What happens next in the narrative is truly incredible, this chaos is steadily organized into realms of creation (day and night, Heaven and earth, seas and dry land). The Holy Spirit makes this happen. They never act separately - For example, God is active in creation, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus is God and man, and the second person of the Trinity; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Through the word the Spirit builds the church as sinners are called to repentance and faith (Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:22; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 12:4). Subscribe to the CompellingTruth.org Newsletter: In whose name are we to be baptized—Jesus' name (Acts 2:38), or in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19)? He is the giver of life that is why he is called the Father. A continually growing library of Bible Studies to answer the most vital questions facing Christians today. Difference between God’s Spirit and the Holy Spirit. And God is our only saviour, dosn’t that mean that God the Father became a man and died for me. Those halos are merely artistic renderings of the Holy Spirits. Prayer—Ephesians 3:14-21 (strengthened by his Spirit, know the love of Christ, filled with the fullness of God). But he doesn’t say ‘I am the Father.’. Does God choose me or do I choose God? Imagine three chairs in a circle facing each other. The same Spirit, but again, Jesus is not the Father. First, it shows the unity of the Trinity. He is separate and distinct from the Father and the Son, yet they all work together in perfect unity. If Jesus was God and saviour. So although the three persons are not separate, they are distinct. In Christianity, divinity belongs to God alone. God is one essence, not a jumble of parts or pieces put together. The son is Jesus, and the Holy Ghost is the spirit that is given to a saint at the time of the resurrection. In addition to having a unique relationship with the Father and Son, the Holy Spirit has a unique role in the works of God. While the relationship between the Father and Son as well as the roles they play is something many Christians are knowledgeable about, the Holy Spirit is frequently perceived as mysterious, hard to understand, and mystical. The doctrine of the Trinity explains that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 4 Ways Scripture Reveals That the Holy Spirit Is God, How You Can Be Filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus doesn’t dispute that he is a man, and both he and the Jews are talking about God as a third party. They are not one Son, or one Father, but One God. The word for Spirit in both Hebrew and Greek can also mean “wind” or “breath” (see Psalm 33:6 or Acts 2:2 as examples). I am keen to find our more about Christianity but am not sure what to do next? We see this unique role of the Spirit in the work of creation on the very first page of Scripture. Jehovah is the only true God. The Jews wanted to stone Jesus because he ‘being a man’, claimed he was God (John 10:33). Christian Baptism—Matthew 28:19 (baptized in one name, yet three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). And if there are three divine persons in the one God, that means they are each real 'individuals' and have been throughout eternity. Plus, we never see/hear/interact with one separately - you’re relating to them all. God the Father has never walked among us. However since the Spirit is sent, not begotten, he completes the Trinity with three persons. But there is a name that includes all three. How do I answer a person who thinks Christians have deluded themselves? Sanctification—2 Corinthians 13:14 (grace of the Lord Jesus, love of God, fellowship of the Holy Spirit). How do I know when God is drawing me to himself. The Spirit came upon Christ in a powerful way at his baptism, the start of his redemptive ministry (Luke 3:22). Though it is hard to understand and articulate, the Bible indicates there is a difference between the way the Son comes from the Father, eternally begotten, and the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son, eternal procession. While the idea of a “triune” God is one familiar to those exposed to the Christian faith, we must not lose sight of the fact that there is only one God and no others. …and may your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thes. Predestination! See Matt. When the Spirit equips us or baptizes us, we are immersed, as it were, in the Holy Spirit; sometimes the Scriptures refer to this as being filled with the Holy Spirit. I would also encourage you to read and reflect on the bible passages. God the Father created a universe by the power of his word. What does it mean to have your name written in the “Book of Life”? The Father is God. Everything the Son did for our salvation was made possible with the help of the Holy Spirit. 13230 Evening Creek Dr South; San Diego, CA 92129. How do I know when I am ready to become a Christian? After Christ ascends to the right hand of the Father, the Spirit proceeds to earth in power. This is an advanced topic for spiritually-mature born-again Believers. So, think of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as the three pieces of God's personality. The three ‘persons’ of the Trinity (the ‘threeness’) are not separate. The word name is in the singular, not plural. The Son is incarnate, the Father isn’t, the Spirit isn’t. (For references, see: In other words, it is chaotic, tumultuous, and covered in darkness. The Spirit comes to us at the behest of the Father and the Son. This is an Anglican Media Sydney production.Web development by Kreativ. Here Jesus says he sends the Helper, that is, the Holy Spirit from the Father. © 2020 Core Christianity. These realms are each given rulers (the sun and moon, birds and fish, land creatures and humanity). Lewis. Stated differently, God is one in essence and three in person. The Spirit’s role in redemption doesn’t stop with Christ’s death and resurrection. How do you resolve the issue of Creation with the evidence of science? We can’t say, ‘The Son is the Father’, but we can say ‘the Son and the Father are One’. Andrew is the head of the Theology Department at Washington Christian Academy where he teaches courses on Biblical Theology, Systematic Theology, Film, and the writing of his favorite uninspired author, C.S. But they are always Father, Son and Spirit, because they are always relating as the Father, the Son and the Spirit. The Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit in the form of a man. Andrew Menkis Genesis 1:1, Deuteronomy 32:6 and Malachi 2:10 for the Father; The Holy Spirit is sometimes defined as the love between the Father and the Son, and when a husband and wife express their marital love, sometimes a new human person results. Jesus has just said, ‘I and the Father are one’ (in John 10:30). The Trinity does not divide God into three parts. 28:18,19. The Father’s plan is to save sinners through Christ, his Son. 5:23). The “baptism of the Spirit” refers to being equipped or empowered by God’s Spirit to carry out the task that Jesus has given the church. First, the Spirit caused the Virgin Mary to become pregnant, thus enabling the Son to become truly human (Luke 1:35). When you have God’s Holy Spirit living in you, he is the Spirit of the Father and the Son (‘God’ and ‘Christ’ in the words that Romans 8:9 uses), so the Father and the Son live in you (John 14:23). Call us at 833-843-2673. Who Is the Creator, God the Son or God the Father? His authority is the authority of God or Deity, which is the same power as that of the Father and the Holy Spirit. Within the godhead there are persons, or self-distinctions. Each person participates in all of God’s works as they are fully divine, yet they do not participate in identical ways. By the way, that was why the Old Testament prophets could say “The LORD says”: because God lived in them and spoke through them. He also didn’t create us. You cannot always see heat, but you can see the effects of it. He says he is the Son of this God, they say that’s blasphemy. or If the comforter was residing with them will be in them dos’nt that mean that Jesus is in me who is the father, and the same spirit in the prophets in the old testament. This is part two of a two part series on the Trinity. One explanation points to the fact that the Father, Son, and Spirit are “three-in-one.” Being baptized in the name of one Person of the Godhead is the same as being baptized in the name of all three. Son is not a name. The Spirit dwells in the church, teaches and guides Christians (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13-14; Acts 5:32; Heb. The phrase “Holy Ghost” is simply an older term that dates back several hundred years, and is found in some old versions of the English Bible (such as the King James Version). The Son, Jesus Christ, is the only person of these three. About Faith New Donate. Jesus explained this to his disciples at the Last Supper, “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me” (John 15:26). The truth is, while the Holy Spirit is quite different from the Father and the Son, the Bible tells us a lot about the Spirit’s relationship to the other persons of the Trinity as well as his role in God’s works. We even use the familial terms Father and Son to describe two Persons of … Question: "What is the difference between the Holy Spirit and Holy Ghost?" Andrew Menkis holds a B.A. (John 14:26) God sent the Holy Spirit … So this answer may take some rereadng to fully understand. Regarding the difference between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the theologian John Wesley said, “Bring me a worm that can comprehend a man, and then I will show you a man that can comprehend the triune God!”The study of God is the highest subject any human can ever even attempt to comprehend. They never act separately - For example, God is active in creation, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It does say Father,son, holy spirit, these 3 are 1. The Spirit presides over and finishes the work of creation. The great commission of the kingdom age (Matt 28:19) included baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Spirit). The Didache is a very old document that was written probably between the year of 65 and 80 A.D. Colossians 1:15-17 or Psalm 33:6 for the Son (or the Word); Further, the Spirit indwells believers (John 14:16-17), provides spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1-11), guides into all truth (John 16:13), and conforms believers to the image of God. Outside of these denominations, the great majority of Christians do not differentiate between the use of "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" and "the name of Jesus." In other words, God exits one in essence but three in person. Secondly, it captures something of the biblical way of speaking about the Spirit. or what did the father do. They are not ‘the same’. The Father and Son together, working as one, send the Spirit to complete God’s work. But there is a more probable explanation, which … Even as he went to the cross, it was with the help of the Spirit that Christ offered his life for our sins (Hebrews 9:14). Who’s the boss there? Question: “What are the differences between a man’s spirit, soul, heart, mind and brain?” Bible Answers. The Bible says the first living being Jehovah created is the spirit person we call Jesus. They relate to each other by the Holy Spirit. Second, the Bible teaches that the Spirit equipped and qualified Christ to do the work of Redemption. One final word about the nature and duration of this functional subordination in the Godhead. Is christainity the most loving and tolerant religion? 23 So, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are not the same (person). The Father, the son, and the Holy Ghost are three separate entities. The Father and the Son have resurrected bodies of flesh and bone, which the Holy Ghost does not have. Lastly, what was the name of the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit? The Spirit is the person who ensures that the plans of the Father, which are accomplished through the Son, are brought to fruition. The Spirit does this by inspiring the authors of the Bible so that people like you and me would know who Jesus is and what he has done for our salvation (1 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:21). Call us at 833-843-2673. It is clear from the Bible that both in his relationship to the other two persons of the Trinity and in his role in the works of God, the Holy Spirit is unique. For instance when the Son becomes a man, in the ‘incarnation’, the Father sends the Son in the power of the Spirit. They are not ‘the same’. In this way we see that God is not a static singularity (only Father), nor is he a never-ending emanation of being (just Father and Son). After Christ ascended he sent the Holy Spirit to gather his sheep into his fold. The Spirit does particular work that the Father and Son do not. Is there a difference between baptism in Jesus' name and baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Likewise, God is balanced out to us in a way we can understand by the all-seeing Father, the teacher Jesus, and the guiding Holy Spirit. John 1:1 says, ‘The Word was with God’ (distinction), ‘and the Word was God’. They relate eternally and perfectly - they are always relating, and are never separate. All three of them. The term “Holy Spirit” occurs 7 times in the KJV. The word “proceed” was chosen by the Church to describe the Holy Spirit’s relation to the Father and Son for at least two reasons. Monday, 29 July 19. And if Jesus made all things and gave me life dosn’t that make him the father in the flesh? The Son, Jesus, is the radiance of all God’s glory. Think of the artwork you have seen depicting the saints and their halos. Besides Jesus said the father in me and you’ve seen me you’ve seen the father. He and his wife, Alysha, are members of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, MD. Answer: Of the modern English translations of the Bible, it is only the King James Version of the Bible which uses the term “Holy Ghost.” It occurs 90 times in the KJV. in Historical Theology from Westminster Seminary California. The Spirit also has a unique role to play in God’s work of redemption. Perhaps the reason for the difference is what Augustine suggested: There is no end to begetting, the son could beget another son, and so forth. In fact, the Bible tells us the Spirit was given to Christ in all of his fullness to aid him in the work of redemption (John 3:34). (John 14:6) And what of the Holy Spirit? So although the three persons are not separate, they are distinct. And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke by the Prophets. Though it is hard to understand and articulate, the Bible indicates there is a difference between the way the Son comes from the Father, eternally begotten, and the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son, eternal procession. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7). Core Christianity is part of the overall work of White Horse, Inc. How do we know that the Bible’s account of Jesus life is accurate? Didache and the baptismal formula. The persons of the Trinity are not the building blocks that combine to form God, they are each God. Each person of the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, is fully and truly divine. All Rights Reserved. Not separate. The Father spoke from heaven and called Jesus His Son and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove (Mark 1:9-11). And God the Father became a man the overall work of creation on the says! Our Lord Jesus Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit is active creation. 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