Holy
Spirit, the Teacher, The.
1. Promised. Pr 1:23.
2. As the Spirit of
wisdom. Isa 11:2; 40:13,14.
3. Given
a. In answer to prayer.
Eph 1:16,17.
b. To saints. Ne 9:20;
1Co 2:12,13.
4. Necessity for. 1Co
2:9,10.
5. As such he
a. Reveals the things
of God. 1Co 2:10,13.
b. Reveals the things
of Christ. Joh 16:14.
c. Reveals the future.
Lu 2:26; Ac 21:11.
d. Brings the words of
Christ to remembrance. Joh 14:26.
e. Directs in the way
of godliness. Isa 30:21; Eze 36:27.
f. Teaches saints to
answer persecutors. Mr 13:11; Lu 12:12.
g. Enables ministers to
teach. 1Co 12:8.
h. Guides into all
truth. Joh 14:26; 16:13.
i. Directs the
decisions of the Church. Ac 15:28.
6. Attend to the
instruction of. Re 2:7,11,29.
7. The natural man will
not receive the things of. 1Co 2:14.
Torrey, R.A.: The New Topical
Text Book : A Scriptural Text Book for the Use of Ministers,
Teachers, and All Christian Workers. Oak Harbor, WA : Logos
research Systems, Inc., 1995, c1897
HOLY SPIRIT
— the third person of the Trinity, who exercises the power of the Father and
the Son in creation and redemption. Because the Holy Spirit is the power by
which believers come to Christ and see with new eyes of faith, He is closer
to us than we are to ourselves. Like the eyes of the body through which we
see physical things, He is seldom in focus to be seen directly because He is
the one through whom all else is seen in a new light. This explains why the
relationship of the Father and the Son is more prominent in the gospels,
because it is through the eyes of the Holy Spirit that the Father–Son
relationship is viewed.
The Holy Spirit appears in the Gospel of John as the
power by which Christians are brought to faith and helped to understand
their walk with God. He brings a person to new birth: “That which is born of
the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John
3:6); “It is the Spirit who gives life” (John 6:63). The Holy Spirit is the
Paraclete, or Helper, whom Jesus promised to the disciples after His
ascension. The Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are unified in
ministering to believers (John 14:16, 26). It is through the Helper that
Father and Son abide with the disciples (John 15:26).
This unified ministry of the Trinity is also seen as the
Spirit brings the world under conviction of sin, righteousness, and
judgment. He guides believers into all truth with what He hears from the
Father and the Son (John 15:26). It is a remarkable fact that each of the
persons of the Trinity serves the others as all defer to one another: The
Son says what He hears from the Father (John 12:49–50); the Father witnesses
to and glorifies the Son (John 8:16–18, 50, 54); the Father and Son honor
the Holy Spirit by commissioning Him to speak in their name (John 14:16,
26); the Holy Spirit honors the Father and Son by helping the community of
believers.
Like Father and Son, the Holy Spirit is at the disposal
of the other persons of the Trinity, and all three are one in graciously
being at the disposal of the redeemed family of believers. The Holy Spirit’s
attitude and ministry are marked by generosity; His chief function is to
illumine Jesus’ teaching, to glorify His person, and to work in the life of
the individual believer and the church.
This quality of generosity is prominent in the Gospels of
Matthew, Mark, and Luke, where the Holy Spirit prepares the way for the
births of John the Baptist and Jesus the Son (Matt. 1:20; Luke 1:15, 35,
41). At the baptism of Jesus, the Spirit of God is present in the form of a
dove. This completes the presence of the Trinity at the inauguration of the
Son’s ministry (Matt. 3:16–17; Mark 1:9–11; Luke 3:21–22; John 1:33). Jesus
is also filled with the Holy Spirit as He is led into the wilderness to be
tempted (Luke 4:1). He claims to be anointed by the Spirit of the Lord in
fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy (Is. 61:1; Luke 4:18–19).
During His ministry, Jesus refers to the Spirit of God
(Matt. 12:28–29; Luke 11:20) as the power by which He is casting out demons,
thereby invading the stronghold of Beelzebub and freeing those held captive.
Accordingly, the Spirit works with the Father and Son in realizing the
redeeming power of the kingdom of God. God’s kingdom is not only the reign
of the Son but also the reign of the Spirit, as all share in the reign of
the Father.
The person and ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Gospels
is confirmed by His work in the early church. The baptism with the Holy
Spirit (Acts 1:5) is the pouring out of the Spirit’s power in missions and
evangelism (Acts 1:8). This prophecy of Jesus (and of Joel 2:28–32) begins
on Pentecost (Acts 2:1–18). Many of those who hear of the finished work of
God in Jesus’ death and resurrection (Acts 2:32–38) repent of their sins. In
this act of repentance, they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts
2:38), becoming witnesses of God’s grace through the Spirit.
Paul’s teaching about the Holy Spirit harmonizes with the
accounts of the Spirit’s activity in the gospels and Acts. According to
Paul, it is by the Holy Spirit that one confesses that Jesus is Lord (1 Cor.
12:3). Through the same Spirit varieties of gifts are given to the body of
Christ to ensure its richness and unity (1 Cor. 12:4–27). The Holy Spirit is
the way to Jesus Christ the Son (Rom. 8:11) and to the Father (Rom.
8:14–15). He is the person who bears witness to us that we are children of
God (8:16–17). He “makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered” (Rom. 8:26–27).
The Holy Spirit also reveals to Christians the deep
things of God (1 Cor. 2:10–12) and the mystery of Christ (Eph. 3:3–5). The
Holy Spirit acts with God and Christ as the pledge or guarantee by which
believers are sealed for the day of salvation (2 Cor. 1:21–22), by which
they walk and live (Rom. 8:3–6) and abound in hope with power (Rom. 15:13).
Against the lust and enmity of the flesh Paul contrasts the fruit of the
Spirit: “Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23).
Since the Holy Spirit is the expressed power of the
Trinity, it is imperative that one not grieve the Spirit, since no further
appeal to the Father and the Son on the day of redemption is available (Eph.
4:30). Jesus made this clear in His dispute with the religious authorities,
who attributed His ministry to Satan rather than the Spirit and thereby
committed the unforgivable sin (Matt. 12:22–32; John 8:37–59).
In Paul’s letters Christian liberty stems from the work
of the Holy Spirit: “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2
Cor. 3:17). This is a process of “beholding as in a mirror the glory of the
Lord,” and “being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just
as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18). The personal work of the Holy
Spirit is accordingly one with that of the Father and the Son, so Paul can
relate the grace, love, and communion of the Trinity in a trinitarian
benediction: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and
the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen” (2 Cor. 13:14).
Among the other New Testament writings the Spirit’s
ministry is evident in the profound teaching of Hebrews 9:14, which shows
the relationship of God, Christ, and the eternal Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s
work in the Old Testament in preparation for the coming of Christ is
explained in this and other passages in Hebrews (3:7; 9:8; 10:15–17).
This leads us to consider the working of the Spirit in
the Old Testament in light of His ministry in the New Testament. Although
the phrase “Holy Spirit” occurs only three times in the Old Testament (Ps.
51:11; Is. 63:10–11), the Spirit’s work is everywhere evident. The Spirit is
the energy of God in creation (Gen. 1:2; Job 26:13; Is. 32:15). God endows
human beings with personal life by breathing into their nostrils the breath
of life (Gen. 2:7). The Spirit strives with fallen humankind (Gen. 6:3) and
comes upon certain judges and warriors with charismatic power (Joshua, Num.
27:18; Othniel, Judg. 3:10; Gideon, Judg. 6:34; Samson, Judg. 13:25; 14:6).
However, the Spirit departs from Saul because of his disobedience (1 Sam.
16:14).
In the long span of Old Testament prophecy the Spirit
plays a prominent role. David declared, “The Spirit of the
Lord spoke by me, And His
word was on my tongue” (2 Sam. 23:2). Ezekiel claimed that “the Spirit
entered me when He spoke to me” (Ezek. 2:2). The Spirit also inspired
holiness in the Old Testament believer (Ps. 143:10). It also promised to
give a new heart to God’s people: “I will put My Spirit within you, and
cause you to walk in My statutes” (Ezek. 36:27).
This anticipates the crucial work of the Spirit in the
ministry of the Messiah. The prophecy of Isaiah 11:1–5 is a trinitarian
preview of the working of the Father, the Spirit, and the Son, who is the
Branch of Jesse. Looking forward to the ministry of Jesus Christ, the Holy
Spirit inspired Isaiah to prophesy: “The Spirit of the
Lord shall rest upon Him”
(Is. 11:2). The Holy Spirit inspired Jesus with wisdom, understanding,
counsel, might, knowledge, fear of the Lord, righteousness, and
faithfulness. Thus we come full cycle to the New Testament where Jesus
claims the fulfillment of this prophecy in Himself (Is. 61:1–2; Luke
4:18–19).
Isaiah 42:1–9 summarized the redeeming work of the
Father, Son, and Spirit in the salvation of the lost, as God spoke through
the prophet: “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul
delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the
Gentiles” (Is. 42:1). No clearer reflection of the intimate interworking of
the persons of the Trinity can be found in the Old Testament than in this
prophecy. It ties God’s grace in Old and New together in remarkable harmony.
HOLY SPIRIT, SIN AGAINST
— a sin that is often referred to as the “unpardonable sin” because, in the
words of Jesus, “He who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has
forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation” (Mark 3:29).
Jesus’ words about the sin against the Holy Spirit
provide a clue to its nature. When a demon-possessed man came to Jesus, He
was healed. The multitudes were amazed. But the scribes and Pharisees said
He was healing through Satan’s power (Matt. 12:24). Jesus had cast out the
demons by the power of the Holy Spirit; His enemies claimed He cast them out
by the power of the devil.
Such slander of the Holy Spirit, Jesus implied, reveals a
spiritual blindness, a warping and perversion of the moral nature, that puts
one beyond hope of repentance, faith, and forgiveness. Those who call the
Holy Spirit “Satan” reveal a spiritual cancer so advanced that they are
beyond any hope of healing and forgiveness. Thus, committing the
“unpardonable sin” implies final rejection of God’s offer of pardon.
Youngblood, Ronald F. ; Bruce, F. F.
; Harrison, R. K. ; Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nelson's New
Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville : T. Nelson, 1995
Holy Spirit, the Personality Of.
1. He creates
and gives life. Job 33:4.
2. He appoints
and commissions ministers. Isa 48:16; Ac 13:2; 20:28.
3. He directs
ministers where to preach. Ac 8:29; 10:19,20.
4. He directs
ministers where not to preach. Ac 16:6,7.
5. He instructs
ministers what to preach. 1Co 2:13.
6. He spoke in,
and by, the prophets. Ac 1:16; 1Pe 1:11,12; 2Pe 1:21.
7. He strives
with sinners. Ge 6:3.
8. He reproves.
Joh 16:8.
9. He comforts.
Ac 9:31.
10. He helps
our infirmities. Ro 8:26.
11. He teaches.
Joh 14:26; 1Co 12:3.
12. He guides.
Joh 16:13.
13. He
sanctifies. Ro 15:16; 1Co 6:11.
14. He
testifies of Christ. Joh 15:26.
15. He
glorifies Christ. Joh 16:14.
16. He has a
power of his own. Ro 15:13.
17. He searches
all things. Ro 11:33,34; 1Co 2:10,11.
18. He works
according to his own will. 1Co 12:11.
19. He dwells
with saints. Joh 14:17.
20. He can be
grieved. Eph 4:30.
21. He can be
vexed. Isa 63:10.
22. He can be
resisted. Ac 7:51.
23. He can be
tempted. Ac 5:9.
Torrey, R.A.: The New
Topical Text Book : A Scriptural Text Book for the Use
of Ministers, Teachers, and All Christian Workers.
Oak Harbor, WA : Logos research Systems, Inc., 1995,
c1897
Withdrawn from Incorrigible Sinners:
Gen. 6:3; Deut. 32:30; Psa. 51:11;
Prov. 1:24–28; Jer. 7:29; Hos. 4:17, 18; Hos. 5:6;
Hos. 9:12; Matt. 15:14; Luke 13:7; Rom. 1:24, 26, 28
See
Reprobacy.
Instances of:
Antediluvians, Gen. 6:3–7. People of Sodom, Gen. 19:13,
24, 25. Israelites, Num. 14:26–45; Deut. 1:42;
28:15–68; 31:17, 18. Samson, Judg. 16:20. Saul, 1 Sam.
16:14; 18:10–12; 19:9–11; 20:30–33; 22:7–19; 28:15,
16; 2 Sam. 7:15.
Swanson, James ; Nave,
Orville: New Nave's. Oak Harbor : Logos Research
Systems, 1994