THE ECONOMY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE DISPENSATION OF GRACE                                         

The text is John Chapters 15 & 16….  

“It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” This then is that marvelous spiritual economy/dynamic we live in, a time and economy that God has placed between the Suffering Messiah (Isaiah 1:6, 49:4; Zechariah 12:10) and the Reigning Messiah King. [Isaiah 24:23; Zechariah 14; Micah 4:8; Acts 1:6; Psalm 72:11]  

This economy has to do with an inward empowerment of faith and patience as a witness. As contrasted to the Spirit’s work in the Old Covenant’s typical outward display of power from God, that was brought to bear when truth was exhibited in obedience to His Law. Then He came on the scene and exhibited His power most generally over God’s and Israel’s enemies. In other words, the Old Covenant witness was an outward display of power in response to obedience to Law (exampled in  Daniel’s being delivered from the lion’s den…or the death of the Egyptian first born). In the New Covenant witness, it is a following of Christ’s Words and Works to an inward empowering by the Holy Spirit in loving faith and patience, which manifests in a willingness to suffer for righteousness sake.  [Acts 1:8; 7:51-58;1 Peter 2:18-21] 

Enduring faith (energized by love) answers to the Law’s demands. [Galatians 5:6] Spirituality will be developed in the gift of the power from the Holy Spirit (Acts 1, with 1 Corinthians 12; 2 Corinthians 3:17,18) and love is the test of His mature work (beyond ‘gifts’). And it is measured by the “more excellent way…” of manifesting the Father. As did the Son, so we, His sons should, from the internal power of the Holy Spirit in yielded–ness. It is the power of the inward soul, in words and works of loving faithfulness in the face of religious opposition, hatred and persecution. This is the New Covenant witness of the Father and Son and Holy Spirit. It is that of patience, mercy and grace exhibited to the World in the anointed believer. Faith in love, and in words and patient suffering declares the work of God upon the heart of His witnesses to the religious and the lost in the World. [1 Corinthians 13:1-8; 2 Corinthians 2:14-16] 

The Lord in the 14th and 15th Chapters of John declares the terms of the New Covenant. His witnesses will be hated and persecuted by Jew and Gentile. He graciously here foretells their future, in order that they would not be discouraged. He says, “…know this as they did unto Me so they will  do unto you My disciples….but I will not leave you Comfortless…or powerless….”. And He promises the sending of the Holy Spirit in empowerment. Yes, your loss is great, but on the Father’s acceptance of the Son’s Atonement, (in that His Justice and Holiness in the Law is fully satisfied), He may now send forth His Grace. That is to say, He sends forth the power afforded to you in the Holy Spirit. This new economy is to your spiritual gain. So it is, Jesus Christ now being resurrected and glorified, at the right hand of the Father, as the Son of God/Son of man, in all righteousness, the Father now sends forth the Spirit of Holiness. Never before has the Father been so glorified in Man, and only now can the Spirit of grace be sent to indwell man unto holiness. In this, Jesus Christ’s sanctifying act, you may now be referred to as Christ’s brethren as the sons of the Father.” [John 20:17] 

John 15 

The Lord is about to be removed from the Earth. He is concerned for His Disciples, that the sudden and violent departure, the continued persecution by the religious leaders, and the general opposition of the wealthy and great should be too much to bear and they will lose their joy altogether and turn back unto the Law.  Thus He reveals the near future. First His acrimonious death which uncovers the religious hypocrisy of the so-called followers of God through Moses. In that Jesus explains to them, “….this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause,” (verse 25 with Psalm 35:19 69:4) God has shown through the Law that man at his very best fails to be righteous. But Israel fails to see the first lesson of the Law; that none are righteous, no not one. [Romans 3:10 Galatians 3:10,11,22-24] Had they seen the first lesson of the Law, they would have been looking for Whom it pointed to and received Jesus Christ. [Deuteronomy 18:15; Acts 7:37] 

Now God has so designed that the two groups, Jews and Christians, would be separated. The adherents of the Law stand condemned by it, as they refuse God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that which defines Christians. As it is only in this new view of the Godhead that a sinner may receive deliverance.  And for this, His Disciples’ testimony; that there is no other God to look to, is the great offense to the Jews as they declare “God is one”, to the exclusion of the Trinity. And conversely, the Gentiles would be fine with just adding him to their many gods. But as adherents to Christ, and for their unyielding testimony of who Christ is, they will throughout the whole dispensation be persecuted by all non–adherents. [2 Timothy 3:12] Do we suffer for our testimony on behalf of God and His Son? How wonderful the privilege! For the promise is that if, “…we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.” [Romans 8:17,18]    

But when the Comforter is come… (the name Comforter has in view the sorrow of the disciples for the ‘Bridegroom’s’ words of His soon departure as seen in Matthew 9:15),  whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.”  [John15:24-27] The Holy Spirit is going to come to testify of me (reveal me to you more completely), and as a result you also shall bear witness of Me. And know this, I chose you, I loved you, I called you out of the World. Remain in me, keep My commandments, love one another. And be sure the World will hate you when you witness of me because it hated me. 

John 16 

Verses 7-11 “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more: Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” 

“…for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you.…” 

Go Where?….to the Cross, as the spotless Lamb of God, to Hades; the place of the dead. 

Why?….The Atonement (redemption, ransom, propitiation, reconciliation) for which the Messiah came, would not have been accomplished, and therefore the Holy Spirit would not be sent.   

When?…After today I will no longer be with you bodily, as I have been. 

The objective of the Holy Spirit is two–fold: 1) That He call out and rescue from the World; satan’s kingdom into the Kingdom of God. 2) He is to facilitate a certain kind of holiness that those set aside in the New Covenant Church might be found to be worthy upon Christ’s Coming for a Bride. And this He shall do so by the 3–fold means of His testimony on: 1) Sin (2) righteousness (3) judgment. [John 16:8] 

“And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin.…” 

Why?…Because although the World had previously been reproved by Law in previous Ages, it yet was not sufficiently exposed to the depths of its darkness, nor the severity of the consequences of its actions.  

How?…By further contrasting God’s Holiness with the fallen nature. Now not only from the breaking of Law, but now additionally seen in the rejection of His gracious sacrificial Lamb for man’s Atonement, Jesus Christ, Who came out from Him, His only begotten spotless Son.  

For if death was the just sentence of Law broken and rejected, how much more severe punishment is due for someone who would reject the free offering for the death prescribed by Law? 

“and of righteousness.…”  (in its two forms) 

The answer to Law is righteousness. But by keeping the Law can no man be righteous. [Galatians 3:9-13] The testimony of the Holy Spirit is that Jesus, having loved righteousness and hated iniquity, lived a life of obedience to the Father in accord with Law and then died faultlessly under the Law. Which answers to the righteousness of God to all under the curse of the Law. And the fall in Genesis with Romans 5:18 declares all men are under the Curse of the Law, that is eternal death. And receiving the testimony and being convicted and repentant of sin, they might receive God’s free gift of imputed righteousness (right standing in justification) unto a certain eternal life apart from the Law in Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. This is the Gospel of righteousness to the lost. There is a Gospel of righteousness to the “saved” also, of which there is much to say in another place and time. 

The World’s Sin is the first testimony of the Spirit. We would be wise, in our testifying, to follow His pattern, no matter how much we might want to center in on God’s Love. The first word of faith we should preach is: fallen man’s utterly contrary nature on whom God has pronounced an eternal death curse, from which there is no escape but by the believing of Jesus Christ’s substitutionary offering of His sinless self for our personal sin. And that, believed and confessed, we may then experience the redemptive Love of God shed abroad in our heart. [Romans 5:5]  

The offense to the Jew…. “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Note: it is not the end of the law, but the end of any pretense that there was any possibility for righteousness by keeping the law. The Law is still in effect, in that all men are condemned by the Law, for it still points towards Jesus Christ.  

The Holy Spirit is about exalting Jesus. He reveals Him from the shadow of the Old Covenant. He brings Him glory as He reveals Him as the reality, or the fullness of the sacrifices, the feasts, the priests, etc.  

 “…..and of judgment.…” 

The third testimony of the Holy Spirit is of judgment. Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” In perfect order of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we have the Spirit’s testimony on first Sin, then Righteousness, and now the Holy Spirit’s testimony is that Justice is coming. The natural course of things (things being the flesh nature) is sin and judgment, and grace is God’s interjection. Righteousness steps in between justice and judgment. 

Christ’s victorious resurrection and God’s promise that He would rule over all, means satan was judged. [1 John 3:8; Colossians 2:15; 1 Corinthians 2:7,8] Although he will continue to rule in the World as long as Grace is extended to it, and then God will remove this World’s ruler by force. Jesus Christ, King of Kings, shall then render unto His servants according to their works. [Luke 19:12-27]  

The economy of the Holy Spirit of this dispensation began with His first outpouring from above on Pentecost. And after a long dry summer, it will be followed by a great latter outpouring in these last days. Then the end of this Grace economy will be realized upon the sanctifying of the Bride being complete, and His departure at the Harvest. [Joel 2:23; Jeremiah 5:24; Revelation 14:15; Revelation 19:7,8] These are the days of judgment; when righteousness and grace are being refused, then the Judge executes judgment. He shall judge the World (Jude14,15), and He shall cast down him who was previously judged; first to the earth, then to the Pit. [Revelation 12; with Revelation 20] The Garden’s sentence of the Serpent then will be carried out. The Kingdom of the Messiah Jesus Christ and His Bride comes. Those who are to escape the judgments upon the World must come out of the World. It is these things the World and the Church must be convinced of by the Holy Spirit. It is these things the Spirit of Truth will communicate and reprove. These are the sure things that will come! Into these Truths, He will guide us.  

John 16 Verses 12-13:  “I have still many things to say to you, but ye cannot bear them now.  But when He, the Spirit of truth is come, He will lead you into all the truth. For He shall not speak from Himself, but whatever ye shall hear, He shall speak, and He shall relate to you the things that are coming.” The Holy Spirit is a guide, a person. He hears, He speaks, and that by the written Word is understood. But the Word declares a voice that may be heard, and that being internally or externally. [Acts 7; 11:28; 16:6, 20:23; 21:4] Is not the Holy Spirit the giver of the prophetic Word? We are to not despise prophecy or forbid not tongues and interpretation.  Are our hearts in such a condition that we may hear from Him? Let us prepare our hearts by prayer and watching.