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The Gift of the Holy Ghost/Spirit
As time broadens the gap between Creation and the present day, the further this world drifts away from God and the truth: Prayer has been taken out of our schools, evolution is taught instead of creation, the Ten Commandments are not permitted in the courts, “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance is claimed offensive, morality is at an all time low, and spiritual wickedness is flourishing. The list goes on and on. Any one who denies this must be spiritually blind or in self-denial.
The topic of this study is two-fold: (One): What is the “Gift of the Holy Ghost / Spirit”? The most common answer being, the gift of everlasting life, but is that the right answer? And (Two): Should this “Gift” be called the “Gift of the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit?”
In the early English translations “Holy Ghost” was always used in conjunction with the “Gift.” It was not until the 1900’s that “Holy Ghost” was changed to “Holy Spirit.” It seems that answer has been lost in all the translations and opinions that have surfaced. If we will just focus on WHAT this “Gift of the Holy Ghost / Holy Spirit” is, and the spiritual understanding, the proper translation should take care of itself. Now, for the purpose of consistency, from this point forward the term “Holy Ghost” will now be used, and all scripture quotes will come from the 17th century KJV.
THE “THING RECEIVED” OR THE “GIVER”
A gift is an un-earned object or action, freely given by someone to another. Since “The Gift of the Holy Ghost” is the topic of this paper, we need to establish one major thing before we continue any further: Who or what is the “Holy Ghost” part of the phrase? Is the Holy Ghost (1) the gift that is received , or is the Holy Ghost (2) the one who gave the gift? This will make a huge difference discerning this topic. Think about it for a minute…
For an example: God has created an olive seed. There is no place to plant the olive seed, so God creates a garden just for the seed. The seed can’t produce a tree or the fruit of the tree unless that seed dies and is buried. Afterward, it becomes a beautiful olive tree loaded with olives so everyone who chooses can partake of the fruit. Now, one of these perfect olives has been given to you. As you hold up this precious object, rejoicing over the favor shown to you, should you say: “I have received the “Gift of the Olive” (meaning the thing received), or, “I have received the “Gift of the Seed” (meaning the one who gave the gift)? In Matthew 23:17-19, Yeshua Himself gives us the answer.
Matthew 23:17-19 [Ye] fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. [Ye] fools and blind: for whether [is] greater,the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
Yeshua makes it very clear, the one who sanctifies is greater than the gift. The Holy Ghost sanctifies the gift. The Holy Ghost is not the Gift but rather the Holy Ghost identifies the one who gave or sanctified the gift:
The Gift (thing received) of the Holy Ghost (the Giver)
SIN ENTERED GOD'S DWELLING PLACE
Now, to understand what this “Gift” is that’s given by the Holy Ghost (the giver), we need to start at the beginning. We are God’s creation, God breathed into Adam's nostrils and he became a living soul, and God wishes to dwell with us.
Gen. 2:7 And the LORD GOD formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Mat. 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, GOD with us.
Rev. 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
When sin entered the world, Adam, who was created a living soul, became mortal and died. Through this sin, we also became mortal (Rom. 6:12). How then can God dwell with us?
The blood of bulls, goats, calves, and heifers cannot take sin away. Sin entered in by man and must be taken out by man. For this cause, God gave His only begotten Son, who freely gave His own life, so that by Him, where in there was no sin, came the only acceptable sacrifice for the death of sins in our own lives. Our sins are blotted out with His own blood.
Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost.
THE LIFE OF THE SON
In John 3:16, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him SHOULD-not-perish [no idle words] but have everlasting life [opposite of perishing].” Is just believing enough? In James 2:19 we read that devils believe too, and tremble. They even said to Yeshua, “I know who you are, you’re the Holy One of Israel.” This is where the “should-not-perish” comes in. As stated before, a gift is an un-earned object or action, given by someone. The transfer and acceptance of the gift needs to take place completing the transaction.
If the gift is refused, denied, or unused by the intended person, he does not have the benefit of the gift; it is of none effect. Thus, he should not have perished; all he needed to do was receive the gift, allowing it to work in his life. This is the difference in just believing (not having the gift, Yeshua) compared to your spirit confessing Him in both faith and works (receiving the gift, Yeshua). It is written that you cannot please God without faith; but also, faith without the works is dead (of none effect). Works is the outward evidence of your faith.
In Hebrews chapter 9 we find, when there is a testament made, there also must be the shedding of blood. That shedding of blood seals the testament. It is the blood of the testator (the one making the testament) that is shed and thereby resulting in the death of the testator. Yeshua said that except a seed dies and goes into the ground it cannot bring forth fruit; Yeshua is that Seed. The gift God gave was His Son and the gift the Son gave was His own life for the remission of sins so that in turn we might give ourselves to become a Holy dwelling place for the Living God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The fruit [harvest, or results] of the life [the works] of Yeshua [Holy One of Israel] and the shedding of His blood [the life of the flesh] resulted in His death [giving up the Ghost, last breath] for the remission of our sins [blotted out with His own blood] unto everlasting life.
As said before, the “Gift of the Holy Ghost” is that which came through the sacrifice of Yeshua, who took our place in death, blotting out our sins with his own blood so that we might be able to stand before God as a new Creature, without sin, to becoming a Holy dwelling place for the Living God, a place not made with hands.
Now, since our God is the one True God, the Eternal God of the Living, and Yeshua, His Son, is alive for evermore, the fruit or result of the Father and the Son dwelling in us just happens to be eternal life. Eternal life is NOT the Gift; Eternal life is the record that God gave to bear witness that you have the Son in your life. Yes, eternal life is a precious thing beyond words, but what made it possible is truly The Gift (“The Gift of the life of the Son or Holy Ghost”).
1 John 5:11-12 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; [and] he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
Acts 7:48-51 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things? Ye stiffnecked and un-circumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: and your fathers did, so do ye.
Yeshua said the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, couldn’t come except that He goes away.He understood this and willingly endured the pain of being beaten, tortured, and humiliated, only to be nailed to tree later that same day until He was dead. He freely gave His life in exchange for ours.
John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost…….
AND HE BREATHED
After His resurrection, Yeshua appeared to His disciples and did something very unique, which usually goes totally un-noticed. He did the very same thing His Father did in the beginning at creation:
John 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: [the Comforter, or Holy Ghost (Yeshua) dwelling in them]
John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. …[The Holy Ghost is a “he” not a thing]
God gave the “first breath” and man became a living soul. Sin crept in; man became mortal, and died. The “second breath” represents receiving the Comforter (Holy Ghost, or Yeshua) dwelling in us.
When we are submerged in the water of baptism, we symbolically enter into His death, showing the death and burial to sin in our own lives. When we are raised (resurrected) out of the water, the first thing we do is spiritually draw in that breath receiving the Comforter or Yeshua to dwell in us. As Paul said, ”I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” Surely a “third breath” is yet to come when the dead in Christ are raised and we are changed in the twinkling of an eye, putting on immortality.
John 6:56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
Gal. 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Instead of looking at the “Gift” as “what we get,” we should see and understand the “Gift” as: what was done and who did it. Yeshua’s (Jesus’) unselfish gift makes it possible for those who will, confess Him with their mouth, believe with their heart unto righteousness, and ask Him to enter our lives, to receive the Father and the Son dwelling in us. God writes His laws in our hearts instead of on stone tablets inside a box.
Hebrews 10:15-17 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, this is the covanant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their heats, and in their minds will I write them; and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
IS IT THE HOLY GHOST OR THE HOLY SPIRIT?
Now, should this be called the gift of the “Holy Ghost” or the “Holy Spirit?” The books called the “Old Testament” were translated from the original Hebrew into English. In our English translation, the English word: “Ghost” was translated from the Hebrew word: [Gava` (gaw-vah')] and the English word: “Spirit” from the Hebrew word: [Ruwach (roo'-akh)]. Both are translated as two entirely different words having similar meanings but yet, not totally the same.
Take for instance, an apple. If the “Old Testament” calls it an apple in one place, but in another place calls it fruit, both are correct. But when it is called an apple, it applies directly to a certain particular word picture and meaning. God said that Jacob was the apple of His eye. It takes on a whole new meaning to say that Jacob was the fruit of His eye. We understand how special Jacob was when the word apple is used. God has sanctified Jacob by saying that he is the apple of His eye.
We are not so fortunate in the New Testament. The Greek does not firmly distinguish between Ghost and Spirit, as if to say: “There is no such word for apple, all of it is called fruit.” So, to which understanding should we lean, the Hebrew or the Greek?… NEITHER, we need to remember what the Messiah said back in Matthew 23, “the Altar sanctifies the Gift.” The proper understanding of the phrase “Gift of the Holy Ghost” is the “Gift of Who Gave It,” or who sanctified it.
The very message portrayed by using the phrase, “HOLY SPIRIT,” tends to make one think in terms of a gift or thing that’s received, instead of the Giver or Sanctifier. On the other hand, “HOLY GHOST,” even by the very word picture itself, shouts the very message of the Altar, Sacrifice, and Death that was endured by Yeshua who is the “Sanctifier” of the real Gift which is the remission of our sins, blotted out with His own blood, by laying down his own life for us.
The early English translations that were known by our great grandfathers, including The Tyndale 1525, Bishop’s Bible 1568, Coverdale 1535, the Great Bible (preceeding the KJB), The Geneva Bible (the Pilgrims Bible) and yes, the Old King James, all which, by the way, is accepted to be the Word of God by Divine Guidance and Inspiration, always translated and used the phrase as “Holy Ghost” when pertaining to the Gift, Comforter, and Salvation through the sacrifice of the Messiah.
Comforter: Parakletos (par-ak'-lay-tos); Noun Masculine, Strong #: 3875 summoned, called to one's side, esp. called to one's aid
Ghost: Pneuma (pnyoo'-mah); Word Origin: Greek, Noun Neuter, Strong #: 4151 3.b. a human soul that has left the body
THE SUBTLE CHANGES AND BY WHO’S ATHORITY?
Since the 1900’s, additional Bible versions have evolved, all claiming to offer a better understanding without corrupting the meanings. Many words have been changed, entire phrases, and even whole verses have been blotted out! Please, consider the source of these changes and the theories they want you to adopt.
These men who, quote: “want to give you a better understanding,” are the same ones making and enforcing changes that walk hand in hand, embracing the rapture theory, and, while doing away with the Commandments of GOD, tell you “the church has replaced Israel as God’s chosen people,” making Him out to be a liar! By whose authority do they make these changes? (Notice: All of the changes to so-call “modernize the scriptures” seem to target our Messiah, attemptimg to lessen or de-value His work!) Adopt God not traditions of men.
Eph. 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
In Genesis we read, the serpent is more subtle than the other beasts. These men or committees, who ever they are, have taken phrases such as: “Holy Ghost,” which by the-very-word-picture-itself, directly signifies the Messiah’s death and His blood that took away the sins of the world, and using replacement theology, have changed it to the phrase: “Holy Spirit.”
This word change, intent ally or not, subtlety dilutes the spiritual significance and cushions the impact of this unselfish sacrifice freely given to us by the Son of God; thereby, lessening and even potentially undermining the very meaning of the work of the Messiah. This word substitution is so subtle that it falls suspect to an attempt being made by the enemy of GOD to fade the Son, His blood, His death, and His resurrection out of the equation of our Salvation. If they can do that, we are yet dead in our sins; No one comes to the Father except by the Son.
Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
As a brother in the faith said, “Satan will tell you 97% of the truth to get that 3% worth of lies by you.” There is more than enough truth to conceal the lies of confusion he wishes to spread. Satan and his one-world-order cults are predators; the world is the goal; and God’s people are his prey.
At the time of the apostles, not everyone may have known about Yeshua just yet, but everyone in the whole known world had heard of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the miracles of this Holy God. Now, with the entire world having heard of this God, who is a Spirit (John 4:24), how can the men of Acts 19:2 sound so spiritually blind especially since they already believe in God and they had already been baptized? It just doesn’t make sense using the post 1900’s translation:
Acts 19:2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Spirit since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Spirit.
Using the original translation, we see a noticeable difference in the interpretation and meaning:
Acts 19:2-6 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
The verse below also makes sense when the proper word understanding is used; choose for yourself:
John 7:39 But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Spirit was not yet [given]; because that Yeshua was not yet glorified.
OR….
John 7:39 But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet [given]; because that Yeshua was not yet glorified…
WHERE IS THE HEAVENLY RECORD?
A more blatant display of post 1900’s change is found 1Jonh 5:7, Or should it be said NOT found? Try and find it in any NIV or RAS…The HEAVENLY RECORD has been stripped out!
1John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one….[This entire verse has been deleted!]
If verse 7 were there, it wouldn’t match the post 1900’s theme. Because in verse 8 we find three Earthly Counterparts that match the Heavenly Record, confounding their whole theory:
1John 5:8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
Using Holy Spirit, try to match the Heavenly Record with their Earthly counterparts:
Heaven: FATHER WORD HOLY SPIRIT
Earth : WATER BLOOD SPIRIT
Match the Heavenly three with their Earthly counterparts using the original translations. This is easily done using Holy Ghost.
Heaven: FATHER WORD HOLY GHOST
Earth : SPIRIT WATER BLOOD
If this paper included a detailed study comparing the Spirit of God and the Holy Ghost, we would see where it is by the Spirit we are wooed, led, sanctified, drawn, or sealed, but it is the Holy Ghost who does the work: creates, teaches, instructs, reveals, prophesies, or comforts. The Spirit pertains to the Father, and the Holy Ghost pertains to work of the Son. Who created us? God did. Who did the work? The Son did. It is written; “by Him [the Son] and for Him all things were created.”
CONCLUSION
To blaspheme against the Holy Ghost is refusing or denying the gift that came by the life of the Son of God in His death, burial, and resurrection. That gift is the remission of our sins blotted out with His own blood that we might be able to stand before the Living God as a new creature without sin, becoming a dwelling place for GOD, not made with hands. Eternal life is not the gift; eternal life is the record (1John 5:11-12) that God gave to bear witness that we have the Son in our life. Those who refuse, reject, or speak against the Holy Ghost, should-not-have-perished had they only accepted the life of the Son dwelling and working in their own lives.
Mat.12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge… |
