Why is the third Person of the Trinity named “the Holy Spirit”?
After all, “God is a Spirit” (John 4:24), so the Father and the Son both possess the attribute of spirituality, of being a “Spirit,” equally with the third Person. So what is the distinction?
Also, the Father is the “holy Father” (John 17:11), and the Son is the “Holy One” (Acts 3:14). The Holy Spirit is not in a higher degree morally pure or righteous than the Father or the Son–Father, Son, and Spirit are all infinitely righteous, possessing equal, immeasurable, infinite holiness.
So why “the Holy Spirit”?
What do you think?
It would seem like we would want to know why God has the names that He possesses, and being able to explain why the Persons of the Godhead possess the names that they do would be extremely important for our fellowship with Him, for our knowing God, which is experiencing eternal life (John 17:3). So why “the Holy Spirit”?
Lord willing, I’ll tell you what I think next Friday in my post then. But you can share your thoughts now in the comment section.
Here’s a clue–why is the “Father” the “Father” and the “Son” the “Son”?
By the way, for a simple overview of the Biblical teaching on the Trinity, see Bible study #2 here; for something with more depth, see the college class here.
–TDR
How about to discern the differences & distinctions within the Godhead, & between Christ & men created in his image with body, soul & spirit? The image not being the actuality, but a shadow of holy & heavenly things? The King James Bible & not Latinist tradition being our authority.
Hello there Kddlporter,
I can’t tell what you are talking about.
If you are saying (and maybe you aren’t) that the eternal Persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are like body, soul, and spirit, each Person being like one third of the human person, then you are advocating something idolatrous, and something rejected by Scripture and by all Baptist, Protestant, and all other confessions of faith of any significant body in Christendom, not just “Latinist tradition,” whatever that is supposed to mean.
Thanks.