V. EMBLEMS OF THE SPIRIT
A. Wind (Mentioned Above)
The literal meaning of the Hebrew “rauch” and its Greek equivalent “pneuma” is wind, breath, air.” J. Oswald Sanders pg 33
1. Ezek. 37:4-5 “Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. (v.5) Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:”
His vivifying power is prominent in the vision of the valley of dry bones, when through His agency the dry bones were transformed into a mighty organized
army. J. Oswald Sanders pg 33
2. John 3:8 “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”
In the discourse with Nicodemus, it is His regenerative work which is compared
to the unpredictable and irresistible motions of the wind.
J. Oswald Sanders pg 33
3. Acts 2:2 “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.”
The sound of a rushing mighty wind which accompanied the Spirit’s descent, indicated His mighty yet unseen power. J. Oswald Sanders pg 33
B. Fire
1. Matthew 3:11 “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:”
John contrasted the cold baptism of repentance received by his disciples, with the fiery baptism of power which the disciples of his Divine Successor would receive.
J. Oswald Sanders pg 32
Since He is the Spirit of holiness, He cannot tolerate sin in the believer whose body is His temple. His purging work aims to consume from this heart everything that is out of harmony with his Divine nature. J. Oswald Sanders pg 33
2. Acts 2:3 “And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.”
These witnesses needed “tongues like as of fire” if they were to achieve their mission. The tongues were symbols of aggressive Christianity. J. Oswald Sanders pg 32
Again, the symbol of fire was chosen to symbolize a specific aspect of the Spirit’s ministry. This was the time when the church was being started. It was time when the message of the Gospel would go forth into the world to change lives. The symbol of fire
is also used in the Gospels to symbolize judgment. Derickson’s Notes
C. Water
John 4:14 “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”
John 7:37-39 “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. (v.38) He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (v. 39) (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”
This emblem pervades the typology of the OT and the figurative language of the NT. Its significance is varied; refreshment, fulness, satisfaction, cleansing, fructifying. Of all necessary things, water seems the most indispensable. If water is so essential in the physical realm, it is yet more so in the spiritual. J. Oswald Sanders pg 34
The characteristics of water can be seen in the ministry of the Spirit. He can be calm and waiting to work, or He can be powerful as the sea in a storm. He can carry the believer along as the sea transports the ships of commerce. He is the need of life, as is water. Without water our bodies thirst, without Him our souls thirst. Derickson’s Notes
D. Dove (All four Gospels mention.)
Matthew 3:16 “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:”
Walvoord suggests that there are four aspects to the dove that make it a fitting type of the Spirit, beauty, gentleness, peace, heavenly nature and origin. The choice of a dove to symbolize the Holy Spirit was a calculated decision on the part of God. The dove must symbolize nicely the Spirit. Derickson’s Notes
Genesis 8:6-7 “And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: (v. 7) And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.”
Here (the mountains of Ararat) it (the ark) rested 40 days before the water subsided sufficiently to suggest disembarking, when a raven (which could easily find its food on the carcasses of the animals which had been destroyed) was sent forth, and did not return;
Genesis 8:8-9 “Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; (v. 9) But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.
but a dove sent out at the same time found no rest and returned empty to the ark (v. 9).
The dove would not descend on anything unclean. The Holy Ghost will not descend on anyone unclean. When God sends out the Dove to descend on you, “be ye holy as He is
holy” or the Dove will return finding no place to rest.
Genesis 8:10-11 “And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; (v. 11) And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.”
After 7 days, however, it was sent out again and returned with a fresh olive leaf
(Gen. 8:11). After 7 days more the dove was sent forth again and did not return. After 56 days more of waiting Noah and his family departed from the ark. Internat. Bible Encyc.
With an “olive leaf” may apply to another emblem of the Holy Ghost, the oil.
E. Oil
Exodus 25:6 “Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,”
Exodus 27:20 “And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.”
Exodus 29:2 “And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them.”
Exodus 29:7 “Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head,
and anoint him.” (Aaron)
I Samuel 10:1 “Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?”
Psalms 23:5 “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”
This emblem appears in all the offerings of the priesthood and tabernacle. J. O. S. pg 37
Every believer is a king and priest unto God, set apart by the anointing received at regeneration. J. O. S. pg 37
In thinking of the Holy Spirit as being pictured by oil let me share a comment. The Pastor’s Manual put out by Baptist Publications/Spring 1976/p 38/Denver mentions
a man wanting to drive an iron bar into a timber. He drilled a hole the correct size, but the iron was rusty. He feared splitting the timber so poured oil into the hole. The iron was driven in without harm to the wood. So, with church change, we must allow the Holy Spirit to be our oil. How true in our witnessing — take a little oil with you! Oil shows the holiness, consecration and sanctification of the Spirit. He is pure, He is set apart, and He is an integrated part of every believer. Derickson’s Notes
When Christ, the Lord’s Anointed was about to commence His public ministry at His baptism He was anointed not with oil [as previously done to priests and kings) but with the Holy Spirit [The O.T. types were being fulfilled with the reality of “better things.”)
It would seem, therefore, that the anointing we have received from God, is the same
Holy Spirit. J. O. S. pg 37
Job 29:6 “When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;”
Christ is the Rock pouring out rivers of oil --- anointing.
F. Seal
II Corinthians 1:22 “Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”
Ephesians 1:13 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”
In the days when the Bible was written, the seal was used primarily as a stamp of ownership. Roman merchants would travel to Ephesus to choose their goods, stamp them with their signet rings, and then return home. When their goods arrived at the port near Rome, the merchants claimed their merchandise that they had sealed. Chuck Smith
The merchants of Ephesus, a maritime city, were familiar with the significance of the seal, as it was in constant use in commercial transactions. The Ephesians carried on an extensive timber trade. After selecting his timber, the merchant would stamp it with his own seal which was an accepted sign of ownership. He did not always carry off the timber at the time of purchase, but left it in the harbor with other floats of timber. But it was chosen, bought and sealed, awaiting only identification before being claimed and transported by the purchaser. Usually the merchant would send a trusted agent with his seal to identify the timber which bore a corresponding impress, and carry it away for his master’s use. Even so the Holy Spirit impresses on the believer the image of Jesus
Christ, and this is the sure pledge of the everlasting inheritance.
J. Oswald Sanders, pg 35
The term indicates a number of things to the believer, ownership, safety, authority, a completed agreement, security, mark of recognition, and an obligation. The Holy Spirit is all of these things to us:
OWNERSHIP: We are the Lord’s whether we act like it or not. He has bought and paid for us — we are His.
SAFETY: There is nothing that can harm us. We are His and He cares for His own.
AUTHORITY: The Lord has authority over us. Indeed, like ownership, we often do not live like it, but He does own us and He does have authority over us. That authority may be set aside by the believer, but God will one day exercise His authority.
A COMPLETED AGREEMENT: The deal of the Gospel is done. We accepted Christ as payment for our sin, and He has done the rest. There is nothing more to do, the deal is set, the deal is finished, the deal is complete.
SECURITY: There is a guarantee of security. We are sealed by the Spirit and this is God’s sure mark that we are His.
MARK OF RECOGNITION: Because we are His, we are marked as His so that the principalities and powers of the air can know where we stand.
OBLIGATION: It is God that is obligated to do as He has said. It is His legal obligation to live up to His commitment. It is however, our moral obligation to live up to our end of the bargain. He will not force us to do so, but He certainly desires that we commit ourselves to Him. Derickson’s Notes
G. Earnest
Ephesians 1:14 “Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”
It was the Hebrew custom for the vendor agreeing to sell a piece of land, after receipt of the initial down-payment, to bind the bargain by giving the purchaser a handful of soil from the property he had bought. It was not only a receipt of deposit, but actually part of his very purchase, the foretaste of possession of the whole.
God’s initial gift of the Holy Spirit is a solemn guarantee and is like the first installment of our inheritance, the assurance that our redemption will be fully carried out. It is the earnest and guarantee of a subsequent glorious fulness of the Spirit. This truth is
Helpfully presented in C. K. Williams’ translation: “It is God Himself Who has made
us ready for this change, and has given us the Spirit, a part payment and promise
of more.” J. Oswald Sanders pg 36
“Of what is the Spirit the Earnest? The Scriptures make it clear. All the future blessings of God are assured by the presence of the Holy Spirit. His presence is our guarantee. Our inheritance, our salvation, our glory, our fellowship with God, our likeness unto Him, our freedom from sin and its evils, all are represented in the token payment of the Person of the Spirit.” (Walvoord, John F., A.M., Th.D.; “THE HOLY SPIRIT”; Grand Rapids: Dunham Publishing Co.; 1958, p 20) Taken from Derickson’s Notes
