What Do We Know About the Holy Spirit?

[farouk]

John's Gospel chapters 13 thru 17 are particularly relevant reading, as is John's First Epistle, I think, when it comes to the Person and work of the Holy Spirit.

 

[Guest]

@Alabaster , @Scotth1960 - The best way to explain the Holy Trinity is to use the word deity, power, glory and knowledge. God the Father has all the power, glory and knowledge. Jesus is the son of God the Father and also God deity that prays to God the Father. The Holy Spirit is a gift to the saved Christian that comes from God the Father.

God the Father - Spirit/power/glory/knowledge/person
Jesus - Son/God deity/person
Holy Spirit - Spirit/Gift/God deity/person

 

[Sparkey]

Why is it to be assumed that

I am not stating that you must believe anything that I say. But the alternative exists no matter who denies it. It is possible to try to avoid binary statement and positions that are designed to exclude the middle because indeed they do this (deny any alternative but Yes/No and Black/White) by design. The question becomes, "by whose design? Man or Gods?" Does the word bifurcation mean anything at all? May we actually state in the premise and uncategorically that because it may be understood that way it must be understood as explicitly having no "grey area"? I don't see any proof for that. Do you really? I mean, in the Scripture itself, not in the opinion of one man.

 

[smaller]

Why is it to be assumed that

I am not stating that you must believe anything that I say. But the alternative exists no matter who denies it. It is possible to try to avoid binary statement and positions that are designed to exclude the middle because indeed they do this (deny any alternative but Yes/No and Black/White) by design. The question becomes, "by whose design? Man or Gods?" Does the word bifurcation mean anything at all? May we actually state in the premise and uncategorically that because it may be understood that way it must be understood as explicitly having no "grey area"? I don't see any proof for that. Do you really? I mean, in the Scripture itself, not in the opinion of one man.

Pray the grey away?

One of the 'excluded middle' observations I almost always try to make about scripture is that Gods Word deals 'factually' with forces unseen.

That makes Gods Word by nature, very difficult to understand. Not only does it deal with dark forces/entities unseen, but it places them in our own hearts.

Does it get any greyer than that? It is no wonder we all struggle so much in these various dialogs. Most of the time it is because we really do not even 'know ourselves.'

I will readily admit I have no idea for the most part, from a scriptural perspective, who I am.

Do we really perceive that before we believed we were blinded by the 'god of this world?' SATAN? Who among us knew that Satan was in our minds, blinding us? We all thought/perceived it was ONLY US in our oh so bad state of being.

Regarding this topic of the Holy Spirit, HE is the DIVIDING POWER between 'us' and that darkness which was and still is btw, in us all.

John the Apostle has one of the clearest cleanest statements about 'who we are' and more importantly WHO IS WITHIN US all, who believe.

It is important to consider, to PRAY THE GREY AWAY:

1 John 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

This makes 'understanding' The Holy Spirit so much easier and so much simpler.

And God will tell any person the facts about our own darkness. We, with Gods truthful speaking within us, will overcome, when we see that darkness is not us or who we really are.

My Hope, Revealed. IN YOU all.

smaller

 

[Sparkey]

smaller, you may already know that for the most part I do agree with you.

As a writer, I am instructed to consider my audience. One of the things that I must consider is that God knows his audience. The papers written to be turned in as assignments for grade are entirely different in composition, tone and even language. There, my writing is more formal. There, I must cite my sources under very specific rules and there also must I also be very concise leaving behind my natural meandering style or what is called by my instructors a "metacognitive style of conversation".

But what about the Lord? Surely if I, a student of writing, know to consider my audience how much more so does the Ancient of Days, being Omniscient, know us as well as all who are given ears to hear? No, I do not allege that every word of the Bible is written for me, and certainly not for me only, but every word of the Bible may be used by the Holy Spirit to guide me, to guide us. It was written with me, and with you, and with all those whom the Lord our God shall call in mind.

What's difficult about that? We are told within the Scripture how to understand things. For instance, Peter speaks about how some twist Paul's words away from the Gospel of Christ and how they do this 'unto their own destruction'. So then if we hear that the "Good News of Christ" is that we are no longer "slave to sin" and that we are free to follow after Jesus and that He desires us to put upon ourselves His righteousness and to keep ourselves spotless and without blame...

But then some come and say, quoting Paul, that we are allowed to continue to sin (??)... but Jesus says, "Go and sin no more..."

What? Should I say, "He didn't say that to me!" Do I stop-up my ears while shouting, "Nanner-nanner!" And shall I thumb my nose at the work that God is doing? I think no. There is room for me to hear what the Lord has said even when I know that He has not spoken in the flesh to me because I was not there during the time that He spoke the Word of God audibly; that Word was given to him from His Father for all of us. Well, that's what I think. Pretty sure that's what He said too. It's also what the Apostles have declared. Jesus IS the Word of God; his sheep do know his voice.

Part of The Holy Spirit's job is to quicken the scriptures to us. If the Word of God is made to be of no effect? What then shall happen to me?