Don Stewart :: Is God the Son, Jesus Christ, a Distinct Person from the Holy Spirit?

Is God the Son, Jesus Christ, a Distinct Person from the Holy Spirit?

The Trinity: One God in Three Persons – Question 10

While it is clear that God the Father is a distinct Person from God the Son, Jesus Christ, we also find that God the Son is a distinct Person from God the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the Bible makes a distinction between Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in a number of different ways. They include the following:

1. Jesus Was Led of Spirit and Was Full of the Spirit

After Jesus’ baptism, He was said to be full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Holy Spirit. We read the following in Matthew:

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (Matthew 4:1 NRSV)

Something distinct from Jesus led Him. He did not lead Himself.

Luke writes about Jesus being full of, or controlled by, the Holy Spirit. He wrote,

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness... (Luke 4:1 NRSV)

He did not fill or lead Himself.

2. He Was Given the Holy Spirit without Measure

The Bible says that Jesus was given the Holy Spirit without measure. The Gospel of John records the following description about Jesus:

“Those who believe him discover that God is true. For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God’s Spirit is upon him without measure or limit.” (John 3:33, 34 NLT)

Jesus is not equated with the Holy Spirit in this instance. He certainly was not given Himself without measure!

3. The Spirit Will Testify of Jesus

The Bible says that the Holy Spirit will testify of Jesus—He will not testify about Himself. On the night of His betrayal Jesus told His disciples the following:

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not be presenting his own ideas; he will be telling you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by revealing to you whatever he receives from me. All that the Father has is mine; this is what I mean when I say that the Spirit will reveal to you whatever he receives from me. In just a little while I will be gone, and you won’t see me anymore. Then, just a little while after that, you will see me again.” (John 16:13-16 NLT).

These words of Jesus make a clear distinction between the Himself and the Holy Spirit. They are not the same Person.

4. The Holy Spirit Is Spoken of as a Distinct Person from the Son

Finally, there are a number of instances where the Holy Spirit is distinguished from the Son. When Jesus gave His disciples the “Great Commission” He told them to baptize believers in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus said,

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20 NASB)

The word “name” in the Greek is singular. This shows that each of the three members of the Trinity is distinct from the others.

5. Jesus Is Never Called the Holy Spirit

Last, but certainly not least, Jesus is never called the Holy Spirit. There is not the slightest hint that they are the same personage. This is important to realize. If they were the same Person then we would expect Scripture to either state this truth, or at least give some hints of it. But we find nothing in the Bible that would remotely suggest that Jesus is the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion: Jesus Christ And The Holy Spirit Are Distinct Members Of The One God

We conclude that the Bible speaks of two distinct personages: God the Son, Jesus Christ, and the God the Holy Spirit. They are both members of the Holy Trinity. They are the one God but they are distinct centers of consciousness.

Summary – Question 10
Is God the Son, Jesus Christ, a Distinct Person from the Holy Spirit?

Scripture makes a distinction between the God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Clearly, they are not the same person.

For example, the Bible says that after His baptism in the Jordan River, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He did not lead Himself.

The Bible also says that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit after His baptism. Again, He was not filled with Himself.

In addition, the Scripture says that Jesus was given the Holy Spirit. He certainly was not given Himself.

Moreover, the Bible says that the Holy Spirit will testify of Jesus. Scripture specifically says that He will not of Himself. This is further evidence that the two are distinct.

In the Great Commission, Jesus is spoken of as a distinct Person from the Holy Spirit and from God the Father. They are not the same Person.

Finally, Jesus was never said to be the Holy Spirit. Never! There is not the slightest hint of this in Scripture.

Consequently, we conclude that the Holy Spirit is a distinct Person from Jesus.