Who is the Holy Spirit? 3rd in the Godhead

3^rd in the Godhead

1 John 5:6-8 ⁽⁶⁾This is the one who came by water and blood – Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit who testifies is the truth. ⁽⁷⁾For there are three that testify. ⁽⁸⁾the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. (NIV)

            Many people have had a hard time understanding how God can be three in one. There is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit all wrapped up in One. The Holy Spirit is part of the Godhead and has a very important job to do in the lives of His people. The example of the egg has often been used to help children understand how God can be all three and yet serve in different capacities. Let’s use the example of a boiled egg.

The shell of the egg holds it together, but then there is the white part of the egg and then the yellow, which is known to be the yoke. When a chicken lays an egg, she cannot separate the egg from each other and still call it an egg. The separation comes later and even though there are three separate parts of the egg (shell, white and yoke), it still makes up one egg.  So imagine the shell being God the Father, the white being Jesus the Son, and the yoke being the Holy Spirit. Each have a separate function, but they make up one Godhead.

          The Holy Spirit was there from the very beginning and played a major role in creation. Genesis 1:2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (NIV) Notice that the Spirit of God also known as the Holy Spirit moved about over the water. This means that He was there in the beginning with God and was God. The Bible also lets us know that we were made in their image – meaning the Godhead. Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (NIV) The word “our” means more than one. Therefore, God made man in His image which was to include the Son and the Holy Spirit.

            The problem that sometimes exist with people understanding who the Holy Spirit is, often comes from the perspective of erroneously thinking about Him being more of an inanimate object instead of a person. The Bible, however, lets us know that the Holy Spirit is not an object, but He is a Living Force. John 14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (NIV) The Holy Spirit is there to give us the support that we need in order to be in full compliance and submission to the will of God. He is our foundation and covers us, so that we will not fall prey to the enemy. He brings back to our memory the Word of God, which is to be used as a double-edged sword to fight against demonic forces.

The Holy Spirit is active in the lives of all who have a heart for God. Jesus promised to send Him once He left to go back to Heaven and therefore included the Holy Spirit as being part of the Godhead when baptizing new converts. Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (NIV) Jesus did not exclude the Holy Spirit as part of the Great Commission, but He let us know that the Holy Spirit was an important part of the believer’s life.