The Holy Spirit is the third divine person of the eternal Godhead, coequal, coeternal, and coexistent with the Father and the Son. It is His ministry to convict and convert man as well as to reveal the Son and the Father to the believer.

While growing up in church, we recited the Apostles' Creed each week. Following the minister, we would declare, "I Believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of Heaven and earth and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, conceived of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried, and on the third day, was risen from the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost...."

This was the only statement concerning the Third Person of the Godhead recited, "I believe in the Holy Ghost." He was presented as a "ghost" and to me, that was all I knew! Who was this invisible member of the triune God?

If we can fellowship with Father God, and know His Son Jesus Christ, don't you think it is time that we learn to know Who the Holy Spirit really is? After all, the Holy Spirit is God!

The Holy Spirit is the Most Overlooked Person of the Godhead

Of the eternal Godhead--God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit seems to be the most misunderstood and least appreciated. The Holy Spirit is the vital and intimate aspect of our personal conversion, growth in Christ, and the ongoing building of God's glorious Kingdom on the earth. Part of this misunderstanding and lack of appreciation of the Holy Spirit comes from the fact that His work is NEVER to call attention to Himself, but to exalt the Lord Jesus.

John 16:13-15 tells us, "However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore, I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."

The Dutch Reformed minister Andrew Murray stated: "The Father is the eternal being--I AM--the hidden foundation of all things and fountain of all life. The Son is the outward form, express image, and the revelation of God. The Spirit is the executive power of the Godhead. The nature of the hidden unity is revealed and made known in the Son, and is imparted to us and is experienced by us through the agency of the Spirit."

The Primary Purpose--To Enjoy the Holy Spirit. To enjoy a person, you must first know them. Most believers do not enjoy a relationship with the Holy Spirit because they do not know Him. My purpose in this teaching is to bring us into a greater understanding and deeper intimacy with the person of the Holy Spirit, and through this union with Him, experience greater power, greater joy, and greater hope.

The Holy Spirit is the third divine person of the eternal Godhead, coequal, coeternal, and coexistent with the Father and the Son. It is His ministry to convict and convert man as well as to reveal the Son and the Father to the believer. Since the glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit in all His glorious operation is working through all who believe of the Father through the Son. This is why the present era is known as the age of the Holy Spirit.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A PERSON

The Holy Spirit is more than a mere influence as some suggest...He is a real person with a mind and feelings and a will, just like the Father and the Son. The following are 12 Scriptural Points to help us know the Person of the Holy Spirit:

1. The Holy Spirit was sent by the Father to take the place of Jesus in the earth. Jesus said, "It is to your advantage that I go away..." (John 16:7-15).

2. The promise, "He will guide you...whatever He hears...He will speak...He shall glorify Me..." (John 16:13-14).

3. He speaks (Acts 8:29) (to Philip).

4. He strives (Genesis 6:3).

5. He can be lied against (Acts 5:3).

6. He can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30).

7. He can be sinned against (Mark 3:29).

8. He searches all things (I Corinthians 2:10-11).

9. He makes intercession for us (Romans 8:26).

10. He distributes gifts (I Corinthians 12).

11. He is called the Counselor (John 15:26).

12. He is called the Comforter or Helper (John 14:26).

THE DEITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

"The personality and deity of the Holy Spirit are practical teachings, for it is by the activity of this divine being that the Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ is made clear to us and changes our lives. He is the key to a vital and truly personal religion." --James Montgomery Boice

The following are eight diverse Scriptures depicting the deity of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, let us not treat Him lightly, but let us revere and enjoy Him just as we do God the Father and Jesus our Lord!

1. He is specifically called God (Acts 5:4; 2 Corinthians 3:16-17).

2. He is eternal (Hebrews 9:14).

3. He is omnipresent (Psalm 139:7).

4. He is the Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2).

5. He is the Spirit of Truth (John 16:13).

6. The Spirit participated in creation (Genesis 1:2).

7. He participates in regeneration (John 3:8).

8. Jesus was raised from the dead by the Spirit (Romans 8:11).

THE FIVE GREAT REDEMPTIVE ACTS

When it comes to blessing the human race, no Person of the Godhead is willing to be left out. In each of the five great interventions of God in redemption, each person of the Godhead is directly involved. Watch for the unique working of the Holy Spirit in each of these redemptive acts.

1. The Incarnation of Jesus. God the Father, by the agency of the Holy Spirit, incarnated Jesus the Son in the womb of the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:35; Matthew 1:20).

2. The Earthly Ministry of Jesus. God the Father anointed Jesus the Son with the power of the Holy Spirit. The result: healing and deliverance for humanity.

Acts 10:38, "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him."

3. The Atonement of Jesus. Jesus the Son offered Himself to God the Father through the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 9:14, "How much more shall the Blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

4. The Resurrection of Jesus. God the Father raised up Jesus, the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 1:4, "Who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of Holiness."

Romans 6:4, "Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of God the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life."

5. The Gift of the Holy Spirit. At Pentecost, Jesus the Son received from God the Father the gifts of the Holy Spirit and poured them out upon His disciples (Acts 2:32-33). Likewise, the ongoing relationship of God to His people in this age, directly involves all three personas of the Godhead. The end purpose of God is that we come to Him as Father, but we have access to God the Father only through Jesus the Son by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:18-19).

Similarly, God the Father indwells His people only in Jesus the Son through the Holy Spirit: Ephesians 2:22, "In whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit."

I trust this study will help you grow in your communion and fellowship with our precious Holy Spirit. He is the present tense God of today. He is waiting to spend time just with you! Blessings to each of you!

"Keep on coming Holy Spirit! More Lord!"

James W. Goll
God Encounters Network