The Invisible Force

Part 3 of God: God’s Spirit

Lesson #1 in Studying The Bible – Part 4

One final time, if we think outside the normal words used to describe the three parts of God, what would a person call the third part, The Holy Spirit? 

This final part of who God is is the most misused and misunderstood part, followed by the second, The Son, as a close second most misunderstood. Most churchgoers find it difficult to explain this piece because of how the church community has used and described attributes of this third part to God. 

The Invisible Force
However, since this is a lesson in Bible study and not theology, allow me to provide this insight. The Spirit of God is the invisible force that operates in both the physical (Earth) and spiritual (Heavens) and is brought into alignment by The Son. One of the ancient prophets said it this way: the Spirit [of God] will be poured on us from Heaven. ^[1] In other words, this invisible force from Heaven will impact the earth. You need to know that several terms are used to describe this third part to God, and I like to alternate them so that others can get comfortable hearing them. Today, the popular term is Holy Spirit. When I was growing up, it was “Holy Ghost,” if you recall. However, the Bible uses several phrases, God’s Spirit, the Spirit of God, and The Spirit, to name a few.

This invisible force has been present from the very beginning. According to the history of the world, this third part of God made an initial appearance in the second verse of the very first book of the Bible: Genesis. Contrary to what the average churchgoer understands about the Holy Spirit, God’s Spirit pre-dates the famous Pentecost encounter. God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is present throughout the entire Bible. 

The Three Together
The witnesses of Jesus’ baptism saw this invisible force descend from Heaven like a dove landing upon Jesus. ^[2] In other words, a force never before seen came down from the sky and landed on a human being, Jesus. Allow that to penetrate your thoughts as we speak to this further later in this series. 

This third part of God is often referred to as the third part of the Trinity, which is essential to note. Most people think that the Holy Spirit began in the Book of Acts when they think the baptism of the Spirit came upon them, the believers at that time. However, the scriptures in the Old and New Testaments show that God’s Spirit, aka the Holy Spirit, was present throughout. In traditional thinking, viewing the third part of God as a separate and isolated entity is easy. However, upon truly studying the Bible, you will discover this is far from the truth. I would be more understanding if one thought that the Son was more isolated. However, this concept is invalidated by our last installment, which revealed that the Son is the Word.

I wish for you to take away the key idea that the Holy Spirit is not confined to the New Testament, as some would have us believe, but rather is an inseparable piece of God, all that God is. 

Question: When you think about the Holy Spirit, what ideas do you have that separate God from His Spirit?

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[1] Isaiah 32:15 NLT, Bible.com, accessed November 4, 2024, https://www.bible.com/bible/116/ISA.32.15.NLT
[2] Matthew 3:16 NLT, Bible.com, accessed November 5, 2024, https://www.bible.com/bible/116/MAT.3.16.NLT

All Scripture references used by permission, see our Scripture copyrights.