Steve Ray has a list of more than 35 loaded Questions for "Bible Christians" (quotation marks his)(link to the whole list). I originally planned to respond to just 35 of them, but the series seems to have been of interest, so in this extension, I'm responding to three more numbered questions in his list, plus fourteen "bonus questions" that take the form "Where does the Bible say ... ." I'm trying to provide the answers in the same common format as the original series, for easy reference. This is number 13/17.
Where does the Bible . . .
. . . tell us the Holy Spirit is one of the three Persons of the Trinity?
Simple Answer(s):
1) As discussed in a previous segment, the Scriptures don't use the word "Trinity."
2) The Scriptures, therefore, also don't use the precise terminology "person of the Trinity."
3) However, the identity of the Holy Spirit as God (i.e. as one of the three persons of the Trinity) is confirmed by a vast number of verses, such as the following:
Psalm 51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Notice that the Holy Spirit is equated with God's presence. This shows us, fairly simply, that the Holy Spirit is not merely an angel or the like, since to be with a mere angel would not be to be in God's presence.
Important Qualification(s):
There are many treatises that examine this important Scriptural doctrine in much greater depth. I've tried to give a simple and concise answer, but many writers from ancient times down to modern times, have given much greater and more comprehensive exegeses of Scripture to thoroughly demonstrate this same truth.
- TurretinFan
Thursday, February 25, 2010
3 comments:
Comment Guidelines:
1. Thanks for posting a comment. Without you, this blog would not be interactive.
2. Please be polite. That doesn't mean you have to use kid gloves, but please try not to flame others, even if they are heretics, infidels, or worse.
3. If you insult me, I'm more likely to delete your comment than if you butter me up. After all, I'm human. I prefer praise to insults. If you prefer insults, there's something wrong with you.
4. Please be concise. The comment box is not your blog. Your blog is your blog. If you have a really long comment, post it on your blog and post a short summary of it here.
5. Please don't just spam. It's one thing to be concise, it's another thing to simply use the comment box to advertise.
6. Please note, by commenting here, you are relinquishing your (C) in your comments to me.
7. Remember that you will give an account on judgment day for your words, including those typed in comment boxes. Try to write so you will not be ashamed if it is read back before the entire world.
8. Stay on topic. If your comment has nothing to do with the post, email it to me (my email can be obtained through my blogger profile), or simply don't post it.
9. Don't post as "Anonymous." If you are going to post anonymously, at least use some kind of recognizable "handle," so we can tell you apart from all the other anonymous folks. (This is moot at the moment, since recent abuse has forced me to turn off "anonymous" commenting.)
10. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you; and abstain from doing to others what you would not wish upon yourself.
Acts 5:3-4 says,
ReplyDeleteThen Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."
So Peter says that Ananias has lied to the Holy Spirit, which is not lying to man but to God.
And another place David Fenton, from the records of Luke, that brings out the proximity of the Holy Spirit to Jesus and God in Heaven, is at the beginning of Acts 13 and that great commissioning of Barnabas and Paul. One need only read through to Acts 15 then beyond to see how they carried out James' edict to realize all the leading men of the Church of that day recognized Paul and Barnabas as operating under the guidance of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit being here present with us, all the while Jesus is directing traffic from His glorious Throne in Heaven from whence He came and will come again, as Acts 14:3 reveals.
ReplyDeleteGood point, Mr. Fenton!
ReplyDelete