Who Is The Holy Spirit ?
In our study of the Holy Spirit, the first thing we need to do, is to answer the question, “Who is the Holy Spirit”? And of course we’re not going to speculate about it, but as with all things, we’re going to simply see what the bible says about it. Then we’ll be sure that we know the truth of the matter. So now, let’s see what the bible says about; “Who is the Holy Spirit”?
First of all, the bible says that the Holy Spirit, is the Spirit of GOD! The word “holy” is a description of the Spirit of God, not a proper name that’s been given by God. The word “holy”, means.. “different”. Specifically it means different from the world. The Spirit of God is indeed different from anything in this world.
Once again, the Holy Spirit is NOT separate from the Spirit of God, But rather, the Holy Spirit, IS the very Spirit of God. The second verse of the bible makes that clear, when it says, in Genesis 1, verse 2; “..And the Spirit of GOD was moving over the face of the waters.” Now, how do we know that the Spirit of God, is the same as the “Holy Spirit”? Because the bible says, in Ephesians 4:30; “And do not grieve, the Holy Spirit, of God. So the Holy Spirit, is referred to in that verse, as the “Holy Spirit, of God”. That’s pretty plain and straightforward.
Luke 1, verse 35 shows us again, that the Holy Spirit, is God’s Spirit. The angel Gabriel was speaking to Mary, and he said; “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, and for that reason, the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God.” In that verse we’re told that the Holy Spirit is the “power” of God. If the Holy Spirit is the power of God, then the Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit. And that verse also says that the offspring of Mary, would be called the Son of GOD. Jesus wouldn’t be called the Son of God, if the Holy Spirit, wasn’t God’s own Spirit. Therefore, the Holy Spirit, is the Spirit of God.
Now someone might ask; Where did the Holy Spirit come from? Well, that’s like asking where did God come from? God is eternal, God has always existed. That’s why God said; “I am, who I am” (Exodus 3:14) God is, and he always has been! When the bible uses the word “God”, it is speaking of one supreme spiritual being, who is comprised of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And the scriptures are going to show us, that the Holy Spirit, is the same Spirit, of BOTH the Father and the Son.
I want to point something out here. In the new testament, many times, when the word “God” is used, it refers specifically to God the Father. Of course, many times it refers to God in His entirety. For example, in James 2:19, the scripture says; “You believe that God is one, you do well..” That refers to the entirety of God. In other words, it refers to the one spiritual being called God.
But I’d like you to take note, that so many times the bible refers to God in the role of our Father. For example, in John 3:16, it says; “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son..” That obviously refers to God the Father. And of course Hebrews 1:1 begins with the word “God..”, and then verse 2 says; “..has spoken to us in His Son..” Obviously, God the Father, is who spoke to us in His Son.
And many times in the new testament, we see the phrase; “Our God and Father”, or “the God and Father”. For example, 1 Peter 1:3 says; “Blessed be the God and Father..” Ephesians 1:3 uses the exact same words. 2 Corinthians 11:31 says; “The God and Father of the Lord Jesus..” Ephesians 4:6 says; “One God and Father..”
Ephesians 5:20 says; “To God, even the Father..” Philippians 4:20 says; “Now to our God and Father..” Colossians 3:17; “Through Him, to God the Father..” 1 Thessalonians 1:1; “..to the congregation of the Thessalonians, in God the Father..” I could go on and on, but you get the picture. The word “God” is used almost countless times, to refer to God as our Father. I just wanted to make that point clear, because it enters into our study of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of the Father, and the Spirit of the Son
Now, I already made the statement, that the Holy Spirit is not only the Spirit of the Father, but the same Holy Spirit, is also the Spirit of the Son. In other words, there is one Holy Spirit, which is the Spirit of both the Father and the Son. That is simply a fact that the bible clearly teaches.
The bible illustrates the source of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, in John 15:26; “When the Helper comes.. (The KJ uses the word “comforter”) “When the comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me.” The Holy Spirit originates with the Father; He goes forth from the Father, and proceeds forth from the Father.
Nothing could be any clearer than that. The Holy Spirit is NOT a separate entity in any way. The Holy Spirit is ONE with the Father, and the scripture specifically states that the Holy Spirit originates with the Father. Nothing can be any more a part of the Father, than that which proceeds directly from the Father! But the Holy Spirit is not only the Spirit of the Father, He is also the Spirit of the Son. The Father and the Son have the same Spirit. The Father and the Son are both God, so when you think about it, how could they possibly have a different Spirit, one from the other?
We’ve already seen that the Spirit of the Father, is the Spirit of God. Now listen to Romans 8, verse 9; “However, you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. (that’s the Spirit of God the Father) But if anyone does NOT have the Spirit of Christ (that’s the Spirit of the Son) he does not belong to Him.”
You are living in the spirit, in other words, you’re alive spiritually, if the Spirit of God the Father dwells in you, but if you do NOT have the Spirit of Christ the Son, then you don’t belong to Him, and you’re still in the flesh. That’s pretty clear also isn’t it? You either have the Spirit of God the Father, or you do not have the Spirit of Christ the Son. The Spirit of the Father, and the Spirit of the Son, is the same Spirit.
Sometimes the bible refers to the Father and the Son together, as God, but doesn’t mention the Holy Spirit. For example; 2 John verse 9, says; “Anyone who goes too far, and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. The one who abides in the teaching , he has both the Father and the Son.” If you have both the Father and the Son, do you also have the Holy Spirit? Of course you do, because the Holy Spirit IS the Spirit of both the Father and the Son. So then it goes without saying that if you have the Father and the Son, you also have the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is Inseparable from the Father and the Son
Jesus taught, in Mathew 28, verse 19, that baptism is in “the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit..” In other words, the authority to baptize, is given by the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. When you get the authority of one, you’ve got the authority of all three. It’s like a “package deal”.
Here’s some good verses on the relationship of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Listen to what Jesus said in John 16:13 thru 15; “But when that one, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak from Himself, but whatever He hears, He will speak, and He will disclose to you what is to come. He shall glorify Me, for He shall take of Mine, and shall disclose it to you.”
The Holy Spirit was going to teach the apostles the word of truth. And when the Spirit did that, He would be glorifying the Son, because the words that the Spirit would teach, would be the words of the Son. The scripture says; “He shall take of Mine, and disclose it to you.” Remember, the Son, is the Word of God. (John 1, verse 1)
Now listen to verse 15; “All things whatever.. (that means.. all things without exception) “All things without exception, that the Father has, are Mine. Therefore I said, that He takes of Mine, and will disclose it to you.” Is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Father? Yes, the Holy Spirit “comes forth FROM the Father”. And the Son of God says that “all things without exception, that the Father has, are Mine.”
Is there any question about the fact that the Holy Spirit, is the Spirit of both the Father and the Son?
The Holy Spirit is the Power of God
So then, the Holy Spirit, IS the Spirit of the Father and of the Son. But that’s not all that the Holy Spirit is. The Holy Spirit is also the power of God. Do you know what telekinee’-sus is? Telekinee’-sus is the supposed ability for humans, to move physical objects, without any physical contact. In other words, it’s the idea that you can use the power of your mind, to accomplish physical things. It’s like “mind over matter”.
But instead of thinking of mind over matter, think of spirit over matter. Think about the possibility of your spirit, having the ability to move things, and to cause things to happen. Right now, our spirits use our bodies to accomplish the work that we want to accomplish. But think about the possibility that our spirits alone, could have the power to accomplish physical things. We wouldn’t need any physical body, if our spirit had that kind of power.
Well, that’s exactly the way it is with God. God has that very power. God is 100% spirit; And when God wants something done, His Spirit alone, has the power to do whatever He desires.
The Holy Spirit is the force which accomplishes the will of the Father and the Son. And that’s been pointed out in a couple of the verses that we’ve already looked at.
For example; Genesis 1, verse 2. The scripture says; “..and the Spirit of God was MOVING over the face of the waters.” Another way of saying that, is that “the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Verse 1 says that “God created the heavens and the earth”, and verse 2 says, it was the “Spirit of God”, who was “hovering over the face” of what had been created. It was the Spirit of God, that not only has the power to move matter, but God’s Spirit has the power to create matter! And then to move it and to shape it, exactly how He desires.
And that’s interesting, because it says in Hebrews 1, verse 2; “In these last days, (God) has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.” God “made the world” through His Son, but yet it was the Spirit of God, who was doing the creating. In this respect, there is no difference at all, between the Spirit of God, and the Son of God. In the beginning, the Son of God was called the Word of God. And according to John 1, verses 1 thru 3, it was the Word of God who created everything that has been created.
Here’s what that verse says; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning, with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him, nothing came into being, that has come into being.” Verse 14 says; “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
The Word was begotten FROM the Father. Jesus said, in John 15:26, that the Holy Spirit, “the Spirit of truth, comes forth from the Father”. Jesus, the Son of God, said in John 16:28; “I came forth from the Father, and have come into the world..”
God made the world through the Word, through whom “all things came into being”, and God made the world through the Son, “through whom also He made the world”, and God made the world through the Spirit, who was “hovering over the face of the waters”. The Word, and the Son, and the Spirit, are identical. The only thing that differs at all, between the Son, who is the Word of God, and the Spirit, who is the power of God, is the roles that they have fulfilled.
More About the Power of God
But let’s get back to talking about the Holy Spirit, as the “power of God”. The Holy Spirit IS the power of God! The Holy Spirit was the power behind all of creation. “The Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.” The Holy Spirit was also the power behind the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. In Luke chapter, verse 35, it says; “The Holy Spirit will COME UPON you, and the POWER of the Most High will OVERSHADOW you..” That’s quite the illustration of the Holy Spirit being the POWER of God. The phrase “will overshadow you” means that the Spirit completely “enveloped” Mary’s entire being. And that’s the same idea as expressed with the words, “the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” The power exerted by the Holy spirit of God, completely enveloped the creation, and caused the will of God to be done. And that’s what the Spirit did with Mary also.
When God the Father, wanted the Word, to become flesh, the Spirit of God had the power to accomplish that. The Holy Spirit is the power, by which the will of God is accomplished.
The bible tells us that it was the Holy Spirit who was the force behind all prophecies from God. 2 Peter 1:21 says; “For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit, spoke from God.”
In Acts 1, verse 8, Jesus said this to His apostles; “But you shall receive POWER, when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” The Holy Spirit is the power of God.
Romans 1:16 says; “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation, to all whose who believe..” The gospel is God’s power for salvation. Who was it that delivered the gospel to man? Well, Jesus, the Son of God began to deliver it. And we’ve already seen how the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus the Son. But then who continued the delivery of the gospel, when Jesus returned to heaven? It was the Holy Spirit, the very power of God. Jesus said in John 16, verse 13; “But when that one, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you unto all truth..” The truth being spoken of is the word of God that is called the gospel. The power of God for salvation, delivered by the power of God Himself.
Who, Where, And Why
So the bible has been pretty clear, on telling us WHO the Holy Spirit is. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and of the Son. And the Holy Spirit is the very power of God, by which God’s will has always been accomplished, and will always be accomplished.
And the bible told us WHERE the Holy Spirit comes from. The Holy Spirit is eternal with the Father and the Son. The Spirit comes forth FROM the Father. Jesus said in John 15:26, speaking of the Spirit; “Whom I will send to you from the Father.” Jesus said again in John 16:7; “I will send Him to you.” And Jesus said in John 14:26; “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 that I said to you.”
In this lesson, we’ve even touched upon the “ROLE” of the Holy Spirit, which is to accomplish the will of God.
In our next lesson, we’ll let the bible tell us in more detail, about the “role” of the Holy Spirit, and what exactly is the work that the Spirit does. I’m sure that will be interesting, so don’t miss part 2 of this study. (Click here to view Part 2)
