the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Grace for Today
Colossians 1:18
The pre-eminence of Christ (V)
Read Revelation 19:1-10
Christ alone has pre-eminence as the revelation of God, the Savior of men, the Ruler of providence and the glory of heaven. God the Father gives Christ all pre-eminence. And God the Holy Spirit gives Christ alone pre-eminence. All the comfort, instruction and direction of God the Holy Spirit come to men from the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:13).
The Holy Spirit, according to the disposition of the covenant of grace, is Christ’s agent in this world. He does nothing of himself, speaks nothing of himself and receives nothing to himself. It is the Spirit’s delight to do Christ’s bidding in this world, even as it has been the Son’s delight to do the Father’s bidding. Christ is the Fountain of all grace. The Holy Spirit is the channel through whom all the blessings of grace come to us, but Christ is the Fountain. If you compare 1 Corinthians 12:11 with Ephesians 4:7-12 and Psalms 68:18-20, you will see that all the gifts of the Spirit are really the gifts of Christ, which he has bestowed upon the church for the glory of his own great name, for the furtherance of the gospel and for the spiritual welfare of his people.
Everywhere today men talk much about the Holy Spirit. We are told, ‘This is the age of the Holy Spirit.’ They talk much about the anointing of the Spirit, the baptism of the Spirit, the power of the Spirit and the presence of the Spirit, and say little about the person and work of the Son. This is all wrong. Those who preach the Holy Spirit and ignore Christ do not have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit speaks only of Christ, and those who have the Spirit speak of Christ, only of Christ. Do not misunderstand me. Believers reverence, worship and honor the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God. But the only way to honor the Spirit is to honor Christ. This is the age of the Son. This is the age of Christ. This is the gospel day. It began when the Sun of Righteousness arose with healing in his wings. And God has determined in this day that Christ must have the pre-eminence.
