First Peter 4:14 says, “If you are reproached in the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” Literally, the Greek says “the Spirit of glory and that of God.” The Spirit of glory is the Spirit of God. The Spirit of glory is the One through whom Christ was glorified in His resurrection (Rom. 1:4). This very Spirit of glory, being the Spirit of God Himself, rests upon the suffering believers in their persecution for the glorification of the resurrected and exalted Christ, who is now in glory. Such a Spirit is the Spirit of God expressed through the suffering believers and the Spirit of the experienced God enjoyed by the suffering believers. The Spirit of glory certainly was upon Stephen when he was being martyred (Acts 6:15; 7:55). According to the book of 1 Peter, the Spirit of Christ is in us (1:11), and the Spirit of glory rests upon us. The Spirit of Christ is in us to reveal all that Christ is to us for our enjoyment. The Spirit of glory rests upon us to glorify God. One aspect of this wonderful Spirit is that the Spirit is in us to reveal Christ, and another aspect of the same Spirit is that He is also the Spirit of glory resting upon us to express God. The more we suffer and are persecuted for the Lord’s sake, the more glory there will be upon us. This truly is a blessing. Therefore, we should rejoice when we are reproached in the name of Christ, because the Spirit of glory and that of God is resting upon us. This Spirit of glory is the indwelling Spirit, the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of grace, becoming the glory shining upon persecuted believers.
Hebrews 9:14 tells us that Christ “through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God.” On the cross Christ offered Himself to God in a human body, which is a matter of time. But He did this through the eternal Spirit, who is of eternity, without any limit of time. The eternal Spirit is beyond time and space. Whatever He is, is unlimited and eternal.
The eternal Spirit makes the death of Christ eternally efficacious. The accomplishment of His death covers all the Old Testament saints and the New Testament believers. Although Christ died on Calvary nearly two thousand years ago and many miles away from us, that death is applicable and available to us because it was accomplished through the eternal Spirit.
Hebrews 9:14 does not say that the eternal Christ offered Himself to the eternal God through the Spirit. This verse says that Christ offered Himself to God through the eternal Spirit. This offering is eternal and real because it was offered through the eternal Spirit. Today when we touch the Spirit, we touch this offering. Because we are partakers of the Spirit, we are also partakers of the unique offering. Once we become partakers of the Spirit, we partake of everything related to the Spirit.
When He was on earth, the Lord Jesus lived and labored through the eternal Spirit. Whatever He experienced and accomplished in His living and labor has been made eternal by the eternal Spirit. This eternal Spirit is all-inclusive, being the consummation of the processed Triune God. Now as believers we partake of this Spirit and have this Spirit within us.
(Conclusion of the New Testament, The (Msgs. 079-098), Chapter 2, by Witness Lee)