The Holy Spirit: Who is He and What Does He Do? part 2

The Holy Spirit: Who is He and What Does He Do? part 2 July 4, 2021 Review o o “The Holy Spirit” – is the 3rd person of our Triune God. We have one God who is three persons. [Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2] “Spirit” – in Hebrew word is “ruach”, which means “wind” or “breath” and often points to the divine energy and power that can only be of and from God. In Greek the word is “pneuma”, which also means “wind, breath, or air”; the invisible force of the Lord’s power at work. as Servant of the Father, while asserting in John 10:10, “I and the Father are one.” Though the verses are about the Son, look at this to see the explicit statement of equality with the Father: Philippians 2:5–7 (ESV) 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. Question: Did you say that modalism is the proper way to understand the Trinity – the 3 persons of our Triune God? Answer: No. Modalism is a view (no, a heresy) that teaches that God can only exist as one Person of the Trinity at a time. So, in this teaching, The Father stops being the Father when He is acting as the Spirit. And the Spirit can’t be the Spirit when God is being the Son. Alistair Begg: What the Father plans for our salvation, the Son procures and There are examples in Scripture where God in all of His Fullness is present as Father, Son, and Spirit: The Big Idea: Mark 1:9-11 – Jesus’ Baptism: The Spirit descends in the form of a dove, on the Son, as the Father speaks, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” what the Son procures, the Holy Spirit applies to our lives. [paraphrased] We have been saved by and we worship a Trinitarian God. Understanding who the Spirit is, what He uniquely does, and how He relates to the Father and the Son is essential for our Christian living. John 14:28 (ESV) 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THAT: The Spirit drove the Son out into the wilderness to be tempted. We know that in 40 days of fasting and prayer the Son would be praying to the Father Question: How can Father, Son, and Spirit be one and co-equal and yet Jesus says here the “Father is greater than I”? Question: Haven’t I heard that the Trinity can be explained as being like a man who is at the same time a Father, a Son, and a Husband? Can’t we simplify the complexity of this doctrine with an analogy? Answer: Watch this video. Answer: 1. The Son is fully God and fully Man. As fully Man, He chose to live His life fully submitted to the authority of the Father in all things. Jesus does here what He did in every moment of his human existence, recognize the absolute supremacy of the heavenly Father in all things. 2. “greater” does not necessarily mean “more important” or “superior”. Jesus is likely calling attention to the Father’s role in the Godhead; the Father sent the Son, planned for the Son’s sacrifice on the cross, and will send back the Son for His children. Jesus always emphasized His own role Question: How does the Spirit work in the life of a Christian to teach us about God? Answer: 1 Corinthians 2:6-14. Remember, though, that the Holy Spirit has given us inspired Scripture, so the “deep things” of God are in His Word. The Holy Spirit will work to illumine and interpret God’s Word to us, not simply agree with our personal impressions of what we want the Lord to be saying to us.