The Holy Spirit is the power of God—not a personage, consciousness, entity, or part of a trinity. It is the mind and essence of the divine nature and the spiritual extension of God through which He carries out His will. Bestowed upon or poured out upon individuals, it causes regeneration of God’s children. God's Spirit empowers the mind to comprehend spiritual matters, producing conversion. It leads us into all truth; convicts us of sin and righteousness; and imparts faith, the love of God, power to overcome sin, and other gifts essential to do His will. It is the earnest or guarantee of eternal life.
Scripture References:
Genesis 1:2; Psalm 104:30; Isaiah 11:2; 32:15; 40:13; Ezekiel 39:29; Joel 2:28-29; John 7:37-39; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8; 8:15-17; Romans 8:9-14; John 14:16-17, 26; I Corinthians 2:9-16; 12:4-11; II Timothy 1:6-7; II Peter 1:2-4; Ephesians 1:13-14
From the Library: Holy Spirit
Misconceptions and Malarkey About the Holy Spirit (Part Two)
'Ready Answer' by David F. MaasThe Holy Spirit is God's power and essence of mind, not a third divine person, and the Trinitarian case for its personality rests on weak proofs. Verses cited for personality actually undercut it. The parakletos conveys Christ's messages rather than its own (John 15:26; 16:13). Acts 13:2 uses pneuma hagion without the article, …
What Is the Holy Spirit?
'Ready Answer' by David C. GrabbeThe Holy Spirit is not a third person in a triune godhead but the essence of God's own mind, His attitude, character, will, and motivating power, which He gives to His children. The Trinity idea is traced to Greek philosophy and older pagan religions, read into the Greek text by early scholars who stretched the word pneuma , …
The Holy Spirit
Sermonette byGod's Holy Spirit typically refers to the mind of God and Christ, which is added to our human spirit to create a sound mind by which we witness of God.
The Holy Spirit
Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsThe Holy Spirit is the power and mind of God, not a distinct person or part of a trinity, and it emanates from Him to be poured out, breathed, and used to fill and anoint. Understanding it is crucial because it enables us to grasp God's way of life, makes us His children, and imparts eternal life (Romans 8:10, 14). God gives it …
Misconceptions and Malarkey About the Holy Spirit (Part One)
'Ready Answer' by David F. MaasThe Holy Spirit is presented as a power and an essence rather than the Third Person of a Trinity, a doctrine said to be pagan in origin and formalized late by the Cappadocian Fathers and the Council of Constantinople. According to Ephesians 1:13-14, the Holy Spirit is the instrument of regeneration as children of God and a …
The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part One)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe Holy Spirit is not a third person of a Trinity but the essence of the mind of the Father and the Son, an invisible, immaterial emanation of Their thoughts, words, and character that They send directly into a person's mind. Trinitarian scholarship itself admits the doctrine is not clearly found in Scripture, rests on …
The Trinity and the Holy Spirit (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)The Holy Spirit is the power of God, not a third personality in the God family. Elohim is a family or kind presently consisting of two personalities, the Father and the Son, who are not co-equal or co-eternal, since the Son is subject to the Father. The Trinity was introduced at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325 through human …
The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part Five)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe Holy Spirit is the essence of God's mind, not a third person of a trinity who divides himself to inhabit thousands of people. It is holy because it comes from the holy God, and it is pure and transcendent, always producing abundant and everlasting life. Spirit in Scripture means the invisible, internal, activating essence of …
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