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Bible Will I Find: The Characteristics Of
By: Gary Colley
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Bible Will I Find: The Characteristics Of
By: Gary Colley
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There is always more room for study concerning the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. Both of these terms are from the Greek term "Pneuma" referring equally to the third member of the Godhead. In the King James Version bother terms are used in one verse (John 7:39). There are 264 references to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament and 88 references to the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit is always referred in the third person and masculine gender, as "He" and never "It." Some think of the Holy Spirit as only an influence or the mind, temper, or disposition of God. Some think the Holy Spirit to be only some vague impersonal force that is more to be felt than understood or defined! The Holy Spirit is not the Word of God, but the Word is the only medium through which He works today (Ephesians 6:17). God is not the Word either, but the Word is the instrument by which He operates in the lives of men (II Timothy 3:16-17). All good Bible students will acknowledge that there are three persons or personages in the Godhead, who all possess the Divine nature. Among those who accept a Tri-unity God, some still are reluctant to think of the Holy Spirit as a Divine Person, like God and Christ, but He is a Divine Person like God and Chris and He possesses the eternal nature as they do also. In the plan of redemption, God is the Father, Jesus is the Son, and the third Person in the Godhead is the Holy Spirit the Revelator
(I John 5:6-7). It is also a problem for many to understand the statement in I John 5:7, that "these three are one." Perhaps for the sake of understanding, we should point out something similar that we all understand, that two people who marry become one (Matthew 19:5-6). They do not cease to be individuals with their own personalities, but they are one. This simply points to the fact that God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are one in purpose, aim, and design. This is especially true concerning God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit in reference to the salvation and redemption of the world (John 3:16). All three personages of the Godhead are seen at Jesus' baptism, as in other places of the Bible. At Jesus' baptism God is speaking from Heaven, Jesus is coming forth from the waters of baptism, and the Holy Spirit is descending as a dove (Matthew 3:13-17).