The Spirit of Christ

The Spirit of Christ

In Romans 8:9-11, Paul uses the terms ‘the Spirit of God’ and ‘the Spirit of Christ’ interchangeably.

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness.
But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Notice that Paul says that as believers in Christ, we are ‘in the Spirit,’ that is, we walk in a new realm, the Spirit’s realm. This is true if the Spirit of God dwells in you. Then he says if any man does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. The Spirit of God dwelling in you, and having the Spirit of Christ, is pointing to walking in and having the same Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God.

And Paul goes on to say, this Spirit which dwells in you, is the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. We have not received some cheaper version or a stripped-down model of the Holy Spirit. God has given us of His Spirit, the same Spirit of holiness which raised Jesus mortal body unto immortality.

Gal. 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Paul tells us that since we are sons, or inheriting children of the covenant and promise made to Abraham, He has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts. Hence, the Spirit of His Son is the same as the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit of Christ.

To cry ‘abba,’ is a most intimate portrayal of the relationship between child and father. We share in this special relationship with God as ‘father’ because it is the Spirit of His Son in us crying out to God as our Father. Have we received another Spirit besides the Holy Spirit of God into our hearts? No. The Spirit of God that came into our hearts at the moment of faith in the Son, is the Spirit of the Son. It is this Spirit of God, whereby we have been sealed [2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13, 4:30]. This seal of the Holy Spirit is the mark of ownership and security.

It should be obvious that the Spirit of His Son, which was sent forth into our hearts, is the same Spirit come to dwell in us.

Eph. 4:4-6 There is One Body, and One Spirit, even as you are called in One Hope of your calling; One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

The above likely is the earliest known confessional creed of the Ekklesia. Notice that he says there is One Body, which is the Ekklesia of Christ, made up of believing Jews and Gentiles. There is ONE SPIRIT, which points to the fact, as just mentioned, the Spirit of God is synonymous with the Spirit of Christ, or the Spirit of Jesus. Also notice, that the One God and Father, is “in you all.” We know that the Holy Spirit is that which dwells in the believer, and the One God and Father of all, dwells in the believer by His Spirit. Paul also states that, “Christ dwells in your hearts by faith.” So we have The Father, Christ, and the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts. This residence in the believer is accomplished through the Holy Spirit.

Phil. 1:19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

Here Paul speaks of his circumstance of being in prison. He says that he believes that through prayer and the ‘supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,’ he shall be delivered. Is Paul looking for a supply of a spirit other than the Spirit of God? Of course not. He sees the prayer of the saints and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, which is the Spirit of God, as the means of his release from prison.

I Pet. 1:11 Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

Here, Peter tells us that the Spirit which operated in the prophets, who foretold the sufferings and the glory of the Messiah, did so by the Spirit of Messiah. The Spirit of God, which came upon the prophets of old, was the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit of God which spoke of the things concerning the Messiah, was the Spirit of Messiah.

Jn 14:16-18 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that He may abide with you for ever. Even the Spirit of Truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him; but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
 14:26 But the comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, 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.
16:13-15 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of Truth is come, he will guide you into all truth; for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, shall he speak; and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine; therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

This comforter or helper that will come to abide with us forever, is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is also called the Spirit of Truth. Before this statement, Jesus just told his disciples that HE IS THE TRUTH. If He is the Truth, then the Spirit of Truth can only be the Spirit of Jesus. It is for this reason that the Spirit, when He is come, will glorify Jesus.

All things that belong to the Father, belong to the Son (Jn. 16:15). The Spirit who comes as another Helper, will speak of the things of Jesus, and will glorify Jesus. The whole of the Godhead points to Jesus the Messiah, for in him dwells the fulness of the Godhead in bodily form [Col. 2:9].

Jesus promised them that He would not leave them as orphans, that is, helpless and alone. He says, “I will come to you.” This is no reference to His second coming, but is His assurance of the coming of the Spirit, which was with them, and that shall be in them. Jesus equates the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth who is another Helper/Advocate just like Him, with His coming to them. This is how Christ dwells in our hearts by faith. He dwells in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is His Spirit. It is Him. Glory!