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THE HOLY SPIRIT

By: Pearlman Myer. Biblical and Systematic Theology.

INTRODUCTION.
The doctrine of the Holy Spirit, judging by the place it occupies in the Sacred Scriptures, is located in the position of
preponderance of the other redeeming truths. With the exception of the second and third epistles of John.
All the books of the New Testament contain references to the work of the Holy Spirit. Each one of the
gospels begin with a promise of their outpouring.
And yet, we must admit it, it is the 'neglected doctrine.' Formalism and fear of fanaticism.
have provoked a reaction against the need to emphasize the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of
believer.
Naturally, this has resulted in spiritual coldness, because vital Christianity cannot exist.
apart from the Holy Spirit. Only he can make effective what the work of Christ made possible. Saint Ignatius,
One of the leaders of the early church said at one point:
"The grace of the Holy Spirit is what establishes the vital connection between the mechanism of the
redemption and the soul of the individual. Aside from the Spirit, the cross lies inert, a vast mechanism in
resting position, while around it lie motionless the stones of the building. Only
After the knot has been secured, the work of lifting the individual's life can proceed.
through faith and love, to the place that has been prepared for him in the church of God.

I. THE NATURE OF THE SPIRIT

Who is the Holy Spirit?
We can find the answer to this question by studying the names it carries and the symbols that illustrate it.
their work.

A. THE NAMES OF THE SPIRIT.

a. The Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is the executive power of Deity, which works in all the
spheres, both physical and moral. Through the Holy Spirit, God created and preserves the Universe. Through
of the Holy Spirit - 'the finger of God,' Luke 11:20 - God operates in the spiritual realm, converting the
fishers and sanctifying and sustaining the believers.
(1) Is the Holy Spirit divine in the absolute sense of the word? His Deity is demonstrated by
by means of the following facts: Divine attributes are conferred upon him. Eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent, and
omniscient. Heb. 9:14; Ps. 139:7-10; Lk. 1:35; 1Co 2:10-11. Divine operations are ascribed to it, such as:
creation, regeneration, and resurrection. Gen. 1:2; Job 33:4; Jn. 3:5-8; Rom. 8:11. It is placed on the same level.
of dignity with the Father and the Son. 1Cor 10:4-6; 2Cor 13:14; Mt. 28:19; Rev. 1:4.

(2) Is the Holy Spirit a person or just an influence? The Spirit is often mentioned
Saint in an impersonal form, for example, the breath that fills, the anointing that anoints, the fire that illuminates and
provides warmth, the water that spills abundantly, the gift of which we all partake. However,
all these are merely descriptions of their operations. The Holy Scriptures describe the Spirit
Saint in such a way that there is no room for doubt regarding his personality. Indeed, he exercises the attributes
of His personality, which are: intellect, (Rom. 8:27); will, (1 Cor. 12:11) and sensitivity (Eph. 4:30). He is given
they attribute personal activities. Indeed, he reveals (2 Pet. 1:21); teaches (John 14:26); witnesses (Gal. 4:6);
intercede, (Rom. 8:26); speaks, (Rev. 2:7); commands, (Acts 16:6-7) and testifies, (John 15:26). He can be grieved.
(Eph. 4:30); or to lie (Acts 5:3); or to blaspheme. (Matt. 12:31-32).

His personality is also indicated by the fact that the Holy Spirit manifested itself in a visible form of
a dove (Mt. 3:16) and also because it is distinguished by its gifts. 1Co. 12:11.
Perhaps some have denied personality to the Holy Spirit because of the descriptions made of him,
It is not attributed body or form. But personality and corporeality (the quality of being corporeal) must be distinguished.
between each other. Personality is that which possesses intelligence, feelings, and will, and does not necessarily require
a body. Furthermore, the lack of a defined shape does not constitute an argument against reality. The wind is real
and yet it has no form. Jn. 3:8.
It is not difficult to form an idea of God the Father or of the Lord Jesus Christ, but some have confessed to being
unable to form a clear conception of the Holy Spirit. The reason is twofold. First, the
the operations of the Holy Spirit through the Scriptures are invisible, secret, and internal. Secondly,

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the Holy Spirit never speaks of itself or represents itself. It always reveals itself in the name and in the
representation of another. It hides behind the Lord Jesus and in the depths of our inner man. Never
it draws attention to itself, but to the will of God and the saving work of Christ. "For it will not speak
of himself," Jn. 16:13.
(3) Is the Holy Spirit a separate and distinct personality from God the Father? Yes, it is. The Spirit
The Holy Spirit comes from God, is sent by God, is God's gift to man. And yet, the Holy Spirit
it is not independent of God. It always represents God and acts in the spheres of thought and will.
and activity. How the Holy Spirit can be one with God and distinct from God constitutes part of the mystery.
of the Trinity.

b. The Spirit of Christ. Rom. 8:9. There is no essential distinction between the Spirit of God, the Spirit of
Christ and the Holy Spirit, because there is only one Holy Spirit, just as there is one God and one Son. But the
The Holy Spirit has several names that describe His various ministries.
Why is the Holy Spirit called the Spirit of Christ?
(1) Because he is sent in the name of Christ. John 14:26.
Because he is the Spirit that Christ sent. The Holy Spirit is the principle of spiritual life, for the
which men are born into the kingdom of God. This new life of the spirit is imparted and maintained by
Christ, (Jn. 1:12-13; Jn. 4:10; Jn. 7:38), who is also the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. Mt.
3:11
The Holy Spirit is referred to as the Spirit of Christ because His special mission in this age is to glorify.
to Christ. Jn. 16:14. His special work is related to the one who lived, died, rose again, and ascended.
Make a vivid reality for believers what Christ has done for them.
The glorified Christ is present in the church and in the believers through the Holy Spirit. It is said
often that the Holy Spirit has come to take the place of Christ, but it would be more accurate to say
that has come to make Christ a reality. The Holy Spirit makes omnipresence possible and real.
of Christ in the world, (Mt. 18:20), and his dwelling in believers. The connection between Christ and the Spirit
Holy, dwells in the believer, (Gal. 2:20), and (Rom. 8:9-10), and the believer "is in Christ," and "in the
spirit.

Thankful to the Holy Spirit, the life of Christ becomes our life in Christ

c. The Comforter. This is the title given to the Holy Spirit in John, chapters 14-17. The study of some
facts intimately related to these chapters will reveal the meaning of the gift. The disciples had
finished the last meal with the Master. Their hearts were overwhelmed with sadness, knowing the
next match of the Lord. Moreover, they were overwhelmed by a feeling of weakness and helplessness. Who will help us
When he leaves? Who will teach us and guide us? Who will stay by our side when we teach and
Shall we preach? How can we face a hostile world? The Lord Jesus calmed all these fears.
not expressed with the following promise: "And I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, to be with
you forever."Jn. 14:16. The word Comforter ("paracletos," in the Greek language) has the
next literal meaning: one called alongside another for the purpose of helping him in any way,
particularly in legal and criminal procedures.

It was customary in ancient courts for the litigating party to present themselves in court accompanied by
one or more influential friends, referred to as 'Paraclete' in Greek, and 'Advocate' in Latin. These
they provided for their friends - without expecting any payment or reward and for simple reasons of friendship or affection
the benefits of their presence or the help that their wise advice represented. They advised them on what they had
what to do and say; they acted as spokespersons and sometimes represented them. They remained alongside the parties and
they assumed their defense and protection in the trials, difficulties, and dangers of the situation. In short,
they made their friends' cause their own cause.

Such was the relationship that had existed between the Lord Jesus Christ and his disciples during his earthly ministry.
And it was natural then for the disciples to be discouraged at the thought of his departure. But he told them
he consoled with the promise of another Comforter who would be his defender, helper, and teacher during his absence.
he calls it 'another' Comforter because he was to be the invisible Comforter of the disciples, in the same way
what had been the visible Comforter.

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The word "another" distinguishes the Holy Spirit from the Lord Jesus, and yet places Him on the same level.
he sends the Spirit, and yet he comes spiritually to the disciples through the Holy Spirit; the Spirit
The Holy One is in this way the Successor of Christ and at the same time constitutes His Presence. The Holy Spirit
makes the continuous presence of Christ in the church possible and real.

It is he who makes the person of Cristomoreen among them in such a way that they acquire the right to say
with Pablo 'Christ lives in me.' It is therefore the life of Christ, the nature of Christ, the
feelings of Christ, the virtues of Christ, which the Holy Spirit communicates to the believers. It is to the
the likeness of Christ that the Holy Spirit molds in believers, and according to the model that Christ
He has left us. Without Christ, the Holy Spirit has nothing to produce in the heart of the believer.
Remove Christ and His Word, and it will be like removing from a photographer's study the person whose
features the light is about to fix on the photographic plate prepared to receive those features.
The sending of the Comforter does not mean that Christ has ceased to be the Helper and Advocate of His people. John
tells us that Jesus still holds that position. 1Jn. 2:1. Christ, whose sphere of labor is in heaven, defends
his disciples against the charges of the accuser of the brothers. At the same time, the Holy Spirit, whose sphere
of activity is on earth, silences the earthly adversaries of the church through the victory of
the faith that overcomes the world. And just as Christ is the Paraclete in heaven, the Holy Spirit is the Paraclete on earth.
Christ, who ascended to heaven, not only sends the Holy Spirit, but also manifests himself.
through the Holy Spirit. In the body, he could only be in one place at a time. In his life after the
ascension, Christ is omnipresent through the Holy Spirit. During his earthly life, his relationship with the
men was external; through the Holy Spirit, the Lord can dwell in the depths of their souls. A
The writer exposed that truth in the following way:
If he had remained on earth, subject to his physical life, he would have been only an example.
worthy of being imitated; but since He ascended to the Father and sent His Holy Spirit, it is a life for
to be lived and shared. If he had remained among us, visible and tangible, the relationship that
would have existed between him and us would have been the same as that which exists between the model and the sculptor that
He sculpts the marble, but never like the idea and inspiration that the work of art produces. If he had
remaining on Earth, would have merely been the subject of prolonged observations and studies
scientists, and it would have always been outside of us, like something external... But thanks to His Spirit
Saint, he can live within us as the very Soul of our soul, the same Spirit of
our spirit, the Truth of our mind, the Love of our hearts, and the Desire of our
will.

If the work of the Spirit is to communicate the work of the Son, what benefit can there be in one's departure from Him?
object of making the coming of another possible? The answer is the following: It is not a Christ on Earth who the
Holy Spirit communicates, but to the Christ celestial, the Christ invested anew with his eternal power and clothed.
of his celestial glory. We could say the following, using an illustration provided by Dr. A. J.
Gordon:
It is as if a father, whose relative has died, said to his children: 'We are poor, but I have
inherited a fortune. If you gladly accept that I leave you and cross the sea to receive my inheritance, you
I will send a thousand times more than what you would have if I stayed with you.

The life of Christ on earth represented the days of his poverty, (2Co. 8:9), and humiliation; on the cross he
he secured the riches of his grace, (Eph. 1:7); in the throne he secured the riches of his glory, (Eph. 3:16). After
from his ascension to the Father, the Lord Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to distribute the riches of his inheritance. By
upon his ascension, Christ would have much more to give and the church much more to receive. John 16:12; John 14:12.
the current of life will now have more power because it now has its source from a spring that is in the sky
same.
The Comforter teaches only what belongs to Christ, and yet more than what Christ taught.
Until the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension occurred, the Christian doctrine was not complete.
and therefore it could not be fully transmitted to the disciples of Christ. In John 16:12-13, Jesus
I have brought you a short distance along the path of knowledge.
from my doctrine; the Holy Spirit will make you go the whole way." The ascension aimed to impart
a greater proportion of TRUTH, as well as a greater proportion of POWER.

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d. The Holy Spirit. The Spirit is called holy because it is the Spirit of the Holy, and because its main
work is sanctification. We need a Savior for two reasons, namely: to do something for us and to
make something inside us.
Jesus did the first thing by dying for us, and through the Holy Spirit He lives within us, transmitting
to our soul its divine life. The Holy Spirit has come to reorganize the nature of man and to
to openly oppose all bad trends.

The Holy Spirit of the promise. The Holy Spirit is so called because the reception of its power and
of His grace constitutes one of the outstanding blessings promised in the Old Testament. Ezek. 36:27;
Joel 2:28. It is the highest prerogative of Christ, the Messiah, to impart the Holy Spirit, and this was what
What did Jesus claim for himself when he said, 'And behold, I will send the promise of my Father upon you.'
24:49; Gal. 3:14.

f. The Spirit of truth. The purpose of the incarnation was to appeal to the Father; the mission of the Comforter is the
to appeal to the Son. When we look at a painting, we may appreciate a lot about ourselves
color and shape displayed in the mentioned painting, but to fully understand the picture, and to be able to
to appreciate in all its value the purpose it holds, it is necessary for an expert in art matters to give us
an explanation.
The Holy Spirit is the Interpreter of Jesus Christ. It does not offer a new appeal, but rather clarifies the mind.
of man, thus enabling him to discover a deeper meaning regarding life and
words of Christ. Just as the Son did not speak of himself, but of what he had received from the Father, neither did
the Spirit will speak of itself, as if it were a distinct source of information, but will declare what
hey in that inner life of the Trinity.

g. The Spirit of grace. Heb. 10:29; Zac. 12:10. The Holy Spirit gives man grace to repent to
contender with him. He imparts the power for sanctification, to endure with patience, and for service. The one who would do
insult the Spirit of grace, drives away the one who is the only one who can touch or move the heart, and therefore
thus voluntarily isolates himself from the mercy of God.

h. The Spirit of life. Rom. 8:2; Rev. 11:11. "I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and Giver of life," it prays
an ancient creed. The Holy Spirit is that person of the Trinity whose special function is creation and
preservation of natural and spiritual life.

i. The Spirit of adoption. Rom. 8:15. When a person is saved, they are not only given the name of
son of God, and is accepted into the divine family, but also receives within his soul the awareness of
What is a participant in the divine nature. In this regard, Bishop Andrews once wrote the following
Just as Christ is our witness in heaven, so also the Holy Spirit bears witness here.
on earth to our spirits that we are children of God.

B. SYMBOLS OF THE SPIRIT.

It has often been said that 'words are sometimes inadequate means to express the truth. And to the
sumo, they imperfectly appeal to the hidden depths of thought." God has chosen to illustrate with
symbols that otherwise, and due to the poverty of the language, we could never have known. They are used
the following symbols to describe the operations of the Holy Spirit:
a. Fire. Isa. 4:4; Mt. 2:11; Lc. 3:16. Fire illustrates cleanliness, purification, fervent zeal, and enthusiasm.
produced by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is compared to fire because fire heats,
it illuminates, purifies and propagates. Read Jer. 20:9.

b. Wind. Eze. 37:7-10; Jn. 3:8; Hch. 2:2. The wind symbolizes the regenerating work of the Spirit and indicates
their mysterious, independent, penetrating, purifying operations that impart life.
c. Water. Ex. 17:6; Ezek. 36:25-27; Ezek. 47:1; John 3:5; John 4:14; John 7:38-39. The Holy Spirit is the source
of living water, the purest, the best, because he is the true river of life whose swift current floods
our souls, cleansing them of the dust of sin.

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The power of the Holy Spirit does in the spiritual realm what water does in the material order. Water
purifies, refreshes, quenches thirst, and turns barren land into fruitful soil. Purifies what is stained.
and restores cleanliness; it is a very appropriate symbol of divine grace that not only cleanses the soul but
that adds divine beauty. Water is an indispensable element of physical life; the Holy Spirit is a
indispensable element of spiritual life.

What is the meaning of the expression 'living water'? It is alive in contrast to the stagnant waters of cisterns.
the marshes; it is a water that bubbles up and always flows in communication with the source or spring of
which proceeds and always shows signs of life. If these waters are poured into a reservoir, if their current is
interrupted, or if it is cut off from its spring or source of origin, it can no longer be called water.
live. Christians will have the living water only while they are in contact with their divine source, which is
Christ himself.
d. A seal. Eph. 1:13; 2 Tim. 2:19. This illustration presents the following thoughts:
(1) Property. The imprint of the seal implies a relationship with the owner of the mentioned seal and
constitutes a sure proof that they belong to Him. Believers are God's property and it is known that they are.
by the Spirit that dwells in them. The custom we narrate was familiar in Ephesus at the time of the Apostle
Pablo: "A merchant was going to the port, selecting certain wood, and stamping it with his seal,"
property symbol. Later he would send one of his servants with the seal to take care of the
wood that bore the impression of that seal." Read 2 Timothy 2:19.
(2) The idea regarding security is also involved. Eph. 1:13. Also read Rev. 7:3. The Spirit
inspires tranquility and security in the heart of the believer. Rom. 8:16. The Holy Spirit constitutes the
arrives or a preview of our inheritance in the heavens, a certainty of the coming glory. Christians have
they are sealed, but they must be careful not to do anything that could break that seal. Eph. 4:30.

e. Oil. Oil is perhaps the most familiar and common of the symbols of the Spirit. Whenever it was used
oil in the rites of the Old Testament represented utility, fruitfulness, beauty, life and
transformation. It was commonly used for food, light, lubrication, remedy, and to soothe the skin. Similarly
In the spiritual realm, the Spirit strengthens, illuminates, frees, heals, and relieves the soul.
f. The dove. The dove, as a symbol, speaks to us of sweetness, tenderness, kindness, innocence, softness,
peace, purity, and patience. Among the Syrians, it is an emblem of the life-giving powers of nature. A
The Jewish tradition translates Gn.1:2 as follows: "The Spirit of God, like a dove, covered the expanse
of the waters." Christ spoke of the dove as the personification of innocence, which was the characteristic trait
of his own disciples.

SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY II (Pneumatology) THE NATURE OF THE SPIRIT