Quote:
Originally Posted by UntoHim
I also thought that 1 Cor. 15:45 was teaching that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became the Holy Spirit...I couldn't find one notable, reputable biblical teacher, scholar or apologist (in history or contemporaries) that taught that 1 Cor 15:45 is telling us that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became the Holy Spirit.
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Well, to start, nowhere in the Bible does it say that Jesus became the Holy Spirit, and neither did WL say that either...1 Cor 15:45 is just one verse that points to a very important truth covered by many other verses. One way to summarize it is that
the resurrected Jesus is very different than the Jesus before resurrection. Something happened to Him through death and resurrection that changed Him, it changed His "form" if you will, for a lack of a better word.
One portion that points to this change is found in John 7:37-39, "“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being
will flow rivers of living water.’” 39
But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive;
for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." Most translations add the word "given", instead of "the Spirit
was not yet, because....".
Regardless, the point here is that nobody could drink of Jesus while He was in the likeness of the flesh; He was not in a "drinkable form" if you will. What is the drinkable form? "But this He spoke of the Spirit". The Spirit is what can be drunk; so at that time was not the Holy Spirit there? Of course the Spirit was there, but nobody could drink of Him yet, it says, "those who believed in Him were to receive". The receiving, the drinking is in the future, why? The Spirit was there, yes, but not in a drinkable form, it says "the Spirit was not yet". Why was not the Spirit ready to be drunk? "Because Jesus was not yet glorified". The glorification of Jesus is related to the Spirit, His glorification "affected" the Spirit in such a way that made the Spirit, changed the Spirit into a form that is drinkable. So here it equates coming to Jesus and drinking of Him to receiving the Spirit. How can you come to Jesus and drink the Spirit? Well, because the last Adam became the life-giving Spirit.
Another portion is also found in John 20:19-22, "So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this,
He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit"
The doors were shut but Jesus
suddenly appeared, how can this be? Because the resurrected Jesus had a different form, He could just appear even when the doors were shut, yet He still had a body with the physical signs on His hands and side. Then He spoke to them and
breathed on them, and as a result they received the Holy Spirit. The receiving of the Spirit is related to the Lordīs very breath, breathing on them. How can His breathing result in them receiving the Holy Spirit? Well, because the last Adam became the life-giving Spirit.
So there are many verses that show the Lord Jesus changed His physical form of flesh into a another form in resurrection. This new form has a physical body but displays many new characteristics that indicate He is also spiritual. The resurrected Jesus
had a physical body of flesh and bones, Luke 24:39
appeared in a room with closed doors, John 20:19
breathed on His disciples and they received the Holy Spirt, John 20:22
appeared in a different form to two disciples, Mark 16:12
suddenly disappeared from the disciples after they recognized Him, Luke 24:31
came and stood in a room that had the doors locked, John 20:26
had a body with scars where Thomas could introduce his fingers and hand into, John 20:27
appeared to Mary, His diciples, the 500
How could this be? Well, because the last Adam became the life-giving Spirit.
And many other verses like 2 Cor. 3:17-18, where it is talking about Christ as Lord, and then says, "Now
the Lord is the Spirit, and where the
Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from
the Lord, who is the Spirit." And what about the verses that plainly mention "
the Spirit of Jesus", and "the Spirit of Jesus Christ" (you can look them up). How could this be? Well, because the last Adam became the life-giving Spirit.
We know there is a Holy Spirit, but is the Spirit of Jesus then another Spirit, a different Spirit? Is it also divine? Are there now
two divine Spirits? And what about the Spirit of Christ, and the Spirit of Jesus Christ? Are they the same? But the New Testament also mentions the Spirit of God, the Spirit of holiness, the Spirit of His Son, the Spirit of your Father, the Spirit of life, the life-giving Spirit, the Spirit, the Spirit of the Lord, the Lord Spirit, the seven Spirits of God. So how many Spirits are there? How many are divine? How many can give life? How many are Holy?
To top it off, the mark of the genuine christian faith is that "
Jesus Christ is in you" 2 Cor. 13:5, "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-- unless indeed you fail the test" Is this literal? Is Jesus Christ actually inside a believer like the Bible says, or is it just figurative? How can this be? Well, because the last Adam became the life-giving Spirit.
In summary there is only one divine, Holy Spirit. This Spirit, though, could not enter man, nor impart life into man, nor regenerate man, nor indwell man until something happened, that is, that
Jesus would die, resurrect, be glorified and change His form into a physical/spiritual form in resurrection. Words fail to adequately describe the event, to describe Him, but it is like through the glorificatoin of Jesus, the Holy Spirit included or added into Himself the very incarnation, human living, death, and resurrection of Christ. Now the Holy Spirit has become drinkable, He is in a form that can be received, can enter into man, can give life to man, can give man the experiences of the life of Jesus, the experiences of the reality of the cross, the living in the resurrection of Christ.
Now these realities have been added to the Spirit, they were not in the Holy Spirit before, because the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified. How can all of this be? Well, because the last Adam became the life-giving Spirit.