May 1929
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The Personality of the Holy Spirit B y P astor A. R eilly C opeland Tabernacle Baptist Church, Waco, Texas
Gen. 5 :24 —And Enoch walked with God: and he was no t; for God took him. Amos 3 :3, 7—Shall two walk together, except they have agreed? Surely the Lord Je hovah will do nothing except he reveal his secret unto his servants the prophets. Rom. 8:14, 16—For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God. Gal. 5 :24-26—And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof. If we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also walk. Let us not become vainglorious, provok ing one another, envying one another. The Doctrine o f the Personality o f the Holy Spirit is Essential for Worship, Service, Experience, and Power. Heb. 3 :4-10—For every house is builded by some one; but he that built all things is God. And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were afterward to be spoken; but Christ as a son, over his house; whose house are we, if we hold fast our boldness and the glorying of our hope firm unto the end. Wherefore, even as the Holy Spirit saith, Today if ye shall hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, Like as in the day of the trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers tried me by proving me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was displeased with this generation, And said, They do always err in their heart: But they did not know my ways. 1— r-Any one who knows God the Father and God the Son and doesn’t know the Holy Spirit as a Person has not attained to the Bible conception of God nor to the fullest Christian experience. 1 Cor. 12 :l-3. 2— One must know the Holy Spirit as a Person and rely upon His intimate presence fo r both protection and guidance to appreciate and reverence Him in the wonder ful joy of worship and fellowship. John 14:18, 25, 26. 3— We must know the Holy Spirit as a Person and not regard Him as a mere influence or power that we may use more at our will, but should ask the question, “How can the Holy Spirit get more of me and use me for Christ’s glory according to His holy will?” 1 Cor. 6:19, 20. 4 — To really know the Holy Spirit as a person will actually transform the believer’s experience and give a lasting testimony to the wonderful blessings received and stay him or her through the stressful days in which we’re living that try men’s souls to the very limit of endurance. 1 Cor. 1 :6-9. Some Plain Bible Proofs of the Personality o f the Holy Spirit to Seeking Saints. 1-—Distinctive marks of Personality are ascribed to the Holy Spirit such as Knowledge, Feeling and Will. Hands, feet, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, etc., are corporeity and not marks of personality. 2 Cor. 5 :8. (a) Knowledge is ascribed to the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor. 2 : 11 . (b) The Holy Spirit can get hold of us and use us for Christ. 1 Cor. 12:11.
(c) “The mind of the Spirit” conveys knowledge, feeling and will. Rom. 8:27. (d) Did you ever kneel down and thank the Holy Spirit for His great love to you? Rom. 15 :30. (e) Both intelligence and goodness are ascribed to the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. Neh. 9:30. ( f) “Let us,” “our image” and “Our God is One Jehovah” denote plurality of persons in the God head. Gen. 1 :26; Deut. 6:4; Col. 2 :9. (g) To know the Holy Spirit intimately as a Person and realize His grief and sensitiveness over our slightest sins makes us more careful to live a holy life. Eph. 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:19, 21, 23. Many Acts are Ascribed to the Holy Spirit which only a Diznne Person Could Perform. Isa. 36:9, 10—-In all their affliction he was afflicted and the angel of his presence saved them: ip his. love arid in his pity he redeemed them, and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled, and grieved his Holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them. Matt. 3:16, 17— And Jesus, when he was baptized, went straightway from the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him; and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Matt. 4 :1— Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 1— The Holy Spirit searches into the deep things of God and reveals them unto us. 1 Cor. 2 :9, 10. 2— The Holy Spirit intercedes for us as Christ inter cedes/advocates and prays in our behalf. Rom. 8:26; Heb. 7:25; 1 John 2:1, 2. 3— The Holy Spirit is a living Personal Teacher today, ready to instruct every believer that will study God’s Word under His guidance. John 16:12-14. A Divine Office is Attributed to the Holy Spirit which only a Divine Person could fill. John 16:16, 17—A little while, and ye behold me no more; and again a little while, and ye shall see me. Some of his disciples therefore said one to another, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye behold me no t; and again a little while, and ye shall see m e: And, Be cause I go to the Father ? 1^-When Jesus went away, He sent another Divine Person, the Holy Spirit as Comforter, “Advocate,” “Called alongside,” to take His place in the world till He comes again. John 16:7-11. 2- |4Knowing that the Holy Spirit is by his side, de livers the believer from self fear, mob fear, perilous paths, dark places, sleepiness, loneliness, bereavement, timidity, and every emergency. John 14:1-3, 27-29. 3— Conclusion is, the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person and we must treat him as such in the same light as God the Father and God the Son; just as loving, tender, kind, wise, good, faithful, strong, and worthy of our confidence in deepest devotion of worship, service and praise. Matt. 28:18-20; 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 John 5:5-8.
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