The character names of the Holy Spirit can easily be divided into two categories. Some of them reveal attributes that belong exclusively to God. Others, describe one of the characteristics that the Holy Spirit desires to reproduce in us. We'll talk about some of those characteristics tomorrow. For today, let's explore three of the names of the Holy Spirit that define character unique to God - life, eternity and judgment.
THE BREATH OF LIFE
The Holy Spirit is the Breath of LIFE. You and I have life, but the life we have is dependent upon air to breathe, food to eat, and the continued health of our bodies to fight off disease. That's different from the life God has. God exists and lives by Himself, totally independent of any other life-support system. He is self-existent. In Him IS life!
When God breathed into the nostrils of Adam at creation, the Holy Spirit was the Breath of Life that gave the shell of Adam's body physical life. The Hebrew word ruah can be translated "breath" or "spirit." The Holy Spirit is called the BREATH of Life in Rev. 11:11 and the SPIRIT of Life in Romans 8:2. What's important for us to see is that when the ruah of God breathed life into Adam, He did not simply breathe oxygen into Adam's lungs. He breathed into a body that was fashioned from the "dust of the ground." Adam's physical body was essentially a collection of chemical elements bound together as protein and water. The Holy Spirit's breath (ruah) was an animating life force - spirit! Is that awesome, or what?!
Through the continual miracles of procreation down through the centuries, the Breath of Life has reached you and me and given us existence. We are His offspring. We carry His DNA! Here's how Acts 17:28 words it: "In Him we live and move and have our being ... for we are also His offspring."
When you accepted Jesus as your personal savior, the Spirit of Life (Rom. 8:2) breathed spiritual life into you (who were dead in sin) and gave you eternal life. All that we have and are, we owe to God who has brought us life by His Holy Spirit. We owe both our physical and our spiritual life to the Holy Spirit.
You may be alongside me today rejoicing that it's in HIM we LIVE and MOVE and have our BEING. Or, you may find yourself gasping for air as some of life's difficult circumstances try to smother you. If that's where you are today, my sweet sister, cry out to the Breath of Life. He will blow afresh on you. He will breathe fresh winds of encouragement to lift you up and sustain you. Saturate yourself in His Word and His presence - Remember, it's IN Him we live and move and have our being!
THE ETERNAL SPIRIT
The name "eternal Spirit" (Hebrews 9:14) reminds us that the Holy Spirit is without beginning or ending. Because we live within such confines of time and space, I think it's hard for us to wrap our minds around the concept of eternity. Everything we know had a beginning and most things have an ending. Right? Even the "eternal life" we possess as believers had a beginning in our experience, didn't it? But, praise God, it will not have an ending!
The Holy Spirit is the Eternal Spirit. He has always existed. He will always exist. Ecc. 3:11 tells us that He has put eternity in the hearts of man. Do you want a touch of eternity in your life? Then fix your mind on things above (Col. 3:2) not on things on earth. I have a dear friend, Sandra Ray, who has been such a testimony to me in this area. Over the years I have seen her maintain peace when others of us were "in a flap" because she continually asks herself (and others) "will this matter in eternity?" Sandra has built her life around the truth that only what matters in eternity really matters on earth.
The Eternal Spirit has an eternal plan and an eternal purpose for your life, my friend. Ask Him to fill you with a sense of His presence. Ask Him to help you fix your mind on things above and spend your energy on things that have eternal value.
THE SPIRIT OF JUDGMENT
The title "spirit of judgment" (Isaiah 4:4) also identifies a characteristic of the Holy Spirit that is exclusive to God - the ability to make independent judgments.
You and I make judgments every day (probably a lot more often than we should) but our judgment is drastically different from God's. Our ability to judge is severely limited. We might exercise discernment and make a valid judgement, but only because our judgment is based on some external standard, such as a law, principle or precedent. Our judgment might be right - but it might just as easily be wrong.
Only the Spirit of Judgment (the Holy Spirit) can make right decisions in judgment without relying on an external standard. Only the Holy Spirit can truly know the motives of a person's heart. That's His exclusive prerogative.
That's why He is able to judge our sin and speak conviction into our hearts (see John 16:8-11). Oh girls, do you realize that the Holy Spirit NEVER judges your sin in order to make you feel bad, guilty, ashamed or condemned? He speaks conviction of sin into our lives so that we will confess, repent, and be cleansed of that sin. He does not want our sin to continue to separate us from the presence of God. The Holy Spirit's desire for you is ALWAYS good. He wants you pure and holy and living a life that glorifies God because that's where the blessing is.
Tomorrow we'll talk about aspects of His character that he want to reproduce in us; but today, why don't you take a few minutes to thank Him
- for breathing LIFE into your spirit
- for placing ETERNITY in your heart
- for speaking JUDGMENT which ultimately results in blessing into your soul
He who began a good work in you
will be faithful to complete it.
Philippians 1:6
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