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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | holy spirit guide men to write bible | 2 Tim 3:16 | Ray | 80977 | ||
Hi Steve, I think we are on the same page now. Continuing on in your 1 Corinthians reference, I have "penciled in" my copy a lower case spirit for verse 12. Here is how I would interpret it for what it is worth. 1 Corinthians 2:12, "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by (God)." Matthew 12:28, "But if I cast out demons by the spirit of (God), then the kingdom of God has come upon you." Luke 11:20, "But if I cast out demons by the finger of (God), then the kingdom of God has come upon you." Ephesians 1:17, "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit [sic] of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him/. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of (His) power toward us who believe." Luke 13:18, "Therefore He was saying, "What is the kingdom of (God) like, and to what shall I compare it?" Luke 12:10, "And everyone who will speak a word against the Son of Man it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the (Holy) Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him." From the heart, Ray |
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2 | holy spirit guide men to write bible | 2 Tim 3:16 | stjones | 81002 | ||
Hi, Ray; Thanks for the Scripture references. I think your examples represent an interaction of Spirit and spirit. Just to stick with 1 Corinthians 2:12, I don't see it quite the same way because of v. 11: "The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God". I agree that our spirit plays a part in the spiritual wisdom Paul is writing about - the Spirit of God, who knows "the deep things of God", informs our spirit. But what sets the saints apart is that our spirit is informed by God's Spirit while the non-believer's spirit is informed by the "spirit of this world" - Satan. Likewise, our spirit without the Holy Spirit wouldn't cast out many demons (Matthew 12:28). I think the key is the interaction or even the intermingling (if that's what it means to be indwelt) of God's own Spirit and our spirit given by God. But this isn't an argument that I would press because I don't think I can fully grasp the relationship among our minds and spirits and the Holy Spirit of God. It's entirely possible that, from God's perspective, we're like the two blind men who got hold of an elephant. You grabbed a leg and tell me it's like a tree; I grabbed the trunk and tell you it's like a big snake. In our finiteness, we can't see the whole thing, so we're both right but neither one of us has the complete picture. Or maybe you're right on the money and I'm completely wrong. It's happened once or twice before. ;-) Why do you suppose this thread is restricted from appearing on the home page? Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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3 | holy spirit guide men to write bible | 2 Tim 3:16 | Ray | 81048 | ||
Hi Steve, Again, it is good to talk of the "deep things of God" with you. I'll number my paragraphs as I write of the things that you brought up. 1) "Our spirit is informed by God's Spirit while the non-believer's spirit is informed by the 'spirit of this world' - Satan. I would have you know that there is much power in the spirit of God. Lk 11:20 and Mt 12:28 showed that there was power in the spirit (or finger) of God. I don't believe that we have to capitalize Spirit in 1 Cor 2:5 because it speaks of "receiving" *it or knowing "the *things freely given to us by (God)." John 4:25, "...when that One comes, (He) will declare all things to us." But there is power in the things given to us by God. 1 John 4:6 says in part, "By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error." Going back to Lk 11:20 we see that Jesus did not cast out demons by the evil spirit Beelzebul but rather by the spirit of God. Don't think that just because "spirit" [sic] is in lower case that there is no power. There are other discussion points that you have brought to my mind but perhaps I should quit here for now and hear from you. From the heart, Ray |
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4 | holy spirit guide men to write bible | 2 Tim 3:16 | stjones | 81781 | ||
Hi, Ray; Sorry for the long delay in responding. I am inclined to think that many instances of uncapitalized "spirit" are cases where the Holy Spirit is described but not named. For example, I may refer to Joe Pastor as the "pastor from First Presbyterian", or the "pastor from the church across the street", or "my pastor". They all refer to the same person but no capitalization is necessary in three of the cases. They are informal titles, not names. Likewise, I'm inclined to think that the "spirit of truth" and "God's spirit" are informal titles for the person whose name is the Holy Spirit. When Paul speaks of "a man's spirit within him", that is another case of a generic "spirit" not referring to a particular spirit by name. But I think that's just a general rule. Each case needs to be decided by the context - a good study, I would think. But that reaises another question. God is spirit. Is there a part of him that is not spirit? If so, it makes sense to refer to God's spirit apart from God himself. if God is pure spirit, then his spirit is himself with his many names. If God is pure spirit, then it seems "God's sprit" would refer to a spirit apart from God in some sense. I think the most like candidates (again determined by context) are (1) the Holy Spirit, who is both unified with and distinct from God the Father, and (2) the spirit that God gives to each person (Ecclesiastes 12:7) BTW, I have to disagree with your intrepretation of Luke 11:20. The word "finger" used in other contexts just means "finger" - i.e. Jesus writing with his finger in John 8:6, or criticizing lawyers in Luke 11:46 for not touching their own burdens with so much as a finger. I think Jesus was just saying that it takes very little effort for God to drive out a demon. This is an interesting discussion, but I am reminded that, in light of the event we are celebrating today, not life-changing. Hallelujah! He is risen! Peace and grace Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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