The Purpose of Christ: The Holy Spirit

(1) When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord[a] in one place. (2) And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. (3) Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. (4) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.  - Acts 2:1-4 (NKJV)

Image courtesy of WikiMedia.org

It has nearly been two weeks since Christians around the United States celebrated the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  As such, this was a great opportunity to address each part of the celebration of Yeshua.  First we talked about the cross. For that blog post visit,

http://toinebo.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-purpose-of-christ-cross.html

Then we talked about the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ which can be found here:

http://toinebo.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-purpose-of-christ-death-burial.html

Today, we will look at the last and largely overlooked piece of the plan for the Son of God - the Holy Spirit.

In the grand scheme of things, there has been a plan since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned against Yahweh, there was a plan in place to redeem man back to Himself.  It would be a long while before the full plan would be fulfilled, but the Father paved a way for us to get to where we are now.

Sin and the Law

First, man was given the Law of Moses.  "The Mosaic Law was a bilateral covenant made specifically for Israel alone to govern her life in the promised land. From the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen.12) we see Israel was a chosen nation, an instrument of God to become a channel of blessing to all nations. Yahweh was her Theocratic King who was to rule and guide the nation in her destiny that she might not become polluted or contaminated by other nations and could thus fulfill her purpose. For this the Mosaic Law was instituted to direct Israel as a nation in all spheres of her life—morally, socially, politically, economically and religiously" (The Mosaic Law: Its Function and Purpose in the New Testament, Bible.org).  In addition, the the law revealed the people's sin to them and as such, they had to atone for those sins.

About five years ago, I did a study on the different types of offerings in Leviticus and one of those was the sin offering.  Rather than duplicating efforts, I will copy a snippet from that blog entry:

The reason for the sin offering was for the atonement of the people. TheFreeDictionary.com defines atonement as "[a]mends or reparation made for an injury or wrong".  In looking at all of Leviticus 4 and 5:1-13, you will notice that blood is the key ingredient in which God requires to be burnt. The Burnt, Meat, and Peace Offerings were all ones that were voluntary and provided a sweet-savory aroma for the Lord.  The Sin and Tresspass (which we'll discuss the next time) Offerings did no such thing.

"He is merciful and will forgive based on Christ's sacrifice, which these offerings represent, but even though He accepts the offerings, He takes no satisfaction in sin".1

Therefore, there would have been no communion with God on that occasion.  At least in this case, "[n]o restitution was necessary because of the nature of the sin."2  (Leviticus Lessons: Offerings V; also see Leviticus 4; 5:1-13)

The key is the part which talks about Yahweh's acceptance of the offering, but there was no satisfaction of it.  No matter how many times this was done, the Israelites still could not restore themselves back to Yahweh.  The only sacrifice that would satisfy the Father was that of the Passover Lamb, which was without sin.

Fulfillment of the Law

We have heard that Yeshua died for our sins and this was definitely preached on Easter or Resurrection Sunday.  But, it should be explained WHY we no longer live in sin and how we are free from the penalty of sin. Something important to remember is that the Christ was sent to fulfill the Law.  He tells us this Himself.

Matthew 5:17-18  (17) “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. (18) For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. (NKJV)

What does this mean?  It means that He came to complete the law; put a period on it; end a chapter in the lives of those who were under the Law. Yeshua fulfilled the law because He was the only one who could walk perfectly in the law and uphold all of the law.  The moment He died, the law died with Him.  In addition, the veil of the temple was torn which meant, everyone had access to Yahweh again.

"The veil of the temple was torn in two: The veil was what separated the holy place from the most holy place in the temple. It was a vivid demonstration of the separation between God and man. Notably, the veil was torn from top to bottom, and it was God who did the tearing" (JESUS' TRIAL, DEATH, AND BURIAL, David Guzik :: Study Guide for Matthew 27).  

After Christ's death, we know that He walked among the people for a short while.  He was seen by various people, including the disciples to confirm that He had risen from death (see, Luke 24:36-37).  Even at this point, there was a piece of the plan that had not been executed.  The Law had been fulfilled, but now what?

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

If you recall, the Mosaic Law was put into place to guide the Israelites and to reveal their sins. However, since Christ fulfilled the law, what were those who lived by Yahweh to do?  By this point, I am sure you know where we are headed.  It was the promise of the Holy Spirit that completes the plan of Yahweh.

John 16:5-8  (5) “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ (6) But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. (7) Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. (8) And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:  (NKJV)

Yeshua told the disciples this before He died, but they did not understand what was happening.  We see in Luke 24 that they were afraid when He reappeared before them.  It was at this point that He would help them to understand why He had to die and what was to come:

Luke 24:44-49  (44) Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” (45) And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.  (46) Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise[h] from the dead the third day, (47) and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (48) And you are witnesses of these things. (49) Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem[i] until you are endued with power from on high.” (NKJV)

Here, the promise is the Holy Spirit.  It is this Spirit that would fall down on the disciples like a mighty rushing wind that made them speak in the tongues of their own language (see, Acts 2:1-4).   However, this could not happen until Yeshua ascended into heaven to be with the Father.

The Purpose of the Holy Spirit

Today, many will ask the Holy Spirit to help them, but I do not believe many understand the purpose behind Him.  See, the Holy Spirit is now what guides man since there is no need for the Mosaic Law. The Law was completed when Yeshua died for our sins. By Him ascending into heaven and sending the Holy Spirit we were given the will of the Father!  Thus, we have a new covenant with Yahweh and are all reconciled back to Him!  There are numerous scriptures that show us this.

Hebrews 10:8-10  (8) Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), (9) then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.”[b] He takes away the first that He may establish the second. (10) By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.  (NKJV)

The first that is taken away is the Law.  The second is established by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in man.

Romans 6:14  For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. (NKJV)

The law is no longer our prosecutor, but we now live under Yahweh's grace.

Galatians 3:19-25  (19) What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. (20) Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. (21) Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. (22) But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. (23) But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. (24) Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (25) But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.  (NKJV)

I thought it good to share a good portion of Galatians here to add context, but verses 24 & 25 sums things up really well.

One might ask about the moral law. Doesn't that mean anything?  Well, we are still not allowed to steal, covet, or lust, but this is not because of the Law.  It is because we NOW know the will of the Father through the Holy Spirit that resides in us.  If we know Yahweh's will and intentions, then there is no need for the law.  Besides, scripture tells us that we are no longer under the law. We are not to cherry pick the laws which we want to apply because they seem good to us.  We are either under the law (death) or have the Holy Spirit (life) and if we are saved we are called to live by grace. The law doesn't apply to us.  For more in depth information on the Law, I would highly encourage you to read, Laying Down the Law, by Joseph Herrin. You can download a copy here:

http://www.heart4god.ws/index_htm_files/Laying%20Down%20the%20Law.pdf


Wrapping Things Up

It is interesting that most people do not realize that Yeshua actually lived under the Law of Moses until he began his ministry. He grew up in the same times and place where the Law was in enforced. It was not until He was baptized, that he began to live by the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 3:13-17  (13) Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. (14) And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” (15) But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. (16) When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He[c] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. (17) And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (NKJV)

At this point, Christ is walking among the law-keepers with the Holy Spirit.  This is why He was able to do things like heal on the Sabbath.  He knew the Father's will because He was living by the Holy Spirit!!  The law did not matter to Him because it was ultimately Yahweh's will that prevailed and He continued living by the Spirit even unto death.  For example, just before His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed the following:  "...Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will" (Mark 14:36, NKJV).

Yeshua is our perfect example of living by the Holy Spirit.  If we have been truly baptized by the Spirit and not by water alone, then we too will know the Father's will (see, Acts 19:1-6).  This is very important to remember as many may have been led to believe in Christ on the celebration of His resurrection two weeks ago.  It is my prayer they understand the symbolism of water baptism, but more importantly that they are baptized in the Spirit as Paul discussed in Acts 19:1-6.  If this is so, then one will be able to see and understand that going to the cross was not enough.  We needed Yeshua to die, be resurrected, ascend to heaven AND have the Holy Spirit come, so that the will of the Father could be known to us throughout our walk in Christ to the end.

Be blessed!

Antoine E. Hall

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Sexual Abuse, Promiscuity, and A Testimony

So far to this point in my might life, I think this is the hardest thing that I have had to write.  Not even a 20 page research paper while in college compares.  It took me awhile to get around to writing this entry.  I dragged my feet and I kept finding other things to occupy my time, but no matter what, the Holy Spirit would not leave me in peace until I did.  Even in a past blog entry, “Getting Into a Rod Bending Match With God”, I found myself writing about my own shortfalls (which is not out of the ordinary) and disobeying God.  However, that writing was a lead up to now.

So, with that said I must say that some of the things I will share may come as a shock to those who read this as it is a departure from the one side of me that you may have known.  However, growing up there was another private side that I have never shared.  It involved sexual abuse, homosexual acts, and lots of promiscuity.  

Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it”.  

Believe what you will, but children have memories that can go back to when they were infants.  I can recall memories of being held by my mom as a child while riding on a subway train in New York.  I could not talk and was a lap baby, but I have that one image in my brain.  I also, remember being between 3-5 years old and getting on a school bus that took me to a daycare that was in a church in New Bern, NC.  I sat in class, learned about Jesus and I was a regular kid.  As far as I can remember, this was my first introduction to the Lord. However, it is at this same age (around 3-4), I was sexually abused.  This too, I remember vividly.

During this time in my life, both of my parents use to work during the day, so I was kept by a neighbor’s wife, teenage son, and younger daughter.  I was there a lot, but the one day that I remember is the day I have never been able to forget.  I was sexually abused by the son.  In addition, I was shown what to do as if I were a partner in a homosexual relationship.  Not only was I sexually abused by the son, but I was made to have sexual intercourse with the younger daughter. I was held and “guided” as to what should have been done.  It wasn’t until later that day when my parents came home that I complained of my pain that my Mom checked my underwear.  In it she saw blood, told my Father and I told them what happened that day.  I remember the family walking next door, there was a conversation, and I never stayed over there again.  In all honesty, with my Father’s no-nonsense attitude, I am thinking the only thing that kept him from killing and out of jail is God!

So, up to this point you have a small child who had been introduced to sexuality.  The last thing that should be on a kid’s mind of my age at that time is sexual acts.  But, there I was - my mind had been exposed to a world of perversion and innocence was lost.  One might ask, how did I cope with being sexually abused?  Well, if you have had the opportunity to watch children, you probably know that kids are quite resilient.  While memories are hard to erase, a sometimes kids just carry on with their lives.  However, in the same breath, it is those memories that can warp a child’s perspective on the life as they have lived it thus far.

From what I learned, on occasion was involved in homesexual acts with other children.  I still thought girls were cool, but I also thought the homesexual acts were not a problem.  It was a learned behavior (maybe, more on learned behavior in a later blog post).   These acts continued on occasion into elementary school, until one day I decided that I liked girls only and no longer had a desire for the homesexual acts.  For this alone, I thank God for his saving grace!  Yes, He kept me!

To make matters worse, by the time I was out of elementary school, I had been introduced to pornography!  As you know, this graphic display and influence of sexual activity can create all kind of ideas and misinterpretations for a person, not to mention a kid.  As I moved from elementary school into middle school, I had girlfriends, however as you could imagine, my interpretation of relationships between girls and boys was a little more advanced based on past experiences.  By the time I was in 8th grade, I found myself sneaking into the window of a girl’s home and having sex all while the parents sat home.  I continued on into high school but my promiscuity didn’t stop there.  It continued to the point where I contracted a sexually transmitted disease (STD).  PRAISE GOD, it was one that was curable and not one that could kill me!

After the STD and into college, you would think that I would have learned my lesson, but I didn’t.  The pornography would occasionally still prop up and the sexual relationships with different girls did not stop.  You know the funny thing is that I called it having fun!  What was weird though was that once I got into a relationship with someone I was committed to that person.  It was just that when I wasn’t in that committed relationship that all bets were off.  It wasn’t until towards the end of college that I began to “grow up” and slow down, however, by this time in my life, I had committed numerous sins and I had them committed against me.

It was the final year of college that I met my current wife and a year later we were married. I have been married for nearly 12 years and together we have two beautiful children.   Most importantly, I gave my life to Jesus Christ about a year after we were married.  I have given my life to the One who gave His life for me!  I have asked God for forgiveness and I have forgiven those who committed sinful acts against me.  However, through all of this, one might think “So what?”  To some other people, it sounded as if I lived the life that every boy/kid would have desired in middle & high school as well as college.  Well, yes I lived life, but I lived a dangerous life.  I lived one where at any point I could have been killed by an incurable disease or one where I thought it was natural to carry on in relations with other men!  

To the Lord our God, the life that I use to live was/is unacceptable!  In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, it says

“(9) Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, (10) Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”

I bold the words above because they speak directly to my life as I had described it.  You might say that this mentions nothing about homosexuality, but let me show you.  It may not say the word explicitly, but God’s word speaks against it.  The word effeminate means “[h]aving qualities or characteristics more often associated with women than men.”  This covers another male acting like females.  Then you have the word fornication which means “[s]exual intercourse between partners who are not married to each other.”  As such, the fornication part alone would speak directly to it because in the eyes of God, marriage is the union between a man and a woman.  Seeing as how two men nor two women in marriage would be recognized by God, then it is a sin and you shall never inherit the kingdom of God - but that’s if you did not continue on to verse 11 of 1 Corinthians 6 where there is good news!

“(11) And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

Yes, I was too. But, if your life was mine, then you have a way out.  You have a choice that you can make and it is a decision that you can chose right now.  It is not to say that life instantly becomes easy, but being washed by the blood of Jesus will make you righteous and deliver you from the evil that consumes you!  I am a living witness that you can be delivered.  If you know Christ, then you can repent, turn from your ways, and you will be forgiven (see Acts 3:17-23)!  However, repenting is not a get out jail free card. It is a choice to turn and walk away from what you have done in the past and to never do it again.  If you do not know Christ, then you can give your life to Christ by (1) recognizing your past sin(s); (2) believing in your heart that Jesus died for your sins and that he rose from the grave to sit at the right hand of God. and; (3) by committing to live according to the Word of God and continuously seeking Jesus as the only way to God for the rest of your life.  I am a living witness that God can save you!  He can deliver you and there is noone or thing who can release you of the past sin like God can!

Psalm 30:  (1) I will extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. (2) O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. (3) O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. (4) Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. (5) For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. (6) And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. (7) Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled. (8) I cried to thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord I made supplication. (9) What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth? (10) Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me: Lord, be thou my helper. (11) Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; (12) To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

Be Blessed folks and have a great day!

Antoine E. Hall

P.S.  It is not my aim to drag anyone’s name through the mud or to point any fingers.  It is my prayer that whoever reads this, receives this not as a “woe is me” blog entry, but rather a showing of the power of Christ and the showing of power of His saving grace.  This is only a short account of my life, my past sins, and God’s amazing saving grace! May God receive all the glory!!

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