The Holy Spirit - God's Life and Power
The Bible also tells us that God is Love (1 John 4:7-11, 16, Romans 8:39) while at the same time telling us that God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). God is not only referred to as “God the Father” many times (John 6:27, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Galatians 1:1, 1:3, Ephesians 6:23, Philippians 2:11, 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 2 Timothy 1:2, Titus 1:4, 1 Peter 1:2, 2 Peter 1:17, 2 John 1:3, Jude 1:1), but His existence is referred to as Holy; “I AM HOLY.” (Joshua 24:19, Leviticus 11:44, 45, 19:2, 21:8, 21:22, 1 Samuel 2:2, 6:20, 1 Chronicles 29:16, Psalm 71:22, 78:41, 99:5, 99:9, 106:47, Isaiah 5:16, 29:23, 30:15, 43:3, 48:17, 52:10, 54:5, 55:5, 60:9, Jeremiah 60:9, 51:5, Ezekiel 20:39, 36:22, 39:25, Hosea 11:9, Habakkuk 1:12, 3:3, Ephesians 4:30, Revelation 4:8).
When the Bible talks about the Spirit OF God as a “Holy Father” (John 17:11), it is the Spirit that belongs to that being. It is used as a possessive term. The “Spirit of God” is God’s own Spirit. The Spirit is not another being or separate individual.
Yet in the masses of Christianity, dogma has made the Holy Spirit into somewhat of a mystery ghost that is a distinct being separate from the Father and/or the Son.
The Holy Spirit is actually the MIND, CHARACTER, PERSONAL PRESENCE, PERSONALITY, BREATH, LIFE AND POWER OF GOD, as in the Father. This is manifested through Jesus Christ His begotten Son. This is not another person of the Godhead who is being sent. Hence the reasoning for 1 Corinthians 8:6 – “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.”
Many people believe that the Holy Spirit is a personage, but the Scriptures teach that the Holy Spirit as described above, most importantly the personal power and life-force of God. Many treat God as if He is an impersonal God. It is stated by some Trinitarians that those that don’t believe God is three beings or three persons teach that the Holy Spirit is just a force or an impersonal force. That is a farce. Let us carefully search the Scriptures to see what they reveal about the Holy Spirit and Its operation.
The word Spirit is translated from the Hebrew word “ruach” and the Greek word “pneuma." Both of these words mean air, breath, wind, power or life. If you had to describe the nature of the Holy Spirit, it is the divine energy of Almighty God…. His life and power. It is a personal, invisible force just like the wind, breath and air. Consider carefully the following Scriptures:
“And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). The invisible active force of God moved upon the waters and brought order and beauty out of the condition described here.
“And the angel answered and said unto her [Mary], the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and [or even] the POWER OF THE HIGHEST SHALL OVERSHADOW THEE: Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). The Holy Spirit is explained here to be the POWER OF THE HIGHEST. This verse gives us a Biblical definition of the Holy Spirit.
“And behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you: but tarry . . . until you be ENDUED WITH POWER FROM ON HIGH” (Luke 24:49).
“But ye shall receive POWER after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto Me” (Acts 1:8).
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I WILL POUR OUT OF MY SPIRIT upon all flesh” (Acts 2:17). It is God's own Spirit.
“Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath GIVEN US OF HIS SPIRIT” (1 John 4:13). It is God's own Spirit.
"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16).
In trinitarianism, the Father is not the Holy Spirit, and who knows, maybe the Father might not even be a Spirit. In the trinity doctrine, the Holy Spirit is someone else. The Spirit OF God is someone else. The Spirit of the Father is not the Father’s own Spirit, but someone else. Already you should see something wrong here.
“But ye 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. v10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” (Acts 10:38).
Everything Christ received, He inherited from His Father including His very own life which is self-existent as it came from the Father. “For as the Father has life in himself; so has he given to the Son to have life in himself.” (John 5:26).
But not only His life but Christ also received of His Fathers Spirit. Thus the Father and Son are one in Spirit, and that one Spirit proceeds from the Father and comes to us through His Son.
"And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying Abba, Father." (Galatians 4:6).
This Spirit is the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He received from His Father. So when you receive the Spirit of God, you receive the Spirit of His Son into your heart also. The Father did not send another individual. He sent the Spirit of His Son. This is not some mystery ghost as many are left in the dark to wonder about.
“Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. v22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:” (John 20:22).
What Jesus breathed upon his disciples was the Spirit of God that was passed to and through him. It wasn’t another person that he breathed. That would be crazy.
“But if THE SPIRIT OF HIM [God, as in the Father] that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Messiah from the dead shall also quicken [or make alive] your mortal bodies BY HIS SPIRIT that dwelleth in you.” (Romans 8:11 emphasis supplied)
Here we have the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ used interchangeably by Paul. He equates it as the same one Holy Spirit. Not an additional “third person,” but the living presence of the Father and His Son entering the heart of the true believer. “His Spirit,” don’t you think it might be talking about that same Spirit that’s being mentioned in John 4:24 that God the Father is a Spirit? Again it is God's own Spirit.
Numbers 11:29 — “And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!”
Job 26:13 — “By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.”
Zechariah 7:12 — “Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.”
1 John 4:13 — “By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.” (Him = God the Father if you see the context)
1 Corinthians 2:10 — “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.”
“And what is the exceeding greatness of HIS POWER to us-ward who believe, ACCORDING TO THE WORKING OF HIS MIGHTY POWER, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead” (Ephesians 1:19, 20 emphasis supplied)
"Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell [the grave], behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me" (Psalms 139:7-10). God can be anywhere through His Spirit.
“And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” (Ezekiel 36:27). God was directing and leading his people in the Old Testament through His Spirit that He put into people’s hearts.
When all of these Scriptures are put together, we can clearly see that the Holy Spirit is NOT A PERSON . . . but an active INVISIBLE FORCE . . . GOD’S very LIFE AND POWER. It is the very essence of God Himself . . . it is His Spirit or life-force that moves upon His children and accomplishes His purposes. The Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit or life that can be everywhere (Psalms 139:7-8). and a portion of that Spirit comes into our being when we are born again.
“Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:13).
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).
“But as then, he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now” (Galatians 4:29).
Man is composed of three parts . . . the spirit, the soul, and the body. See 1 Thessalonians 5:23. The body is the physical aspect of life . . . the flesh and blood. The soul of man contains his intellect, his sensibilities and his will. The soul is the total real person . . . the personality of the individual. The spirit is the life-giving force. When you lose the spirit, you die. See Ecclesiastes 8:8; 12:7; James 2:26.
Even so the Holy Spirit is the LIFE-FORCE OF GOD which created Heaven and earth. Now in New Testament times, It is the life and power that emanates from the Father and the Son. They both share the same Spirit or life-force which belongs to the Father. "All things that the Father hath are Mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto you" (John 16:15). This is how both the Father and His Son can abide in or dwell in a person at the same time.
“And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter (Holy Spirit – Ruach), that He may abide with you forever” (John 14:16, emphasis added).
“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (John 14:18).
“Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and WE will come unto him and make OUR abode with him.” (John 14:23). The Father and Son dwelling with the true believer.
How do they do that? Through their Spirit! They come to dwell with us and abide with us. Have you ever had an impulse, impression or feeling of guilt for some actions you took, or maybe something you were about to do? That is the Holy Spirit working on you. And if you ignore it enough, it stops communicating with you and trying to guide you.
So it is by the Holy Spirit that Christ lives in us. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:” (Galatians 2:20).
The Spirit of Christ is our Comforter (parakletos) which also means “helper” and is translated as such in the NKJV, “For I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.” (Philippians 1:19).
In the Strong’s Concordance, word #G3875 is found five times (John 14:16, 26, 15:26, 16:7 1 John 2:1) in Scripture with its usage for Advocate, Intercessor, a consoler, Comforter, helper, Paraclete or Parakletos. In this next verse we see who the Advocate or Comforter actually is: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” (1 John 2:1).
Christ had also spoken through all the Apostles after he left them. “Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” (1 Peter 1:11).
“And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. v46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. v47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.” (1 Corinthians 15:45-47).
Here the Apostle Paul is talking about the two Adams. The first Adam was the first created man on earth who sinned by eating the forbidden fruit. The second (last) Adam is Christ who came to redeem us. Notice that Paul says that this One was made “a quickening spirit.” This is the other important thing about Christ. Not just His earthly human life, but also what happened after.
In verse 46 Paul clarifies that the natural comes first and then the spiritual. This is exactly what happened with Jesus. He came to earth first as a man, ministered, ascended to Heaven, and then at Pentecost, He came back in Spirit with mighty power! Both times it was to instruct and sanctify His people. And that is the same purpose today.
“Behold My servant [Jesus], Whom I [God, the Father] uphold; Mine elect, in Whom MY SOUL delighteth; I have put MY SPIRIT upon Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles” (Isaiah 42:1).
From this Scripture we see that God has both a SOUL and has a SPIRIT. He is a soul because He is a Being. He is also Spirit which is His life-force (John 4:24). Jesus is a separate entity or Being. He also has a soul. Jesus “poured out His soul unto death” (Isaiah 53:12).
BUT NOWHERE IS IT SAID THAT THE HOLY GHOST (SPIRIT) HAS A SOUL . . . the reason for this is because the Holy Ghost (Spirit) is not a Being, as in existing on its own. God the Father and His Son are TWO SOULS or BEINGS. The Holy Spirit is not a being, but the Spirit or invisible active life-force of Almighty God.
Some will ask if the Holy Spirit is not a person then why is it called a “He” in the Scriptures? Jesus said: “Howbeit when He the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). Trinitarians use this to try and prove that the Holy Spirit is a person. Two legitimate explanations can be given for this:
1. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit or life-force of God. God, as in the Father is a masculine entity. Therefore, it would certainly be proper to refer to the Holy Spirit in the masculine gender. Notice the following Scriptures: “The Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father” (John 15:26). “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh” (Acts 2:17). “Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit” (1 John 4:13). Since the Holy Spirit is God’s own Spirit, it is therefore proper to refer to it in the masculine gender . . . but this in no way proves that it is another entity separate and distinct from God.
2. The Greek word for Comforter is “parakletos” and is masculine in gender. But, the word Spirit is neuter and therefore does not denote gender or personality. See Romans 8:16, 26. ..."the Spirit itself." But in the Gospel of John, the masculine pronoun is used in reference to the Holy Spirit because it is referred to as the Comforter . . . a masculine gender word. In the Greek language the gender of the pronoun always agrees in gender to the noun to which it refers. This is just a grammatical rule. The use of masculine or feminine pronouns in the Hebrew or Greek languages is absolutely no proof of gender or personality. They are used with reference to things and qualities.
There is no more logic in calling the Holy Spirit a person . . . than in calling wisdom or patience a person. Proverbs 9:1 tells us that “Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars." James 1:4 says, “Let patience have her perfect work." Does this mean that wisdom and patience are women? No! They are figures of speech known as personification . . . but they do not denote personages. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit is personified, but this does not prove the Holy Spirit is a person separate and distinct from God. The Holy Spirit sometimes takes on the attributes of God’s personality … because God is the One who operates and works through the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is God’s power. The working of the Spirit is the working of God and His Son. When the Bible describes the Spirit as speaking (Revelation 2:7), it refers to the work of God speaking through His power. When the Spirit is described as making intercession (Romans 8:26-27), it refers to the intercession that Christ our High Priest makes for us through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25). Jesus is our only intercessor . . . He is our only mediator (1 Timothy 2:5).
If the Holy Spirit was another being, then why would God need to send the Spirit of His Son into our hearts? Don’t get this twisted! Are you a true son or daughter of God? “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:6). God is yearning for us to know the truth.
“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:” (Colossians 1:27). The Spirit of Christ sent by the Father, not someone else. Not a mystery ghost!
When Ananias lied to the Holy Ghost, he lied to God Himself who was working through that holy power (Acts 5:3). It was not a third being as taught by man’s creeds and dogma. And yet no pastor will go further into the chapter and bring to the attention of their attendees verse 9: “Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.” (Acts 5:9).
When one “grieves” the Holy Spirit of God (Ephesians 4:30), they grieve God Himself who works through His Holy Spirit. Note the word “OF” in the above. It denotes who that Spirit belongs to. It has usage of possessive terminology.
Additional Reasons Why the Holy Spirit is NOT a Person
1. The Holy Spirit is never addressed in prayer. But many Trinitarians who don’t know better or are confused do this.
2. Worship is never directed towards the Holy Spirit.
3. The Holy Spirit is designated in the Bible by impersonal symbols. Some of these are wind (John 3:8; Acts 2:2), fire (Acts 2:3), water (John 3:37-39), oil (Psalm 45:7; Isaiah 61:1), seal (Ephesians 1:13), dove (Matthew 3:16), and breath (John 20:22).
4. These impersonal characteristics of the Spirit reveal it as the power of God and not a personality on its own. The Spirit is mentioned as being poured out (Acts 2:17; 10:45), shed forth.(Acts 2:33; Titus 3:5-6), breathed upon people (John 20:22), and filling people (Acts 2:4; Ephesians 5:18). Yahushua was anointed with this power (Acts 10:38). Men are baptized in it (Matthew 3:11; Acts 1:5) and drank of it (1 Corinthians 12:13). None of these things could be said of the Holy Spirit if it was a person. How would you breath a person? How would you drink a person? Also, the Holy Spirit is compared to the blowing of the wind . . . an invisible force (John 3:8).
5. The Holy Spirit is NOT included in the Apostolic Salutations. See Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:2; 1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4; Philemon 3. God the Father and Jesus are mentioned but the Holy Spirit is left out . . . why if the Holy Spirit is the third person in the Godhead?
6. The Holy Spirit is not mentioned as Enthroned or Reigning. The Bible pictures God the Father, sitting upon His throne and Jesus either sitting or standing at His right hand. See Acts 7:55-56; Revelation 5:1-5; 22:3. The Holy Spirit is never seen . . . why if the Holy Spirit is a third person in the Deity? The Holy Spirit does not have a throne.
7. The Spirit is never designated as the “third person” in the Scriptures. Moreover, the Father is never called the “first person” and the Son is never called the “second person”. This is all made up Trinitarian terminology . . . foreign to the sacred Scriptures.
The Divine Order as given in 1 Corinthians 11:3 leaves out the Holy Spirit
The Apostle Paul certainly had an understanding of the Deity. In 1 Corinthians 11:3, Paul gives us the DIVINE ORDER that flows from God to the woman.
“But I would have you to know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” (1 Corinthians 11:3).
Now when we line this Scripture up, we see the woman with her head . . . the man. We see man with his head . . . Christ. We see Christ with His head . . . God. God the Father the head of Christ. Christ the head of man. And man the head of the woman.
If the Holy Spirit is a person . . . then why did Paul leave IT out of the divine order here? If God and Jesus were one and the same, then Jesus would not have a head in the designed headship of God. Woman has a head! Man has a head! Christ has a head! God is the top of this headship, for there is none greater than God. He is the Supreme Being (God Almighty). This is the simplest explanation of the Deity you will ever find. It shows there are TWO ENTITIES in the Deity . . . with one being greater than the other.
So the above Scriptures prove conclusively that there are TWO DIVINE ENTITIES…God, the Father, and Jesus Christ, His Son. The Holy Spirit is not a separate entity, separate and distinct from the Father and the Son. Rather, it is the life and power of the eternal Creator, God the Father. Both the Father and the Son perform their work through the power of the Father's Spirit. What God is, is a Holy Spirit.