Bible Question:
How does the Holy Spirit work differently then and now? There seems to be 3 main schools of thought regarding the working of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament believers as compared to the New Testament believers. I would appreciate your input on this subject. 1. The Holy Spirit came “on” people of the OT, and comes “in” people of the NT and now. 2. The Holy Spirit came temporarily to people of the OT, and comes permanently to people of the NT and now. 3. The Holy Spirit came to small numbers of people in the OT, and comes to all believers in the NT and now. What do you all think? |
Bible Answer: I think that your question is really a matter of semantics. Your arguments from english are the reason that there is confusion here. Whether or not the Spirit is ever "in" us is purely speculative. Perhaps the Spirit is "around" us or "next" to us. Whatever word we use to describe his presence is beside the point. You are correct in your conclusions, but the real difference between the OT and NT is not the "coming" of the Spirit, but the "remaining" of the Spirit. In the OT the Spirit comes and goes as it is needed to perform the works of God for his purposes. It is always a temporary event. Even David, the man after God's own heart, realized that God's spirit was not a guaranteed gift. That's is why he pleads with God to not take it away from him when he needed God the most. God's glory was fading from Moses, not remaining. The scriptures you mentioned are for the most part a general comment or observation (mostly by other people, not God) about the fact that the Spirit was working with a particular person. On the other hand, we have the "gift" of the Spirit, the eternal, indwelling of the Spirit. It does not come and go as God sees fit. It is always present. Always helping, comforting, encouraging, sanctifying, and stretching us. I hope this gives you what you are looking for. ischus |