Historical Posts

God, the Holy Spirit – The “Third Person” of the Godhead

As the “third” member of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit is no less important, nor is He of lesser stature than the Father and the Son. Within the context of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit seems to play the role of Designer to the Father’s Architect and the Son’s Builder. In the creation, for example, the Holy Spirit was present, but His role is not as clearly defined as those of the Father and the Son (Genesis 1:2). As Job’s friend, Bildad, put it, “By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens” (Job 26:13). Perhaps the Father commanded the raw materials of the universe into existence, the Son built the universe out of those raw materials and the Holy Spirit arranged the universe into the forms that we know today.

Much is said about the Holy Spirit “dwelling” in the hearts of Christians, and much of what is said does not jibe with the Biblical model. It is certain that the Bible says that the Holy Spirit dwells in Christians (1 Corinthians 3:16), but did you know that the Bible also says that the Father and the Son do the same thing (1 John 4:12; John 6:56)? Did you know that the Bible also says that each member of the Godhead dwells in the other (John 14:10; Colossians 2:9), and we dwell in them (John 6:56)? I have never heard anyone try to argue that Christians literally and bodily dwell in the Lord, yet I am constantly hearing people make claims like that about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in Christians. Did you know that the Bible says that the Word of God dwells in Christians (Colossians 3:16)? Of course, it does not do so literally, but in a figurative sense. The more of God’s Word that I know, the more of God’s Word dwells inside me (Psalm 119:11). I am persuaded that it works the same way with the indwelling of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The more of God’s Word that I know, the more of God dwells inside me.

Let us not suffer confusion to reign in our understanding of the Holy Spirit of God! The Word of God can tell us all that we need to know about Him, if we will just open our Bibles and our minds.