anatolian-
This passage may help you understand what we mean by saying that Jesus is now reigning over us. It also tells us that his reign will end:
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put inder him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all. (I Corinthians 15:20-28,NIV)
If we were talking about two people, we would say that Jesus will eventually be demoted. But we are not talking about two people:
"God is spirt, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth. " (The Gospel of St. John 4:24,NIV)
We have Jesus, who is both corporeal and divine. We have God the Father, who is spirit and divine. So who is the Holy Spirit? Jesus Christ himself gave us a good clue when he gave us a dire warning:
"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." (The Gospel of St. Matthew 12:30-32,NIV)
What are the words 'father' and 'son'? They're titles. The same person can be a father, a son, an uncle, a cousin, a king, and have a myriad other titles. But what is the word 'spirit'? It's not a title. Instead, it refers to a specific being. So we have been warned by Jesus Christ himself to approach the being identified by the name 'Holy Spirit' respectfully.
But why? "God is spirit", "Holy Spirit"; when we refer to God this way, we aren't referring to some messenger of God, or even some mysterious power that emanates from God. We are referring to the very essence of God's own being, the very core of his own nature, and there we must tread softly.
So why was Scripture worded with phrases such as you have quoted? It was because that was how the disciples were able to comprehend what was happening. They were down-to-earth working men, not theological intellectuals; they needed to hear the message in a manner that they could relate to.
God manifested himself as a Father, Creator of all that is, Author of Justice, the person to whom all of us must answer for our thoughts, words and actions. If we were judged by our own merit we would surely be condemned, because we just couldn't 'measure up' to the standard of righteousness which he requires of all who would come before him on their own merit. But because he is a Father who loves his children, even when those children are unworthy of his love, he laid out the plan for a rescue mission. What we could never do, namely, bridge the gulf between ourselves and him, the Father could do.
So he also manifested himself to us as a Son, showing the perfect obedience to 'God the Father' that we cannot. But instead of using this perfection to lord it over us, he deliberately sacrificed himself for us. With his resurrection the righteousness which we could never obtain by our own efforts was able to be bestowed on us as a direct result of 'God the Son's' efforts.
But at the core of both 'Father' and 'Son' is 'Spirit'. It was God as spirit that caused us to see, and understand, his role as both Father and Son. He is that spirit who is set apart; he is the Holy Spirit.
