The Holy Spirit Was God’s Promise

In this message about the new creation, we share that God is the Creator and He has created us. He knows our creation—that we are spiritual beings. That is, we are a spirit, we have a soul, and we live in this body. This is the condition of humanity, but in this world humanity exists in two conditions—one is the condition of the first Adam and one is the condition of the second Adam.

The Bible says that in the first Adam all die. This death reveals sin because death separates human life from God. And the second Adam is the condition of the Lord Jesus Christ, in which we become a new creation. In this new creation, the one who does the most important work in our lives is the Holy Spirit.

In this message we will discuss the Holy Spirit—who this Holy Spirit is, what He does, where He came from, and what He can do in the life of a new creation.

The Holy Spirit in Christ's Life

When we discuss the Holy Spirit or hear about the Holy Spirit, we often think that this is not for us, that this is for some other community or some other group. But the Bible shows us very clearly that we can see the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ lived His life on this earth as a complete human being and showed an example for all humanity. The Lord Jesus Christ did the work of salvation for humanity on this earth. Therefore we call the Lord Jesus Christ the Savior. The very meaning of the name Jesus is Savior.

But whenever we read about the life of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the Bible, especially in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—how Jesus Christ was born, what works Jesus Christ did, how Jesus Christ suffered the death of the cross, how He was killed on the cross, was buried, and rose from the dead—in all these works, the work of the Holy Spirit continued with the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit Revealed in Acts

So who is this Holy Spirit who continued to do His works in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ? For this we must go to the book of Acts. From Acts we will learn about the Holy Spirit—who the Holy Spirit is. In reality, the Holy Spirit is God Himself. God is Spirit and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God.

When the book of Acts was written, there was a person, a physician, who studied all the facts of everything that happened in this world through the Lord Jesus Christ—the entire biography of the Lord Jesus Christ, all His works, all His teachings. He examined and verified all these things. Then he wrote the book called Acts.

In this book, Acts chapter one, verses one through four, it is written: "The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, which, He said, you have heard from Me."

The Power of the Holy Spirit in Christ's Ministry

In these verses one through four, we see that Jesus Christ did all works in His lifetime by the power of the Holy Spirit. And when the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead, He was still giving commands by the power of the Holy Spirit. The birth of Jesus Christ, the lifetime of Jesus Christ, His ministry, the death of Jesus Christ, His resurrection and His ascension—in all these works, in all these things, we see the work of the Holy Spirit with Jesus Christ.

This event is from the time when the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead and appeared to His disciples. The Lord Jesus Christ gave commands to His disciples in the power of the Holy Spirit. In verse two we see "taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments." In the final time, as long as the Lord Jesus Christ's time was on earth, He took the help of the Holy Spirit—that is, through the Holy Spirit He gave commands to His disciples, and then He was taken up into heaven.

The Promise of the Father

When we come to verse four, it is written here what command the Lord Jesus Christ gave to His disciples. What was that very important command that He gave to His apostles through the Holy Spirit? When He was taken up into heaven in the clouds before their very eyes, the command He is giving is connected to a promise.

That is, the Lord Jesus Christ is reminding them of a promise given by the Father. Promise means a pledge. This promise that God the Father made—the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ is also our Father today, that God is one—He is the Creator of all humanity. That Father worked on this earth during the entire time of the Old Testament. All work was done under His leadership.

We will see in different places that the works of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are understood. But in the Old Testament, in what happened with the Jews, during all that time the Father worked on this earth and specifically worked among the Jews, through which we received the old law, that is, the Old Testament.

Here the Lord Jesus Christ is telling about a promise, telling about a pledge—a promise that God the Father made to the Jews, that is, made for all humanity. What is that promise? This promise we find in the Old Testament in the book of Joel chapter two, verse twenty-eight, where God the Father says: "I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh in the last days."

The Promise for All Humanity

God the Father made a promise in Joel 2:28, made a pledge for all humanity, and God said that in the last days—today we are living in the last days, this is the age of grace—God the Father says for this present age, "I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh in the last days. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit."

Whatever work God does, this is His principle, His rule—that He speaks before doing His works on this earth, which we call giving a promise.

Jesus Christ is telling His disciples: See, whatever was written about Me, I have completed all works on the cross. The work of Jesus Christ was to bring deliverance to humanity—deliverance from sins, salvation, to give eternal life—and that work the Lord Jesus Christ completely accomplished on the cross. He was killed and after dying He came back to life.

Spiritual Reflection

But now He is saying this: See, I will go away but you will remain on this earth, therefore I will not leave you as orphans. I will not leave you alone. The Father has made a provision, has given a plan. Reminding His disciples of that promise, He is saying that I will pour out My Spirit, the Holy Spirit, among you.

God's principle is consistent—He speaks before He acts. The promise of the Holy Spirit was not a new idea but part of God's eternal plan revealed through the prophets. This promise extends to all who believe, across all generations.

Practical Application

Today we live in the age when this promise has been fulfilled. The Holy Spirit has been poured out. The same Spirit who worked with Jesus Christ throughout His earthly ministry, who empowered His resurrection, who guided the apostles—this same Holy Spirit is available to every believer today. We are not left as orphans. The Father's provision for us is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, poured out without measure for all who believe in Jesus Christ.