The Spirit Himself

Ralph M. Riggs

• Publisher: Gospel Publishing House
• Year: 2012
• ISBN:
  9781607312314
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Denominations

Provides information on the person of the Holy Spirit, the baptism in the Holy Spirit, gifts of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit in the future, and the Holy Spirit in the local church.

CHAPTER 1

The Person of the Holy Spirit

Scriptural Proof of the Trinity

No one can be a consistent believer of the Bible without holding the doctrine of the tri-unity of the Godhead. In addition to the numberless references to the different persons of the Godhead which are found throughout the whole Word of God, there are certain particular passages which refer to all three members of the Trinity. When Jesus was baptized in Jordan, John saw the Holy Spirit descending and heard a voice from heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son in whom 1 am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16–17). All three members of the Trinity are seen in the simultaneous yet distinct existence and operation. Jesus said, in John 14:16, “I will pray the Father and He shall give you another Comforter.” The three persons here mentioned cannot be denied as existing concurrently, and yet as different persons. The baptismal formula in Matthew 28:19, the apostolic benediction found in 2 Corinthians 13:14, and the references in Acts 2:32–33 and Acts 10:38 are further Scriptures representing all three members of the Holy Trinity.

Reasonable Proof of the Trinity

An additional proof of the existence of three persons in the Godhead is found in the fact that God is so complete, contains in His character such a wide range and broad compass of all virtues, and is such a perfect example in every respect, that it is necessary that there be a plurality of persons in the Godhead in order to contain and express it all. Strength, courage, humility, love, faith, hope, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, righteousness, holiness, power, wisdom, truth, comfort, faithfulness, authority, companionship, service—all find perfect embodiment and expression in God. If the Godhead were only the sovereign Ruler, He could not have vacated His throne to become a helpless baby and to demonstrate the perfect humility which is inherent in His nature and which He manifested when He girded Himself and washed the disciples’ feet. If there were no God the Son, then God the Father would have had no opportunity to have loved from the foundation of the world. In reality He could not even be the God of Love that He is, for there can be no love of others if there is no expression of it, and there could have been no expression of God’s love had there not been other members of the Trinity upon whom to bestow it. Loving one’s creatures who are His handiwork is a different kind of love than that which God expresses in His love for His “fellow,” the Smitten Shepherd (Zechariah 13:7); and there was a period of eternity in which there were no creatures (John 1:1–2; Colossians 1:15–17). How could He ever have descended to the “blackout” of Calvary, if there had been no God the Father in whom the Son could trust and who raised Him from the dead? These considerations are themselves proofs of the fact that there are distinct persons in the great infinite Godhead.

Personality of the Holy Spirit

This membership of the Holy Spirit in the Holy Trinity is itself proof of the Personality of the Holy Spirit. Additional proof of His personality is found in the fact that the attributes of personality are manifested by Him. “He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit” (Romans 8:27). “But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man as He will” (1 Corinthians 12:11). “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God” (Ephesians 4:30). “But they rebelled and vexed His Holy Spirit” (Isaiah 63:10). Thus we see that He has mind, will, and emotions.

Personal activities are also ascribed to Him. He strives with sinners, Genesis 6:3; He teaches, John 14:26; He testifies of Christ, John 15:26; He reproves, John 16:8; He guides, John 16:13; Romans 8:14; He comforts, Acts 9:31; He helps our infirmities, Romans 8:26; He intercedes for the saints, Romans 8:26; He searches the deep things of God, 1 Corinthians 2:10; He sanctifies, Romans 15:16; He witnesses, Romans 8:16; and He commands, Acts 16:6–7. He is susceptible to personal treatment: He can be lied to, Acts 5:3; He can be resisted, Acts 7:51; He can be blasphemed, Matthew 12:31–32; He can be grieved, Ephesians 4:30; and He can be quenched, 1 Thessalonians 5:19.

Difference Between Personality and Corporeity

There are those who have difficulty in distinguishing between personality (being a person) and corporeity (having a body). They cannot understand or believe that anything which is invisible and intangible, and does not have a body, can be a person. Jesus said, “A spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have” (Luke 24:39). He also said, “God is a Spirit” (John 4:24). It is recorded, “No man hath seen God at any time” (John 1:18). Thus God exists as an invisible Spirit without flesh and bones. But the Creator and Ruler of a universe of persons must be Himself a person. The Holy Spirit is a spirit, like God the Father, and so the Holy Spirit is also a person. His omnipresence is an impossible conception if we confine Him to a body. Having the faculties and attributes of a person constitutes a person, whether or not that person customarily resides in a body.

Need for Genuine Faith in His Personality

Although accepted perfunctorily by orthodox Christians everywhere as theologically correct and true, the fact of the personality of the Holy Spirit needs emphasis and practical acceptance in the minds and hearts of believers. “I believe in the Holy Ghost” is easily repeated in church ceremony as creedal faith, but the truth is not so easy to comprehend or practice in one’s personal life. The Holy Spirit IS a person; He is real. “I will pray the Father, and He shall give you ANOTHER Comforter, that He may abide with you forever” (John 14:16). As Jesus had been real among them so that they heard Him with their ears, saw Him with their eyes, and handled Him with their hands, so now the Comforter was to take His place among them and, though invisible, be just as real a personal companion, friend, teacher, and guide.

Mistake To Use “It” with Reference to the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit must never be considered merely as a blessing, a feeling, or an influence. How far short of the full truth it is to refer to Him as “It.” There are two verses in the King James Version of the Bible which use “It” in reference to the blessed Holy Spirit: Romans 8:16, 26. This is doubtless a result of the use of the word “wind” or “breath” (which is in the neuter gender) as the name for the Spirit of God. Readers and translators had not become adjusted to the divine conception of the Breath of God constituting a distinct person, but now there should be no excuse for referring to the Holy Spirit as “It.”

Deity of the Holy Spirit

That the Holy Spirit is very God is proven not only by His identification with God in the baptismal formula and apostolic benediction, but also in His possession of Godlike attributes. He is the eternal Spirit, Hebrews 9:14; He is omnipresent, Psalm 139:7–10; He is omnipotent, Luke 1:37; and He is omniscient, 1 Corinthians 2:10; Divine works are ascribed to Him. He shared in the creation of the world, Genesis 1:2; He creates new creatures in Christ, John 3:5; 2 Corinthians 5:17; He raised Christ from the dead, Romans 1:4; 8:11; His proceeding from the Father and from Christ (John 15:26; 16:7) also proves His deity.

CHAPTER 2

The Names of the Holy Spirit

He Is Humble and Self-Effacing

The Holy Spirit is the member of the Trinity who is particularly self-effacing. He wrote, “This is life eternal that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent” (John 17:3). He, too, gave us the picture of the eternal state, the city in which there is the throne of God and of the Lamb (Revelation 22:1). The fact that the Holy Spirit is not mentioned in connection with the other two members of the Trinity in these two passages does not imply His non-existence, but rather indicates His humility. Jesus told us that when the Holy Spirit came He would not speak of or by Himself. “He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you” (John 16:14). He is thus content to serve in this hidden and, what some might call, subordinate capacity. Yet the importance of the person and work of the Holy Spirit is indicated by this declaration of Christ: “All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men” (Matthew 12:31).

“Holy Spirit” Preferred to “Holy Ghost”

Some three hundred years ago, when the King James Version was first translated the term, “Holy Ghost,” was most reverent and appropriate. Since then the use of the word, “ghost,” has narrowed down to a sense which makes its use in connection with the Holy Trinity out of place. The original word from which this translation has been made conveys simply the idea of wind or breath. To the minds of people today the word, “spirit,” is the proper word to express invisible personality. It is therefore the judgment of the translators of modern versions to replace the term “Holy Ghost” with the more fitting term, “Holy Spirit.”

Four Major Names

There are four major names accorded to this third member of the Trinity. These are the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, and the Comforter. It must not be assumed or inferred that there is essential difference here or that different persons are referred to by the use of these different names. These different terms merely call attention to certain functions or attributes which this same Person manifests on different occasions. As Christ Himself is called Jesus, Redeemer, Savior, Son of God, Son of Man, Prince of Peace, Word of God, Bridegroom, King of kings, Lord of lords, Apostle, High Priest, Shepherd, etc., to indicate various functions and relations which He possesses, so it is consistent and proper that different names be used in connection with the Holy Spirit.

1. The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is referred to as “The Spirit” in a number of scriptural passages. “And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us” (1 John 3:24). “The Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” 1 Corinthians 2:10). But the name which is most frequently accorded the third person of the Trinity is “the Holy Spirit,” It is true that this blessed Person has many other characteristics, very prominent among which is His humility or self-effacement. But He is never called the Humble Spirit. Predominantly He is referred to as “the Holy Spirit.”

Emphasis on Holiness.

He shares with other members of the Trinity all the attributes and qualities of God. When Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, the seraphim cried one to another, saying. “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts,” one “holy” apparently for each member of the Trinity (Isaiah 6:3). When John saw the throne set in heaven and Him who sat upon it, the four living creatures cried, saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8). God told Moses, as quoted by Peter. “Be ye holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44; 1 Peter 1:16). But nevertheless it is the third person of the Holy Trinity who is particularly designated as “holy.” This indicates that in Him rests the blazing fire of the purity and holiness of Almighty God. The first thing that must be expected in dealing with the Holy Spirit is that He will uncover and condemn sin in the life (John 16:8). This is His major ministry. By Him also the believer is enabled to live a life of victory over sin. Holiness therefore is the outstanding characteristic of this member of the Trinity.

2. Spirit of God

Quite often in the Word of God the Holy Spirit is referred to as the Spirit of God. “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, by which ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30), “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God” (1 John 4:2). By the use of this name in referring to the Holy Spirit, particular attention is called to the fact that He has a specific relation to God the Father. Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. “And when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father. He shall testify of Me” (John 15:26). The fact then that He proceed, from the Father justifies this name, “the Spirit of God.”

a. Draws Men to Christ.

In the capacity of the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit does the work of the Father here on earth. Jesus said, “No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him” (John 6:44). When the Holy Spirit came, He took up this particular activity of the Father, and now it is He who reproves the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. It is “through the sanctification of the Spirit” that men are chosen to salvation (2 Thessalonians 2:13). Through this same “sanctification of the Spirit” they are brought unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:2).

b. Reveals Truth.

When Peter made his immortal confession. “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus said, “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). On another occasion, Jesus said, “I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes” (Matthew 11:25). Thus, preceding the day of Pentecost, it was the Father’s work to reveal truth ...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Preface
• Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: The Person of the Holy Spirit
• Chapter 2: The Names of the Holy Spirit
• Chapter 3: The Seven Spirits of God
• Chapter 4: The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament
• Chapter 5: The Holy Spirit in the Time of Christ
• Chapter 6: The Holy Spirit in Conversion
• Chapter 7: The Baptism in the Holy Spirit Distinguished from Conversion
• Chapter 8: The Baptism in the Holy Spirit—Distinctive Names and Description
• Chapter 9: Baptism in the Holy Spirit—Symbols Describing It
• Chapter 10: The Baptism in the Holy Spirit—Its Nature and Importance
• Chapter 11: The Baptism in the Holy Spirit—the Initial, Physical Evidence
• Chapter 12: The Baptism in the Holy Spirit—Available for Us Today
• Chapter 13: The Baptism in the Holy Spirit—How to Receive It
• Chapter 14: The Gifts of the Spirit
• Chapter 15: The Word of Knowledge
• Chapter 16: The Word of Wisdom
• Chapter 17: The Discerning of Spirits
• Chapter 18: The Gifts of Healings
• Chapter 19: The Gift of Faith
• Chapter 20: Working of Miracles
• Chapter 21: The Gift of Prophecy
• Chapter 22: Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues
• Chapter 23: The Holy Spirit in the Church—General
• Chapter 24: The Holy Spirit in the Church—Local
• Chapter 25: The Holy Spirit in the Future
• Appendix A: Bibliography
• Appendix B: Bible References to the Holy Spirit
• Appendix C: Index of Subjects
• Appendix D: Index of Texts