Today I'm going to be covering a topic on the Holy Ghost. I think this is a very important teaching today because of all the cults out there that have an incorrect teaching on what the Holy Spirit is. The Jehovah's witness believe it to be just God's active force. Adherents to Christian Science think that it is their teachings, and members of the unification church think it's Sun Myung Moon's wife!!!!. Well today we are going to dispel all these myth's and find out what the Holy Spirit is and what does he do.
What Is The Holy Spirit?
First off allow me to point out that the Holy Spirit goes by a few names in Scripture including Holy Ghost, Spirit of God, and the Spirit of the Lord. It is the orthodox teaching of the Christian church that the Holy Spirit is indeed one of the three members of the Godhead. So are they're any scriptures that back this belief up? Of coarse there are! Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit is a He (Joh 14:17, Joh 16:7, Joh 16:13) this is important because there are some people that teach that the Holy Spirit is female. Some professing Christians will argue that sometimes the bible calls things by he or she (Ecc 1:5, Eze 32:7) so this can't be taken literally. Well let's go over some other passages to show that the Spirit is actually a person and therefore God.
2 Sam 23:2 is another passage that refers to the Spirit as a male entity. There are many passages of Scripture where we have the Spirit talking to people or speaking including (Eze 11:5, Mar 13:11, Act 1:2, Act 1:16, Act 8:29, Act 10:19-20, Act 13:2, Act 21:11, Act 28:25, 1Ti 4:1, Heb 3:7 -11). The bible also speaks of him being a witness (Act 5:32, Act 20:23, Rom 8:16, Heb 10:15). He has forbidden people from doing certain things (Act 16:6), has opinions on certain matters (Act 15:28), and can be vexed or grieved (Isa 63:10-11, Eph 4:30).
I think the passage of Isa 40:13 is very telling of the supremacy of the Holy Spirit's intellect. Perhaps the best verses that Show that The Holy Ghost is God is Luk 1:35, Act 5:3 -4, Act 5:9, 1Jn 5:7, but that is just my opinion.
What are Some of the Roles of the Holy Spirit?
It is the Holy Spirit that teaches us, so we don't have to rely on anyone else to learn the scriptures (Exo 28:3, Exo 31:3, Deu 34:9, Neh 9:20, Isa 11:2, Joh 14:26, Joh 16:13, 1Co 2:10-14, 1 Joh 2:27). It is the Spirit that pray's and makes intercession for us according to God's will, this passage also shows that he has a mind (Rom 8:26-27). We are to pray in the Holy Ghost as well (Jud 1:20). It was through the eternal Spirit that Jesus offered himself without spot to God (Heb 9:14). It is the Holy Spirit that gives us our spiritual gifts; such as the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, healing, discernment, tongues, and interpretation of tongues, etc (Act 2:4, 1 Cor 12, Heb 2:4).
In the Old Testament the Holy Ghost would come upon various judges of Israel who would then deliver Israel from their enemies, the most notable being Samson (Jdg 3:10, Jdg 6:34, Jdg 11:29-32, Jdg 14:6, Jdg 15:14-15). He came upon Balaam, David, and Azariah as well (Num 24:2-9, 1Sam 16:13, Mar 12:36, 2Ch 15:1). It was through the Holy Ghost that men prophesy (1Sa 10:6, 1 Sam 10:10, 1Sam 19:20, 2Ch 20:14-15, 2Ch 24:20, Neh 9:30, Joe 2:28, Zec 7:12, Luk 1:67, Act 2:17, Act 4:31, 2Pe 1:21). He was also known to miraculously move people from one location to the next; or have thought to have done so, or would do so (Act 8:39, 2Ki 2:16, 1Ki 18:12 ) .
As Christians we are baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit (Mar 1:8, Luk 3:16, Joh 1:33, Joh 3:5-6, Act 1:5, 1 Cor 12:13), you need to have the Spirit to be saved (Rom 8:9). Back in the Old Testament the Spirit might have been with people temporarily for a purpose but now after Christ was glorified he stays inside believers permanently (1Sa 16:14, Psa 51:11, Joh 7:39, Joh 13:31, Heb 13:5). In other words we are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13). The Holy Spirit is also a gift meaning you can't buy it with money (Act 2:38, Act 8:17-20). Christian's bodies are referred to as God's building/The Temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Co 3:9, 1Co 6:19)! See also Isa 30:1
He gives us comfort and his fruit is love, joy, and peace among other things (Isa 32:15, Act 9:31, Rom 14:17, 1Th 1:6, Gal 5:22).
He is also known as the Comforter and the Spirit of truth (Joh 15:26). It is the Spirit that reproves the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement (Joh 16:7-10). The Holy Spirit sanctifies us as well as the other two members of the Godhead (Rom 15:16, 1Cor 6:11, 2Th 2:13, 1Pet 1:2, Heb 10:10, Jud 1:1). The result of having His spirit inside us results in obedience to his judgments and statutes (Eze 36:27, Rom 8:13, 1 Pet 1:22).
Other Things Scripture Teaches us about the Holy Ghost
The Prophet John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother's womb (Luk 1:15). A devout and just man named Simeon found out that he wouldn't die until he saw the Messiah, when it was revealed to him by the Holy Ghost (Luk 2:25-26).
The Holy Ghost was present at Jesus' baptism in the form of a dove (Mat 3:16, Mar 1:10, Luk 3:22). It was by the Spirit of God that Jesus cast out devils, and how Paul was able to do the mighty signs and wonders (Mat 12:28, Rom 15:19). It was through the empowerment of the Spirit that the Prophet Micah declared to Israel their sin (Mic 3:8).
So in Conclusion the Holy Spirit is God, one of the three persons that make up the Godhead. Throughout history He has prophesied through holy men of God telling people to repent of their ways and turn to God. It is through the Spirit's Baptism that we are born again into the body of Christ, and so ends this study on the Holy Ghost.
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Some other possibly relevant verses on this topic
Gen 1:2, Gen 41:38, Num 11:17, 2Ch 18:23, Job 26:13, Job 33:4, Psa 104:30, Psa 139:7-8, Psa 143:10, Isa 40:7, Isa 42:1, Isa 44:3, Isa 48:16, Isa 59:21, Isa 61:1, Isa 63:14, Eze 11:24, Eze 37:1, Mic 2:7, Hag 2:5, Zec 4:6, Zec 12:10, Mat 1:18, Mat 12:18, Luk 1:41, Luk 4:1, Luk 11:13, Luk 12:12, Joh 20:22, Act 2:33, Act 4:8, Act 6:3, Act 7:51, Act 7:55, Act 9:17, Act 13:4, Act 13:9, Act 20:28, Rom 15:13, 2Co 13:14, Tit 3:5, 1Pe 1:12
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