The New Testament uses “the Spirit,” “the Holy Spirit,” “the Spirit of God,” and “the Spirit of Christ.” I want to focus mainly on “the Spirit of Christ.” Is “the Spirit of Christ” Jesus Christ Himself? What do you think?
I don’t believe that the Spirit of Christ is Christ. The Spirit of Christ is the Holy Spirit, like the Son of God is Jesus Christ. “Of Christ” can have as one of its meanings, “from Christ.” The Holy Spirit proceeds from Jesus Christ, is His deputy, hence that title, just like Jesus Christ proceeds from the Father, hence the title, Son of God. When Scripture says “the Spirit of God,” that too is the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit also proceeds from God the Father. The Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ and God the Father are three distinct Persons though.
“Spirit of Christ” is found in two verses:
Romans 8:9, 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.
1 Peter 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.
“Spirit of Jesus Christ” is found in one verse.
Philippians 1:19, For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
“Spirit of his Son” is found in one verse.
Galatians 4:6, And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
All of these references are to the Holy Spirit with an emphasis on His procession from the Son. John Owen wrote the following:
I confess that he is called the “Spirit of Christ” because he was promised by him, sent by him, and that was to make effectual and accomplish his work towards the church. But he could not be this, unless he had antecedently been the Spirit of the Son by his proceeding from him also: for the order of the dispensation of the divine persons towards us, arises from the order of their own subsistence in the same divine essence. . . . It will be said, perhaps, that he is called the “Spirit of Christ” because he is promised, given, and poured out by him. . . . On this supposition, I will grant as before, that he may consequently be called the “Spirit of Christ,” because he was promised and sent by Christ, doing Christ’s work, and communicating Christ’s grace, image, and likeness to the elect.
I recognize that Romans 8:10 says that “Christ be in you,” but in the context Christ is in a believer through His deputy the Holy Spirit. They are not the same person, but they are both God. 19th century Scottish theologian, George Smeaton, wrote:
When the apostle subjoins: ‘if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of His’ (ver. 9), it shows that the participation of the Holy Spirit is not universal; and that only they who are given to Christ and redeemed by Him, enjoy the inhabitation in the Biblical acceptation of the term.
He also wrote:
As to the words here used the Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of Jesus Christ,” not only because He is from the Son as well as from the Father, according to the eternal procession from both, but because the gift of the Spirit is derived from Christ’s merits. He procured by his obedience and satisfaction not only the restoration of the divine favour but the gift of the Holy Ghost, who is thus rightly called the Spirit of Christ. The more copious effusion of the Spirit is referred to the action of Christ no less than to the action of the Father who gave to the Son the power of sending the Spirit and of conferring all the benefits which were acquired by His death.
A question might arise, and a good question, “Is the presence of Christ the presence of the Spirit of Christ?” The omnipresence of Jesus Christ as a distinct Person in the Godhead is different than the presence of the Spirit of Christ. Christ does dwell in believers through the Holy Spirit, but not as the same Person. They are different Persons. The Holy Spirit mediates the presence of Christ in believers. As I said before, the Holy Spirit is there as the deputy of Christ.
So what about Ephesians 3:17, that says, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith”? What is that? The Greek word dwell is katoikeo and it means “to settle in.” You also read, “by faith.” This is Christ being at home in your life. When a believer responds with obedience to the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith Christ is at home in that person’s life. Since the essence of God is indivisible, the Holy Spirit brings the Father and the Son with Him. Christ again is indwelling by the mediation of the Holy Spirit. Christ dwells in a believer’s life by the Holy Spirit. John Owen again wrote:
Whatever is worked in believers by the Spirit of Christ, it is in their union to the person of Christ, and by virtue of this union. I have already sufficiently proved to those to whom anything of this kind will be sufficient, that the Holy Spirit is the immediate and efficient cause of all grace and holiness.
I believe there is the direct presence of the Person of Christ. In Matthew 28:20, when Jesus promises “I am with you alway,” you is plural. Jesus promises to be with us. Even though He physically sits at the right hand of the Father as a man, He is God. As God, He is omnipresent. Of the three Persons in the Godhead, Jesus has two natures. His body is not omnipresent. He, however, is omnipresent in His nature as God. He is everywhere at one time, so He is in the church still. He is also in the church in a special way, what He calls in Revelation 1:19-2:1, walking in the midst of His churches.
The special presence of Jesus that He promises is different than His general omnipresence and it is different than His presence mediated by the Holy Spirit. You may be reading this and it might sound confusing to you. What I’m wanting to do is be consistent with what Scripture teaches. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit. He isn’t sending Himself when He sent the Holy Spirit. He also said that He sent the Holy Spirit so that the Holy Spirit would be in believers.
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