The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 144

THE MEDIATOR

104

eternal death and not perish, having no Mediator to support it, we answer: The human nature of Christ would have been overwhelmed

by

it,

the in-shining of the Holy Spirit would have ceased

divine nature,

i.e.,

if

His

the infinite might of His Godhead, had not been

underneath it. Hence the apostle declares: "Who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself"; not through the Holy Spirit. The two expressions are not identical. There is a difference between the Holy Spirit, the third Person in the Godhead, apart from me, and the Holy Spirit working within me. The word of Scripture, " He was full of the Holy Ghost," refers not only to the Person of the Holy Spirit, but also to His work in man's soul. So with reference to Christ, there is a difference between: "He was conceived by the Holy Ghost," "The Holy Ghost descended upon Him," " Being full of the Holy Spirit," " Who offered Himself by the Eternal Spirit." The last two passages indicate the fact that the spirit of Jesus had taken in the Holy Spirit and idetitified itself with Him, in almost the same sense as Acts xv. 28: "It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us." The term " Eternal Spirit " was chosen to indicate that the divine-human Per-

son of Christ entered into such indissoluble fellowship with the

Holy

A

Spirit as even eternal death could not break.

closer examination of the sufferings of Christ will

make

this

clear.

Christ did not redeem us by His sufferings alone, being spit upon, scourged, crowned with thorns, crucified, and slain but this ;

passion was

made

redemption by His lo-oe and voluntary obedience. These are generally called His passive and active satisfaction. By the first we understand His actual bearing of pain, anguish, and death by the second, His zeal for the honor of God, the love, faithfulness, and divine pity by which He became obedient even unto death yea, the death of the cross. And these two are essentially distinct. Satan, e.g., bears punishment also and shall bear it forever; but he lacks the willingness. This, however, does effectual to our

;

—

not affect the validity of the punishment. A murderer on the gallows may curse God and men to the end ; but this does not invalidate his punishment. Whether he curses or prays, it is equally valid.

Hence there was

much more than mere Nobody compelled Jesus. He, par-

in Christ's sufferings

passive, penal satisfaction.

taker of the divine nature, could not be compelled, but offered

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