TBC Doctrinal Class - God The Holy Spirit (Part 5)

TBC DOCTRINAL STATEMENT #5 GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT REVISION CHRIST . . . is fully and truly God; co-equal in glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit • is fully and truly man • is one Person • possesses two natures • retains His humanity in heaven • The key to Christology Fully God Fully human Two natures One Person What is the consequence of denying Christ’s genuine humanity? 1 John 4:2–3 (ESV) By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. T/F Jesus depended on the Holy Spirit, not His divine nature, during His life on earth. Fully God Fully human True Matthew 12:28 (ESV) But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Acts 10:38 (ESV) how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Two natures One Person T/F The Holy Spirit is less than the Father and the Son since He was sent out by the other members of the Trinity. (Q# 2) False Yes. The Holy Spirit was sent out the Father and the Son, but He is not less than them in Deity. T/F The Holy Spirit is fully God since He is of the same essence as the Father and the Son. (Q#3) True. DO WE BELIEVE THIS? In the Deity and personality of the Holy Spirit Whose work is to: ti ti i. Bring convic on through the Word (Acts 2:37; John 16:7-11) ii. Bring repentance (Romans 2:4) iii. Accomplish regenera on (Titus 3:5) iv. Seal unto eternal life (Ephesians 4:20) v. Indwell the believer (Romans 8:9) vi. Give assurance to the believer (Romans 8:16-17). vii. Teach us through the Word (John 14:26) Colossians 2:6–7 (ESV) Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6–7 Colossians 2:6–7 (ESV) Therefore, as you 🤲 Christ Jesus the Lord, so 🚶🚶 in him, 7 🌱 and 🔨 up in him and 🏡 in the faith, just as you were 👩🎓, ⛲ in thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6–7 Colossians 2:6–7 (ESV) Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, [accordance] so walk in him, [exhortation] 7rooted [means] and built up in him [means] and established in the faith, [means] just as you were taught, [accordance] abounding in thanksgiving. [summary/goal] Colossians 2:6–7 Colossians 2:6–7 (ESV) Therefore, as 🫵 🤲 Christ Jesus the 👑, so 🚶🚶 in him, 7 🌱 and 🔨 up in him and 🏡 in the 📜, just as 🫵 were 👩🎓, ⛲ in 😄. Colossians 2:6–7 Colossians 2:6–7 (ESV) Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6–7 Is the Holy Spirit God? I.e., “We believe in the Deity . . . of the Holy Spirit.” He is called God. He is presented as equal to the Father and the Son. He is eternal. He performs works only God can do. fi The Holy Spirit = God = the Spirit of the Lord Acts 5:3 (ESV) But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan lled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit. Acts 5:4d You have not lied to man but to God.” Acts 5:9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? T/F The Holy Spirit is the same thing as God’s power. (Q# 1) False I.e., “We believe in the . . . personality of the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is Distinct from God’s Power. Luke 4:14 (ESV) And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. Acts 10:38 (ESV) how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. The Holy Spirit is Distinct from God’s Power. Luke 4:14 (ESV) And Jesus returned in the power of the power to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. Acts 10:38 (ESV) how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the power and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Why do we care that the Holy Spirit is a person rather than an impersonal force/power? • We can have a relationship with a person— even a powerful person—but not with a force. lightning • mindless • soul-less • emotionless • wild • not self-aware • unapproachable • only observable • massively powerful • unharm-able electrician • mind • soul • emotions/feelings • self-controlled • self-aware • approachable • knowable • limited power • harm-able THE ATHANASIAN CREED For the Father is Matt. 3:16-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke one person, the 3:21-22, John Son is another, 1:18, 6:44, 10:15, 14:1 6-17, 14:26-27, 15:26, and the Holy 16:7, 16:13-15, Acts Spirit is another. 8:29, 10:19, 13:2-4, Ro m. 8:27, 1 Cor. 8:6, Eph. 4:4-6 THE ATHANASIAN CREED But the Godhead of the Gen. 1:2, 1:26, Ex. Father and of the Son 3:14-15, Is. 44:6, John 8:58, 16:15, Acts 5:3-4, Rom. and of the Holy Spirit is 8:9, 1 Cor. 12:4-6, Col. one: the glory equal, 2:9, Heb. 9:14, 10:29, 1 Pet. the majesty coeternal. 1:2, Rev. 5:13, 21:22-23 Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is no less equal in glory and majesty than the Father and the Son because He is called the Spirit of glory and of God. 1 Peter 4:14 (ESV) If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. The Holy Spirit is God because Yahweh ful ls His promise to personally dwell among His people through the Holy Spirit. Exodus 29:45–46 (ESV) I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. 46And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God. Haggai 2:4b–5 (ESV) Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts, 5according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. God ful lled His promise to be with His people in the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. fi fi Nehemiah 9:19-20 (ESV) you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of re by night to light for them the way by which they should go. 20You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. Israel’s rebellion against Yahweh in the Exodus was a rebellion against the Holy Spirit in their midst. Isaiah 63:10–11 (ESV) But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them. 11Then he remembered the days of old, of Moses and his people. Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his ock? Where is he who put in the midst of them his Holy Spirit, The glory of God lled the OT tabernacle and the OT Temple. Exodus 40:34–35 (ESV) Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD lled the tabernacle. 35And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD lled the tabernacle. fi fi fi fi 2 Chronicles 7:1–2 (ESV) As soon as Solomon nished his prayer, re came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacri ces, and the glory of the LORD lled the temple. 2And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD lled the LORD’s house. The NT picks up on temple and indwelling language and applies it to believers. 2 Corinthians 6:15–18 (ESV) What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” The NT speci es that temple and indwelling language applies to believers through the Holy Spirit’s ministry. fi Ephesians 2:19–22 (ESV) So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,21in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Whose temple is it in the New Testament? 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (ESV) Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. 1 Corinthians 6:19 (ESV) Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, Who indwells the temple(s) in the NT? 1 Corinthians 3:16 (ESV) Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 1 Corinthians 6:19 (ESV) Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, What is the point of a temple? The point of a temple is to meet with God (or a god) and to worship the D/deity. Conclusion: The Holy Spirit is no less equal in glory and majesty than the Father and the Son. 1 Corinthians 6:19 (ESV) Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, The Holy Spirit is not less than the Father and the Son because He is worthy of inhabiting the temples of believers’ individual bodies and the church which are all created for the worship of God. God would be sharing His glory with a lesser being if He allowed the Holy Spirit to indwell temple(s) meant to worship Him unless the Holy Spirit is coequal with the Father and the Son in glory. Isaiah 42:8 (ESV) I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. THE ATHANASIAN CREED fi fi fi the Father in nite, the Son in nite, and the Spirit in nite; 1 Kings 8:27, Ps. 113:4-6, 145:3, 147:5, Is. 40:28, Jer. 23:24, Rom. 11:33, Eph 3:8 THE ATHANASIAN CREED fi fi the Father eternal, the Is. 9:6, 48:12, Matt. Son eternal, the Holy 3:11, John 1:1, 1:3, Rom. Spirit eternal. And yet 1:4, 1 Cor. 8:4, Col. there are not three 1:17, Heb. 9:14, Tit. Eternals, but one Eternal, 3:5-6, Rev. 1:8, 22:13 just as there are not three Uncreated or three In nites, but one Uncreated and one In nite. The Holy Spirit is co-eternal with the Father and the Son. Hebrews 9:14 (ESV) how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. THE ATHANASIAN CREED in the same way, the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, the Holy Spirit almighty; and yet there are not three Almighties but one Almighty. Gen. 17:1, 18:14, Ps. 62:11, Matt. 19:26, Mark 14:36, Luke 1:35, John 5:21, 1 Cor. 8:4, 12:4, 12:11, Eph. 1:20-21, 3:20-21, Phil. 3:20-21, Col. 2:9-10, Heb. 1:3, 1 Pet. 3:22, Rev. 1:8, 4:8, 11:17, 15:3, 16:7, 1 6:14, 19:6 THE ATHANASIAN CREED So the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God; and yet there are not three Gods, but one God. Gen. 1:26, Is. 9:6, Matt. 1:23, 28:19, John 1:1, 1:14, 6:27, 10:30, 20:28; Acts 5:3-4, 20:28, Rom. 9:5, 1 Cor. 2:10-11, 3:16, 6:19, 8: 4, 2 Cor. 1:21-22, 3:17, Col. 1:15-17, 2:9, Tit. 2:10 THE ATHANASIAN CREED So the Father is Lord, the Son is Deut. 6:4, Matt. 11:25, Luke 2:11, Acts Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord; and 10:36, 1 Cor. 6:14, 2 Cor. 3:17, Rev. 17:14 yet there are not three Lords, but one Lord. Just as we are compelled by the Christian truth to acknowledge each distinct person as God and Lord, so also we are prohibited by the catholic religion to say that there are three Gods or Lords. WHAT DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT DO? We believe in . . . the Holy Spirit whose work is to: ti ti i. Bring convic on through the Word (Acts 2:37; John 16:7-11) ii. Bring repentance (Romans 2:4) iii. Accomplish regenera on (Titus 3:5) iv. Seal unto eternal life (Ephesians 4:30) v. Indwell the believer (Romans 8:9) vi. Give assurance to the believer (Romans 8:16-17) vii. Teach us through the Word (John 14:26) WHAT IS THE OVERARCHING WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT? We believe in . . . the Holy Spirit whose work is to: ti ti i. Bring convic on through the Word (Acts 2:37; John 16:7-11) ii. Bring repentance (Romans 2:4) iii. Accomplish regenera on (Titus 3:5) iv. Seal unto eternal life (Ephesians 4:30) v. Indwell the believer (Romans 8:9) vi. Give assurance to the believer (Romans 8:16-17) vii. Teach us through the Word (John 14:26) The overarching work/ministry of the Holy Spirit is to build a temple/dwelling place for God • comprised of both Jews and Gentiles • built on the foundation of the teaching of the apostles and prophets • with Christ as the cornerstone. Ephesians 2:20–22 (ESV) built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,21in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. What sort of structure is the Holy Spirit building? Ephesians 2:20–22 (ESV) built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,21in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. fi a temple/dwelling place t for God What does a grand house look like? The temple being built by the Holy Spirit is comprised of living stones. 1 Peter 2:4–5 (ESV) As you come to him [Christ], a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacri ces acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. These works of the Holy Spirit are the preparing, enlivening, and the tting of individual living stones into a temple. the Holy Spirit’s work is to: ti ti fi i. Bring convic on through the Word (Acts 2:37; John 16:7-11) ii. Bring repentance (Romans 2:4) iii. Accomplish regenera on (Titus 3:5) iv. Seal unto eternal life (Ephesians 4:30) v. Indwell the believer (Romans 8:9) vi. Give assurance to the believer (Romans 8:16-17) vii. Teach us through the Word (John 14:26) Who are these guys? (L-R) purchasing agent and agricultural consultant Edward Burnett, architect Richard Morris Hunt, landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, George Washington Vanderbilt, and architect Richard Howland Hunt, son of Richard Morris Hunt. 1892 Because the Holy Spirit is a Person of the Godhead and not a mindless force, He crafts each living stone and puts him/her into place? I.e., “We believe in the . . . personality of the Holy Spirit.” Attributes of persons are ascribed to the Holy Spirit. Actions of persons are ascribed to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has a mind. Romans 8:27 (ESV) And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. The Holy Spirit has desires. fl Galatians 5:17 (ESV) For the desires of the esh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the esh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. T/F The Holy Spirit decides what spiritual gift(s) a person receives (Q# 6). True. The Holy Spirit has a will. 1 Corinthians 12:11 (ESV) All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. Personal acts of the Holy Spirit Leads Romans 8:14 (ESV) For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. T/F The Holy Spirit sometimes leads us down different paths than Scripture would lead us (Q# 7). False. Where does the Holy Spirit speak with unmistakable clarity? In scripture. Hebrews 3:7–8 (ESV) Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, 8do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, lit. “as the Holy Spirit is saying” Is the quotation following the “as the Holy Spirit says” in Hebrews 3:7 new revelation that was being freshly given when the book of Hebrews was being written? No. The quotation in Hebrews 3:7b-11 is from Psalm 95:7-11, which was written at least 500 years prior to the book of Hebrews. Conclusion: The Holy Spirit is still speaking today, but the location in which He directly speaks is in the Scripture . . . not in nature, my feelings, my intuition, my “sense of things,” the alignment of the stars, etc. Question: Is it wrong to say that the Holy Spirit spoke to me about X when I was reading my Bible? Answer: If X is the exact same thing in my life as X was in the original context of that passage, then Yes. The Holy Spirit is speaking to me directly in the Bible. If X in my life is not the exact same thing as X is in the passage, then it is better to say that the Holy Spirit illuminated or convicted me about X in my life as an application of what the Holy Spirit says in Scripture. We don’t want to confuse our fallible applications of what the Holy Spirit says with the Holy Spirit’s infallible words. T/F The Holy Spirit leads us down different paths than Jesus leads us (Q# 14). False. The Holy Spirit will never lead in contradiction to Jesus since the Holy Spirit does not speak on His own authority but on Christ’s authority. John 16:13 (ESV) When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. The Holy Spirit will never lead in contradiction to Jesus since the Holy Spirit will actually use Jesus’ own words to point us back to Jesus. John 16:13–14 (ESV) When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14He will glorify me [Jesus], for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. Personal acts of the Holy Spirit Gives witness about relationships between persons Romans 8:16 (ESV) The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,