The Deity of the Spirit
In this post I would like to take a further look at the Holy Spirit, and in particular His divinity.
First, He is called the Spirit of God (Rom 8:9), the Spirit of the LORD (Isaiah 11:2, Acts 5:9), and the Spirit of Christ (1Peter 1:11, Gal 4:6).
In the account of Annanias and Sapphira, Peter asked him why he lied to the Holy Spirit, and then tells him that he has not lied to men but to God (Acts 5:3-4).In Hebrews 3:7-11 we see the Holy Spirit was provoked by the Israelites in the wilderness. In Numbers 14 we read of the refusal to enter the promised land, and how the LORD was the one angered by this (Numbers 14:11), and His subsequent refusal to allow them to enter in. Compare also Isaiah 6:8-10 with Acts 28:25-27, where it is shown that the LORD in Isaiah's passage is the Spirit in the Acts quotation. Likewise we read that the Scriptures are inspired by God, but we also see that it is the Holy Spirit who moved men in this process, equating the Spirit with God (2Tim 3:16, 2Peter 1:20-21). These accounts serve to show us that the Holy Spirit is indeed equated with God in the scriptures.
As Christians we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, the dwelling place of the presence of God. This is true of us as individuals, and also corporately as the body of Christ when we come together. Who but God can claim a temple to be worshipped in? Likewise we believe that Christ dwells in our hearts by faith, but in truth this is accomplished by the presence of the Holy Spirit filling the temple's of those who believe (1Cor 6:19, Eph 2:19-22, 2Tim 1:14) 1Peter 2:4-5, Eph 3:16-17).
As further proof of the Holy Spirit's divinity we see that He shares the attributes of God in that He is omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-10), omniscience (1Cor 2:9-16), omnipotence ( Luke 5:17, Eph 3:16-20, Romans 8:11), was at creation (Gen 1:2, Job 33:4), and is eternal (Hebrews 9:14).
And finally the Holy Spirit's work in regeneration or the new birth as seen in John 3:5-7, and Titus 3:4-7.
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