The Holy Spirit
A Biblical Understanding
Shortly after my time in Bible school, I met a group of guys who loved getting together for Bible studies. I had never met a group like these men; they all loved the Bible, studied it regularly, memorized lengthy passages, and lived a life of holiness. One of the most commendable tendencies of this group was to push against traditions that they believed nullified the teachings of Scripture. However, I found that this group would often go so far as to deny historic Christian doctrines because they could not see them taught in the Scriptures. The longer I got to know these guys, the more I realized they believed some pretty damnable stuff. The most egregious teaching they held onto was the teaching that the Holy Spirit was not God. Rather, the Holy Spirit was a force that proceeds from the Father and the Son, but is not truly the third person of the Trinity.
What my buddies did not know is that this heresy had been squashed over 1700 years ago by the Cappadocian Fathers. See, there was this group of people called “Pneumatomachians” which meant “Spirit fighters”. As cool as that sounds, the Pneumatomachians were the bad guys. They would say, we see the Father worshiped and prayed to, we see the Son worshiped and prayed to, but we do not see the Spirit being worshiped and prayed to. The Pneumatomachians and others like them were “binitarians,” believing that the Father and Son were of the same essence, but that the Spirit was not truly God Himself.
Just like my Bible study buddies, the Pneumatomachians were Bible people, they were committed to the teachings of Scripture, but they could not see how the Spirit could be God, and not clearly worshiped and glorified. Fortunately, the Scriptures do show, in no uncertain terms, that the Holy Spirit is a person within the Triune Godhead, not merely an impersonal force emitted from the Father and the Son.
Let’s start with the personal attributes that a person has, that are never attributed to “forces”. For instance, Ephesians 4:30 speaks of the ability to grieve the Holy Spirit. Acts 5:3 tells of Ananias lying to the Holy Spirit. Matthew 12:31-32 warns against blaspheming the Holy Spirit. The disciples are told to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit in Matthew 28:19. Forces cannot be grieved, lied to, or blasphemed against. Similarly, why would you baptize someone in the personhood of the Father, the personhood of the Son, and the “force” of the Spirit? This is just sloppy thinking. If you are to baptize into the personal name of the Father, Son, and Spirit, it assumes the Spirit’s personhood.
The Pneumatomachians, an early Christian sect, challenged the divinity of the Holy Spirit, primarily on the basis that He was not worshipped or prayed to in the same manner as the Father and the Son. This viewpoint, however, overlooks key scriptural evidence that implicitly affirms the Holy Spirit’s divine status and rightful worship. For instance, Psalm 139:7, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?” reflects the Psalmist’s recognition of the Spirit’s omnipresence, a distinctly divine attribute. This Psalm, categorized as a praise Psalm, serves as an implicit form of worship, acknowledging the grandeur of the Spirit.
Furthermore, Psalm 33:6, “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath (rûaḥ) of his mouth,” attributes the act of creation to the Spirit, indicating His involvement in a fundamental divine action. The term ‘rûaḥ’ here is often interpreted as ‘Spirit,’ and its inclusion in a Psalm of Praise further signifies an act of worship towards the Spirit.
Lastly, how is it that the Spirit can give glory to the Father and the Son, if the Spirit Himself is not glorious? Gregory of Nyssa said it best: “The one who gives glory to another must himself possess superabundant glory; otherwise, it would be impossible for him, devoid of glory, to give glory.” From all eternity, the three persons have been engaged in mutual glory-giving. The Father eternally glorifies the Son and the Spirit. The Son eternally glorifies the Father and the Spirit. The Spirit eternally glorifies the Father and the Son. The conclusion from this last affirmation must be that the Holy Spirit is Himself glorious; this is “the revolving circle of the glory moving from Like to Like.”
So, the Holy Spirit is attributed with creation, the Spirit is attributed with omnipresence, He is worshiped, He is prayed to, He is ascribed personal attributes that are never given to a force, He is present in the baptismal formula with the Father and the Son, and the NT letters even call Him “Kyrios” (κύριος), the Greek way NT authors translated YHWH (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). Y’all, the Spirit is God, and if God is to be prayed to and worshiped, then the Holy Spirit is to be prayed to and worshiped.
As you reflect on your relationship with the Holy Spirit, consider whether you truly engage with Him. I encourage you to pray to and worship the Holy Spirit, embracing this vital aspect of historic Christian faith, as even the Creed declares the Spirit “worshiped and glorified.”
Have you been looking for a church in Ada, Oklahoma? Learn more about King’s Fellowship via the following link:
https://kingsfellowshipchurch.com/sunday-service-ada-oklahoma/
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