1. The Holy Spirit Is a Divine Person
Peter MacBride
Speaking generally, the union between an individual person and Christ is formed by the Holy Spirit in regeneration, when He brings a sinner to a living faith in Christ. Here a large field of truth is opened up to our view. Consider here:
1. Who is the Holy Spirit, the Agent in this work? This is a most important question; here I observe:
(1.) He is Jehovah, the true God. That the Holy Spirit is God may be very easily shown:
[1.] He is called God; this is clear from Acts 5:1-5: “But a certain man
1The first part of a further chapter in “The New Creature”, to be found in MacBride’s Remains. “The New Creature” is a series of sermons on: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor 5:17). A previous series, from the same book and entitled “Origin of a Believer’s Union to Christ”, ran from January to April this year.
named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things”. Here you see that Ananias is said to lie to God because he lied to the Holy Ghost.
[2.] He has the attributes of God ascribed to him, as (1) Omnipresence, (Ps 139:1-12); this is clear because He dwells in all the true people of God, who are His temple (1 Cor 3:16, 6:19). He who thus dwells in all believers must be present everywhere, and so infinite; and if infinite, then also eternal and unchangeable.
(2) Omniscience. Thus He is said to search all things, even the deep things of God. “But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (1 Cor 2:10). This is also evident from what He has unfolded in the Word of God about these things. He who can do this is in every sense – in the highest sense – omniscient; beyond this there can be no higher knowledge. That the Spirit searches these things shows also that He is infinite and, as I have stated, eternal and unchangeable. No one else could search these things, which extend, so to speak, from eternity to eternity.
(3) Omnipotence. He is said to perform miracles, to be the author of them, and also to bestow the extraordinary gifts on men, as is obvious from Acts 2 and many other parts of the Word of God. This also shows He is the infinite God, and so is eternal and unchangeable. Some argue for His eternity from Hebrews 9:14: “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” But I dare not apply this text in that sense, however it may be so understood without offending against the analogy of faith.2 But without requiring its service, it is clear from other places that the attributes of God are ascribed to Him – and indeed if one attribute, then all. So we see that all God’s attributes are ascribed to Him.
(4.) Holiness is ascribed to him in the highest sense, inasmuch as He is called the Holy Spirit. This then shows that He is God.
[3.] He has the works of God ascribed to Him, as (1) Creation: “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the
2MacBride probably understood “the eternal Spirit” as referring to Christ’s divine nature.
deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Gen 1:2).
(2) Providence: “Thou sendest forth Thy Spirit, they are created, and Thou renewest the face of the earth” (Ps 104:30). Here we see the work of the Spirit of God in the old creation. Here we see how He, as it were, brings the works of God to a finish and perfection, and renovates and beautifies them.
But besides this, (3) the work of redemption is also ascribed to Him, in a sense in which it can only be ascribed to God. Not indeed the purchase of it, which is wholly the work of Christ, but the formation and fitting of the humanity of Christ for His work. “The angel answered and said unto [Mary], The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Lk 1:35). “He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost” (Jn 1:33). “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him; the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord” (Is 11:1,2).
Thus also to Him is ascribed the work of providing and establishing the means of grace, such as the giving of the Word. “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Pet 1:21). And God confirmed the Word by miracles and raised up such as were fitted to preach it. “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate Me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them” (Acts 13:2). Finally the Spirit makes it effectual in the conversion, sanctification, comfort and glorifying of the people of God. These are works which truly belong to God. The new creation of any one soul is greater than the first creation of the whole world. But this is the work of the Spirit of God; “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” (Jn 3:5). “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, which He shed on us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour” (Tts 3:5).
[4.] The worship of God is ascribed to Him. I need not here go further than the sacrament of baptism prescribed by the Saviour Himself: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Mt 28:19). Here is one of the most solemn parts of divine worship, the very beginning of it. And here we see the Holy Spirit equally honoured with the Father and the Son. And so it is in all
worship, inasmuch as all worship must be performed in dependence on His grace. Hence divine worship is given Him. These things therefore show that the Holy Spirit is God.