Monday: The Holy Spirit’s Divine Attributes
In several biblical passages the Holy Spirit is described as having divine attributes.
What attributes and activities of the Holy Spirit are listed in the following Bible passages that, otherwise, can be attributed only to God?
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1 Cor. 2:10-11; compare with Ps. 139:7
Heb. 9:14; compare with 1 Tim. 6:16
Luke 1:35; Rom. 15:19; compare with Ps. 104:30
In his examination of the wisdom of God, Paul argues that it is the Holy Spirit who makes this wisdom known to us. “Like knows like” is the reasoning Paul employs here in his argument. Only one who is equal to God can know the deep things of God (1 Cor. 2:10-11). There is no knowing God as does the Spirit, for He knows God from the inside. He knows in a way that an outsider does not. The Holy Spirit is indeed omniscient.
The presence of the Spirit is the presence of God. If I cannot flee to a place where the Spirit of God is not, He is omnipresent (compare with x).
The Holy Spirit is said to be eternal (Heb. 9:14). According to the Bible, how many eternal beings are there? Only God is eternal (1 Tim. 6:16). If the Spirit is called eternal, then He must be God.
The Holy Spirit also is all-powerful or almighty. In Luke 1:35 the phrases “the Holy Spirit” and “the power of the most High” (NASB) are synonymous constructions. Here they refer to a miracle of the first magnitude, the virgin conception. In Romans 15:19, the apostle Paul acknowledges that his ministry was achieved by “mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God” (NKJV). Indeed, the Holy Spirit can do divine miracles.
Jesus also says that blasphemy against the Spirit is unforgivable (Matt. 12:31-32; Mark 3:28-29). This is incomprehensible unless the Spirit is divine.
But perhaps the most amazing work of the Holy Spirit is His ability to change human hearts and minds. It is the Holy Spirit who accomplishes a new spiritual birth (John 3:5-8). He has the power to accomplish something that only God can do.
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As we get older, it happens that our ability to change may seem to fade. We become more rational. Would that affect our ability to accept the HS influence? I agree we have to follow a line of reasoning through life, and we get that with experiencie/age. But we need to place in ourselves the constant motivation to change. Does the attitude of "I know enough, I have been through this" is preventing me from accepting new ideas and changing? Is there a possibility that this kind of attitude also get to close my ears to the HS whispering? Are we getting older and becoming more flexible or stiffer? Unless I let my heart open, knowledge will do me not much favor.
Right, I do see what You are here saying here JC.
Which is why I think The LORD GOD IS Saying to me that, this is one of those things that can only be taken with prayer and fasting.
In addition, it occurred to me that we must purposely ask The HS for guidance, as one must consciously, being fully aware, when denying The HS, in HIS Leading of us.
I love the verses in Mark that say "all other blasphemy and sin is forgiven" the question then is "Am I willing to forgive all other Blasphemy's?" Am I not closer to the Godhead's character when, by the power of the Holy Spirit, I am forgiving like He is!!
Question:If the holy Spirit is God, why would this Bible text be:"Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."?
Rhonda, I was also wondering about this bible section. I guess, Son of Man means Jesus in his human status, so maybe here He is referring to the case that somebody around him said a bad word against the son of man (and just had not completely understood or captured His divinity?
I too have an issue with the same verse. Remember, Jesus still identified as the Son of Man even when "He will be coming with the clouds of heaven"
Because it is the Holy Spirit that convicts of us of sin and righteousness (john 16:8). It's not that forgiveness has suddenly dried up when it comes to the Holy Spirit... it's more along the line that we are treading on the dangerous ground of no longer caring. Remembering that in 1 John 1:9 the condition of forgiveness is confession, if we "speak" against the Holy Spirit what we are effectively doing is hardening our hearts to the point that we do not seek forgiveness.
It should be made clear that at no point is God unwilling to forgive, He is merely respecting our own decision to not seek and accept it.
The HS's role is different than the Son's. It is the HS's role to convict of sin. So sinning against the HS eventually prevents that conviction.
I think the reason why it is so dangerous to speak against the Holy Spirit is that it is the Holy Spirit that convicts us and that connects us with God Almighty and His pardon.
When God appears to us, he is as a father because of his providence and protection, Christ appears as a Son because of Salvation, now the Holy Spirit appears as a Spirit because of his role as a spiritual guide to our salvation. Now John 4:25 says of God the father, and it is said of Christ John 1:14 he became flesh meaning he was Spirit. The Godhead share the same attributes, they are all Spirit because they are God, the Holy Spirit assumes the name only because of the nature of his work in dealing with sin. Isaiah 9:6 refers Christ to 'eternal Father' as well, in summary the Holy Spirit is God himself seeking for an intimate spirit relationship to align our spirit to his divine likeness. Yes he speak less of himself and exalts Christ through whom heaven has made propitiation for our sin. Since the Christ is also called the father, God himself in Hebrews 1 calls Christ God, since God is a spirit, Christ before flesh was spirit, God the father is said to be spirit as well hence the word Spirit doesn't lessen the holy Spirit to merely a force but just a name respective to what he is to us.
I hear you Mandlenkosi, I just want to know that when Adam and Eve were visited by God and they would see Him face to face, was it God the Father or Son or Holy Spirit? Or was it The Godhead?
I thought it was Jesus the son that visited Adam & Eve in the garden. I thought no~one has ever seen God. Please someone comment on this.
Two points on this. First, yet, the preponderance of evidence in the OT is that the God of the OT was in fact the pre-incarnate Christ. In fact it was jealousy on Satan's part as to Christ's special role in the creation of this world that contributed to his downfall.
The other point, as has been previously stated is that all three members of the Godhead are spirit in nature (at least were, Christ will forever keep his humanity). So, when Christ visited Adam and Eve, He did like both he and angels did on other occasions--He took on a visible "persona" that they could relate to.
I follow your reasoning, Mandlenkosi. I think it is following Biblical pathways. Except that man was made in the image and likeness of God. When Adam was created he was made to look and be much like his Creator. When he conversed with his Creator it would appear according to the scripture that he was conversing with someone that looked and functioned very similar to himself involving A physical being as well as a mental being and also a spiritual being.
In John 1 we read that the Word of God created all that was created. That Word interfaced between God and the creation. No person of the Godhead was left out of the creation process.
When God was incarnated in human flesh, all of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) lived and functioned through that flesh. Men could see Christ (the Word) but we could not see the Father or the Spirit. When they saw Jesus they were also seeing the manifestation of the Father. The Spirit was motivating Him with the mind of the Father
first and foremost, we have to understand the true nature of the holy spirit in the sense that, its influence in human will automatically change him from spiritual beings and human, in this Case holy spirit is compassionate like our Christ Jesus, to take the course simple is that,holy spirit is our invisible God in you doing his word that comes through Jesus, so when u sin against the spirit that helps u digest the word when received from Jesus u have vexed him and leave, the truth am dropping here is that when you appease the holy spirit you appease God
The Holy Bible ascribes to the Holy Ghost some of the most distinctive Divine attributes such as eternity (Heb. 9:14); omnipresence (Ps. 139: 7-10); omniscience (1 Cor. 2:10, 11; John 14: 26; John 16.12,13);omnipotence(Luke 1:35) ascribed to the Him in the Bible; Creator (Job 33: 4; Ps. 104: 30; Gen. 1: 3); Author of Scripture (2 Samuel 23: 2, 3; 2 Peter 1: 21). Divine names and titles are applied to Him for instance He is referred to as the Spirit of Life (Ezek 37:1-10; Jn 6:63); the Spirit of the Lord Jehovah (Isa 61:1-3); the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Phil 1:19); the Spirit of Glory (1 Pet 4:14); God (Acts 5:3-4); the Spirit of Life (Rom 8:2); the Eternal Spirit (Heb 9:14); The Spirit of Grace (Heb 10:29); the Spirit of Jehovah (Isa 11:2).
Amen!(0)
Yes indeed the holy spirit is a true companion.
ATTRIBUTES OF HOLY SPIRIT
☆☆1 Corinthians 2:10–11
♡♡__Spiritual/Researcher
☆☆PSALM 139:7
♡♡__ Perfect Knowledge
☆☆Hebbrews 9:14
♡♡__ Pure / without Spot
☆☆1Timothy 6:16
♡♡_ Immortal/ Everlasting
☆☆Luke 1:35
♡♡_ Powerful /Miraculous
☆☆_Romans 15:19
♡♡_Mighty and Wonderful Preacher
☆☆ PSALM 104
♡♡__ Sovereign Creator/Provider
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Praise to the Sovereign Holy Lord God for Creation and Providence.
AMEN
What exactly is the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost? In trying to answer this question we are led to Ellen G White's writing. She asserts that "no one need look upon the sin against the Holy Ghost as something mysterious and indefinable." And goes on to state that: "They [the Pharisees] attributed to satanic agencies the holy power of God, manifested in the works of Christ. Thus the Pharisees sinned against the Holy Ghost. Stubborn, sullen, iron-hearted, they determined to close their eyes to all evidence, and thus they committed the unpardonable sin." (The Review and Herald, January 18, 1898).
Jesus answered the charge of the Scribes in Mark 3: 22 - 30. The doctors of the law knew what they were doing when they accused Him. They deliberately and maliciously maligned Jesus when they willfully and intentionally attributed His work to satanic powers. They did so in the full knowledge that their charge was false. "The Pharisees to whom Jesus spoke this warning did not themselves believe the charge they brought against Him. . . . The evidence of His power exasperated them. . . . They did everything in their power to misrepresent Him and to falsify His words."
It's clear therefore that those who sin deliberately and defiantly in the full knowledge of their sin (Num. 15:30) are guilty of a sin with eternal consequences. The Pharisees continued to slander Jesus Christ by claiming that His mighty work was the work of the devil. They persisted in their false accusations. In this context, then, the unpardonable sin is a continued and willful attitude of hostility against the Holy Spirit; the proud, continued resistance against His guidance, the "persistent refusal to respond to the invitation to repent." Clearrly therefore the unpardonable sin is never a sin committed out of weakness, by mistake, or out of sheer ignorance. As in Mark 3:28 and 29 this sin is the persistent and continued attitude of resistance and hostility (Heb. 10:26). The text reads:"For if we persist in sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins remains." Such a sin is unpardonable, since the sinner persists in it. But when the sinner is truly sorry for his/ her sins and truly repent God such a one will be forgiven. The Bible says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Therefore we should maintain a repentant attitude and always confess our sins to our Lord and Master. God is always seeking to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness! Try Him.
All glory goes to almighty and his begotten son Jesus Christ Amen.