Love Jesus - the Key to Heaven!
Love Jesus - the Key to Heaven!
Hear the Cry for Revival - Awaken the Church to Save the World!
Hear the Cry for Revival - Awaken the Church to Save the World!
THE DIVINE BEING KNOWN AS THE
THE DIVINE BEING KNOWN AS THE
HOLY SPIRIT
HOLY SPIRIT
NAMES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The most common name used for the Third Person of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit each have distinct personalities, yet they flow in perfect unison as one (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 3:16-18; Ephesians 4:4-6).
The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of God (Genesis 1:2; Roman 8:9); the Spirit of your Father (Matthew 10:20); the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9); and Spirit of the Lord (Acts 8:39).
He is also called the Spirit of Glory (1 Peter 4:14); Spirit of Truth (John 16:13); Spirit of Sonship or Adoption (Romans 8:15); Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2); Spirit of Holiness (Romans 1:4); Spirit of Grace and Supplication (Zechariah 12:10); Spirit of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Power and Knowledge (Isaiah 11:2); and the Spirit of Judgment and Fire (Isaiah 4:4).
The Holy Spirit is referred to as the finger of God (Luke 11:20; Matthew 12:28), the eyes of God (Zechariah 4:10; Revelation 5:6—The Sevenfold Spirit—Isaiah 11:2), the mind of God (Isaiah 40:13), and the breath of God (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21).
The Holy Spirit is never addressed as “it.” Rather He is always addressed by the masculine pronoun of “He,” or “Him, etc, as is the Father and the Son. When you say “He,” “Him,” or “Who,” you are addressing a Person (John 14:17,26; 16:13-15;).
EQUALITY IN CREATION
It is clear from the Scriptures that God alone created all things. He is the only one who stands outside of creation as its source (Genesis 1:1), yet we find that the Father is our Creator (Deuteronomy 32:6); Jesus Christ is our Creator (John 1:3); and the Holy Spirit is our Creator.
The Bible says, ‘The Spirit of God has made me...’ (Job 33:4). ‘When you send your Spirit, they are created...’ (Psalm 104:30; Genesis 1:2).
God alone created us (Isaiah 44:24), saying, “Let us make man in our image” (Genesis 1:26-27). Then God created man in His own image by a combined act of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
HE MOVES LIKE THE WIND
We are told that when God created the heavens and the earth, the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (Genesis 1:1-2). Hovering is like flying but remaining suspended in one place in the air. It is quite clear that the Holy Spirit is a Being who can fly and move gracefully through the air.
He descended upon Christ in the form of a dove, and He moves like the wind (Matthew 3:16; Acts 2:2). A dove symbolizes innocence and purity (Matthew 10:16), and the wind can go wherever it pleases (John 3:8). The various titles and symbols of the Holy Spirit reveal aspects of His perfect character and allow us to get to know Him in a more real and intimate way.
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A DIVINE PERSON
He has a mind (Romans 8:27), and a will (1 Corinthians 12:11). He speaks (Acts 8:29; 10:19; 11:12; 13:2; 21:11). He has love (Romans 15:30). He can be grieved (Isaiah 63:10; Ephesians 4:30). The Holy Spirit has self identity and is aware. This proves that He is not merely a force because a force doesn't have a mind or a will; nor can a force speak, love or grieve.
We can have fellowship with the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14; Philippians 2:1). He knows what is good (Acts 15:28), and He knows the deep thoughts of God (1 Corinthians 2:11). He can be lied to (Acts 5:3) tested (Acts 5:9), and resisted (Acts 7:51). He is a witness (Acts 5:32). He can lead us (Matthew 4:1) and give us life (John 6:63). He is the one who convicts the world of sin (John 16:8), and He always glorifies Jesus (John 15:26; 16:14).
HE SPEAKS TO US
The Holy Spirit is the One who spoke thousands of years ago through the mouth of King David (2 Samuel 23:2; Acts 1:16; 4:25-26), and it was the Holy Spirit who predicted the suffering and glory of Christ through the prophets (1 Peter 1:10-12). God sends His Word by His Spirit (Zechariah 7:12).
The Holy Spirit is the teacher (John 14:26; Luke 12:11-12), and the counsellor (John 14:16,26; 16:7). The following Scriptures show that the Holy Spirit teaches us by speaking to us:
‘The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons’ (1 Timothy 4:1).
‘So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert” (Hebrews 3:7-8).
‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’ (Revelation 2:7 – also Revelation 2:11,17,29; 3:6,13,22).
‘Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds follow with them” (Revelation 14:13).
‘The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life’ (Revelation 22:17).
GIVEN THE TITLE OF GOD
We are told that God raised Jesus from the dead (Acts 17:30-31). On closer examination of this we find that the Father raised Jesus (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10); Jesus raised Himself (John 2:19-22; 10:17-18); and the Holy Spirit raised Jesus (1 Peter 3:18), showing that the Holy Spirit is God, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity.
In Psalm 95:6-11 we are called to bow down in worship before the LORD our maker, for He is our God. Then we are warned not to harden our hearts when we hear His voice. In Hebrews 3:7-11 we are told that these were in fact the words of the Holy Spirit. Therefore the Holy Spirit is to be worshipped.
In Jeremiah 31:33-34 God makes a covenant with His people so that they will all know the LORD. He will be their God and they will be His people. In Hebrews 10:15-17 we see that these were the words of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is therefore clearly identified as YHWH (Yahweh)—the God of Israel.
In Isaiah 6:8-11 the prophet Isaiah hears the voice of the Lord, while in Acts 28:25-27 these words are said to have been spoken by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the voice of God. Jesus is Lord and so is the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).
These Old Testament passages were spoken by God, and in the New Testament it was revealed through the apostles that these words came from the Holy Spirit. The word of the LORD in the Old Testament is often the same as the word of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. This is another clear sign of the Holy Spirit’s divinity and unity within the Holy Trinity.
To lie to the Holy Spirit is to lie to God. Peter said to Ananias, “How is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit… You have not lied to men but to God” (Acts 5:3-4).
The LORD (Yahweh) who revealed things to the prophet Ezekiel was the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 11:24-25). The words of the Spirit are the words of the God of Israel (2 Samuel 23:2-3).
God has no beginning. He is an uncreated eternal being, and He has always existed in His fullness. He is known as the ‘eternal God’ (Genesis 21:33). The Holy Spirit is eternal (Hebrews 9:14), proving that He is God. He is also omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-10).
The people of the world do not know the Holy Spirit, but the people of God know Him (John 14:16-17).
DO YOU KNOW THE HOLY SPIRIT?