Part 7 of – 

The Significance of the Titles of God’s Spirit

Nothing in Scripture is to be taken loosely. In Old Testament there was only “the Spirit of God” (i.e., Gen 1:2). The New Testament term “Holy Spirit” is the general title for the “Spirit of God,” as He is today.

Referring to Jesus of Nazareth after His death, burial, and resurrection, and ascension, Paul’s uses various terms for “Holy Spirit” and all are significant. There are; 1) “the Spirit of Jesus”, 2) “the Spirit of Christ” & 3) “the Spirit of Jesus Christ”

Acts 16:7b … the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. (NIV)

Romans 8:9b …. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Philip. 1:19b … the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

Note that here in this one verse the titles “Holy Spirit” and “Spirit of Jesus” are used interchangeably.

Acts 16:6-7 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. ⁷When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. (“Spirit of Jesus” here is taken from NIV and Greek Interlinear.)

All of these New Testament terms are used for the fully processed Christ who in fact is God, in Jesus Christ, now as “the Spirit of Life.”

1)     “Spirit of Jesus” – particularly speaks from the viewpoint of seeing the humanity of the incarnated, resurrected Spirit of the Savior, who was called “Jesus” – as a spirit-man now “at the right hand of the Father.” This speaks of Jesus as the “Son of Man” who as a man brought humanity into the Godhead.

Romans 1:3-4 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the (human) flesh; ⁴ And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

2) “Spirit of Christ” – speaks from the viewpoint of seeing Christ as He now is, completely processed… as the risen Christ and Lord. “Spirit of Christ” speaks of the “life” of the “Spirit of God,” now available to indwell the believer, and in His body, the church.

Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

3) “Spirit of Jesus Christ” - speaks from the viewpoint of seeing both Jesus the man, who is now fully processed by His incarnation death, burial and resurrection, and who has become the overcoming Christ, to be our full supply of both the uplifted humanity of Jesus of Nazareth and divinity of Christ, who now is in us.

Philip 1:19 …this shall turn to my salvation … the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

The “Spirit of Jesus Christ” speaks of the full supply Paul needed in his Roman prison experience.

–       He needed, as we also need, the uplifted righteous humanity of Jesus, who is now is our supply for our enduring human life situations.

–       He needed, as we also need, the resurrected overcoming divine life of Christ that Paul enjoyed, to be our supernatural life-supply.

From the foregoing we see that these titles point to the culminated Christ, as He is today, as the fruit of His total experience from His divine essence… to human essence…to His uplifted resurrected essence; now as the God-man who even now bears the marks of His human experience in His pierced hands and side.

The primary element of that experience that makes Christ and His benefits available to us is…the cross of His death, from which He was raised “by the glory of God the Father” (Rom 6:4).

In the next installment we will examine the fruit of that cross, which is found in “the Spirit of life” that anoints the life of the believer, as they “walk in the spirit.”

1 John 2:20 (NASB) But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. ²⁷As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.