A Study of the Holy Spirit (1)
Jim Davis
The Holy Spirit plays an important role in the world and in our salvation. Yet, there is so much superstition and tradition in our minds that it is hard to see his work clearly. It is sad that there is so much confusion and misunderstanding about this Person that is so involved in our existence in the physical and spiritual realm. The Holy Spirit is a definite personality and co-eternal with God and Christ.
The Bible is not responsible for our confusion, but our difficulty lies at the feet of religious teachers who have failed to treat the subject of the Spirit in a clear and forthright manner. There is a mysterious side to God, Christ and the Holy Spirit but there is also a simple side to each, which the Bible reveals. We should seek to understand the work of each as outlined in the Bible.
Throughout the scriptures from Genesis 1:2 through Revelation 22:17 we see God, the Word, and the Holy Spirit as divine beings living, speaking, acting, influencing, blessing, reconciling, transforming, loving, and glorifying; the Holy Spirit is presented as a distinct person with all the personality of God and Christ.
Throughout the Scriptures the Holy Spirit is associated with God and Christ in such a way as to imply likeness in nature and similarity in attributes. The Holy Spirit associates with God and Christ as a divine being.
I. Holy Spirit Mentioned as A Distinct Person
A. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit are three distinct personalities.
Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."(NIV)Romans 15:30
I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. (NIV)2 Corinthians 13:14
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (NIV)1. Baptized into the name of each distinct person of divinity.
Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."(NIV)2. All three present in creation.
a. God was present.
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (NIV)b. Christ was present.
John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (NIV)John 1:17-18
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known. (NIV)c. Holy Spirit was present.
Genesis 1:2
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (NIV)3. Three spoken of in Genesis as God said, "Let us . . ."
Genesis 1:26
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." (NIV)Genesis 3:22
And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." (NIV)II. Each Played A Part in Creation.
A. All things created by the authority of God.
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (NIV)Psalms 33:6
By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. (KJV)God commanded it to be created. Read Genesis 1:1-31 and notice how many times that Moses writes, "God said . . . "
Psalms 148:1-5
Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights. Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.
Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created. (KJV)B. Christ was the agent in all creation. Christ created the raw elements from which everything was made.
John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (NIV)Creation was from God through Christ.
1 Corinthians 8:6
". . . yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live." (NIV)Ephesians 3:9
And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: (KJV)Colossians 1:15-17
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (NIV)Hebrews 1:1-3
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (NIV)C. Holy Spirit organized the raw elements giving creation its shape, form and life. He gave living force to matter.
Genesis 1:1-2
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (NIV)The above verse indicates that the Spirit of God was hovering over creation ready to move and to shape and form and make the earth fruitful and productive. Initially when the earth was created earth it was without form and void. The earth was like so many planets scattered throughout space . . . it was unshaped and unformed, barren and empty, desolate and destitute, undeveloped and unfinished, unfruitful and unproductive. He is now ready to move and create life to live upon the earth at God's command. He is ready to prepare the earth for human habitation.
Job 33:4
The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life. (NIV)1. It is the Holy Spirit who gives seeds and plants their regenerating powers. God commanded that regenerative powers be given to each. In the beginning everything was created by miracle in that God called forth everything from nothing. But it was the Holy Spirit that set forth the laws, which perpetuate all things.
a. God commanded regenerative powers be given.
Genesis 1:11-12
Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. (NIV)Genesis 1:24-25
And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. (NIV)b. The Holy Spirit is the one who has made possible the renewal of the face of the earth through his regenerative powers given to the various life forms.
Psalms 104:27-30
These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. (NIV)c. The following verse has a direct reference to God's people, but it also has present application to the vegetable kingdom.
Isaiah 32:15
" . . . till the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest. (NIV)d. It is God's Spirit that continues to sustain the regenerative powers of all creation. Wherever the laws of the material world reaches, there the Spirit of God goes and is ever present to guide and direct all the processes of the material world.
Psalms 139:7-10
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. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. (NIV)Conclusion:
From the foregoing scriptures we learn that God is the Creator; Christ, the Word, is the agent through whom God created and sustains the existence all things; the Holy Spirit gives life, enacts laws, and organizes the material universe. Creation was not finished until the Holy Spirit functioned.
Although God, Christ and the Holy Spirit had different distinct functions, all three possessed equal creative powers and cooperated fully in bring the world into existence.