Sabbath: The Personality of the Holy Spirit
Read for This Week’s Study: John 16:13-14; Rom. 8:14-16; Rom. 15:13; John 14:6; John 17:17; Rom. 5:5.
Memory Text: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John 14:26, NASB).
Image © Lars Justinen Goodsalt.com
Because the Holy Spirit is occasionally depicted in the Bible in impersonal terms, such as wind or fire, some have concluded that He is impersonal, a type of divine power. In their view, He is more like an electric current that empowers us rather than existing as a personal Being. But the question is not whether some passages can be brought forward that denote more impersonal operations or influences of the Holy Spirit. The question is whether there are numerous portions of Scripture that positively do establish His personality.
There are texts that we need to take into consideration in order to gain a more complete picture of who the Holy Spirit is.
This week we will learn more about the personality of the Holy Spirit as He is described in Scripture. This truth will help us better understand the role of God’s divine Spirit in our lives. And it will help us to gain a deeper understanding of the importance of the belief of the personality of the Holy Spirit for our spiritual life. Only if we entertain right thoughts about Him can we render to Him that love, reverence, confidence, and submission that are His due.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, January 28.
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I love the bible texts quoted this week to be studied. They bring peace, comfort and confidence to me whenever I read and ponder about them. In my opinion it is not important or almost impossible to define whether the Holy Spirit (one of the "qualities" of the divine trinity) is a person or not, for me it's the same with God-being called a person in the bible (isn't He?) The human concept or understanding of what we call or think of when we say "person" can not cover these godly dimensions, and I am happy with that. God bless you!
The dictionary has several definitions of person. One way to describe the word person could be who you are--your personality, your character, the "name" you make for yourself, and the make/up of your mind. Another definition for person is the body we can see physically. One may put clothes upon one's person. Then we have the Spirit of basic motivation which determines the basic direction of development--of who we are and what character we form.
I think that body, mind, and spirit are all necessary to make up who we are. If any one of these "persons" is missing we cannot function as a living soul. Neither does God function without any one of His "Persons." All work together in every function of God similar to the way our "persons" work together in our functions.
What I think is most astounding is that God purposes to share His Spirit with us to produce right motivation in us which results in the Righteousness of Christ working through us. This Spirit, being Divine, unites His Divinity with our humanity. To me that is truly awesome that He would do that for us.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit and representative of Christ and the Father since they are ONE in character and purpose. By the work of the Holy Spirit in our souls we are made ONE with the Father as Jesus is ONE with the Father as He prayed for us written in John 17.
Don, the adjectives, character and purpose, are similar definitions to what I was checking to see what the "Holy Spirit's personality" may be.
In the past, God took human form (the three Divine Personalities that came to visit Abraham, the personality that protected the three Hebrews from the flames of the fiery furnace, etc.) before he (in the second person) finally became one like us humans.
But specifically, the three that visited Abraham, one of them had to be The Holy Spirit. One was the Father, the other was Jesus and the third was The Holy Spirit.
All Three Divine Personalities came to visit Abraham to assure him of the promise of Isaac and of Isaac's seed Jesus and then of the promise Jesus Himself would then give His followers of His Holy Spirit to dwell with us and then be in us. Praise His Holy Name!
In the past God has taken human form: The three personalities that visited Abraham (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,) Melchizedek (Jesus as King and Priest,) the personality that protected the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace (Jesus,) and finally, the baby in Bethlehem (Jesus Christ.)
For me, The very fact that there were three beings in human form that visited Abraham, tells me that one of them was The Holy Spirit and therefore Jesus could promise Him to us because He is equal to Him. AMEN!