Did Christ Need the Holy Spirit?

Dr. Couch, can you give a passage that says Christ needed the Holy Spirit in His ministry?

ANSWER: The word NEED is the wrong word. The Spirit of God has determined to work within Christ in order to aid Him in His earthly ministry. Jesus said that He would send the Spirit from the Father, the Spirit of Truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me, and you will bear witness also, ..." (John 15:26). The three persons in the Trinity constitute ONE God, not three Gods. They each have their own function. They just are, and they relate to each other. You cannot use the word NEED as we normally use it. They relate to each other because that is their nature. They have always been in an eternal situation and that will never change.

I recommend Dr. Charles Ryrie and Dr. John Walvoord's books on the Holy Spirit. I don't think they will answer your question but they would certainly give more information on the Spirit that would be very useful for one searching for more information on the work of the Spirit of God.

Thanks for asking.
 --Dr. Mal Couch (2/12)

God walking with people in the Garden

Dr. Couch, Genesis 3:8 says that the Lord walked in the garden in the "cool of the day." Was this in the morning or evening? And, did God have a body like human beings? ANSWER:  The Rabbis note that for the Orient, the cool of the day would be towards evening when a cooling breeze was blowing (See Song of Songs, 2:17). Having made 23 trips to Israel and the Middle East I can concur that it really turns cool at that time of day; in fact, it turns downright cold! Many times I've stood on the ramparts and the walls on the south side of Jerusalem and felt the cool winds blowing off the desert. Great feeling! I could also look south and see in the distance the lights of Bethlehem. I'm sure David did the same thing when he was king!    In the Genesis rabbinical commentary, the Rabbis add: "It was this evening wind that carried to Adam and Eve the sound which heralded the approach of God." The apostle John notes: "No one has seen God at any time, [except] the only born God, who is on the bosom of the Father, He has explained (exegeted) Him" (John 1:18). No one has seen God the Father; only the Son, God the Son, He has "explained" and shown forth Him!    God does not have a body; He is a Spirit. This verse is also speaking of an anthropomorphism, in that the second person of the Trinity, Christ, was in His pre-incarnate body. He is the only one of the Godhead who took upon Himself a human body, a physical appearance.    This was a good question. Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (7-10)

Christ's Knowledge

Dr. Couch, is it true that Christ is unaware of certain truths, such as the day and hour of His coming, as it seems to be mentioned in Matthew 24:36-37? Many believe He set aside His knowledge of that coming day with only His Father knowing. What do you say? ANSWER:  Christ is very God and His knowledge of the events of His creation is the same as the heavenly Father. He could not "de-know" what the Father knows. If so, He would not be God! The verses before speak about "the summer being near," that is, when "He is near" (vv. 32-33). The generation that sees these things coming "will not pass away until all these things take place" (v. 14). Then Jesus says:    "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. For the coming of the Son of Man will be ..." (v. 36).    The word "to know," is the Greek verb "oida" from the root "eideo." While here it is translated "to know," in the majority of its usage it is translated "to see." In the NT the word is used approximately 627 times. In 66 of those times, it is used as "to know" only 13 times, or 117 times out of the 627 usages. The predominant usage then is to translate the word "to see."    The main point is what God the Father perceives in His office as Ruler and Initiator of His divine plans that will be carried out on earth. The Father is sovereign in regard to the plan of prophecy. It is His prerogative as to what He is "seeing" in regard to the future. It is not the prerogative of the Son, and certainly not of the angels. God the Father "sees" His plans. It will be up to the Son to carry those prophetic plans out on earth.    The timing of Christ's coming is "seen" or "fixed" by the Father. It is determined by the Father and not by the Son. The Son but carries out the purposes and the plans of the Father. The Son is not ignorant of what is going to happen; He will follow through with what the Father has determined to take place!    While we all admit this is a tough passage, I believe this is the best and most feasible explanation of what is happening here.    I hope this helps. Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (5/10)

Attribute of God - Righteousness

Dr. Couch, is righteousness an attribute of God? I've heard some say it is not. ANSWER:  The word righteousness in Greek is the word dikaiosunee and it means "to be just, faultless, guiltless, perfect." The Bible makes it clear that all three persons of the Trinity are righteousness. God is called "the righteousness Father" (John 17:25). Christ is the Just (the righteousness One) (Acts 7:52).    By faith, we are "made, counted, or receive by imputation, the righteousness of God. We do not become little gods, and we do not in a technical sense, share in the attribute of God's righteousness, though we are "declared" righteous. While this is in some way hard to understand, this makes us guiltless or faultless so that we can then enter the throne room of God with His perfection imputed to us.    We are "justified, made righteous by" Christ's blood (Rom. 5:9). "God imputed to us righteousness not by works" (Rom. 4:6). Righteousness is given to us as a free gift, resulting in justification (righteousness) (5:16) "and the gift of righteousness" which comes through Christ (v. 17). We are "justified (made righteousness) by faith in Christ (Gal. 2:16-17). Christ is referred to in Romans 4:5: "Believe in Him who justifies (makes righteousness) the ungodly." God then justifies and Christ justified; both persons in the Trinity makes imparts, imputes righteousness! Galatians 2:17 says we are made righteousness by Christ. Christ's act of righteousness on the cross results in justification of life to all men who trust Him (Rom. 5:18).    God sees His righteousness and the righteousness of His Son accounted, imputed to us, this is not the same thing in saying that we now have His attribute of righteousness. We are seen legally acquitted by that righteousness but we don't take on His attribute as part of us.    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (Feb., 10)

Unity of Christ and the Father while on the Cross

Dr. Couch, it seems the unity or immutability of God is destroyed by the so-called separation of Christ from the Father when He was on the cross. Most Bible teachers seem to just give the usual standard answer and do not work the biblical text on giving the right answer. I know you work the languages, so I'm asking you what the passage (Matt. 27:46) is really saying from the Hebrew and Greek languages. What do you think? ANSWER:  The passage reads, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Christ is quoting Psalm 22:1. The Hebrew word for "forsaken" in Psalm 22:1 is A'Zav with the meaning of "to abandon, to take away one's favor," with the idea: "To come up to someone, see a need, and walk away from that need." In Greek the word "forsake" is egkataleipo. It is in an Aorist form and carries the idea "to desert," to "leave one in straits, to leave one helpless, to leave one behind."    The persons in the Trinity did not cut ties when Christ died, and took upon Himself our sins, but the heavenly Father left the Son to face the pain of crucifixion, left Him in the circumstances of the death He was facing. The Father and Son were not breaking their Trinity relationship. They, along with the Holy Spirit, remained as joined as the three persons in the Godhead: Father, Son, and Spirit. They have an eternal relationship that cannot be broken.    The incarnation of Christ is a mystery and it is difficult to understand what happened in Christ's death on the cross. It cannot be said that God died, so His death is indeed difficult to explain! Some argue that only the physical of the Lord actually died. And even with that, we know that Christ did not undergo decay in His body. This is made clear from Psalm 22:10: "Neither will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay." As deity the Lord did not "disappear." For He said prophetically "My flesh also will dwell securely. For You will not abandon My soul to Sheol [to the grave]" (vv. 9b-10a).    Psalm 22:11 seems to say that Christ, in His death, remained conscience just as we will when we pass. "In Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever." In other words, the Lord remained in His relationship, with joy and comfort, with the heavenly Father when He physically died! A lot of this is a mystery but what I've written seems to make sense biblically.    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch

Kindred Spirit

Dr. Couch, what does "kindred spirit" mean? ANSWER:  The expression is found in Philippians 2:20 where Paul says about Timothy, "For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for the welfare [of the Philippian assembly except Timothy]." This is a powerful thought in the Greek text. It actually is translated "iso psuche," or "like soul (or spirit)." Paul then adds, "For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus" (v. 21). All of those Paul was working with had no interest in the problems or issues of the Philippian church. They were selfish and cared little of the needs of that congregation.    Gromacki says "The term literally means "equal soul." Just as Jesus Christ was equal to the Father in deity (2:6), so Timothy was equal to Paul in the characteristics of unity, humility, and concern for others. ... Paul and Timothy shared the mind of Christ, thought the same things, and had the same spiritual goals."    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (1-10)

Jesus' Knowledge Regarding End Times Events

Dr. Couch, I have heard some say that from Mark 13:32 Jesus did not know the time of the beginning of the tribulation events and of the time of His return to earth in order to reign and rule in His kingdom. Is this true? ANSWER:  The words of Christ in that passage reads: "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone."    Many "good" theologians miss the point on this passage. Being very God, there is nothing that Christ could not have known. God the Son cannot "unknow" the facts of history. Philippians 2:6-7, and the doctrine of the kenoses ("to empty"), may help us understand what is happening here in Mark. The Philippians passage reads "He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, ..." When Christ was born into the realm of mankind, He did not become less than God but He set aside His divine glory and took the form of a slave. A slave is not serving Himself but the One higher than He is. The Father in rank is above the Son, but the Son is not less than the Father in His deity!    Thus, the prerogative of Christ in His work on earth was that of a slave. Therefore, the Father is sovereign in decisions, and the Son obeys the Father and does His biding. "The knowledge of the final plans of history" is the prerogative of the Father not of the Son! Part of the key also is the word "know" in the Mark passage. It is the Greek word "oida." Oida is an intuitive knowledge over against a body of knowledge expressed by "ginosko." It is intuitive with the Father to have the knowledge of the plan of history. It is His plan! This does not mean that the Son did not know what the plan was; but it was with the Father specifically to know when He would execute the working out of the tribulation and the kingdom at a specific point in time. This was not the prerogative of the Son!    In my commentary series, McGowan quotes Lenski who says: "In their essential oneness the three persons [of the Trinity] know all things, but in his humiliation the second person did not use his divine attributes save as he needed them in his mediatorial work." I would soften this statement somewhat and say that Christ did not, as a servant, speak what He knew because He left such knowledge with the Father, and the Father determined not to reveal the specific day or hour when the end time events would begin! Thus, the Son acquiesced to His Father and did not reveal this information, but He left the issue in the hands of His Father.    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (Nov., 09)

Thank You for Information on the Trinity

Dr. Couch, thank you for the information on the Trinity. We need more teaching on this! ANSWER:  Thank you. I have several other passages that need to be considered. Hebrews 13:8 reads: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever." In Greek, the word "yesterday" is "exthes" that means "time past." It is an unusual word! The word "today" is also an unusual term, "sameron," and it means "this day," or "what happened today." The verse ends with "even into the forevers!" Or, into the ages!    Hebrews 1:5 is one of the most important verses on the eternality of the Son of God! The verse says four very important things about His relationship with the Father. I will be giving the Greek grammar in this translation.    (1) "A Son of Mine, YOU are continually existing as!" [You always have been a Son!]    (2) "I ('Ego' personal pronoun) this day (the day of Christ's birth) have [in time] birthed YOU!"        (3) "I ('Ego' personal pronoun) shall continually exist to HIM a Father."    (4) "And HE shall continually exist to Me a Son!"    Alford quotes the great Greek grammarians of the past to show that they all took Hebrews 1:5 as reflecting the eternal-ness of Christ the Son of God. Alford says: "The passage refers to the eternal generation of the Son," of "His eternity." The great exegete Owen also takes the same view—the eternal generation of Christ." "The former verses represent to us the Son of God as standing in this relation to the Father before the worlds were made." "It is natural then to suppose that this verse is to be refer[ing] to a time prior to the event of Christ's incarnation." The great Ellicott points out that the verse stresses "the eternal Now" of the Sonship of Christ. He always IS the Son of God!"    Thank you for your comments. I hope this helps.    Dr. Mal Couch (September 2009)

Conflict with Genesis 22 and Galatians 3

Dr. Couch, what is going on in Genesis 22:17 in connection with Galatians 3:16? There seems to be a conflict. Can you explain. ANSWER:  Here is a case that shows why I spent three years studying graduate Hebrew and took about thirty hours in graduate Greek courses. If one does not know the original languages one cannot be an engineer of the Scriptures, and that is the calling of those of us who wish to be exegetes. In the KJV and in the Hebrew-English version of the OT, Genesis 22:17 is translated correctly. The pronoun "his" is correct. It is masculine possessive singular. "Your seed shall posses the gate of HIS enemies. But in the NAS, and some other translations, the pronoun is incorrectly translated "THEIR enemies." In actuality, the word is a masculine possessive singular, but some translators wrongly thought that the force of the context should call for it to be translated as a plural and not a singular. They must have translated the verse in the Hebrew at 3 am and were too sleepy to notice that when Paul refers to Genesis 22:17 in Galatians 3:16 he rightly translates it as a singular.    Here is what is happening in the passage: It should read "Your seed (singular) shall possess the gate of HIS enemies." This is a way of saying that the SEED here is the Messiah and should be translated as a singular possessive. The expression about possessing the gate of His enemies is a way of saying that He would be victorious!    Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Paul saw what was going on. In Galatians 3:16 he points out that Seed should be singular, thus God did not say "And to seeds" as referring to many seeds (plural), but rather to one (with the singular possessive pronoun). "And to your seed" that is, to Christ. Christ is the One who secures the promises made to Abraham by His obedience unto death. So to speak, He is the victorious General who takes possession of the gate of His enemies! He conquers death and evil!    If we do not have men who know the original languages we will have more and more translation problems that will finally destroy doctrinal sharpness! For example, I cannot prove the doctrine of the Trinity without knowing the original biblical languages! In more and more schools the languages are being set aside. Men are learning less and less in seminaries. I have a friend who is a graduate of one of the big schools who has admitted "I really can't do quality language exegesis! I did not get enough biblical language in my masters and doctoral program!" This was not the case with me. I was blessed with a bunch of language courses. I took extra exegetical classes in order to be able to translate properly!    I hope this helps. Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch

More Teaching on the Trinity

Dr. Couch, thank you for the information on the Trinity. We need more teaching on this! ANSWER: Thank you. I have several other passages that need to be considered. Hebrew 13:8 reads: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever." In Greek, the word "yesterday" is "exthes" that means "time past." It is an unusual word! The word "today" is also an unusual term, "sameron," and it means "this day," or "what happened today." The verse ends with "even into the forevers!" Or, into the ages! Hebrews 1:5 is one of the most important verses on the eternality of the Son of God! The verse says four very important things about His relationship with the Father. I will be giving the Greek grammar in this translation. (1) "A Son of Mine, YOU are continually existing as!" [You always have been a Son!] (2) "I ('Ego' personal pronoun) this day (the day of Christ's birth) have [in time] birthed YOU!" (3) "I ('Ego' personal pronoun) shall continually exist to HIM a Father." (4) "And HE shall continually exist to Me a Son!" Alford quotes the great Greek grammarians of the past to show that they all took Hebrews 1:5 as reflecting the eternal-ness of Christ the Son of God. Alford says: "The passage refers to the eternal generation of the Son," of "His eternity." The great exegete Owen also takes the same view—the eternal generation of Christ." "The former verses represent to us the Son of God as standing in this relation to the Father before the worlds were made." "It is natural then to suppose that this verse is to be refer[ing] to a time prior to the event of Christ's incarnation." The great Ellicott points out that the verse stresses "the eternal Now" of the Sonship of Christ. He always IS the Son of God!" Thank you for your comments. I hope this helps. Dr. Mal Couch

A Thank You For Emphasizing the Trinity

Dr. Couch, thank you for emphasizing the doctrine of the Trinity. I've noticed in the past that you explain the doctrine clearly. You need to write a book on the subject! ANSWER: Thank you for your comments. In graduate school I had an advanced course on the subject. The professor, Dr. John Witmer, did an outstanding job with all the verses in Scripture that explained the nature of our Lord!    There are several ways to confirm and explain the doctrine of the Trinity. One has to do with the fact that the persons in the Godhead do the same thing. For example, in Isaiah 51:12, God the Father says He is the One who comforts. Christ told His disciples He would send them "another" Comforter (or Helper) (John 14:16 ) who would be the Holy Spirit (v. 17). Christ is saying that He is a Comforter but would send another Comforter, the Spirit. So each person in the Godhead comforts believers! They are doing the same work!    John 3:6 speaks of being born of the Spirit, but 5:4 speaks of being born of God. Paul says that Christ performs signs and wonders by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 15:19 ) but Psalm 136:1-4 says that God the Father also performs great wonders. Thus, all three persons of the Godhead are performing such work!    Satan can fill the heart to lie to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3) but also God the Father can be lied to (v. 4). It is possible to try (or tempt) the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:9) but also the Lord God can be tried (or tempted) (Matt. 4:7). The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, all three separate persons, are abiding within the believer (John 14:16 -23). Those who are anti-Trinitarian say, "Well, yes, God dwells within, but this idea is not supporting the doctrine of the Trinity!" But it is, because the indwelling is done distinctly be the three persons of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Spirit!    In creating us, all three persons were involved specifically. The Father "has made us" (Psa. 100:3), Christ the Word created all things, including us! ( Col. 1:16) and the Spirit of God made us (Job 33:4). God stills the waves (Psa. 107:29) and so does the Son (Matt. 8:26 ). God the Father can send His Spirit (Isa. 48:16) and so the Son (John 16:7). We are to serve God the Father (Deut. 10:20 ) and also the Son (Col. 3:24).    We could go on and refer to hundreds of additional verses but the passages above make clear what the Bible is saying about the persons in the Trinity.    Early in American history, on the East coast, there was a revolt against the doctrine of the Trinity in many of the congregations. They denied the Trinity and turned to the cult of Universalism. This brought down many of the churches, and even some of the colleges, in the eastern states. Spiritually, many of the churches in that part of the country never fully recovered. That is why the East coast remained so spiritually dead even up until the present time. Transcendentalism filled the gap in many congregations. Spiritual deadness followed.    To fully understand the nature and attributes of our God is extremely important. This becomes a bulwark against a belief in other religions! One cannot say Islam, or Hinduism, are equal to Christianity, if one is fully aware of the biblical revelation of who our God is! If you have not heard recently a full doctrinal teaching on the Trinity, you must see that this happens in your Sunday schools or from the pulpit by your pastor! This issue is extremely important!    Thanks for your comments.    Dr. Mal Couch

Material on the Trinity

Dr. Couch, I really appreciate your teaching on the Trinity. How can we get more material from you on the subject? ANSWER:  I've never done a series on this. There are some great sources out there that I suggest. One is The Trinity by Edward Bickersteth (Kregel). You need to get it! This answers all the issues on the Trinity, and gives all of the main verses of Scripture. Because of the inclusion going on today ("all religions are the same") you need to fortify your heart, mind, and soul, as to the nature of our God!    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch

Is Isaiah 48:16-17 About the Trinity?

Dr. Couch, is Isaiah 48:16-17 about the Trinity? ANSWER: Yes, indeed, it is! There is the call to listen to the voice speaking: "Come near to Me, listen to this: From the time I have not spoken in secret. From the time it took place I was there." Then the passage says: "And now the Lord God has sent Me, and His Spirit." Verse 17 adds: "Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, 'I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit …'" The Redeemer is the preincarnate Messiah, then there is the Spirit, and finally the Lord God who is speaking! Unger and Young point out that this is a Messianic and Trinity passage. "The type prefigures the antitype, the Servant of the Lord (42:1-4), who 'did not come alone but … his entire ministry was in the power of the Spirit, a definite Messianic concept.'" The idea is repeated in 41:14; 43:14; 49:7, 27; 54:5, 8. Christ is called the Holy One of God who would not undergo decay, as mentioned in Psalm 16:10. Peter repeats this in Acts 3:27; 13:35. I think we would be surprised at the number of times the Trinity is seen in both the OT and the NT. Thanks for asking. Dr. Mal Couch