The Personality of the Holy Spirit - Research Paper Example

?LIBERTY THE PERSONALITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT a paper sUBMITTED TO dr. MICHAEL VLACH OF THE lIBERTY tHEOLOGICAL sEMINARY iN PARTIAL FULFILMENT oF THE REQUIREMENTS THEO530 spring semester lIBERTY Baptist THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY BY MELODY F. MOSHKOWSKI LYNCHBURG, VA APRIL 22, 2012 Thesis Statement: The Bible affirms the Holy Spirit as a fully divine, volitional and personal being whose works and attributes bear witness to the same.   Outline     I. Introduction (1 page)     II. The Diety of the Holy Spirit (3 pages)   A. The Holy Spirit is God   B. The Holy Spirit has a Unique Role within the Godhead     III. The Personal Attributes of the Holy Spirit (3 pages)   A. The Holy Spirit has a Will   B. The Holy Spirit has a Mind C. The Holy Spirit has Emotions    IV. The Holy Spirits Work in the Individual Believer (3 pages)    A. The Holy Spirit’s Work at Creation (ruah) B. The Holy Spirit’s Work at Salvation (Regeneration)   B. The Holy Spirit as parakletos    V. The Holy Spirit and the Church (3 pages)   A. Power to Witness   B. Agent of Unity    VI. Conclusion: (1 page) INTRODUCTION “An understanding of the ministry of the Holy Spirit is basic to Christian living…who He is, is foundational to what He does, and a knowledge of both His person and work is basic to Christian devotion and living.”1 It is not surprising therefore that the subject of the personality of the Holy Spirit remains one of the most controversial issues in Christian academic circles. The topic comes with varying views and opinions on who the Holy Spirit is and what the Holy Spirit stands for. Right from the beginning of reading scriptures, the Christian is given an idea about the fact that the Holy Spirit is very instrumental in the personality of humankind2. For instance in the book of Genesis, the presence of a third person, whom most scholars argue to be the Holy Spirit is consulted when God says “let us make man in Our image”. Detailed insight into this same scripture gives a lot of background to who the Holy Spirit really is. For instance, if God was referring to the third person, whom scholars identify to be the Holy Spirit as creating man in our own image, then it is true that the Holy Spirit has the same image as God and is therefore God3. In the early openings of the New Testament, Jesus Christ also gives an indication on what the actual personality of the Holy Spirit is. For example, there was the kind of divine relationship that exists between the Father and the Holy Spirit was exhibited when at the baptism of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit manifested its presence in the form of a dove after the Father spoke from heaven4. In Ephesians 4:4-6, we read 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.5 The Bible affirms the Holy Spirit as a fully divine, volitional and personal being whose works and attributes bear witness to the same. This thesis sets the pace for this paper, which seeks to confirm the assertion that “In dealing with the Spirit we are dealing with none other than the personal presence of God.”6 THE DIETY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT The Holy Spirit is God Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is God, third member of the Trinity, equal with the Father and Son. “In Christian theology, the term trinity means that there are three eternal distinctions in the one divine essence, known respectively as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”7 Although the Doctrine of the Trinity has long divided theologians, scholars, pastors, teachers and even laity in the ancient and modern church, the first general council of the church affirmed and clarified the position and Deity of the Holy Spirit in relationship to the other two members, God the Father and God the Son. The most difficult and far-reaching issue the Council at Nicea (325 A.D.) addressed was the attack on the Trinity by a small group known as Arians led by a Presbyter from Alexandria named Arius, and represented at the Council by Bishop Eusebius from Nicomedia.8 Essentially Arius proposed that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were materially separate beings and that the Father created the Son, asserting that if the Son were equal to the Father, there would be more than one God. After two months of often-contentious debate concerning the Trinity and other matters, in 325 A.D. the Council unequivocally affirmed not only the full deity of Christ, but also “…the Holy Spirit as being Himself God and equal to the Father and the Son; a crucial tenet of the ancient creed held firm since that day by all but a small minority of Christians.”9 Universally accepted, as truth by the Eastern and Western church without significant challenge, is the personhood of God the Father and God the Son. The personhood of the third member of the Trinity is another matter. Perhaps the knowledge of the Father as Creator with the ability to see creation in motion and experience creation through the senses requires less faith and is therefore easier to prove and subsequently believe. The Son of God is known to have walked the earth in physical form; a fact acknowledged by many religions, and therefore His personhood is widely accepted. The Holy Spirit is less tangible and often thought to be mysterious, a mystical unseen force operating covertly in the world at the Father’s bidding. The scriptures however, bear witness to the full personhood and personality of the Holy Spirit. The reality of the Holy Spirit as a fully functioning equal member of the Trinity is pervasive throughout the Old and New Testament. He is frequently referred to by a majority of the Old Testament writers and only three New Testament writers do not discuss Him (Philemon and 2 & 3 John).10 Clearly, “A fundamental revelation is that the Holy Spirit is a person, in the sense that the Father and the Son are. Without denial of the one Essence of the Godhead, the personality of the Holy Spirit must be affirmed and is subject to proof unassailable by any who accept the Scriptures as authoritative.”11 The Holy Spirit’s Unique Role within the Godhead The word Godhead refers to all three persons, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit working together in unity with one purpose but distinct roles. There is unity in the relationship between the three and unity of purpose. The three are equal but have different functions. “There is no difference in glory, power or length of existence, but simply of order. The Spirit and the Son are equal, though subordinate to the Father. This subordination is voluntary, not necessary.”12 The personal attributes assigned to the Holy Spirit attest to His relationship with the Father and Son, and His function in the life of the individual believer and in the church reveal His unique role. Looking at the way God the Father and the Son work in their respective roles in the Godhead, one can draw conclusions concerning the role of the Spirit as well. The Greek word pneuma is used to distinguish the role, personality and relationship of the Holy as a member of the Godhead as “the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal with the Father and the Son”13 Holy Spirit shares the same Attributes as God For the Holy Spirit to play His role within the Godhead effectively, it is just right that the Holy Spirit will share in the very attributes of the Father. By attributes, reference is not just being made to the accolades given to the Father as a sign of worship but the words used to describe the nature and character of the Father. Without such conformity of nature between the Father and the Spirit, one should think of possible strives in their operations14. So it is indeed true that the Holy Spirit shares the same attributes of God such as omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience. For instance when we read of David ascribing to the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit when he says that: "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there" (Ps. 139:7-8). Again, the omnipotence of the Spirit was in manifest in the time of Jesus when Jesus’ miracles were backed by the spirit. “In Paul's ministry, the work that "Christ has accomplished" was done "through the power of the Spirit"” (Rom. 15:18-19).15 Finally, the omniscience of the Holy Spirit is justified as: "The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God," Paul said (1 Cor. 2:10). The Spirit of God "knows the thoughts of God" (v. 11). The Spirit therefore knows all things, and is able to teach all things (John 14:26).”16 THE PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT The Holy Spirit has a Will The Holy Spirit is not a personal tool to be manipulated or wielded without wisdom and restraint, rather the Holy Spirit functions as HE wills, on behalf of the Father according to His sovereign plan. I Corinthians 12:11 says, “All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as He wills.” (ESV) Paul is referencing the apportioning of spiritual gifts to believers. “The thought is that the Holy Spirit is not merely a divine power that we get a hold of and use according to our will, but that the Holy Spirit is a divine person who gets a hold of us and uses us according to His will.”17 The Holy Spirit has a Mind A justification of the fact that a person or something has a mind would best be judged if that person or thing is in a position to person certain basic mental activities. To this, there is every indication that the Holy Spirit is indeed a personality who has a mind. First, we read in 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 that: 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.18 From the verse above, we get the indication that the Holy Spirit possesses knowledge to search all things and know the things of man. The ability to know is mental activity that indicates that a person has a mind. Secondly, the Holy Spirit performs the mental activity of reasoning with God on behalf of man until a compromise is reached to intervene on the sins of man. This is what the Apostle Paul refers to as intercession. This is further confirmed in Romans 8:27 where we read that “And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”19 Finally, the proof of the Holy Spirit possessing a mind is seen from a perspective where the Holy Spirit is able to transfer part of his mind to man by teaching man on his ways and how to please God. The scripture confirms this in 1 Corinthians 2:13 as the bible states that “This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.” The Holy Spirit has Emotions For a person to be said to have emotions, that person should be in a position to undertake certain sentimental and expressive sensations. There are studies and facts from the Holy Bible and modern research to confirm the presence of such deeds that signify emotional reactions and actions in the Holy Spirit. In the first place, the Holy Spirit undertakes the emotional action of grieving. Basically, the Holy Spirit becomes grieved when man sins. The bible makes it cleat that the Spirit cannot bear the sight of sin and so grieves over the sins of man. The Holy Spirit also grieves because He is aware of the consequences of sins to man, which is eternal destruction. The scripture confirms this in Ephesians 4:30 where read that “and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”20 Quite apart from grieving, the Holy Spirit also shares with the joy of triumphing Christians. He also gives joy to grieving Christians. Since the Holy Spirit is responsible for working at salvation (which will be discussed later), the Holy Spirit has a feeling of joy when man is able to say no to sin and walk the path of God in salvation21. The Holy Spirit does this by filling the heart of the new born Christian with joy. It is indeed very interesting that even Jesus benefited from the joy that the Holy Spirit gives as we read in Luke 10: 21 that: At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure." (NIV) THE HOLY SPIRIT WORK IN THE INDIVIDUAL BELIEVER The Holy Spirit’s Role in Creation (Ruah) Virtually no argument can be given to the effect that the Holy Spirit was present and instrumental in at the time of creation22. In the first instance, account is given of the Father who invites the Holy Spirit into creation by stating that “let us create man in our own image.” We also read of the Spirit of God moving over the surface of the waters to bring sanity in the midst of the confusion and darkness. Even more significant is the role of the Holy Spirit in giving man the image and life of God. In Hebrew doctrine, the word ruah is used to signify the breath or spirit of God, which is the Holy Spirit. Indeed when creation would not have been complete if man remained in the molded clay state. Man would not have also had the image of God if he remained immobile clay. It was the coming of the breath of God, which according to the definition of ruah signifies the Holy Spirit that made creation complete. In a similar context, the Apostle Paul in II Timothy 3:16, spoke of how the Holy Spirit inspires the scripture. Having noted in John 1 that the word (scripture) is God, it is therefore appropriate to infer that right at the time of creation the Spirit was present to inspire the Father into completing creation23. The Holy Spirit’s Work at Salvation “Without a doubt, the most tangible and conclusive evidence for the personality of the Holy Spirit is found in His works.”24 Arguably, the most important role of the Holy Spirit in the individual is the work of regeneration occurring at salvation. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin "because they do not believe in me" (John 16:9). Sin is the opposite of faith. The Spirit exposes the appalling and evenly distributed self-deception of our belief in ourselves. It does the pre-evangelistic work of wearing down and also unmasking the idols of false truth and false constructions of truth which human beings manufacture in the billions.25 So then, “The Holy Spirit convinces and convicts; the Holy Spirit acts to make concrete, specific and individual the universally required and completed achievement of atoning justification on the cross.”26 The Holy Spirit as parakletos “To walk in the Spirit and be led by the Spirit then means something more than miracles. It means victory over the desires and impulses of the flesh. It means crucifying those desires. It means cultivating the fruit of the Spirit, the best antidote to the lusts of the flesh.”27 THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE CHURCH Power to Witness A well-known American revivalist, R.A. Torrey wrote, “Many people are naturally shy. They long to do something for Christ but are afraid. The Holy Spirit can make believers bold…it was the Holy Spirit who turned cowardly Peter into the one who fearlessly faced the Sanhedrin and rebuked their sin.”28 Agent of Unity Nothing more can be said of the role of the Holy Spirit in the church as a unifier of race, cultural background, social status and gender (Galatians 3:28). Among such experiences is the encounter of the Apostle Peter with the Spirit in a vision. In the vision, the Apostle was told not to discriminate among food that God had created (Acts 10:9-19). This was clearly an indication that the era of the Holy Spirit, which was manifested by the departure of Christ (John 16:17) was going to be an era where all people would be seen as one in Christ; regardless of their places of origin, gender or even religious belief. It is therefore true to stated that “Among the many challenging traditions observed in this renewal movement, the work of the Holy Spirit to remove human barriers is distinct. This incredible anti-cultural phenomenon against the social norm of that day appeared in two fronts…”29 One another important area in which the Holt Spirit manifests Himself through unity in the church is an where He gives gifts of diverse forms to different people. “One Spirit effects all the gifts, ministries and works that Paul enumerates in 1 Corinthians, and they are for the common good. This same Spirit is in one body to bring it to the full stature of Christ.”30 Even though these spiritual gifts are different, they all come together to make the church of Christ whole and united (1 Corinthians 12:9-11). CONCLUSION This has been an important academic exercise in identifying the personality of the Holy Spirit. Up to this point, a clear indication has been given to the fact that the Holy Spirit is not just a representation of the spirit that lives in the Father but that the Holy Spirit is an entity on His own and has a peculiar personality that actually makes Him the third personality in the trinity31. In simple terms, the Holy Spirit has been identified to be a different form of God. It should therefore not be surprising that in the bible, the Holy Spirit is referred to, using the pronounce ‘He’. A very clinical examination has also been given to the fact that between the Holy Spirit and the Father, there are very special divine relationships that makes the Holy Spirit a representation of the persona and conscientiousness of the Father in this post Jesus age. For instance out of the fact that the Father is holy and wanted man to remain holy throughout his life after creation, the Holy Spirit plays the role of reestablishing the holiness of man by aiding in salvation. This is done so that the relationship that was lost between the Father and man would be restored. This is also done to confirm the divine relationship that exists between the Father and the Holy Spirit from a perspective where the Holy Spirit would want man to be on the path of salvation and holiness because the Father is also holy. Finally, an identity was settled for the Holy Spirit as a perfect person with emotion and mind who has a thought of perfection for man and grieves over the evil of man. BIBLIOGRAPHY A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy: the Attributes of God, Their Meaning in the Christian Life (San Francisco: HarperOne, 1978), 21. Bible Gateway, Ephesians 4:30, New International Version, http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%204:30&version=NIV (accessed May 13, 2012) Bible Gateway, Ephesians 4:4-6, 2012, King James Version http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+4%3A4-6&version=NIV (accessed May 13, 2012) Bible Gateway. 1 Corinthians 2:10-11. 2012. King James Version, http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+2%3A10-11&version=KJV (accessed May 13, 2012) Bible Gateway. Romans 8:27, New International Version, http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%208:27&version=NIV (accessed May 13, 2012) Blair Gilmer Meeks. "Sunday 30 May 2004." Homily Service 37, no. 6/7 (May 2004): 43-50. Religion and Philosophy Collection, EBSCOhost (accessed April 22, 2012). Blair Gilmer Meeks. "Sunday 30 May 2004." Homily Service 37, no. 6/7 (May 2004): 43-50. Religion and Philosophy Collection, EBSCOhost (accessed April 22, 2012). Charles C. Ryrie, The Holy Spirit, Rev. and expanded. ed. (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1997), 10. Del Colle, Ralph. "The Holy Spirit: presence, power, person." Theological Studies 62, no. 2 (June 1, 2001): 322-340. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed April 22, 2012). Gordon D. Fee, Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God (Peadbody, Mass.: Hendrickson Pub, 1996), 25. Henry C. Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, 98. Henry Clarence Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, Rev. / ed. (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1989), 90. J. Lee Grady, The Holy Spirit Is Not For Sale: Rekindling the Power of God in an Age of Compromise [Quote by R.A. Torrey](Grand Rapids, MI.: Chosen Books, 2010), 69. John F. Walvoord, "The Person of the Holy Spirit." Bibliotheca Sacra 97, 168. John F. Walvoord. "The Person of the Holy Spirit." Bibliotheca Sacra 97, no. 386 (April 1, 1940): 166-188. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed April 22, 2012), 167. Justo L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, Rev. and updated [ed.], 2nd ed., vol. 1 of The Story of Christianity. (New York: HarperOne, 2010), 187. Morrison, M. The Deity of the Holy Spirit, 2012. Grace Communion International Paul F M Zahl.  "The spirit in the blood." Anglican Theological Review  83, no. 3 (July 1, 2001): 493-498.  http://www.proquest.com/ (accessed April 22, 2012). Paul F M Zahl.  "The spirit in the blood." Anglican Theological Review  83, no. 3 (July 1, 2001): 493-498.  http://www.proquest.com/ (accessed April 22, 2012). Reuben Archer Torrey, The Holy Spirit: Who He Is And What He Does And How To Know Him In All The Fulness Of His Gracious And Glorious Ministry (publication place: Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2010), 32. Stanley M. Horton, What the Bible Says About the Holy Spirit (Springfield, Mo.: Gospel Pub House, 1989), 10. Stanley M. Horton, What the Bible Says About the Holy Spirit, 176. Study Light Organization, The New Testament Greek Lexicon, http://www.studylight.org/lex/grk/view.cgi?number=4151 (accessed May 14, 2012) Walvoord, John F. "The person of the Holy Spirit." Bibliotheca Sacra 97, no. 386 (April 1, 1940): 166-188. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed April 22, 2012). Wonsuk Ma. "'When the Poor are Fired Up': The Role of Pneumatology in Pentecostal-charismatic Mission." Transformation (02653788) 24, no. 1 (January 2007): 28-34. Religion and Philosophy Collection, EBSCOhost (accessed April 22, 2012). Read More