Holy Ghost Research Paper

The Source of this Miracle

We have already disclaimed previous miracles by the fact that they were not performed by that which is divine. That is the necessary element in any miracle; the volition of God. The Lord God is the only true God and anything performed outside of His authority and power is counter-fit. We consider the words of Matthew 10:1 “Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.”

We see here that the disciples, being ordinary men, could only perform miracles by the authority of the God Man. This is attested again by Peter in Acts 3:12 “And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel,

This is a vital question and one that may have many different answers in the course of history. Some would proclaim that the Holy Ghost, also entitled the Holy Spirit, is an impersonal being, perhaps even a mystical force that is the power of God in motion. Others would say that the Holy Ghost is just another manifestation of the one God with a different name and therefore denying the trinitarian nature of God. This is contrary to the Bible which clearly shows that the Spirit is a distinct person, and even more than this He is the third person of the Godhead. That the Spirit is such is taught in passages like Acts 5 where it is said that Ananias lied to the Holy Ghost and therefore had lied, according to verse 4, “… unto God.” Not only does this reveal that the Spirit is God, but that He can be lied to shows that He is a person; you can’t lie to a mere energy or force. The fact that the Spirit is a distinct Person from the Father and the Son is shown in a passage like 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.” Here we see distinct Persons and the Holy Ghost being singled out as

He is a member of the Trinity and one in essence with the Father and the Son. This shows clearly that He is equal with them both in power. He is no less or no more that one God in three in this regard. But, though He is equal with the other two persons, when it comes to redemption there is an order. This is known as the economic Trinity and this brings us to a question of distinction. The distinction is in the roles that each person in the Godhead plays in creation and redemption. Thus it is the Father who sends the Son into the world for our redemption. It is the Son who acquires our redemption for us. It is the Spirit who applies that redemption to us. J.C Ryle says then that “The work of each of the three Persons of the Trinity is equally and entirely needful to the salvation of every saved soul.”

And we then see the Spirit working in such power for the progress of God’s purpose. At creation he moved upon that created matter and gave it order. So in redemption He moves in order to bring it ever closer to its completion in the Lord Jesus. And we see Him working out our Redemption here as that Agent who brings it to fruition, for if Christ is not begotten, if Christ is not born, then there is no redemption and thus it says that “…the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee…” in Luke 1:35. This then is the power of God working in Mary in order to bring forth the