THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD!

Last Sunday, we learnt from the Scriptures that the Holy Spirit is a Person. Today, we are going to see that “the Holy Spirit is God.” 

a) The Holy Spirit is God because the Bible calls Him God. 

In Creation: In Genesis 1:1-3 the Scriptures say, “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. 3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.

 Job 33:4 says, “The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.”

 

In Genesis 1:26-27 God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

 

Psalm 104:30 says, “You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth.”

 

In baptism: In Matthew 28:19 Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Fatherand of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...” 

 

Luke 3:21-22 says, “When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the Heaven was opened. 22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from Heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."

 

In benediction: In 2 Corinthians 13:14 the Bible says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.”

 

Record in Heaven: 1 John 5:7 says, “For there are three that bear record in Heaven, (1) the Father, (2) the Word (Jesus), and (3) the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

 

b) The Holy Spirit is God Almighty equal to God the Father and the Son in all respects: He is divine because He possesses all the divine attributes. Just as the Father (Jn. 6:27; Eph. 4:6) and the Son (Heb. 1:8) are divine, so is the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4). 

 

If the Holy Spirit is not divine, we will not find Him linked equally with the Father and the Son in the same Scripture as in Matthew 28:18-19 where Jesus said, “All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

c) The Holy Spirit is God because:

1. He is eternal: He has no beginning, and He has no end. He lives forever. He is the same today, yesterday, and forever (Heb. 13:8; Mal 3:6).

 

Hebrews 9:13-15 says, “…For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered Himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. 15 That is why He is the one who mediates the New Covenant between God and people, so that all who are invited can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them…” (NLT).

 

2. He is omnipresent: He is present everywhere. Listen friend, you can never escape from the Spirit of God. You can never get away from His presence! If you go up to heaven, He is there! If you go down to hell, He is there! If you ride on the wings of the morning, if you dwell by the farthest oceans, even there His hand will guide you and His strength will support you (Ps. 139:7-9).

 

3. He is Omniscient: He knows everything. He is all-knowing. He has all knowledge. He has an infinite and an unlimited knowledge. He knows the past, the present and the future. He knows what will happen in the next one million years. The Holy Spirit knows what you did in your house today’s morning. 

 

The Holy Spirit  searches the depth and magnitude of the Father’s plans and He shares that knowledge with us. The New International Version puts it this way, “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:11). He is therefore not only a Revealer of truth but also a being who Himself knows the truth (1 Cor. 2:9-11).

 

No wonder the Bible says that the Scriptures [God’s thoughts] are inspired by God. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

 

You see, the Holy Spirit is the only one that knows the thoughts of God the Father. 1 Corinthians 2:11 says, “… and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit.” 

 

Romans 8:27 says, “And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what the mind of the Spirit is…”

 

So, the Holy Spirit takes these thoughts and puts them into the mind of holy men of God who in turn puts them down in writing on the pages of the Bible or speaks as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. That’s how God the Father made His very thoughts [the Word of God] available to man (2 Pet. 1:19-21). 

 

4. He is omnipotent: He is all-powerful. His power has no boundary. He can do all things. Nothing is too hard for Him to do (Jer. 32:27). The Spirit of God can reverse the power of nature. He can raise the dead, cut off cancer, make what is not existent to appear. He can do anything.

 

He even impregnated Virgin Mary without the normal aid of a man. Jesus was conceived in the fallopian tube of Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit (Lk. 1:35).

 

Jesus lived and worked on this planet in the power of the Holy Spirit (Lk. 4:18-19; Acts 10:38). 

 

Jesus Christ rose from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:11). He ascended into heaven by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

 

d) The Holy Spirit is God because He does things that only God can do. For instance, in salvation the Holy Spirit is the One that sanctifies and justifies us (1 Cor. 6:10-11; Jn. 3:5-6). 

 

But flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 15:50). So you must be born of the Holy Spirit to inherit the Kingdom of God.

 

Not only is the Holy Spirit divine, He is also Lord. In 2 Corinthians 3:17 the Bible says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

 

Knowing the Person of the Holy Spirit is a must for everyone who wants to succeed in life. I challenge you to get to know Him better and make Him your senior partner and your life will never remain the same again.

 

Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!

 

Your friend: I. I. MADUBUNYI (Senior Pastor)