The Holy Ghost

[Blackwater]

What is your concept of the Holy Ghost?

IMO, and that's all it is really, I believe it's a little part of Christ that He left behind after ascending into Heaven, to help us, and maybe to protect us sometimes, and to speak to us when we need to be spoken to.

But what's your take on it?

[Winger Ed.]

That's where I am.
And couldn't have explained it any better.

[00buck]

I’ll go along with that

[Bazoo]

Pretty close to how I believe but I couldn't have explained it.

[Ickisrulz]

The Holy Spirit is a separate person from God the Father and God the Son. He is not a part of Christ that he left behind.

Remember the baptism of Jesus. Jesus was baptized, God the Father Spoke from heaven and the Holy Spirit descended on the Son. The Holy Spirit is always spoken of as a separate member of the Godhead in the Bible.

His mission is discussed throughout the New Testament and is pretty straight forward. Start looking at what Jesus said about sending a Comforter and go from there.

[Hickory]

What is your concept of the Holy Ghost?

IMO, and that's all it is really, I believe it's a little part of Christ that He left behind after ascending into Heaven, to help us, and maybe to protect us sometimes, and to speak to us when we need to be spoken to.

But what's your take on it?

Not much different than your understanding.

[1hole]

First, the "Holy Ghost" is a defective KJV translation that should have been "Holy Spirit" - as it is in other versions. A spirit is the eternally conscious part of sentient men who are made in the triune image (body, soul, spirit) of almighty God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Thus, the Holy Spirit is not a half God or some kind of nebulous "power", he is just as individual and fully co-equal, eternally existing, omnipotent and omniscient as God the Father and God the Son; he could not be God nor any part of God unless that is true!

Second, a "ghost" is the disembodied life force/soul of a dead human. The Holy Spirit has never been a human and he has obviously never died so he is not and never has been any kind of ghost in any proper sense of the word.

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity; individually they are God, together they are God. Don't try to reconcile that with human logic. God is God so he can do and does do things as he wishes, and he's not nearly as limited and simplistic as some humans think.

[dverna]

The Holy Spirit is a separate person from God the Father and God the Son. He is not a part of Christ that he left behind.

Remember the baptism of Jesus. Jesus was baptized, God the Father Spoke from heaven and the Holy Spirit descended on the Son. The Holy Spirit is always spoken of as a separate member of the Godhead in the Bible.

His mission is discussed throughout the New Testament and is pretty straight forward. Start looking at what Jesus said about sending a Comforter and go from there.

As usual....a good explanation.

[dtknowles]

There is but one God, the creator of the Universe. Anything that came later is not God.

Tim

[GhostHawk]

Well in my mind, until it is changed by the LORD. The Holy Spirit is a female aspect of the trinity that lives within us, connects us to GOD. Can often help us stay on the path.

When the Lord called me he spent 3 days bringing up memories of past pain. Got me to examine them again as an adult.
Pushed me into seeing the person who caused that pain through Jesus's eyes. See the pain that person was in. And forgive them.

And once my heart was washed clean, purified, the Holy Spirit came to dwell. It has its ways of letting us know we just stepped off the path. It is time to back up, find the path, listen. Get straightened out and continue our journey.

In my case the Holy Spirit has been watching me communicate here. Some threads as I see them almost disappear from my sight. And I hear a whisper "nothing you can do there, move along"

Other threads its like the thread title is in bold, almost glowing. "Do your stuff kid, you can help people here, get to it"

At times I find I have written pages and have no real memory of doing so. And the stuff that I wrote is better than I can write.
I suspect many here think that I am better than I truly am. Because of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes I am given messages or knowledge to pass on. This is scary stuff to me, I am messing with peoples loved ones and their lives.

Overall I would say that it has been a huge influence in my life. A positive one.

But you need to have a clean heart, hold no ill feelings or grudges, and I think it helps to stay humble.

[frkelly74]

The Creed of Athanasius Written against the Arians.
Whoever desires to be saved must, above all, hold the catholic* faith.
Whoever does not keep it whole and undefiled will without doubt perish eternally.

And the catholic* faith is this,
that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance.

For the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Holy Spirit is another.
But the Godhead of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.

Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit:
the Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, the Holy Spirit uncreated;
the Father infinite, the Son infinite, the Holy Spirit infinite;
the Father eternal, the Son eternal, the Holy Spirit eternal.
And yet there are not three Eternals, but one Eternal,
just as there are not three Uncreated or three Infinites, but one Uncreated and one Infinite.
In the same way, the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, the Holy Spirit almighty;
and yet there are not three Almighties but one Almighty.

So the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God;
and yet there are not three Gods, but one God.
So the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord;
and yet there are not three Lords, but one Lord.
Just as we are compelled by the Christian truth to acknowledge each distinct person as God and Lord, so also are we prohibited by the catholic* religion to say that there are three Gods or Lords.

The Father is not made nor created nor begotten by anyone. The Son is neither made nor created, but begotten of the Father alone.
The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son, neither made nor created nor begotten but proceeding. Thus, there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
And in this Trinity none is before or after another; none is greater or less than another;
but the whole three persons are coeternal with each other and coequal so that in all things, as has been stated above, the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity is to be worshiped.
Therefore, whoever desires to be saved must think thus about the Trinity.

But it is also necessary for everlasting salvation that one faithfully believe the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, it is the right faith that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is at the same time both God and man.
He is God, begotten from the substance of the Father before all ages; and He is man, born from the substance of His mother in this age: perfect God and perfect man, composed of a rational soul and human flesh; equal to the Father with respect to His divinity, less than the Father with respect to His humanity.

Although He is God and man, He is not two, but one Christ:
one, however, not by the conversion of the divinity into flesh but by the assumption of the humanity into God;
one altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person.
For as the rational soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ,

who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again on the third day from the dead,
ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, from whence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
At His coming all people will rise again with their bodies and give an account concerning their own deeds. And those who have done good will enter into eternal life, and those who have done evil into eternal fire.

This is the catholic* faith; whoever does not believe it faithfully and firmly cannot be saved.

* catholic = universal

© 2009, Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions, Second Edition, Concordia Publishing House.

Date and purpose of the Athanasian Creed
The Athanasian Creed is the third and longest of the three Creeds. It is not named after its author, but after Athanasius, who was instrumental in writing the Nicene Creed in 325 AD.

The Athanasian Creed probably originated in Gaul (modern day France) in the 6th or 7th century. It sums up in short theses and antitheses the doctrine of the Trinity—completely excluding Unitarianism, which denies Jesus and the Holy Spirit as true God, and Tritheism, which is the idea that there are three gods. The second half of the creed clearly sums up the doctrine that Jesus is true God and true man in one Person. Luther thought this creed was the grandest production of the Church since the times of the Apostles.



My Note: catholic in this sense, used with a small c, means universal as in universal church, and is not necessarily indicative of the Catholic Church with the Pope at the head of it.

[.429&H110]

Was patiently explained to me the Trinity is like ice-water-steam.
All same all different.
God is ice, solid, cannot be moved.
Jesus is water, dissolves anything, even hard hearts.
Holy Spirit is steam, invisible, everywhere, can push a train.

Poor example perhaps, but works for me.
Who made all this water, anyway?

[Ickisrulz]

Was patiently explained to me the Trinity is like ice-water-steam.
All same all different.
God is ice, solid, cannot be moved.
Jesus is water, dissolves anything, even hard hearts.
Holy Spirit is steam, invisible, everywhere, can push a train.

Poor example perhaps, but works for me.
Who made all this water, anyway?

Your illustration suggests God is one person who changes personalities. The Bible states that "God" (the Godhead) is made up of three individual people. It is better to think of "God" as a company or family.

While each member of the Trinity has the attributes of God, each person has a unique role and relationship to the others.

[frkelly74]

When I was in catechism class the pastor went over and over the trinity which is explained in the Anathasian Creed I posted above. His position was/is that when you come to the conclusion that you can not possibly understand how a being can be One person and Three persons, all simultaneously, then is when you begin to understand. It is an article of faith.

[Teddy (punchie)]

First in Genesis you will see We. Its a plural not singular in any way.

God in heaven the farther (Jehovah) then who are the we, the rest of the Old Testament explains basically who and what of the Coming Of Jesus the Christ (savoir, son, and many other names) ""Jesus"" is and was sent to save us. Setup his Church, we are not talking about a building. Some think that Jesus is a Servant, like a angel he is not. Angels are a foot soldier, or a servant of God if you will. Now to the spirit, Holy Spirit did spirit Leave ""Jesus"" did the Spirit come to ""Jesus"" So for lack of a better way to explain it the active force of God. You will not hear me compare, judge or give more power to one over the other. For in the way I understand things, they are the We Plural in Genesis.

Pray to God using Jesus. Believe and follow the best you can. Repent, Confess and Get baptized as Jesus did. Remember is not works that saves you its (grace he gives) you believing in God and his word (another name for ""Jesus"") and listening to him like a father. Be ready for when he (the Son returns) shouts as the trump for all to hear, you better know when he is calling. Many will hear and not listen for they will not understand the calling.

Look up Sheep, Goats
Golden Rule
What a Angel is
Different between man and woman.
Praying aloud or in quiet.
Humble
Meek
Saved
Christ
Church

God Bless,

Have a Great Weekend.

Teddy

.....

[Der Gebirgsjager]

My opinion on this is quite different from the majority. First I do not believe in the Trinity. There is God, the Father, and Christ, the Son. The holy spirit is the power of God. Referring to the Bible, scriptures provided on request, it tells that the spirit/power of God would overshadow Mary and that she would conceive, the result being the birth of Christ. I've never read anywhere in the Bible that Christ was the son of the holy spirit. Quite the contrary, there are many references to Christ as being the Son of God. God himself spoke from heaven and said, "This is my son in whom I am well pleased. Christ said, "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father." And, "I go to the Father." When we are baptized we are given a small bit of the power of God's spirit, and that is the true holy spirit. The Trinity was not recognized in the time of the Apostles, Disciples, nor by the 1st Century Christians. As noted in a post above, it came along later, a creation of the clergy. There is a Holy Spirit. You have a bit of it, I have a bit of it, so do all who have accepted Christ and been baptized in his name. But--it is not a separate entity.

DG

[Blackwater]

I was hoping you'd respond Ick. Thanks. I've got some considering to do, I think. Oh! And BTW, when I said the Holy Spirit was like a part of Christ that He left behind, I meant a separate entity, that was at one time part of Christ, but separated out to help us poor mortals deal with our foibles and frailties. But that was completely of my own creation, in an effort to understand. I think I like your explanation better?

[jakemo]

Some really good comments here. What no one seems to mention here is the power of the Holy Spirit. In his initial post, Blackwater said, that the Holy Spirit was a 'little' part of Jesus. As others have said, they believe (and I agree) that he's equal in 'stature' to God the Father and to Jesus and from what I've experienced in my Christian walk He is very powerful and I could never imagine using the word 'little' to describe Him.

[dtknowles]

Some really good comments here. What no one seems to mention here is the power of the Holy Spirit. In his initial post, Blackwater said, that the Holy Spirit was a 'little' part of Jesus. As others have said, they believe (and I agree) that he's equal in 'stature' to God the Father and to Jesus and from what I've experienced in my Christian walk He is very powerful and I could never imagine using the word 'little' to describe Him.

"He is very powerful and I could never imagine using the word 'little' to describe Him" do you mean those pronouns as you use them or is it you are uncomfortable with gender neutral pronouns like it or they? Do you consider the "Holy Spirit" and or God to be male? Could you even consider the idea that the "Holy Spirit" might be the feminine side of God?

One of the challenges of Christianity is that is strongly Patriarchal. The role of women in Christian life is constrained. This problem stretches across all the Abrahamic Religions. Jews and Muslims have the same challenge.

Patriarchy is going the way of the Dinosaurs.

Tim

[1hole]

...Patriarchy is going the way of the Dinosaurs.

I can't help but wonder if you're married and, if so, who is the head of your household?