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TheoJunkie -> RE: The Holy Spirit (4/16/2008 2:01:45 PM)
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Firstly: The Holy Spirit is a Person... the third Person of the Trinity. He is referred to, therefore, as "He" (not "it"). The Father is a Person. The Son is a Person. The Holy Spirit is a Person. Together (and they cannot be separate), they are the One God. Note: Scripture refers variously to "God" meaning the Trinity, and "God" meaning the Father. The Son is eternally begotten of the Father. The Holy Spirit procedes from the Father and the Son. The three Persons are not "parts of God" or "parts of the Father" or "aspects of the Father" or "manifestations of the Father." They are distinct persons, but not separate. They are One. quote:
Is the Holy Spirit the voice and/or the hand of God? In a sense, yes. The Spirit has the role of the "executor" -- or "actuator"-- of God. When God wills that something shall be done, the Spirit makes it so. quote:
What is it's real purpose? Was it the Holy Spirit or God Himself that guided man in the writing of the Bible? Yes, the Holy Spirit is the Person who inspired the writers of the Bible. But remember that the Holy Spirit is God Himself. He is not the Father, but He is One with the Father (and the Son). quote:
Is it the voice of God or The Spirit that man hears? The Spirit... Who is God. quote:
Was there a Spirit prior to Jesus, or is the Spirit what God gave us after he sacrificed His son? The Spirit exists eternally, just as the Father and Son exist eternally. Prior to the Incarnation of the Son (i.e., before Jesus was born on earth), the Spirit was working in the world. However, it is debated whether He indwelt all believers as He does today. RC Sproul gives a good lecture on the Holy Spirit here: http://www.ligonier.org/launch_mediacenter.php?tabID=2&id=2201
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