Insights and encouragements

(B17) Why Didn’t Anyone in the Bible Ever Direct Prayer or Worship to t

B17) Why Didn’t Anyone in the Bible Ever Direct Prayer or Worship to the Holy Spirit? Can this open to Deception as Derek Prince warned? Does a misreading of “three (distinct) persons” as “three separate persons” lie at the root of this? (S. Dobbs, Updated 27th Jan 2021).         

i) Introduction to this study, (S. Dobbs, Oct 2020): What started out as a short footnote to word No A40, section 3)b, which starts with; “I saw the words “COME HOLY SPIRIT,” (link), has ended up becoming this lengthy article. I felt there was a need to explain the mechanism by which directing prayer to the Holy Spirit could open us to deception, as a sort of proof. I believe God then gave me the all clear to pursue this if I wanted to. I must admit I almost came to regret starting as it gets so entangled with extra-biblical theology, (theology that doesn’t actually appear in the scriptures). Derek Prince had already identified and given an overview of how the practice of attempting to address the Holy Spirit will open Christians to a counterfeit holy spirit. At first this seems counterintuitive but this is because of all the confusion today surrounding the Godhead being Three and yet One. If you haven’t the got the time or inclination to study this issue it may be wise to just read the Summary and Derek Princes warning below, and to then simply stick with scriptural practice. Since no one in the bible appears to have ever attempted to direct prayer or worship to the Holy Spirit surely we shouldn’t either! Why take the risk? We know people will depart from the teachings and practices of the apostles and then move into deception in the end times season. If someone’s reliant on an unbiblical practice to get anointed that’s a sign they are already moving in the "counterfeit holy spirit" that Derek Prince warned us about. If someone isn’t particularly anointed or gifted when they direct prayer to the Father or Son but claim they get much more anointed when they direct prayer to the "Holy Spirit" instead that is a warning sign. This isn’t the occult, there are no methods that act as short cuts to receiving the anointing from the person of God. Since the three are always One, and always aligned, they will always act in agreement as One towards us. One side of the Godhead won’t anoint you strongly if another’s not going to. This is a trick of the devil to entice us away from biblical ways into deception. I think it’s the most insidious and cunning route into deception of all and, therefore, perhaps the most dangerous.

 [I have put my Statement of Faith at the end of this article as someone mistakenly thought I was proposing the error of the Oneness Doctrine. All scriptures were taken from the K.J.V except where otherwise stated. To be more succinct I have used the form “three (distinct) persons” when referring to the phrases “three persons” and “three distinct persons” when both are presented together]. 

ii) Summary: I will be using the scriptures to argue that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of both the Father and the Son. As such He is the source of, and shares in, the two personas/personalities of the Father and the Son in unity with them. This explains why, in the bible, God the Holy Spirit always seems to reveal His person as either the Father or the Son - never as anyone else.* I cannot find any evidence in the N/T of the Holy Spirit ever appearing, in person form, as a separate person to the Father or the Son, with a separate, third, alternative persona/personality to theirs. That would be like a man’s own spirit appearing with a separate, alternative personality to that man himself. I challenge everyone to search the scriptures and prove otherwise. My email is: smdobbs 2015 @ gmail .com. If we pray, or address worship to a counterfeit we will receive that counterfeit. This is no different to praying, in ignorance, to a false god. This explains why those who attempt to engage with this alternative, separate person version of the “Holy Spirit” will open to the counterfeit “holy spirit,” that is sent by the enemy, and which Derek Prince warned us about.

iii) The Three are literally One: As we look into this we will see, almost as a by-product, that all the confusion reflected by the Question of; “how can the three also be One?” unravel as well because this confusion comes from the words of men not the bibles teaching on the Godhead.

God is not the author of confusion,” (1 Cor 14; 33).

iv) Derek Prince’s warning against attempting to direct prayer or worship to the Holy Spirit: Derek Prince was one of the UKs most respected interdenominational, Trinitarian teachers of modern times. In his article, entitled; Protection from Deception,” section “The Identity of the Holy Spirit,” (link), he wrote; “I have not found in the Scripture anywhere an example of a prayer addressed to the Holy Spirit. So far as I can understand, no one in the Scripture ever prayed to the Holy Spirit… Any spirit that focuses on the Holy Spirit and glorifies the Holy Spirit is not the Holy Spirit… a New-Ager… said about the "New Age," "When the holy spirit comes, then the New Age will be here." Of course I am sure most of you would understand that when she talks about the holy spirit, she is not talking about the same Holy Spirit that the Bible speaks about. This is one of various indications that there is a counterfeit holy spirit…” “It is nothing new for Satan to produce a religious counterfeit…  When we want the Holy Spirit to do something, we address our request to the Father or to the Son… the Holy Spirit does not speak from Himself; He has no message of His own… He only reports to us what He is hearing from the Father and the Son.” He then underlined these points by quoting the following scripture, using the N.K.J.V:

John 16: 13-14, 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 [literally: from Himself] but whatever He hears He will speak: and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you,” (N.K.J.V).

v) An ambiguity, are there two or three personalities in the Godhead to direct prayer to:  Figs 1 and Figs 2, below, are both accepted as images of the Trinity. This reflects the ambiguity that exists as to whether there are two or three personas /personalities of God?

Fig 1; depicts three personas/personalities in the Godhead.

  

Fig 2; depicts two personas/personalities in the Godhead.

Fig 1 is a depiction of three separate men. Trinitarian scholars have always warned that “three separate persons” is a misunderstanding of “three (distinct) persons” when relating to the Godhead. This common misunderstanding was warned about by Tertullian, the first Trinitarian, in the early C3rd, and has accompanied this phrase throughout history.  With more Christians now wanting to move in the gifts and anointing of the Holy Spirit this has become a huge problem in our post - charismatic era. Many are now viewing the Godhead as if God were three men operating through three separate personas/personalities. This does no harm concerning the Father and Son but leads to a very erroneous view of Gods Holy Spirit. Many are directing prayer to what they believe is the third persona/personality of the “Holy Spirit” for which I can find no evidence in scripture. They do not have a biblical concept of the Holy Spirit. They perceive this alternative version of the “holy spirit” as having a separate persona/personality to those of the Father and Son as a separate person would have. I don’t believe this is the Holy Spirit described in the bible but the counterfeit “holy spirit” that Derek Prince warned about. If we misdirect prayer to a false, unbiblical “holy spirit,” with this counterfeit in mind, we will receive a counterfeit that matches that from the devil. This is similar to how the devil can send a spirit upon those who, in ignorance, direct prayer to a false god. This is how I believe this practice is opening Christians to deception and a counterfeit of the “Holy Spirit.” The key is to remember that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of both the Father and Son not a separate person to them. I will be seeking to prove this in the following bible study.

vi) Bible Study: The Holy Spirit is described in the bible as the Spirit of both the Father and Son not an alternative person to them: We can prove this from scripture. Here are the first of five  scriptures, (many more are included at the end of this article):

“God is a Spirit,” (Jn 4; 24).

This proves that the Holy Spirit is God Himself, not just Gods power or unction as Binitarian’s and Jehovah’s Witnesses claim. 

"There is... one Spirit," (Eph 4; 4).

This tells us that God only has one Spirit, the Holy Spirit. So there aren’t two or three Spirits of God, just the one Holy Spirit. Since God has no other Spirit the Holy Spirit must be the Spirit of both the Father and the Son. We can prove this by using the next two scriptures:

"the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you," (Matt 10; 20). 

This proves that the Holy Spirit that dwells within a believer’s heart is the Spirit of the Father. So according to the bible the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father.

God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts," (Gal 4:6).

This proves that the Holy Spirit that dwells within a believer is also the Spirit of the Son. So according to the bible the Holy Spirit is also the Spirit of the Son.

“Jesus answered… and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him,” (Jn 14; 23).

From these scripture we can, therefore, say, with absolute certainty, that that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of both the Father and the Son.

vii) The Three are Literally One: We can now easily understand why the Three are One. We all know that a persons spirit is that person themselves, not a separate person to them. The Father and the Holy Spirit are One because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father. The Son and the Holy Spirit are One because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Son. The Father and Son are also One because they both share and are of the same Holy Spirit. So the Godhead is very easy to understand when we use the bible alone. There is something about the words of men that were added later that must have caused the confusion.

God is not the author of confusion,” (1 Cor 14; 33).

viii) Addressing God correctly: Everyone in the N/T addressed either the Father or the Son. From the bible study, above, this now makes sense. As He is the Spirit of both the Father and the Son whenever the Holy Spirit reveals His person to us this will always be as either the Father or the Son. So the Father and Son could be said to be the two person forms of God the Holy Spirit. If we want to address the person of the Holy Spirit we must, therefore, address the Father or the Son as the Holy Spirit does not reveal Himself as any other person, or with any other persona/personality other than theirs.

ix) Using the words “Holy Spirit”: Using the words “Holy Spirit” or “person of the holy spirit” in misguided prayers to a false concept of the Holy Spirit will not protect Christians from opening to deception. Even New Agers sometimes use those words and also receive a counterfeit anointing. Sadly it is very hard for such Christians to realise where they have gone wrong. Many mistakenly think that this unbiblical practice is backed up by the phrases “three (distinct) persons” which is not the case. As a result this is perhaps the most subtle and insidious route into deception.

x) *“Distinct” but impersonal forms of Gods Holy Spirit: Whenever the Holy Spirit appears as “distinct” from the Father or the Son, i.e. in addition to them, without Him revealing Himself as the Father or the Son, this will always appears to be in an impersonal form according to scripture, (for example as the wind at Pentecost, once as a dove, as the anointing or power of Gods Spirit, or through the gifts of the Spirit). I cannot find any example of God the Holy Spirit ever revealing Himself in person form except as the Father or the Son in the bible.* If you ever experience another persona/personality of Gods Spirit, one that is not described in the bible, i.e. the Holy Spirit appearing as anyone other than the Father or Son, this will then surely be from another spirit sent by Satan to deceive. This is the counterfeit of the Holy Spirit that Derek Prince warned about. As far as I can see the Holy Spirit only ever appears as distinct from the Father and Son in an impersonal form according to the bible record. The Doctrine of the Trinity doesn’t contradict this. The short Trinitarian phrases “three persons” and “three distinct persons” focus on defending against other errors relating to the Godhead and don’t appear to address this particular issue, hence the ambiguity.

xi) Two not three personas/personalities in the biblical Godhead: The following is also evidence of just two personas/personalities in the Godhead. The Father and Son communicate with one another but neither ever communicate with the Holy Spirit. This should surprise people with a Fig 1 image of the Godhead in their minds eye. No human in the bible ever addresses any communication to the Holy Spirit either. The Holy Spirit ministers words and healing etc. on behalf of the Father or Son but there is no evidence in the bible of the Holy Spirit ever acting as if an independent agent. As far as I’m aware there is no mention of the Holy Spirit ever revealing Himself with a third persona/personality to anyone in scripture only ever as the Father or the Son, (or as both at once).*  

xii) The phrases “three (distinct) persons:” These phrases are not wrong, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all God, and together they do number “three,” they are also all “distinct,” (i.e. different in some ways), from one another, and they are all the “person” of God Himself. The problem, as I see it, is that this description of the Godhead is far too succinct. We can’t possibly expect to sum up everything we need to know about the Lord in just two or three words like this without leaving huge areas of ambiguity, (I think the Nicene Creed is far wiser in its use of afar longer form of words). I believe it is these areas of ambiguity that the devil has been able to use to birth confusion about the Godhead reflected by the question; “how can God be three and yet One.” I think that from this confusion has arisen the unbiblical practice of attempting to address a third, separate person version of Gods Spirit. The bible doesn’t teach a Godhead consisting of three separate personas/personalities as if God operated as three independent men. The Holy Spirit doesn’t operate with a third separate personality to the Father or Sons, instead He is their shared Spirit. Whilst this misunderstanding about the Holy Spirit could arise from the words “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” I think it is far more likely to do so from the phrases “three (distinct) persons,” which are far more suggestive of Fig 1; a Godhead of three separate men with three separate personalities. I would go so far as to say that Fig 1 is perhaps the most likely way people will perceive those short phrases. If so a tendency towards error has been built into these words of men from their conception, despite all the good they have also done in defending other truths about the Godhead through the centuries.

So whilst these phrases have done a great deal of good the trouble, as I see it, is that they do not inform us what ways the Three are each the person of God or how the Three interact with one another or how we should interact with each of the Three.  Instead this is all left to the individual to work out for themselves and they are very likely to base this on an erroneous image of God as three men. No one in the bible ever appears to have related to the Holy Spirit as they do the Father and the Son, though, and neither the Father or Son ever appear to have conversed with the Holy Spirit either, as they do with each other. This is hard to understand if one interprets “three (distinct) persons” as Fig 1. When we perceive the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of both the Father and Son, though, as opposed to a separate person to them, it all makes complete sense. We don’t commune with one anthers spirits so why assume we should commune with the Spirit of the Father and the Son when no one in the bible did?  

The Holy Spirit is not the person of God in the same way as the Father and Son are. The Father and Son both have separate personas/personalities to one another, which explains why they converse with each other according to some scriptures. Gods Holy Spirit expresses His personhood as, through, and in, the personas/personalities of both the Father and Son. As far as I’m aware there is no mention of a third person expression of Gods Spirit in the bible. Since the way in which the Holy Spirit is distinct in this way isn’t mentioned or explained within the phrases “three (distinct) persons” or within the rest of the Doctrine of the Trinity we have to go to the scriptures to understand this instead. Few Christians will realise there is a need for such a study, though. “Three (distinct) persons” has been regarded as authoritative for so long, (since the C5th, when I believe it first became official Doctrine within the Catholic Church), that today people simply refer to the short phrases that were coined by men instead of scripture and, as a result, they inherit the ambiguity and confusion associated with them. I think that it is from out of this ambiguity that the unbiblical practice of perceiving the Holy Spirit as a separate person to the Father and Son has arisen. It is not surprising that such Christians then offer prayer and worship to this other, unbiblical version of the Holy Spirit and open up to a counterfeit instead.

 As I understand it “three (distinct) persons” was designed to defend the deity of Christ, to stand against the error Sabellianism, (similar to today’s Oneness Pentecostalism), and Arianism, as well as the Binitarian’s error who believed that the Holy Spirit was just Gods power or unction, (i.e. not a spirit in the traditional sense). The issues concerning the nature and role of the Holy Spirit within the Godhead and how we should address the person of God were not addressed by those phrases though. What is really lacking and perhaps most in need concerning the Godhead, in our post – charismatic era, is biblical teaching on the Holy Spirit. This is not hard to find since there are plenty of scriptures in the bible that resolve these issues simply enough.

The succinctness of “three (distinct) persons” may have been useful in the past as, being so short, these phrases were easy for the laity to remember and it was, therefore, easy for Christians to avoid the errors of Arianism and Sabellianism etc. when few could read and write. However, the majority of Christian’s today are literate and have access to the scriptures themselves and don’t need the truth slimmed down and compacted by the words of men in this way. We no longer need these short easy to remember phrases as much as we did. At the same time todays church has become increasingly charismatic and interested in the things of Gods Spirit and is, therefore, all the more likely to fall into deception if perceiving the Holy Spirit in an unbiblical way like this. This was not a problem for the N/T church since their understanding of the Godhead was based on scripture alone since the phrases “three (distinct) persons” had not even been coined then. Surely it’s time for today’s church to mature and move on from relying on the words of men, (C2nd and C3rd Catholic Bishops and theologians), to relying on a list of scriptures from the bible itself instead? Today most of us can write these down and each refer to our notes if these are harder to remember.

As we have seen once the Holy Spirit is perceived as the Spirit of both the Father and the Son everything then becomes very simple and straight forward and we can then understand, and explain to unbelievers, how and why the Three are One.  It also becomes clear why we should not be trying to address prayer to a third, separate person form of the “Holy Spirit,” to an alternative “holy spirit” who has a third, persona/personality of His own that is not described anywhere in the bible. And we can then understand why addressing prayer to this alternative understanding of the “holy spirit” will open us to a counterfeit. 

However, any move from the phrases of men to a list of scriptures that describe the Godhead instead is likely to face opposition from those with a religious mind set or who are overly proud of their historic denomination and its religious habits. God will surely be doing many things in the end times, though and I expect addressing this issue will be one of them. Christ is unlikely to return to a church that can’t understand the Godhead, of how God is Three and yet One, and which is prone to pray to, and move in, a counterfeit of the Holy Spirit. Surely/hopefully, in the very end times He will be raising up teachers who are anointed, gifted and respected at a global level, who will come together as one and address these issue with godly authority? If they are trusted then there will then be no need for elongated articles like this one that attempt to prove the point in detail from basics. Believes could instead just read what these teachers had to say, see the list of scriptures they promote as proof, and adopt that biblical understanding of the Godhead. “Three (distinct) persons” could perhaps be explained as useful in its day but that in the end times we now need a more detailed explanation of the Godhead, taken directly from scripture to avoid any ambiguity or confusion.  Every Christian will then also be able to explain to unbelievers why the Three are One in a simple straightforward way based on bible verses. Today’s long winded analogies of God being like ice, steam and water, or three fingers on a hand, never quite made sense anyway and don’t carry any spiritual authority as they don’t appear anywhere in the bible either.

The word “persons:” I think another problem with “three (distinct) persons” may be the use of the Latin word “persons.” This doesn’t exist in the Hebrew or Greek languages that the Old and New Testaments were written in, so “persons” isn’t, therefore, a biblical word. I see this as being a bit like a small crack appearing in a rock, a fissure appearing that weakens it, as a biblical description of God from the bible moves ever so slightly away from scripture. Once that crack appeared the devil was bound to notice this and take advantage, widening it further by sowing confusion into the ambiguity it created and into some Christians understanding of the Godhead concerning the personhood of the Holy Spirit. Many were likely to then start interpreting “three persons” as if this meant “three people” since persons are normally people and this is most commonly the way that word is used. Many could then assume, quite wrongly, that God operates as three people would do, (and we are back to Fig 1 again). This may be why Jews and Muslims often think we worship three gods. Even many Christians mistakenly believe that the Three are only One because they united by their constant mental agreement with one another as three men may be. This use of the word “persons” and its close association with “people” can also emphasise a separate personhood view concerning Gods Holy Spirit. It is almost as if this moves us away from what is common sense. We never perceive a man’s spirit to be a separate person to that man himself but know that both the man and his own spirit share in the same personality, they don’t have two separate personas/personalities. The Jews know and have always believed from the O/T that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and the Old and New Testaments teach that the Holy Spirit is also the Spirit of Jesus Christ as well.  The Holy Spirit is not a separate person to the Father or the Son but their own Spirit.

If we stick directly with scripture instead of the words of men there is then no suggestion or even any hint at any of these misguided ideas about Gods Holy Spirit. It can’t be wise to use a word that doesn’t even exist anywhere in the bible to describe our God. Surely these things were bound to lead to the confusion we often see today?

 “God is a Spirit,” (Jn 4; 24).

xiii) Tertullian; (155 - 240 AD): Tertullian is thought by many to have been the first Trinitarian. He noted that there was much confusion concerning the Godhead being “three persons” back in the late C2nd and early C3rd. He wrote; “the Father, Son and Spirit are inseparable from each other…” but were being… “taken in a wrong sense by every uneducated… person, as if it predicated […] a separation among the Father, […] Son, and […] Spirit,” , (from “Tertullian Against Praxeas, 9, ANF3: 604).  So it would appear that “three persons” was being misunderstood to mean “three separate persons” almost as soon as the phrase was first coined. Tertullian is also thought by some to have been the first to have used the Latin word “persons” in describing the Godhead. So maybe he actually coined the phrase “three persons”?  Unless we have his writings on this issue of whether we should address the Holy Spirit or not though what use is this? Even if such teachings were to surface some will simply not agree with Tertullian as was the case in his day concerning “three persons.” Surely the only way to tackle todays issue conclusively is by proving it using scripture, the word of God itself?

xiv) Some sections of the Nicene Creed that relate to the Holy Spirit: We can see here, in the more lengthy wording the Nicene Creed, that the Holy Spirit is not identified as a separate person with a separate personality to those of the Father and Son. When referring to Jesus it says; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost…” And which says concerning the Holy Spirit; “And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified. There appears to be no indication of the Holy Spirit being a separate person here at all. If anything I think these authors were going out of their way to avoid that. Perhaps this is why “three (distinct) persons” were not included in either of the two Nicene Creeds? I think this Creed is extremely good and well thought out, it avoids the pit falls of the far shorter phrases “three (distinct) persons.” However it still isn’t as clear as the bible on the Godhead and it doesn’t carry authority as scripture either. Why can’t we just have a list of scriptures, which we can keep adding to until they cover all bases? Hundreds of people gain theology degrees each year in the UK alone, so surely this isn’t too much to expect?

xv) The Jewish and N/T Christians view of the Godhead: The Jews, who adhere to the O/T, have always known and taught that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father. They have never believed that the Holy Spirit is a separate person to the Father with a separate persona/personality to the Fathers. The Jews have also always known that the Messiah would be Emmanuel, God with us, God in human form. The Spirit of Emmanuel would, therefore, be the Spirit of God.  There is no evidence in the N/T of any dispute between Christians and Jews over the nature of the Godhead. The only disagreement between them concerned whether or not Jesus was the Messiah or whether he had been an imposter. By comparison, the Jews today do not accept the Doctrine of the Trinity. I believe that this is because most Jews probably perceive the Christian Godhead according to the misinterpretation of “three separate persons,” as is also suggested by Fig1. Surely this reflects just how misunderstood the two Trinitarian phrases still are today? No one can fault the Jewish scholars for their skill and yet they do not accept the Doctrine of the Trinity even if Jesus were to be portrayed as a Messiah yet to come. It is the “three persons” issue they struggle with. So where does all of today’s confusion about the Godhead come from? The phrases themselves, or Fig 1 or perhaps both? A confusion that is reflected by the question “how can God be three and yet One.” No such question arose in the bible. Surely we need to get back to the bible.

  “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine,” (Acts 2; 42).

xvi) Conclusion: It seems to me that attempting to pray to the “Holy Spirit” is an un-biblical spiritual practice. This is now spreading dangerously across the churches as we head into the end times season of deception. I don’t think the phrases “three (distinct) persons” were designed to address this particular issue. They may in fact have even contributed to the problem as so many misinterpret those phrases to mean “three separate persons” instead, from where the image of God as three men may have come from in the first place.  This perhaps makes this Satan’s most subtle and insidious of routes into deception because many, mistakenly, think “three (distinct) persons” endorses the practice of addressing prayer to the “Holy Spirit.” There is so much confusion surrounding how the Three are One already that when trying to address this issue of the Holy Spirit you can get tied up in theological word knots. This must be my 40th rewrite as I’ve been returning to this article for over fifteen years now. I hope others can do a better more succinct job. I believe that it likely that it is usually the perception of the Godhead as three separate men that the idea of a separate person’s version of the Holy Spirit arises. That addressing prayer or worship to this false, unbiblical perception of the “Holy Spirit” is what opens one to the counterfeit holy spirit. This could happen without the phrases “three (distinct) persons” even being involved, though. I think/guess, that God will raise up a higher class of teacher in the end times, and they will confer together with one another, and address this and other issues together with authority for the benefit of the church. I can’t see God allowing the confusion that presently exists about the nature and role of the Holy Spirit being continuing into the very end times. Before then, though, I believe God has shown me, (as you can see from the other words on this website), that a great end times wave of deception will soon sweep the churches of the western world. The counterfeit of the holy spirit that Derek Prince warned about will surely play a major role within that, wreaking havoc and bringing destruction, discouragement and illness to some, deception to many more, and, over time, will lead many into apostasy. With other deceptions striking at the same time, e.g. as fallen angels appear as angels of light, a full blown fake revival will follow and be extremely hard to oppose at first.  Fifteen years ago perhaps widespread warnings about this could have averted some of the potential damage. I don’t think there is time left for this now. God is sovereign, though. Perhaps it is only when the “nastier” side of this counterfeit anointing is suddenly revealed people will then become more wary about this practice? One key to avoiding this particular route into deception is perhaps to note down or remember some of the scriptures that prove, definitively, beyond doubt, that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and the Son as opposed to a separate person to them. And to scour the entire N/T to assure oneself that no one in the bible ever engaged in this practice. In the meantime it is wise to remember Derek Princes warning and words who said; “I have not found in the Scripture anywhere an example of a prayer addressed to the Holy Spirit. So far as I can understand, no one in the Scripture ever prayed to the Holy Spirit… Any spirit that focuses on the Holy Spirit and glorifies the Holy Spirit is not the Holy Spirit there is a counterfeit holy spirit.

S. Dobbs, 14th Oct, 2020.

 

Article continued as Part II: Further analysis and a more in depth bible study on this issue: 

Fig 1. Three personas/ personalities in the Godhead.

Fig 2. Two personas/personalities in the Godhead. 

xvii) The following verses provided further evidence that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God the Father, not a separate person to the Father:

“but they rebelled and vexed his holy spirit,” (Is 63;10).

“he that put his holy Spirit within him,” Isaiah (63; 11).

“the Spirit of the Lord,” Isaiah (63; 14).

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord,” (Zech 4; 6).

“the Lord of hosts hath sent his spirit,” (Zech 7; 12).

“I will pour out my spirit on all flesh,” (Joel 2; 28).

The following scriptures are from the N/T and also describe the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of the Father.

“I will pour out of my Spirit on all flesh,” (Acts 2; 17), taken from Joel; 2; 28 above.

“Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty,” (2 Cor 3:17).

"the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you," (Matt 10; 20). 

xviii) The next list of scriptures prove that the Holy Spirit is also the Spirit of the Son, Jesus Christ: 

“Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you…” (Rms 8; 9, 10).

“Jesus… he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost,” (Jn 20; 21 - 22).

As Paul, Timothy and Silas were being directed by the Holy Spirit as to where to travel to next the bible says “When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to,” (Acts 16:7), from the NKJV and NIV although I couldn’t find this in the KJV. However the JKV states the following which are very similar:

Jesus said; “I will manifest myself to him,” (Jn 14; 21)Jesus still resides in heaven until his Second Coming but He has sent the Holy Spirit to us, so Jesus manifests Himself to us by His Holy Spirit. i.e. it is the Holy Spirit who reveals the person/persona/personality of Jesus to us.

“if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him,” (Rev 3. 20), i.e. Jesus will come into him by the Holy Spirit, who must therefore be the Spirit of Jesus Christ Himself.

“Until the day in which he (Jesus) was taken up, after that, he (Jesus) through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen,” (Acts 1; 2).  So Jesus instructed the Apostles through the Holy Spirit after He had risen.

xix) The following scriptures provide additional evidence that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of both the Father and the Son: 

 “Jesus answered… 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,” (Jn 14; 23).  As it is the Holy Spirit that resides within a believer then the Holy Spirit must be the Spirit of the Father as well as the Spirit of the Son. We don’t have two separate Holy Spirits within us only the one Spirit who is the Spirit of both the Father and the Son.

So surely there can be no doubt it, there is an abundance of teaching in the bible that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of both the Father and the Son. The false idea of the “Holy Spirit” being a separate person to the Father and the Son, who we can relate to as a third separate person, does not come from scripture. I believe it arises unintentionally when “three persons” and “three distinct persons” are misunderstood to mean “three separate persons” instead, the error all Trinitarian teachers have always warned about.

xx) We can now understand the otherwise mysterious statements Jesus’ made about Himself: We can now make sense of all the other mysterious statement’s that Jesus made about Himself, those that do not make sense when viewed from the “three separate persons” perspective of Fig 1, a picture of three men.

When Jesus said “as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee,” (Jn 17; 21), this is explained by the fact that both the Father and the Son share the same Holy Spirit. The Spirit of the Father was, therefore, in Jesus, and the Spirit of Jesus was in the Father. This is also reflected in the following verse; “ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him,” (Jn 10; 38). When we view the Godhead wrongly as three separate persons those verses don’t then make any sense at all. I believe that all the confusion about the Godhead since the late C2nd stems from the same erroneous perspective of God as if three men.

Jesus also said; “but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” (John 14: 10). This is explained by the fact that the Spirit of the Father, the Holy Spirit, who dwells in Jesus, is also the Spirit of the Father, so the works were done by the Father. Jesus wasn’t giving us unfathomable information that would confuse us but was explaining the Godhead to us in simple terms.

“He that hath seen me hath seen the Father,” (Jn 14; 9). By seeing Jesus one has seen the embodiment of the Holy Spirit of Jesus who is also the Spirit of the Father so they have also seen the Father as well. The following example is similar:

“Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me,” (John 14:8-11).

Once again this is explained by the fact that the Spirit of the Father, the Holy Spirit, is also Jesus’ own Spirit too, and so dwelt in Jesus too. It was the Holy Spirit of the Father who worked through Jesus and who spoke as Jesus.

xxi) We can now also understand Isaiah 9, 6: This verse describes Jesus as the Wonderful, Counsellor, i.e. the Holy Spirit, as well as the everlasting Father.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Once we know the bibles teaching that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of both the Father and the Son we can then understand this verse too. Jesus is the Holy Spirit because He and His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, are one person as is the case with a man and his own spirit. Jesus’ is the Father because He and the Father share and are of the same Holy Spirit. The same Spirit of God is the Spirit of Jesus and the Spirit of the Father.

Whilst the Father and Son each have their own distinct persona/personality, which even perhaps be said to be a separate personality, they are One in Spirit, they share and are of the same Holy Spirit. The same cannot be said of the Holy Spirit though.

xxii) Distinct but impersonal forms of the Holy Spirit: Whenever the Holy Spirit appears as “distinct,” from the Father or the Son, (i.e. different is some ways from them), in the bible, this always appears to be in an impersonal form. There doesn’t ever appear to be an alternative, third persona/personality present. I have not found any examples of the Holy Spirit ever appearing with an alternative persona/personality. The Holy Spirit only ever “manifests” the personas/personalities of the Father or the Son. I can see no biblical evidence of a third persona/personality of God. You will have to read the entire bible to check that out for yourself though.

As far as I am aware whenever the Holy Spirit appears as distinct from the Father or Son this always appears to be in an impersonal form. An example of this was when the Holy Spirit revealed Himself in impersonal form as the wind on the day of Pentecost:

“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance,” (Acts 2, 2- 4).

Other examples are when the Holy Spirit appears as the anointing, Gods power, or through the gifts of the Spirit etc. God is not revealing His persona/personality to us at those times. Whenever God is revealing His persona/personality to us by the Holy Spirit this will always be as either the persona/persona/personality of the Father or the persona/persona/personality of the Son. Perhaps we can say that the persona/personalities of the Father and Son are the only two personas/personalities of the Holy Spirit. I cannot find a third that exists just for the Holy Spirit.

xxiii) The Three are literally One: Fig 1 tends to lead to the mistaken assumption that there are three personas/personalities in the Godhead, as a picture of three men would suggest, (e.g. Fig 1). This then divides God into being three separate people, each with their own separate persona. The idea of the Three being but One person doesn’t then make any rational sense. However, when we correctly view God as having just two personas/personalities, those of the Father and the Son, (both of whom are of, and share, the same Holy Spirit), then the idea of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit being One person makes complete rational sense. It’s actually, then, quite a simple concept, i.e. God the Holy Spirit reveals Himself in person form as both the Father and the Son. And the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of both the Father and the Son not a third alternative person to them.

xxiv) Using the words “Holy Spirit”: Using the words “Holy Spirit” or “person of the holy spirit” in misguided prayers to a false concept of the Holy Spirit will not protect Christians from opening to deception. Even New Agers sometimes use those words and also receive a counterfeit anointing. Sadly it is very hard for such Christians to realise where they have gone wrong. Many mistakenly think that this unbiblical practice is backed up by the phrases “three (distinct) persons” which is not the case. As a result this is perhaps the most subtle and insidious route into deception.

xxv) Addressing God correctly: Everyone in the N/T addressed either the Father or the Son. From the bible study, above, this now makes sense. As He is the Spirit of both the Father and the Son whenever the Holy Spirit reveals His person to us this will always be as either the Father or the Son. So the Father and Son could be said to be the two person forms of God the Holy Spirit. If we want to address the person of the Holy Spirit we must, therefore, address the Father or the Son as the Holy Spirit does not reveal Himself as any other person, or with any other persona/personality other than theirs.

xxvi) The Oneness Doctrine: This is derived from the error of Sabellianism, which was created and was frequently debated way back the C3rd. It appears to me to be why the phrase “three distinct persons” was possibly coined in the first place as this seems specifically worded to address this error. Oneness definitely teaches error, i.e. that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit can only ever appear separately, only one at a time, in one of these three “modes.” They perceive God to be revealing Himself in only one of these three ways at any one time. This is careless though as it contradicts so many passages of scripture. E.g’s are when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus as a dove at His baptism in the River Jordan, when the Father spoke to Jesus and His disciples on the mountain top, whenever Jesus prayed to the Father, (when the Father must have been listening too), Jesus would have also been praying and moving in the anointing Holy Spirit as Christians do today, all of which display God being revealed in two or three modes at once. I wouldn’t be surprised if Oneness Pentecostals turned this well-intentioned false teaching in an attempt to solve the question of; “how can God be three persons and yet One Go?”” because Trinitarian teaching fails to do this. To solve the confusion that appears to me to arise from, and be accentuated by the Trinitarian phrase “three persons.” I don’t personally believe that Trinitarian Doctrine is wrong but that it fails to address the issue of how many personas/personalities exist within the Godhead, a blind spot that opens to dangerous ambiguity that the devil can exploit. From the ambiguity arises the common error of interpreting “three distinct persons” as “three separate persons” which all Trinitarian teachers warn about. It may be the case that the latter phrase “three distinct persons” was designed to stand against the C3rd error of Sabellianism since it seems so well designed to achieve this. There are often debates between Trinitarians and proponents and Oneness Doctrine today. Each side usually take it in turns to give short ten minute speeches each without actually getting down to examining specific scriptures together, as a result rarely is anything resolved. Instead of listening and examining where their own blind spots or errors may lie they simply counterattack the other side using scriptures of their own instead so nothing ever appears to get be taken on board. Whilst the Oneness Doctrine appears to me to be a sincere attempt to answer the question of “how can the Three be One?” it actually creates error whilst failing to resolve the ambiguity concerning how many personas exist in the Godhead. Oneness Pentecostals can, therefore, also make the mistake of perceiving God as three separate men, Fig 1, it is just that they think two have to disappear in order for one to be revealed because they think God can only reveal Himself as One of them at any one time. As a result they are also open to the error of praying to a third none existent persona of God because they too can attribute this to the Holy Spirit. This doesn’t appear to affect their salvation doctrine. However, if anything, Oneness Pentecostals may be even more likely to attempt to address prayer and worship to the “Holy Spirit” as a separate person with a third persona, so it could exacerbate this unbiblical practice. It must be very hard for them to understand and perceive the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of both the Father and Son when they do not believe that God can manifest as the Holy Spirit and the Father and/or Son at the same time.

xxvii) Binitarian’s: Many theologians have commented that the N/T Church, in some ways, appears to have been more Binitarian than Trinitarian in that they only ever addressed the two persons of the Father or the Son never the Holy Spirit as a separate third person. However, most Binitarian’s, and the leading Binitarian denomination, mistakenly take from this the false idea that the Holy Spirit is just Gods power or unction not His person itself. So they don’t interpret “spirit” in the normal way as involving persona. Binitarian’s won’t fall into the dangerous error warned about by Derek Prince, though, and  they won’t ascribe a third personality to the Holy Spirit or the Godhead. However, they fail to understand what a spirit is and who the Holy Spirit is. The Holy Spirit is more than just Gods power, He is the Spirit of both the Father and Son. The Holy Spirit does reveal His person to us but as the persons of the Father and the Son not as a third. Ironically, though, despite this hugest of errors within Binitarian teaching they are more likely to stick with scriptural practice of only ever addressing the Father or Son in prayer and worship. They are not, therefore, open to this particular avenue into deception, nor, though, are Trinitarians or Oneness Pentecostals if they also stick with scriptural practice.

xxviii) Trinitarian: Although the word “Trinity” doesn’t exist anywhere in the bible I agree with its Doctrine, it is just that since doing this study I don’t think it is wise to use its phrases “three (distinct) persons.” This is because of how easy it is to misunderstand those phrases, perceiving them as an image of three men, and then the tendency to attribute three personas/personalities to the Godhead when only two appear to be two recorded in scriptures, this then leading to the unbiblical practice of addressing prayer to a separate third unbiblical persona that is mistakenly attributed to just the Holy Spirit. Instead of men inventing phrases of their own I think a list of four or five scriptures would have been better, i.e. the words of God not men. Because I don’t think those phrases are adequate many may perhaps say I’m not a Trinitarian as those phrases are, after all, how many define a Trinitarian? So long as I stand in  the truth of scripture, though, I’m not really much concerned which man made category others may choose to put me in. When they are looked at from the correct and intended perspective those phrases are not wrong, it is just that they appear to have caused so much confusion that many no longer understand how the three are also one. I believe that this confusion is the result of replacing the scriptures with the words of man. This has to be addressed as it is now, in our charismatic era, giving the devil perhaps his greatest opportunity to birth deception.

xxix) The Triune Godhead: After discussing this issue with a friend he then prayed about it and thought that God was encouraging him to use the term “Triune” Godhead to describe his beliefs rather than continuing to use the term “Trinity.” Trinitarians believe in a Triune Godhead but it is a term that also extends beyond that. This term makes sense to me so that is how I would now describe my views.  I am then not then advocating the Trinitarian phrases “three (distinct) persons” which I believe are causing so much confusion and aren’t in the bible anyway.

xxx) The Council of Nicaea: I’m not a church historian or scholar, and there are those who have contended with this, but there are scholarly articles online that claim that at the Council of Nicaea, of  325, 10% of the Bishops that turned up adhered to the error of Arianianism, 15% were Trinitarians who adhered to the phrase “three persons,” and the remaining 75% whilst not being Trinitarian were what could also be described as believing in the Triune Godhead of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This may explain why the Trinitarian phrases “three persons” wasn’t included in either of the Two Nicene Creeds? If I’ve understood this correctly it wasn’t until the C5th that the Trinitarian phrases “three persons” and “three distinct persons” became official Doctrine within the Catholic Church, after the Trinitarian group of Bishops gained the ascendancy. They also accepted both of the Nicene Creeds as official Trinitarian Doctrine because they had helped create these, (at the Council of Nicaea, in 325, and the Council of Constantinople, in 381),  in unity with the larger group of Triune believing Bishops as they stood together against the errors of the Arian Bishops.  The point I’m making is that you can’t really get more orthodox than saying you believe in a Triune Godhead, even if this isn’t specifically Trinitarian, as most of the Catholic Bishops at those first Two Councils don’t appear to have adopted the phrase “three persons” themselves, and don’t appear to have identified as Trinitarian either, perhaps because of this.

xxxi) The Anabaptists and other non - Catholic groups: There are those, of course, who will ask why so many protestant groups drew their Doctrine from the Catholic Church anyway. Other groups such as the Anabaptists were also around from the C2nd onwards and would drew their Doctrine of the Godhead directly from the bible and never even consider using any phrases coined by Catholic Bishops or theologians instead.  Apart from being the biggest persecutor of bible believing Christians of all time, the Catholic Church has also been riddled with career clergy and internal battles for political control throughout its history. There have been good priests, Bishops and Popes but bad ones too. There was even a time soon after Constantine when the Arian group of Bishops gained power within the Catholic Church and which effectively led the entire Catholic Church into apostasy for a season by denying the deity of Christ.  It does seem rather strange that so many protestant churches have relied in its phrases “three (distinct) persons” as a result. I’m not suggesting those phrases wrong, they are just so confusing, perhaps because they attempt to condense a full knowledge of the Godhead down to just two or three words. This leaves a lot of ambiguity that the devil is able to exploit. Although I think the Nicene Creed is far better, and particularly good, why has there never been a list of scriptures used as well for Doctrine pertaining to the Godhead?

xxxii) A Roman Catholic Church tradition: There are those with a traditional belief within the Catholic Church who adhere to the teaching that the phrases “three (distinct) persons” were an advance on the revelation of the Godhead that God gave the N/T Apostles. This, therefore, elevates those phrases above the Epistles of the N/T, i.e. the words of men above the word of God. No one ever claimed those phrases were received directly from God, though, they were clearly the product of man’s intellect not a revelation from God and, either way, cannot have been an advance on scripture. This appears to parallel the way in which the Roman Catholic Church also elevates the words of its leaders and Popes as equal to those of the bible. 

“Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me,” (John 7:16).

 “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine,” (Acts 2:42). 

God is not the author of confusion,” (1 Cor 14; 33).

xxxiii) The man made analogies: From the “three (distinct) persons” perspective there is much confusion as to how God can be Three persons and yet also the One person of God. Some of the world’s supposedly greatest theologians claim to have understood this but their explanations never quite add up or make sense to me. These explanations are not found in the bible either. Furthermore, if are we to believe that the God has only revealed the nature of the Godhead to the top intellectual theologians and not to the humble and poor, who are perplexed by this that would contradict the teachings of Jesus Christ. Some of these theologians man made analogies attempt to explain the paradoxes that exist within the phrases “three (distinct) persons.” One well known example describes the Godhead as water, steam and ice. What right have we to declare that the Lord is like these things found within nature, though? God has said no such thing about Himself in His word.  Are we to liken God the Father or Jesus to ice and water, and is it OK to say that the Holy Spirit is like steam?  This just doesn’t seem right to me. Another well-known analogy likens God to three fingers on a hand and the palm of the hand is said to be what unites them. However, this still fails to explain how the Three are One. Some claim the palm is the “substance” of God, another idea of man arising from the early Catholic Church with no foundation in scripture. There is nothing in the bible about a substance of God. This is extra biblical doctrine, created to back up man-made phrases because they don’t quite add up or provide enough information on the Godhead themselves. These analogies are not in the bible and, therefore, carry no spiritual authority within the Kingdom of God.  We have no need for them anyway as the bible explains everything we need to know about the Godhead.

xxxiv) Avoiding deception: God the Holy Spirit reveals Himself in person form as the Father or the Son not as anybody else. If we want to pray to the person of the Holy Spirit then we have two choices, we can pray to the Father or the Son, there are no other person forms of God the Holy Spirit for us to direct our communications to. When we realise this we won’t then fall into the trap of addressing an unbiblical person of god, one that has an invented, non- existent, third persona/personality of God. Addressing prayer or worship to an imaginary, unbiblical form of God will open us to deception and a counterfeit of the real Holy Spirit who appears in person form as the Father or the Son, not as anybody else. No matter what form of words we choose to use, (for e.g. “person of the holy spirit”), this separate person version of the “holy spirit” does not exist. It is not the Holy Spirit described in the bible.

“prove [test] all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thess 5. 21).

xxxv) Conclusion: So in this article I am arguing that the man-made phrases “three (distinct) persons” can inadvertently encourage some to have an erroneous three separate person’s view of the “Holy Spirit.” We see this reflected in the image of three men in Fig1. This then encourages the false idea that the Holy Spirit operates as separate person with a separate persona/personality to those of The Father and Son’s. This is the same as claiming that my spirit operates as a separate person with a separate personality to me. The bible doesn’t appear to describe any such version of the Holy Spirit. Instead the scriptures describes the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of both the Father and the Son, not a third separate person to them. The Father and Son are the two persons the Holy Spirit reveals Himself as. This then explains why whenever someone in the bible wanted to direct prayer to the person of the Holy Spirit they always addressed either the Father or the Son never anyone else. The Father and Son are the only two person forms of God the Holy Spirit for us to address. If we address prayer to a third, (that doesn’t appear to exist in scripture), we are not then praying to the God of the bible at all. We will then open up to a counterfeit “holy spirit” from the devil instead. Quiet conveniently this also solves the puzzle of “how the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are also One.” The confusion surrounding the Godhead disappears when we get back to a scripture only perspective, free from the non-biblical man- made phrases. This is controversial but I would suggest that it was maybe arrogant of theologians to believe that they could improve upon scripture and make their own words the centre of the Doctrine on the Godhead instead, (?). It is perhaps not surprising that the Catholic Church would have done this, though, since they went on to elevate the words of their Popes as equal to scripture too.

“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine,” (Acts 2; 41), i.e. of the N/T apostles, not in the latter words of their C2nd or C5th religious leaders doctrine.  

Throughout most of history the majority of Christians appear to have observed this issue of the Godhead mostly from an intellectual perspective. In our post charismatic era, though, the majority of believers are now keen to move in the gifts and anointing of the Holy Spirit themselves. It is now all the more important that we don’t fall into the snare of opening to a counterfeit “holy spirit” through a misunderstanding of the Godhead and the role and nature of the Holy Spirit within this. The key, I believe, is to move back to relying directly on a list of scriptures that describe the Godhead rather than on man’s interpretation of these verses expressed in none biblical words instead. Jesus surely exemplified this practice by quoting directly from scripture when standing against the devils cunning in the desert. Even Jesus didn’t sum up the bible by using alternative words that weren’t actual in the bible itself as the church has been doing historically.  When we rely directly on scripture itself I am arguing that our understanding of the Godhead and the nature and role of His Holy Spirit is simple and easy to understand. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit shared by both the Father and the Son not an alternative person to them. I am using these two scriptures as the main proofs that the Father and Son share, and are of, the same Holy Spirit.

"the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you," (Matt 10; 20). 

God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts," (Gal 4:6).

So the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of both the Father and the Son. As their Spirit He shares in and is the source of their two personas/personalities. Like Derek Prince I can’t find any evidence in the bible of the Holy Spirit ever operating separately with a third, alternative persona/personality to theirs.  Instead that is surely the identity of the counterfeit “holy spirit” sent by the enemy to deceive and lead us astray.  

S. Dobbs, updated, 27th Jan 2021.

* I have not studied the issue relating to Melchizedek, or the Angel of the Lord, the man who fought with Jacob and put his hip out of joint, or the man who appeared with two Angels and ate with Abraham before those Angels were sent to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. I have heard some Messianic Christian scholars claim that these are also cases of God appearing as persons which contradicts the idea of a Trinity. Others say these were Jesus appearing in temporary person forms, in the same way as angels can sometimes do but I don’t really have an opinion as I haven’t looked into this. If this were the case I guess, though, that it could perhaps be a case of the Holy Spirit revealing Himself with another alternative personality, other than those of the Father or Sons. God may have only temporarily appeared in these forms by His Spirit as angels sometimes temporarily appear in physical form as if men on earth. Whether Melchizedek, still exists with a body in heaven or not I do not know, (see Gen 14; 18 – 20, and Hebrews Ch 7; 1 - 10). Either way no one is suggesting that we start addressing prayer or worship to Melchizedek. Neither is anyone suggesting that the alternative separate person of the “holy spirit” they are attempting to address is Melchizedek, so this doesn’t really become relevant to this article. Some Messianic Christians do, however, use these examples as a way of challenging the idea of a “Trinity.” I adhere to the idea of a Triune Godhead, though, since the N/T appears to suggest a Godhead of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with these other issues being unclear and somewhat mysterious and, therefore, easy to misunderstand so I think we should stick with orthodox N/T Christianity and doctrine. If God were appearing in these other forms, as these other persons, though, then it would be Gods Spirit revealing Himself in these ways. There still would not be an extra person of the “Holy Spirit” who was separate to them, who had an alternative persona/personality to theirs or the Father and Sons since no such person of the Holy Spirit is mentioned in the bible as far as I can see. Praying to an alternative, separate version of the “holy spirit,” would still not be biblical, therefore, and would still open to a counterfeit just as Derek Prince warned.

My Statement of Faith: I believe that God is the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God Himself, Gods Spirit, not just Gods power or unction. The Father Son and Holy Spirit are all distinct, i.e. different in some ways, from one another. All Trinitarian teachers will agree, though, that they are not three separate persons, and that the Holy Spirit is not a separate person to the Father or the Son. As you can see I am not advocating the Oneness Doctrine as someone wrongly assumed. The following scripture proves that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit can, at times, all be made present to us at the same time, which disproves the Oneness Doctrine:

and the Holy Ghost  descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, [Jesus] and a voice came from heaven, [i.e. the Fathers voice came at the same time] which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased,” (Luke 3: 22). So on this occasion all three were present together at the same time.

 

 

 

Powered by Church Edit