Contrary to popular belief, God's word teaches the Holy Spirit is a person.
Some people assume that personality necessitates having a physical body. So
they conclude, since the Holy Spirit does not have a physical body the Holy
Spirit is not a person. Jesus said, "God is spirit..." (Jno. 4:24) Jesus implies
that God the Father does not have a physical body. Are we to conclude
therefore, that God the Father is not a person? Surely not. The point is this:
if we must conclude that the Holy Spirit is not a person because he has no
physical body, the same conclusion must be drawn about God the Father.
Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language,
page 1075 says a person is a "self-conscious or rational being." The truth is,
both God the Father and the Holy Spirit are persons.
There are several ways to prove the personality of the Holy Spirit. I present
the following for your consideration:
(1) Jesus said the Holy Spirit would teach the apostles all things and remind
them of all that he had said to them. (Jno.14:25-26). He also said the Spirit would
bear witness of Jesus. (Jno. 15:26), and that he would guide the apostles, speak,
hear, glorify, and declare information to the apostles. (Jno. 16:13) The verses we
have cited affirm both the work and the personality of the Holy Spirit.
(2) The Holy Spirit is deity, thereby equal in nature with the Father and Jesus the
Father's Son. The Holy Spirit has the same inherent attributes as the Father and the
Son. He is called God. (Matthew 12:28; Acts 5:3-4) He searches the depths of God.
(1 Cor. 2:10) He reveals the mind of God. (1 Cor. 2:10) He comprehends the
thoughts of God. (1 Cor. 2:11) Jesus and the apostles indicated that the Holy Spirit
is included in the "sacred unity" of the Father and Son. They are often named together
in various contexts. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, immersing
them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." (Mat. 28:19)
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the
Holy Spirit be with you all." (2 Cor. 13:14) The word of the living God teaches that
the Holy Spirit has the same perfection in nature, work, and personality as the Father
and Son.
(3) Jesus told the apostles, "And I will ask the Father , and he will give you
another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth." (Jno. 14:16-17)
Notice the two words "another Helper" (allon parakleton). Jesus promised the
apostles another "Helper" or person of the same kind as he was to them. Jesus
believed in and taught the personality of the Holy Spirit, and we should do the
same.
The Holy Spirit is distinct from the Father and the Son in scripture.
We often speak of him as the third person in the Godhead. This does not
mean that his work is less important than that of the other members of the
Godhead. Nor does it mean that he is in some way inferior to the Father
and the Son. It simply means that his work is third in order of time. The Father
plans, (Jno. 12:49), the Son executes the Father's will (Jno. 12:50; 17:4), and
the Holy Spirit reveals the Father's plan for humanity's benefit. (Eph. 3:3-6)
The Father is not the Son; the Son is not the Father, and the Holy Spirit
is not the Father nor the Son, yet they comprise an inseparable unity. They
are three distinct individuals and each possesses all the qualities that
constitute "personhood" or personality. God's word affirms the personality of
the Holy Spirit.
RD
Copyright 2011
I have been enjoying your blog and have found much to agree.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I am not sure I understand what you are saying about the Holy Spirit.
Are you saying the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are not the same?
How can they be different and still be One?
Tell me, when you were saved, whose Spirit did you receive?
Thanks for your comments and questions about the Holy Spirit.
ReplyDeleteThe Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are the same in the sense
that the three are God, deity, and as the result they have the
same nature. They comprise the Godhead. But, they are
different persons or individuals. For instance, the Father SENT
the Son (John 5:30). The Son CAME to accomplish the will of
the Father. (John 17:4). The Holy Spirit was sent by the Father
to REVEAL God's word through the apostles and prophets.
(John 14:25-26) So, they are one in nature/essence, that is,
possessing all the qualities of deity, yet they are three separate
and distinct persons. When a person is saved he receives the
Spirit of God, and by receive I mean as scripture does, that one
has communion with the Spirit in the same way that he has
communion with the Father and the Son. The saved become
their property. (Matthew 28:19)
Thank you so much for reading and responding. I just do not agree.
DeleteI do not have three different Spirits living in me. I have one, and yet I have all three, because they are one and the same.
Thank you so much for reading and responding. I just do not agree.
DeleteI do not have three different Spirits living in me. I have one, and yet I have all three, because they are one and the same.
You are welcome. Let us continue studying this
Deleteimportant issue. None of us have three different
spirits literally living in us. Each member of the
Godhead dwells in believers, but they do not
bodily, personally, and literally dwell in believers.
They dwell "in" believers as their message, the
gospel, influences our lives, and therefore we are
in communion or fellowship with the Sacred
Three. (Matthew 28:19) Christians are the "property"
of the Godhead.
Furthermore, the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit
are not one and the same person. They are distinct
persons within the Godhead. The sacred scriptures
say the Father SENT the Son. One was the sender,
the other was sent by the sender. The Father did not
send himself. The Son CAME to do the will of his Father.
One came from heaven; the other remained in heaven. It
was not the Father who died on the cross. The Holy
Spirit came on the day of Pentecost to GUIDE the
apostles into the truth that would make people free.
(John 16:13) The Son had returned to heaven to be with
the Father. (Acts 7:56)