Subordination

Call to prayer

Title: Subordination

By: Michael Ntow

Date: 28/04/2021

He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.
JOHN 16:14

The Scriptures teach that the Spirit is subordinate to the Father and to the Son. That is what is meant in John 16:13. Our Lord says, “He shall not speak of himself,” which means that He does not speak from Himself, He is given what to speak.

And indeed His work, we are told, is to glorify Christ (John 16:14). The Spirit does not glorify Himself; He glorifies the Son.

Is this not wonderful? Here is the subordination. Here is the division of the work. The Son says that He has come to glorify the Father, and the Spirit’s work is to glorify the Son.

Each one reflects the glory of the other. Thus we look into the mystery of this amazing doctrine of the blessed Trinity: “He shall glorify me”: for He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you” (John 16:14).

This is, to me, one of the most amazing and remarkable things about the biblical doctrine of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit seems to hide Himself and to conceal Himself. He is always, as it were, putting the focus on the Son, and that is why I believe, and I believe profoundly, that the best test of all as to whether we have received the Spirit is to ask ourselves, what do we think of, and what do we know about, the Son? Is the Son real to us? That is the work of the Spirit. He is glorified indirectly; He is always pointing us to the Son.

Yes, we must realize that He dwells within us, but His work in dwelling within us is to glorify the Son, and to bring to us that blessed knowledge of the Son and of His wondrous love to us. It is He who strengthens us with might in the inner man (Ephesians 3:16- 19), that we may know this love of Christ.

A thought to ponder 
The Spirit does not glorify Himself; He glorifies the Son.

Prayer point
Let’s pray asking the HolySpirit to lead us in all we do, that He finds expression in us.

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