[Note: The following is based on The eternal Godhead by Dr Barry Harker]
Our critics believe that the bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is Christ himself. Let's take a closer look and let's see whether our critics teaching make any biblical sense:
Our critics believe that the bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is Christ himself. Let's take a closer look and let's see whether our critics teaching make any biblical sense:
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.
If the Holy Spirit is Christ himself then the consequences of speaking against Christ or the the Holy Spirit should be the same!!!
If the Holy Spirit is Christ himself then the consequences of speaking against Christ or the the Holy Spirit should be the same!!!
John 16:13 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself;
In these passages, Christ is speaking and He applies the personal pronoun to the Holy Spirit. This confirms that Christ is recognizing the Holy Spirit as a distinct person, separate from Himself.
Notice also John 16:13: “for he shall not speak of himself.”
If “he” actually refers to Christ, rather than the Holy Spirit, then it makes the statement contradictory. If “he” refers to Christ, then it is saying that Christ (“he”) will not speak of Christ (“himself/myself”), however the rest of the verse says that the Holy Spirit communicates what “He” hears and, in verse 14, glorifies Christ.
If Christ is really the Holy Spirit, how can Christ not speak of Himself but still glorify Himself? Thus, the construction of John 16:13 and 14 demands a distinction between Christ and the Holy Spirit.
John 15:26 “But when the Comforter (Christ) is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he (I) shall testify of me” John 15:26.
In paraphrase, these substitutions may look like this: “But when I am come as the Comforter, when I send myself unto you from the Father, even as myself, the Spirit of truth, as I proceed from the Father, I shall testify of me.” The idea that the personal pronoun used for the Holy Spirit in this text is referring to Christ does not hold water.
John 16:7 “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter (Christ) will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him (myself) unto you.
Here is a reasonable paraphrase of the substitutions: “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, I will not be able to come to you as the Comforter; but if I depart, I will send myself unto you.”
Clearly, these substitutions don’t work and that is another reason to reject the assertion that the Holy Spirit is really Jesus Himself or a part of Jesus.
Then we read John 14:16 - “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.”
If the Holy Spirit is “another Comforter,” the Holy Spirit could not be Jesus for Jesus uses the personal pronoun “he” when referring to Him. It makes no sense to call the Holy Spirit “another Comforter” and to use the personal pronoun when referring to Him if there is no distinction between Christ and the Holy Spirit.