WALKING IN CORRECTNESS
(CONCERNING THE HOLY SPIRIT)
1 John 4:1-6
How do we know that Christianity is the correct faith? How do we know we worship the correct God? How do we know that Jesus is the only way to Heaven? It is easy to give answers such as, ¡§That¡¦s just how it is¡¨, or ¡§Just have faith¡¨, etc¡K The problem with statements such as this is that every persona believes that their religion is the correct one. If they didn¡¦t believe that they probably would not be in that group. Christians must be able to give proof of why the God we worship is the only true God.
Listed below are 5 statements of belief from 5 different religions concerning their belief of their deity. There is a blank at the top of each section. From the list of 5 religious groups write down the group that you believe the statement is about.
Buddhists Christians
Jehovah¡¦s Witnesses Mormons Muslims
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¡§Our God is the only deity worthy of worship. There is no Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ was a Prophet; but He was not divine.¡¨
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¡§Our God is a three-headed God. All three are completely separate. God #1: God the Father. God #2: God the Son, who was Michael the Archangel until He came to earth in human form. This would make Jesus Christ God the Father¡¦s greatest creation. God #3: God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God¡¦s force and is not a person.¡¨
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¡§We have no deity. Each person strives for perfection by learning how to conquer or forget pain, sorrow, or suffering.¡¨
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¡§There are many gods. God the Father is the greatest of the gods and was created by His Father. God the Father was a man who was exalted to godhood. The Bible refers to God the Father as Elohim in the Old Testament. Jesus Christ is another God who is greater than God the Holy Ghost but not the God the Father. The Bible refers to Jesus Christ as Jehovah in the Old Testament. The Holy Ghost is the third God in the Trinity and is a spirit man. The Holy Spirit is separate from the Holy Ghost and is an impersonal influence that comes from God the Father.¡¨
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¡§Our God is one God that consists of the Trinity; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Three in one. There is only one God.¡¨
Which one of these statements represents the Christian view of God? What makes the Christian view the correct view?
In this study we will study the Holy Spirit and prove and disprove different views.
1 John 4:1-6
The Holy Spirit¡¦s Position And Characteristics
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead and is equal in position to the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is mentioned in conjunction with the other persons of the Trinity (Matthew 3:16-17; John 14:16; Acts 10:38). This is disproves the belief of Mormon¡¦s that the Holy Ghost is lesser than the Father and Son and that He is separate from the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit fulfills all of the necessary requirements of having a personality.
„« He is intelligent (Isaiah 11:2; Romans 8:27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-11).
„« He can be grieved (Isaiah 63:10; Ephesians 4:30; Romans 15:30).
„« He has a will (1 Corinthians 12:11).
„« He can be reverenced (Psalm 51:11).
„« He can be blasphemed (Matthew 12:31).
„« He can be obeyed (Acts 10:19-21).
„« He can be lied to (Acts 5:3).
„« He can be resisted (Acts 7:51).
„« He can become outraged (Hebrews 10:29).
The fact that the Holy Spirit has a personality disproves the Muslims and Buddhist who claim there is no Holy Spirit. It also disproves the Jehovah¡¦s Witnesses¡¦ view that the Holy Spirit is not a person.
The Holy Spirit¡¦s Names
The deity of the Spirit is recognized in the divine names He bears.
„« Holy Spirit (Mark 3:29; Romans 15:13).
„« Spirit of God (Genesis 1:2; Matthew 3:16-17).
„« Spirit of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2; 61:1; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18).
„« Counselor (John 14:16, 26).
„« Spirit of Jesus (Romans 8:9; Galatians 4:6).
„« Spirit of Truth (John 15:26; 16:13).
„« Spirit of Grace (Hebrews 10:29).
„« Good Spirit (Psalm 143:10).
„« Spirit of Holiness (Romans 1:4).
„« Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2).
„« Spirit of Glory (1 Peter 4:14).
„« Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding/ Counsel and Power/ Knowledge and Fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2).
Many of these names disprove the belief that there is no Spirit, the belief that the Spirit is lesser than the Father and Son, and the belief that the Spirit is a separate God.
The Holy Spirit¡¦s Divine Attributes
The Holy Spirit has the same divine attributes as the other two persons of the Godhead.
„« The Spirit is omniscient (John 14:26; 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:10).
„« The Spirit is omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-12).
„« The Spirit is omnipotent (Luke 1:35).
„« The Spirit is eternal (Hebrews 9:14).
This proves that the Holy Spirit is God and is the same as the Father and Son in His attributes.
The Holy Spirit¡¦s Works
The deity of the Spirit is recognized in the works of God that He accomplishes.
„« He was active in creation (Genesis 1:2).
„« He inspired the Biblical writers (2 Peter 1:21).
„« He empowered the conception of Christ (Luke 1:35).
„« He teaches (John 14:26).
„« He guides (Romans 8:14).
„« He commissions (Acts 13:4).
„« He commands people (Acts 8:29).
„« He intercedes (Romans 8:26).
„« He speaks (John 15:26).
„« He works in the Church (1 Corinthians 12:7).
„« He actualizes the presence of God (Haggai 2:5).
„« He actualizes the Kingdom of God (Matthew 12:28).
„« He restrains evil (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7).
„« He resurrected Christ (1 Peter 3:18).
The Holy Spirit¡¦s Involvement In Salvation
The deity of the Spirit is recognized in His involvement in the process of salvation and the spiritual life of the believer.
„« He convicts of sin (John 16:8).
„« He regenerates (John 3:5-6).
„« He gives eternal life (Titus 3:5).
„« He brings the assurance of salvation (Romans 8:26-27).
„« He works in baptism (1 Corinthians 12:13).
„« He indwells the believer (Romans 8:9-11, 13-14).
The Holy Spirit¡¦s Gifts
The deity of the Spirit is recognized in the gifts He gives to the Church.
„« The Spirit is the source of all gifts to the Church (1 Corinthians 12:4, 7-11).
„« The Spirit grants spiritual gifts to individual believers (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:8-9, 28-30; Ephesians 4:12).
This is ¡§tons¡¨ of information concerning the Holy Spirit. To answer the questions in the first paragraph let¡¦s sum up each religion¡¦s statement concerning the Holy Spirit and some problems with their statement.
„« Muslims: No Holy Spirit, just one God. They must reject the idea of the Trinity because they do not believe Jesus was God, so they put the work of the Father and of the Spirit together.
„» Questions to ask: ¡§Can you see ¡§Allah¡¨?¡¨ They will say no because he is a spirit. They will explain to you that the Bible also teaches that God is Spirit, which is true. ¡§How then can a person be rescued from eternal punishment?¡¨ ¡§Who convicts or shows mankind of their sinfulness¡¨. The only answer to the question of salvation is through performing Islamic religious works and there is no specific way of salvation. You will not find their god performing any atoning works. Their god is a wrathful god and one makes it to ¡§Heaven¡¨ by chance. This is a ¡§wishy washy¡¨ god without a savior or spirit.
„« Jehovah¡¦s Witnesses: The Holy Spirit is the least of three Gods and is not a person.
„» Questions to ask: ¡§If the Holy Spirit is a separate God and is lesser, then why does Scripture refer to the Spirit as the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Jesus?¡¨ ¡§If the Spirit is not a person, why does the Spirit possess all of the necessary characteristics for personality?¡¨
„« Buddhist: No deity.
„» Questions to ask: ¡§Explain creation without a divine being.¡¨ Buddhist recognize the fact that there probably is a divine being but will tell you that the human mind could never understand a deity. They are correct about the human mind not being able to understand a deity on its own. It is the Holy Spirit that causes a person to recognize that there is something bigger than they are and that they need help. That is called ¡§conviction¡¨.
„« Mormons: The Holy Ghost is one of many gods.
„» Questions to ask: ¡§Do you not believe the Ten Commandments?¡¨ They then will ask you about your belief of grace in the New Testament. Refer them to Galatians where it tells us that the Law is a schoolmaster. Simply, the Law shows us what sin is. The Law shows us that we are sinners in need of salvation. The Bible is full of warnings of following any god other than the God of Abraham; which has numerous titles but is one God consisting of the Trinity.
1 John 4:1-6
Remember verses 2 and 3 as you face these many questions. Also remember verses 4-6. If you are a child of God, there is nothing to great for us to be able to handle. Let God lead you through the Holy Spirit within you in all that you do!
Series: Light In The Darkness [#7]
Sunday Evening Bible Study September 7, 2003
Bel Aire Baptist Church
