The Holy Spirit is God
Notes
Transcript
This lesson will focus on the various Scriptures that define the particulars of God's complex character and demonstrate the unique presence of the Holy Spirit in the Godhead.
Intro – Review
All the information
The term Trinity
Progressive Revelation
One example
In the previous chapter we noted the following:
All the information we have about the Holy Spirit is contained in the Bible – II Peter 1:21; Jude 3. Our study, therefore, would be based only on what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit and not personal experience or the stories that other people have claimed.
We also examined the history of the term Trinity and even though this word does not appear in the Bible, it does describe the Biblical concept of a triune God.
We introduced the idea of "progressive revelation," which simply refers to the gradual method God has used to reveal information about Himself and His will for mankind.
One example of this progressive revelation has been the gradual revealing of the dynamic nature of God's deity consisting of three distinct beings united in a single Godhead.
In this chapter we will continue to develop the idea of the Trinity and observe how God, through progressive revelation, clarifies our understanding of His true Godly nature.
I. Tri-une Nature of the Godhead in the New Testament
I. Tri-une Nature of the Godhead in the New Testament
I mentioned before that the Old Testament focused on the oneness of God and His supremacy and uniqueness, primarily to separate the God of the Jews from the myriad gods of the Gentiles who worshipped many gods simultaneously. Some researchers estimate that there are more than 234 deities recorded in ancient Ugaritic texts (religious Canaanite tablets). Gods and goddesses of Canaan – IRA SPAR.
This is one of the reasons that the leaders and prophets of the Jews emphasized the uniqueness and supremacy of God (Jehovah) in that He was not only god (#235) but that He was the One and only God.
In other words, all of the 234 gods were not deity because they didn't have the attributes of the God of the Jews witnessed by the miracles He performed among them since Abraham. Not only these signs but especially the miracles He performed in freeing them from Egyptian slavery (witnessed by the surrounding nations) as well as the many miracles performed while they wandered in the desert for forty years.
Nevertheless, the pagan tribes in the land of Canaan and later the Gentile nations that surrounded the Israelites, all had pagan deities that they continued to worship. In contrast to these, the central focus of the Jewish religion was that there was only one true God and only the temple in Jerusalem contained His presence on earth where He was properly worshipped by the Jewish nation.
This is where the revelation of the true God stood until Jesus appeared and with His appearance came new information about the nature of God's being not previously known (implicitly prophesied but not clearly revealed in the Old Testament - Isaiah 7:14).
We have several passages that show or teach that God's nature or being has the dynamic element of plurality:
1. Matthew 3:16-17
16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
This is Matthew's description of Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist. Note that Matthew records the amazing and revelatory scene where all three beings within the Godhead are manifested physically at the same time, separately and in the same location.
The Father speaks to bless and acknowledge the Son.The Son is in the appearance of man (Jesus) obeying the Father's command (through John) to be baptized.The Holy Spirit appears as a dove symbolizing the power of God in Jesus, legitimizing and empowering His mission – to die on the cross and resurrect, etc.
Note that God is present manifesting the three beings of His divine nature – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
2. Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Here we have Jesus giving His apostles the "Great Commission," but notice how he frames the authority supporting the baptizing of believers transforming them into disciples. He says,
Mt. 28:19 - We see that all three beings are presented as a unit yet distinct deity and authoritative. To baptize in the name of one is to do so in the name and authority of all three. - Acts 2:38 "…in the name of Jesus".
3. Luke 1:35
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.
Here, the angel Gabriel is explaining to Mary how she will conceive a child since she is a virgin and plans to stay that way until she marries. The angel informs her that God Himself will make her conceive and specifies that the Holy Spirit will accomplish this. Now, the Son of God is mentioned as well as the Holy Spirit. The angel refers to the Holy Spirit as distinct from the Father and Son, but as deity with Divine ability (to miraculously impregnate her).
4. II Corinthians 13:14
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
This is a salutation and blessing from Paul to the church at Corinth. In the other passages we had apostles and disciples recording what they saw and heard concerning the dynamic nature of God's being. In this passage we have an inspired apostle himself using what, by now, has been revealed about God in his communication with the church. Notice that each is referred to as a distinct being. He also names Jesus before the Father to show that they are equally divine.
5. I Corinthians 12:4-6
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
So, we see that in the New Testament church age God is represented by three distinct persons. Three persons, divine, distinct and in one source, the Godhead. The Trinity, therefore, is a term used to refer to the complex and dynamic being we call God (Three Beings / One God).
The Trinity is not:
The Trinity is not:
A. The personalities of the same God
A. The personalities of the same God
Note three distinct beings - One God
B. Three different Gods cooperating together on behalf of mankind.
B. Three different Gods cooperating together on behalf of mankind.
God is one entity
God is one entity
Even Jesus quotes the Shema in Mark 12:28-30. This type of idea is like the Greek and Roman gods who had many alliances and wars. God is one entity with three separate divine beings interacting among themselves (let us make man – Genesis 1:26) and also manifesting Himself dynamically to mankind (Jesus' baptism – Matthew 3:16-17).
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit, Who is the main topic of this series, is one of the distinct beings of the Godhead:
When we study or discuss Him , we discuss God, we study no less than God.He is not number three in the importance or deity!The Holy Spirit is a fully divine being; He is God.
II. The Holy Spirit is a Fully Divine Being. He is God.
II. The Holy Spirit is a Fully Divine Being. He is God.
A. The Holy Spirit possesses the attributes of deity.
A. The Holy Spirit possesses the attributes of deity.
1. Genesis 1:2
2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
He is eternal, appearing with the Godhead before the creation was fully formed. He exists, as the Father and the Son do, apart from the creation and outside of time.
2. I Corinthians 2:11
11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
He is omniscient – knowing all things. He, as God, knows when a sparrow falls (Matthew 10:29-30) as well as the inward thoughts of man. In other words, He knows how and what God knows since He is God. God is eternal and all knowing, The Holy Spirit is eternal and all knowing; The Holy Spirit is God.
Another mark of the Holy Spirit's Deity…
B. The Holy Spirit does the works of deity.
B. The Holy Spirit does the works of deity.
1. Psalm 104:24-30
24 O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
25 Here is the sea, great and wide,
which teems with creatures innumerable,
living things both small and great.
26 There go the ships,
and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.
27 These all look to you,
to give them their food in due season.
28 When you give it to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
when you take away their breath, they die
and return to their dust.
30 When you send forth your Spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.
The Holy Spirit has the power to create. The power to create what is seen from what is unseen, is exclusively held only by deity.
The Father speaks the creation into existence – Genesis 1:1-5
The Son multiplies the 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed 5,000 – Matthew 14:15-21 / Transforms water into wine – John 2:1-11
The Holy Spirit causes Mary to conceive – Luke 1:35
2. I Corinthians 12:4-11
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
The Holy Spirt has the ability and authority to give power to others. We will come back to this passage later. For now, it is sufficient to note that the Holy Spirit can empower others to perform miraculous works. This ability is strictly limited to God.
Therefore, the Holy Spirit has the attributes of deity and does the works of deity. One other factor that points to His Divine nature…
C. The Holy Spirit received witness that He is Deity
C. The Holy Spirit received witness that He is Deity
1. Witness from heaven – Revelation 1:4-6
4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
The Godhead using the triune form and by placing the Holy Spirit (7 Spirits) first, then the Son, then the Father last. This was done not to change the order of importance but rather to confirm the equal nature and importance of each.
Witness from Jesus:
2. Witness from Jesus – John 16:13-15
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
The Godhead using the triune form and by placing the Holy Spirit (7 Spirits) first, then the Son, then the Father last. This was done not to change the order of importance but rather to confirm the equal nature and importance of each.
Witness from Jesus:
3. Witness from the Word – Luke 3:21-22
21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
The Holy Spirit's presence as part of the Trinity at Jesus' baptism is witnessed, recorded, and preserved in Luke's gospel for every generation to see and know until the end of time, that the Holy Spirit is God along with the Father and the Son – each separate but One in the divine Godhead.
Summary
A. The Trinity
B. The Holy Spirit
C. The Holy Spirit receives witness – Father; Jesus; Bible
A. The Trinity – a word that does not appear in Scripture but used to describe the complex and dynamic nature of the God revealed in the Bible as an entity that comprises of three distinct, divine beings existing seamlessly in one Godhead. We use the term Godhead to refer to God while acknowledging His unique and dynamic character.
B. The Holy Spirit is a distinct person/being within the Godhead. When referring to Him we are referring to no less than God.
C. The Holy Spirit receives witness of His deity from heaven's throne (Father), from Jesus, and the Bible. These vouch for His deity.
Q+A
1. Who is the Holy Spirit?
He is a distinct, Divine being within the Godhead. He is God.
Q+A
2. What is the difference between the Holy Spirit and the Holy Ghost?
Of all the modern translations of the Bible, it is only the KJV that uses the term Holy Ghost.
90 times – Holy Ghost
7 times – Holy Spirit
No reason given since the words come from the exact Hebrew and Greek terms. At the time when the KJV (1611) was written the term "ghost" referred to the living essence of a person and the word "spirit" referred to the essence of a person who had died and their essence or spirit had departed. As language evolved, people started using the term "ghost" when speaking of the vision of a dead person, while the word "spirit" became the standard term for life or living essence. Bible translations followed suit translating the Hebrew and Greek terms into the English word spirit and Holy Spirit.
Q+A
3. What happens to the Holy Spirit at judgment?
Since the Holy Spirit is eternal, there will be no change in His status, however how He will interface with glorified and exalted saints is not known.
Bible Talk Quiz
1. Another way to describe the Godhead is to say that God has three different personalities.
True
False
Bible Talk Quiz
2. What was the primary reason that the Old Testament focused on the oneness of God?
Mankind was not developed psychologically enough to handle the idea of the Trinity
The Jews refused to accept the idea of the dynamic nature of God
To separate the Jewish nation from the polytheistic cultures that surrounded it
The plural nature of God had not yet come to fruition
Bible Talk Quiz
3. Which of the following is not one of the attributes of the Holy Spirit listed in this lesson?
He is omniscient
He has the power to create
He is Divine
He was created by God
Bible Talk Quiz
4. The Holy Spirit has a Divine nature but does not carry Divine authority.
True
False
Bible Talk Quiz
5. It is accurate to say that the Holy Spirit is God.
True
False