Jesus Forever: The Ascended, Reigning Christ
30 min read
The Holy Spirit is not the consolation prize Jesus gave his disciples when he left. He is the mode of Jesus' continuing, unlimited presence with his people.
"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." — John 14:18
1. Jesus describes the Spirit as his own continuing presence.
John 14:16-18 — "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth... I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." The word "another" (allos in Greek) means another of the same kind — not a substitute but a continuation. The Spirit does not replace Jesus. He makes Jesus' presence real and continuous to those who cannot see the ascended Lord with physical eyes.
2. The Spirit continues Jesus' ministry.
The works of the Spirit in Acts are the works of Jesus extended through the church. Acts 1:1 describes the Gospel as an account of "all that Jesus began to do and teach" — implying that Acts is the account of what he continued to do and teach through the Spirit and the church. The Spirit convicts of sin John 16:8, guides into truth John 16:13, glorifies Jesus John 16:14, empowers witness Acts 1:8, produces the fruit of Christ-like character Galatians 5:22-23, and distributes gifts for building the church (1 Cor. 12).
3. The Spirit makes Christ's objective work subjectively real.
The cross accomplished forgiveness objectively — for all who would receive it. The Spirit takes that objective accomplishment and makes it real in the interior life of the believer. Romans 8:16 — "The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God." The legal verdict of justification is rendered at the cross; the personal experience of being God's child — "Abba, Father" Romans 8:15 — is the Spirit's work.
4. The Spirit is not an experience to chase — he is a person to know.
Charismatic culture sometimes treats the Spirit primarily as an experience — a feeling, a manifestation, an encounter. Reformed culture sometimes treats the Spirit primarily as an invisible guarantor of biblical truth. Both are incomplete. The Spirit is a person — the third person of the Trinity — and he can be grieved Ephesians 4:30, quenched 1 Thessalonians 5:19, and obeyed Galatians 5:16-25. The Spirit is to be known, not just felt or affirmed.
5. Being filled with the Spirit is a command, not a crisis experience.
Ephesians 5:18 — "Be filled with the Spirit" — the verb tense is present continuous: go on being filled. Not a one-time experience at a revival meeting, but the ongoing posture of a person who is continually yielding to and depending on the Spirit's presence. The filling of the Spirit produces not primarily dramatic experiences but practical results: speaking to one another in psalms (v. 19), giving thanks for everything (v. 20), submitting to one another (v. 21). The fruit of the Spirit is relational and ethical — the character of Christ reproduced.
Read Galatians 5:16-26. Write a paragraph: what does life "in step with the Spirit" actually look like? How does it differ from your current daily life?
Submit your paragraph on Galatians 5 and your journal answer about your image of the Spirit.
A: As "another Helper of the same kind" who makes Jesus' presence real and continuous — not a substitute but a continuation.
A: Objectively, the Spirit makes the cross's accomplishment effective. Subjectively, he makes the believer personally aware of their status as God's child.
A: An ongoing, continuous posture of yielding and dependence — not a one-time crisis experience, but the daily orientation of a Spirit-dependent life.
Spirit of Jesus, I need you — not just as a doctrine I affirm but as a presence I live from. Fill me continuously. Produce in me what I cannot produce myself. Amen.