ABBA, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost

“THE” IS NOT a part of the “HOLY SPIRIT’S” NAME!

Some people believe that “the” is a part of the Holy Spirit’s name. However, this is not true. “The” is not a title or an honorific used before a person’s name as a form of gender recognition. It’s an article that functions as both an adjective and an adverb depending on how it’s used in a particular sentence. His first name is Holy.

Let’s take a look at his history and discover the truth of his identity.

The Holy Spirit is a personal being known by various names which coincide with his attributes. He is the third person of the Trinity, and even though the word trinity is not found in the Bible, it teaches that there is One God, and He is triune in nature.

The Bible affirms three distinct Persons as being God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They each possess the attributes of a deity and are genuinely divine yet eternally distinct from one another. They communicate with each other (John 17:1-26; Heb. 1:8-9), and they are one in mind, purpose, and substance, yet they each have a different task.

Question: When did the Holy Spirit first appear in the Scriptures?

Answer: He was always with God even at the beginning of creation, as written in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. He possesses the characteristics of God, Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent. He is also the divine wisdom of God. The following Scripture identifies the conversation between all three entities.

“Let us make mankind in our image. in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over the creatures that move along the ground” (Genesis 1:26 NIV).

DAILY TASK

If the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all bear the names of God, possess the attributes of God, and perform all the works of God, then they must be acknowledged as One God existing in three Persons.

All three were involved in creation, incarnation, identifying the Messiah, redemption, salvation, Holy Spirit indwelling presence, baptizing and blessing believers, Jesus’ baptism, and entering God’s presence.

God the Father initiates and is the Ultimate Source of the cause of the Universe. He orchestrates Divine Revelations, Salvation, and Jesus’ human works.

God, the Son, is the agent through whom the Father does the following works: Creation, maintenance of the Universe, Divine Revelation, and Salvation (John 11:25; Acts 4:12).

God, the Holy Spirit, is the means by whom the Father does the following works: Creation, maintenance of the Universe, Divine Revelation, Salvation, and Jesus’ spiritual works (Matt. 3:16).

THE PROMISED HOLY GHOST

He said unto them, “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, “We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.” – (Acts 19:2 KJV)

The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit is a gift given to all believers. We have a promise that his divine power provides everything we need for a godly life. He dispenses various spiritual gifts according to his sovereign will and pleasure and anoints us to do the will of God as He pleases (1^st Cor. 12:1-30).

The Holy Spirit is synonymous with the anointing. Believers are anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit after receiving Christ as their Lord and Savior. The sanctifying oil, the shielding oil, and the sight-giving oil being poured out on us represent the Holy Spirit. Once we receive that anointing, Jesus appoints us to a ministry, and Holy Spirit equips us for service and helps us to carry out the divine assignment.

“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all.” – Apostle Paul, (1st Corinthians 12:4)

CONNECT TO THE HIGHEST POWER SOURCE!

The Holy Spirit is like electricity, and everybody connected to him has a life source power connection. He is like an electric company sending electric currents to every home, allowing it to run efficiently. The lights are on, the refrigerator is running, the stove is cooking, and the television is on. In the same way, believers are hooked up to the power source, and the anointing oil of the Spirit flows. The anointing allows us to effectively serve in the ministries. Whether we’re called to teach, preach, evangelize, dance, sing, or help others. The Holy Spirit is the Source for the distribution of all spiritual gifts (1^st Cor. 12:11).

In the modern English translations of the Bible, only the King James Version uses the term “Holy Ghost.” It occurs ninety times in the KJV. The term “Holy Spirit” occurs seven times in the KJV. In 1611, when the KJV was originally translated, the word “ghost” primarily referred to “an immaterial being.” With recent Scripture translations, “Spirit” has replaced “Ghost” in most instances. Both “Holy Ghost” and “Holy Spirit” refer to the Third Person of the Trinity, coequal and consubstantial with the Father and the Son.

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you (John 14:26 KJV).

The Greek word translated as “Comforter” or “Counselor” is Paracletos, which means one called to the side of another. This Counselor or Paraclete is God the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity.

“My little children (believers, dear ones), I am writing you these things so that you will not sin and violate God’s law. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate [who will intercede for us] with the Father: Jesus Christ the righteous [the upright, the just One, who conforms to the Father’s will in every way—purpose, thought, and action]” – (1st John 2:1 Amp. Bible).

The Promise of the Paraclete

At the very beginning of the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is associated with fire. Fire is a wonderful picture of his powerful works. The Spirit is like a fire in at least three ways: He brings God’s presence, passion, and purity. The redeeming and renewing, quickening powers of the Spirit are presented as the inextinguishable fire of the Holy Spirit.

In Acts Chapter Two, on the day of Pentecost, The Holy Spirit makes a phenomenal entrance. They were all on one accord in one place, and suddenly, a sound came from heaven as a rushing mighty wind filled the house. Cloven tongues like fire appeared and sat upon them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:1-4).

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

Blasphemy is a verbal or written reproach of God’s name, character, work, or attributes. It means to speak with contempt against God or to be defiantly irreverent. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit has to do with accusing Jesus Christ of being demon-possessed instead of Spirit-filled. It was such a serious crime during Moses’ time, so serious that God wrote a law addressing it.

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain.” – GOD (Exodus 20:7)

Here are two documented examples:

The Pharisees, having witnessed irrefutable proof that Jesus was working miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit, claimed instead that the Lord was possessed by a demon (Matthew 12:24).

The Pharisees committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, saying, “He (Jesus) has an impure spirit.” (Mark 3:30)

Grieving the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is a divine person who possesses feelings; therefore, He can be grieved. We grieve the Holy Spirit when we act out in unholy, unrighteous, and unwholesome worldly mannerisms (Eph. 4:17-32; 5:3-5). Here are a few examples:

*Lies – “Ananias and Sapphira” – (*Read, Acts 5:1-10)

*Disobedience – (*Read, Acts 10:19-21)

*Sinned against God – When believers do not allow the Spirit to be seen in their actions, in wrongdoing, they suppress (quench) the Spirit. – (*Read, 1 Thess. 5:19)

The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit cannot be repeated today because Jesus is not on earth, He’s seated at the right hand of God. The unpardonable sin today is unbelief. There is no pardon, either in this age or in the age to come, for a person who rejects the Spirit’s promptings to trust in Jesus Christ and then dies in unbelief.