To the Holy
Spirit:
My God; my love;
my dedication.
The Table of
Contents
Chapter 1: The
Personality of the Holy Ghost
Chapter 2: The Deity and Titles of the Spirit
of God
Chapter 3: The
Holy and Blessed Trinity
Chapter 4: Christian
Hymns on the Holy Spirit
Chapter 1:
The Personality
of the Holy Ghost
John 16:13-14 speaks about the
Spirit of God:
“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” (KJV).
It was necessary for our Lord Jesus Christ to depart
and be with His Father. It was better
for His disciples that He would go and be with His Father. This was because the Holy Spirit had to come.
It indicates the permanent presence of
the Holy Spirit of God. The Spirit of
truth is described as a He. Christ uses
personal pronouns to describe the Holy Spirit.
His mission was to guide them into all truth. He glorified Christ, and He showed God’s
message to the writers of Scripture in the New Testament. There is a sense in which the Spirit of truth
guides His people nowadays into all truth.
The Holy Spirit works in conjunction with the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit’s work is to “tell you things
to come.” This directly indicates that the Holy Spirit has a specific mission.
Thus, He intends as a personality to accomplish His initiative. He illuminates our minds when we prayerfully
read divine Scripture. But there is no
new special revelation existing now. The
canon is closed, and will not see the Spirit of truth providing new special
revelation.
Acts 28:25-27 refers to the
Holy Spirit who spoke through Isaiah:
“And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving
after Paul had spoken one parting word, "The Holy Spirit rightly spoke
through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers…”
(NASB).
Here the apostle Paul refers to the speaking of the
Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit spoke
through Isaiah the prophet. The Holy
Spirit also spoke through the New Testament authors. The Holy Spirit breathed-out the Word of God
in the inspiration of the Old and New Testament. Paul refers to the Holy Spirit as Someone who
rightly spoke. Every verse that testifies to the Lord
speaking through a prophet is sufficient evidence of the real, true, authentic
personality of God the Holy Spirit. It
is not falsely, unjustly, sinfully assumed with blind zeal. Every verse of Scripture bears evidence and
self-testimony on the personhood of the Spirit of God. Clearly, He is not an impersonal it. Rather, the Holy Spirit spoke through Isaiah
as He spoke through all the authors of divine Scripture. Oh, what a glorious, splendorous, and divine
Lord we serve! How majestic, awesome,
and righteous!
Second Corinthians 13:14 indicates Paul’s benediction:
“The grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you
all. Amen” (KJV).
This concluding statement of the apostle Paul illustrates
a Trinitarian benediction. Here the
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is mentioned, and the Father’s love. The communion of the Holy Ghost is also mentioned. The believer was saved by grace alone. Grace comes solely through Jesus Christ. God’s people are in Christ, and we have the
love of the Father. Because of Christ we
have communion of the Holy Ghost. The
Trinity is active in the life of the Christian.
We must not go against the
Holy Spirit. We either please or offend
the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit
loves His people. The Holy Spirit has a
personal relationship in spiritual fellowship with God’s people. When we have communion with the Holy Ghost we
have a personal relationship with Him. The
Old Testament consistently affirms that God is one as the self-revealed
Creator. God is the Creator Who must be
exclusively worshipped and loved. The New Testament is in complete agreement
that God is one. Yet the New Testament
speaks of three persons of God: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Trinity of God brings about true
salvation.
First Timothy 4.1 describes
the Spirit of God who spoke to Paul:
“Now the Spirit speaketh
expressly, that in latter time some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to
seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (KJV).
The Spirit speaks through holy men of old. The Spirit of holiness knew people would
depart from the faith. He knew people
who give heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. The Spirit of truth is contrasted, opposed,
different then seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. The Spirit divinely speaks from His divine
knowledge.
First John 5.6 speaks of
Spirit of truth:
“This is he that came by water
and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it
is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth” (KJV).
Our Lord Jesus here is called the Christ. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of truth. Without
believing that God the Holy Spirit one cannot know God! The Holy Spirit is the Third Member of the
Blessed Trinity. This means that the Holy Spirit is a person who is God. The Holy Spirit is a personal who. The Holy Spirit is not an
impersonal it. Theologians speak of
the Third Member of the Trinity as a distinct personality and not an impersonal
force. Holy Scripture uses personal
pronouns to demonstrate that the Holy Spirit is indeed a true person. Therefore the person of the Holy Spirit is
real and actual. Once more He is not an impersonal force. True Christians are
able to enjoy a personal relationship with the Blessed Spirit of God.
Ephesians 4:30 refers to the grieving of the Holy Spirit:
“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for
the day of redemption” (NASB).
Christians are not to grieve the Holy Spirit.
Believers are not to sin against the Holy Spirit. How can an impersonal force
be grieved? How can Christians sin
against an impersonal it? The emotion of grief can only be experienced by a
personal agent. A person can only resist
a personal who. Sinners sin against a
divine person.
Genesis 6:3 refers to the Spirit striving with sinners:
Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man
forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred
and twenty years." (NASB).
Here the Lord
spoke of His Spirit. The Lord’s Spirit
will not always strive with men. Here
the Lord speaks of the withdrawal of His Spirit. The point is how can the Holy Spirit strive
with sinners if He is not a real, true, authentic person?
Acts 7:51 refers to the resisting of the Spirit
of God:
"You men
who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting
the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. (NASB).
Stephen spoke
of the stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart.
Unregenerate men and women are stiff-necked. That is, they are stubborn in their sin,
rebellion, and unbelief. Unregenerate
people are also uncircumcised in heart.
That is, there hearts are lifeless, stony, calloused. These kinds of people were like the fathers
of old, and the present fathers that Stephen refuted. They resisted the Holy Spirit. The point is how can an impersonal force be
resisted? If the Holy Spirit can be
resisted, isn’t He a real person?
Acts 9:31 refers to the comfort of the Holy
Spirit:
“So the church
throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the
Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.” (NASB).
Here we see
that God’s people have the fear of God, and the comfort of the Holy
Spirit. Have you ever experienced the
comfort of the Holy Spirit? If the Holy
Spirit is not a true person, how can He comfort His people? If the Holy Spirit can comfort His people,
doesn’t show that He is indeed a real person?
Romans 8:26 refers to the intercession of the
Spirit of God:
“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not
know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with
groanings too deep for words…” (NASB).
The Spirit of
God helps with our weakness. We may not
know how to pray, but He intercedes for His people with groanings too deep for
words. The Holy Spirit has an effective role in our
prayer lives. He is able to help us
express ourselves to God the Father through God the Son. Our Lord Jesus Christ intercedes for us as
our Great High Priest. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us in our prayers. If the Holy
Spirit is not a real person, how can He help God’s people with their
weakness? If the Holy Spirit intercedes
for His people with groanings that cannot be uttered, doesn’t this show He is an
authentic person?
The Holy Spirit performs tasks
that only a person can accomplish. He guides, comforts, teaches God’s elect
people (John 16). These are activities
accomplished by the Holy Spirit of God. These activities involve intelligence,
will, emotion, authority. The work and
ministry of the Holy Spirit show that He is a true, real, genuine person.
The affirmation of the true
Christian believers is to confess, proclaim, preach, declare and defend the
Holy Spirit as the Third Person of the Holy and Blessed Trinity. We must love,
adore, honor, commit, venerate, revere, obey God the Holy Spirit!
Acts 13:2 refers to what the
Holy Spirit said:
“.As they ministered to the
Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said,
“Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them” (Emphasis
mine, KJV).
Within these verses we note the following: The personality of the Holy Spirit is
indicated by the words Me and I. The Holy Spirit speaks. An impersonal force
would not use this language. The Holy
Spirit put forth intelligible statements. The Holy Spirit gave intentional
instructions. The Holy Spirit has a
unique and specific plan for His followers.
John 15:26 speaks of the Holy Ghost:
“But when the Helper comes,
whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds
form the Father; He will testify of Me” (NKJV).
Our Lord Jesus Christ refers to the Holy Spirit having
a personality; the Lord Jesus refers to the Spirit of God as whom and as He;
the Lord Jesus specifically and explicitly calls attention to the personhood of
the Holy Spirit.
The apostle Paul speaks of
spiritual attentiveness in First Corinthians 2:9-14:
“But as it is written, Eye
hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the
things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. Rut hath revealed them
unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep
things of God. Pot what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man
which is in him' Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of
God. 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 recieveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned” (KJV).
This passage of the apostle Paul is from the Holy
Ghost. This passage of the apostle Paul
is the crux for our understanding of the Holy Spirit. There is a kind of
spiritual discernment which is not natural to true believers. Within the depravity of man, people lack the
ability to understand, comprehend and realize the true things of God Himself. The apostle Paul categorically proclaims:
“neither can he know them.” How can a
non-spiritual person discern spiritual things of God Himself? As Reformed
theologians have noted (RC Sproul, for example), by nature human beings are not
sons and daughters of Christ. By nature
human beings are completely depraved. This
is not to say that human beings in their total depravity and inability are not
religious. We see churches in our
communities. Yet they do not understand
the true things of God. Human beings
cannot understand the true spiritual things of God unless the Spirit makes
alive that person. The spiritual work of
the Spirit of God is regeneration. The
spiritual work of regeneration is called spiritual rebirth. When the spiritual work of the Spirit’s
regeneration occurs this causes us to possess spiritual discernment. To the
natural man the personality of the Holy Spirit is foolishness. There are people outside the Reformed faith
that believe the Holy Spirit is a person.
For example, Romanism affirms the doctrine of the personality of the
Holy Spirit. While this true, we do not
agree with them on the gospel. The
gospel of divine Scripture is opposed to their gospel. We would use this passage in reference to
them. That is, the gospel of the
Reformation (founded on the Scripture alone) is foolishness to them.
We have clearly, plainly,
truly seen the teaching of the divine Word of God on the Holy Spirit. The personality of the Holy Spirit is a
blessed, sacred, treasured doctrine of the Reformed Baptist faith. If the Holy Spirit is a true person we are
therefore called to have a personal and intimate relationship with Him. Do you have an intimate devotion to the Holy
Spirit? The Christian Bible demands true Christians to espouse to the personality
of the Holy Spirit. Let us consider the
subject of the deity of the Holy Spirit.
To this we now turn.
Chapter 2:
The Deity and
Titles of the Spirit of God
The deity of the Holy Spirit
is seen in the Old and New Testaments.
It is also seen in the titles ascribed to Him. We have already established that the Holy
Spirit is a true, real, authentic person.
Now we shall see the depths and riches of the Holy Spirit concerning His
deity. The deity of the Holy Spirit is a
fundamental, basic, essential truth of the divine Reformed faith. Let us handle with subject with great tender and
cautious care. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and
the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (Second Corinthians 13:14 NKJV).
Genesis 1:1-2 reveals the
Spirit of God:
“In the beginning God created
the heaven and the earth. 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” (KJV).
The Spirit of God works in creation. The Spirit of God
provides life. When the Spirit of God
withholds His power life stops. The Spirit of God continues to provide life and
withhold life as He pleases. The Spirit of God had activity in creation: “You
sent forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth.”
(Psalm 104:30 NKJV).
The Spirit of God is the
creator and author of life and intelligence: “But there is a spirit in man, and
the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.” (Job 32:8 NKJV).
The Holy Ghost was the
omnipotent source of the conception of Jesus: “And the angel answered and said
to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will
overshadow you, therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called
the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35 NKJV).
The Holy Spirit was the power
source behind our Lord Jesus Christ’s bodily resurrection from the dead: “But
if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who
raised Christ from the dead will also give to your mortal bodies through His
Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:11 NKJV)
Acts 5:3-4 indicates the Holy
Spirit as God:
“But Peter said, Ananias, why
hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part
of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? And after
it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this thing
in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God” (NKJV).
This passage illustrates an equation. To the Holy
Ghost is a lie unto God. The sin of Ananias is that he lied unto the Holy
Spirit. If a lie was toward the Holy
Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is God, then Ananias has lied not unto man, but
unto God Himself. The apostle Peter ascribed divinity to the Holy Ghost as
being God. This means that if the Holy Ghost is God He possess all divine
attributes and perfections.
Romans 8:9-17 unveils the
Spirit of Christ:
“But ye 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. And if Christ be in you, the
body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he
that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by
his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to
the mesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall
die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall
live. For as many are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For
ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received
the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, bubba, Father. The Spirit itself
beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if
children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that
we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (KJV).
God’s people have God abiding in them. The people of God have the Spirit indwelling
them. Without the Spirit of Christ, we
are not God’s property. Here the Spirit
is called the Spirit of Christ. It is
appropriate to call the Spirit the Spirit of the Father or the Spirit of
Christ. The Spirit is in the
Godhead. This is why it is appropriate
to say ‘the Spirit of the Father’ or ‘the Spirit of Christ.’ Only God should remain in His people. God’s people are the temple of God’s Spirit. The Spirit raised Christ from the dead. It is this same Spirit that dwells in God’s
people. We ought to live according to
the Spirit. The Spirit of Christ is the
Spirit of adoption. We have been adopted
into the family of God. The Spirits is
the evidence that testifies to us that we are God’s children. It is by the Spirit of Christ that we know we
are His. If the Spirit of Christ bears
witness with our spirit that we are the children of God, doesn’t this
demonstrate that He is a divine person? Who
besides God tells us infallibly that we are His? If the Spirit is the Spirit of adoption,
doesn’t that show He has authority?
First Corinthians 6:19-20
indicates that God’s people are the temple of the Spirit of God:
“What? Know ye not that your
body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and
ye are not your own? For ye are brought with a price: therefore glorify God in
your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (KJV).
The Holy Spirit is God because we are called the
“temple of God.” This is because the Holy Spirit dwells within His people. The
people of God are bearers of the Holy Ghost. The believer is the temple in
which the Holy Spirit is pleased to inhabit. The One who dwells in the believer
is the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit is a
gift from God for His beloved people. The temple is God’s property; therefore,
if the temple is God’s, the Holy Spirit is God.
Ephesians 2:18-22 indicate
believers have access to the Father through the Spirit of God:
“For through him we both have
access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers
and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of
God. And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus
Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom the building fitly framed
together growth unto an holy temple in the Lord. In whom ye also are builded
together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”
Who gives us access to God other then God
Himself? We have access to the Father by
the Spirit of access. May we thank,
praise, worship the Spirit!
The Christian Bible explicitly
presents the Holy Spirit as very God of very God. This means the Holy Ghost is
truly divine. The Holy Spirit possesses attributes of divinity. The Holy Ghost
exercises His divine authority and power. If the Spirit of God is indeed a
person, He is indeed divine. The divinity of the Holy Spirit is crucial to our
understanding of the very nature of God. If we neglect such a teaching as the
divinity of the Holy Spirit, we demonstrate the extent in our depravity. We
must embrace the doctrine of the divinity of the Holy Spirit of God as
trustworthy and truthful. For the very inspiration of Sacred Writ is from Him:
the Spirit of Truth!
The Old Testament Holy
Scriptures communicate to us that what is stated about God Himself is asserted
about the Holy Ghost. The statements as “God spoke thus” or “the Spirit said”
is expressions of God Himself. The activity of the Holy Ghost is that of God.
Therefore the Holy Ghost is God.
The totality of Holy Writ
indicates divine attributes of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit is all-powerful,
all-knowing, all-wise and ever-present. The apostle Paul writes of the
omniscience of the Holy Ghost:
“…The Spirit searches all
things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man
except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things
of God except the Spirit of God.” (First Corinthians 2:10-11 NKJV).
The Holy Spirit revealed this to Saint Paul. He made
this revelation to the apostle Paul. The Holy Spirit knows everything. We see
that the Holy Spirit has an attribute of God Himself. The attribute of
omniscience is an attribute of divinity.
The Psalmist ascribes
omnipresence to God:
“Where can I go from Yom
Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend unto heaven, You
are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.” (Psalm 139:7-8
NKJV).
The Psalmist uses rhetorical questions to express the
very omnipresence of God the Holy Spirit. The presence of God is mentioned in
this verse. The presence of the Holy Ghost is mentioned with the presence of
God Himself. There is no where a person
can flee from the presence of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is ubiquitous, everywhere and
omnipresent. This attribute of omnipresence belongs to God alone and not to
creatures. No being except God Himself can be present at more then one place at
a time.
This means that God alone is
omnipresent. Satan, holy angels, demons and human beings are finite creatures.
Finite creatures remain bound by space and time. There is no created being who
is omnipresent.
First
Corinthians 12:6, 11 refers to the Spirit as the Sovereign Spirit:
“There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all
things in all persons…But one and the same Spirit works all these things,
distributing to each one individually just as He wills.” (NASB).
If the Spirit
of God is sovereign, doesn’t that show He is God? If He is God, don’t you owe Him your
allegiance?
Hebrews 9:14
refers to the Spirit as the Eternal Spirit:
“how much more
will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself
without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the
living God?” (NASB).
If the Spirit of God is eternal, doesn’t that prove He
is God? If He is the Eternal Spirit, why
do you reject Him as God?
Matthew 28:19 refers to the
Godhead: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
"Go
therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…”
(NASB).
If the Spirit
is connected with the Father and the Son, isn’t He God? The Spirit is in the Godhead with the Father
and the Son. The Father is God, and the
Son is God. We see people who reject the
deity of the Son. But divine Scripture
clearly supports the deity of the Son of Man (Colossians 1; Hebrews 1). In this study, we have looked at the Holy
Spirit. We have seen He is omniscient,
omnipresent, sovereign, eternal and in the Godhead. Therefore He is God.
Now let us turn to the titles of
the Holy Spirit. The titles simply
demonstrate that the Holy Spirit is God.
It is appropriate for only God to have these titles.
Matthew 10:20
refers to the Spirit of your Father:
"For it is
not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.”
(NASB).
John 14:16-17,
26 refers to the Spirit as the Eternal Helper and Spirit of truth:
"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper,
that He may be with you forever… that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world
cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him
because He abides with you and will be in you…. "But the Helper, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and
bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” (NASB).
Paul in Romans 1:4 refers to the Spirit
as the Spirit of holiness:
“who was
declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according
to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord…” (NASB).
Paul in Romans
8:2 supports the Spirit as the Spirit of life:
“For the law of
the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of
death.” (NASB).
Paul in Romans 8:9 refers to the Spirit
as the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ:
“However, you
are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in
you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to
Him.” (NASB).
Paul in Galatians 4:6 refers to the
Spirit as the Spirit of His Son:
“Because you
are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying,
"Abba! Father!" (NASB).
Peter in 1 Peter 4:14 refers to the
Spirit as the Spirit of glory:
“If you are
reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory
and of God rests on you.” (NASB).
Moses in Genesis 1:2 refers to the Spirit as the
Spirit of God:
“The earth was
formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the
Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.” (NASB).
The Psalmist Psalm 51:1 refers to the
Spirit as the Holy Spirit:
“Do not cast me
away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” (NASB).
Isaiah 61:1 refers to the Spirit as the
Lord God:
“The Spirit of
the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to
the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty
to captives And freedom to prisoners…”
(NASB).
Zechariah 12:10 refers to the Spirit as
the Spirit of grace:
"I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look
on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an
only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a
firstborn.” (NASB).
Here we see
that the Spirit of divine Scripture is God.
These titles demonstrate that nothing less then God is being spoken
about by the holy authors. We also see that
holy Scripture uses exalted, divine, sacred titles of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:8,
17-18; Romans 9:5; Hebrews 2:10).
May we submit on bended knee to
worship the Spirit of grace! My prayer
for you is to have a vital relationship with the Spirit as the Lord God. Amen.
Chapter 3:
The Holy and
Blessed Trinity
The
one true being of God is explicitly seen in Holy Scripture. The personality and
deity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is explicitly seen in Holy Writ. There
is but one true God. There are three distinct persons who are God: The Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit. The person of the Father is often assumed and
overlooked. The deity of the Father is straightforwardly proclaimed in Holy
Scripture (Isaiah 64:8; Mathew 28:19; Philippians 1.2; Second Corinthians
13:14; Ephesians 4:4-6; First Corinthians 8:6). The personality of the Father
is straightforwardly declared in Holy Scripture (Matthew 3:17; 5:16; 5:48; 6:6;
6:14; Luke 6:36; John 5:20).
Let
us study the deity of our Holy Father in divine Scripture. Isaiah 64:8 refers to the deity of the God of
Jesus Christ:
“But now, O LORD, You are
our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are
the work of Your hand.” (NKJV).
Here the LORD is seen as the Father. The Holy and Righteous Father is the
LORD. We are the clay, and He is the
Potter. All is the work of His
hand. If the Father is LORD, doesn’t
that show the Father is the Eternal Father?
If the Father is the LORD, He never had a beginning, nor will He have an
end.
Mathew 28:19 refers to the
Father in the Godhead:
“Go therefore and make
disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” (NKJV).
Here the name of God is mentioned. It refers to the being of God. Within the being of God there are three
distinct Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Father is divine, the Son is divine, and
the Holy Spirit is divine. The Father is
God, and He was never a man, but remains a pure, eternal, awesome Creator.
Philippians 1.2 refers to God
our Father:
“Grace to you and peace from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
(NKJV).
Grace and peace come from God the Father. The God of Jesus Christ is the Father of
grace and peace. The Father is the First
Person of the Trinity, and the Lord Jesus Christ is the Second Person of the
Trinity. Christ called His God Father,
and we ought to imitate Him as fallible, finite, limited creatures. We also see that Christ is Incarnate Deity to
be mentioned along with the Father, and from Him, and through Him is grace and
peace.
Second Corinthians 13:14 refers
to the Trinity:
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you
all. Amen.” (NKJV).
Here we see that grace is from the Son; the love of
God is from the Father. And the
communion of God is through the Holy Spirit.
Grace solely comes through Jesus Christ.
Believers in Christ are showered with the love of God. This is because it is through and in the Lord
Jesus Christ. The Three distinct Persons
are mentioned: The Lord Jesus Christ, the God of love, and the communion of the
Holy Spirit. The Father is the God of
love; the God of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 4:4-6 refers to
Father as God and Father:
“There is one body and one Spirit, just
as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one
baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all,
and in you all.” (NKJV).
We see the Father is the God and Father of all true
Christians. We see that there is but one
God and Father. He is self-existent, eternal,
and transcendent: “yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are
all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are
all things, and through whom we live” (First Corinthians 8:6 NKJV).
Let us now study the personality of the Father. Matthew 3:17 refers to the voice of the Father in
pleasure of His Only Beloved Son:
“And suddenly a voice came
from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (NKJV).
Here we see the voice of God came from heaven in
support of His Son. The voice did not
come from men, but from God alone. The
Father expressed that the Lord Jesus Christ is His Beloved Son. He also expressed His pleasure in His
Son. The Father speaks from heaven in
pleasure of His Only Beloved Son.
Matthew 5:16 refers to God the
Father in heaven:
“Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in
heaven.” (NKJV).
If we can glorify God the Father, He must be a real
person. As believers, we ought to
demonstrate our faith by good works, and glorify our Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:48 refers to the
perfection of the Father:
“Therefore you shall be
perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (NKJV).
Our Father in heaven is perfect. He is sinless, spotless, without
blemish. Here we see the personal character
of God the Father: perfection.
Matthew 6:6 refers to prayer
to God the Father:
“But you, when you pray, go
into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is
in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you
openly.” (NKJV).
We ought to pray to our Father in secret, and He will
reward us openly. We see that the Father
is a person because we can pray to Him.
The Father is everywhere, and He is able to see the acts of men in
prayer.
Matthew 6:14 refers of the
forgiveness of the Father:
“For if you forgive men their
trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” (NKJV).
We see that the Father forgives His people. We see this as a personal characteristic of
God the Father.
Luke 6:36 refers to the mercy
of God the Father:
“Therefore be merciful, just
as your Father also is merciful.”
(NKJV).
We see that the Father has the personal attribute of
mercy. Only a person can be merciful,
and therefore, God the Father is a person.
John 5:20 refers to the love
of the Father for the Son:
“For the Father loves the Son,
and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater
works than these, that you may marvel.”
(NKJV).
The deity of the Son is
explicitly seen in Holy Scripture (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Matthew 1:23; John 1:1-3).
The humanity of the Son is explicitly seen in Holy Writ (Genesis 3:15; John
1:14; First Timothy 2:5).
Let us now consider the
Scriptural evidence for the deity of the Son.
Isaiah 7:14 speaks of Jesus Christ as “God with us” (cf. Matthew 1:23):
“Therefore the Lord Himself
will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and
shall call His name Immanuel.” (NKJV).
Isaiah 9:6 refers to the Lord Jesus as Wonderful,
Counselor, Might God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace:
“For unto us a Child is born,
unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His
name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.” (NKJV).
John 1:1-3 refers to the Everlasting Word of God:
“In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning
with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made
that was made.” (NKJV).
The apostle John used the concept of the term Logos
which meant Word. This concept used by the apostle John explicitly reflected
the nature of our Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle John, who was moved by the
Holy Spirit of God, penned a profound statement regarding the person of our
Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament Holy Scriptures. In passing, dear
Christians, let refer to the New Testament as the New Testament Scriptures as
we would the Old Testament. May we give
the whole of Scripture its due reverence and respect! Anyway, the phrase “in the beginning...”
refers to the eternality of the Word.
That indeed the Word Incarnate (John 1:14) existed from everlasting to
everlasting. This is vital to our understanding in comprehending the everlastingness
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore the Word Incarnate preexisted in eternality
past before the very creation of the universe. Preexistence is exactly linked
with eternality. This means that our Lord Jesus Christ not merely preexisted
before the universe but preexisted in eternality! How incredible! The Greek
language uses the word Logos to refer to the Word, Jesus Christ. The Word
Incarnate was active in the work of creation. Indeed, He created. Thus, He is
the Supreme Creator.
We must make it clear that our
Lord Jesus Christ preexisted not merely before the universe began but in
eternality past. We must make this abundantly clear to separate ourselves from
Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses. These modern but primitive cults agree that
our Lord Jesus Christ preexisted. Yet these heretical cults deny the very
eternality of the Incarnate Word.
The apostle John communicates
that the Logos preexisted. Our Lord Jesus Christ was with God. Our Lord Jesus
Christ was in an intimate relationship with the Father. John uses this in his
introduction. John distinguishes among the Logos and God. This means that there
are two distinct persons: Within the Godhead there are distinctions. This is
the grounds for saying that there are distinctions within the being of God.
That indeed John himself demonstrates such distinctions between the Logos and
God. The Christian Bible distinguishes between the Three Persons of the
Godhead. The three distinctions of the Godhead are: God the Father, God the Son
and God the Holy Spirit. John, the apostle, declares that the Logos was God.
The proclamation of the New
Testament is this unambiguous statement by John concerning the deity of our
Lord Jesus Christ. John distinguished between the Logos and God. The identity
of the Logos and God are clearly seen from John’s words.
The Christian church is
compelled to ensure the faithfulness of the Christian Bible by believing the
very unity of being. Identicalness is proclaimed among the Logos and God. That is, both God and the Logos is God. The
Logos and God are one in essence. If the Logos and God are one in essence, this
therefore means that there are two distinct individuals who are divine. Within
the unity of being they are one.
There is a distinction that is
between the Word Incarnate and God Himself. There a unique harmony of essence
among the Logos and God. There is also a unique distinction among the Logos and
God. Yet this distinction must not assault God’s unity. God’s unity must not
assault these unique distinctions.
Let now consider the
Scriptural evidence for the humanity of the Son of Man. Genesis 3:15 refers to
the seed of the woman (Jesus Christ):
“And I will put enmity between
you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your
head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
(NKJV).
John 1:14 refers to the Everlasting Word becoming
flesh:
“And the Word became flesh and
dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of
the Father, full of grace and truth.”
(NKJV).
First Timothy 2:5 refers to the Man, Jesus Christ:
“For there is one God
and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus…” (NKJV).
We have already seen that the deity and the personality
of the Holy Spirit are straightforwardly seen in Holy Scripture. Therefore the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
possess deity and personality!
This following discussion is
based on RC Sproul’s book The Mystery of
the Holy Spirit (Illinois: Tyndale Publishers, Inc., 1990), pp. 53-74. Oh, come forth Holy Spirit, and work in our
minds that we may understand Thy precious truth! Amen.
Let us discuss one of
objections to the Trinity is that the word itself is not in Holy Writ. Heretics
say, “Since the word Trinity is not in the Christian Bible, it follows that Trinitarians
worship three gods.” We respectfully reply: In theology there are many words
that are not found in Holy Scripture which are used to convey concepts. Yet the
concepts of the meaning of these words are found in the pages of Holy Writ.
The concept of the Trinity of
God is found almost on every page of Holy Writ. It is the concept of the
Blessed Trinity that is found throughout the pages of Holy Scripture in both
Old and New Testaments. The word Trinity does not necessarily have to be in
Holy Scripture for the concept to be rooted in Holy Scripture. The word Trinity
does not have to be in Holy Scripture for the teaching to be biblically sound.
Because the word Trinity is not found in Holy Scripture it does not follow
therefore that Trinitarian Christians worship three gods. It is an explicit
straw man to say that Christians worship three gods. Worshipping of three gods
is not Trinitarianism but rather Tritheism. The criticism of the Trinity has
mixed what is Trinitarianism with what is Tritheism. Trinitarianism is not
Tritheism, and Tritheism and not Trinitarianism: they are two vastly different
teachings. Trinitarianism is biblically sound, while Tritheism is heretical and
biblically unsound.
If theologians use
non-biblical words that convey biblical concepts then it logically follows that
those biblical concepts are a reflection of what Sacred Scripture teaches,
affirms, defends and declares. The test of our alleged biblical concepts is
this: Are the concepts truly biblical?
If the concepts are derived from Scripture then we must conclude that
the concepts are a biblical reflection out of Scripture. We must get what the
authors wanted out of the text not reading our view into the text.
Christianity affirms the
incomprehensibility of Yahweh. This does not mean that people know nothing
about God Himself. This means that God can be understood in a limited degree in
which He Himself has revealed of Himself. There is internal weakness in human
beings to understand the things of God Himself. God cannot be comprehended
completely. The knowledge of God Himself of which He has revealed of Himself is
not exhaustive. The revelation of God Himself in Holy Writ comes to us in a
kind of divine accommodation. God accommodates His people in their weakness.
The Christian church uses
extrabiblical vocabulary to reflect the biblical concepts in Holy Writ. This
means that there are persuasive grounds for the Christian church in
accomplishing this. The Christian church is forced to use extrabiblical
vocabulary. This is because heretics twist biblical words to mean something
they do not mean. The intention of the interpreter must be to arrive at the
authors intended meaning of the text. It is the goal of heretics to attempt and
try to mask their language in biblical terminology. The apostle Paul cautions
the Ephesians about this dangerous activity by heretics. Empty words are terms which have been
stripped of their intended meaning.
When theologians use
purposeful and certain terminology or vocabulary we wish to achieve at the
accurate meaning of the author of Holy Scripture. When we do this, we safeguard the visible
body of Christ from distortions and doctrines of demons. The Christian church’s
confession of faith is at stake.
The question is: Is the
Trinitarian formula a contradiction in any sense? The response to this question
is this: No, the Trinitarian formula is not a contradiction. The Trinity is
absolutely positively rational and true. There is not the slightest
contradiction in the Christian church’s formula of the Trinity.
If God was one in essence but yet
three in essence that would be a direct contradiction. If God was one in person
and yet three in person that would be another contradiction. But the
Trinitarian formula does not state these things. The Trinitarian formula
asserts that God is one in essence and three in person. If the essence of God
and the persons of God were the same thing, it would be a blatant contradiction
There is a cautious
distinction which has been made by the Christian church between the terms
essence and person. Regarding essence and person, is there a distinction? Is
there a real significant difference between essence and person? There is a
vital difference between essence and person. Thus the Trinitarian formula is
not contradictory or irrational. This means that the Trinitarian formula is
biblically logical. We now turn to the matter of essence and person of the
Blessed and Holy Trinity.
First, we need to analyze the
distinction among the words essence and person. This means that the distinction
is vital to our comprehension of the Blessed and Holy Trinity.
Theologians speak of a direct distinction
between essence and person. We have spoken of this distinction between essence
(or being) and person. What are the origins of these words? When we apply them
to our God, how are we to comprehend these terms?
Theologians speak of the
essence of God. The origin of this terminology is taken from Greek philosophy.
This means it is the conception of being. Some modern theologians protest when
we use Greek language. This concept has been assaulted under paganistic
philosophy. We see this concept purely manifest itself in Hebrew reflection.
Some theologians have trouble
with Greek vocabulary. But if the Holy Spirit does not have trouble with Greek
language conformed to convey biblical concepts, what is the problem? Greek
terminology was a means or instrument in which God appropriated His will
through the special revelation of the New Testament Holy Scriptures. Within the
Greek New Testament we constantly find the Greek word for being.
The concept of the being of
God is vital to our comprehension. This is because we are speaking about what
God is. Our God is a simple Being. Our God is a unified Being. Our God has no
component parts. These alleged parts do not make up God. Nothing makes up God.
When we think of the Trinity some Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the Trinity
is three parts to God. This is heresy of Tritheism. It is also an explicit
straw man. God is not three parts. The Christian church maintained in the past
and maintains in the present-future of the Trinity of Yahweh.
The plurality of the persons
within the being of God does not counteract the fundamental unity of Yahweh.
The utter simplicity of the unity of the Blessed Trinity is desecrated by
heresy of Tritheism. The Christian church, in life and in death, has sought to
indemnify the veracity of scriptural monotheism. The Christian church speaks of
the three individuals of the Godhead. The Christian church since its very
existence has sought substantiation for the Trinity from the Christian Bible.
The Christian Bible indicates verses which are particularly important for
support of the concept of the Blessed and Holy Trinity.
The Christian Bible asserts
that our Lord Jesus Christ is the “first creation of all creation.” The Christian
asserts that our Lord Jesus Christ is begotten of the Father. These heretical
cults unfairly isolate passages like these and place their subjective meanings
on the Scriptures to suit their own agendas in degrading the true deity of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. After Jesus’ alleged creation, according to these
heretical groups, Jesus then preexisted the creation of the universe. One can
easily see how they misrepresent and misinterpret what the Holy Scriptures say.
The Trinitarian formula refers
to the persons of the Trinity. Within Hebrews 1:1-3 we see a poetic portrait of
the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. The
author of the book of Hebrews illustrates that our Lord Jesus Christ is “the
brightness of His glory and the express image of His person.” There is a vital
and fundamental distinction between the Father and His Son. There is a
distinction between the Father and Jesus. If there is a distinction, there are
two persons within the Godhead.
Within the Trinity there is
one essence and three subsistences. The three members of the Godhead subsist
within the heavenly being of God. There are not three essences. There are three
distinct subsisting members within the Godhead. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit
describe personal distinctions within the Godhead. These distinctions within
the Godhead are by no means fundamental divisions of dissimilarity. We must
understand that the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Father, and the
Father and the Son are not the Holy Spirit. There are unique subsistences
within the one Godhead.
The Father sent His Son into
the world for the task of redemption. God the Son is coeternal, coequal and
coessential with God the Father. God the Son is eternally begotten but not made
by God the Father. God the Father is never begotten by God the Son. God the
Father and God the Son send the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit proceeds from
God the Father and God the Son. God the Spirit does not send forth God the
Father nor God the Son. God the Father and God the Son do not precede from God
the Holy Spirit. Redemption illustrates that God the Son is submissive to God
the Father. God the Holy Spirit is submissive to God the Father and God the
Son. This submissiveness or subordination that theologians speak thereof does
infer inferiority. Instead, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are coequal
with God the Father in every way.
My prayers and hope is that
the reader is in harmony with what I have communicated throughout this chapter.
Let’s not leave theological conversation to professionals but let us engage in
theology to apply it to our lives within the Christian life. We must understand
the nature of God. We must understand the nature of God because this is the God
who we adore! If we logically love God
with our entire mind, we will learn the things of God. Using our minds is
fundamental in grasping the nature of God for true believers. With all the mere
opinions out in the world today, there needs to be an embracing of sound
doctrine.
The statements of doctrine
must be the foundation and creedal affirmation in our theology. We must affirm
the very essentials of the Christian faith. We must obey, receive, hold fast
and adorn sound doctrine. We must truly believe in the nature of God and
profess it earnestly. The factualness of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is
essential in our grasp of learning who God is. If we lack understanding in who
the Holy Spirit is, and what place He has in the Godhead, we lack comprehension
and our salvation is in serious jeopardy! I believe belief in the Holy Spirit
is a requirement for salvation. Therefore let us approach God with
understanding and with great caution in our comprehension.
Chapter 4
Christian Hymns on the Holy
Spirit
This Christian hymn is
on the person of the Spirit. Many groups
deny this blessed truth of divine Scripture.
It is plainly seen in Scripture about the personality of the
Spirit. The hymn is intended to bring
edification for God’s people and exalt and glorify the Holy Spirit.
The Person of the Holy
Spirit
O Person of the Spirit
Radiant and mysterious
Divine Comforter and
Counselor
O Person of the Spirit
Magnificent and real
Powerful and active
O Person of the Spirit
Speaks, Prays, Commands
God of very God
O Person of the Spirit
Christ sent not a force
Person of very person
O Person of the Spirit
Precedes from the Father
and the Son
Changes the Heart,
Convicts, Judges, Indwells,
Amen.
The next Christian hymn
is on the deity of the Holy Spirit.
There are many groups which deny this gospel truth. May we cling to it with our very lives, and
exalt the Triune Lord in our lives! As
the world goes on, let us know that the divine Spirit has changed our hearts,
and He is faithful to preserve us to the end.
The Deity of the Holy
Spirit
O, Come Divine Spirit
Fully God, Fully Divine
Spirit of Deity
O, Come Divine Spirit
Gracious Deity
Spirit of God
O, Come Divine Spirit
Glory to the Spirit
Spirit of Jesus
O, Come Divine Spirit
Splendor of the Spirit
Holy Dove Divine
O, Come Divine Spirit
Honor, Power, Dominion Be
Yours,
Now and forevermore
Amen.
The hymn is
centered on the mystery of the Spirit of God.
We see a time in our land where people think that contradictions are an
exalting way of speaking God’s truth.
Such is far from the case, and we must maintain the mystery of the
Spirit without using foolish contradictions.
The Mystery of the Holy
Spirit
O mysterious Spirit, truth
divine and pure holiness
O mysterious Spirit, moves
as the wind, changes the heart
O mysterious Spirit, produces
fruit in us and baptized for ministry
O mysterious Spirit, superintended
Thy Word, breathed out Thy Word,
O mysterious Spirit, overshadowed
Mary, miraculous conception
O mysterious Spirit, descended
upon Jesus, approved His ministry
Amen.
The hymn is on the
holiness of the Spirit of God. We see
that the Spirit is called the Holy Spirit as the Third Person of the Trinity is
to make us holy in sanctification. May
wed imitate the Lord Jesus who was the Holy One of God! The Spirit of holiness will help us strive in
holiness in a limited sense. Be holy as
He is holy.
The Holiness of the Spirit
O Spirit of holiness
Perfect, pure and good
Divine Counselor
O Spirit of holiness
Spotless, sinless, without
blemish
Holiness divine
O Spirit of holiness
Holy God, Holy Dove
Gracious Spirit Divine
O Spirit of holiness
Without darkness
Pure righteousness
Amen.
The hymn is on
the omnipresence of the Spirit of God.
The Spirit is everywhere, and there is nowhere any can flee from His
presence. He hears every prayer; He
listens to every conversation; He hears what people say about Him.
The Omnipresence of the
Spirit
O Omnipresent Spirit
Everywhere Present
Divine Person of Power
O Omnipresent Spirit
Present at all times
Present in all places
O Omnipresent Spirit
Here with me
Never apart from Thee,
Blessed Spirit
O Omnipresent Spirit
Hears our every word
Intercedes in our prayers
O Omnipresent Spirit
Grieves at our sin
Gives us repentance to bear
O Omnipresent Spirit
Speaks through the prophets
Guides us, O Great God
Amen.
The hymn is on
the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit.
Omnipotence means infinite power.
It is also on the omniscience of the Holy Spirit. Omniscience refers to infinite
knowledge.
The All-Knowing and
All-Powerful Spirit
Spirit Omnipotent, radiant,
true power
Spirit Omniscient, knowing
all, infinite
Spirit Omnipotent, divine
all-powerfulness
Spirit Omniscient, splendorous,
glorious
Spirit Omnipotent, God of
very God
Spirit Omniscient with the
Father and the Son
Spirit Omnipotent sovereign
power
Spirit Omniscient eternal
knowledge
Amen.
I think the main focus
of Christian hymns should be the truth of the Word of God. If praying to back to God His Word is most
pleasing to Him, then, I suppose that singing His Word of truth to Him is most
pleasing. Augustine said that singing to
God is praying twice. What if we sing to
God hymns of His Word? How pleasing that
must be to Him! I will write hymns as it
is pleasing to the Lord. I shall
conclude this book on the Holy Spirit with this hymn. May God use it as it seems good to Him!
Praise to the Holy Ghost
Praise to the Holy Ghost,
True, Awesome, Real
Glory to the Spirit of God
Praise be to His Work
Praise to the Holy Ghost
Holy, Good, Pure
Honor to the Spirit of the
Father
Praise be to His Person
Praise to the Holy Ghost
Matchless, Glorified,
Magnified
Dominion to the Spirit of
Jesus
Praise be to His Ways
Praise to the Holy Spirit
Grace Bestowed and Glory
Given
Worship to the Spirit of
glory
Praise be to His thoughts
of peace
Praise to the Holy Ghost
Righteous, Good, True
Power to the Spirit of
grace
Praise be to His holy name
Praise to the Holy Ghost
Fruits of Thee Given
Grace from the Spirit of
truth
Praise be to His truth
Amen.
O, Come Divine Comforter is a book on the person and
work of the Holy Spirit. It touches on
the personhood, and deity of the Spirit of God with reference to the Holy
Trinity. Learn about the depths, and
riches of the person and deity of the Holy Spirit.
