Produced by Bob Jones, Frank van Drogen, Thomas Hutchinson and the PG Online Distributed Proofreading Team. THE SPIRIT AND THE WORD _A Treatise on the Holy Spirit in the Light of a Rational Interpretation of the Word of Truth_ _By Z. T. SWEENEY_ GOSPEL ADVOCATE COMPANY Nashville, Tennessee TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION 5 I THE SPIRIT AND THE OLD TESTAMENT 9 II THE SPIRIT AND THE NEW TESTAMENT 15 III THE PERSONALITY AND DIVINITY OF THE SPIRIT 35 IV THE SPIRIT AND JOHN THE BAPTIST 43 V THE SPIRIT AND JESUS 53 VI THE SPIRIT AND THE APOSTLES 65 VII THE SPIRIT AND THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH 81 VIII THE SPIRIT AND THE WORLD 98 IX THE SPIRIT AND CHRISTIANS 117 X THE PARTING WORD 141 INTRODUCTION Christianity is differentiated from all the other religions by the fact that it offers its followers a spiritual dynamic in living up to its precepts. That dynamic is the Holy Spirit, that sets the word of God on fire, warms the church from coldness to enthusiasm, and strengthens the Christian with a power not his own in the great battle between the flesh and the spirit. Christianity is unique in making this offer. No other religion has any equivalent for it. The Holy Spirit is not obtained from the deductions of logic, the conclusions of philosophy nor from the investigations of science. All these are as silent as the grave regarding his presence and potency. It is solely and distinctly a matter of divine revelation. It is not my purpose, therefore, to view this subject in the light of philosophic induction, logical deduction nor scientific investigation, but solely in the light of God's revelation. I shall gather the teaching of God's word around several important phases of the nature, mission and work of the Spirit. I do not speculate upon what God may do through his Spirit; I put no limit upon the power of the Spirit. He may work in a thousand ways, for aught I know. I am treating solely of that work of the Spirit which God has made plain in his revealed word.