The Holy Spirit - God's Spirit
E-book and Audio series
PART 1 - The Being and Nature of the Holy Spirit
Chapter 8 - Worshipping and Praying to the Holy Spirit
Summary: Two questions are discussed in this chapter - (1) Should we worship the Holy Spirit? (2) Should we pray to the Holy Spirit?
| |||
Study Notes - No.8 - Worshipping and Praying to the Holy Spirit
(The content of these notes are discussed in greater detail on the audio recording.)
In the last two studies, we were considering the question, “Is the Holy Spirit the third Person of the Trinity?”. We did this by looking at the term “Trinity” one week, and then “Person” as used of God the next week.
In this study, we deal with two related questions: (1) Should we worship the Holy Spirit? (2) Should we pray to the Holy Spirit? The short answer to both questions is "no", but let's look at what the Scriptures have to say.
In the Bible, there are no examples or people worshipping the Holy Spirit, and there are no exhortations to do so. Neither are there any examples of people praying to the Holy Spirit, and no exhortations to do so.
Let’s explore this issue a bit further by comparing this with examples of people worshipping and praying to God the Father, Jehovah in the OT, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Worshipping / Praying to the Father
There are many instances of both actions in the Bible.
Worshipping - eg, John 4:23,24
Praying – eg Matthew 6:9 “Our Father, who art in heaven…” (plenty of other occurrences of this)
Jehovah / The "LORD" in the OT
Almost every psalm praises Jehovah, and many psalms are like prayers to Him. In plenty of other places we read the word "Hallelujah", or "Praise Jehovah". Psalm 8, for example, has both of these aspects (also Psalm 9:1,2).
Worshipping / Praying to the Lord Jesus Christ
There are many instances of people worshipping Christ in the Bible – especially the risen Christ.
John 20:28
Matthew 28:9
Revelation 5:11-14
Philippians 2:9-11
A number of other passages speak of giving glory and honour to Christ.
However, there is a fine line between acknowledging Christ's currently exalted position, and praying to Christ. During His earthly ministry, there were plenty of people who spoke to the Lord Jesus, but after His ascension, there is only one definite instance, and three at most, where this takes place. Each of the following are quite different to what is often practised today when people invoke His name in prayer.
(1) Acts 7:59 – Definite - Stephen – “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”, but Stephen saw a vision of the Lord Jesus standing there.
(2) Revelation 22:20 - This comes as part of the text, and is not really a direct prayer - “Even so, come Lord Jesus”
(3) Acts 9:10-16 - a “conversation” with Ananias where the “Lord” may be the Lord Jesus, but it is not actually stated. Again, as with Stephen, the Lord was visibly present, or visible via a vision.
In brief, there are no direct prayers to the (invisible) Lord Jesus in the Scriptures, in contrast to what we often hear uttered today. Neither are there exhortations to do so.
The Holy Spirit
In the Scriptures, there are no examples or people worshipping the Holy Spirit, and no exhortations to do so. Neither are there any examples of people praying to the Holy Spirit either, or any exhortations to do so.
Rather, we see that the Holy Spirit is an intercessor.
READ Romans 8:26,27 We pray to God the Father and the Spirit intercedes (i.e. pleads for us, makes requests, speaks) on our behalf
Other examples that show this interaction …
READ Eph 2:18 – the Spirit is our ongoing access to God the Father
Many aspects about our salvation and reconciliation to God were made possible “through Christ”, i.e., because of His life, death and resurrection – actions that were carried out once (v.16).The work that God continues to do through us is through His Spirit, i.e. because His Spirit continues to dwell within us and interact with us, and intercede to God on our behalf.
READ Eph 3:14-19
v.14 to the Father
v.16 – strengthened with might … how ? by means of the Spirit.
(v.17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts – not physically, because currently He is in heavenly places, far above all, at the right hand of God Eph 1:20, Col 3:1 … but that He might be at the very heart of our belief, faith, thoughts, motivations, desires, actions, etc.)
READ Jude 16-21
v.19 those who don’t have the Holy Spirit
v.20 as opposed to you believers, who do have the Holy Spirit, by which you pray.
READ Eph 6:17-19 praying in the Spirit
v.18 in the spirit - either via the Holy Spirit, or in spirit (attitude)
READ Philippians 3:2-4
v.3 - “who worship God in the Spirit” (NKJV)
“which worship God in the spirit” (KJV)
“who worship by the Spirit of God” (NIV)
- May be referring to the Holy Spirit, or it may be referring to worshipping in spirit (ie attitude) as opposed to fleshly ceremonies only. (cp John 4:24)
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS …
We don’t worship the Spirit, we don’t pray to the Spirit. We worship and pray to God the Father. We lift up the name of the Lord Jesus, through Whom we were reconciled to God, but it is not the example of Scripture for people to pray to the Lord Jesus.
It seems that God’s spirit, commonly known to us as the Holy Spirit, is not to be praised or worshipped as a distinct entity – even though God’s spirit displays many of those attributes that we associate with being God – omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, and even “person-like” attributes, such as comfort, encouragement and guidance, able to be grieved, etc.
The distinction between God the Father and the Holy Spirit is in the fact that the Spirit is the arm of God, one of the means by which God in totality interacts with man. God’s spirit’s interaction with us seems to be in a form and at a level that we mere humans can handle, and not be destroyed by. Job 26:14 - “How small a whisper we hear of Him, but the thunder of His power – who can understand (or “comprehend”, or even “withstand”?).
The origin or source of comfort, encouragement, guidance, etc, is God the Father. The actual means by which comfort, encouragement, guidance, etc. are given to us is via the Holy Spirit – a manifestation of God who interacts with us, without destroying us in the process.
In the next study, we will start taking a look at the Holy Spirit from a different perspective. So far we have considered something of the Holy Spirit’s being and nature. From the next lesson, we will begin looking at the Holy Spirit’s work – the diverse ways that God’s Spirit has interacted with man through the ages, starting at Genesis and working our way up until present times.
(The content of these notes are discussed in greater detail on the audio recording.)
In the last two studies, we were considering the question, “Is the Holy Spirit the third Person of the Trinity?”. We did this by looking at the term “Trinity” one week, and then “Person” as used of God the next week.
In this study, we deal with two related questions: (1) Should we worship the Holy Spirit? (2) Should we pray to the Holy Spirit? The short answer to both questions is "no", but let's look at what the Scriptures have to say.
In the Bible, there are no examples or people worshipping the Holy Spirit, and there are no exhortations to do so. Neither are there any examples of people praying to the Holy Spirit, and no exhortations to do so.
Let’s explore this issue a bit further by comparing this with examples of people worshipping and praying to God the Father, Jehovah in the OT, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Worshipping / Praying to the Father
There are many instances of both actions in the Bible.
Worshipping - eg, John 4:23,24
Praying – eg Matthew 6:9 “Our Father, who art in heaven…” (plenty of other occurrences of this)
Jehovah / The "LORD" in the OT
Almost every psalm praises Jehovah, and many psalms are like prayers to Him. In plenty of other places we read the word "Hallelujah", or "Praise Jehovah". Psalm 8, for example, has both of these aspects (also Psalm 9:1,2).
Worshipping / Praying to the Lord Jesus Christ
There are many instances of people worshipping Christ in the Bible – especially the risen Christ.
John 20:28
Matthew 28:9
Revelation 5:11-14
Philippians 2:9-11
A number of other passages speak of giving glory and honour to Christ.
However, there is a fine line between acknowledging Christ's currently exalted position, and praying to Christ. During His earthly ministry, there were plenty of people who spoke to the Lord Jesus, but after His ascension, there is only one definite instance, and three at most, where this takes place. Each of the following are quite different to what is often practised today when people invoke His name in prayer.
(1) Acts 7:59 – Definite - Stephen – “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”, but Stephen saw a vision of the Lord Jesus standing there.
(2) Revelation 22:20 - This comes as part of the text, and is not really a direct prayer - “Even so, come Lord Jesus”
(3) Acts 9:10-16 - a “conversation” with Ananias where the “Lord” may be the Lord Jesus, but it is not actually stated. Again, as with Stephen, the Lord was visibly present, or visible via a vision.
In brief, there are no direct prayers to the (invisible) Lord Jesus in the Scriptures, in contrast to what we often hear uttered today. Neither are there exhortations to do so.
The Holy Spirit
In the Scriptures, there are no examples or people worshipping the Holy Spirit, and no exhortations to do so. Neither are there any examples of people praying to the Holy Spirit either, or any exhortations to do so.
Rather, we see that the Holy Spirit is an intercessor.
READ Romans 8:26,27 We pray to God the Father and the Spirit intercedes (i.e. pleads for us, makes requests, speaks) on our behalf
Other examples that show this interaction …
READ Eph 2:18 – the Spirit is our ongoing access to God the Father
Many aspects about our salvation and reconciliation to God were made possible “through Christ”, i.e., because of His life, death and resurrection – actions that were carried out once (v.16).The work that God continues to do through us is through His Spirit, i.e. because His Spirit continues to dwell within us and interact with us, and intercede to God on our behalf.
READ Eph 3:14-19
v.14 to the Father
v.16 – strengthened with might … how ? by means of the Spirit.
(v.17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts – not physically, because currently He is in heavenly places, far above all, at the right hand of God Eph 1:20, Col 3:1 … but that He might be at the very heart of our belief, faith, thoughts, motivations, desires, actions, etc.)
READ Jude 16-21
v.19 those who don’t have the Holy Spirit
v.20 as opposed to you believers, who do have the Holy Spirit, by which you pray.
READ Eph 6:17-19 praying in the Spirit
v.18 in the spirit - either via the Holy Spirit, or in spirit (attitude)
READ Philippians 3:2-4
v.3 - “who worship God in the Spirit” (NKJV)
“which worship God in the spirit” (KJV)
“who worship by the Spirit of God” (NIV)
- May be referring to the Holy Spirit, or it may be referring to worshipping in spirit (ie attitude) as opposed to fleshly ceremonies only. (cp John 4:24)
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS …
We don’t worship the Spirit, we don’t pray to the Spirit. We worship and pray to God the Father. We lift up the name of the Lord Jesus, through Whom we were reconciled to God, but it is not the example of Scripture for people to pray to the Lord Jesus.
It seems that God’s spirit, commonly known to us as the Holy Spirit, is not to be praised or worshipped as a distinct entity – even though God’s spirit displays many of those attributes that we associate with being God – omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, and even “person-like” attributes, such as comfort, encouragement and guidance, able to be grieved, etc.
The distinction between God the Father and the Holy Spirit is in the fact that the Spirit is the arm of God, one of the means by which God in totality interacts with man. God’s spirit’s interaction with us seems to be in a form and at a level that we mere humans can handle, and not be destroyed by. Job 26:14 - “How small a whisper we hear of Him, but the thunder of His power – who can understand (or “comprehend”, or even “withstand”?).
The origin or source of comfort, encouragement, guidance, etc, is God the Father. The actual means by which comfort, encouragement, guidance, etc. are given to us is via the Holy Spirit – a manifestation of God who interacts with us, without destroying us in the process.
In the next study, we will start taking a look at the Holy Spirit from a different perspective. So far we have considered something of the Holy Spirit’s being and nature. From the next lesson, we will begin looking at the Holy Spirit’s work – the diverse ways that God’s Spirit has interacted with man through the ages, starting at Genesis and working our way up until present times.
