WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT? PART 1 OF 6
INTRODUCTION
Tonight I am going to begin a new series of lessons on the topic, "The Holy Spirit" and the title of the lesson is, "Who is the Holy Spirit."
Perhaps no other topic within the Bible has produced more confusion and controversy in Christian circles than this one.
For instance, Charismatics and Pentecostals seem to be far more interested in what the Holy Spirit does than who He is.
Like the Church in Corinth that desired the more spectacular gifts many Christians today seem to be more interested in getting attention from man rather than giving attention to God.
The debate concerning the topic of the Holy Spirit has fueled contention within many denominations to the point that some churches have even withdrawn fellowship from one another.
Not only has the topic of the Holy Spirit been controversial in Christian circles but it has also been misunderstood among the cults.
For instance, in Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy wrote in her book Science in Health, "In the words of St. John, He shall give you another Comforter that He may abide with you forever. This Comforter, I understand to be Divine Science. The Science of Being shows it to be impossible for infinite Spirit or Soul to be in a finite body."
Jehovah's Witnesses seek to "correct" Christians on what they believe concerning the Holy Spirit. In the two Watchtower books, "Let God Be True and Let Your Name Be Sanctified, Jehovah's Witnesses say "The Holy Spirit is an influence or power exercised by the one God." They also liken the Holy Spirit unto a radar beam denying the being and personality of the Holy Spirit.
Mormonism, teaches that the Holy Spirit is "...a divine substance, fluid or essence, called spirit..." devoid of personality.
Theosophy, the language of intellectualism of our day and time says, "The Holy Spirit is the creative intelligence, that brooding over the chaos of primeval matter, that organizes it into materials out of which forms can be constructed."
Unity, which professes to clarify the meaning of doctrines for all Christian denominations, says of the Holy Spirit, "All is spirit. The spirit reigns in everything. The spirit is not the author of the Bible. If one substitutes the Bible for the spirit of truth as his teacher, he fails to receive the inspiration which would reveal to him the truths Jesus taught which are not in the Bible."
The ignorance that surrounds the doctrine of the Holy Spirit reminds me of a painting done by one of the old masters. Down through the centuries it has lost its brilliant luster due to neglect and because of the filth that has accumulated upon it over the years.
To restore it back to its original beauty takes skill and sensitivity.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
His primary name, Holy Spirit, implies two things about Him and us.
The word "Holy" shows us that He is sanctified or set apart and that is what we should be when He dwells within us.
1 Corinthians 6:19, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?"
The name "Spirit" shows us that He is spiritual and doesn't have a physical body.
When the Holy Spirit dwells within us we too will become spiritual and are no longer to be carnal or fleshly in word or deed.
Galatians 5:16, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh."
In all the Holy Spirit is identified within the Bible by over 126 different names, titles and emblems.
Tonight we are going to look at two ways to identify the Holy Spirit.