The Holy Ghost

The Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit are two names for the same entity. There are people who have become confused as to who or what the Holy Ghost is.

Here is what God has revealed in His Word as to who and what the Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit is. I have listed all the texts where the Holy Ghost/Spirit is referenced. Holy Ghost appears 89 times but only in the New Testament and Holy Spirit appears 7 times. 3 times in the Old Testament and 4 times in the New Testament (KJV). I have only quoted here those I deem relevant to this study, but I would suggest you look them all up when you have time.

Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Matthew 12:31, 32 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

Mark 3:29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:

Luke 12:10 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.

Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Luke 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

Luke 4:1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.

Luke 12:12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Acts 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

Acts 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

1 Corinthians 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

2 Peter 1:21 For 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.

1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

Pslams 51:11, Isaiah 63:10, 11, 1 Thessalonians 4:8, Matthew 1:18, Matthew 1:20, Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Mark 12:36, Mark 13:11, Luke 1:15, Luke 1:35, Luke 1:41, Luke 1:67, Luke 2:25, 26, Luke 3:16, John 1:33, John 7:39, John 20:22, Acts 1:2, Acts 1:5, Acts 1:8, Acts 1:16, Acts 2:33, Acts 2:38, Acts 4:31, Acts 6:3, Acts 6:5, Acts 7:51, Acts 7:55, Acts 8:15-19, Acts 9:17, Acts 9:31, Acts 10:38, Acts 10:44-47, Acts 11:15, 16, Acts 11:24, Acts 13:2-4, Acts 13:9, Acts 13:52, Acts 15:8, Acts 15:28, Acts 16:6, Acts 19:2, Acts 19:6, Acts 20:23, Acts 20:28, Acts 21:11, Acts 28:25, Romans 5:5, Romans 9:1, Romans 14:17, Romans 15:13, Romans 15:16, 1 Corinthians 2:13, 2 Corinthians 6:6, 1 Thessalonians 1:5, 6, 2 Timothy 1:14, Hebrews 2:4, Hebrews 3:7, 8, Hebrews 6:4-6, Hebrews 9:8, Hebrews 10:15, 1 Peter 1:12, Jude 1:20.

After reading these Bible references it should be obvious that the Holy Ghost is an individual with thoughts, feelings and emotions, like any other intelligent being - a proper noun, not an adjective describing God's spirit. This false belief tries to make the case that the Holy Ghost is only a quality of God with no specific role. No, the Holy Ghost has a very important role in our salvation. If it were an adjective, then verses like Luke 3:22 and Luke 4:1 would not make sense. Jesus would be descending upon himself or Jesus would be filled with himself. We know that Jesus was not filled and controlled by self. He said, "I do nothing of myself." He was filled and empowered by the Holy Ghost - an entity entirely separate from Himself and the Father, the third person of the Godhead.

Ellen G. White also makes this very clear.
"It is not the words of the Bible that are inspired, but the men that were inspired. Inspiration acts not on the man's words or his expressions but on the man himself, who, under the influence of the Holy Ghost, is imbued with thoughts. But the words receive the impress of the individual mind. The divine mind is diffused. The divine mind and will is combined with the human mind and will; thus the utterances of the man are the word of God." Manuscript 24, 1886 (written in Europe in 1886). Selected Messages, Vol. 1, p. 21

"Christ determined to bestow a gift on those who had been with Him and on those who should believe on Him, because this was the occasion of His ascension and inauguration, a jubilee in heaven. What gift could Christ bestow rich enough to signalize and grace His ascension to the mediatorial throne? It must be worthy of His greatness and His royalty. Christ gave His representative, the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit. This Gift could not be excelled." CTr 301

"Personality of the Holy Spirit.--We need to realize that the Holy Spirit, who is as much a person as God is a person, is walking through these grounds." Manuscript 66, 1899. (From a talk to the students at the Avondale School.)

"The Holy Spirit is a person, for He beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God. When this witness is borne, it carries with it its own evidence. At such times we believe and are sure that we are the children of God. . . .

The Holy Spirit has a personality, else He could not bear witness to our spirits and with our spirits that we are the children of God. He must also be a divine person else He could not search out the secrets which lie hidden in the mind of God. "For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." Manuscript 20, 1906.

"The Power of God in the Third Person.--The prince of the power of evil can only be held in check by the power of God in the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit." Special Testimonies, Series A, No. 10, p. 37. (1897)

"In Co-operation With the Three Highest Powers.-- We are to co-operate with the three highest powers in heaven,--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, --and these powers will work through us, making us workers together with God." Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, p. 51. (1905) Evangelism p. 616, 617

During Christ's ministry He made it very clear (see Matthew 12:31, 32 and Luke 12:10) that there were three individuals that made up the God-head. He told us in these verses that if we were to ever speak against himself or the Father that it could be forgiven, but warned us that if we were to speak against (blaspheme) the Holy Ghost that it would not be forgiven. (Denying the existence of the Holy Ghost is speaking against or blaspheming the Holy Ghost). Why couldn't this be forgiven? Think a moment. It is the Holy Ghost who speaks to our conscience. It is He who convicts us of sin and gives us repentance. If we deny His existence then there is no one to convict us and give us repentance, right? We would not feel guilty. We should be so glad for the Holy Spirit. We need to feel our need for repentance and ask for forgiveness so God can forgive and cleanse us of our sin. The warning of Jesus should be a no-brainer. Speaking against the Holy Ghost is a sin that can't be forgiven.

Those who try to convince you that there is no Holy Ghost will tell you that the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy have been rewritten to create a third person in the God-head or the Trinity, and that it was never in the original text of either. This would have been a monumental task since the concept goes all through the New Testament. All the existing manuscripts would have had to have been altered - an impossible task. And then to think that someone in our recent history got access to the Spirit of Prophecy books, written relatively recently, and rewrote them? That would require a huge cover-up operation. But this is what they claim and they expect us to believe that God would stand by and allow alteration of His Word? If these individuals are right, then that small of a god would not impress me. No, He is able to keep truth intact for generations. We do not need to be swayed by this weak argument. We can trust Him. I fully believe God can and has protected His Word and that no one has changed it to the place where any important truth has been changed or lost, such as the existence of an individual called the Holy Ghost. His role in our salvation, as with Jesus and God the Father, is paramount. We simply cannot be saved without His part being played out in our lives. It is the Holy Ghost who empowers us to live out the Christian life and gain the victory over sin.

God Bless...

2 Timothy 2:15