GRACE FAMILY BIBLE CHURCH

Grace Family Bible Church

The Godhead: The Holy Ghost

By: Scott Morton

As we move through the issues of the Godhead we have come to the Holy Ghost. This member of the Godhead is one which causes most of the confusion for individuals. There are many who teach the Holy Ghost isn't real or is just some kind of force which acts throughout the creation. The Bible makes it very clear the Holy Ghost is real and is part of the Godhead (1 John 5:7).

As we start looking at the Holy Ghost there are different passages in the Bible which show there are attributes of the Holy Ghost which reflect He is a person and not just some force working through things. It is important to note there are different titles which will be used in the Bible to describe the Holy Ghost. There also will be Spirit, holy Spirit, and Holy Spirit (one time). All of these are referring to the same part of the Godhead. Here are some of the attributes which are listed:

Intellect

1 Corinthians 2:10-11

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. [11] For 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.

Emotions

Ephesians 4:30

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Romans 15:30

Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;

Will

1 Corinthians 2:11

For 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.

John 14:26

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

In order to know things or to teach things this would have to reflect the will of the Holy Ghost. This will is always going to match up with the will of the rest of the Godhead as the three of them function together.

We can see through the Bible the various roles the Holy Ghost plays. Some of these are listed below:

Role in Creation

Genesis 1:2

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.

Empowering

Zechariah 4:6

Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

Acts 1:8

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Reproves

John 16:7-8

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. [8] And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

Restrains

Isaiah 59:19

So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

Commands

Acts 8:29

Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.

Acts 13:1-2

Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. [2] 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.

Act 16:6-7

Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, [7] After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.

Teaches

John 14:26

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

1 Corinthians 2:11-14

For 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. [12] 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. [13] 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. [14] 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.

Provides Guidance

Romans 8:16

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Isaiah 48:16

Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me.

Has emotion/shows love

Romans 15:30

Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;

Comforts

John 16:7

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.

Plays a role in Prayer

Romans 8:26-27

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. [27] And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Ephesians 6:18

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

These attributes show how the Spirit functions. There is a role which the Spirit plays in each dispensation and this cane be seen through the various passages which were listed above.

There are also many passages which show the pronouns which are used to describe the Spirit. This is important; as there are those who teach the idea of the Spirit just being some kind of force that is being used and is not real. However, the following passages demonstrate something important:

John 15:26

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:

John 16:7-8

John 16:13-14

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. [14] He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

These three passages, which more could have been used, all show a very distinct pattern. The pronouns used for the Holy Ghost in these passages are bold and blue. All of them are being used to describe a male, which is something you would not use if you were just describing a force which is being used. The Spirit is real, is part of the Godhead, and is male in gender.

Why is this denied by some? The reason is they go to the Greek to show how the word for spirit is a gender neutral term and therefore the Spirit should be seen as being gender neutral as well. These individuals would use it to describe the Spirit. Those who are doing this deny the doctrine of the Godhead and feel this is an error which has crept into the church today. By thinking this way they are denying what the Bible says as has been seen by the passages which we have looked at thus far.

We can also see through many different passages how the titles which are used of the Father and Son are also used of the Spirit. This also lines up with statements which are made in the Bible as well:

John 4:24

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

This verse is a good starting point for this discussion. John is identifying for them the reality of the Spirit and this is how they should be thinking. It should not have been difficult for them to understand this.

Numbers 24:2

And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.

Matthew 3:16

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:

1 Peter 4:14

If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

These three passages show how there is a consistent thought process through the Bible of the Spirit of God. This goes all through Israel's history to where they would have known this was a reality.

Psalm 51:11

Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. [12] Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

In one of the first uses of the phrase holy spirit we see how David is using this. He is speaking about how there was something which had been given to him that was helping to guide him in what he was doing. There is an issue of how this was going to help guide him in the teaching of those who were sinners and still needed the help to receive salvation in Israel's program. It is interesting to note that Israel was instructed on how they would receive the words needed to preach from the Spirit as the sign gifts were being manifested. They did not have to worry about failing in this manner.

Hebrews 9:14

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Using the same phraseology which is used to describe the other members of the Godhead (God the Father in Deuteronomy 33:27 and God the Son in 1 Timothy 1:17), the author of the book of Hebrews states the Spirit is eternal. This is again showing the connection of the members of the Godhead and how they can be seen as the three in one.

Romans 8:2

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Paul shows how the issue of life is also tied in with the Spirit. Only God can give the issue of life to an individual. Many people think they can do things to try to earn the gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23). There is nothing which can be done to earn a gift and this can only be given to us by God. It is something we receive once we put our trust in the Gospel for today (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

Romans 1:4

And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Here is another phrase which is only used of God, the issue of holiness. This issue of holiness reflects the separation of something for the service of God. This passage in Romans is showing how the Godhead is involved in this process related to the members of the Body of Christ. There is a unity they have in the purpose and functioning related to the plan determined before the foundation of the world.

1 John 2:20

But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

This one is sometimes argued that is speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, but it really is speaking of the Spirit. The overall passage shows all the members of the Godhead functioning together related to Israel's program. We know this is the Spirit based on the use of the word unction. This is a word we don't typically use. Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines it as:

UNC'TION, n. [L. unctio, from ungo, to anoint.]

1. The act of anointing.

2. Unguent; ointment. [Unusual.]

3. The act of anointing medically; as mercurial unction.

4. Any thing softening or lenitive.

5. That which excites piety and devotion.

6. Richness of gracious affections.

7. Divine or sanctifying grace. 1 John 1.

Extreme unction, the rite of anointing in the last hours; or the application of sacred oil to the parts where the five senses reside.

The issue of unction refers to the anointing. This was a function of the Holy Ghost and was necessary for Israel in order to show they were the kingdom of priests which had been promised to them. This is why they had the message given in Acts 2:38, as this was necessary for them according to Exodus 29:4-7 in order to be identified as a priest.

The Godhead functioned together in order to fulfill the plan which had been developed before the foundation of the world. They had identified the people which were going to be used to fulfill the program and function in a manner which is consistent with the developed plan.

Exodus 28:3

And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

We see here how the aspect of wisdom is being given to the Spirit. We know that wisdom comes from God, so this would be another passage showing how the Spirit can only be identified as being part of the Godhead.

Isaiah 11:2

And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

Here we see the issue of wisdom and understanding being attributed to the Spirit. These are things which speak of the knowledge which only God has and showing how the Spirit is God.

John 16:13

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.

Only God can be seen as being true (Romans 3:4). By stating the Spirit has truth, John is stating that the issue of truth is there as well.

The Bible also speaks about some of the specific things which are done by the Spirit in the life of a believer:

Sanctifies

Romans 15:16

That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.

Seals

Ephesians 1:13-14

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, [14] Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Teaches

Ephesians 1:17

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

1 Corinthians 2:12-14

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. [13] 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. [14] 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

Adoption

Romans 8:15

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Helps in our weakness

Romans 8:26-27

Fruit results

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, [23] Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Hopefully this brief study will help in the understanding of the Spirit in the life of a believer today.