God, The Holy Spirit

God, the Holy Spirit

    The “trinity” is a hard concept to accept. How can three be one without being three. When one hears the word “God” it seems that one thinks of “God, the Father” but the word “God” can apply to each of the persons in the godhead.  As an illustration one my think of a circle that represents “God.” In that circle are three beings: (1) Father, (2) Son, and (3) Holy Spirit. There is only one God, but that one God is made up of three separate individuals or personalities. Each person in the godhead is God. It is probably easier to accept that the Father is God, and that the Son is God than it is to believe that the Holy Spirit is God. Yet, the Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit as God. C. C. Crawford helps us understand the trinity by saying, “God is a Unity of three Persons-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is one as to essence; but this oneness embraces a triple personality. The Holy Spirit is one of the three Persons of the Godhead” (The Timeless Trinity for the Ceaseless Centuries by Ron Lanier, Sr. p. 335).

    There is only one clear passage which calls the Holy Spirit God. When Ananias lied about the amount of money he gave, Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?” (Acts 5:3). Almost in the same breath Peter went on to say, “You have not lied to men but to God” (Acts 5:4). When he lied to the Holy Spirit, he lied to God.

Attributes of God

    There are attributes which God possesses that humans do not possess. God is: (1) Eternal, (2) Omnipresent (ability to be everywhere at the same time, (3) Omniscient (ability to know all things), and (d) Omnipotent (having all power). Each of these attributes is applied to the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew writer spoke of “the eternal Spirit” (Hebrews 9:14).

    The psalmist spoke of the Spirit being everywhere when he said, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” (139:7). Paul spoke of the Spirit’s omniscience when he wrote, “For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God” (I Corinthians 2:10-11).

    Paul spoke of the Spirit’s omnipotence when he said, “My message and my preaching was not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God” (I Corinthians 2:4-5). Notice that Paul uses the word “Spirit” and “God” interchangeably in this context. It was the Spirit – God—whose power Paul used. We see this same truth taught in Luke 1:35 when the angel explained how Mary would become pregnant with Jesus. “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.” Again, notice that the word “Spirit” and “God” are used interchangeably.

Three Persons of the Godhead Used Together

    Because the three of them make-up the godhead, they are often mentioned together. This shows their equality. In Matthew’s great commission he taught, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). It would be inconsistent if one said to baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and the name of some man. “Man” would not be equal to the other two. Therefore, the Spirit is equal to the other two who are named. It is interesting to note that the word “name” is singular even though three beings are mentioned. As was mentioned above, there is unity in the godhead. The godhead is one in essences even though it is made-up of three different persons.

    Another passage which connects all three is given by Paul as he closes out the book of second Corinthians. He writes, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all” (13:14).

Conclusion

    Even though there is just one God, He is made-up of three different persons. Each can be said to be “God.” Each has a different function in offering salvation to the world. 

—Wayne Burger

The Most Dangerous Question in Bible Study

I have been in many Bible classes where the teacher asks the dreaded, open-ended question that seems rather innocent at first, but becomes increasingly more dangerous as time progresses. I’ve seen entire class periods go by, derailed by various inputs and futile speculations. I’ve watched brother and sister fight over topics and show animosity toward one another, creating rifts and divisions in God’s family. At the end of it all, I’ve witnessed God’s Word be twisted in every direction imaginable. All of these situations stem from the simple question of, “what does this scripture mean to you.”

When we craft a subjective question for an objective truth, the inerrant standard of God’s Word is free to be distorted and shaped however we’d like. We rule over the text rather than letting the text reign over us. Perhaps a better approach would be asking the question, “what does this passage mean for me” rather than “what does this passage mean to me.” It’s a subtle shift of inquiry, but by asking what it means “for me” allows an introspective response to the text whereas asking “to me” leads one to believe God’s Word can be interpreted numerous different ways. The text has its own existence set apart from you and me – it was here before us and will be here after us. It is not liberated to change its message willingly under the condition of time, culture, or experience. Therefore it is the Bible that has the authority to change me, and not the other way around. 

Consider the Ethiopian in Acts 8. Philip precisely asked, “do you understand what you are reading?” He didn’t embark on the vain expedition of asking, “how does this text make you feel” or “what does this mean to you?” He assessed the level of knowledge and proceeded to teach the truth. This instance in particular is especially riveting for the dual-fulfillment prophecy of Isaiah 53; understanding that there was an initial truth for Isaiah’s time and a prophetic fulfillment for the age of the Messiah. After teaching of the suffering servant and alluding to the connection to Christ, there was significant obedience on the part of the Ethiopian (8:34-39). 

I believe interacting with the Bible by asking questions (the right ones) is healthy for the devoted Bible student. But there is an inherent danger in asking “what does this mean to me” for by it, I am establishing a truth that could be contradictory to my neighbor. We know from the inspired writers that the text is there for our instruction, correction, and training (2 Tim. 3:16). We also know that scripture is perfect and without void (1 Cor. 13:10). Let’s strive to be honest, reliable, and immovable students of scripture. By doing so, we refuse to stand in the way of God’s message.

— Tyler King