We have seen in previous articles that there is a triune God, and many biblical proofs have been given. Article 10 speaks of Jesus Christ as true and eternal God. In this eleventh article we will deal with the Third Person. It is an important article, for we hear clearly in the twelve Articles of Faith, "I be­lieve in the Holy Ghost." Without the Spirit's application, a dead sinner cannot be quickened and the dry bones in the valley which Ezekiel saw could not be made alive. Without the Spirit there would not be a congregation, a church of God, regeneration, repentance, faith, renewing of the sinner, justification, or sanctification. Without the Spirit there would be no comfort or upholding grace in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. There would then be no room for Christ in the heart, nor would a sinner begin to understand the truth. The Word of God would remain a closed book and Christ's work would never be applied to the hearts of sinners. Therefore this is a very essential article.

It begins with "We believe," for it is a confession of faith; "and confess also that the Holy Ghost from eternity proceeds from the Father and the Son."

Why did our fathers say this? Is it so important? Why did they speak about the spiration of the Spirit from the Father and from the Son, that is, from both? There is a reason. In the Roman Catholic Church a conflict had developed between the Eastern church and the Western church. Arius had influenced many people in the Eastern church. He did not believe in the Trinity, and although many people rejected his ideas, the Eastern church did maintain the belief in subordination. Their idea was that the Father stands above the Son and the Holy Spirit and deserves more honor than the Second and Third Persons in the Trinity. Therefore they stated that it would not be possible for the Spirit to proceed from the Son. They said He only proceeded from the Father and that the Holy Spirit was not sent by Christ. That is not true, for we read in John 16:7 "for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you." In Romans 8:9 it says, "the Spirit of Christ" and in Galatians 4:6 we read of "the Spirit of His Son."

Several times in Scripture the Spirit is not only called the Spirit of the Fa­ther or of God, but the Spirit of Christ or the Spirit of His Son. Scripture proves that the Spirit proceeds not only from the Father but also from the Son. There is no subordination, but there is "one-ness" in the divine essence. This is also what the Western church believed. A debate took place between the Eastern and the Western churches and there came a definite division between the two. The Western church adopted a statement: "We believe in the filioque," meaning "also the Son." That one word was the cause of the split in the church and today there are still those two churches: The Roman Catholic and the Greek Orthodox.

What did our fathers believe? Calvin, Luther and also the Belgic Confession of Faith hold to the view of the Western church. Scripture proves that the Spirit also proceeds from the Son. What happens if we say that the Spirit proceeds only from the Father and that He is not the Spirit of the Son? That is an error that is also evident today. The Son and the Holy Spirit are entirely separated by some. They erroneously believe that the Spirit is not sent by the Son and does not proceed from the Son, but that the Holy Spirit is a separate person and works entirely independently. If we do that, then Christ is pushed aside. Does the Son just open the way so the Father can send the Spirit? Then the Spirit would not glorify Christ, but only the Father. That cannot be, friends. For we read in John 16:14 that the Lord Jesus said "He (the Spirit) shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall shew it unto you." It is the work of the Spirit to glorify the Father, to reveal unto sinners the good pleasure of the Fa­ther; but it is also the work of the Spirit to glorify Christ in the heart.

We read in our confession that He "proceeds from the Father and the Son; and therefore neither is made…" The Spirit is not made; He is not a creature. He has no beginning. He is also not begotten as the Son is begotten. The Spirit by spiration proceeds from the Father and the Son. We read in Psalm 104, "Thou sendest forth Thy Spirit, they are created: and Thou renewest the face of the earth." In creation the Spirit moved upon the face of the waters. So the Spirit is not created, but is also the Creator, although in the divine household the Father's special work is creation, the Son's special work is redemption, and the Holy Spirit's special work is sanctification.

The Spirit is, in order, the Third Person. The Father works through the Son by the Holy Spirit. He is the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, not the lowest in honor, but the third in the divine essence. All are of one and the same essence, coessential, having the same majesty and the same glory. All three are one. All three are eternal. All three are to be honored as God.

Socinus said that the Holy Spirit is just the power of God, not a person, but just an attribute or gift of God. Every heretic has his text and Socinus used Luke 1:35 to prove his theory. We read there, "and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee." Since He was called "the power of the Highest," Socinus believed that the Holy Spirit was just a power, but that is not true. God is what He does. He is almighty, powerful, life, and wisdom. He is the power. He doesn't just have power, He is power. All power is in Him and without Him we can do nothing. Without Him there is no wisdom or life. Therefore surely the Holy Spirit has divine power, but He is also a divine Person. How can we prove this? Well, friends, read the Scriptures. Can a power comfort? We read in John 14:16 about the Comforter. Can a power create? Can a power strive? In the Bible we read about the Spirit striving, and also that the Spirit will reprove. A person reproves. The Spirit commands and resurrects. Does a power command? There are so many texts which prove that the Spirit is a Person. Read 1 Corinthians 2:10 about the Spirit searching all things, and 1 Corin­thians 12:11 about the Spirit working all things, "dividing to every man severally as He will." A power cannot divide or have a will. The Spirit is the One who came in the place of Christ here upon earth. Christ no longer walks with His church on earth, but He still dwells in them and walks with them by His Spirit, by the Comforter whom He sent in His place. "I will give you another Comforter. I will not leave you comfortless."

The Holy Spirit is not only a Person, but is a divine Person. We can prove that He is also God by His names. When Annanias had lied, Peter said that he had lied against the Holy Ghost, but then in Acts 5:4 he said, "You have lied unto God." In that very next verse the Spirit is called God.

The Spirit also has divine attributes. He is omnipresent, as we read in Psalm 139:7, "Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence?" The psalmist is saying, "If I go up into the mountains or hide in the depths of the earth, Thy Spirit is there; He is omnipresent." The Holy Spirit is sovereign, dividing to every man as He will. He is also eternal, as in Hebrews 9:14 He is called "the eternal Spirit." In 1 Corinthians 2:10 He is shown to be omniscient, and in Luke 1:35 we can see that He is also omnipotent. Divine works are also ascribed to the Holy Spirit. He is the One who regenerates sinners and the One who inspired Jeremiah and Peter. By Him miracles are worked, the face of the earth is renewed, and the heart of a sinner is broken. These works are all ascribed to the Holy Spirit.

He also receives divine honor. We are baptized in His Name together with the Father and the Son. There is also the possibility of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. We can never do that against one who is not divine. The sin against the Holy Ghost is the unpardonable sin. If we sin against the Father above us, it is a sin; if we sin against Christ with us, it is a great sin; but if we sin against the Holy Ghost in the church, that is an unpardonable sin. His divine honor is shown in 2 Corinthians 13 where the Holy Ghost is mentioned in the blessing. In the book of Numbers the blessing of the High Priest also speaks of the triune God. "The Lord bless thee and keep thee," pointing to the keeping of the Father; "The Lord make His face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee," speaking of the Son; "The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee and give thee peace," referring to the Holy Spirit. Thus divine honor is ascribed unto the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is necessary for the unconverted who need to be quickened. He is also necessary, however, for God's people, for He guides them into all truth. The Holy Spirit works saving operations, and His teachings are on the basis of the accomplished work of Christ. He is "the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD" (Isa. 11:2).

There are so many activities of the Holy Spirit. He is the quickening Spirit, the indwelling Spirit, the sanctifying Spirit, the sealing Spirit, the witnessing Spirit, and the prayer-giving Spirit. Oh friends, these works of the Spirit are needed by all of us. What a wonder if we may say with the Lord's Day 20 of our Heidelberg Catechism, "that He is also given me, to make me by a true faith, partaker of Christ and all His benefits, that He may comfort me and abide with me forever."

Those who are led by the Spirit are the children of God. May this Spirit work powerfully and irresistibly in our hearts, leading us into all truth and glorifying the precious Christ in our midst. He is worthy of it!