CHAPTER 1
Who Is the Holy Spirit
Throughout Biblical history, mankind has questioned Who Is the Holy Spirit? This is a topic that has been discussed by past Biblical Scholars and I believe will be discussed among future Biblical Scholars as well. Several questions have been asked: Who Is the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit and Spiritual Growth, Holy Spirit and the Nine "Fruit of the Spirit", the Silent Active Role the Holy Spirit had in the Old Testament and Conclusion.
Before talking about Who Is the Holy Spirit, I have a question to ask, please be honest with yourself. Have you ever asked yourself, Who Is the Holy Spirit? For me the answer was NO. We all can agree that we heard nothing about the Holy Spirit until Jesus said He going to send a Comforter, we also can agree that the Holy Spirit is the Third member (person) of the Holy Godhead (Trinity) and the arrival of the Holy Spirit in the first and second chapters in the book of Acts. I learned that, "Christ's leaving was necessary for the Comforter's coming. Sending the Spirit was the fruit of Christ's death, which was His going away. His bodily presence could be only in one place at one time, but His Spirit is everywhere, in all places, at all times, whenever two or three are gathered together in His names. See here the office of the Spirit, first to reprove, or to convince.
The Spirit convicts the world of sin; not merely tell it of it. The Spirit convicts the fact of sin; the fault of sin; the folly of sin and the filth of sin, which becomes hateful to God".
I wanted a clear comprehensible yet spiritual definition that I could understand and could explain to anyone who asked. I found clear understandable definition. Reading from Billy Graham books, The Holy Spirit Activating God's Power in Your Life' is best definition explaining Who Is the Holy Spirit. I believe Billy Graham is one of the greatest Biblical scholar of my generation. "We have learned that the Holy Spirit is a person, and a member of the Holy Trinity. Anyone who fails to recognize this is robbed of his power of joy. Of course a defective view of any member of the Trinity will bring about this result because God is all important. But this is especially true for the Holy Spirit, for it is God the Father who is the source of all blessing, as Jesus is the Son who channels all blessings, as the Holy Spirit works in us to becomes living and operative in our lives".
It was hard for me to understand the Trinity as God tri-personal existence as Father, Son and Holy Spirit-three distinct personal in one God and I wonder if others had a hard understanding. Until one night, I heard a still quiet voice saying to, as along you relying on your human intelligent, you never understand. Ask God to reveal His wisdom and knowledge. I read the following: 1 Peter 1:2; John 1:18; Hebrew 1:8 John 1:4 Acts 5:3-4; and John 16:7-15. As I read these books and verses it began clear to understand the Holy Trinity or Godhead. It was very apparent that the God is the Father and all the fullness of the God is Spirit. Jesus is the Son of God and is all absolute with the manifested and demonstrated in the flesh. The Holy Spirit is recognized as God and all richness of the Godhead working upon Man/Woman, condemning him/her of sin (s) and exposing all believers to all truth (John 16:7-15).
Reading John, Mark and Matthew provide a Biblical historical clarification of 'Who Is the Holy Spirit', as a real person equal in every way with God the Father and God the Son, and He the third member of the Godhead.
John 14:16-18 "And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide (remain) with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knowth Him; but ye (you) know Him; for He dwelleth with you.
Matthew 28:18-20, "All power is given unto me, in heaven and earth. Go ye (you) therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatever I have commanded you: and lo, I (Jesus) am with you even unto the end of the world.
Since, I began this studying 'Who Is the Holy Spirit', I asked myself, I wondered how many other Christians wanted to know when did the Holy Spirit actual arrive? Reading the three Gospel and the book of Acts tells when the Holy Spirit manifest and was made known to the world.
It is importance to realize that the (Holy Spirit) Comforter's to come, Christ's departure was essential. Christ bodily presence could be only in one place at one time, but the Father, and Son's Spirit is everywhere, in all places, at all times. Remember what Jesus said, whenever two or three are gathered together in His names, He will dwell in the mist.
I did not realized that the Holy Spirit had already make His entrance before the Day of Pentecost. It begins with Jesus conceived by the Holy Spirit; Mary, Elizabeth, Zachariah, John and Simeon are filled with the prophetic Holy Spirit. The Spirit descends in the bodily form at Jesus' baptism. According to the three Gospels.
In the book of Acts chapter one and two Luke the author gives a Biblical historical accounts of the arrival of the Holy Spirit, which is also known as the Day of Pentecost.
I found three descriptive, vivid mental pictures of the day of the arrival Holy Spirit (Day of Pentecost). As you read these written words about the Holy Spirit (Day of Pentecost), an overwhelming delightfulness touches one's inners soul.
As you read the written words of John Wesley and Henry Matthew, I pray that an overpowering joyfulness of presence touches the inner core of one's heart as you read their interpretation of the 'Day of Pentecost' or the Day the Holy Spirit arrive.
John Wesley: "The Pentecost of Mt. Sinai, in the Old Testament, and the Pentecost of Jerusalem, in the New Testament, where two grand manifestations happened: one from the mountain, and the other from heaven; the terrible, and the merciful one. They were all on one accord, in one place, minds, and same spirit; the whole hundred and twenty being present. Suddenly there came a sound from heaven, filling all those in the house.
There appeared distinct tongues, as of fire that were small flames of fire. This is what the phrase, tongues of fire, means in the language of the seventy. God's touching their tongues as if it were (together with their hearts) with the divine fire: His giving them such words as were active and penetrating even as flaming fire.
The Jewish convert might observe the ceremonies or assert his liberty; the Gentile might disregard them or might attend to them, provided he did not depend upon them. No outward privileges or profession will avail to acceptance with God, without sincere faith in our Lord Jesus.
This plural name of God ... [confirms] our faith in the doctrine of the Trinity, which is silent in the Old Testament, but is clearly revealed in the New Testament.
Daniel L. Black give his version on the three gospel of Matthew, Mark and Luke: There is a statement of Jesus about the Holy Spirit...
