from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through
his Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Rom. 8:11). "Who was declared to be
the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the
resurrection from the dead" (Rom. 1:4).
7. HE GAVE THE COMMISSION BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. "The former treatise I
made, O Theophilus, concerning all that Jesus began both to do and to
teach, until the day in which he was received up, after that he had
given commandment through the Holy Spirit unto the apostles whom he had
chosen" (Acts 1:1, 2).
8. HIS ASCENSION AND CORONATION WERE ANNOUNCED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.
"Being therefore by the right hand of God exalted, and having received
of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he hath poured forth this,
which you see and hear" (Acts 2:33). "Let all the house of Israel
therefore know assuredly, that God hath made him both Lord and Christ,
this Jesus whom ye crucified" (Acts 2:36).
Thus the Spirit predicted the coming of Jesus and the great facts of his
birth, baptism, anointing, miracles, death, burial and resurrection,
ascension and coronation, and then came from the Father to carry on the
work of extending his kingdom. In the light of this testimony we can
truly say with Paul in 2 Cor. 12:3: "Wherefore I make known unto you,
that no man speaking in the Spirit of God saith, Jesus is anathema: and
no man can say, Jesus is Lord, _but in the Holy Spirit_."
"I manifested thy name unto the men whom thou gavest me out of the
world: thine they were, and thou gavest them to me; and they have kept
thy word. Now they know that all things whatsoever thou hast given me
are from thee: for the words which thou gavest me I have given unto
them; and they received them, and know of a truth that I came forth from
thee, and they believe that thou didst send me.... While I was with
them, I kept them in thy name which thou hast given me: and I guarded
them, and not one of them perished, but the son of perdition; that the
scripture might be fulfilled.... I have given them thy word; and the
world hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of
the world. I pray not that thou shouldst take them from the world, but
that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one" (John 17:6-8, 12, 14,
15).
VI
THE SPIRIT AND THE APOSTLES
In interpreting Scripture, attention should be paid not only to the
speaker and his message, but also to the parties addressed. There are
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