H. H. Snell
At a Bible reading some time ago the question was asked, "Where is the devil?" Someone immediately replied, "In hell," And when another question was asked, "Where is the Holy. Spirit?" the answer given was, "In heaven." Now it need scarcely be said that neither of these answers was correct.
The fact is that persons, even Christians, are often accustomed to think and speak about spiritual things without considering what the real truth is, as revealed by God in His Word. As a result, the most unscriptural and extraordinary notions are widely circulated, which are not only wrong, but sometimes dead against the truth of God.
As to Satan, he is not yet shut up, but he will be. Instead of being under confinement, he is going to and fro in the earth. He is not omnipresent, but "walking up and down in it." Peter says, "Your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (I Peter 5:8). Yes, he is still "the accuser of our brethren," which deceives the whole world and "the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.”
A Divine Person
As to the Holy Spirit, though He is a divine Person and therefore everywhere present, yet nothing is more clearly revealed in Scripture than that He came down and took up His abode in God's people on earth on the clay of Pentecost to abide with us forever. And the more we search the Scriptures on the subject, the more we shall be assured that the gift of the Holy Spirit, consequent upon an accomplished redemption, is a characteristic truth of Christianity.
Is it any wonder, then, that it should be so perverted and denied by our subtle adversary? Is it not
most distressing to hear of some denying that He is God, of others praying that He may be sent down? There are others pleading for a greater measure of the Spirit, a fresh baptism and a Pentecostal blessing. All these points and many more concerning the Godhead, personality, indwelling and operations of the Holy Spirit we hope briefly to consider. But we are assured that most of the other errors arise from not knowing Him as a divine Person, coequal with the Father and the Son.
In the verse at the beginning of this article, lie is distinctly and unmistakably called God and a Person capable of being lied to. Hence He is sometimes called "the Spirit of God," and the things of God knows no man but "the Spirit of God." He is "the eternal Spirit." Before the earth and the heavens were formed. the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the chaotic waters, and we are told that "by His Spirit He bath garnished the heavens" (Job 26:1313By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent. (Job 26:13)). Who could be truthfully said to be "eternal" but "the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity"?
Eternal
Is not eternal one of the attributes of the Godhead? In truest harmony with His Godhead qualities, and coequal with, and acting together with the Father and the Son, He is called "the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father," and also "the Spirit of His Son" Cohn 15:26; Gal. 4:66And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. (Galatians 4:6)). Besides, the Spirit is constantly called holy which is a term emphatically applied to God: "I am holy" (I Peter 1:16).
Again we read in 2 Peter 1:2121For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (2 Peter 1:21) concerning the Old Testament scriptures that "holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." Paul also declared, "Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet." and yet we are told that it was "the Lord God of Israel" who "spake by the mouth of His holy prophets." In Isaiah it says that it was the Lord (Adonahy, Lord in plurality of persons) who gave him the word to say. Is it possible to have clearer testimony to the Godhead of the Holy Spirit?
Omnipresent
We read, too, of His omnipresence, "Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? if I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: it I make my bed in hell [hales], behold, Thou art there. If 1 take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me; and Thy right hand shall hold me" (Psa. 139:7-107Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 9If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. (Psalm 139:7‑10)). His omnipresence is further shown by His dwelling in every child of God all over the earth, and giving to each, in every part of the globe, access unto the Father through the Son. "Because ye arc sons, God bath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father" (Gal. 4:66And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. (Galatians 4:6)). And again, "For through Him we both "believing Jews and Gentiles] have access by one Spirit unto the Father" (Eph. 2:1818For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. (Ephesians 2:18)).
His omnipresence is also clearly set forth in Scripture where we are told that "the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God" (1 Cor. 2:1010But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10)). Who but a divine Person could search the deep things of God? Again, who would be competent to teach all things, unless he knew all things?
Omnipotent
His omnipotence is constantly witnessed in raising sinners, dead in trespasses and sins, into spiritual life, as it will be when "He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Rom. 8:1111But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. (Romans 8:11)). Who but One who is Almighty could take of the things of Christ and show them to every child of God, and help to minister the truth by even- gifted servant of the Lord continually? Who but one of Godhead qualities could be said to abide with us forever, to guide into all the truth and to bring all things to our remembrance, whatsoever Jesus had said? And of whom could it be said but of one acting in conjunction with the Father and the Son, "All things that the Father hath are Mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto you" (John 16;15)?
Sovereign
Sovereign actions are further characteristics of "the only wise God," who acts according to the good pleasure of His will. It was the Holy Spirit who said, "Separate Me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto l have called them.... So the being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed" (Acts 13:2, 42As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. (Acts 13:2)
4So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. (Acts 13:4)). Again, they "were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia.... They assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not" (Acts 16:6-76Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, 7After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. (Acts 16:6‑7)).
In relation to certain spiritual gifts, they are distributed by the Spirit's sovereignty. "To one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit.... But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him" (I Cor. 12:8-9, 18).
We trust that enough Scripture testimony has been brought forward to show the Godhead of the Holy Spirit, so that we can easily understand why those who had connected themselves with God's assembly and had said what was false were spoken of as having lied not to men but to God. For before this, the Holy Spirit had come down, and the assembly was the habitation of God through the Spirit.