The Spirit of Jesus

The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Jesus in Acts 16:6-7. Jesus was a man who suffered persecution. As an evangelist, Paul went out to preach, and he also suffered. In that suffering he needed the Spirit of Jesus because in the Spirit of Jesus there is the suffering element. If you go to a heathen country to preach the gospel, you need the Spirit of Jesus to face the opposition and persecution. The suffering strength to withstand persecution is in the Spirit of Jesus.

The Spirit of Christ

In Acts 16 for persecution Paul needed the Spirit of Jesus, but in Romans 8 in resurrection there is the Spirit of Christ. In Romans 8:9-10 we have three titles: the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, and Christ. These three titles are interchangeably used. This indicates that the Spirit of God is the Spirit of Christ, and the Spirit of Christ is just Christ Himself. These three titles are synonyms. The Holy Spirit of God is not only the Spirit of God but also the Spirit of the suffering Jesus and the Spirit of the resurrected Christ. As long as we have such a Spirit, we have the suffering power to face persecution and the resurrection power to live a resurrected life over sin and death (v. 2).

The Spirit of Jesus Christ

In Philippians 1:19 Paul refers to the “bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” The bountiful supply is with the Spirit of Jesus Christ. This Spirit brought Jesus through incarnation and through human living on earth for thirty-three and a half years. The Lord Jesus lived a holy, sinless life for many years by the Spirit within. This same Spirit brought Jesus through death and into resurrection. Then the Spirit of God became the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Through such a long process, the elements of humanity, of human living and suffering, of Christ’s crucifixion, of His resurrection, and even of His ascension have all been compounded with this one Spirit.

The Spirit we have received is not merely the Spirit of God, possessing solely the divine element. The Spirit we Christians have received is the Spirit compounded with divinity, humanity, human living, suffering, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. God is in the Spirit. The uplifted humanity of Jesus and His human living and suffering are also in the Spirit. Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension are all in this one Spirit, so with this Spirit there is the bountiful supply. Paul could suffer persecution and imprisonment because of the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. This supply became his personal and daily salvation. Even in chains and prison he still magnified Christ and lived Christ (vv. 19-21a). He magnified Christ not by his energy or by his own strength but by the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.