Apostle John in his letter warned the disciples, that they should not believe every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. And Peter also warned the saints, that there shall be false teachers among them, who privily (without notice) shall bring in damnable heresis, even denying Christ.
( 1John 4:1) ( 2Peter 2:1)
Ultimately, the seal or the evidence of the new testament is the Spirit of Christ, just as Paul verily said ; "our sufficiency is of God; who also had made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life". Urging the disciple that they should serve in newness of Spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. Thus, the apostles were Ministers of the Spirit of Christ and not some written laws. And Satan is not offended in letters but in the Spirit of Christ, because the Spirit is the seal or the evident of the new testament, even as circumcision is the seal or the evidence of the old testament. For this reason Paul reminded the Ephesians Church, that they were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, after that they believed in Christ. And John also encouraged the saints saying, "the anointing which you have received of him abides in you, and you need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth and is no lie, and even as it had taught you, you shall abide in him.
(2 For 3:6) (Rom 7:6). (1 John 2:27)
For this course, Satan have as well introduced a counterfeit spirits to deceive if possible the very elect. However, most people would assume that all the spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is the Son of God is from God, consequently, they deny Christ in ignorance. The purpose of this study is to examine what the Bible reveals concerning the true Spirit of God.
John the Apostle wrote saying, "that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; AND TRULY OUR FELLOWSHIP IS WITH THE FATHER AND WITH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST". It's amazing how the Apostles and the Saints had their fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ alone, just as the Lord Jesus Christ himself commanded them, "that they should believe in God the Father and believe also in Him". Teaching them that this is eternal life, "that they might know Him the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom God has sent". But today, we worship and fellowship with three persons, whom we called father, son and holy spirit.
(1 John 1:3) (John 14:1, 17:3)
Apostle Paul in his doctrine to the Ephesians and to Timothy wrote saying; "there is one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” And to Timothy he said, "For there is only ONE God, and only ONE mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;". It is obvious Paul believes in two persons alone, the Father and the Son Jesus.
(Ephesians 4:6) (1 Timothy 2:5).
"And there is no other God but one and even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is only ONE God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and only ONE Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live". Notice, Paul says that there is “one God,” who is not the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but “the Father.”
(1Corinthians 8:5-6).
For the root of all the commandments of God is this; THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD. Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. And on this Law hangs all other Laws and Prophets.
(Deut 6:4-5)
Even Moses commanded the believers to receive this doctrine as a mark in their right hand and in their foreheads.
(Deut 6:
Even Jesus also, was asked by one of the scribes, which is the greatest commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, the greatest of all the commandment is, Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord and thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy mind and with all thy strength.
(Matt. 22:37) (Mark 12:29-30)
If we are required to love the Lord our God with all our heart, then we will have to understand who He is. Because it is impossible to love someone whom we do not know. And we can only know God if we take heed, being mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles. As unto a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arises in our hearts.
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh, (through Jesus Christ) and justified in the Spirit etc. The point is: God was justified in the Spirit. How? because, God is the person of the Holy Ghost in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their sins unto them, and for this reason, Christ himself urged his disciples saying, "though you believe not me, believe the works: that you may know and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him" and to Philip he asked, "do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? ". Even as Apostle Paul wrote testifying of this same truth saying, God had in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the world. Who is the brightness of His glory and the express image of God Person (not God persons). Hence we can infer, that God is the person of the Holy Ghost in Christ Jesus.
(1Tim 3:16) (2Cor 5:19) ( John 10:38, 14:10) (Heb 1:2-3)
Certainly, God the Father is that Holy Ghost in our Lord Jesus Christ, because God said to Mary through the angel, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Yet in another place, as Mary was espouse to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with Child of the Holy Ghost. Notice that the Child Jesus was called both Son of God and Child of the Holy Ghost, showing that God is that Holy Ghost in Christ.
(Luke 1:35) (Matt 1:18)
Meanwhile, the Lord Jesus Christ is the Person of the Holy Spirit in all the saints, because through Him we have access by one Spirit unto the Father
(Ephesians 2:18).
Christ himself illustrated this divine relationship, when He prayed for the unity of the saints saying, the glory which you (the Father) has given me I have given to them: that they (the saints) may be one, even as we (the Father and the Son) are one. I (Christ) in them (the saints) and you (the Father) in me (christ), that they may be made perfect in one. We can deduce from this illustration, that the Father is the person in Christ and Christ is the person in the saints. However this relationship is possible through one Holy Spirit.
(John 17:22-23)
As it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam Christ became a life-giving Spirit.
(1 Corinthians 15:45)
The key is that Christ became the Holy Spirit or the life-giving Spirit, because He was put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Holy Spirit: by which (the Holy Spirit) also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison. and God having raised up his Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. Because He had predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself..
(1Peter 3:18-19) (Acts 3:26) (Ephesians 1:5)
In the Revelation of Jesus Christ unto his Apostle John to the seven Churches. Notice, that Jesus is He that holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, the first and the last, which was dead and is alive, He which has the sharp sword with two edges, the Son of God, who has his eyes like unto a flame of fire and his feet are like fine brass, who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, who has the key of David, the Amen, and the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.
Yet at the end of each message it was written; He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches. It does not take a genius to know that the Son of God is the same Holy Spirit speaking to John.
(Rev. 2-3)
Interestingly, this is how we know that the Son of God abides in us, we know it by the Holy Spirit whom He has given us. Because he that is joined unto the Lord Jesus Christ is One Spirit with the Lord
(1 John 3:24). (1 Corinthians 6:17)
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His only begotten Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
(Galatians 4:6).
Verily, the Holy Spirit is crying out, “Abba, Father!” Because He is the Son of God and He is Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Remember, this is Him who cried in prayer to God saying, “Abba, Father!, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”
(Mark 14:36)
If the Holy Ghost is another person as you supposed, then he cannot cry out “Abba, Father!
What exactly is a Spirit? According to the Strong’s Concordant, along with many other Greek Dictionaries, a spirit is a “mind.” When God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, He was sending the mind of His Son into our hearts. Therefore, God asks us through Paul to “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippines 2:5)
The mind, or Spirit, that Christ had was the Spirit of His Father. “For he whom God had sent speaks the words of God: for God gives not the Spirit by measure unto him.”
(John 3:34)
Hence, Apostle Paul stated clearly; that if the Jews should turn their hearts to the Lord Jesus, then the veil of Moses shall be taken away from their hearts. "Now the Lord Jesus Christ is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty". And if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
( 2 Corinthians 3:16-17). (Roman 8:9).
"Neither is there salvation in any other person of the Godhead: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
(Acts 4:12).
Therefore examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
(2 Corinthians 13:5).
Hence, Christ said, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing". "And by this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit".
(John 15:5). (1John 4:13)
Nevertheless, Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him: but ye know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you.” So many have assumed that Christ was speaking about another person because He said, "another Comforer". Take note; he said the world cannot receive him, because they cannot know him.
(John 14:15-17)
However, the Spirit of Christ that came upon the saints is indeed another Comforter, different from the Speaker because He was no longer flesh and blood, according to the seed of David. But He became a Live giving Spirit, which is the Son of God. Yet He is the same person.
Take a look at a different verse that uses the word "another". “And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. And it was so, that when Saul had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day.” Saul became another man, yet the same person.
(1 Samuel 10:6, 9)
Unfortunately, because Christ said, "Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost". Presumptuously, we have all concluded that Christ said, baptise them in the name of God the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Moreover, it was clear enough that both the Father and the Son have the same personality and most vividly the same name, the Father by inherence and the Son by inheritance. For in Christ dwells all the fullness of Godhead bodily and the Holy Ghost came in the name of Christ.
(Matt. 28:19) (Col 2:9)
Obviously, without any contradictions, Jesus Christ in all his teaching made mention of only two names saying, "I am come in my Father's name and ye receive me not" (John 5:43) and in another place He said, "the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name (or my person)". (John 14:26)
Therefore, there are only two divine names or persons in the whole of the scriptures; the name of the Father and of the Son alone!
Evidently, the words of Agur the son of Jakeh comfirmed this truth, even the prophecy said, who had ascended up into heaven, or descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who had bound the waters in a garment? Who had established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell? Notice that this prophecy inquired us to search out and believe in only two names; the name of God the Father and of the Son Jesus Christ alone!
(Prov. 30:4)
Most appropriately also, in all the epistles of the Apostles to the Saints, from the epistles of Paul to the Romans even unto Jude, they all sent their greetings and prayers for the Saints in the name of God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and of His Son Jesus Christ alone!
Therefore, it is obvious that Holy Ghost is not a person of his own but A SPIRIT from God, with Jesus Christ himself as the person of the Holy Spirit.
According to these passages the Holy Spirit does not come through Christ; rather, Christ himself is this Holy Spirit. And There is only one God and He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Of course, some will ask how is it that John said that, Jesus Christ was God? For he wrote, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God".
John 1:1)
Now let us consider other titles Jesus Christ was given; the Word is God and the Word is also the Lamb and the Word is also the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
Behold the Lamb of God (John 1:36)
Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David. (Rev 5:5)
It takes a simple mind to understand that Christ was called a lamb and a lion, not because he is an animal, instead, because He has the personality of a Lamb and of a Lion.
Even so, Christ having all the personality of God the Father is called God.
For it pleased the Father that in Christ should all fullness dwell.(Col 1:19)
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person and being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name. (Heb 1:3)
No doubt, even Paul the Apostle believes that Christ obtained all the personality of God by inheritance not by inherence.
Interestingly, Jesus Christ himself declare his total subjection to God saying, "for as the Father has life in himself; so has He given to the Son to have life in himself". And "my Father is greater than I" and verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do. And Paul shedding more light to this subject wrote, "for Christ must reign, till he had put all enemies under his feet. For God had put all things under his feet, But when He said all things are put under Him, it is manifest that He is excepted, which did put all things under Him. And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.”
(John 5:26) (John 14:28) (John 5:19) (1 Cor 15:26-28)
Most profoundly, Apostle Paul wrote; "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and THE HEAD OF CHRIST IS GOD.
(1Cor 11:3)
It is evident therefore, that the only begotten Son of God is totally subject to the Father. And any doctrine that makes another person or spirit equal with God the Father is apparently blaspheming God.