Page 54 - Bible Doctrines II w videos short

Many Christians have an unbiblical perception of the Holy Spirit. The Jehovah’s
Witnesses teach that the Holy Spirit is the power or force from God. Is that
Biblical? We will learn in this course that the Holy Spirit is a Person, with a mind,
emotions, and will. The Holy Spirit is Jesus' "replacement" on earth (John 14:16-
26; 15:26; 16:7). The Holy Spirit is received at salvation (Rom. 8:9) and is the
permanent possession of every believer in Christ (Eph. 1:13-14). Pneumatology
helps us to understand these issues and recognize the Biblical roles of the Holy Spirit in our lives today.
The study of Pneumatology is of immense benefit to the Christian. In the pages of Scripture, we come
face to face with the third Person of the trinity, God himself in spirit, and we see His very personal and
intimate ministry to us. Through Him, we come to know God’s love for us “because the love of God has
been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom. 5:5). To understand the
ministry of the Holy Spirit is to find joy in His role as our Comforter (John 16:7; Acts 9:31) who not only
helps and comforts us, but who comes to our rescue when our hearts are so burdened we cannot even
pray for relief (Rom. 8:26). When we pursue the knowledge of the Holy Spirit we find, to our great
delight, that He not only lives within us, but He does so forever, never to leave or forsake us (John
14:16).

Characteristics of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is God
The deity of the Holy Spirit is not as easily established as that of the Father and
the Son. It might be said that the deity of the Father is simply assumed in
Scripture, that of the Son is affirmed and argued, while that of the Holy Spirit
must be inferred from various indirect statements found in Scripture. There are,
however, several bases on which one may conclude that the Holy Spirit is God in
the same fashion and to the same degree as are the Father and the Son.
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The Holy Spirit is Called God and Identified as God in the Bible
Here are several verses where the Holy Spirit is called God or identified as God in the Bible:

Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy
Spirit. . . You have not lied to men but to God” (Acts 5:3-4). “And we, who with unveiled faces. . . are
being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, . . . from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2
Cor. 3:18).

Here are some verses where the Holy Spirit is associated by name with the Father and the Son:

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the
poor (Isa. 61:1). You show that you are a letter from Christ, . . . written not with ink but with the Spirit. . .
(2 Cor. 3:3). “. . . Through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, . . . (Phil. 1:19).
“Concerning this salvation, the prophets, . . . searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find
out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ. . .” (1 Pet. 1:10-11).

The Holy Spirit is associated with the Father by eleven different titles and with the Son by five distinct
titles. This association identifies the Holy Spirit with the other members of the Trinity. The titles point to
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the equality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and Son not to inferiority or dependence.

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