize the specific attributes or roles of God the Father.
God the Father has also managed the innumerable works over ages in various forms through the process of division of the spirit.
We also have God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
Not only in their original entity, but also through the division of the spirit, they too have accomplished countless works.
Therefore, there are many names in the Bible that refer to God the Son and God the Holy Spirit as well.
Let me talk about the names that refer to God the Son first.
The names that refer to God the Son are “the Lord,” “the Spirit of the Lord,” “Christ,” “the Spirit of Christ,” “the Spirit of Jesus,” and so on.
In addition to these, there are figurative names.
Examples are “the Rock” as in 1 Corinthians 10:4, “a white stone” as in Revelation 2:17, and “the Lamb” as in John 1:36.
In the four Gospels, Jesus always called Himself “the Son of Man.”
Just be aware that there are names used figuratively referring to the Lord Jesus.
Let’s delve into the names that refer to God the Son one by one.
God the Son was separated from God the Origin with a role of “Savior.”
And at the most appropriate time, He came to the earth in flesh as “Jesus.”
Your name may have a meaning.
As written in Matthew 1:21, “Jesus” means “He will save His people from their sins.”
Jesus who came to the earth completed the providence of salvation of the cross, died, broke the authority of death, and resurrected in 3 days.
Through this He became the “Savior”.
“Savior” can be translated as “Messiah” in Greek, and “Christ” in Hebrew.
Actually, both “Messiah,” and “Christ” mean “the One who is anointed on His head.”
In Israel, when a king or a high priest was appointed, oil was poured on his head.
The people of Israel waited for the true king to come, not for a king that was appointed by people.
It was the Savior – Christ – the King of kings and the Lord of lords that they waited.
It is “Jesus Christ” that is the “Savior.”
We believe this “Jesus Christ” as our Savior.
You may call Him, “the Lord,” or “Christ the Lord.”
Therefore, after the resurrection of the Lord, if believers use the name “the Lord,” it refers to “Jesus Christ.”
However, it was a little different in the days of the Old Testament.
In the days before Jesus became the Savior. People devoted themselves serving God the Father (the Father God Jehovah).
Therefore, chances are that “the LORD” in the Old Testament refers to God the Father in many cases.
I didn’t say “in all cases,” but “in many cases.”
The name, “the LORD God” can be found in many parts of the Old Testament.
For example, Psalm 71:16 says, “I will come with the mighty deeds of the LORD God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone.”
“The LORD” in this verse all refer to the LORD, God the Father.
It is in this way the people of the Old Testament called God the Father (Jehovah God) “the LORD.”
However, among the people of the Old Testament, there were people who knew the Lord would come through clear communication with God.
For example, David said in Psalm 110:1, “The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
He said, “The LORD says to my Lord.”
Therefore, David wrote what God the Father said to God the Son, who would become the Messiah.
Jesus mentioned this verse to teach people that even though Christ was born in the line of David, He was not the son of David.
It is written in Mark 12:35-37, “And Jesus began to say, as He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself said in the Holy Spirit, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet.” David himself calls Him ‘Lord’ so in what sense is He his son?” And the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him.”
Even though David was a man of the Old Testament, he knew about Christ clearly in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
As you can see, “the LORD” refers to either God the Father, or God the Son in the Old Testament.
Then, how can you distinguish the terms “the Spirit of the LORD?”
I said that, in the days of the Old Testament, people focused on the outward form of God.
And thus, “the Spirit of the LORD” appears only in the Old Testament.
And “the LORD” refers to God the Father in most cases, I said.
Therefore, in many cases, “the Spirit of the LORD” refers to a divided entity of God the Father.
However, as I mentioned just now, there were people who knew about the Lord who would come to earth as “Christ” like David.
In their case, when the name, “the Spirit of the Lord” is used, – or the Spirit of the LORD – please remember that it refers to the divided entity of God the Son.
In earlier lectures, I told you that there are names that focus on the heart of God, and they are usually used in the New Testament.
“The Lord” in the New Testament refers to Jesus Christ.
Therefore, the “Spirit of the Lord” in the New Testament refers to the divided entity of God the Son.
For example, Acts 8:39 describes a scene that Deacon Philip was led by the Spirit of the Lord.
It says, “When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.”
Even when the same divided entity of the Lord worked, the Old Testament focused on the outward form, but the New Testament focuses on the attributes of the heart of the Lord.
However, there is one verse in the Old Testament that “the Spirit of the LORD” focuses on the heart.
Psalm 104:30 says, “You send forth Your Spirit, they are created.”
It means that, when God created the first man, He sent forth the Spirit of the LORD.
In this verse, “the Spirit of the LORD” is the heart of God the Father.
This verse matches as the couplet with Genesis 2:7, which reads, “Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
When the first man Adam was created as a living being, there was the Spirit of the LORD.
I explained before that “the Spirit of the LORD” is also a name of God that focuses on the heart of God.
Therefore, this verse explains that Adam was created to have the heart of God the Father, in other words, the heart of the truth.
Even though it is the verse from the Old Testament, “the Spirit of the LORD” focuses on the heart of God.
Dear brothers and sisters.
Other names for the Lord are “the Spirit of Christ,” and “the Spirit of Jesus.”
These two names are also the names that refer to the divided entity of the Lord.
You may know the difference between “Jesus” and “Christ” very well.
You can understand the difference between “the Spirit of Christ” and “the Spirit of Jesus” the same way.
Romans 8:9 says, “But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”
When a divided entity of the Lord is called “the Spirit of Christ,” it is to put an emphasis on His title as “Christ.”
The Lord died for the sins of all human beings, and resurrected in 3 days and became Christ. “The Spirit of Christ” is the name that refers to the heart of the Lord who has such a role.
When you believe in the Lord for the first time, you confess with your lips that Jesus is Christ, and you accept Him in your heart.
It is this time when “the Spirit of Christ” comes upon your heart.
As your faith grows up, however, you can truly make a confession of faith by saying, “Jesus Christ is truly my Savior.”
Now, which one is deeper confession of faith, between “Jesus is Christ,” and “Jesus is my Lord?”
Of course, it is the latter one.
When you are a beginner in faith, you may feel the Lord as the one who has the title as Christ. But as your faith grows stronger, you may serve Him, calling Him “My Lord.”
Like this, when a man accepts the Lord as “My Lord” in his deep heart, he will feel “the Spirit of the Lord,” not “the Spirit of Christ,” facing the work of the Lord.
Then, when can you use “the Spirit of Jesus?”
Acts 16:7 says, “and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them.”
“The Spirit of Jesus” in this verse also refers to the heart of the Lord Jesus.
However, when the name “Jesus” alone is used, it is referring to the Lord before He took the cross.
I explained that, after He was crucified on the cross, died, and resurrected, you should always add “Christ” or “the Lord” to His name.
Then now, this verse writes about the mission trip of Apostle Paul. But why is it using the name, “the Spirit of Jesus?”
Here, it uses the name, “the Spirit of Jesus” to tell you that it contains the heart of Jesus who suffered.
While the Lord was on earth, He was not the God the Son who enjoys all the glory of heaven, but He was just like an ordinary creature as “the Son of Man,”
This fact alone tells you that Jesus made huge sacrifice.
But Jesus suffered greatly by the evil creatures, and eventually He was crucified on the cross.
Like this, when you think of the name “Jesus” you can feel the heart of Jesus who suffered for no reason.
Apostle Paul received many persecutions and sufferings while preaching about “Jesus Christ.”
On his 2nd Mission Trip, he was led by the Lord when he tried to go to a new place.
Apostle Paul didn’t know what kind of sufferings and afflictions were waiting him in a new place, but he was ready to obey the Lord to preach the gospel.
At this time, Apostle Paul felt the heart of the Lord who suffered greatly.
And Luke who wrote Acts felt the heart of Apostle Paul, and thus he used the name, “the Spirit of Jesus.”
Apostle Paul described Jesus Christ much better and more correctly than anybody.
He could have said, “Jesus Christ,” or “the Lord Jesus,” but he preferred to use “our Lord Jesus Christ.”
He emphasized that Jesus is the One who has a title of Christ and at the same time that He is our Lord.
Dear brothers and sisters.
Romans 1:4 mentions about “the Spirit of holiness.”
It says, “[His Son] who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,
As said, “the Spirit of holiness” refers to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Since Virgin Mary conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus didn’t have the original sin.
Also, He didn’t have any self-committed sin because He completely obeyed the law of God.
Since Jesus had no sin like this, he could break the authority of death and resurrect.
The Law of the spiritual world dictates that the wage of sin is death.
If Jesus had had even a little bit of sin, He couldn’t have broken the authority of death; He couldn’t have resurrected.
However, Jesus died to accomplish the providence of the salvation which was hidden before the ages, and He broke the authority of death and resurrected.
Hebrews 7:26 says, “For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens.”
When Apostle Paul received the work of the Lord, he felt the heart of the Lord who is sinless, and thus he used the name, “the Spirit of holiness.”
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
Until now, I told you about the names that refer to God the Father and God the Son.
Now, let’s delve into the names that refer to God the Holy Spirit.
I already told you that we call God the Holy Spirit “the Holy Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit can also separate Himself just like God the Father and God the Son do.
The Holy Spirit is working so actively that we call this time of the New Testament as “the era of the Holy Spirit.”
However, He also helped God the Father and did many works in the Old Testament days.
Just as He works as “the Holy Spirit” in the New Testament days by dividing Himself, He worked as “the Spirit” in the Old Testament days.
For example, 1 Chronicles 12:18 says, “Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, who was the chief of the thirty.”
Now, Revelation 4:2 says, “Immediately I (Apostle John) was in the Spirit.”
Both in the Old Testament days and in the New Testament days, people received the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
However, even if the heart of the Holy Spirit was conveyed to them, the process was different in the Old and the New Testament days.
In the Old Testament days, the Holy Spirit inspired people from outside.
On the contrary, in the New Testament days, He gives inspiration from within inside.
In addition, it was just one time only event in the days of the Old Testament.
He gave the inspiration only for the given moment.
However, in the New Testament days, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit can be persistent.
Since the Holy Spirit is in your heart, as long as you follow the desires of the Holy Spirit, you can receive the inspiration of the Holy Spirit all the time.
Now, knowing this difference, what should the servants of God say when they give benediction or baptism?
Should they do it “in the name of Father, Son, and the Spirit,” or “in the name of Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit?”
It is more biblical to do it “in the name of Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit,” right?
We are now living the era of the Holy Spirit, but if you use “in the name of the Spirit,” it sets the Holy Spirit far from you.
Now, you know the difference between focusing on the outward form and the on the heart.
If you use the name “the Spirit,” it is like focusing on the outward form of the Holy Spirit the way the people of the Old Testament did.
However, the Holy Spirit is dwelling in our heart, and so we can feel the heart of the Holy Spirit as much as possible.
God is not far away from us, but as the Holy Spirit, He is very close to us; He is very much inside of us.
Dear brothers and sisters.
The Holy Spirit worked externally in the Old Testament days, but then how could He come into the hearts of people in the New Testament days?
Genesis 6:3 says, “Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh.””
God said He would not strive with man because he is flesh.
What does it mean by “being flesh” in a spiritual sense?
Spiritually the term “flesh” is a general term that is given to all the sins that come out as action. It refers to the “deeds of the flesh” which are committed sin in action such as murder, violence, stealing, deceiving, and committing adultery.
And each of these is called “a work of flesh.”
Additionally, spiritually “flesh” refers to things that are a sin nature combined with the body.
In other words, even though the action hasn’t come out the sinful nature is able to come out as action at any time since the sin nature is contained in heart.
Hatred, jealousy, envy, dishonesty, cunningness, arrogance, anger, and lust are given a general name “flesh.”
And each one of them is called “a thing of flesh.”
The Old Testament days were the days of the Law.
Those who kept the law given by God were not the people of flesh, and thus God was with them and gave them blessing.
However, even if they lived by the law, it was not that they got rid of sinful nature from their hearts.
Therefore, the holy God couldn’t enter the heart of people.
Now, Jesus became an atoning sacrifice to redeem man from his sins.
Thanks to the precious blood of Jesus, people, by faith, have been forgiven of their sins not only of the past but also of the present and of the future.
Whoever believes in the righteous act of Jesus is no longer a sinner, but a righteous man according to the law of the spiritual realm.
Now, the Holy Spirit can come upon those who are forgiven of their sins and they can be called “righteous”.
In Acts 2:38, Apostle Peter explained the process of receiving the Holy Spirit.
It says, “Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.””
That’s right.
When you are forgiven of your sin as you believe in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit comes upon you.
As I explained, the Holy Spirit that come upon all believers are the divided entities of God the Holy Spirit.
Through countless division of the spirit, the Holy Spirit comes upon the hearts of all the believers.
God the Father made prophets of the Old Testament prophesy that He would send the Holy Spirit in the future.
Joel 2:28 says, “It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind.”
On the day our Lord ascended to heaven, this prophecy was fulfilled for the first time.
The Holy Spirit came upon the disciples of the Lord and other 120 people who gathered together and prayed.
Then in Acts 2:17, Apostle Peter remembered the verse from Joel, and said that the prophecy was fulfilled.
Now, Apostle Peter remembers the verse from Joel like this.
“‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind.'”
“My Spirit” that God promised to pour forth on all mankind in the last days refers to the Holy Spirit.
There is another prophecy in Ezekiel that God would send the Holy Spirit in the future.
Ezekiel 11:19-20 says, “And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.”
Similar verses are found in Ezekiel 36:26-27.
It reads, “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”
“My Spirit” and “a new spirit” are mentioned in this verse.
All of them also refer to the Holy Spirit.
The Prophet Ezekiel had clear communication with God and he knew about the works of the Holy Spirit who would come.
He also knew that, once the Holy Spirit comes, He would cultivate the hearts that are stained in sin and that He would play the role of “the Helper” that would help people keep the law of God.
Since he felt such works of the Holy Spirit in his heart, he described Him as “a new spirit.”
However, since Ezekiel himself didn’t receive the Holy Spirit yet, he also focused on the outward form of the Holy Spirit as well.
In the next lecture, I will explain the role of the Holy Spirit and other names of the Holy Spirit according to His role as mentioned in this Ezekiel.
May you continue cultivating your heart to make it more fertile, and keep and practice the word of God completely by the power of the Holy Spirit, in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray!
[Amen]
