Why the World Did Not Get Jesus and Why It Now Does Not Get the Holy Spirit

Jesus Christ came into the world to carry out the purpose of God from eternity (Eph 3:11), to do all things according to the counsel of God’s will (Eph 1:11), to give life to the world (Jn 6:33)…the salvation of His Church…for His glory.

The world did not know Jesus (Jn 1:10), did not comprehend His Person and work (Jn 1:5). Even the nation Yahweh chose to reveal Himself despised and rejected Jesus (Jn 1:6; Heb 1:1–2).

It is the prerogative of the Son of God to reveal God the Father (Yahweh) to whom He wills (Mt 11:27), even as it is God the Father’s prerogative to reveal God the Son to whom He wills (Mt 11:25; Lk 10:21). The wise and prudent are not top recipients of this revelation, nor are the noble and mighty (1 Cor 1:26) but those God willed from eternity (Jn 1:13) in His great mercy (Rom 9:16).

Those who received Jesus in His earthly ministry were those who resembled children (Mt 19:13–14; 1 Jn 2:1, 12, 28). They were humbled by circumstances in the world, and they in turn, humbled themselves before Jesus when He was positioned to help them. In His works of mercy, Jesus displayed the power of God to heal every type of malady. In His confrontations with the proud, Jesus displayed the wisdom of God to their dismay. What differentiates the humble from the proud, as they each encounter Jesus?

Pride is the position and attitude of those who have no fear of God. The proud are self-made men who rely on themselves to solve problems and the more problems they solve, the more clever they get and arrogance grows. The Bible warns men that pride is the way of destruction and many travel this path (Mt 7:13; Prv 16:18).

Humility is derived from the experience of failure and outside rescue. It is marked by gratitude and fresh avoidance of putting any confidence in the flesh (Phil 3:3). The humble placed their trust in Jesus because of this frequent demonstration of wisdom and power belonging solely to God (1 Cor 1:24). These displays of the attributes of God only produced envy and jealousy in those who were especially adept at being like gods themselves.

If one had been enticed by Satan to be like a god (Gen 3:5), then Jesus was competition. The Messiah was a threat to those aspiring to make a name for themselves (Gen 11). God does not share His glory with another (Is 42:8; 48:11) and Jesus was, is, and always be God the Son. Thus, the world of men throughout history have pitted themselves at enmity with God Himself, by being at odds with Jesus Christ.

Blind to their disposition, they do not seek God in order to be reconciled to the One they have offended their whole lives. People in Jesus’ day were happy to use Jesus for what He could and often did give them (Jn 6:5–14). It was when He began to teach that their doubts arose (Jn 6:41). Jesus’ claims were bodacious to them (Jn 5:18). Not realizing His true identity as God incarnate, they charged Jesus with blasphemy, instead (Jn 10:33).

Judging Jesus to be anything less than who He is in truth is a fatal error still today. Jesus is not just a good man or just a prophet of God. He is the God-man now sitting on the throne of God in heaven with all authority to rule and reign over all (Mt 28:18; Acts 10:36; 1 Tim 6:15; Rev 7:17).

God the Father and God the Son sent God the Spirit into the world (Jn 14:26; 15:26) in order to apply the merits of Christ to those God intended to reconcile to Himself, for the purpose of adopting them into His family (Rom 8:15, 23; 2 Cor 5:18–20; Eph 1:4–5). God’s motive at every stage of salvation is love for His chosen people (Rom 5:5, 8; Eph 1:4–5). There is simply nothing in God’s Word that reveals to us why God chose even one unjust sinner to enter into family union with Him through Jesus Christ out Lord. We must simply acknowledge that our God is merciful to His people (Rom 9:18).

Receiving the Spirit of Christ was promised because Jesus was leaving earth (Jn 7:39). As the first fruit of the resurrection from the dead (1 Cor 15:20, 23), Jesus was glorified in such a manner that remnant believers have a glimpse of their future. The hope of the resurrection includes a view to glorified bodies and souls for everyone who dies in Christ (1 Cor 15:50–57).

Receiving the Spirit was at the behest of the resurrected Christ, for His chosen disciples (Jn 15:16), who did not choose to receive the Spirit (Jn 20:22). Wonder-working power accompanied the receipt of the Spirit, who is omnipotent God (Acts 1:8). The Bible refers to the receipt of the Spirit as a gift from God the Father and the Son (Acts 2:33, 38). Those who were recipients of God’s gift were then moved to pray and lay hands on others that they too would be sanctified by the Spirit and believe in the truth (Acts 8:15, 17; 2 Thess 2:13).

Receiving the Spirit is spiritual baptism (Mt 3:11) that is symbolized by water baptism. The imagery includes washing for purification (Acts 10:47; 1 Cor 6:11). The sign (water baptism) points to the reality (Spirit baptism), and the sign comes after the reality (Acts 10:47) in some cases, while preceding the reality in other cases (Col 2:11–12).

Receiving the Spirit is the token of God’s adoptive love for His elect, redeemed people (Rom 5:5; 8:15, 23; 2 Cor 1:22; 5:5). The gift is freely received, and the transformed sinner is made to know the spiritual things freely given to us by God (1 Cor 2:12, 15). The timing of this illumination is God’s prerogative but hearing the Word and realizing the manifestation of faith begins at a point and never stops growing (Lk 17:5; Acts 16:5; Gal 3:2).

Now, it is only the Holy Spirit who brings the Word of truth (Jn 6:63; 17:17; 1 Cor 2:4), and it is the implanted Word in the heart that generates life and manifests faith from faith’s Author (Heb 12:2) and Allocator (Rom 12:3). This is why the Bible is referred to as the Word of life (Phil 2:16) and the Word of faith (Rom 10:8). It is also why called preachers in the church must preach the Word (2 Tim 4:2). When God’s regenerated people receive the Word (Mt 13:23; Jas 1:21), even in the midst of tribulation, it is with the joy of the Holy Spirit (1 Thess 1:6).

The spirit of the world is from the ruler of this world (Jn 12:30; 14:31; 16:11; 1 Cor 2:12). This is the spirit at work in the sons of disobedience (Eph 2:2), that is, the spirit of Antichrist at work in the whole world (1 Jn 4:3), and we know the whole world lies in the power of the evil one (1 Jn 5:19).

The god of this world is the one who blinds the minds of those prevented from believing the Gospel (2 Cor 4:4). The spiritually blind, however, love the darkness because their deeds are evil (Jn 3:19), and they are perishing (2 Cor 4:3). This is the reason the world cannot receive the Holy Spirit. According to Jesus the world’s citizens cannot see or know Him (Jn 14:17).

To see and enter the kingdom of God, one must be born again of the Spirit (Jn 3:1–8). Therefore, we conclude: to get Jesus one must get the Spirit of Christ and be given spiritual life by Him. If one does not have the Spirit (Jn 14:17; Rom 8:9)…that one does not belong to Christ (1 Cor 3:23). Got Jesus? Got the Holy Spirit? Then, give thanks because there is no other way to get them than God’s way.

David Norczyk

Spokane Valley, Washington

July 14, 2022