The Holy Spirit and His Gifts

Introduction The Holy Ghost is the least understood member of the Triune Godhead. Part of the reason for the confusion concerning the Holy Spirit is due to the preconceived notions that automatically enter into the minds of people who hear the word ghost or spirit. The Holy Spirit is not some nebulous emanation of God’s energy, influence or power. The Holy Spirit is not merely a disembodied Specter confined to an indistinct existence somewhere between death and life. In fact, the Holy Ghost has no similarity what so ever with any concept concerning wraiths at all. To ascribe the Holy Spirit any of these notions is to reject the truth of the Scriptures concerning the Holy Ghost and to accept a false doctrine that robs the Holy Spirit of the love, worship, and exultation, which are due this member of the Holy Trinity. The Bible’s usage of symbols to illustrate the ministry of the Holy Spirit include oil, water, wind, breath, blood and fire, which lead some to incorrectly deduce that the Holy Spirit is nothing more than an influence. The confusion that some people have concerning the Holy Spirit and His operation is not unavoidable, because the Bible assures us that we may know Him. The seventeenth verse of the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of John states “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for his dwelleth within you, and shall be in you.” The apostle Paul began his teaching on the working of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer by writing to the church in Corinth “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.” (I Corinthians 12:1) It is of the utmost importance that the proper understanding of whom the Holy Spirit is, be attained in order that we can properly relate to Him, in terms of the worship He is to receive, and in how we view our need of Him in our lives as Christian men and women. Chapter 1 The Holy Ghost is God The Holy Spirit as a member of the Godhead is distinct from but coequal with God the Father and God the Son. The Scriptures plainly establish that the Holy Spirit is God by ascribing Him divine attributes, incommunicable acts of creation and providence and by His being called the Spirit of God just as Jesus Christ is called the Son of God. Attributes of divinity ascribed to the Holy Spirit include omnipotence: He has all power and He is all powerful; omniscience: He has all knowledge and He is all knowing; omnipresence: he is everywhere all of the time rather than being confined to one place at a time; eternal: He has no beginning and He has no ending but He is from everlasting to everlasting. The omnipotence of Holy Spirit is depicted in Scripture as being the power of God. “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35) The omniscience of the Holy Spirit is characterized in Scripture by His ability to lead or guide a person into the whole truth “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” (John 15:12, 13). The word translated “guide” is from the Greek word “odos” meaning way, and “egeomai” meaning to lead and the phrase “into all truth” should more accurately be translated “into all of the truth” as a genitive definite article is included in the Greek text. Therefore this verse of Scripture reveals that the Holy Spirit has the knowledge to lead any person wholly in Christ, because Christ is the truth that John 16:12, 13 are referring to. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) These Scriptures ascribe to the Holy Ghost complete knowledge of the Son of God. The omniscience of the Holy Spirit is further characterized in Scripture by His ability to instruct someone in all the things of Christ and to bring to a person’s remembrance all that Jesus ever said “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) The Holy Ghost has the ability to explore, investigate or search all things “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.”