This is That or The Spirit of Life Part I

The heavens are telling

the glory of God;

and the firmament

proclaims his handiwork 

                                          — Psalm 19:1

God is the Creator of all that we see in the world we inhabit. God has made that truth absolutely clear even to those who are perishing. Some will vehemently deny this, but either God is right or they are.  "Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made (Romans 1:20)." So, "Let God be true though every man be false (Romans 3:4)!"

More than this, God has also created everything in this world to help us understand what heaven is like.  The sun, moon, stars, mountains, trees, wind, water, fire, ocean and more, all point us God-ward and heavenward. If we will consider their characteristics and qualities when confronting them in reading the Bible, we will have a deeper understanding of the Word of God.

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus who was a ruler of the Jews. He recognized that Jesus was more than the leader of yet another sect or faction common at that time, because of the signs (miracles) He performed. Concerned with what the Pharisees might think, he came to Jesus by night.

Jesus cut right to the heart of the matter, almost immediately insisting that "unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3)." To help him understand the concept, Jesus pointed out that "the wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit (John 3:8)."

In a surprising lack of understanding for someone holding such a high religious position, Nicodemus exclaimed, "How can this be (John 3:9)?"

Jesus remarked in verse 12, "If I have told you earthly things (referring to the characteristics of wind) and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things (referring to the Spirit of God)?" 

It is interesting that the New Testament Greek word for 'wind' is the same word translated 'breath' and 'spirit.' It is no coincidence that this is similarly true for the Old Testament Hebrew language. There is a direct parallel between characteristics of 'earthly' wind and the characteristics of the Holy Spirit. Just like the wind through the trees, one can see the affect of the Holy Spirit but not see the Spirit Himself. 

Acts chapter 2, verse 2 famously describes how "suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind." Not only the believers heard the sound, but also non-believers, and it was this sound that caused them to gather to discover the cause of the noise.

All this is a foundation for what I would like to write about next.