In our last study on the Holy Spirit we saw that the Holy Spirit is not some impersonal force, like the wind or electricity, but is a person. In this study we are going to be looking at the deity of the Holy Spirit or that the Holy Spirit is God, the third person of the Holy Trinity, including the Father and the Son.
In regards to the Holy Spirit, the Jehovah witnesses teach "The Holy Spirit is not a person and it is not part of a trinity. The Holy Spirit is God’s active force that He uses to accomplish His will. It is not equal to God but is always at His disposition and subordinate to Him."
Also, there is the "Jesus only" sect that is mostly seen in the southern part of the United States, that deny the separate identities of the Godhead, that is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They believe that Jesus is all three at the same time.
Once again we must let the Scriptures speak for themselves in regards to the Trinity, and specifically in this study, that the Holy Spirit is God. When we speak of the Trinity or probably and more correctly, the Triunity, we are speaking of God manifesting Himself in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Now one of the problems with that is expressed by G. Campbell Morgan when he said: "the idea of one essence subsisting after a threefold manner and in a trinity of relationships finds nothing in the phenomenon of nature upon which it can fashion as a sufficient symbol." In other words, we have a hard time understanding the Trinity because we have nothing to compare it to in the physical world.
But just because we don’t understand something with our finite minds, doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Thus, because we have nothing to compare it to in the physical world, our only understanding must come from the Scriptures. And, of course, that is always the best and safest place to go to for truth.
Before we begin looking at the Scriptures, let me give you the Westminster Confession on this subject. I think it speaks very clearly and understandably on what we will be speaking on. It reads: "There is but one living and true God. In the unity of the Godhead there are three persons. One God of one substance, power and eternity. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit."
Now to show you the Trinity in the Old Testament, I want you to turn to a very unlikely passage of Scripture regarding this subject, Deuteronomy 6:4. In this portion of Scripture, known in the Hebrew as the Shema, which means to "hear", we read "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!"
During worship at the temple the worshipers would cry out over and over again, "SHEMA YSRAEL YAHWEH ELOHIM ACHAD YAHWEH.." Over and over they were affirming the oneness of God, which was the foundation of the Hebrew religion, they were of course monotheistic in their beliefs!
Now you may be wondering why I would use this passage to show the Trinity when it seems to be speaking of only one God and not the Triunity of God. What we miss in the English translation of this verse, the Hebrew makes very clear. Listen to what pastor Chuck Smith has to say regarding this in his book "Living Water". He said:
"...Yahweh is the covenant name of God used by the Jews, while Elohim is the pleural form of El, which means "God". Now, the word achad indicates a compound unity, not a singular unity. For example, when God created Eve out of Adam, He said, ‘And they shall become one [achad] flesh’ (Genesis 2:24), a compound unity."
"A different Hebrew word - yachad- is required when a singular unity is meant. Had this term been used in the Shema instead of achad, we would have no basis from the Old Testament to accept the idea of a trinity. But the fact that the plural Elohim is paired with achad - even within the monotheistic chant of the Hebrews - suggests the triunity of God."
Another interesting Old Testament verse that speaks of the Father and the Son is found in Isaiah 44:6, which reads "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.’" Also, in Isaiah 48:16 we see the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit spoken of. We read "Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit have sent Me." I love this verse for it speaks of the eternal existence of Jesus and that He was sent by the Father and the Holy Spirit to become flesh and die for the sins of the world.
Again, in dealing with the triunity of God, lets look at Matthew 3:13-17 to give us a New Testament perspective on this issue. We read "Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?’ But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’" You see, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were all seen at the same time. And as much as the Jesus only sect like to tell you that Jesus is all three, it would be very difficult to come to that conclusion after reading this verse!
And lastly, in I John 5:7 we read, "For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one." Now many would like to negate this verse saying that it was not part of the original writings. Let me clear this up. We don’t have any of the original writings or manuscripts. What we have are copies of the originals. How do we know that this verse was part of the Scriptures? Because it was quoted by the church fathers in the Second Century and it should be part of the text. And as you can see, it clearly speaks of the Father, the Word who is Jesus, and the Holy Spirit being one God manifested in three persons, for the Greek word that John uses for "one" is Heis, which means "one numerically".
I think you can see that the Trinity or Triunity of God is clearly spoken of in the Scriptures. And with the remainder of our time I would like to focus on the deity of the Holy Spirit. And of course, this is a very important issue. Either the Holy Spirit is God, part of the Triunity, or He isn’t. There is no in between. And, as you will see, I think the Scriptures clearly show us that the Holy Spirit is God!
THE GODLY ATTRIBUTES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
There are four attributes that are attributed to God and God alone. Man does not have the capacity or ability to accomplish any of them. Only God does! And that is what we are going to look at first.
1. GOD IS ETERNAL - HEBREWS 9:14
"how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"
2. GOD IS OMNISCIENT OR KNOWS ALL THINGS - I CORINTHIANS 2:10-11, JOHN 14:26, JOHN 16:13
"But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For 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."
"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 things that I said to you."
"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come."
3. GOD IS OMNIPRESENT OR HIS SPIRIT IS EVERYWHERE - PSALM 139:7-10
"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me."
4. GOD IS OMNIPOTENT OR ALL-POWERFUL - LUKE 1:35
"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."
As you can clearly see, the Holy Spirit possesses the attributes of God, eternal existence, He is omniscient, He is omnipresent, he is omnipotent. Thus, the Holy Spirit is God. But there is more in which the Scriptures have to say regarding the Holy Spirit being God, part of the Trinity.
THE GODLY WORKS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
There are certain works that are attributed only to God. And as we look at these we also see the Holy Spirit actively involved in them.
1. THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN CREATION
A. GENESIS 1:1-3
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light."
The word for God in Genesis 1:1 is the Hebrew word Elohim, which speaks of 3 or more. El is the singular word for God. The dual word is Elah, but here we see the Trinity and the Spirit of God moving on the face of the waters, He is involved with creation.
B. GENESIS 1:26
"Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’"
Here again we see the Trinity; Father, Son and the Holy Spirit at work in Creation, as God says "Let Us make man...". This is not speaking of the concept that some like to teach that says this is talking about a "plurality of majesty". You see, the plural pronouns used here, "Us" and "Our", should completely wipe that concept from any interpretation.
C. PSALM 104:30, JOB 33:4
"You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth."
"The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life."
Again we see the Spirit involved with the creation of life.
2. THE HOLY SPIRIT WORKING WITH THE FATHER AND THE SON IN THE ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH
A. I CORINTHIANS 12:4-6
"There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all."
3. THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVES US NEW LIFE
A. JOHN 6:63
"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life."
B. II CORINTHIANS 3:6
"who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."
C. ROMANS 8:10-11
"And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 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 life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."
4. THE HOLY SPIRIT INSPIRED THE SCRIPTURES
A. II PETER 1:19-21
"And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."
As you can see, the works attributed to the Holy Spirit, being an active part in creation, giving us new life, working in the life of the church, and inspiring the Scriptures as they were written, can only be speaking of God doing these things. Thus, the Holy Spirit is God! But there is more.
SCRIPTURES THAT SPEAK SPECIFICALLY THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD
There are Scriptures that are spoken in the Old Testament of God and then in the New Testament they are ascribed to the Holy Spirit, which says that the Holy Spirit is God. There are also passages in the New Testament that clearly speak of the Holy Spirit being God, as we shall see.
1. ISAIAH 6:8-10, ACTS 28:25-27
In Isaiah we read "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’ And He said, ‘Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed.’" This is obviously referring to God speaking to the prophet Isaiah and telling him to go and speak to a people that are dull of hearing. And we would let it go if it were not for what the New Testament has to say regarding this verse.
We read in Acts as Paul is speaking to the leaders and Jews, as he was under house arrest, "So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: ‘The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, saying, ‘Go to this people and say: ‘Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you will see, and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.’" Paul says that the Holy Spirit was speaking those words, and thus, the Holy Spirit is identified with Jehovah!
2. JEREMIAH 31:31-33, HEBREWS 10:15-17
In Jeremiah we read "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah--not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." God is making a covenant with the nation of Israel in this portion of Scripture.
Then, we read in Hebrews "But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,’ then He adds, ‘Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’" The New Testament likens the Holy Spirit to speaking those words in Jeremiah, and thus, the Holy Spirit is God!
3. PSALM 95:6-11, HEBREWS 3:7-11
We read in Psalm 95, "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice: Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness, When your fathers tested Me; they tried Me, though they saw My work. For forty years I was grieved with that generation, and said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they do not know My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’" In this portion of Scripture we read of bowing down, kneeling, worshiping before our Lord and our maker. Then the Psalmist speaks of listening to the voice of God. Again, a very straight forward and simple portion of Scripture, God is speaking.
But in Hebrews we read "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’" Again, the Holy Spirit is the one who spoke these words, and thus, the Holy Spirit is God.
4. ACTS 5:3-4
In Acts chapter 5 we read the story of Ananias and Sapphira who were dishonest in their money dealings. Now listen carefully to who they lied to and then specifically who this person is. We read "But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.’" First of all they lied to the Holy Spirit, and then in verse 4 we are told that the lie against the Holy Spirit is a lie unto God, for the Holy Spirit is God!
5. II CORINTHIANS 3:17-18
"Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." Once again we see in this portion of Scripture Paul speaking of the Lord as the Spirit and the Spirit as the Lord!
I think you can see that the Scriptures clearly speak of the Holy Spirit being God. We don’t have to twist the Scriptures, distort the Scriptures to make them fit our own theology, but just let the Scriptures speak for themselves.
We have seen that the Holy Spirit manifests attributes that only God can have; eternal existence, omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent. We have seen that the Holy Spirit was actively involved in creation, the workings or the ministries of the church, He gives us new life and has inspired the Scriptures. And we have seen that the Scriptures themselves call the Holy Spirit God!
Do you see how important it is to let the Scriptures speak for themselves instead of allowing preconceived ideas, or the ideas or doctrines of men cloud the picture of what God is trying to show us. As Psalm 118:8 says, "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man." Do not remove the Holy Spirit from His position with the Father and the Son, part of the Triunity of God. All three are God and yet they exist as one being and function in perfect harmony. As Deuteronomy 6:4 says in the Hebrew tongue, "Shema Ysrael Yahweh Elohim achad Yahweh" or "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!"
As I bring this study to a close, listen to what R. A. Torrey has to say in his book "THE PERSON & WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT". He said:
"To sum it all up by ascribing to the Holy Spirit all the distinctively divine attributes and several distinctly divine works, by referring statements which in the Old Testament clearly name Jehovah, the Lord, or God as their subject to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, by coupling the name of the Holy Spirit with that of God in a way in which it would be impossible to couple that of any finite being with that of Deity, by plainly calling the Holy Spirit God - in all these unmistakable ways. God in His own Word distinctly proclaims that the Holy Spirit is a divine person." (p. 30).
Make no mistake about it, the Holy Spirit is God, the third person of the Holy Trinity!