The advent of the holy spirit - Chambers, Oswald
April –may 1915, talks on the holy Spirit, bible training College
Howbeit when he, the spirit of truth, is come, . . . He shall glorify me. John 16:1314
There are two descents of the holy spirit mentioned in the bible: the first is at the baptism of our lord, the second on the day of pentecost, when the paraclete came to this earth. The power of the holy spirit and his personal presence are not the same; the power of the holy spirit was mightily present in the world before his personal advent. In this dispensation we not only have the power of the holy spirit, but his personal presence moving amongst us.
1. The peace of god
And the holy spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice from heaven, which said, thou art my beloved son; in thee i am well pleased. (Luke 3:22)
The first descent of the holy spirit was upon the son of man that is, the whole human race represented in one person, and that person the historic Jesus Christ who was god incarnate. It was at his baptism that the holy spirit descended upon him, and we must never forget that his baptism was a baptism of repentance. It was at his baptism that Jesus christ definitely took upon him his vocation, which was to bear away (rv mg) the sin of the world. John the baptist must not be regarded as a mere individual; Jesus said of him that he was the great- est prophet that had been born of woman, and he is the last of the line of prophets. After four hundred years of absolute silence there came this lonely, mighty voice, prepare . . . Jesus said to john, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. That could only be done by our lord as the son of man accepting his vocation to bear away (RV mg) the sin of the world. Jesus is the prince of peace because only in him can men have gods good-will and peace on earth. Thank god, through that beloved son the great peace of god may come to every heart and to every nation under heaven, but it can come in no other way. None of us can ever have good-will towards god if we wont listen to his son. Have we despised what the father said about Jesus christ at his baptism? The mount of transfiguration he said the same thing. The only way to peace and salvation and power, and to all that god has in the way of benedictions and blessings for us individually and for the whole world, is in the son of man.
2. The power of god
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire. (acts 2:3)
The second mighty descent of the holy spirit was on the day of pentecost, when the power of god came in person. The record says that they who heard were devout Jews from every nation under heaven, and the great miracle is stated how hear we every man in our own tongue? The holy spirit came not as a dove, but in cloven tongues of fire. The disciples had been told to tarry until they were endued with power from on high. As soon as Jesus christ was glorified, the personal holy spirit descended, and in the decrees of god the fullness of time was reached when the son of man, on whom the holy spirit had descended as a dove ascended to the right hand of the father and sent forth the mighty holy spirit. In genesis 11 we read that god caused confusion of tongues; on the day of pentecost he caused a fusion of understanding by the tongues of fire, the manifestation accompanying the personal advent of the holy spirit. It was a far-reaching, mighty testimony to the fact that sin had been judged on the cross. It is one thing to believe that the holy spirit is given individually, but another thing to receive the revelation that he is here. He is here in personal presence in all the plenitude of his power, but his power will only work as a manifestation of what Jesus Christ has done. The holy spirit works in no other way than to glorify Jesus Christ. Anyone who receives the holy spirit receives life from the glorified jesus, and receives also an understanding of the teaching of Jesus and complete security, provided he abides in the light the holy spirit sheds. Verily, verily, i say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that i do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because i go unto my father ( john 14:12). It was this mighty person, the holy spirit, who inspired the apostles to write the new testament. The new testament is the posthumous writing of Jesus Christ; he departed, and the holy spirit used these men as his pens to expound his teaching.
3. The patience of god
For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body. (1 Corinthians 12:13)
The baptism of the holy spirit delivers us from independent individuality. The one thing the holy spirit awakens and brings into communion with god is what is meant by personality. Individual self-assertiveness is the husk, personal identity with the lord is the kernel. The holy spirit builds us into the body of Christ. All that Jesus Christ came to do is made experimentally ours by the holy spirit; he does in us what Jesus did for us. The gifts of the spirit are not for individual exaltation, but for the good of the whole body of Christ. The body of Christ is an organism, not an organisation. How patient god is in forming the body of Christ.
Our lords words in john 16:14 sum up the personal passion of the holy spirit, he shall glorify me. The word passion has come down in the world; it is generally taken to mean a distemper from which human nature suffers, but when the phrase the passion of our lord is used it means the trans- figuration of peace and power and patience.