Pneumatology: Study of the Holy Spirit

Paul Derengowski, ThM

The Holy Spirit is the third person in the triune Godhead. He is as much God as is God the Father and God the Son (Jesus Christ). Often confused with some sort of impersonal cosmic power that God uses to sway his creatures to perform his will, the Spirit of God is actually quite personal and intelligent and is involved in a variety of activities, the most important being the redemption or spiritual regeneration of lost men and women.

If the Spirit is not confused as an impersonal whatever from God, then he is also often abused by both Christians and non-Christians alike, by attributing to him actions and motivations behind the emotional decisions or human feelings that he had nothing to do with. In fact, so many are mistaken by assuming that because they feel a certain way, that is must be the Holy Spirit's presence that is causing the feeling. As a result all kinds of untoward activity takes place in the name of "the spirit," from bogus prophecying, to swindling money from the naïve and gullible, to sexual promiscuity by rogue preachers and teachers.

Yet, such confusion can be easily dispelled by a careful persual of the Bible. The Holy Spirit is listed as early as the Book of Genesis—as he assists in the creative activities of the heavens and the earth—and is instrumental in welcoming Jesus, as the Alpha and Omega, in the Book of Revelation, at his second coming (22:17). By making such a perusal, not only is confusion dispelled, but God is honored and the individual closes a door to the spirit world that is often exploited by those imitating the Spirit, whose sole goal is confusion and the leading astray of those who think they know more about the Holy Spirit by remaining ignorant to the Bible, than by picking it up and reading it.