(In conclusion)
The complete demonstration of this fundamental
fact would require the citation of every passage in the Scriptures relating
in any way to the Holy Spirit, since every reference to Him implies or
asserts both His personality and His Deity. It must, therefore, suffice to
gather under convenient heads, examples of such passages.
First: The Holy Spirit is a
Person, as distinguished from an influence, emanation, or manifestation.
This appears from the following considerations:
(1) The same words, implying Personality,
are used of Him in Scripture which are used of other persons.
The following may suffice as examples of this
class of passages, and to these the reader may add largely. "And I will
pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he may
abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot
receive, because it seeth him not; for he dwelleth with you and shall be
in you. But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will
send in my name, he shall teach you all things to your remembrance,
whatsoever I have said unto you."
John 14:16,17 and
John 14:26.
"Nevertheless I tell you the
truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the
Comforter will not come unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the
world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgement. Howbeit when he, the
Spirit of truth, is come, he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he
shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to
come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew
it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore
said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you."
John 16:7,8 and
John16:13-15
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(2) Men are said to
act toward Him in ways which would be impossible or absurd if He were
not truly a Person.
Of this class of passages, also, a few examples
must suffice. "But they rebelled, and vexed his Holy Spirit: therefore he
was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them"
Isaiah 63:10.
"Wherefore I say unto you, All
manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy
against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men."
Matthew 12:31.
"And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."
Ephesians 4:30
"Of how much sorer punishment,
suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son
of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was
sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of
Grace?"
Hebrew 10:29
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(3) The Holy Spirit
is said to perform actions which would be possible only to a person.
The following passages sufficiently illustrate
this: "That which is born of flesh is flesh;
John 3:6.
But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father
will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things
to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you."
John 14:26
(see also passages quoted above
under sub-head [1]). "Then the Spirit said unto
Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot."
Acts 8:29.
"While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto
him, Behold, three men seek thee."
Acts 10:19.
"As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate
me Barnabas and Saul.
Acts 13:2.
"And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity: for we know not how to pray
as we ought; but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered."
Romans 8:26.
"Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and
were forbidden ot the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, after they
were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit
suffered them not."
Acts 16:6-7
Here the Spirit is represented as the active agent
in the believer's re-birth; as teaching, reproving, guiding, speaking,
receiving, shewing, as giving active and specific direction to the service
of saints, and as praying. It would be difficult to say how the idea of
personality could be more elaborately presented.
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Secondly: the Holy Spirit is
a Divine Person; in the proper sense, Deity.
Let it be noted: (1)
He is called God. "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying,
Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am
I, send me. And he said, Go and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but
understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not." "Well spake the Holy
Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Saying, Go unto this people,
and say, Hearing ye shall hear and not understand; and seeing ye shall
see, and not perceive."
Isaiah 6:8-9 and
Acts 28:25-26.
The bearing of these two passages is obvious.
Isaiah says he heard the voice of the Lord, Luke that the Holy Ghost
spake; the completed truth being that God the Holy Ghost spake. (See as
another like instance,
Jeremiah 31:31-34 with
Hebrews 10:15.)
"But we all, with open face beholding as in a
glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory
to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord."
2 Corinthians 3:18.
"But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan
filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back [part] of
the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own?
and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou
conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but
unto God." Acts 5:3-4.
The declaration is explicit: to lie to the Holy
Ghost is to lie to God.
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(2) The Scriptures
constantly ascribe to the Holy Spirit the attributes of God, as
omnipotence, Omniscience, Omnipresence, and also His highest perfection,
holiness. Holiness, indeed, is the emphatic mark of the Spirit. And
this not as having been made or become holy, but as being holy, and
Himself the producer of holiness.
"Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or
whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven,
thou [art] there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou [art there].
[If] I take the wings of the morning, [and] dwell in the uttermost
parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand
shall hold me."
Psalms 139:7-10.
"And the earth was without form, and void; and
darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved
upon the face of the waters."
Genesis 1:2.
"By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath
formed the crooked serpent."
Job 26:13.
"But as it is written, Eye hath
not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the
things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath
revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all
things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of
a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of
God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
I Corinthians 2:9-11.
How much more shall the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge
your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Hebrews 9:14.
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(3) He is
represented as performing works possible only to Deity. This is shown
by every one of the passages quoted in the preceding paragraph, to
which may be added the following:
"The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of
the Almighty hath given me life."
Job 33:4
"Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the
face of the earth."
Psalms 104:30.
"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he
that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal
bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."
Romans 8:11.
"And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye
are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and
by the Spirit of our God.
I Corinthians 6:11.
"For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men
of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Ghost."
II Peter 1:21.
"Men [and] brethren, this
Scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the
mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them
that took Jesus."
Acts 1:16.
"And when they
bring you unto the synagogues, and [unto] magistrates, and powers, take
ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:
For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
Luke 12:11-12.
"Take heed therefore unto
yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath
made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased
with his own blood.
Acts 20:28.
"For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of
knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to
another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working
of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to
another [divers] kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of
tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing
to every man severally as he will."
I Corinthians 12:8-11.
Surely it would be impossible intelligently to
impute to a mere influence such definite personal acts as these; or to
suppose one less than absolute Deity able to perform them.
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In conclusion it is enough to say that further
proofs both of the personality and Deity of the Spirit may be found in
the facts that it is possible to sin against him; that He is joined on
terms of perfect equality with the Father and the Son in the baptismal
formula; and that in seven remarkable passages in the second and third
chapters of the Revelation, we are commanded to "hear what the Spirit
saith unto the churches." There is no biblical reason for believing in
the Deity and personality of the Father or of the Son, which does not
equally establish that of the Spirit.
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End of Chapter 1
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