By John Thiel, First Angel’s Message, study 7, mp3

There are three dignitaries of heaven. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit who have pledged themselves to offer every facility in our recovery of spiritual salvation.  The first person of the Godhead pledged himself as a ‘Father’ that we might be his sons and daughters.  The second person of the Godhead the Word became ‘begotten’ of the Father as a Son that we might be coheirs with him. The third person of the Godhead the Holy Spirit, pledged himself the facility of ‘Another Comforter’.  In the following study we will identify why Jesus said that it was expedient for him to go away and for the Holy Spirit to come in his place as another comforter.  To enlarge in our minds that the Holy Spirit is the third intelligent, creative person of the Godhead, we will study his qualities relevant to our human needs as they are revealed through the scriptures. The Holy Spirit our comforter is bestowed with the unique and intimate ability of imparting the deep knowledge of God and of Jesus into the very core of man.  He has pledged himself the facility of a comforter for our benefit that through this imparted knowledge we might have eternal life.

John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; 17 [Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Jesus says I will come to you through the comforter.

John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me. 25 These things have I spoken unto you, being [yet] present with you. 26 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.

When the Holy Spirit dwells in us, Jesus and the Father abide in us also. He shall teach and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you.  The third person of the Godhead the Holy Spirit, another comforter, is yet another facility of the Godhead to help us.

Isaiah 48:16 Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there [am] I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me.

Jesus said ‘I pray the Father that he will send you another comforter just like I was sent by the Father and by the Holy Spirit and now I am sending the Holy Spirit in agreement with the Father’.  The Godhead offer and pledge themselves being sent one of another to help and to comfort us in recovering from sin.

The Third Person of the Godhead

The following scripture summarized the Godhead as we have seen above and identifies the Holy Ghost accordingly as the third person of the Godhead.

1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

The Holy Spirit in Creation

Examine where the Holy Spirit functions in creation:

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

God created the heaven and earth, then the Holy Spirit moved and in verse three the Word spoke.

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

When God created man he spoke and said let US make man.  Who then was the active moving force after God expressed his desire to create man?

Job 33:4 The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

When God decided to make man it was the Holy Spirit that made Him and the breath of the Almighty that gave him life. The third person of the Godhead is a creative person just like the Father and the Son. The attributes of the Holy Spirit that make him a creative, intelligent person are detailed in the scriptures;

1 Corinthians 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the Spirit of man which is in him?  Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

The Spirit of God is a being of knowledge with a mind.

1 Corinthians 12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

The Holy Spirit has a will and by his will he divides to every man according to his personal discerning ability of will.

Romans 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what [is] the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to [the will of] God.

The Holy Spirit makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.  He searcheth hearts to know what is the mind of the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit has a mind and he exercises his mind to carry out his will, the will of God.

Romans 15:30 Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in [your] prayers to God for me;

The Spirit of God has the property of affection and love.

2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, [be] with you all. Amen.

He has an intelligent mind and is able to commune with your intelligent mind so that you can feel an intelligent person is drawing near to you.

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

The Holy Spirit has emotions and can be grieved.

Hebrews 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith He was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

The Holy Spirit can be insulted.

Acts 5:9 Then Peter said unto her, how is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband [are] at the door, and shall carry thee out.

The Holy Spirit can be tempted. Ananias and Sapphira tempted or angered the Holy Spirit because they lied to God.

Acts 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back [part] of the price of the land?

Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit by keeping back part of the price of the land after he had promised to give all of it.

Acts 5:4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

By lying to the Holy Spirit Ananias and Saphira actually lied and deceived God. The scriptures provide the full display of three persons identified as the Godhead.

Daniel 7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment [was] white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne [was like] the fiery flame, [and] his wheels [as] burning fire. 10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

Daniel 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed.

The Holy Spirit Is Everywhere

The Ancient of Days is sitting on his throne as a visible person with the second person of the Godhead, the Son of man coming into his presence.  The Son of man who was born on the earth as our priest comes to receive his kingdom. But where is the Holy Spirit in this picture?  The answer is simply that the Spirit of God is everywhere. In the Psalm of David it is written that the Holy Spirit is omnipresent.

Psalms 139:1 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known [me]. 2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted [with] all my ways. 4 For [there is] not a word in my tongue, [but], lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. 5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. 6 [Such] knowledge [is] too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot [attain] unto it. 7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou [art] there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou [art there]. 9 [If] I take the wings of the morning, [and] dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. 12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light [are] both alike [to thee]. 13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully [and] wonderfully made: Psalms 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if [there be any] wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

The Holy Spirit is not confined to a physical form or place.  Our communion with him is particularly intimate because he knows our innermost thoughts and feelings.

John 14:17 [Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

The Holy Spirit can permeate any physical structure and dwell inside us.

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

The knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ for eternal salvation can only be imparted to us by the Holy Spirit. We may hear sermons over the pulpit and still not attain real knowledge as it is expressed in Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the Heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.  The Spirit searches the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the Spirit of man which is in him? so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

All the facilities of the Godhead for our salvation may be freely known and revealed to us by the Spirit that dwells in God.  The Spirit of God can communicate very intimately inside of us the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ – This is life eternal.

Colossians 1:26 [Even] the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27 To whom God would make known what [is] the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

This is a mystery that the knowledge of Jesus Christ, that person who is now in the presence of God, can actually come into you by the same Spirit that is in Christ.  The disciples were with Jesus in the chamber and all the time Jesus was trying to tell them about the knowledge of himself and of the Father but they could not grasp what he was trying to tell them.  They failed to understand.  It can be very difficult to bring into the mind of another person that which is in your mind.  But God and Jesus Christ are not so hampered because that which is in their mind can be extended intimately into our mind through the Holy Spirit and this is the mystery – Christ dwelling in you, the hope of glory.

The influence of the Holy Spirit is the life of Christ in the soul. We do not see Christ and speak to him, but his Holy Spirit is just as near us in one place as in another. It works in and through every one who receives Christ. Those who know the indwelling of the Spirit reveal the fruits of the Spirit–love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith (MS 41, 1897).  {6BC 1112.1}

When the Holy Spirit is in us he can reveal to us the intimate things of what is inside of Jesus. This intimate knowledge is what Jesus was referring to when he said;

John 17:2,3 This is life eternal that you may know God and Jesus Christ

But not only that you might know about him, but that you might know him, intimately as part of your own personal experience.

Without the Spirit of God a knowledge of his word is of no avail. The theory of truth, unaccompanied by the Holy Spirit, cannot quicken the soul or sanctify the heart. One may be familiar with the commands and promises of the Bible; but unless the Spirit of God sets the truth home, the character will not be transformed. Without the enlightenment of the Spirit, men will not be able to distinguish truth from error, and they will fall under the masterful temptations of Satan.  {COL 408.3}

Without the Spirit of God we only have a theoretical knowledge of him.  The knowledge of God can only be ours when the Spirit that dwells in God and Christ Jesus, dwells in us also.  The facility of God as Father over us and the Son as a brother are intimately woven into our appreciation by the presence of the Holy Spirit inside of us.

1 Corinthians 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

The very mind of Christ, which is also the mind of the Spirit may be imparted to us.

John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

The disciples were quite content to fellowship with Jesus as a wonderful personality, listen to his wonderful teachings and see him as a separate human being from themselves.  But Jesus said it is expedient for you that I go away because if I do not go away, you will not be contented to hold me at a distance.  But if I go away I will send you the comforter who will come unto you and communicate to you in a far more intimate manner than I could do by being here in person. If the Spirit’s presence can vivify knowledge to the dimension that the very mind of Jesus can be imparted into my mind, then if I have the Holy Spirit I have all that I will ever need to be one with Jesus Christ.

John 16:12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall Hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show [it] unto you.

As the intimate things of Jesus are communicated to the Spirit that dwells in him, they are then intimately communicated to the same spirit that dwells in you.  The Holy Spirit will take of what he has gained in Jesus and inject it into your mind as an actual property of the mind of Christ.  This is why Jesus said, It is expedient that I go away because when the Spirit of truth comes He will guide you into the things which I have not been able to get across to you.  You can’t bear what I have shared in simple words because you need the Holy Spirit to show you of me.  He will receive of mine and intimately, personally show it unto you. The third person of the Godhead pledges himself this facility for your and my salvation.  A facility that is mysterious, supernatural, infinite, incapable of being explained but can be experienced as we open our response to the truths.

The fullness of the Godhead bodily is displayed before our minds eye as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit pledge themselves to provide every facility to aid mankind in their restoration.  The same facilities that were at work in creation now move upon us.  These intelligent appreciations of the Godhead enable us to worship God in spirit and in truth. With God providing for us the facilities of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, we now move into our next study which is entitled the Fall of Man.  This study examines the reality of where we really are (lost in sin) and the activity Jesus undertook in order to become our ransom.  As we begin to understand the process of our position and that of Jesus Christ among us, the beautiful activity of the everlasting gospel is unfolded before us. Having now received the picture of the facilities of the three beings of the Godhead, let us continue to hold in our appreciation the things we have studied thus far.  May the things we have learned be a continued source for the further unveiling of truth.

Amen.

Further reading;

http://sabbathsermons.com/category/the-godhead/