Quote:
Originally Posted by curious
But is that a true realization? My point is that I don't see this as a clear teaching anymore. What does it mean that Jesus is "the life-giving Spirit"? Is that a title, or a Person, or an entity, or what? If Jesus is the life-giving Spirit, what is the Holy Spirit? The same Spirit, or a different Spirit?
I'm not saying I know the answers - that's why I'm bringing it up for discussion. But the context of 1 Cor. 15 doesn't seem to back up this claim. It makes more sense to say that Jesus became a life-giving spirit, in the sense that he had a spiritual body or form. Not that His nature, title, or person was changed.
This is why Lee was accused of modalism, because he indicated that Christ changed into the life-giving Spirit in His resurrection. I can see that Christ sent the Holy Spirit, but not that He became the life-giving Spirit (a new version of the Holy Spirit).
What's sad for me, Ohio, is that there were numerous times I experienced what appeared to be an amazing revelation under Lee's ministry, and this was an example (Christ becoming the life-giving Spirit). And I now think that it was most likely a false teaching. The emotional enthusiasm was deceptive.
|
When the "
emotional enthusiasm" was directed towards the Lord, then I believe it has lasting value, an eternal weight of glory, which we should not allow His enemy to take from us. When the "emotional enthusiasm" was directed towards the ministry or some LC program, then it may have been contrived and manipulated. Since it is difficult to discern the distinction, oftentimes ex-members like us struggle to distinguish. Sometimes bitterness, which springs from disappointment, causes us to "rewrite history," and I have actively endeavored to prevent this, and at the same time be fair.
Lee was accused of modalism because he used hyperbole to stretch his point and ridicule to denigrate others' teaching. That does not discredit what we received from I Cor 15.45. Another teaching of Lee's which greatly helped me was from Rom 8.6. Lee said, "the mind
set on the Spirit is life and peace." He made this verse active. Most however had taught, "the mind of the Spirit is life...," or "spiritually minded..." By making this verse
active, it became alive and useful to me, and the Lord as the Spirit became so real and near.
I cannot answer how the Lord can be the Spirit. How can God be One and distinctly Three? There is no way to humanly explain this. The Bible doesn't attempt to reconcile it either. Recently I read a fascinating book about a young Ohio boy which has altered my old LC views of God, based on WL extremes. God is wonderful!