Does the Holy Spirit Salute the Saints
This morning, as I was walking down the street in Philadelphia, I stopped to talk with two Jehovah Witnesses. In the course of our talk one of the women asked me why the Father and the Son were mentioned in places in the New Testament without reference to the Holy Spirit. (Of course you know they were trying to disprove the doctrine of the Trinity since they do not believe that Jesus nor the Holy Spirit are Divine). It was interesting that they raised this question since I had been preparing my sermon for this coming Lord’s Day on Ephesians 1:1-2. As in many of Paul’s epistles the church is met with a salutation from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. In Ephesians 1:2 Paul writes, “Grace to you and Peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” So, why isn’t the Holy Spirit mentioned? Is He not interested in bestowing on the saints grace and peace as well?
The answer to this question is, I believe, found in Jonathan Edwards’ Unpublished Essay on the Trinity (which was actually published in 1903). There Edwards writes:
I can think of no other good account that can be given of the apostle Paul’s wishing grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ in the beginning of his Epistles, without ever mentioning the Holy Ghost, – as we find it thirteen times in his salutations in the beginnings of his Epistles, – but [i.e., except] that the Holy Ghost is Himself love and grace of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; and in his blessing at the end of his second Epistle to the Corinthians where all three Persons are mentioned he wishes grace and love from the Son and the Father [except that] in the communion or the partaking of the Holy Ghost, the blessing is from the Father and the Son in the Holy Ghost. But the blessing from the Holy Ghost is Himself, the communication of Himself. Christ promises that He and the Father will love believers (John 14:21,23), but no mention is made of the Holy Ghost, and the love of Christ and the love of the Father are often distinctly mentioned, but never any mention of the Holy Ghost’s love.
(This I suppose to be the reason why we have never any account of the Holy Ghost’s loving either the Father or the Son, or of the Son’s or the Father’s loving the Holy Ghost, or of the Holy Ghost’s loving the saints, tho these things are so often predicated of both the other Persons.)
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That’s a great quote. I get JW’s coming to my door from time to time. I will need to remember that one!
Thanks for putting up sermons of EJA and SBF. I was privileged to sit under their ministries in the 80s as a student in Glasgow, in my formative years as a Christian.
Stephen,
I am glad that someone is making use of the sermons I have gathered on tihs page. I think that Alexander and Ferguson are my two favorite preachers. I have heard Ferguson several times in person, but have not had the privilege of hearing Eric Alexander in person. I would love to meet him. I just finished my internship at Tenth Presbyterian in Philadelphia where he would come and preach from time to time. Perhaps I will get to meet him someday.
Are you living in Scotland right now? If so, do you know Iain Campbell?
Sadly, I don’t live in Scotland any more. I have been in England for nearly 20 years. I was ordained and installed at Solihull near Birmingham (England, that is) March 07 after a career in engineering.
I would like to meet Iain Campbell some time.
John 4:24 tells us that God *is* spirit, and we must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Is there anything incorrect about saying that since God *is* spirit, there is no difference between God the Father, and the Holy Spirit?
Given that God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son are completely united in spirit, we know that the holy Spirit of Christ is the same spirit as the Spirit of God. Is there anything incorrect about saying that the holy Spirit of Jesus Christ *is* equal to (not only equivalent to, but identical with) the Holy Spirit?
It ends up sounding more like a duality than a trinity, in which the Holy Spirit is the unity between the holy Spirit of our all-powerful Father-Creator God and the holy Spirit of Jesus Christ. That His/their very unity, holiness, wholeness and redemptive self-giving *is* the powerful Holy Spirit. If there is a weak or empty place in this reasoning, I would be very glad to hear from you about it.
The Spirit of Truth is equal to the Holy Spirit, correct?
“I am the way, the truth and the life…” He is Light, and in Him is no darkness. Those who would reject Christ would turn from light, truth, life, love and faith to darkness, deceit, death, hate and despair. May the Holy Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father bless you with direction, protection and provision in every part of life.
Glad to meet you someday!