Misconceptions about the Holy Spirit (Solving the puzzle)

In today’s Christianity, there are lots of truth that has been hidden to us, because we don’t sit down to study our bible. Just this morning, I got a gist that a particular truth that has circulated the body of Christ in Nigeria for a very long time is actually a lie. I was so shocked, but at the same time relieved. In my heart, I thought, I always knew it. I just couldn’t place or understand what I knew.

Just like you will think in your heart after studying The Holy spirit with me today. You will be like ‘I’ve always known this, I just didn’t understand and I had no proof’.

Don’t worry I will write about the gist I heard some other day. I promise.

The Holy spirit.

The Holyspirit is a being. A personality. The Holyspirit is not an object or a thing.

Let’s see what Jesus says about the Holyspirit;

John 14:16-17 kjv

(16) And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

[17] Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

In this verses of the bible, we see that Jesus calls the Holy spirit ‘He’ (a person) not ‘It’. He also used ‘Him’ again in the next verse.

Lets see John 14:26 kjv

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Jesus said the holyspirit will teach us all things, meaning, ‘He can speak’.

Check also John 15:26, Acts 8:29 (Here, the Holy spirit spoke to Philip).

The moment we know the Holy spirit is a being, the way we relate with Him will change.

Some of us believe the Holy spirit has measure, and can reduce or increase, but he is a person and He has a presence.

For example; if you are in a place, are you there in measure? (maybe like, half of you is in Nigeria, and the other half is in America). Not so.

You are either present or absent. The Holy spirit also is either present or absent, because he is a being. He is a person.

You might have a question.

Why then does the bible use symbols for the Holy spirit like Fire, wind, smoke, water, oil and so on.

The answer is simple.

These symbols were used to describe the activities of the Holy spirit.

Take Nigeria for an example, the Nigerian flag (Green white Green) represents Nigeria.

Now can we say Nigeria is a mixture of green and white? No.

Rather, we understand that the green white green represents or describes Nigeria as a country with a fertile soil for agriculture and three different ethnic group coexisting.

So also, Fire, water, oil etc are used to explain the functions of the Holy spirit.

Let’s take a look at Five of these misconceptions

FIRE

Matthew. 3:11-12 kjv

(11) I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

[12] Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

In this verse, it talks about the work of the Holy spirit as a cleansing fire. So this verse does not call the Holy spirit fire or say the Holy spirit can also be fire. Rather, what the Holy ghost does is cleanse, purge, and purify with fire.

WATER

John 3:5 kjv

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

This verse does not talk about water or Holy ghost baptism. It simply talks about being born of the spirit.

If you read further to verse 6-14, you will see that Jesus talked about being born of the spirit, and being born of the spirit in vs 16, means “Having eternal/everlasting life”.

Here, water was used to represent the spirit.

John 7:37-39 kjv

(37) In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

[38] He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

[39] (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given ; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

The water everyone who thirsts will drink symbolizes how the Holy spirit will be given to everyone who believes (see vs 39).

Jesus was simply quoting the scripture (the old testament) which says (Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water).

See {Isaiah 12:3; 43:20; 44:3; 55:1}

The water is not flowing out of our (believers) stomach, but it is simply telling us that ‘Jesus will give us His Holy spirit’.

Why water?

Titus 3:5 kjv

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

The Holy spirit washes and renews us, which is what water does and that is why it is used to describe the Holy spirit’s works.

Ephesians 5:25-26 kjv

(25) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

[26] That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

See vs 26

The word is not the one washing like water there. The spirit is. The word is the gospel’.

Let’s paraphrase:

Vs 26 “…that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of the Holy ghost by the gospel”.

That is, through the gospel, the holy ghost sanctifies and cleanses us. That is, when a man believes the gospel; he receives the Holy ghost and he is sanctified and cleansed.

Whenever you see the word ‘WATER’ used for the “HOLYGHOST’, know that it is for sanctification and cleansing. Cleansing from what? Cleansing from SIN.

WIND

Acts 2:2 kjv

And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

Wind is used to describe the activities of the Holy ghost.

But why?

No one sees the wind. But you see the effect of the wind. Just like the Holy spirit, you can’t see him but you can see his activities; through miracles, forgiveness, walking in love etc but you can’t see him because he is a spirit.

Let’s look at John 3:8

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

When the holyghost is talked about as a wind, they are not saying he is a wind, but rather he is a spirit who we can’t see but can see his activities.

TONGUES OF FIRE

Acts 2:4 kjv

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Vs 3

And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

The holyghost reveals or manifests himself as cloven tongues of fire.

Whenever you see the works of the Holyghost as a tongue of fire; it simply means: ‘Supernatural utterance, speaking the right words the right way in the right manner and the right effect.’

Tongues of fire is the manifestation of the Holyspirit which can also come by speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues etc.

DOVE

Matthew 3:16

A lot of times when we study the bible and don’t understand it, a lot of us just overlook that verse and move on to the next.

We just want to mark it off the register that we read our bible for the day.

Every word and sentence in the bible means something and every meaning is tied together to reveal one message; CHRIST JESUS.

So, if you want to know Jesus, start learning to read, study and stay with the word until you see Jesus.

Even Leviticus and numbers are important books. Stop running away from them and find Jesus in them.

Matthew 3:16 kjv

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

If you observe this verse, you will realise that there is no where in this verse that says the Spirit of God is a dove.

It simply means the way the Holy ghost descended upon Jesus was similar to how a dove lands on a tree.

Remember the childhood game “Fall like a mango tree”? Whenever you fall—does this make you a mango tree?

So, in Matt 3:16, the way the Holy spirit came upon Jesus is the same way a dove will land upon a place.

That expression was simply used, so you and I can understand how the Holy ghost came upon Jesus.

Not that the Holy ghost became a bird or an animal and fell on Jesus.

We must approach our bible study with intelligence and wise questions.

The bible says ‘he descended like a dove’ not ‘as a dove’.

If the bible had said as a dove, then that means the Holy ghost took the form of a bird.

But Jesus saw a vision. So he relayed the vision in a way we could understand.

The Holy ghost is not a dove.

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From all of our explanations and the bible verses we have checked, we can understand that;

The Holy spirit is a Person. Not an anointing that can reduce. That is why you can’t pray to God to “fill” you with the Holyghost. God does not ‘fill’ men with the Holyghost. He gives men the Holyghost.

Whenever you see the word ‘being filled with the holy ghost’ in the bible, it does not mean the Holy ghost coming to dwell or live.

There is a difference between the ‘indwelling and infilling’ of the Holyghost. We will look at that in the next series.

God gave us {Man} the Holy spirit. The Holy ghost is a person. He is either in or out.

The idea that you need to be refilled with the holyspirit or ask for more Holy spirit is anti-scriptural and that kind of prayer will not be answered by God. God will not answer a prayer he has made a provision for.

You have the spirit of God living on the inside of you. This is a fact and a reality and no matter what, that spirit cannot reduce/increase.

You either have him fully or don’t have him at all. He is a person.

His presence in a place means he is there, his absence means he is not there at all.

God has given us a BEING as a gift and not a substance or object. And that being is the HOLYGHOST.

I hope we were able to learn something.

I also know you have questions.

Kindly write your questions and observations in the comment section below.

Thank you so much for your time.

See you Next Tuesday.

Remain Blessed.

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