Section II. Enter the Kingdom of God
The “natural man” of flesh and bones does not receive or include the things of the Spirit of God. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14. No part of any man, other than Jesus as explained previously, is naturally of the Spirit of God. As an attribute of the Spirit (of God)/spirit (of man) combination in Him, Jesus said He is the light of the world as long as He is in the world. As long as I am in the world,I am the light of the world. John 9:5. The Spirit was perfected in Him to be that light. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.John 1:4.
Now consider, the Old Covenant/Testament says the spirit of man (each person individually), including Jesus the man, is the candle of the Lord.The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly. Proverbs 20:27. As the light, the Word is the Spirit and a fire (i.e., light). Jesus brings mankind this “fire” (light) of the Spirit. I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? Luke 12:49. The Word as the spirit of the man Jesus is also a candle of the Lord God. The candle of Jesus is lit by the fire of God as the Spirit for all mankind starting with Himself.
As a “lit candle”, the spirit/will of Jesus being the Word is the light for the spirit/will of all people individually who would live forever with Him. Just as we light candles of a birthday cake by passing one flame to another, we literally pass the Word as the gospel (“good news”) to others, and the Spirit ignites their spirit/will of man. Speaking to His disciples, Jesus said: Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Matthew 5:14-15; see also Luke 11:33.
The only open question then is how? Jesus said we must be “born again”or we cannot see the kingdom of God (the Spirit or heaven). Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:3.(Emphasis added). Today, if we can “see” the kingdom of God we most assuredly have entered it! We “see” Jesus as the kingdom of God by belief of heart. Acting on this belief constitutes faith. We enter the kingdom of God through faith as explained below.
Jesus further clarified the meaning of “born again” when He said a person must be born “of water” and “of the Spirit,” as the action and by-product of faith respectively, to enter the kingdom of God (the Spirit). Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.John 3:5. (Emphasis added). Being born “of water” is a washing of regeneration of the flesh by the Word which we desire as a replacement to the will of our flesh. The heart’s desire for the will of God over the will of our flesh makes us ripe for receiving the Spirit. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Titus 3:5 (Emphasis added).
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6: Born of Water: From Belief to Faith (PDF format below)
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7: Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit?
(All of this subsection 7 titled "Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit?" is reprinted from the book in its entirety.)
Many people use the term “Holy Spirit” without knowing what it means.The King James Bible uses the term “Holy Ghost” eighty-nine (89) times, and the term “Holy Spirit” four (4) times as follows: If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? Luke 11:13.He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 4:8. 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, Ephesians 1:13. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30.(Underlining emphasis was added to the above verses.)
What is the “Holy Spirit”? Does the “Holy Spirit” relate to the “Holy Ghost”? For example, some people use “Holy Spirit” intending to mean “Holy Ghost” assuming they mean the same thing. The Greek root word for “Spirit”and “Ghost” is the same, but they rarely mean exactly the same thing. Like multiple definitions for a single word, all Greek root words rely on the contextual usage to convey meaning. The New Covenant of the Bible (King James) proves the meaning of “Holy Spirit” and “Holy Ghost” often differ. Still, many of the brethren in Christ have gone far in the Word by advocating the “holy spirit”,“holy Spirit”, or “Holy Spirit”, (hereinafter referred to simply as the “Holy Spirit”), is identical to the “Holy Ghost” and vice versa.
We know the Word literally comes from the Holy Ghost–Spirit of Truth as explained previously. The Holy Ghost most assuredly bears witness with the Word in truth. Everything the Father asks of His children by the Holy Ghost is always supported in His Word and never in conflict with it. Hence, for the best understanding of the Spirit we must reconcile what the New Covenant of the Bible says and what it means by its own verses and terms. We cannot routinely replace the “Holy Ghost” with the “Holy Spirit” simply because we have discovered the root Word is the same. (The writers of the New Testament knew the root word was the same better than we do today. They spoke ancient Greek!)
A more detailed explanation of the Holy Ghost / Holy Spirit dichotomy begins with what Paul said in Romans 8:9-11 when he used numerous references to the “Spirit”, each of which has a different meaning.
Romans Chapter 8, verse:
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.
10. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
From Romans 8:9, the “Spirit of Christ” is the Word and also God (John1:1), as the Spirit of God.
From Romans 8:10, the reference to Spirit is the Word as the Spirit and His spirit of man.
From Romans 8:11, the “Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead” is the Holy Ghost and also God, as the Spirit of God just as the Word is God.
Each part of the trinity, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost is the“Spirit”. Each is “holy” and together they comprise one holy “Spirit” (1 John5:7). Hence, the “holy” Spirit (or “Holy Spirit”) may mean any or all of the trinity as the Spirit depending upon the context. Thus, for a proper understanding of the Word at any time, we must understand the context in which the word“Spirit” is used. For example, if we say “Holy Spirit” are we speaking about the Holy Word, the Holy Father, or the Holy Holy Ghost?
If the “Holy” in Holy Spirit is merely part of a “surname”, and replacement of “Ghost” with “Spirit”changes the name only and not the intended meaning, on that basis alone the replacement introduces conflict into the Word wherever “Spirit” could be referring only to the Word or a proper statement of the trinity–the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost. Speaking for the past, present and future in order for the Word to be timeless and alive for everyone at any time, and knowing God is no respecter of persons(Acts 10:34), Jesus said: If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? Luke 11:11-13 (Emphasis added). The companion verses to Luke 11:11-13 are set forth in Matthew and read like this: Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Mathew 7:9-11 (Emphasis added). (“Evil” in the preceding verses refers to the sinful flesh of man as compared to God (spirit), and the phrase “good things” is plural.)Just as a son could ask his dad for a piece of bread or an egg in the context of the present, a person could ask for the Holy Spirit (“good things”) in the present when Jesus said it. By the context of His statement, Jesus was not referring to a future time. He intended the present as an immediate time, i.e., when the “ask”is made.
By way of reproof, during the time of Christ the Holy Ghost was not yet given to man. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (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.) John 7:38-39 (Emphasis added). Only the Word as the will of the Father for all mankind is the “Spirit” in the context of “this spake he of the Spirit” in the preceding verses. Of course, the Word by itself is not the trinity, and the “Spirit” is not only the Holy Ghost, but each of the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost are God, and God is a Spirit!
Therefore, comparing John 7:38-39 (above) with Luke 11:11-13 (preceding paragraph above) we know the Holy Spirit is not the Holy Ghost because the Holy Ghost had not yet been given to man prior to, and during, the ministry of Jesus before He was raised from the dead (glorified). Calling the Holy Ghost the“Holy Spirit”, not only changes the Word as written in the King James Bible (the “Bible”), it interjects an element of uncertainty as to the Word being in or out of the definition of “Holy Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit IS the Father,the Word and/or the Holy Ghost!
Furthermore, the converse is also not true—we do not call the “Holy Spirit”the “Holy Ghost” either. For example, because the term “Spirit” may be used to mean the Word by itself, and knowing the Word is Holy, would anyone change the “Holy Spirit” in Luke 11:13 to “Holy Ghost” when Jesus actually said “Holy Spirit”? Moreover, Jesus said “Holy Spirit” once and “Holy Ghost” about ten (10) times including John 20:22 when He first presented the Holy Ghost to His disciples after His glorification (resurrection). The disciples already had the Word as the Spirit! Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: John 20:22 (Emphasis added).
(What about the companion provision of Matthew 7:11? Is it okay to change “good things” to Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost? No. The “good things” are the aspects of the Spirit! Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17. The good and perfect gifts from above are the “good things” of the Spirit–the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost.) Therefore, during the time of Jesus while the Old Covenant was being “phased out”, Jesus had both the Word and the Holy Ghost in Him making Him the spokesman for God the Father. It is He who had the “Holy Spirit” as the Holy Ghost. (As mentioned previously in the context of the Old Covenant,Jesus also replaced Melchisedec who was the archetype of the Holy Ghost during Old Testament times.)
By way of reproof, to say the “Holy Spirit” does not include the Word suggests, or at least infers, the Word does not come from the Spirit of Truth (the Holy Ghost). Such an inference cannot be so, because the Holy Ghost conceived the Word as the spirit/will of the man Jesus in the woman Mary, and the Word is the Spirit of God which made Jesus Emmanuel (“God with us”). Consequently, today if we say the Holy Spirit is not both the Word AND the Holy Ghost in combination established to do the Father’s will as explained previously, we unduly limit the opportunities to know the Father as a father personally and individually as a child of His. As a result, the New Covenant for salvation also changes.
Recall, immediately after Jesus was baptized by John for repentance and remission of sins, the Holy Ghost descended upon Him. And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. Luke3:22; see also Matthew 3:17 and 17:5, Mark 1:11, and 2 Peter 1:17. The Holy Ghost is the “Spirit of truth” and a “comforter.” But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 14:26.A “comforter” is a guide, consoler, intercessor, educator, and a source of edification to name a few. But note, Jesus referred to the Spirit of Truth (Holy Ghost) as “another” comforter. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. John 14:16-17. In so doing, Jesus recognized Himself as a “comforter.” The Word is most certainly a guide for all believers. The Spirit of truth bears witness in power to the truth of the Word.
According to the Word written in the New Testament of the King James Bible as the will of God, we know:
1.) At times PRIOR to the death and resurrection of Jesus, but during His life on earth when He spoke the rhema of God as a man, the references to the “Spirit” or “Holy Spirit” mean ONLY the Word provided He did not use a future context.
2.) In the context of the life of Jesus Himself, and times AFTER His death and resurrection referring to the brethren such as Paul and others, the references to the “Spirit” or “Holy Spirit” mean BOTH the Word as the spirit of the man Jesus (Romans 8:9) AND the Holy Ghost as the spirit of Him that raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11).
Why then did anyone start the confusion by changing “Holy Ghost” to“Holy Spirit”? One answer is money! For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6:10. The King James Bible is, and has been, in the public domain and free to everyone since the1600’s. Profiting from sales of the King James Bible is pretty much impossible because anyone anywhere can publish it as is. However, if a person or publisher changes the pure Word of the King James Bible, they create a new “version” they can “own”, publish, and sell for a profit as their own legally protectable property.
ALL of the commercially available “versions” of the Bible produced after the King James have/had routinely changed the words of the Bible and are sellable as unique works of authorship under the Copyright Laws. Still, people make excuses for the change arguing the Greek root word for Ghost and Spirit is the same. The original text of the English language King James New Testament was written in Greek. The original translators of the Greek texts spoke ancient Greek and they painstakingly sought out and applied the proper terminology in the Bible (King James only).
For instance, where some Greek words are known to have several possible definitions, the context of a verse determines which definition is intended and thus correct. Like all word forms of communication, the context defines the meaning by the intent associated with word usage.As explained with examples in the last section of this book, the King James Bible (the “Bible”) is believed to be the only English language book of the holy scriptures capable of being reconciled solely by what is written in it. The other“versions” of the Bible are definitely not reconcilable solely by what is written in them.
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8: Born of the Spirit (PDF format below)
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