The Holy Spirit

((EGW 7MR 299.2)) (MR No. 487): The Holy Spirit is a person.
"We have been brought together as a school, and we need to realize that the Holy Spirit, who is as much a person as God is a person, is walking through these grounds, that the Lord God is our keeper, and helper."

((EGW 10MR 63.3)) (MR No. 791): The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead.
"Evil had been accumulating for centuries, and could only be restrained and resisted by the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power."

((EGW 20MR 69.1)), the same in ((EGW Ev 617.1)) (see also http://www.whiteestate.org/vault/diary.asp for original text): The Holy Spirit has a personality.
"The Holy Spirit always leads to the written word. The Holy Spirit is a person; for He beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God. When this witness is borne, it carries with it its own evidence. At such times we believe and are sure that we are the children of God. What strong evidence of the power of truth we can give to believers and unbelievers when we can voice the words of John, "We have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." The Holy Spirit has a personality, else He could not bear witness to our spirits and with our spirits that we are the children of God. He must also be a divine person, else He could not search out the secrets which lie hidden in the mind of God. "For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man, which is in him; even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." "

There is a danger in focussing too much on this subject, that is not essential for us to understand fully in living a Christian life and being saved. We must be careful to not let differences in understandings of this subject divide our church. See ((EGW AA 51.3-52.1)) for how EGW puts it.

Et spørgsmål: Hvorfor gør EGW så meget ud af at forklare at den hellige ånd er har en "personality" og er en "divine person", hvis det bare er Jesus selv?! Vi ved jo at han er divine! Der må være en eller anden dimension af helligånden som vi ikke forstår.

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Citat der til modsætning kan give indtryk af at Guddommen kun bestod af 2 personer i himmelen:

Før synden fik indpas, var der fred og glæde i hele universet. Alt var i fuldstændig harmoni med Skaberens vilje. Kærligheden til Gud var grænseløs, og alle elskede hinanden lige højt. Kristus, Ordet, Guds enbårne søn, var et med den evige Fader - ét i natur, karakter og hensigt - det eneste væsen i hele universet, som havde del i alle Guds råd og planer.

DSS kap 29, side 353

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"The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, in Christ’s name. He personifies Christ, yet is a distinct personality." (Manuscript 20, 1906)

John 14 and 15 and 16 talks explicitly over and over again about the Holy Spirit as "he". And somehow he is different than Jesus because 16:14 says he shall receive from Jesus.

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I am instructed to say, The sentiments of those who are searching for advanced scientific ideas are not to be trusted. Such representations as the following are made: “The Father is as the light invisible: the Son is as the light embodied; the Spirit is the light shed abroad.” “The Father is like the dew, invisible vapor; the Son is like the dew gathered in beauteous form; the Spirit is like the dew fallen to the seat of life.” Another representation: “The Father is like the invisible vapor; the Son is like the leaden cloud; the Spirit is rain fallen and working in refreshing power.” {Ev 614.1}

All these spiritualistic representations are simply nothingness. They are imperfect, untrue. They weaken and diminish the Majesty which no earthly likeness can be compared to. God cannot be compared with the things His hands have made. These are mere earthly things, suffering under the curse of God because of the sins of man. The Father cannot be described by the things of earth. The Father is all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and is invisible to mortal sight. {Ev 614.2}

The Son is all the fullness of the Godhead manifested. The Word of God declares Him to be “the express image of His person.” “God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Here is shown the personality of the Father. {Ev 614.3}

The Comforter that Christ promised to send after He ascended to heaven, is the Spirit in all the fullness of the Godhead, making manifest the power of divine grace to all who receive and believe in Christ as a personal Saviour. There are three living persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these three great powers—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these powers will co-operate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to live the new life in Christ.—Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, pp. 62, 63. (1905). {Ev 615.1}

Also something on page 616? I had a note saying that...

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Dette er noe vi ikke skjønner fullt ut. Hver gang jeg prater med anti-trinitarians og jeg prøver å finne ut av presist hva det er de tror, har jeg til dato aldri fått noe klart svar. Hver gang jeg prøver å få en klar definisjon på én ting, springer de over til noe annet. Det har kun skapt større forvirring omkring guddommen, ikke noen avklaring, ikke noe større lys. Ingen har kunne fortelle meg noe fornuftig om hva det har å gjøre for meg praktisk i hverdagen i hvordan jeg utlever troen min.

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Bible texts

1 John 5:7
"For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one."

1 Cor 12, 11 - can't decide if not a person!
"But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills."

Rom 8:27 - not harmony if same thing!
"Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God."

Rom 15:30
"Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me,"

1 John 5:6
"This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth."

Heb 10:15
"But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before"

If Holy Spirit was not a separate person/entity, why does Heb 10:15 and 1 John 5:6 (see both KJV and NLT) then say that the Holy Spirit *ALSO* testifies - beside just Jesus himself saying it.

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Det man egentlig er uenige om:

1. Er den Hellige Ånd en tredje person (som EGW egentlig siger ovenfor og som John 14-16 også antyder), eller er den Hellige Ånd en del af Jesus og der derfor egentlig kun er to personer? (selvom 1 John 5:7 siger der er tre)

2. Er Jesus født af Gud engang før verden blev til og dermed er Guds søn (og dermed er faderen det ene overordnede væsen universet og sønnen bliver derfor Gud af en "lavere rang")? Eller har Jesus altid eksisteret (EGW På fast grunn s.242/p.246 Engelsk) og fader/søn betegnelsen er kun metaforisk?

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Bible texts about the trinity:

God in Three Persons

The Father’s deity is never disputed. Jesus refers to the Father as God (Matt. 6:26-30). Paul speaks of the deity of Jesus (Phil. 2:6; Col. 1:10-20). For Paul, an orthodox Jew trained in strict rabbinic Judaism, this is an astonishing conviction of Christ’s full deity. The book of Hebrews includes several statements regarding the deity of the Son (Heb. 1; 4:14-16; 7:20–8:6).

Jesus’ own self-consciousness includes claiming to forgive sins (Mark 2:8-10). The Jews, knowing that only God can forgive sins, accuse Jesus of blasphemy. He claimed the angels of God as His angels (Luke 12:8, 9; 15:10; Matt. 13:41). At His trial Jesus was accused of claiming to be the Son of God. This would have been a critical opportunity to correct this if Jesus did not regard Himself as God. But He didn’t, instead emphasizing His deity. The high priest understood, calling for Jesus’ death (Matt. 26:63-66). Following the resurrection, Thomas addressed Jesus as “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Jesus did not refuse the title or the worship, though throughout Scripture humans and angels rightfully refuse worship (Acts 14:8-18; Rev. 19:6).

The Holy Spirit is identified as God, the member of the Godhead, with the title “holy” regularly attached. He does the work of God: He dwells in believers, as does Christ (Gal. 2:20; Col. 1:27), enlightening (Eph. 1:17, 18), regenerating (John 3:5-8), leading into holiness (Rom. 8:14; Gal. 5:16-18), giving assurance (Rom. 8:16), and gifting for ministry (1 Cor. 12:4-11).

Jesus claimed that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him, anointing him to preach (Luke 4:18); that He was driving out demons by the Spirit of God (Matt. 12:28); and that the Spirit, another Counselor of the same kind, would carry on His work after His departure (John 14:16). When Ananias and Sapphira held back some of the promised proceeds from the sale of their property, Peter reminded them that lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God (Acts 5:3, 4).

The three divine persons are ?equal but not identical. There is no hierarchy or subordination suggested by an unchangeable order in the presentation of their names (1 Cor. 12:4-6; 2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 4:4-6). All three are involved in our salvation. Thomas Oden is right: “If God were only one person, it could not be proclaimed that God both sends and is sent; that God could be both lawgiver and obedient to the law; that God could both make atonement and receive it; that God could both reject sin and offer sacrifice for it.”1

Careful reflections on the triune God can come only from a heart and mind trained in humility. Speaking adequately of God is a daunting task. Scripture must be the primary source of our knowledge of Him. Christians manifest their avowed dependence upon this Book, which contains many affirmations of the deity of the three divine Persons. “The historic formulation of the Trinity . . . seeks to circumscribe and safeguard this mystery (not explain it; that is beyond us), and it confronts us with perhaps the most difficult thought that the human mind has ever been asked to handle. It is not easy; but it is true.”2

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Quotes that seem to say the opposite but completely fails that conclusion when you read the entire letter at http://theprophetstillspeaks.co.uk/Articles(others)%5CWhite-Carrletters.htm:

The statements and the arguments of some of our ministers in their effort to prove that the Holy Spirit was an individual as are God the Father and Christ, the eternal Son, have perplexed me and sometimes they have made me sad. One popular teacher said ‘We may regard Him, (the Holy Spirit) as the fellow who is down here running things.’ -- Willie White, Letter to W.C Carr, April 30, 1935