🇬🇧 Glory be to Jesus Christ! 🌞
Acts XXI, 27 – εμελλον – emellon – were about,
intended
– from μελλω – mello.
Paul, following the advice of the apostle James, the Lord’s brother, the first bishop of Jerusalem, performed a godly Jewish (Old Testament) rite of purification in the Jerusalem temple, but people, provoked by his and the Christians’ enemies, and agitated by false gossip, almost lynched him there. Only the intervention of the authorities and the police of that time stopped the crowd. The accusations were completely groundless, based on the intolerance of Jews towards Christians.
We see the intervention of the police, by God’s will, to protect Paul and continue his apostolic work. In general, this is the immediate beginning of the last part of the book of Acts, which tells of Paul’s judgement and his work at the time, of God’s help and support for him.
John XVI, 3, 9 – ‘εμε’ – ‘eme’ – ‘Me’.
John XVI, 13 is surely the most eloquent testimony in the Bible that
the Holy Spirit is a Person, a Personality, a Hypostasis. Not only can
He tell what He has heard
, but He can also speak both from Himself
and not from Himself
(in fact, the latter, but the very negation of
the former also says that He is Himself!) Those who claim that the Holy
Spirit is God’s power and not a Person are wrong, for this verse (and
not only this verse, but this is the most expressive) exposes the
wrongness of this understanding of the Holy Spirit. No, the Holy Spirit
is truly a Person, a Hypostasis. And He will testify not as a proof, but
as a Living True Witness. And what is the most noticeable difference
between the testimony of evidence and the testimony of living
intelligent witnesses?
Evidence testifies by its interpretation, which is not given by it, but given to it by people, while living intelligent witnesses interpret and testify by that interpretation, and can also correct the misunderstanding of others and address objections. The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, not only reveals all that Christ says, but He is also the salvation, help and confirmation of those who draw near to God, those who repent and convert.
In this way, the Holy Spirit is incomparably more significant than just a means of salvation. No, He is God, the Lord and Giver of life as the Creed says. It is indeed through His actions, or we may say through their richness and variety, that He also accomplishes our salvation, together with the Father and the Son.
I would add that Christ is not the only One to witness: Behold Me,
turn to Me!
, but the Holy Spirit will also bear witness (testify) -
Behold Christ, turn to Him!
, just as the Father bears witness -
Behold Christ, turn to Him!
. Just as the Law says that the testimony
of several witnesses is true.
Glory be to Thee, our God, glory be to Thee!
Source:
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