Invariably, throughout the New Testament, we find perfect harmony and co-operation between the three Persons of the triune Godhead. When Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Godhead, came to earth, He came as the personal, authoritative representative of God the Father. He never sought any kind of honour or glory for Himself. His words and His works, His wisdom and His miracles, He invariably ascribed not to Himself but to His Father, dwelling and working in Him.
Likewise, when Jesus finished His earthly ministry and returned to the Father in heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit as His personal gift and representative to His Church. The Holy Spirit, coming as the representative of the second Person, the Son of God, never seeks His own glory. His whole ministry on earth and in the Church is always directed to uplifting, magnifying and glorifying the One He represents – Christ.
Jesus Himself spoke of this aspect of the Spirit’s ministry.
“He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:14-15)
Here we see the relationship between the three Persons of the Godhead very clearly unfolded. The Father bestows all His authority, power and glory upon the Son. The Son in turn appoints the Holy Spirit as His representative to reveal and interpret to the Church all that He has received from the Father.
The Holy Spirit is just as much a Person as the Father and the Son. Therefore Christ, during the present dispensation, has one, and only one, personal and authoritative representative in the Church and on earth. That representative is none other than the Holy Spirit.
This revelation of the Holy Spirit’s ministry provides a simple way to test anything that claims to be inspired by the Spirit. Does it glorify Christ? If the answer is not a clear yes, we have every right to question whether we are dealing with a genuine operation or manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
We find, then, a kind of divine jealousy between Christ and the Holy Spirit. On the one hand, the Holy Spirit is jealous of any trend or teaching that detracts from the honour of Christ as head over the Church. On the other hand, Christ refuses to lend His authority to any ministry or movement that does not recognise the unique position of the Holy Spirit as His representative within the Church.
The glory of Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit are inseparably linked together.
Thank You, Lord, for helping me to honour the various persons of Your divine Trinity and to value them according to their specific place and personality. Thank You for teaching me every day to understand Your loving, guiding voice even more clearly. Amen.
