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NASB | Luke 11:13 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Luke 11:13 "If you, then, being evil [that is, sinful by nature], know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him!" |
Subject: Pattern of words? |
Bible Note: Brother ray: I do believe it is context and not capitalization that enables us to understand what the Lord is saying to us in his word. I do believe you understand that I am addressing you here, and not a ray of light. Nor did I make a typo. I do feel free to ignore the rules made by man, except when they are helpful, as in communication. It is clear to me that we miss the point when we put an individual word under the microscope and lose sight of the other words around it, that give it meaning. We need to read the entire passage, and other passages on the same subject in other parts of the word of God. The Holy Spirit is a person, and he inhabits our bodies and fills us from time to time when he wants and as we are available. There are some who believe and teach that the Holy Spirit is not a person at all, but a certain influence. They may be happy to see the term “holy spirit” because the lack of capitals would support the idea that he is not a person. Those of us who believe he is a person may struggle with the idea that he can inhabit our bodies or fill our minds. We may wonder at the fact one person can inhabit another, but that is the way it is. “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). “the Spirit of truth … he dwells with you, and shall be in you (John 14:17)”. We are indwelt not only by the Holy Spirit, but also by the Father and the Son. Jesus said, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). This is a mystery. Even the mystery which had been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:26,27). But it is the truth. What we have within us is not an idea or an influence, but a person. We cannot tell by capitalization. Different translations do and do not capitalize those words. I imagine that the New World Translation would have “the holy spirit” everywhere. But all of Scripture assures us it is hot holy spirit that we have but the Holy Spirit. He indwells us and fills us himself. But language is funny, isn’t it? When Jesus said, “It is I” (Matthew 14:27; Mark 6:50; Luke 24:39; John 6:20) he was not indicating that he was other than a person. It’s just the way that language works. Words are important, but only as they serve to convey meaning. We should not worry about individual words but accept them in their context and understand the ideas and concepts they were meant to convey. The Holy Spirit is the one who directed the writing of the Scriptures (2 Peter 1:21, etc.), and though he is not the main subject (Jesus is (John 5:39)) he does reveal some things about himself (Genesis 1:2, etc.). He is God (Genesis 1; Acts 5: 3,4, etc.). He indwells us (1 Corinthians 3:16, etc.). He fills us (Luke 1, Acts 2, Ephesians 3). He helps us to understand God’s word (1 Corinthians 2:10, etc.). He enables us to do God’s will (Zechariah 4:6). And I trust he is the one reminding me of these things and directing me to write this (Matthew 10:20). Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. |