Misconceptions about the Person of the Holy Spirit

There is a universal ignorance concerning the ministry of the Holy Spirit

Misconception #1 — The Holy Spirit is often referred to as It:

He should not be referred to as “the” unless “Holy Spirit” is used as a title since His person is Holy Spirit. When someone else is talking to or about me, they wouldn’t say “THE David Schwartz.” This might seem minor, and it really is, but this clarification will help us see the Holy Spirit as a “Who,” not an “It.”

Kenneth Hagin was once asked “The Holy Spirit, what is it? To which he replied, “do you mean who is He?” He is every bit a part of the trinity as the Father and the Son. From the Old Testament to the New, the Bible refers to Holy Spirit talking about the third picture of the godhead

2 Corinthians 13:14 (NKJV) The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

[All three are reflected]

Misconception #2 — There is a general lack of awareness of Holy Spirit

Believers now act like the disciples in Ephesus did, and we have the entire Bible in our pockets!

Acts 19:2 “he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”

Scripture distinctly describes three separate experiences:

Salvation; water baptism; and baptism in the Holy Spirit.

People often say, “but I received the Holy Spirit when I was Born Again.” Yes, but only a measure, not the fullness.

There is the anointing within and the anointing upon.

John 20:22 (NKJV) And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 4:6 (NKJV) And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!"

In John 20:22, Jesus breathed on them and said, “receive the Holy Spirit,” which is the born again experience, and Galatians 4:6 states that God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son (Holy Spirit) INTO our heart. However, in Acts 1:4 and 8 Jesus instructed: “Wait for the promise of the Father, which you have heard of me… you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."”

Here, the Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come UPON them (and us, because we are also born-again believers like they were).

Notice in Acts 20:22 — the attitude of the people at that time was that they had not even heard of Holy Spirit. This is still true today. Today is the day the Church must rise up in the power of the Holy Spirit and allow Him to manifest Himself as a witness to the world. In every denomination and every nation.

Many believers came out of denominational churches that did not teach about Holy Spirit. Many were ignorant of His ministry until He brought revival and refreshing by His introduction to us, bringing a new hunger and thirst for the Lord.

Misconception #3 — There was only one outpouring, a one-time experience, and the gifts of the Spirit and tongues passed away with the apostles

We see throughout scripture, and by our own experience, that He is still baptizing people with fire and the Holy Ghost, anointing, filling and empowering us for greater works.

Hebrews 13:8 (NKJV) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Hebrews 1:12 (NKJV) LIKE A CLOAK YOU WILL FOLD THEM UP, AND THEY WILL BE CHANGED. BUT YOU ARE THE SAME, AND YOUR YEARS WILL NOT FAIL."

Malachi 3:6 (NKJV) "For I am the LORD, I do not change;”

James 1:17 (NKJV) Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

We can accurately say that the gifts the Holy Spirit gave initially were good, and speaking in tongues was good, and if God doesn’t change

Romans 11:29 (NKJV) For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

1 Corinthians 12:1 (NKJV) Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:

“Gifts” was added by the translators for clarity, and it’s not inaccurate. But a literal translation would be, “Spirituals,” or, “Spiritual things.” Has God, Who never changes, ceased from being a spirit? No, for “God is Spirit” (John 4), and He changes not (Malachi 3:6).

1 Corinthians 12:7 (NKJV) But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.

“Manifestation” could be translated as “Expression.” These gifts of the Spirit are really just the physical expression of the Spirit of God! Has He ceased to exist? That is the only way He could do away with the expression of Himself! Yet we are explicitly told that “He who comes to Him must believe that He is.” (Hebrews 11:6)

Misconception #4: Holy Spirit is not a distinct person

Some believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are simply three manifestations of one Being, God.

What does the Bible say about that?

Deuteronomy 6:4 (NKJV) "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!

Simeon ben Joachi says: "Come and see the mystery of the word Elohim [God]. There are three degrees, and each degree is by itself alone, and yet they are all one, and joined together in one, and are not divided from each other."

God is one, with three distinct, individual, and separate persons, all joined together in one, and not separate or solo. They work in perfect unity.

Matthew 28:19 (NKJV) Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Matthew 3:16-17 (NKJV) When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. [17] And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Was God pleased with Himself? No. The Father was pleased with the Son, Who was anointed by the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 13:14 (NKJV) The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

Acts 2:32-33 (NKJV) This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. [33] Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.

Acts 10:38 (NKJV) how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Did Jesus anoint Himself with Himself? Why would He need to be anointed if He didn’t gain anything from it? Is this whole process a waste of words and good paper? No. God actually anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power, which anointing caused Him to be able to do good and heal all who were oppressed by the devil because God was actually with Him.

We would not need to read that God was with Him if He is simply a disguised form of Himself.

Matthew 27:46 (NKJV) And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?"

Did Jesus forsake Himself? I think not!

Luke 22:41-42 (NKJV) And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, [42] saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."

Jesus was not submitting to Himself! Submission only comes when you’re convinced that the other is dead wrong, but you make a decision to do it anyway. Jesus submitted to the Father’s will. He would not have prayed this way if it was His own will! He was submitting Himself to a will that was not His, that wanted Him to do what He did not want to do.

The Mission of the Holy Spirit:

The mission of the Holy Spirit is to introduce and clarify God’s two great Words and God’s two great Works.

God’s Two Great Words

2 Peter 1:20-21 (NAS95) But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, [21] for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

v. 21 - The phrase in old time could better be interpreted at any time.

The written Word of God

The flesh of mankind inspired by the Holy Spirit wrote the Word of God. It is inspired by God, not by the mind of man. He flowed through man to write the Word of God, but the Word of God came by inspiration of Holy Spirit.

The Living Word of God

1 Corinthians 2:9-10; 14 “But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Spiritual perception comes from the Holy Spirit working in your life. His Word is alive today. It is made alive by the ministry of Holy Spirit in our lives. He is the teacher bring revelation of truth, always confirming the written Word

Two great works of God:

Creation

The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the earth.

Genesis 1:1-2 (NKJV) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. [2] The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Redemption:

Changes the lives of mankind from generation to generation.

John 15:26 "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.”

The Helper testifies of Jesus. Helper is one called alongside.

John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever

Another helper means, another of the same kind [Allos – Strongs]

Titles of Holy Spirit relating to our Father

A title is a name that describes or represents someone’s position, which identifies the nature of their responsibility.

List of 11 Titles relating Holy Spirit to our Father:

This means that there are 11 positions of responsibility relevant to us, so that we may know and understand the relationship between our Father and Holy Spirit

The Spirit of God

Genesis 1:2 (NAS95) The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

Matthew 3:16 (NAS95) After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him,

The Spirit of Elohim (Hebrew translated “God”, meaning, “All Powerful Creator”)

Genesis 5:1 (NAS95) This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.

This is Elohim (God) Who created man. Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Creator God

The Spirit of the Lord

Luke 4:18 (NAS95) "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,

“LORD” is Greek Kurios (STRONGS #2962), signifying “Having power” or “Authority.”

The Spirit of Our God

1 Corinthians 6:11 (NAS95) Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

Here we see the relationship between Holy Spirit and our Father, as well as between Holy Spirit and Jesus.

There is a dual work that took place. We are cleansed, sanctified, justified [just as if we had never sinned] in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

His Spirit

Numbers 11:29 (NAS95) But Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD'S people were prophets, that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!"

Spirit of Jehovah

Judges 3:10 (NAS95) The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. When he went out to war, the LORD gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand, so that he prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim.

LORD is capitalized because it is the Name of Jehovah, the LORD

If one of His names is Spirit of Jehovah, Who is Jehovah? He is the self-existent one who revealing Himself and is unchanging (Exodus 6:2-3)

This is the same with the Spirit of Jehovah. As we look at Holy Spirit’s ministry in this title we see His ministry of revelation knowledge.

He is here to introduce His two great Words and His two great works. He is going to be involved in bringing that revelation to us by the written Word and by the Living Word comes revelation knowledge. He is going to reveal to us, not only in creation who God is, but also about redemption and what He has done for us. We will know the Spirit of Jehovah.

Your Spirit

Psalms 139:7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?

Spirit of the Lord God

Isaiah 61:1 "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

Spirit of Your Father

Matthew 10:20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

2 Corinthians 3:2-3 “You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.”

This is true in our lives today. We are living epistles, known and read by all men. The Spirit of the Living God within us empowers us to be that living epistle to others. Wherever you go, you may be the only gospel some people will read until we can introduce them to the Lord Jesus Christ. Then the ministry of the Holy Spirit will begin the good work in their lives also. We are a living epistle and He is alive within us!

My Spirit

Genesis 6:3 And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years."

Spirit of Him

Romans 8:11 “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

That same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, His Spirit, the Spirit of God, the anointing that was on Christ, is the same anointing that is on you. Confession! “The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in me!” The anointing has made you alive unto Christ. Through Jesus Christ and the price that was paid we have our relationship with the Father and we gain that relationship through our Everlasting Father.

The Titles of Holy Spirit Relating to the Son

Spirit of Christ

Romans 8:9 “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.”

We are to live in the flesh [our earth suit] without living the character of the flesh.

The Spirit of God and His character dwells within us.

1 Peter 1:10-11 “Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.”

The Holy Spirit used prophets of Old to prophesy and declare salvation.

Old Testament prophets spoke by the Spirit of Christ, but the Holy Spirit did not dwell within, thus there were manifestations of the Holy Spirit.

Spirit of Jesus Christ

Philippians 1:19 “For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

The supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ is not limited.

The supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ is available at all times, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Romans 8:9 (NAS95) However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

1 Peter 1:10-11 (NAS95) As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, [11] seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.

Spirit of Jesus

Acts 16:7 [Amplified] And when they had come opposite Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them.

Spirit of His Son

Galatians 4:6 “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

Spirit of the Lord

Acts 5:9 Then Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out."

Acts 8:26-39 “Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.”

Has Jesus become your Lord? Have you made a conscious decision to submit to the Spirit of your Lord? Or is He only the Spirit of your savior? Will you submit to Him? Will you lay your all on the altar of sacrifice?

The Spirit of the Lord is guiding and directing our paths, positioning us to the place He desires for us to do His perfect will.

Preview lesson 2

The titles of Holy Spirit

How these titles reveal the character of Holy Spirit

How the revelation of the character of Holy Spirit affects mankind

How the deity of Holy Spirit is established through His association with the Father