God In Three Persons--The Holy Spirit

John 14:16-17, 26, 15:26-27



· This is one of the most confused doctrinal areas
· Some Baptists are so scared of anything to do with the doctrine of the Spirit
· Others get pulled out into doctrinal error and excess
· The most common doctrinal error about the Holy Spirit is about His Person, that He is an “it,” a force, an influence, some kind of divine electrical current.
· The second most common doctrinal error concerns His Work—The Work of the Spirit is not to make everyone feel good—it is to empower believers —The work of the Spirit is intimately tied in with the work of the Son, but in this present age, there are distinctive things that are his.
o Gifting the Church (Rom 12, 1 Cor 12)
o Teaching the church

(John 14:26) ""But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."

o Convicting the World and individuals–Jn 16:8-11

o Training, organizing and sending missionaries

(Acts 13:1-2) "Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.""

· And, of course, it must be mentioned that the Spirit is the Father’s gift to Jesus’ people, as we continue to see the Trinity displayed in an obvious manner.

· In considering the Spirit’s ministry to us, the actions of the Trinity are seen plainly in the Bible

· One of the strongest proofs of the Trinity, often overlooked, are the many passages where the work of the Triune God is displayed and taught in strictly Trinitarian terms.
(1) Some Examples—of course, our text is one—(John 14:16-17)

(Rom 1:1-4) "Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead."

(Eph 3:14-16) "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,"

(Eph 1:3) "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,"

(Eph 1:13-14) "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."

(Eph 4:4-6) "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

(1 John 4:13-15) "By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God."

(Heb 9:14) "how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"


· As we begin our look at the Holy Spirit, we will be guided in this first sermon by a few of His job titles.

1. His First Title—Another Helper, or Another Comforter—This identification by itself is sufficient to prove both the personality and Deity of the Holy Spirit.

a. First, the Holy Spirit is Another when compared with Christ Jesus
(1) In the Greek, there are two ways to say “another.” Another Comforter (allon paraklēton). Another of like kind (allon, not heteron
(a) Another of a different kind would be “hetero,”
(b) another of the same kind would be “…allon…”—This is Another of the same kind.
(2) Another of the same kind—since Jesus is a Person, so is the Spirit
(3) Since Jesus is divine, so is the Spirit—they are the same “kind”

b. Second, The Spirit is Another “Helper” or “Comforter,” This defines His basic function: to minister to the people of God

(1) Paraclete—one called alongside to help.
(2) ), … from parakaleō, was used for legal assistant, pleader, advocate, one who pleads another’s cause…” (A T. Robertson)

c. We now have two Counselors

(1) One in the Throne Room in Heaven, there to intercede on our behalf—Heb 1:1-3, Rom 8:34, Heb 7:25

(Heb 1:1) "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,"

(Rom 8:34) "Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us."

(Heb 7:25) "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."

(2) Another here within us, also ready to intercede, “from this end…”.

(Rom 8:26-27) "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God."

(3) And, what is the intercession for?
(a) We are accused by Satan day and night (Rev 12:10)
(b) We are tempted, tested, melted and purified day and night.
(Zec 3:1-2) "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"

(Luke 22:31-32) "And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 "But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.""


2. His Second Title: The Spirit of Truth—Jn 14:17, 15:26, 16:13

Whom (ho). Grammatical neuter gender (ho) agreeing with pneuma (grammatical), but rightly rendered in English by “whom” and note masculine ekeinos (verse 26). He is a person, not a mere influence. (A.T. Robertson)

a. The Spirit of Truth

(1) As the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit came upon the OT Prophets and thereby inspired the Holy Scriptures—2 Pet 1:18-21
(2) As the Spirit of Truth, He caused the apostles to remember what He had said to them
(3) As the Spirit of Truth, He taught them things after Pentecost that they were not ready for before Pentecost
(4) As the Spirit of Truth, He guides Bible teachers today in discerning Truth—1 John 4:1-6

b. Teach you all things

(1) There were entire vital parts of Truth that had not been revealed, and these would be revealed through the men God so called to do, AFTER the coming of the Spirit in power on Pentecost.
(a) Paul’s revelations about the church in Eph 2 and 3
(b) The structure of the church, given in 1 Tim, 2 Tim, Titus, and other places.
(c) The full revelation of the Spirit Himself
(d) The full revelation of Jesus
(2) The pre-authentication of the New Covenant Scriptures
(a) Heb 2:1-4
(b) 2 Pet 3:15ff

(1 Cor 14:37-38) "If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. 38 But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant."


3. The Witnessing Spirit—“He will testify of me”

a. It is common today to encounter ministries that lift up the Holy Spirit and their entire ministry is about the Holy Spirit this, and the Holy Spirit that, and how to be slain in the Spirit, etc.

b. Does the Bible support this format of ministry?

(John 15:26-27) “… He will testify of Me. 27 "And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning."

(John 16:12-15) ""I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 "All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."

c. A true Holy Spirit ministry would not exalt the Spirit, but would exalt the Son.