God's Spirit vs. Christ's Spirit
Rom 8:9 But you are not in
the flesh but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God
dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the
Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
Rom 8:10 But if Christ is in
you, your body is dead because of sin, but your
Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Item |
God's Spirit |
Christ's Spirit |
Relationship |
Meaning |
Refers to the spiritual essence of the Triune God, who has existed
from eternity past, created the universe, and is the origin of all things |
Is the embodiment and reality of Christ who became flesh, including the
Spirit of all the work and experiences Christ accomplished |
Both are
actually different terms for the same Spirit, emphasizing different aspects |
Function |
• Enables
believers to live in the spirit rather than
in the flesh •
Expands from the believer's spirit to the soul (mind), giving life to the
mortal body • Acts
as the indwelling Spirit of life |
•
Makes believers belong to Christ • Dispenses
Christ Himself into believers •
Enables believers to experience and enjoy
Christ |
The same Spirit
operates from different perspectives, dispensing the Triune God into
believers |
Distinction |
Emphasizes the divine
source and divine nature |
Emphasizes Christ's experiences of incarnation, humanity, human
living, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension |
Not two Spirits, but different designations of the same Spirit |
Application |
• Through
this Spirit believers are freed from the
flesh • Gives
life to the body • Enables
believers to live in the spirit rather than
in the flesh |
•
Enables believers to belong to Christ • Enables
believers to be united with Christ as one •
Enables believers to live in Christ's
resurrection |
Through this, believers can experience the complete Triune God |
Related Scriptures |
• Romans 8:9-11 "If the Spirit of God dwells in you, you are not in
the flesh but in the spirit" • Romans 8:11 "But if
the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead
dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your
mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you" |
• Romans 8:9
"However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in
you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit
of Christ, he does not belong to Him" • 2 Corinthians 3:17
"The Lord is the Spirit" • 2 Timothy 4:22 "The Lord be with your spirit" • 1 Corinthians 6:17
"But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit" |
• Romans 8:9-11 mentions
both "the Spirit of God" and "the Spirit of Christ" • Romans 8:2 "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you
free" |
Conclusion
Points:
1.
The Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ
are not two Spirits, but different designations of the
same Spirit.
2. "The Spirit of God" emphasizes that this Spirit belongs to the eternal God, the source of
creation.
3. "The Spirit of Christ" emphasizes that this Spirit is the embodiment of Christ who went through the
processes of incarnation, human living, death, resurrection, and ascension.
4. Operating in believers is the Triune Spirit of the Triune God, dispensing Christ as
life to believers.
5. The interchangeable
use of these two names indicates that the
indwelling Spirit of life is the all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit of the
entire Triune God.
*Please refer to the 2025
International Chinese Conference Romans 5-8 - The Core of the Bible Chapter 5:
The Indwelling Christ
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