WHO OR WHAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?
The Holy Spirit is almost the forgotten member of the Trinity Christians know that He is a member of the Godhead nbsp But is the Holy Spirit aforce like radar nbsp Or is He aliv
WHO OR WHAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?
The Holy Spirit is almost the forgotten member of the Trinity.
Christians know that He is a member of the Godhead. But, is the Holy Spirit a
force like radar? Or is He alive? Is He is own God? Or is He a person like the Father and Son? Though many think they know, a lot do not.
The Jehovah"s Witnesses and the Christadelphians teach that He is a force like radar. They are wrong. The Mormons teach that He is a male personage of flesh and bones. Actually, the Mormons teach that the Holy GHOST is a god, the male personage, and the Holy SPIRIT is the presence
of God the Father. They also are wrong. But what is He really?
The Holy Spirit is the third person in the Trinity. The Trinity is the doctrine that there is only one God in all creation, all time, and all
places. This one God exists as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person is not the same person as the other, yet there are
not three gods, but one. The Holy Spirit is just as much God as is the Father and the Son. But remember, there are not three gods, but One.
The Bible has many references to the Holy Spirit. A quick examination of them reveals many interesting characteristics. The following list
is taken from a new paper on CARM dealing with the Holy Spirit at
http://www.carm.org/doctrine/trinityspirit.htm.
-- The Holy Spirit is mentioned on equal level with God - Matt. 28:19,
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,"
-- The Holy Spirit is referred to as a person by scripture -- Rom.
8:11, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in
you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your
mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you."
-- The Holy Spirit grieves -- Isaiah 63:10, "But they rebelled and
grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore, He turned Himself to become their
enemy, He fought against them." And, Eph. 4:30, "And do not grieve the Holy
Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."
-- The Holy Spirit loves -- Rom. 15:30, "Now I urge you, brethren, by
our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together
with me in your prayers to God for me."
-- The Holy Spirit has a mind -- Rom. 8:27, "and He who searches the
hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for
the saints according to the will of God."
-- The Holy Spirit speaks -- Acts 8:29, "And the Spirit said to Philip,
"Go up and join this chariot." And, Acts 13:2, "And while they were
ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for
Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
It should be very obvious that the Holy Spirit has self identity, is
aware, and is not merely a force because a force doesn"t speak, love,
grieve, and have a mind. But the cults tend to ignore these verses and
tell us that the Spirit is nothing more than some presence or power.
Sure, the Spirit is a presence and a power, but that is not all He is. He
is the third person in the Trinity. He is the one who applies the
redemptive work of Christ to the believer. He is the one who convicts the
world of sin (John 16:8), who teaches (John 14:26; 15:26), and who
anoints (1 John 2:27).
But, the Holy Spirit is also humble because He points to Jesus (John
15:26). Therefore, anyone who is truly indwelt by the Holy Spirit will
likewise bear witness of Jesus.
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