Topical Bible: The Holy Spirit: is God: As the Witness

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Topical Encyclopedia

The Holy Spirit, as the third person of the Holy Trinity, is fully God and serves as a divine witness to the truth of God’s Word and the work of Jesus Christ. The role of the Holy Spirit as a witness is integral to the understanding of His divine nature and function within the Godhead.

Scriptural Basis

The Holy Spirit's role as a witness is clearly articulated in the New Testament. In the Gospel of John, Jesus promises the coming of the Holy Spirit, who will testify about Him: "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—He will testify about Me" (John 15:26). This passage underscores the Holy Spirit's role in bearing witness to Christ, affirming His identity and mission.

In the Acts of the Apostles, the Holy Spirit is depicted as a witness to the resurrection of Jesus. Peter, addressing the Sanhedrin, declares, "We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him" (Acts 5:32). Here, the Holy Spirit is presented as a co-witness with the apostles, validating the truth of the resurrection and the apostolic testimony.

Theological Implications

The Holy Spirit's witness is not merely passive but active and dynamic, involving the conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Jesus explains this function in John 16:8-11: "And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because they do not believe in Me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world has been condemned" . The Holy Spirit's witness thus involves a transformative work in the hearts of individuals, leading them to faith and repentance.

The Spirit's Witness in Believers

The Holy Spirit also bears witness within the hearts of believers, affirming their identity as children of God. Paul writes in Romans 8:16, "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children" . This internal witness provides assurance of salvation and the believer's adoption into God's family, highlighting the intimate and personal nature of the Holy Spirit's testimony.

The Spirit and the Scriptures

The Holy Spirit's witness extends to the inspiration and illumination of the Scriptures. As the divine author of the Bible, the Holy Spirit ensures the truthfulness and reliability of the biblical text. Peter affirms this in 2 Peter 1:21: "For no prophecy was ever brought about through human initiative, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" . The Spirit's role in inspiring Scripture underscores His divine authority and the trustworthiness of the biblical witness.

Conclusion

The Holy Spirit, as God, functions as a witness to the truth of Jesus Christ, the reality of the resurrection, and the authenticity of the Scriptures. His witness is both external, through the testimony of the apostles and the written Word, and internal, through the conviction and assurance given to believers. This multifaceted role of the Holy Spirit as a witness is essential to the Christian faith, affirming the truth of the Gospel and the believer's relationship with God.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Hebrews 10:15
Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 John 5:9
If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he has testified of his Son.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Greek

4102. pistis -- faith, faithfulness
... Nothing quite like this two-fold witness appears elsewhere ... we hold faith to be the
knowledge of God's will toward ... a thing wrought in us by the Holy Spirit" (Wm ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4102.htm - 18k

Library

The Internal Witness of the Holy Spirit
... He that believeth on the Son of God, hath the ... he openly attributes to the power of
the Holy Ghost the ... boast of the revelation of the Spirit, who, nevertheless ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 1/9 the internal witness of.htm

The Holy Spirit.
... He still bears witness in the word of God that has come down to us in the Holy
Scriptures, and those who resist this word "resist the Spirit." While he aids in ...
/.../johnson/the new testament commentary vol iii john/the holy spirit.htm

On Grieving the Holy Spirit
... "The Spirit of God beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of
God." And in ... carefully to the secret operation of the Holy Spirit within us ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 138 on grieving the.htm

He Brings Forward the Witness of God the Father to the Divinity of ...
... He is God, and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Him ... in honour of its Lord: nor
would the Holy Ghost have ... For us God the Father Himself is a sufficiently ...
/.../cassian/the seven books of john cassian /chapter xvi he brings forward.htm

The Witness of the Spirit
... to us is, that we are the children of God. ... of this testimony is, "the fruit of the
Spirit;" namely, "love ... in a word, by whatever grieves the holy Spirit of God. ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 11 the witness of.htm

Whitsuntide the Work of the Holy Spirit.
... [120]Anon. Holy Spirit, once again. ... Make us ever Thine abode; So shall Spirit, joy,
and light. ... Witness in our hearts that God. Counts us children through His Son, ...
/.../lyra germanica second series the christian life/whitsuntide the work of the.htm

The Witness of the Spirit
... art thou partaker of the Holy Ghost. It is consequently as certain and as evident,
as the Oracles of God can make it, his Spirit doth not bear witness with thy ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 10 the witness of.htm

The Witness of Our Own Spirit
... rejoice, yea, and will rejoice, because my conscience beareth me witness in the ... I
both see and feel, through the inspiration of God's Holy Spirit, that all my ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 12 the witness of.htm

The Personality of the Holy Spirit.
... into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Here the Holy Spirit is represented ... our
hearts, who bears witness together with our spirit that we are sons of God. ...
/.../torrey/the person and work of the holy spirit/chapter i the personality of.htm

The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit
... The Holy Spirit is "the Spirit of adoption" which God puts into our hearts, by which
we know that we are His children. The Spirit bears witness to this great ...
/.../evans/the great doctrines of the bible/the doctrine of the holy.htm