No, the Lord has not in his providence called me home. Rather, I have simply been swamped with work, school, and life issues. Since I last posted I have 1) started a new job, 2) started a new school, and 3) begun searching for a new church-home. That’s quite a bit of change, I’d say. Well, all this has been taking up quite a bit of my time lately. I’m sorry that I didn’t at the least post something here to indicate what was going on with me, but that generally isn’t much my style. I’ve tried to hold myself to very high standards concerning what I write here, and have deigned to post things such as, “Today I got an ice cream cone from 31 Flavors and listened to the Goo Goo Dolls on my iPod.” These kinds of things are, as the Preacher says, vanity. My intention for this blog has always been the furtherance of God’s kingdom and the edification of myself and fellow believers, according to his will.
I do have something to say about my comings and goings, however. I purchased Abraham Kuyper’s The Work of the Holy Spirit today. I’m mentioning this because I plan to take up the doctrine of illumination. The doctrine of illumination is that teaching which says whatsoever we know from Scripture comes by the grace of the Holy Spirit according to the will of the Father and not by our own strength of will or intelligence. The doctrine of illumination explains why some have been graced with a right understanding of the several doctrines of the scriptures (not a perfect understanding, mind you, for we are yet imperfect) whilst others twist and distort them to their own destruction. Illumination is also a critical doctrine for the presuppositional apologist because without the doctrine of illumination you cannot bridge the gap between the presupposition of Scripture and the codification of doctrine according thereto. Illumination is the justification for the formation of doctrine based upon the interpretation of Scripture. The argument when based on illumination becomes circular, but valid. This is set in opposition to mere assertion or outright invalid argumentation, such is all the evidentialist has to work with, by the way.
Anyhow, I have a number of other books on the work of the Holy Spirit that I will be studying and reflecting upon. These include Gordon Clark’s work on the Holy Spirit, B. B. Warfield’s writings on illumination, John Owen’s Pneumatology, and others that escape me for the moment. There might yet be some period of silence between now and the first post of the series, but it will come. And I thought that�at this point it would be worth posting something, anything, rather than nothing.
Soli Deo Gloria
Jon
The nice thing about RSS is that you can come back at any time and we will be here. I’m looking forward to it!
Welcome back. I look forward to the next series and looking forward to talking with you via msn.
Oh, and by the way, I like the Goo Goo Dolls.
SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD: CHART
The �receiving of the Spirits by Prayer,� and the �operations of the Spirits� have been discussed in another file. Now we will look at various lists of the �holy seven,� from the Bible, in side-by-side columns. This will demonstrate the fact that each one of the seven Spirits of God has a multifaceted personality. For instance, �Faith� is represented as the �Teaching of Jesus� (One Faith), and as �the answer to Prayer� (Counsel), and as �Trust� and �Prayer� (Faith). The other seven Spirits will be seen in different lights also.
ISAIAH EZEKIEL GALATIANS EPHESIANS
1) Righteousness Face of Man Love One Body
2) Counsel Face of Lion Faith One Faith
3) Knowledge Face of Ox Joy One Hope
4) Fear of He Is (Yahweh) Face of Eagle Meekness One Dipping
5) Wisdom and Holy Spirit before
Understanding the throne Lonsuffering One Spirit
6) Judgment Jesus on the Peace and
throne Self-control One Lord
7) Might God on the Goodness and
throne Kindness One God
1) The Spirit of Love is represented as �the Face of a Man,� and as �One Body,� and �we (the Body) are the Righteousness of God in Him (Jesus).� If we do not Love man whom we have seen, how can we Love God whom we have not seen?
2) The Spirit of Faith is represented as �the answer to Prayer� (Counsel), and as being �Lion-hearted,� in our Belief in God, and as �One Teaching.�
3) The Spirit of Knowledge is pictured as �the Ox plowing to sow the Seed,� and represented by the Joy of �sowing the Seed,� and as �the Hope of the message of the Seed sown, which was the resurrection in AD 77.� Our Hope today is in the promised resurrection at the End of the World.
4) The Spirit of Forgiveness is the result of Meekness, and the Fear of the Lord; for many are too proud to submit to the One Dipping. The Eagle is the symbol of �Urgency� in the Old Testament, for God and the pagan nations, are predicted to swoop down like an Eagle destroying the enemies of God. Jesus taught that �unless you forgive your brother, you will not be forgiven.�
5) The One Spirit of the Body represents Obedience to One Lord and One God; this is the Spirit of Obedience �on earth.� The seven Spirits before the throne are from God in �Third Heaven;� and also, the Spirit is Longsuffering.
6) Jesus on the throne is the One Lord, and �He is our Peace,� and He demonstrated Self-control in going to the cross, for �He opened not His mouth.� Then, �all Judgment is committed to the Son,�
and in a general list (which follows), Jesus is our Atonement.
7) Our Heavenly Father is the One God on the throne with One Lord, and He has the Spirit of Might, or Strength, to destroy nations and individual men; or to deliver nations and men, and Body and Soul. The �new Body of man is immortal; or, incorruptible.� God is also the Spirit of Adoption; this is into the Body on earth first, and then, into Third Heaven finally.
Now we will observe another chart of parallel lists of the seven Spirits of God.
2 PETER REV 5 REV 7 GENERAL TERMS
1) Love Blessing Blessing Love
2) Faith Honor Honor Faith
3) Knowledge Glory Glory Knowledge
4) Brotherly
Kindness Power Power Forgiveness
5) Perseverance Wisdom Wisdom Wisdom
6) Virtue and
Self-control Riches Thanksgiving Atonement
7) Godliness Strength Might Adoption
By means of these two charts we have brought together some of the various lists of the seven Spirits of God. These seven Spirits of God are represented by the symbol, �Lampstand.� See: Zechariah 4.2 and Revelation 1.12, 20; 2.5; 11.4.
[In Revelation 11.4, �two Lampstands� is an error in translation, and should read: �the two Olive Trees and (7) Lampstands BOTH standing before the God of the earth.�]
For additional lists, see: Ephesians 6.14-18, Jude 25.
Saved by Dipping; Lost by Failing to Receive the Spirit:
�When an unclean spirit [sin] goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.
Then he says, �I will return to my house from which I came.� And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.
Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits [sins] more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of the man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation� � Mt 12.43-45; NKJV.
This story is repeated:
�Therefore many of His students, when they heard, said, �This is a hard saying; who can understand it?� � From that time many of His students went back and walked with Him no more� � Jn 6.60, 66.
Missing Factor:
�Jesus answered, �Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born from Water and of Spirit, he is not able to enter into the kingdom of the God� � Jn 3.5.
CONCLUSION:
Most people �saved by dipping go to Hell!�
This is because, as stated above, �their saved bodies remain empty� (meaning without the Spirit).
The Scriptures quoted above, and dozens of others, make perfectly clear that, �No one can be saved without the presence of the Spirit.� Congregations are �dead� without the Spirit!
�For as the Body [local congregation] without the Spirit [of God] is dead, so faith without works is dead also� � Jas 2.26.
And � where do �works� come from, but from the Spirit?
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Dear Jon,
I really blessed by your writing about Illumination. Actually I’m on the way to explore about “DOCTRINE OF ILLUMINATION IN CALVIN’S THEOLOGY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.” I hope that you will be my adviser in doing this topic. If you don’t mind, please help me to find books or bibliography regarding of this topic. Honestly, I have no much idea in doing this topic. Thank you for your help. May God bless you abundantly and make you to be a wonderful blessing for the Kingdom of God.