11

11

THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

J. N. Grace

Romans 5: 1–10; 8: 8–10, 14, 15

I would like to say something, as the Lord may help, as to the

Spirit of God. It is wonderful that the Spirit of God is here. He

could never have come had it not been for the sufferings of

Christ. Everything is based on the sufferings of Jesus. The

very best that love could provide has been provided for us in

the gift of the Holy Spirit. Every feature of the truth stands

related to the incarnation; there is not one feature that God

has had in His heart to bring out to men that He has not given

expression to in Christ. That is a great, point to lay hold of; as

we follow up the truth let us always begin with Christ and we

are on safe ground. God’s ideal is Christ; He is the Pattern.

And God has given His Spirit to us in order that we might be

brought round to the divine pattern.

Everything that God looked for in man feelings, affections,

mind and heart—He found in Jesus. He has given the Holy

Spirit that there might be myriads of men formed after Jesus.

There will be nothing except what is of Christ in God’s world.

We can thank God for that! What a world, it would be if there

was something of the first man included. “As in the Adam all

die”

(1 Corinthians 15: 22); that is what happens to Adam’s race—

death; that is what came in through him. Through Jesus

another order of things has come in, and that stands related to

the love of God. But for us it is by the Holy Spirit. We cannot

understand any feature of the truth apart from the incarnation;

therefore if we want to know about the Holy Spirit we turn to

the Person of Christ. That is where we learn the Holy Spirit in

Christ seen in manhood, here in the condition of flesh and

blood. It is a wonderful thing that there has been one Man here

in that condition on whom the Holy Spirit descended, and as to