THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

ACTS 19:1

A. TWO OPPOSING VIEWS
  1. Some say that the Holy Spirit is an influence and not a person:
    1. They appeal to John 20:22, "And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost."
    2. They quote Acts 2:1-4 - "They were filled with the Holy Ghost."
  2. Others teach that the Holy Ghost is a personal Being; and this view I share for the following reasons:
B. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A PERSONAL BEING
  1. Because of worship:
    1. We worship God the Father in spirit and in truth - John 4:22, 23
    2. We have fellowship or communion with the Holy Spirit just as truly as we fellowship with the Father and the Son - 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 John 1:3
  2. We do not use Him, but He uses us:
    1. The experience of Philip - Acts 8:29-39
    2. The ancient prophets were, at times, carried from place to place by the Holy Spirit - 2 Ki. 2:16
  3. The Bible attributes the attributes of a person to the Holy Spirit:
    1. The personal pronouns - "I" - Acts 13:1; "Me" - Acts 13:1; "He" - John 15:26; 16:13; "Him" - John 13:14; 16:7, 8; "Himself" - John 16:13
    2. Personal attributes -
      1. Knowledge - 1 Cor. 2:10, 11
      2. Will - 1 Cor. 12:11
      3. Mind - Rom. 8:27
      4. Love - Rom. 15:30
      5. Intelligence - Neh. 9:20; Eph. 4:30
    3. Personal acts -
      1. Searching - 1 Cor. 2:10
      2. Speaking - 1 Tim. 4:1; Rev. 2:7
      3. Hearing - John 16:13, 14
      4. Groaning - Rom. 8:26
      5. Teaching and directing - Neh. 9:20; John 16:14; Rom. 8:14; Acts 16:7-13
  4. The Holy Spirit can be influenced:
    1. He can be grieved - Eph. 4:30; Ps. 78:40
    2. He has been vexed - Isa. 63:10
    3. He has been done despite - Heb. 10:29
    4. Some resist Him - Acts 7:51; Heb. 12:25
    5. He may be pleased - Acts 15:28
    6. He can be lied to - Acts 5:3
  5. The person of the Holy Spirit has been seen by different men:
    1. The prophet Ezekiel saw him - Ezek. 8:1-3
    2. John saw Him descend upon the Son of God - John 1:32, 33
    3. Other people saw Him - Luke 3:22
C. SOME FACTS ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT
  1. We do not know the nature of His being, no more than we know the nature of God the Father, or the angels:
    1. Paul makes a difference between terrestrial bodies, and there are celestial bodies - 1 Cor. 15:40
    2. What the nature of the celestial bodies is has not been revealed to man.
  2. It would seem unreasonable for man to worship an influence or to have communion with an influence:
    1. We commune with the Holy Ghost, but not with an influence.
    2. We fellowship with the Holy Spirit, but not with an influence.
    3. One may vex, grieve, anger, or please the Holy Spirit, but not with just an influence.
  3. Personally, I am not too concerned about the nature of the Holy Spirit so long as I know that I have fellowship with Him:


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