Reading Review: Deity of the Holy Spirit

The following article is another reading review assignment I completed for Theology 1 class through Central Baptist College, Conway, AR. As with our lively Godhead discussions, the professor and I had at least one heated discussion concerning the Deity of the Holy Spirit in regards to the Oneness of the Godhead, especially when he charged Oneness theology with "one of the worst cases of Scriptural gymnastics" he had ever seen (honestly, given his confession that he had never even studied about Oneness Pentecostals prior to meeting me, I am sure that the "Scriptural gymnastics" comment is something he read in a book). However, I answered his charge by stating, "Up to this point in your class, I have been cordial and non-confrontational -- until now. You have the audacity to say that our belief that the distinction in the Godhead that the Deity of Jesus Christ is the Father, and the Humanity of Jesus Christ -- God manifest in flesh is the Son, yet you believe that the Father is fully God separate and distinct from the Son who is fully God separate and distinct from the Holy Spirit is fully God and that's not three Gods?! That's Scriptural gymnastics!"

I even pointed out how that his proof text on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit was Romans 8:9, which does not use the term "Holy Spirit," it uses the terms "Spirit of God" and "Spirit of Christ." So, I asked my professor (who has a PhD in religion) if the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ. His pause before answering, showed me that he was weighing the consequence of his answer. If he answered, "No," then he is forced to believe in two Spirits, when Ephesians 4:4 clearly says "one Spirit." However, my professor, finally answered "Yes," which I then pointed out according to 1 Cor. 2:11 you cannot separate a person from their spirit and make them two distinct persons, thus the Spirit of Christ IS Christ, and if the Spirit of Christ is the Holy Spirit, then our conclusion is sound that Jesus IS the Holy Spirit. He had no response, except to move along in the class. Again, what follows in this article is my one-page reading response to an article concerning the Deity of the Holy Spirit.

Jason L. Weatherly

THE3311-3H

Dr. Smith

Reading Review

October 22, 2016

             I agree with the basic premise of Matthew Barrett’s article. However, we would disagree with the conclusions of his thesis statement. Rather than appeal to man-made creeds, my proofs of the deity of the Holy Spirit are based solely on the Scriptures.

            The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force or power of God as the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach. However, neither does the Spirit “possess divine attributes” as Barrett stated (p. 39). The Holy Spirit does not “possess deity,” rather the Holy Spirit IS deity! The Holy Spirit IS the Spirit of the Father. In John 4:23-24, Jesus declared that God the Father is Spirit. In the context of these passages, when Jesus stated that “God is Spirit,” the term “God” refers directly to “the Father” mentioned in the previous statement.

            The deity of the Holy Spirit is clearly illustrated by simply comparing parallel statements in the Synoptic Gospels. Matthew 3:16 declares that it was the “Spirit of God” that descended at the baptism of Jesus. However, Luke 3:22 records that it was the “Holy Spirit” that descended in the bodily form of a dove. In Matthew 10:20, Jesus told His disciples that in times of persecution do not predetermine what you will speak for “the Spirit of your Father” will speak for you. However, Mark 13:11 says that it is the “Holy Spirit” that speaks. Further still, Luke 21:14-15, Jesus said, “I will give you a mouth to speak.” Thus, the Holy Spirit IS the Spirit of the Father who is Jesus Christ!

            The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Jesus in Acts 16:6-7. A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures agreed that the “Spirit of Jesus” in verse 7 is the “same Spirit who in verse 6 had forbidden going into Asia” i.e. the “Holy Spirit.” The term “Spirit of God” is used synonymously with the phrase “Spirit of Christ” in Romans 8:9. In Philippians 1:19, Paul referred to the Spirit as “the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” In 1 Peter 1:10-11, Peter stated that “the Spirit of Christ” testified through the Old Testament prophets, yet in 2 Peter 1:21, Peter said holy men of old spoke as they were moved by the “Holy Spirit.” Thus, the Spirit of Jesus Christ is the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father—ONE SPIRIT (Ephesians 4:4). Therefore, the argument can be made that the Holy Spirit is deity because the Spirit of the Father is deity. As Paul illustrates in 1 Corinthians 2:11, just as the spirit of a man is not a separate person from man, so also the Spirit of God is not a separate and distinct person from God.

            In John 14:16, Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as “another Comforter (Paraklētos).” Barrett errs when he deduces that there are “two Helpers” i.e. the Holy Spirit and Jesus. Jesus is not a separate Paraklētos from the Holy Spirit. The word “another” (allos) means “another of the same sort.” The word allos is also used in the LXX 1 Samuel 10:6 of Saul who would be turned into “another man,” yet Saul wasn’t turned into a separate, distinct person. Jesus stated that the Paraklētos was the Spirit of Truth who was then dwelling “by the side” of the disciples (Robertson), but would be in them. This refers to the fact that although Jesus was then side-by-side with the disciples in flesh, He would later be in them by His Spirit—the Spirit of Jesus Christ which is the Holy Spirit. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the promise of the Father (Acts 1:4-5), which Paul referred to as “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Not two separate Paraklētos (Comforters), not three separate Spirits, but One Spirit (Ephesians 4:4). Thus, the Spirit of Jesus Christ is the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father.