The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 148

THE MEDIATOR

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His humiliation being so deep and real, it is not surprising that Holy Spirit succored and comforted His human nature so that was not overwhelmed. P'or it is the proper work of the Holy

the it

Spirit

row

human nature, tempted by sorand overcome. He animated Adam before He comforts and supports all the children of God to-day;

by

gifts of grace to enable

to sin, to stand firm

the fall;

and He did the same in the human nature of Jesus. What air is to man's physical nature, the Holy Spirit is to his spiritual nature. Without air there is death in our bodies; without the Holy Spirit there is death in our souls. And as Jesus had to die, tho He was the Son, when breath failed Him, so He could not live according to His human nature, tho He was the Son, except the Holy Spirit dwelt in that nature. Since, according to the spiritual side of His human nature, He was not dead as we are, but was born possessed of the life of God, so it was impossible for His human nature for a single moment to be without the Holy Spirit. But how different in the state of His exaltation Honor and glory are not against human nature, but satisfy it. It covets them and longs for them with all its energy of desire. Hence this exaltation created no conflict in the soul of Jesus. His human nature needed no support to bear it. Hence the question: What, then, could the Holy Spirit do for the human nature in the state of glory? Regarding the resurrection, the Scripture teaches more than once that it was connected with a work of the Holy Spirit. St. Paul says (Rom. i. 4) that Jesus was " declared to be the Son of God, by the Spirit of holiness with power, by the resurrection from' the !

dead."

And

St.

Peter says

(i

Peter

iii.

18)

that Christ

was quickened by the

"

being put to

which evidently refers to the resurrection, as the context shows: " For Christ once suffered for our sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God." His death points to the crucifixion, and His quickening, being the opposite of the latter, undoubtedly refers to His death in the

flesh,

Spirit,"

resurrection.

Rom. viii. 11, speaking of our resurrection, St. Paul explains more or less puzzling utterances, affirming that " if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you. He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you." This passage tells In

these

three things concerning our resurrection: First, that the

Triune God shall raise us up.

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