The Godhood of the Holy Spirit Part 2
As promised yesterday, today we will focus upon the divine attributes of the Holy Spirit, and once again, Biblically prove out certain truths concerning the third Person of the triune God.
The first divine attribute of the Holy Spirit, is His omniscience. Just as the Father, the Holy Spirit is all knowing.
We see this truth as being self-evident not only in the New Testament, but in the Old Testament as well.
Isaiah 40:13-14, “Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has taught Him? With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, and showed Him the way of understanding?”
In the New Testament, perhaps the most telling scripture passage concerning the omniscience of the Holy Spirit, or the fact that He is all knowing, is found in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 2:10-12, “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.”
There are three important elements within these three verses that we must take into account in order to understand the importance of the Spirit of God. First of all, the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. Second of all, we can only know the things of God by the Spirit of God, and third of all, we have received the Spirit, who is from God that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
Absent the spirit of God, we cannot know the things of God, and as a gift freely given to us, it is the Spirit that allows us to know the things given to us by God. From this scripture passage one can conclude that many today are walking in darkness, unaware of the things of God because they do not possess the Spirit of God.
The unlimited knowledge of the Spirit is also referred to by Jesus in the gospel according to John, who points out the fact that not only would the Spirit guide us in all truth, but will also tell us things to come.
John 16:13, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”
The Word clearly tells us that God is no respecter of persons, and that He judges without partiality. Why would He show favor to one particular generation, revealing to them things to come, and guiding them in all truth via the Holy Spirit, then suddenly withdraw this great gift, this great blessing, and leave the subsequent generations in the dark, wandering about powerless, defenseless, and absent divine inspiration? It is a question those who deny the present work of the Holy Spirit have a difficult time answering, but due to stubbornness, and an unwillingness to admit error, they somehow find reasoning, an excuse, and a justification for not pressing in and desiring the fullness of the power of God.
The second divine attribute of the Holy Spirit, is His omnipotence. Omnipotence is defined as having unlimited or universal power, authority or force. Once again we see these truths both in the Old Testament, as well as in the New Testament.
Psalm 104:30, “You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth.”
Job 33:4, ‘The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”
In the New Testament the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit is best highlighted in the message the angel of the Lord brings to Mary concerning the birth of Jesus.
Luke 1:35, “And the angel answered and said to her, ‘the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”
This attribute of the Holy Spirit is also seen as Jesus promises His disciples that they would be endued with power from on high, which is the Promise of the Father for the faithful and obedient.
Luke 24:49, “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
Because Jesus had commanded them to tarry in Jerusalem, because He promised His disciples that they would be endued with power from on high is the reason we find one hundred and twenty souls gathered in the upper room, in prayer and fellowship, waiting for the promise to be fulfilled. They were not there accidentally, they were not there by chance, they had gathered, and waited for the specific purpose of seeing the promise of Christ, concerning the Holy Spirit come to fulfillment. From that point onward, the power and presence of the Holy Spirit was evident throughout the early church, with signs and wonders following, with words of prophecy and revelation being ever present, and it has been thus throughout the history of the body of Christ.
Romans 15:18-19, “For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient – in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.”
The third divine attribute of the Holy Spirit, is His omnipresence. Simply defined, omnipresence is to be present everywhere simultaneously.
Psalm 139:7-8, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.”
There is no place where the Spirit of God is not present nor is there any period of time wherein the Holy Spirit did not exist. As God is omnipresent, the Holy Spirit is likewise omnipresent, not needing to leave one location in order to be in another, but simultaneously being everywhere.
The third divine attribute of the Holy Spirit is His foreknowledge. Only God can know the future, or what the future holds, not a day from now, or a week from now, but years, decades, centuries, and even millennia in advance.
God is outside of time and space as we define it, and as such knows the end from the beginning; He sees the history of man play out long before it comes to pass.
One of the greatest examples of foreknowledge is the specificity of Christ’s betrayal by Judas, as well as the specificity of how Judas would perish foretold by the Holy Spirit via the mouth of David, a thousand years in advance.
Acts 1:16-17, “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.”
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
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1 comment:
Sorry but I don't see how the Holy Spirit is all knowing based on the Scripture quoted.
If Isaiah is saying the Holy Spirit is being taught, then this also contradicts the all knowing aspect - because obviously and all knowing person wouldn't need teaching.
The Holy Spirit doesn't speak on his own, but what he hears he will speak.
This seems pretty straight forward that he speaks for the Father, and the Word.
Scripture shows that the Father is all knowing (wrote the book of life and sealed it up), the Son is the Creator and the Word, (eg All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.) and the Holy Spirit is everywhere/speaking for God.
I am enjoying reading your work.
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