The Holy Spirit, a separate person, essence of God, or force?

[trettep]

Quote (Nick Hassan @ May 21 2005,22:52)

Quote (trettep @ May 21 2005,20:53) I liken the Holy Spirit unto Holy Instinct.  Its a gift unlearned.  That when one is Born Again they are a newborn babe and can begin to discern spiritual things.  Now there doesn't appear to be a limit to what God gives you of that Instinct.  Instinct is Ability.  Like when a newborn infant knows to suck on the nipple.  I hasn't been taught but rather received this knowledge. Paul Hi trettep, Surely the Holy Spirit is more than Holy instinct? It is a Spirit of power and grace and knowledge and wisdom. It is given to transform our minds and hearts and enable us to serve and worship God and continue the work of the saviour on earth.

Can you support that with scripture Nick.

Paul

[trettep]

Quote (Nick Hassan @ May 21 2005,22:52)

Quote (trettep @ May 21 2005,20:53) I liken the Holy Spirit unto Holy Instinct.  Its a gift unlearned.  That when one is Born Again they are a newborn babe and can begin to discern spiritual things.  Now there doesn't appear to be a limit to what God gives you of that Instinct.  Instinct is Ability.  Like when a newborn infant knows to suck on the nipple.  I hasn't been taught but rather received this knowledge. Paul Hi trettep, Surely the Holy Spirit is more than Holy instinct? It is a Spirit of power and grace and knowledge and wisdom. It is given to transform our minds and hearts and enable us to serve and worship God and continue the work of the saviour on earth.

By the way you should read my post before you comment. You'll notice I said its not a limitation. Its ability! I can only say this is what I have spiritual discerned it to be.

Paul

[NickHassan]

Hi trettep,
I Did. My emphasis, however, was to say that Knowledge is not necessarily the most important or the only blessing of the Spirit.

Certainly we cannot see the Kingdom of God until we are born again of the Spirit. But not all spiritual knowledge has it's origin in the Spirit of God. Otherwise there would not be false teachers and false doctrines or doctrines of demons.

We must always check our path and our fruit to make sure the light in us is not darkness. That is why we need the reflections in the Word and those from our brothers to be safe.

Knowledge alone is not proof of service to God. Obedience and fruit is proof.

[NickHassan]

Quote (trettep @ May 21 2005,23:13)

Quote (Nick Hassan @ May 21 2005,22:52) Quote (trettep @ May 21 2005,20:53) I liken the Holy Spirit unto Holy Instinct.  Its a gift unlearned.  That when one is Born Again they are a newborn babe and can begin to discern spiritual things.  Now there doesn't appear to be a limit to what God gives you of that Instinct.  Instinct is Ability.  Like when a newborn infant knows to suck on the nipple.  I hasn't been taught but rather received this knowledge. Paul Hi trettep, Surely the Holy Spirit is more than Holy instinct? It is a Spirit of power and grace and knowledge and wisdom. It is given to transform our minds and hearts and enable us to serve and worship God and continue the work of the saviour on earth. Can you support that with scripture Nick. Paul

Certainly,
Try Rom 15.18f
“For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the gentiles by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit;so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ”
Eph 4.23
“and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind..”
Rom 12.2
” And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..”
Tit 3.5
” He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our saviour..”
Rom 8.26
“The Spirit also helps us in our weakness;for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us..”
2Tim 1.7
” For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline”
Also 1 cor 12, Gal 5.22f, Coll 1.10,1 Tim 6.18.
Does this help ?

[NickHassan]

Hi,
Num 11.23
” And the Lord said to Moses
'Is the Lord's power limited? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not'
So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. Also he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and stationed them around the tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him;and he took of the Spiirit that was on him and place him upon the 70 elders. And it came about that when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do it again. But two men had remained in the camp;the name of one was Eldad and the name of the other was Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them[now they were among those who had registered, but had not gone out to the tent], and they prophesied in the camp”

The Spirit on Moses was shared, without diminishing the Spirit on[not in with OT prophets]Moses.The Spirit was not poured afresh. The same occurred with Elijah and Elisha and John. likewise with Jesus and his disciples the Spirit of God that was in Jesus is distributed to his body on earth.

[Anonymous]

Quote

likewise with Jesus and his disciples the Spirit of God that was in Jesus is distributed to his body on earth.

In light of your last post, can you explain these scriptures to me please:

Joh 14:20
At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

Joh 14:23
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.  

Joh 15:4
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

Romans 8:10
And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Galatians 4:6
Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”

2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

Ephesians 3:17
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

Colossians 1:27
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

1 Joh 2:14
I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the Word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

1 John 3:21-24
21Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 22And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. 23And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. 24And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

And would be grateful if you could exegete this passage for me too:

Romans 8:9-11
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

[NickHassan]

Yes DVD,
Is it not beautiful in God's design?
The Spirit of God is poured into the Son and is now known as the Spirit of Christ as well. Then, when Jesus returned to God the same Spirit of Jesus is poured into other cleansed human vessels to become together the Body of Christ on earth.

Then the grace and character and ability of Jesus are slowly built into us as we seek them so that eventually we have the mind of Christ and eventually, hopefully, when our Father calls us home,
“It is no longer I that liveth but Christ that liveth in me”

Beautiful.Praise God.

And no confusing trinity needed at all.

[Anonymous]

I think you need to read the verses again and carefully consider what is being conveyed.

[NickHassan]

Hi DVD,
Why don't you tell me which bits are wrong and we can discuss them.
or, better still
Why don't you tell us what they mean and then we can all learn from you?

[NickHassan]

Hi DVD,
Did you know the Holy Spirit leading the prophets was also able to be called the Spirit of Christ?

1Peter 1.10
” As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and enquiry, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating as he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow”

It shows the terms are interchangeable surely?

[NickHassan]

Hi, Gen 1.1f
” In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 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”
Job 38.4
” Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?…. When all the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for Joy”
Ps 104.5
” He established the earth upon it's foundations so it will not totter forever….You send forth Your Spirit, they are created ;and You renew the face of the ground”
Heb 1.8
“But of the Son He says…'And you Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the Earth and the heavens are the works of your hands…and your years will not come to an end””
Job 33.4f
” The Spirit of God has made me and the breath of the Almighty gives me life…Behold I belong to God like you;I too have been formed out of the clay”
So God created the earth and all on it, including man, through the Son by the power of the Spirit.

[NickHassan]

Hi,
Anyone who does not understand that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God will struggle with Romans 8. That one chapter expresses the Spirit in a variety of ways but they are all the “one Spirit”

[Anonymous]

1 Cor. 2: 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.

[NickHassan]

Hi FYI,
So the relationship between a man and his spirit is compared by God [through Paul] with the relationship between God and His Spirit.

So what is spirit in man? It is essential to man as a living being. Man is dead without his spirit. It gives him life and insight. It vitalises his mind and heart and body. If it separates from man man dies.

So is the Spirit of God the essence and life of God. God is Spirit by nature so that is no surprise. The Spirit of God is never separated from it's source-God.

[Dianalevich]

The Holy Spirit is something that has me perplexed. I do not believe in the trinity doctrine but yet whenever I tried to study the “Holy Spirit” that is all I ran into. Even using my bible dictionary – it lead me straight to arguments about the trinity. This is what I believe the Holy Spirit to be. First of – it is a spirit, not a person, which to me is defined as Flesh and Blood. One of my questions then is this, is the Holy Spirit God's spirit or is it another Spirit that God has created to assist us here on earth. The Holy Spirit is referred to as the counselor (John 15:26). I do not believe that the Holy Spirit is the actual spirit of God, but rather as an agent/helper/couselor. What are you thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Is God a person?

[NickHassan]

Hi D,

God is Spirit.
God lives in heaven.
God sends His Spirit to accomplish His works.

That Spirit is never separate from Him as another person.

[Cubes]

Hi Dianalevich,

Here's my understanding so far:

Act 5:4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God…

Act 5:9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband [are] at the door, and shall carry thee out.  

[NickHassan]

Quote (Guest @ July 10 2005,03:20)

Is God a person?

Hi c,
What is a person?

Can we understand God in the same light as His creation? He who lives in heaven yet send His Spirit throughout creation to do His work and to show us how to worship Him?

[Christofer]

Call me crazy – but any 'spirit' sent from God would have to be the Holy Spirit – wouldn't it? I mean – angels are spirits as well – are they not Holy when performing His will? I understand that God is spirit – the Greatest of all spirits – but the way Yeshua describes the Holy Spirit kind of implies that it isn't God Himself…

John 16:13
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

Does God ever speak only what He hears?

[Author]

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