Chapter 2
Who is the Holy Spirit?
The question as to who the Holy Spirit is, seeks to clarify His personality and ease us of the confusion that has been generated by the devil for centuries over the human race to steal from them, kill and destroy them. Many have referred to him as a thing based on this lie traded to them by the devil through well-meaning ministers who did not apply themselves to the demands of study to show themselves approved unto God. Contrary to their assertion, the bible clearly makes us understand that the Holy Spirit is God.
Below is a list of several passages in scripture where this truth is drawn from:
· He is the first of the God head the bible mentions. In Genesis 1:2, we read:
“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
Here, He is referred to as the Spirit of God. When God decided to make man, He consulted with Himself in the Holy Trinity thus:
“God said, Let Us [Father, Son and Holy Spirit] make man-kind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts and over all the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth [Ps.104:30; Heb.1:2; 11:3]” Gen.1:26 [The Amplified Bible].
We can see clearly from this translation that the Holy Spirit is God: “God said, Let Us [Father, Son and Holy Spirit]…”
· He is the Lord. In Ezekiel 36:22-26, we read:
“Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.
And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.
For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”
In this text of scripture, Ezekiel referred to the content of the prophecy quoted here as what was said by “The Lord God”. However, when Apostle Paul quoted the same prophecy in the book of Hebrews, He refers to the author as The Holy Ghost. Thus in Heb.10:15-17, we read:
“Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”
Thus from these two references of scripture, the divinity of the Holy Spirit is brought our clearly.
· He is the Spirit of Christ. In 1Pet.1:11, we read:
“Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.”
This truth is also confirmed by Apostle Paul in Romans 8:9 thus:
“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
· He is the Spirit of truth. In John 16:13 which we quoted earlier, the Lord Jesus Christ referred to Him as the Spirit of Truth. Also, while referring to the Holy Spirit in John 15:26, He said:
“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:”
This truth is also confirmed by Apostle John while making a distinction between the word from God and that from the devil in 1John 4:6 thus:
“We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”
· He is another comforter in the place of the Lord Jesus Christ. when Jesus Christ was rounding off His ministry at His first coming, He told His disciples as He was about to leave them in John 14: 15-16:
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;”
The word comforter here has its root in the Greek word “Parakletos” meaning an intercessor, a consoler, an advocate and a comforter; whereas “another” has its root in the Greek word “allos” which means another of the same kind. Thus He was telling the disciples that He was going to send them God the Holy Spirit to carry out the function He was carrying out in their lives while He was with them. This time however, they would be able to take more of the things of the Spirit because the Spirit will live in them forever. This explains why He told them later in John 16:12 that He had many things to tell them, but that they could not bear it then. However when the Holy Spirit comes, He will clarify all the truths the Lord was trying to communicate to them which they were not able to bear as at then.
True to the word of the Lord, a study of the epistles to the early Church clearly reveals that God kept this word through the revelations of the Holy Spirit to Apostles Paul, Peter, John, James etc.
· He is the promise of the father. In Acts 1:4, Jesus Christ said to His disciples when He was about to depart from the earth after His first advent and resurrection from the dead that they should await the promise of the father. By this, He was referring to the infilling with the Holy Spirit which He already prophesied to the disciples. Acts 1:4-5 reads as follows:
“And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the
Holy Ghost not many days hence.”
From the fifth verse quoted here, it is clear that the promise of the father refers to the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is brought out more clearly in the amplified bible as follows:
“And while being in their company and eating with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem but wait for what the Father had promised. Of which [He said] you have heard Me speak [Jn.14:16, 26; 15:26.]
For John baptized with water, but not many days from now you will be baptized with (placed in, introduced into) the Holy Spirit.”
Thus another description, by which the Holy Spirit is known, is The Promise of the Father.
· The Comforter: The word Comforter, is the same word translated Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby and they all refer to the Holy Spirit. This explains why this same word is called by several translations of the bible by any of these different names. However, the Amplified Bible Translation lumps them all together thus in John.14:26:
“But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the father will send in my name [in My place, to represent Me and act on my behalf]. He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you.”
· He is the teacher: The Holy Spirit is also referred to as our Teacher. This reflects one of His assignments to us. No one can teach better than the Holy Spirit or teach with excellence without His assistance. In John.14:26, the Lord told His disciples that when the Holy Spirit comes, He will teach us all things and cause us to remember what the Lord had taught us. This same truth was conveyed by Apostle John in 1John 2:27 where He refers to the Holy Spirit as the Anointing whom God has sent to teach us all things and protect us from deception. Also, Prophet Ezekiel, while prophesying of the New Creation man in Ezekiel.36:24-27 had this to say about the person of the Holy Spirit:
“For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”
From this text we can quickly see that the Holy Spirit operates as our teacher from within which is the same thought conveyed by Apostle John in 1John 2:27. When He communicates, He teaches our spirits which in turn sends the signal to our souls from where we gain consciousness of His teachings. This is why it is required that anyone who wants to be taught by Him must be spiritual. In 1Cor.2:12-14, we are told:
“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
· He is referred to as a person in the male gender: In Jn.16:7-14, the Lord said:
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Of sin, because they believe not on me;
Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”
From most of the verses of this text of scripture, it is clear that the Holy Spirit is a person addressed in the male gender. For instance, in verse 13, Jesus Christ said “…when HE the Spirit of Truth is come…” (my emphasis).
· He is co – equal with God the father and the son and shares the same nature. This truth is brought out in Matthew’s account of the baptism of the Lord in Matthew 3:16 - 17. That text reads:
“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
In these verses of scripture, we see the Son being baptized, the Holy Spirit alighting on Him in bodily form like a dove and we hear the Father’s voice speaking from heaven confirming the Son ship of the Lord. In addition to this witness, in Matthew 28:19, the Lord said:
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
This brings out the co-equality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and Son clearly. Another text that brings out the Trinity of the God Head clearly showing the co-equality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and Son is 1John 5:7 which reads:
“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”
From the foregoing, it is very clear that the Holy Spirit is Co-equal with the father and the Son and for the records, the Son is the same person referred to here as the Word. You will find proof of this in John Chapter 1 verses 1 to 14.
· He is the principal executor of God’s program on the Earth today. Since the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit has been on earth implementing the plan of God for this planet. Just before the Lord Jesus Christ left the Earth, He told His disciples that He was not going to leave them comfortless but that He would come to them again by sending them the Holy Spirit who would be with them and all the rest of us who believe in Him forever. You will find this account in John 14:15-18.
· He is love and has a will and emotions. In this chapter we already established that the Holy Spirit is God. As God, He is love as shown to us in 1John 4:8. He also has a will and emotions. In 1Cor.12:11 where Apostle Paul was teaching about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, he said that the Holy Spirit would distribute His gifts severally to individuals as He wills. This goes to make us understand that the Holy Spirit just does not jump because we tell Him to. He only jumps when He wants to. In the same way we cannot operate His gifts at our pleasure or as we will; but as He wills. He also has emotions. In Eph.4:30, we are made to understand that He could be grieved.
· He is Holy. This is why everywhere He is mentioned in the bible as a Spirit, the word Spirit is qualified with Holy. Just as the Father and the Son are referred to as Holy, He is also referred to as Holy.
· He is the hidden mystery now made known in our time. According to Apostle Paul, the truth of Him living in us, was concealed by God to the world from the foundation of the world for our glory. In Col.1:26-27, we are told:
“Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”
Presently, Christ is in the believers of Christ by His Spirit. The Spirit of Christ is another name by which the Holy Spirit is known [1Pet.1:11]. In our text scripture here, the Spirit of Christ in the saint is said to be the hidden mystery of God from the foundation of the world.
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