RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT - Pentecost Sunday Cycle C

Homily for the Pentecost Sunday (Cycle C)

Based on John 20:19-23 (Gospel),  Ac 2:1-11 (First Reading) and 1 Co 12:3b-7, 12-13 (Second Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT

“Receive the Holy Spirit…” (Jn 20:22)

The Gospel for this Pentecost Sunday (Cycle C) is taken from John 20:19-23 under the title “Appearance to the disciples”. The whole gospel narrative has parallels in the following places:

1.       =Mk 16:14-18 - Lastly, he showed himself to the Eleven themselves while they were at table. He reproached them for their incredulity and obstinacy, because they had refused to believe those who had seen him after he has risen (v. 14). And he said to them, ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation (v. 15). He who believes and is baptized will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned (v. 16).  These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils, they will have the gift of tongues;^d (v. 17) they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison, they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover’ (v. 18). Footnote ^d says  “Var. ‘new tongues’.”

2.       =Lk 24:36-39 - They were still talking about all this when he himself stood them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you!’ (v. 36). In a state of alarm and fright, they thought they were seeing a ghost (v. 37). But he said, ‘Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts rising in your hearts (v. 38)? Look at my hands and feet; yes, it is I indeed. Touch me and see for yourselves, a ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have.’

3.       Jn 21:14 - This was the third time that Jesus showed himself to the disciples after rising from the dead.

Verse 19 of the Gospel says: In the evening of the same day, the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were,ⁱ for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them. ‘Peace be with you’… Footnote ⁱsays “Add. ‘assembled’”.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 16:16 - In a short time you will no longer see me, and then a short time later you will see me again.

2.       Jn 14:27 - Peace^s I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. Footnote ^s says  “The customary Jewish greeting and farewell, cf. Lk. 10:5p; it means soundness of body but came to be used of the  perfect happiness and the deliverance which the Messiah would bring. All this Jesus gives”.

Verse 20 says: And showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord…

Parallel texts of verse 20 are:

1.       Lk 24:16 - But something prevented them from recognizing him.^d Footnote ^d says “In the apparitions described by Lk and Jn, the disciples do not at first recognize the Lord: they need a word or a sign, Lk. 24:30f,35,37,39-43; Jn 20:14 and 16,20; 21:4 and 6-7; cf. Mt. 28:17. This is because the risen body, though the same body that died on the cross, is in a new condition; its outward appearance is therefore changed, Mk. 16:12, and it is exempt from the usual physical laws, Jn 20:19. On the condition of glorified bodies, cf. 1 Co. 15:44+”.

2.       1 Jn 1:1 - Something which had existed since the beginning, that we have heard, and we have seen with our own eyes; that we have watched and touched with our hands: the Word, who is life-this is our subject.

3.       Jn 15:11 - I have told you this so that my own joy^e may be with you and your joy be complete. Footnote ^e says “The perfect happiness of the messianic era which is communicated by the son of God”.

4.       Jn 16:22 - So it is with you: you are sad now, but I shall see you again, and your hearts will be full of joy, and that joy no one shall take from you.

Verse 21 says: And he said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so am I sending you…

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 4:38 - I sent you to reap a harvest you have not worked for. Others worked for it; and you have come into the rewards of your trouble.’^l  Footnote ^l says “The reapers are the apostles, the sowers those who have  labored before them, especially Jesus.”

2.       Jn 17:18 - As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

3.       Mt 28:19 - Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations, baptize them in the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,^g and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. Footnote ^g says “It may be that this formula, so far as the fullness of its expression is concerned, is a reflection of the liturgical usage established later in the primitive community. It will be remembered that Ac speaks of baptizing  ‘in the name of Jesus’,  cf. Ac. 1:5+. But whatever variation is formula, the underlying reality is the same”.

4.       Mk 16:15 - And he said to them, ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation…

5.       Lk 24:47 - And that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this.

Verse 22 says: After saying this he breathed^j on them and said: ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Footnote  ^j says “The breath of Jesus is the symbol of the Spirit (‘breath’, in Hebrew); he send forth the Spirit who will make all things new, Gen. 1:2; 2:7; Ezk. 37:9; Ws 15:11; See Jn 19:30+ and Mt. 3:16+.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 1:33 - I did not know him myself, but he who sent me to baptize with water had said to me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest in the one who is going to baptize with the Holy Spirit”.^y Footnote ^y says “This phrase sums up the whole purpose of the Messiah’s coming, cf. Jn 1:1+, namely, that mankind might be born again in the spirit: the O.T. had already foretold it,cf. Ac. 2:33+. The Spirit rests on him, Is. 11:12, 42:1, Jn 1:33, and so he can confer it on others baptism on the Spirit, cf. here and Ac 1:5+), but only after his resurrection, Jn 7:39,16:7,8,20:22; Ac.2. For Jesus came in the flesh, 1 Jn. 4:2, 2 Jn 7, flesh that was corruptible, Jn 1:14+, and it is only when he is ‘lifted up; and has gone to the Father that his body, glorified now, is fully endowed with divine, life-giving power. Thenceforward the Spirit flows to the world from his body as from an inexhaustible spring, Jn 7:37-39, 19:34, cf. Rm. 5:5+. For the water symbolism, cf. Jn 4:1+”.

2.       Ac 1:8 - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.ⁱ and then you will be my witnesses^j not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth’.^k Footnote  ⁱ says “The Holy Spirit is a favorite theme of Luke (Lk 4:1+); he talks mostly about the Holy Spirit as a Power, Lk 1:35; 24:49;Ac 1:8;10:38; Rm 15:13,19; 1 Co 2:4,5; 1 Th 1:5; Heb 2:4, sent  from God by Christ, Ac 2:38, to broadcast the Good News. 1. The Spirit gives the charismata, 1 Co 12:4f, that guarantee the message; the gift of tongues, Ac 2:4+, of miracles, 10:38, of prophecy, 11:27+; 20:23; 21:11, of wisdom, 6:3,5,10:2, the Spirit fives strength to proclaim Jesus as Messiah in spite of persecution 4:8,31; 5:32; 6:10;cf. Ph 1;19 and to bear witness to him, Mt. 10;20p; Jn 15:26; Ac 1:8; 2 Tm 1:7f,cf. following note; 3. The Spirit guides the Church in her major decisions: the  admission of pagans, Ac 8:29,40; 10:19,44-47; 11;12-16; 15:8, without obligation to observe the  Law, 15:28; Paul’s mission to the pagan worlds, 13:2f; 16:6-7; 19:1 (Western Text) cf. Mt. 3:16+,Ac also mentions the Spirit  as received in baptism and forgiving sins, 2:38, cf. Rm 5:5+”; Footnote ^j says “The primary functions of the apostles is to bear witness: not only to Christ’s resurrection, Lk. 24:48, Ac 2:32, 3:15, 4:33, 3:32, 24:48,13;31, 22:15, but also to the whole of is public life, Lk 1:21, Jn 15:27, Ac. 1:22, 10:39f.”; Footnote ^k says “nothing can limit the apostolic mission.”

3.       Ac 2:2 - Men of Israel, listen to what I am going to say;ⁿ Jesus of Nazareth was a man commended to you by God by the miracles and portents and signs that God worked through him when he was among you, as you all know. Footnote  ⁿ says “The content of the earliest apostolic preaching (the ‘kerygma’) is here summarized for the first time; cf. the five discourses of Peter, Ac. 2:14-39, 3:12-26; 4:8-12, 5:29-32, 10:34-43, and the discourse of Paul. 13:16-41. The kerygma is 1. a witness, 1:8+, to Christ’s death and resurrection, 2:24+, and to his exaltation, 2:33+; 2:36+, 2. It also provides certain details of Christ’s ministry; how it was heralded by John the Baptist, 10:37, 13:24, inaugurated by teaching and miracle, 2:22, 10:38, completed by the appearances of the risen Christ, 10:40,41, 13:31, and by the gift of the Spirit, 2:33, 5:32. 3. It places this story in its wider setting: it appeals to the past, adducing the OT prophecies, 2:23+; 2:35+, and it surveys the future, the advent of the messianic era, inviting Jews and pagans to repentance, 2:38+, so that Christ’s glorious return may come the sooner, 3:20-21. The gospels, which are development of the primitive preaching, adopt the same theme.”

Verse 23 says: for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Mt. 16:19 - I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.ⁱ  Footnote  ⁱ says “The City of God, like the City of Death, has its gates too; they grant entrance only to those who are worthy of it. Peter has the keys. It is his function, therefore, to open or close to all who would come to the kingdom of heaven through the Church. ‘bind’ and ‘loose’ are technical rabbinic terms; primarily they have a disciplinary reference; one is ‘bound’ (condemned to) o ‘loosed’ (absolved from) excommunication. Their secondary usage is connected with doctrinal or juridical decisions: an opinion is ‘bound’ (forbidden) or ‘loosed’ {allowed). Of the household of God Peter is controller (the keys symbolize this, cf. Is. 22:22). In that capacity, he is to exercise the disciplinary power of admitting or excluding those he thinks fit; he will also, in the administration of the community, make necessary decision in questions of doctrinal belief and of moral conduct. The verdicts he deliver or the pronouncements he makes will be ratified by God i heaven. Catholic exegetes maintain that these enduring promises hold good not only for Peter himself but also for Peter’s successors. This inference, not explicitly drawn in the text, is considered legitimate because Jesus plainly intends to provide for his Church’s future by establishing a regime that will not collapse after Peter’s death. Two other texts, Lk. 22:31f and Jn. 21:15f, on Peter’s primacy emphasize that its operation is to be in the domain of faith; they also indicate that this makes him head not only of the Church after the death of Christ but of the apostolic group then and there”.

2.       Mt. 18:18 - I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven: whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.^j Footnote ^j says “One of the powers conferred on Peter is here conferred on the Church’s ministers, to whom this discourse is primarily addressed.”

The First Reading is taken from Ac 2:1-11. Verse 1 says: When Pentecost day came round, they^a had all met in one room… Footnote ^a says “Not the hundred and twenty, 1:15-26, but the group mentioned in 1:13-14.” Parallel text is  Ex 23:14 that says The great feasts^d. Three times a year you are to celebrate a feast in my honor. Footnote ^d says “The four Pentateuchal traditions have each a calendar of the great religious feasts: Ex 23:14-17 ‘Elohistic’; Ex. 34:18-23 ‘Yahwistic’; Dt 16:1-16 ‘Deuteronomic’; and the ‘Priestly tradition of Lv 23  with which the liturgical regulations of Nb 28-29 correspond. In the various texts appear further details of ritual but the three principal feasts remain those laid down by Ex 23. 1. In Spring the feast of Unleavened Bread, including the Passover, see notes to 12:1 and 11.2. The feast of Harvest, called ‘feast of Weeks’ in Ex 34:22; it was held  seven weeks, Dt 16:9, or fifty days, Lv 23:16, after the Passover (hence its Greek name ‘Pentecost’, Tb 2:1) and marked the end of the wheat harvest; at a later date it also commemorated the giving Law on Sinai. 3. The feast of Ingathering of grapes and olives in the autumn; it was called The feast of tabernacles (or Shelters), Dt 16:13; Lv 23:34, because during the week’s festivities the people lived in huts made in the vineyard; these shelters reminded the Israelites of their ancestors’ tents in the wilderness, Lv 23:43. Of these three feast the most popular seems to have  been Ingathering  or Tabernacles, which is called simply the ‘feast’ in 1 K 8:2,65; Ezk 45:25. Later, other feast were added: the religious New Year, Lv 23:24; the Day of Expiation, Lv 16 and 23:27-32; and after the Exile: Purim, Est 9:24; Dedication, 1 M 4:59; the Day of Nikanor, 1 M 7:49”.

Verse 2 says: When suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven,^b the noise of which filled the entire house in which they were sitting…Footnote ^b says “The Spirit is like the wind, and the same word is used for both ‘spirit’ and ‘breath’.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ac 4:31 - As they prayed, the house where they were assembled rocked; they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim the word of God boldly.^l Footnote ^l  says “A miniature Pentecost, cf. the earlier one, 2:1f.”

2.       Ps 33:6 - By the word of Yahweh the heavens were made, their whole array by the breath of his mouth…

3.       Ps 104:30 - You give breath, fresh life begins,^f you keep renewing the world. Footnote ^f says “The spirit of God is the source of all being and life”.

4.       Jn 3:8 - The wind blows^d wherever it pleases; you hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. That is how it is with all who are born of the Spirit. Footnote ^d says “In Greek, as in Hebr., one word serves for both ‘wind’ and ‘spirit’.“

5.       Jn 20:22 - After saying this he breathed^j on them and said: Footnote ^j says “The breath of Jesus is the symbol of the Spirit (‘breath’, in Hebrew); he sends forth the Spirit who will make all things new, Gen. 1:2; 2:7; Ezk. 37:9; Ws 15:11; See Jn 19:30+ and Mt. 3:16+.”

Verses 3 and 4 say: And something appeared to them that seemed like tongues of fire;^c these separated and came to rest on the head of each of each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit,^d and began to speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech. Footnote ^c says “The shape of the flames (Is. 5:24; cf. Is 6:6-7) is here associated with the gift of tongues”; and Footnote ^d says “One element, vv. 4.11,13, of the Pentecost Miracle is the gift of glossolalia common in the early Church: see 10:46, 11:15 19:6, 1 Co. 12-14; cf. Mk 16:17, cf early prophecy in Israel, Nb. 11:25-59, 1S. 10:5-6,10-13, 19:20-24, ik.22:10,cf. the promise of Joel, 3:1-5, quoted by Peter, vv. 17f.”

Parallel texts for verse 4 are:

1.       Ac 1:5 - John baptized with water but you, not many days from now, will be baptized ^e with the Holy Spirit. Footnote ^e says “The baptism of the Spirit foretold by John the Baptist, Mt. 3:11 p. and here promised by Jesus, will be initiated by the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, Ac. 2:1-4. Subsequently, the apostles, obedient to Christ’s command, Mt 28:19, will continue to make use of baptism in water, Ac. 2:41, 8:12, 38, 9:18, 10:48, 16:15, 33, 18:8, 19:5, as the ritual initiation into the messianic kingdom, cf. Mt. 3:6+, but it will be ‘in the names of Jesus’, Ac. 2:38+, and through belief in Christ as savior, cf.  Rm 6:4+, will be able to absolve from sins and to  give the Spirit, Ac. 2;38. Connected with this Christian baptism by water, there is the companion rite of the  ‘imposition, 1 Tm. 4:14+, the purpose of which is to give the gifts of the spirit in as manifest a way as they had been given at Pentecost, Ac. 8:16-19, 9:17-18, 19:5-6 (but cf. 10:1-48); this is the origin of the sacrament of confirmation. Side by side with these Christian sacraments the baptism of John was for a time still being administered by certain of the less instructed early Christians, Ac. 19:3”.

2.       Ac 19:6 - And the moment Paul had laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came down on them, and they began to speak with tongues and to prophesy.

3.       Ac 1:8 - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.ⁱ and then you will be my witnesses^j not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth’.^k Footnote ⁱ says “The Holy Spirit is a favorite theme of Luke (Lk 4:1+); he talks mostly about the Holy Spirit as a Power, Lk 1:35; 24:49;Ac 1:8;10:38; Rm 15:13,19; 1 Co 2:4,5; 1 Th 1:5; Heb 2:4, sent  from God by Christ, Ac 2:38, to broadcast the Good News. 1. The Spirit gives the charismata, 1 Co 12:4f, that guarantee the message; the gift of tongues, Ac 2:4+, of miracles, 10:38, of prophecy, 11:27+; 20:23; 21:11, of wisdom, 6:3,5,10:2, the Spirit fives strength to proclaim Jesus as Messiah in spite of persecution 4:8,31; 5:32; 6:10;cf. Ph 1;19 and to bear witness to him, Mt. 10;20p; Jn 15:26; Ac 1:8; 2 Tm 1:7f,cf. following note; 3. The Spirit guides the Church in her major decisions: the  admission of pagans, Ac 8:29,40; 10:19,44-47; 11;12-16; 15:8, without obligation to observe the  Law, 15:28; Paul’s mission to the pagan worlds, 13:2f; 16:6-7; 19:1 (Western Text) cf. Mt. 3:16+,Ac also mentions the Spirit  as received in baptism and forgiving sins, 2:38, cf. Rm 5:5+.”; Footnote  ^j says “The primary functions of the apostles is to bear witness: not only to Christ’s resurrection, Lk. 24:48, Ac 2:32, 3:15, 4:33, 3:32, 24:48,13;31, 22:15, but also to the whole of is public life, Lk 1:21, Jn 15:27, Ac. 1:22, 10:39f.”; Footnote ^k says “nothing can limit the apostolic mission.”

4.       Ws 1:7 - The spirit of the Lord, indeed, fills the whole world, and that which holds all things togetherⁱ knows every word that is said.^j Footnote  ⁱ says “A phrase from the Stoic vocabulary, emphasizing the function of the spirit of the Lord which maintains the cosmos in unity (cf. the part ascribed to Christ, Col. 1:17;Heb 1:3). The notion is new; the OT knew God as sole creator, Gn 1+; Is 42:8+, but had considered his activity in the universe only from the point of view of omniscience and ubiquity, Am 4:13; 9:2-3; Jr 23:24; 1 K 8:27; Jb 34:21-23; Ps 139:7-12; Si42: 18-20”; Footnote ^j says “Lit. ‘has knowledge of sounds’. The liturgy of Pentecost applies this text to the ‘gift of tongues’, Ac 2:2-4”.

Verse 5 says: Now there were devout men^e living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven…Footnote  ^e says ‘devout men’ Sin. Western Text ‘ Now the Jews who were living in Jerusalem were men of every nation under heaven’. The other texts have both  ‘devout men’ and ‘Jews’.

Parallel text is Lk 24:47 that says: And that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this.

Verse 6 says: And at this sound they all assembled, each one bewildered to hear these men speaking his own language.^f Footnote ^f says “A second characteristic of the Pentecost miracle: the apostles speak a universal language; the unity lost at Babel is restored. This symbolizes and anticipates the apostles’ worldwide mission.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Mt 28:19 - Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations, baptize them in the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,^g and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. Footnote  ^g says “It may be that this formula, so far as the fullness of its expression is concerned, is a reflection of the liturgical usage established later in the primitive community. It will be remembered that Ac speaks of baptizing  ‘in the name of Jesus’,  cf. Ac. 1:5+. But whatever variation is formula, the underlying reality is the same.”

2.       Col 1:23 - As long as you persevere and stand firm on the solid base of your faith, never letting yourselves drift away from the hope promised by the Good News, which you have heard, which has been preached to the whole human race,^l and of which I, Paul, have become the servant. Footnote  ^l says “Lit ‘to all creation under the sky’.”

Verse 7, 8, 9, and 10 say:  They were amazed and astonished. ‘Surely’ they said ‘ all these men speaking are Galileans? How does it happen that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; people from Mesopotamia, Judaea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya round Cyrene; as well as visitors from Rome -

Parallel text of verse 7 is  Gn 11:1-9 that says:  The tower of Babel^a Throughout the earth, men spoke the same language, with the same vocabulary. Now as they moved eastwards they found a plain in the land of Shinar^b where they settled. They said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks and bake them in the fire’. - For stone they used bricks and for mortar they used bitumen. - ‘Come,’ they said ‘let us build ourselves a town and a tower with its top reaching heaven. Let us make a name for ourselves, so that we may not ne scattered about the whole earth.’ Now Yahweh came down to see the town and the tower that the sons of man had built. ’So they are all a single people with a single language!’ said Yahweh. ‘This is but the start of their undertakings!’ There will be nothing too hard for them to do. Come, let us go down and confuse their language on the spot so that they can no longer understand one another.’ Yahweh scattered them thence over the whole face of the earth, and they stopped building the town. It was named Babel, therefore, because there Yahweh confused^c the language of the whole earth. It was from there that Yahweh scattered them over the whole face of the earth. Footnote ^a says “This ‘Yahwistic’ narrative gives a different explanation of the diversity of peoples and tongues: mankind sinned and this was its punishment; it was a sin of overweening pride (v. 4) like that of our first parents, ch. 3. Unity will be restored only in Christ the savior, cf. the Pentecostal gift of tongues, Ac 2:5-12, and the gathering of all nations in heaven, Rv 7:9-10”.; Footnote ^b says “Babilonia, see 10:10; Is. 11:11; Dn 1:2.”;  and Footnote ^c says  “‘Babel’ is here explained by the root bll ‘to confuse’; the name actually means ‘gate of the gods’”.

Verse 11 says: Jews and proselytes^g alike- Cretans and Arabs; we hear them preaching in our own language about the marvels of God. Footnote ^g says “Pagan converts to Judaism who joined the chosen race by being circumcised. These proselytes are not the same as the God-fearers, 10:2+, who admire the Jewish religion and attend the synagogue but do not accept circumcision or the ritual prescribed by the Law. Jews and proselytes are not here additional classes of people: the terms qualify the nations just enumerated.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ac 10:2 - He and the whole of his household were devout and God-fearing, ^b and he gave generously to Jewish causes and prayed constantly to God. Footnote ^b- The expressions ‘fearing God’, 10:2,22, 35, 13:16, and ‘worshipping God’ 13:43, 50, 16:14, 7:4,17,18:7, are technical terms for admirers and followers of the Jewish religion who stop short of circumcision, cf. 2:11+.

2.       Ac 10:46 - Since they could hear them speaking strange languages and proclaiming the greatness of God. Peter himself then said…

3.       1 Co 14:23 - So that any uninitiated people or unbelievers, coming into the meeting of the whole church where everybody was speaking in tongues, would say you were all mad…

The Second Reading is taken from 1 Co 12:3b-7, 12-13. Verse 3b says: No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ unless he is under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ac 2:21+, 36 - All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.^m For this reason the whole House of Israel can be certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.^v  Footnote ^m says “The Christians style themselves ‘those who invoke on the name of the Lord’, 9:14,21; 22:16; 1 Co 1:2; 2 Tm 2:22; the title ‘Lord’ no longer indicates Yahweh but Jesus, cf. Ph 2:11; Ac 3:16. On Judgment day people will be received or rejected according as they have or have not invoked this name, i.e. acknowledged Jesus as Lord; see Ac 4:12 and Rm 10:9.’; and  Footnote ^v says “Conclusion of the argument from scripture. It is by his resurrection that Jesus has been constituted the ‘Lord’ of whom Ps 110 speaks, and the ‘Messiah” (Christ) to whom Ps 16 refers. From Ps. 2:7 (Son of God), Ac 13:33+; Heb. 1:5; 5:5; Rom. 1:4+ develop a similar argument. Cf. also Ac 5:31 (leader and savior); 10:42 and Rom 14:9 (Judge and Lord of the living and dead); Ph. 2:9-11 (glorified Lord)”.

2.       Rm 10:9 - If your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, ^e ten you will be saved. Footnote

3.       Ph 2:11 - And that every tongue should acclaim ^o Jesus Christ as Lord, ^p to the glory of God the Father. ^q Footnote ^o says “Var. ‘and every tongue shall acclaim’.”; Footnote  ^p says “Om. ‘Christ’. This proclamation is the essence of the Christian creed, Rm. 10:9, 1 Co. 12:3, cf. Col. 2:6. The use of Is. 45:23 (in which this homage is addressed to Yahweh himself) is a clear indication of the divine character that is meant to be understood by the title Kyrios, cf. Jn. 20:28, Ac. 2:36.’; and  Footnote  ^q says “Vulg. Interpretation is ‘proclaim that Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father’.”

Verses 4, 5 and 6 say: There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit;  there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them^c… Footnote ^c says “Note again the Trinitarian formulation, cf. 6:11; 2 Co 13:13+”.

Parallel texts of verse 4 are:

1.       Ep 4:5 -There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism…

2.       1 P 4:10 - Each one of you has received a special grace, so, like good stewards responsible for all these different graces from God, put yourselves at the service of others.

Verse 7 says: the particular way in which the Spirit is given to each person is for a good purpose.

Parallel texts are:

1.       1 Co 12:28-30 - in the church, God has given the first place to the apostles, the second to prophets, the third to teachers;^l after them miracles, and after them the gift of healing; helpers,^m good leaders,ⁿ those with many languages. (v. 28). Are all of them apostles, or are all of them prophets, or are all of them teachers? Do they all have the gifts of miracles (v. 29), or all have the gift of healing? Do all speak strange languages, and all interpret them (v. 30)? Footnote ^l says “The regular teachers appointed for each separate church, cf. Ac 13:1+”; Footnote ^m says “Lit. ‘helpings’; voluntary gifts to works of charity”; and Footnote ⁿ says “Administrators and guides of the church.”

2.       Ac 1:8 - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,ⁱ and then you will be my witnesses^j not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth’.^k Footnote ⁱ says “The Holy Spirit is a favorite theme of Luke (Lk 4:1+); he talks mostly about the Holy Spirit as a Power, Lk 1:35; 24:49;Ac 1:8;10:38; Rm 15:13,19; 1 Co 2:4,5; 1 Th 1:5; Heb 2:4, sent  from God by Christ, Ac 2:38, to broadcast the Good News. 1. The Spirit gives the charismata, 1 Co 12:4f, that guarantee the message; the gift of tongues, Ac 2:4+, of miracles, 10:38, of prophecy, 11:27+; 20:23; 21:11, of wisdom, 6:3,5,10:2, the Spirit fives strength to proclaim Jesus as Messiah in spite of persecution 4:8,31; 5:32; 6:10;cf. Ph 1;19 and to bear witness to him, Mt. 10;20p; Jn 15:26; Ac 1:8; 2 Tm 1:7f,cf. following note; 3. The Spirit guides the Church in her major decisions: the  admission of pagans, Ac 8:29,40; 10:19,44-47; 11;12-16; 15:8, without obligation to observe the  Law, 15:28; Paul’s mission to the pagan worlds, 13:2f; 16:6-7; 19:1 (Western Text) cf. Mt. 3:16+,Ac also mentions the Spirit  as received in baptism and forgiving sins, 2:38, cf. Rm 5:5+”; Footnote ^j says “The primary functions of the apostles is to bear witness: not only to Christ’s resurrection, Lk. 24:48, Ac 2:32, 3:15, 4:33, 3:32, 24:48,13;31, 22:15, but also to the whole of is public life, Lk 1:21, Jn 15:27, Ac. 1:22, 10:39f”; and Footnote ^k says “nothing can limit the apostolic mission”.

3.       Rm 12:6-8 - Our gifts differ according to the grace given us. If your gift is prophecy, then use it as your faith suggests; if administration, then use it for administration; if teaching, then use it for teaching. Let the preachers deliver sermons, the almsgiver give freely, the officials be diligent, and those who do works of mercy do them cheerfully.

Verse 12 says: Just as a human body, it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ.^k Footnote ^k says “The way a human body gives unity to all its component parts is the way Christ, as a unifying principle of the Church, gives unity to all Christians in his Body.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       1 Co 6:15 - You know, surely that your bodies are members making up the body of Christ, do you think I can take part in Christ’s body and join them to the body of a prostitute? Never!

2.       1 Co 10:17 - The fact that there is only one loaf means that, though there are many of us, we form a single body because we all have a share in this one loaf.

3.       Rm 12:4-5 - Just as each of our bodies has several parts and each part has a separate function, so all of us, in union with Christ, form one body, and as parts of it we belong to each other.^c Footnote ^c says “The sentence emphasizes not so much the identification of Christians with Christ, 1 Co 12:27 as their dependence on one another.”

4.       Ep 4:25 - So from now on, there must be no more lies: You must speak the truth to one another, since we are all parts of one body.

5.       Col 3:15 - And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as part of one body. Always be thankful.

Verse 13 says: In the one Spirit we were all baptized, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink…

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ga 3:28 - And there are no more distinctions between Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female, but all of you are one in Christ Jesus.^p Footnote ^p says  “Var. ‘you are all of Christ Jesus’.”

2.       Ep 4:4-6 - There is one Body,  one spirit, just as you were called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, though all and within all.^b  Footnote ^b says “Var. (Vulg.) ‘within all of us’.”

3.       Col 3:11 - And in that image there is no room for distinction between Greek and Jew, between the circumcised or the uncircumcised, or between barbarian and Scythian, slave and free men. There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything.^f  Footnote ^f says “The new creation will not be divided into races and religions and cultures and social classes in the way the present creation has been since the Fall: the whole world will be reunited in Christ.”

The doctrine on the “Holy Spirit” can be found in an online article “The Trinity: Is God Three-In-One?” by David C. Pack at www.rcg.org:

“Notice how Paul references “the Father” and “Jesus Christ,” thus differentiating them from all other “gods” and “lords,” but, missing the perfect opportunity, fails to mention the Holy Spirit, the supposed third member of the trinity.

The Nicene Creed reads:

I. We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, the maker of all things visible and invisible.

II. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father, only begotten, that is of the substance of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made, both those in heaven and those on earth. Who for us men and for our salvation came down and was incarnate, and was made man, And suffered, And rose the third day, Ascended into heaven, Is coming to judge quick and dead.

III. And in the Holy Ghost (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th ed., vol. 7, pp. 395-396).

Holy Spirit Moves Toward Personhood

Notice the very sparse wording of the third section: “And [we believe] in the Holy Ghost.” There was a reason for this. Many originally opposed longer draft versions of the Creed, which included more about Origen’s viewpoint concerning the Holy Spirit, because they could not go along with the strongly trinitarian views. After Nicaea, theologians who advocated the trinity became bolder and more explicit in enforcing their belief within the empire—and that it meant that the Holy Spirit was a third person. By AD 381, at the Council of Constantinople (56 years after Nicaea), the trinity was largely in place.

The philosophies of Origen prevailed. Remember, this man was an extremely unbalanced Stoic who publicly castrated himself! Astonishing, but true!

After Nicaea, both Arius and Athanasius were alternately in and out of favor with the church hierarchy and Roman leaders. This highly unpredictable atmosphere was polluted by political favoritism, betrayal and backstabbing. Shifts in leadership could mean honor or ruin, depending on the political landscape at the time. One could be elevated one year and banished the next. Even Origen had been subject to this—venerated for a time and fleeing for his life soon after.

(Numerous versions of the creed have been in circulation through the centuries. A popular and far stronger creed, fraudulently attributed to Athanasius, was found to have been drawn up in the fifth century. Its language was much more explicit than could have been approved at Nicaea in AD 325. It is generally recognized that Catholic theologians and historians modify history according to personal liking.)

It took many years for this doctrine to become deeply ingrained in Catholic thought. Eventually it took hold and has stayed firmly in place, so much so that none of the Protestant sects that separated during the 1500s ever questioned its validity. It had become blindly accepted, despite its completely unbiblical origins. The Protestant acceptance of this doctrine is succinctly expressed in this way: “In regard to the Trinity, Protestantism has nothing very new to say…” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th ed., vol. 26, p. 780).

What about “In the Name…of the Holy Spirit”?

But they were also to baptize in the name of the Holy Spirit, because the Father uses that Spirit—His Spirit—as the power through which the begettal is performed (Rom. 8:16).

This is what the passage means! God gives Christians His Holy Spirit, which is His seed. When they receive that seed, it gives them God’s name—they become heirs with Jesus Christ. From the point of conversion, Christians carry the name of God. When understood, this is why the name of the true Church has always been the “Church of God.” The word “Church” (Greek: ekklesia) means “the called out ones.” Human beings are called out of the world, begotten as God’s children, put into His Church and given His name.

Note what John said about the “seed” within converted people: “Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin; for His seed remains in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (I John 3:9). How interesting that the Greek for “seed” is sperma, from which came the English word “sperm.” The Holy Spirit is the “sperm” or “seed” of God. How plain!

Notice another scripture, adding light to what the seed of God is: “Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently: being born again [begotten], not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever” (I Pet. 1:22-23).

While true Christians will ultimately be born again into the kingdom of God at the resurrection, they are, at conversion, BEGOTTEN of God through the Holy Spirit. This is similar to the human reproductive system. As soon as the father’s sperm attaches to the egg of the mother, a child is conceived. The child is not yet born, although he is begotten of the physical seed—the father’s sperm. Christians, once they receive the Holy Spirit—the seed of God—are begotten in this life, but not yet born! Like any human father who would say that his wife is carrying his child, God speaks of the Church—described as the “Mother” of Christians (Gal. 4:26; Heb. 12:22; Rev. 12)—as carrying His children.

So then, Matthew 28:19 does not establish the trinity. It simply reveals that at baptism, one is given God’s name through His Spirit.

Romans 8:9

Let’s further examine the begettal process before returning to other scriptures. Notice Romans 8:9: “But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” This passage represents what could be called the Christian “DNA test.” Everyone recognizes that one must have a man’s genes to be his biological child. God is the same. Without God’s Spirit, one cannot be His begotten child.

Examining the process of human begettal sheds more light on the spiritual begettal process. In reproduction, an egg must be fertilized by a sperm cell, which then “seals off” the egg. The egg can never be fertilized by another sperm.

Now consider. Romans 8:9 spoke of Christians receiving in the same begettal the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. Are these two different Spirits? How does this fit with Christ saying, “I and My Father are One” (John 10:30)? If they were two different spirits, this still would not validate the trinity. It would mean that there are four, not three, beings—God and His Spirit and Christ and His Spirit—in the Godhead.

Upon baptism and the laying on of hands (the point at which one receives the Holy Spirit), Christians are begotten by the Father, just as Christ was begotten in Mary’s womb by the Father. Once begotten, Christ lives in them (Gal. 2:20). They then have the spirit of both Christ and the Father dwelling in them—which are one and the same Spirit. This Spirit enables Christians to take on the mind of Christ (Phil. 2:5).

A Christian can, however, “abort” in this lifetime—if he does not continue in the right path. It is possible to lose the Holy Spirit, and bring the new begotten life to an end. Notice: “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame” (Heb. 6:4-6).

John 14, 15 and 16—Trinity Not Taught by Christ

John 14, 15 and 16 contain verses cited most often as “proof” the Holy Spirit is a person.

In these accounts, Christ refers to it as “the Comforter.” The masculine pronoun “he” is used for the word“Comforter” (Greek: parakletos). This pronoun comes from the grammatical nature of the Greek language in which the New Testament was written. Gender was not assigned to God’s Spirit, but to the word used to describe it.

In the rest of the New Testament, the Greek word pneuma, meaning “breath” or “spirit,” is translated “Spirit.” It is equivalent to the Old Testament Hebrew word translated “spirit”—rûach. Grammatically, the word pneuma is neuter, and correctly represented by the pronoun “it.”

We read earlier that Christ said, “I and My Father are One” (John 10:30). What does this mean? To understand what Christ meant, we must turn to the Old Testament.

Amos 3:3 asks a rhetorical question: “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Jesus and the Father are of the same mind. They are unified in both thought and purpose. They agree. In John 10:30, Jesus did NOT say, “I, My Father and the Holy Spirit are One.” If God is triune, why did Jesus ignore the Holy Spirit when explaining the Godhead relationship?

This is a huge unanswered question.

In John 14:9, Christ also said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” Did He mean that He and the Father look exactly alike? Obviously, by His actions, Christ revealed the Father. God and Christ are of the same mind. In Luke 2, He asked, “Know you not that I must be about My Father’s business?” These scriptures show that Christ and the Father both work.

Again, Christ did not say, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father and the Holy Spirit.” John 1:1-3shows the relationship that God and Christ have: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” Again, where is the mention of the Holy Spirit? Only TWO beings are referenced.

The Greek word Logos, translated “Word,” also means “spokesman.” Psalm 33 reveals the role Christ had in Creation: “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth” (vs. 6).

In Matthew 19:17, Christ asked a young man who had questioned Him about salvation, “Why call you Me good? There is none good but One, that is, God.” If Jesus knew He was also God (Luke 2:49), what did He mean here?

Two things become apparent:

(1) He was giving deference to the Father (see John 14:28). Christ had completely emptied Himself of the power of the Godhead, taking on the form of physical flesh as a servant (Phil. 2:7). Christ was made of flesh, and there is nothing good about flesh. See Romans 7:18-24, among numerous other verses.

(2) In anticipation of the reaction in the young man—that he would reject Christ’s answer (vs. 22)—Christ was showing the paradox of the young man’s question. Consider. He called Christ, “Good Master,” and professed to want to do whatever Christ said, but his actions showed he did not believe he was talking to God—one who was “good.” Christ recognized that the young man had the same “worshipful” attitude held by so many who rejected Him. (See Luke 6:46; 20:17; Matt. 7:21; 21:42;13:57; Mark 12:10 and Acts 4:11.) Therefore, He was pointing the young man to what the Father requires.

Acts 5

In verses 3 and 4 of Acts 5, the apostle Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own power? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied unto men, but unto God.”

Does this passage prove that the Holy Spirit is a person? How could Peter state that Ananias and Sapphira were lying to the Holy Spirit, if the Holy Spirit is merely the inanimate power or agent of God?

Let’s understand how it was the power—not the person—of the Holy Spirit both in Peter’s mind and their own minds that Ananias and Sapphira were lying to.

It was the Holy Spirit that gave Peter the ability to discern (Heb. 5:14) Ananias and Sapphira’s lies. Notice I Corinthians 2:11: “What man knows the things of a man, except by the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knows no man, except by the Spirit of God.” Human beings learn by the spirit of man given to all human beings. This does not mean there is another person in each human person. Similarly, having God’s Spirit in one does not mean there is another person in them.

While there is knowledge that human beings can learn and understand without having God’s Holy Spirit, certain things can only be understood with His Spirit. Discerning spiritual things comes through God’s Holy Spirit in the mind.

Christ demonstrated this ability of discernment in John 13:27: “And after the sop Satan entered into him [Judas]. Then said Jesus unto him, That you do, do quickly.” Also notice Mark 8:33: “But when He [Christ] had turned about and looked on His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, Get you behind Me, Satan: for you savor not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.” The Holy Spirit present in Christ’s mind made this possible.

To understand how Peter could “see through” Ananias and Sapphira, consider the following analogy:

An attorney is discussing a technical legal matter with a potential client. Only a lawyer with the utmost legal understanding could properly handle the case. Also, only with complete and total knowledge of every aspect and detail of the situation can the lawyer hope to proceed. But the client, having dishonest ulterior motives, intentionally omits some minor details. Those details are so minute that they could potentially escape the attention of an attorney not deeply, intricately versed in the law. But the attorney sees the deception for what it is. How does he see through it? Because of the knowledge of the law that he possesses. Without that knowledge, he would not recognize the lie for what it is. His knowledge of the law leads him to understand the man’s ulterior motives.

If one lies to a farmer about a matter dealing with aerospace engineering, the farmer probably will not recognize the lie. Likewise, if one lies to a rocket scientist about a matter concerning agriculture, the scientist will most likely not recognize it. Why? Because neither is versed in the particular subject being addressed.

It is the same with spiritual understanding: “Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge” (I Cor. 8:7).

Remember, Romans 8:14 defines Christians: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” They must allow the “Spirit of truth” (the same as the Spirit of God) to guide them (John 16:13).

In Acts 5, Peter, guided by the Holy Spirit working in his mind, was able to discern three things about Ananias and Sapphira:

(1) They had conspired together on their way to see him.

(2) Their sin and their motive.

(3) The punishment they would receive.

After Pentecost in AD 31, God communicated to His servants through His Spirit (John 16:13).

Peter could say they were also lying to God because:

(1) Peter was the leading apostle in God’s Church. Christ had told him and the other disciples, “Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 18:18).

(2) Christ had also told His disciples, “And whatsoever you shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14). Christ had given His disciples power to act on His behalf. God had to guide them in these matters.

(3) Conversely, He showed that anything done to or for Christians was considered to be done to or forHim. Notice: “Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, you have done it unto Me” (Matt. 25:40).

Also notice the following Old Testament accounts:

(4) “And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness…And in the morning, then you shall see the glory of the LORD; for that He hears your murmurings against the LORD: and what are we, that you murmur against us?…for that the LORD hears your murmurings which you murmur against Him: and what are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD” (Ex. 16:2, 7-8).

(5) “And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto you: for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them” (I Sam. 8:7).

These passages show why Peter could say that Ananias and Sapphira were lying to both God and the Holy Spirit. It was not because the Holy Spirit is a separate person in the Godhead. They were lying to one of God’s apostles, in whom He was working—through the power of His Holy Spirit.

Also, consider Peter’s statement, “You have not lied unto men.” Advocates of the trinity teaching ignore the fact that the husband and wife had lied directly to Peter (a man). Peter was a flesh-and-blood human being. Was he somehow elevating himself to the status of either God or the Holy Spirit? (See Acts 10:25-26 and 14:7-18.)

Trinitarians’ argument has no strength because it is inconsistent and does not examine every aspect of the account. As is always the case, religionists have taken a single scripture out of context and either ignored or maligned other scriptures, building a doctrinal “house of cards.” The wise are always able to see through it and knock it down.

Acts 13

This scripture presents another perfect example of how so many religionists ignore context, sometimes vital context, focusing on one aspect of a passage to make it say something it does not. What follows is supposed proof of the personhood of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 13:2-4: “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate Me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Spirit, departed unto Seleucia…”

Notice the seven elements of this scripture:

(1) “As they ministered to the Lord”: These men were seeking God’s will in a matter—specifically, the ordination of two men. James 4:8 states, “Draw near to God [not the Holy Spirit], and He will draw near to you.”

(2) “when they had fasted”: Fasting is a tool of Christian growth. It helps Christians acknowledge to God that they are nothing of and by themselves, and allows them to draw closer to Him. Fasting also blocks Satan’s influence. If you are drawing near to God, you are resisting Satan. And, as James 4:7states, if you “Resist the devil…he will flee from you.” By fasting, these men demonstrated to God they wanted His total involvement in a purpose.

Also, a fast involves going without food and drink for a period of time, usually at least 24 hours. Read Jeremiah 36:6; Isaiah 58:3; Nehemiah 9:1. So the period covered between Acts 13:2 and verse 3 is at least 24 hours.

(3) “…the Holy Spirit said”: If this were a literal voice from God, why would the men have felt the need to continue fasting and praying? They would have had their answer! None would suggest God was speaking the same message to them nonstop for 24 hours. (Notice II Samuel 12:16-23; Daniel 10:3-13and Matthew 9:14-15.) They were being guided by God’s Spirit within them, and they needed to be crystal clear about the intent of the message it was bringing. An actual voice would eliminate any such need. Again, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Rom. 8:14).

(4) “Separate Me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them”: It is the Father who does the calling (John 6:44, 65). The Holy Spirit is the means by which the Father draws them. Also, it is Christ who determines who will be used in the ministry—and in what office (I Cor. 12:28). Finally, if this were the voice of a God Being, spoken audibly for all to hear, it would have been accompanied by obvious displays of natural forces. (Notice John 5:37 and also Acts 9:3-7.)

(5) “…and prayed”: Prayer is another tool of Christian growth, used to make our needs known to God. It is also the way we ask God to make His will known to us. (See Matthew 6:10 and 26:39, 42.) Again, if they had already received an audible answer, why would they have continued praying?

(6) “…and laid their hands on them”: The laying on of hands is a symbolic act when God is called upon, in faith, to bless and sanctify or impart authority and power. The power of the Holy Spirit is involved in four purposes—blessings, baptism, healing and ordination.

Genesis 48:13-20 records that Ephraim and Manasseh received a special blessing when Israel (Jacob) laid hands upon them. The blessing of little children is also performed by the laying on of hands, as instructed by Christ (Mark 10:15-16; Matt. 19:13-15 and Luke 18:15-17).

In the baptism ceremony, the repentant person receives the gift of the Holy Spirit by having hands laid on him. This is first recorded in Acts 8:17-18: “Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit…through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given.” Also seeActs 19:5-6 and II Timothy 1:6.

God’s healing is also the result of an elder’s prayer with faith, accompanied by the laying on of hands on the head of the afflicted person. Notice Acts 9:17: “…and Ananias [not the Ananias of Acts 5]…entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus…has sent me, that you might receive your sight.”

Ordination into an office in God’s Church is also done through the laying on of hands. The first example is found in Acts 6:6-8, involving the ordination of deacons: “…and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them…And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.” God’s Church today faithfully observes this practice in all ordinations. Hebrews 6:2 specifically lists it as one of God’s doctrines.

(7) “…they sent them away”: These men were acting on God’s behalf, ordaining men into higher ministerial offices. This part of the verse reveals two things: (1) In addition to prayer and fasting, they had also counseled together to reach a wise decision (notice Proverbs 11:14 and 15:22); (2) the Holy Spirit did not, of itself, send these men. Again, the verse states, “…they [Niger, Lucius, Manaen] sent them away.”

To summarize: God, through the power of His Spirit, acting in response to those seeking His guidance, inspired the men involved to understand that He wanted Barnabas and Saul to depart.

CHAPTER SEVEN –DEFINING THE HOLY SPIRIT

We now come to a central question: Who or what is the Holy Spirit? Many people answer this in the following way: “He is the third person of the Trinity.” However, close examination of Scripture reveals a totally different picture.

Satan counterfeits every aspect of true Christianity. The truth about who and what the Holy Spirit is would be no exception. It serves the devil’s purpose to deceive people into believing that the Holy Spirit is a person. He knows that if he can convince people to believe this, they will never learn their own awesome potential. Satan knows that human beings will ultimately be offered an opportunity that he will never receive.

Is the Holy Spirit a Person?

We saw that the supposed three members—“persons”—within the trinity are actually one being. But is the Holy Spirit a separate person? As in previous chapters, earlier points will be repeated in a different context. To explain the full truth of the matter, we must examine many scriptures.

Simply put, a person is a person. Three persons cannot be more or less than three persons. Each is separate and unique. If the Holy Spirit is a person, it cannot be part of a triune godhead of one being. Some will say that it is not accurate to label God as a person, however, most trinitarians do. Of course, they then wander off into abstract, philosophical ideas. Again, many ignore II Corinthians 11:3: “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

To understand the fallacy of the argument that the Holy Spirit is a person, we start by examining I Kings 3:16-27. In this well-known account, there was a dispute over who was the rightful mother of a baby. Solomon offered the following solution: Cut the baby in two and give each woman half. Obviously, a person cannot be cut in half and live. Likewise, individual human body parts do not regenerate, and will eventually corrupt, if they are cut off.

Here is the point. We have already explained how the trinity concept does not permit Christ to “extricate” Himself to come to Earth as Savior. Neither can the Holy Spirit be locked into the Father and Son in the same way. If it is a person, it is separate.

God expects Christians to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Pet. 3:18). If the Holy Spirit is a person, how would it be increased within the Christian who has it? For a person to increase the amount of God’s Spirit within him, he has to exercise it. How could this be done if the Spirit were a person? It is either present or it is not, with no way to be increased or decreased. Take a moment and read the parable of the pounds found in Luke 19:11-26. In this parable, Christ is instructing His listeners to increase the amount of the Holy Spirit within them. (To learn more about how the Spirit of God grows in a person, read our vital article “Exercise God’s Spirit!”)

In Psalm 51:11, confessing his sin, King David implored God, “Take not Your Holy Spirit from me.” If the Holy Spirit were a distinct person, with a mind and consciousness of its own, would David have not said, “Holy Spirit, do not leave me”? Would the Holy Spirit not have the power to come and go as “He” pleases? Luke 11:13 makes plain that the Holy Spirit is given by God to those who ask for it. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is not a person that comes of its own volition, but rather is seen to be something that God gives.

In this regard, notice that in Acts 8:18-20, Peter did not rebuke Simon Magus for referring to the Holy Spirit as power, as opposed to a person, when this man sought this “power” for himself. He rebuked Simon because he thought he could “purchase” such a power with money.

Christ Revealed the Father, Not the Holy Spirit

We now ask: How did Christ reveal the Father to a world that knew nothing of Him?

Again, Israel had been worshipping the Word—Jesus Christ before He became flesh—and they were led out of Egypt by Him, not the Father. Referenced earlier, now notice: “Moreover, brethren, I would not that you should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea [the Red Sea, upon leaving Egypt]; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ” (I Cor. 10:1-4).

Let’s do basic thinking. Jesus revealed what the Father is like, and did this through the power of the Holy Spirit. Consider. If the Holy Spirit were a person, would not Christ have also revealed “Him”? Now ask: How could He reveal the Holy Spirit through the Holy Spirit? This makes no sense and Scripture makes no mention of this.

The Holy Spirit was dwelling in Jesus. Therefore, it would make no sense for Christ to utter any of the following statements, if the Holy Spirit were a person doing the works in Him. Notice more stark omission of any reference to the Holy Spirit or its “work” in the following passages:

·   “If you had known Me, you should have known My Father also: and from now on you know Him, and have seen Him” (John 14:7).

·   “Jesus said unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet have you not known Me, Philip? He that has seen Me has seen the Father; and how say you then, show us the Father?” (John 14:9).

·   “Believe you not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of Myself: but the Father that dwells in Me, He does the works” (John 14:10).

In all of these passages, Christ speaks of the Father and Him doing the works. If the Spirit were a person, would not that have been a good time to announce this? Think of the insult to the Holy Spirit in Christ’s blatant ignoring of all that this “person” was supposedly doing in Him.

Trinitarians should carefully study the many scriptures that omit even mild obligatory reference to the Holy Spirit’s personhood when this would be so necessary.

Holy Spirit Is Not the Father

Trinitarians have a difficult time logically explaining the following verses about the place of the Father in Christ’s life and the very different role of the Holy Spirit as the agent or begetting power of the Father. A question naturally arises: Who is Christ’s Father?

·   “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, you son of David, fear not to take unto you Mary your wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy [Spirit]” (Matt. 1:20). (Also read Luke 1:35 for more detail.)

·   “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

How many ever consider these verses? They seem to be contradicting one another. Was Christ begotten by the Father or by the Holy Spirit? If Christ was “conceived” by the Holy Spirit as a person, then “he”—the Holy Spirit—would be Christ’s father. And if the Holy Spirit were a person, then “he” would be our father also.

Let’s permit basic logic to prevail. A human father is called a father because he is the one who IS the father! No one is confused about this, just as they are not confused about whether a human baby has two fathers. In this regard, a baby does not have a “human” father and a “sperm” father, because the sperm did the begetting. The sperm came from the human father, who is the one who did the begetting. The same is true of the Spirit Father of the newly begotten true Christian who merely received the Father’s “seed” in the form of the Holy Spirit sent for the purpose of performing the begettal.

Also notice Peter’s statement that Christians are begotten by the Father: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (I Pet. 1:3). The only difference is that unlike Christ, one is spiritually begotten after his physical birth, not before.

Peter says “begotten us again” because these were begotten the first time by their physical father and born physically. Then, at conversion, Christians are begotten a second time by their spiritual Father, later to be BORN AGAIN.

When pieced together, these verses make clear that the Father begat Christ through the power of His Holy Spirit. Keep it simple—do not allow theologians, impressed with their own theories, to impress you with illogical, nonsensical arguments that only prove that they do not know what they are talking about.

Read the second half of Romans 16:18 as a powerful warning to all!

Holy Spirit is Not a Proper Name

In the Old Testament, the word “holy” is translated from the Hebrew word qodesh, meaning “a sacred place or thing.” “Spirit” is translated from the Hebrew word ruach, meaning “wind, breath, or life.” In the New Testament, “holy” is translated from the Greek word hagios, meaning “sacred.” “Spirit” is translated from the Greek word pneuma, meaning “current of air, breath, or breeze.”

Notice how these are not names like people or the Father and Christ have. In this case, the words Holy and Spirit merely describe what the thing is—HOLY ( because it is God’s) and SPIRIT (because it is like wind).

Unlike the Father and Christ, who are both composed of spirit, and have names and are clearly portrayed as having form and shape, nowhere in Scripture is the Holy Spirit given a name or mentioned as having form. Read Matthew 3:16 and John 14:16, and then think logically: Is the Holy Spirit really a “dove,” and is “comforter” an actual name?—or are these words used to convey meaning?

Angels and demons are spirit beings, and they have names, can talk and have forms. Notice:

·   “And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto you, and to show you these glad tidings” (Luke 1:19).

·   “And the LORD said unto Satan, From where come you? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it” (Job 1:7).

Where in Scripture is the Holy Spirit shown to be doing such things? Where is “He” shown to be interacting with other beings like the examples above? The answer is NOWHERE! And if it were a person, why would it not have an actual name as does every other spirit being—including Satan—described in Scripture?

Why Is the Holy Spirit Referred to as “He”?

A universally favored piece of “evidence” used to “prove” the Holy Spirit’s personage is the masculine pronoun “He,” found in certain verses in John’s gospel account. However, when examined, this evidence is strictly circumstantial. The irony of this claim is that the scholars teaching it are supposedly versed in the Greek language of the New Testament. Unlike English, Greek nouns are always assigned gender. They are either masculine, feminine or neuter. This is completely arbitrary, having nothing whatsoever to do with any actual defining quality of the person, place or thing being referred to, unless a specific human being is being referenced. And pronouns must agree in gender with the nouns for which they are substituted.

To back up their claims, trinitarians quote John’s gospel. The words “He” and “Himself” are used extensively in reference to the Holy Spirit. However, the inspired Greek words can also be translated “it” or “itself.”

Case in point: “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; but if I depart, I will send him unto you” (John 16:7).

Compare this verse with Romans 8:16: “The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” The exact same Greek word autos is translated two entirely different ways in these two verses (“him” and “itself”). When studying difficult biblical subjects, a careful study of the original language is necessary to avoid drawing wrong conclusions.

In John 16:8 and verse 13, the phrases “he will show” and “he will reprove” are actually translated from the Greek words elegcho and anaggello respectively. They mean: “to confute or admonish” and “to announce.” The word “he” was used by translators for gender agreement, not because John was trying to establish the trinity.

Many will also cite the word “Comforter” as referring to a person. This is ridiculous. A comforter on your bed is obviously not a person. It is called such because of what it does. The same is true of the Holy Spirit.

Notice other examples of gender being assigned to non-gender items:

·   “And He had in His right hand seven stars: and out of His mouth went a sharp two edged sword: and His countenance was as the sun shines in his [the sun’s] strength” (Rev. 1:16).

The possessive pronoun “his,” referring to the sun, is strictly a grammatical tool. Such use of gender-specific pronouns in reference to inanimate objects is found in other languages as well, such as French and Spanish. In these languages, the gender of a possessive pronoun agrees with its object, not its subject. In the case of Revelation 1:16, obviously, neither “sun” nor “strength” has any inherent gender. Consider two more scriptures:

·   “Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her [the earth’s] place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of His fierce anger” (Isa. 13:13). Is the earth female?

·   “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her [the moon’s] light” (Matt. 24:29). Is the moon female?

When examined from the perspective of overall biblical usage, the way pronouns are translated is irrelevant. The real issue is the inconsistency found in theological arguments. Do trinitarians attribute literal gender and consciousness to the sun, moon or earth? Of course not! So why assign gender to the Holy Spirit?

One does not have to be a grammarian, historian or scholar to understand the Bible. In fact, the Bible shows that those who study it for the simplicity it contains (I Cor. 1:27; II Cor. 11:3; John 4:23), without adding their own “theological” conjecture, are the ones God is calling and working with (John 6:44,65).

Is Man’s Spirit a Person?

The book of Job makes a fundamental statement about another spirit that we have only briefly touched upon. Notice: “But there is a SPIRIT IN MAN: and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding” (32:8).

Then notice this passage, also referenced earlier: “For what man knows the things of a man, save [by]the spirit of man which is in him? (I Cor. 2:11).

These two passages plainly reveal that there is a SPIRIT within all people. This is what differentiates human beings from animals, and is what gives people a concept of self. However, it is not this spirit that permits human beings to comprehend the truths of God. Notice the rest of verse 11 above: “…even so the things of God knows no man, but [by] the Spirit of God.”

With the human spirit present, people can understand physical knowledge, and this is done through use of the five senses. But without the Spirit of God leading a person, it is ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE to understand God’s truth—including the nature of the true God who is the One Who must give that Spirit to reveal Himself.

Now think: God has a Spirit, and man has a spirit. According to trinitarians, the Holy Spirit is a person. Using their convoluted logic, one could conclude that man’s spirit is a person, which means that there would be another “person” dwelling within each person. Obviously, this is ridiculous!

Can the Holy Spirit Feel Grief?

Paul recorded, “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30).

What does it mean to “grieve the Holy Spirit”? Does this passage mean that the Holy Spirit can “feel” pain or grief? Also, can something be grieved if it is not a person? Trinitarian reasoning argues “no.”

But consider, for example, the expression, “Don’t stress the system.” What does this mean? Who is going to feel the stress? What is the “system”? The “system” is the embodiment of the world as we know it. It is not something with an objective or agenda of its own. This is commonly understood. The connotation is that something is being done in a way that makes things run less than smoothly. But does the “system” actually FEEL “stressed”? When someone says, “I’m going to beat the system,” what does this mean? Does the “system” have a name, a face? Is it personal?

When Paul writes in Romans 8:22, “…the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now,” does anyone believe that planets, stars, trees, rocks, etc.—part of the creation—actually “groan and travail in pain”? Of course not! In I Corinthians 11:14, Paul asked, “Does not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?” Is nature running an academic curriculum? Again, of course not.

Paul should be able to make such statements without inviting overanalysis of his words, with the reader coming to unfounded conclusions. As a teacher, Paul is simply attributing emotion to things that obviously have none. Poets do this all the time. Their writings are generally not overanalyzed to the point of gross contortion of the basic intended meaning. So we ask: Why are not Paul’s other writings examined in a consistent light? This is because another spiritual element comes into play when the words of God, as opposed to a poet or prose writer, are the subject of the study. Recall: “the carnal mind is enmity [hostile] against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Rom 8:7). Human beings naturally do not want to obey God.

Two Characteristics of the Holy Spirit

Let’s now examine certain characteristics of the Holy Spirit and ask whether they can be those of a person.

For example: Can a person be distributed? The obvious answer is no. However, the Holy Spirit can be. Notice: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4).

On the Day of Pentecost, many were filled with the Holy Spirit. This marked the beginning of the New Testament Church. If the Holy Spirit were a person, this miracle could not have taken place since it is not possible to be filled with a person. Also recall that many believe one either has the Holy Spirit or does not—the amount cannot vary. If this is the case, all Christians in every age would have to be filled with the Spirit.

Do not allow an intellectual trinitarian response to this such as “the Holy Spirit is God, so normal rules do not apply” to confuse you. On this basis, no Bible passage could ever mean what it said because every passage came from God.

In Acts 2:17-18, Peter, quoting Joel 2:28-29, said, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: and on My servants and on My handmaidens I will pour out in those days of My Spirit; and they shall prophesy.”

Can a person be poured? Are Christ and the Father ever referred to as being poured out? Again, do not fall for an intellectual dismissal of this with the simple assertion that “the Holy Spirit is God, so forget all rules.” We will revisit this later.

More Aspects of the Holy Spirit

The Greeks believed that the gods were in everything. This is what led them to “create” their own “gods many and lords many,” believing they had to put a separate god in every conceivable kind of inanimate object. (Recall that the Greeks had at least 30,000 gods.)

The true God—the Father and Christ—are in one place, but can be everywhere at once (omnipresent) through the power of the Holy Spirit. Their bodies are not spread throughout the universe like a kind of amorphous nebula. Notice what David wrote in the Psalms: “Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, You are there: if I make my bed in [the grave], behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Your hand lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me” (Psa. 139:7-10).

Paul exhorted Timothy to “stir up the gift of God, which is in you by the putting on of my hands” (II Tim. 1:6). Here, God’s Spirit is referred to as a gift that one must stir up within a Christian’s mind. Can a person be stirred? Is the Holy Spirit a kind of “genie in a lamp,” asleep until summoned?

At baptism and conversion, Christians are given a “measure” of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:7). Can one receive a measure of a person? No, but they can get a measure of power, which must be continually exercised to grow. Paul wrote, “I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:19). A Christian has been given a supply of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus Christ. If it is not constantly replenished, that Spirit will run out, potentially until it is completely gone (Heb. 6:4-6).

As Matthew 25:14-30 shows, those who do not exercise God’s Spirit and “bring forth much fruit” (John 15:5, 16) will not be given eternal life in God’s kingdom. II Corinthians 4:16 shows that through enduring trials and suffering, a Christian increases his supply of the Holy Spirit: “For which cause [strong persecution] we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”

Notice also that the Holy Spirit must be renewed: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). This verse is referring to the Holy Spirit at work in a Christian’s mind. To renew something is to keep it active or current.

When someone renews his driver’s license, it is so he can continue to legally operate an automobile. The license itself cannot drive, but empowers the individual to do so. Unless it is renewed every three to four years, one will lose his driving privilege. Figuratively, the Holy Spirit is the same. Unless renewed, one will lose the privilege of receiving eternal life.

A person cannot be renewed. But an “amount” of something can be. If it is a person, it is either there or it is not! There can be no in-between.

Analogies of the Spirit

The Bible uses many analogies to show how the Holy Spirit works within a Christian’s mind. None of them attribute any qualities of “personhood.”

(1) God’s Word likens the Holy Spirit to WIND: “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:2).

Christ likened those born as Spirit beings into the kingdom of God to wind: “The wind blows where it lists, and you hear the sound thereof, but cannot tell [from where] it comes, and where it goes: so is every one that is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).

Wind can be powerful, as in the case of a tornado or hurricane, or it can be gentle. The same is true of the Holy Spirit. God used it to create the heavens and the earth, but He also can use it to gently mold a Christian’s character into perfection.

(2) The Holy Spirit is also compared to OIL. As a spiritual “lubricant,” it is comforting (John 14:26) and keeps God’s people cool. Oil is also burned as a fuel to create fire, produce light (Matt. 5:14; 25:1-8) and generate heat (Rev. 3:15). Christians are to be the lights of the world and the Holy Spirit is the fuel that powers them. (Again, review Matthew 25:1-12.)

We are also anointed by the Spirit, just like an anointing of oil: “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me; because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound” (Isa. 61:1). Also see I John 2:27, describing conversion itself as an anointing.

(3) The Holy Spirit is likened to FIRE. Notice: “And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them” (Acts 2:3-4).

Again, II Timothy 1:6 shows that, like a fire, the Holy Spirit must be constantly stirred up within each Christian: “Wherefore I put you in remembrance that you stir up the gift of God, which is in you by the putting on of my hands.”

Paul also exhorted, “Quench not the Spirit” (I Thes. 5:19). Quenching the Spirit is like quenching thirst or fire—when you quench either, you extinguish it. In the case of the Holy Spirit, this is done by “smothering it” with wrong thoughts, or by continual sin. Obviously, a person cannot be “quenched”!

(4) God’s Word also likens the Holy Spirit to WATER. Nobody can live physically without water, and nobody can live spiritually (or eternally) without the Holy Spirit. Christ stated, in John 7:38-39, “He that believes on Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spoke He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Spirit was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”

(5) Byproducts of the Holy Spirit are compared to FRUIT. Fruit helps to cleanse the physical body. The Holy Spirit helps to cleanse God’s children spiritually. Fruit also provides instant energy to the body: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Gal. 5:22-23). Allowing the mind to be guided by the Holy Spirit automatically yields the above “fruit,” which cleanses one of “spiritual toxins,” and provides power to continue.

Just as no one can live physically without food, Christians must feed upon the fruits of the Tree of Life (the Holy Spirit) in order to live spiritually (I Cor. 15:21-22; John 6:30-35; Rev. 2:17).

(6) The Holy Spirit is also a GIFT: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). The Holy Spirit then brings with it potentially a whole series of gifts (I Cor. 12:1-11).

(7) Also, to show that Christians are to be gentle and peaceable, we saw that the Holy Spirit is likened to a DOVE. Notice: “Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him” (Matt. 3:16).

Genesis 8:8-12 records that Noah sent out a dove “to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground,” so that he could be led in what to do. In like manner, Christians are guided by the Holy Spirit in their minds.

Exactly What Is the Holy Spirit?

Many examples demonstrate that the Holy Spirit is neither a third of one amorphous being, nor a separate entity of a triune god. Let’s ask again, what is it?

The Holy Spirit is the life (and very mind) of God. Jesus Christ lived by the Spirit of the Father dwelling within Him. Just as the Father dwelled within Christ through the Holy Spirit and gave Him life, Jesus lives within His followers through the Spirit and gives them life—eternal life. Notice Christ’s description of His relationship with the Father:

·   “As the living Father has sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eats Me, even he shall live by Me” (John 6:57).

·   “For as the Father has life in Himself; so has He given to the Son to have life in Himself” (John 5:26).

With this eternal life (the Holy Spirit) dwelling inside God’s people, they can also become one with Christ and the Father. As the Father and Son are of the same mind and the same accord, so are Christians to be (Phil. 2:2).

Becoming one with God and Christ is only possible through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Ponder the following scriptures, asking why there is no reference to the Holy Spirit:

·   “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30).

·   “But if I do, though you believe not Me, believe the works: that you may know, and believe, that the Father is in Me, and I in Him” (John 10:38).

·   “At that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you” (John 14:20).

·   “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your own name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one, as We are” (John 17:11).

·   “That they all may BE ONE; as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may BE ONE IN US: that the world may believe that You have sent Me” (John 17:21).

Where is the trinity in all these verses—including the Holy Spirit? How are they reconciled with Christians becoming one with the Father and Christ, apart from the Holy Spirit—and when it is supposedly the only one of the three persons in us?

I repeat: the Holy Spirit is the power of God. When the term “power” is used today (for instance: “By the power vested in me…”), it never implies that such power does something of its own accord. It is understood that someone is using that power, wielding it—exercising it—distributing it—to accomplish something. Does electricity have a mind of its own? Does nuclear energy? Does solar power? All sources of power are used to do various kinds of work and must be replenished. The same is true of God’s Spirit.

A fascinating passage proves that power flowed from Christ in Mark 5:25-30: “A certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, when she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched His garment. For she said, If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that virtue [Greek: dunamis, meaning power] had gone out of Him, turned Him about in the press, and said, Who touched My clothes?”

Think of it this way. When you work hard and perspire, your body loses vital nutrients that must be replenished. This parallels what happened to Christ. The Holy Spirit was like a “vital nutrient” that flowed from Jesus. It needed replenishment. Also notice the following verses, and think about them in this context:

• “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13).
• “But you shall receive power, after that the Holy [Spirit] is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

It is this very power that allowed Jesus to perform the many miracles that He did. The Father was with Jesus through the Spirit dwelling in Him. Jesus had no power in and of Himself to do anything:

• “I can of Mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and My judgment is just; because I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father which has sent Me” (John 5:30).
• “Then said Jesus unto them, When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall you know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father has taught Me, I speak these things” (John 8:28).

Having emptied Himself from the Godhead to become a human being, Jesus needed the Holy Spirit. So do you and I. If He could do nothing of Himself, how much can we do of ourselves? Absolutely nothing.

Reasons the Holy Spirit Is Given

Most professing Christians understand that Jesus Christ is to be our example (John 13:15; I Pet. 2:21), and that we are to copy His life in our own. The way He lived, His sufferings and His overcoming the world are all things we must be aware of and partake of. His birth, death and Resurrection are examples that reveal the role of the Holy Spirit in God’s Plan for mankind.

We saw that Christ was begotten by the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit. Unlike human beings, He had no physical father. The Holy Spirit is the means by which the Father begets His sons. Just as Christ was begotten by the Father, Christians also are begotten by Him. The difference is that Christians are begotten outside the womb, and are not given the Holy Spirit until after baptism (Acts 2:38). Once baptized and given the Holy Spirit, Christians become begotten sons of God—not yet born. But the time will come when they will be raised from the dead by the power of God’s Spirit dwelling within them—just as Christ was.

God also uses His Spirit to TEACH His people: “The Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, [it] shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26). “Howbeit when [it], the Spirit of truth, is come, [it] will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13).

Again, a mind without the Holy Spirit cannot comprehend spiritual things. It has no hope of understanding God’s Word—the Bible. It is only through the indwelling of the Spirit that one is able to understand the mind of God. Reread I Corinthians 2:9-16.

The above scriptures, including I Corinthians 2:9-16, can be summarized in the following way: Those who are being guided by the Holy Spirit CAN understand spiritual things, and those who are not being led by the Holy Spirit cannot understand— it is IMPOSSIBLE! Just as one cannot know the thoughts of another person, neither can you know the thoughts of God. In a sense, God’s Spirit is “projected” into our minds, allowing us to comprehend “the things of God.”

The Holy Spirit also STRENGTHENS Christians in many important ways. The following longer scripture is one of the most inspiring in the entire Bible, and best describes how God’s Spirit directly empowers—strengthens—those who have it: “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, TO BE STRENGTHENED WITH MIGHT BY HIS SPIRIT in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, ACCORDING TO THE POWER THAT WORKS IN US …” (Eph. 3:16-20).

Christ gives His servants the strength needed to overcome what could be called the three “S’s”—self, Satan and society, which produce a fourth “S,” SIN. All real overcoming is done by the power of the Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus could only overcome by the Father dwelling within Him through the Spirit, it is through that Spirit dwelling within a person that overcoming anything spiritual is possible.

Why Some WILL NOT Understand!

An inset must be added here. It will explain why some people CANNOT possibly UNDERSTAND what is contained in this volume. This point is connected to an earlier section, which discussed how the Holy Spirit is poured out and can fill people, thus disqualifying it as a person.

Here is an example of how some will take that easy-to-understand explanation and dismiss it by bringing in wrong “facts,” wrong logic, wrong reasoning and/or wrong understanding—thus trapping themselves in wrong teaching.

Some suggest that Psalm 22:14 proves that a person can be poured, because Christ said that He was “poured out” and He was a person. The conclusion then is that the Holy Spirit can also be poured out and still be a person.

In this passage, Christ is describing His crucifixion: “I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint: My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of My bowels.”

It is probably immediately obvious to most that Christ is talking about how all of His blood poured out of His body, ending His life. Numerous verses reveal Christians are forgiven, or justified, by Christ’s shed blood (Rom. 5:9; Eph. 1:7; 2:13; Col. 1:14; Heb. 9:12). Isaiah 53:12 states that He “poured out His soul unto death.” Obviously, soul here means His blood—His life. (See Leviticus 17:11.) This passage in no way proves that the Holy Spirit is a person that can be poured out.

Why cannot the logic explained here be accepted by some? Why do most feel compelled to fight sound analysis, sound reasoning and sound logic? Why also will the plain explanations found throughout this book upset and confuse many of its readers? The answer lies in the fact that these things alone—sound analysis, sound reasoning and sound logic—are not sufficient to defeat the illogic of a mind to whom God has not revealed Himself (Rom. 1:28; 8:7). Remember, God must call a person (John 6:44, 65) and must reveal Himself to that person for him to be able to grasp spiritual truths and principles (I Cor. 2:11).

Therefore, understand that this book is not written to the majority who read it. At least grasp this point! Do not miss it. For you to truly comprehend all that you are studying, God must be opening your mind through the power of His Holy Spirit. Otherwise, there is no hope of understanding. Perhaps take the time to read Matthew 7:7 for what you can also do.

All Are Deceived

The Bible is filled with instruction about the Holy Spirit. But in a world completely overcome with Satan’s “wiles” (Eph. 6:11) and “devices” (II Cor. 2:11), it is only through God’s help that you can be an exception.

However, you must be willing to admit that the realm of traditional Christianity (and the world in general) has remained ignorant of what the Holy Spirit is. Naturally, this has contributed to why the nature of God so completely escapes their comprehension.