Is the Holy Spirit’s gender female?  In the Trinity does it include Father, Son and Mother?  Where did this teaching come from and how do we deal with it?

Let’s start with….

Why?

The story is as old as time, literally.

In the garden of Eden, God gave direct instructions to Adam on what they were allowed to eat and what they were not allowed to eat. And yet, Adam chooses to listen to “someone” else than to follow God’s word.

Genesis 3:4-6
“You won’t die!” the serpent hissed.  “God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it.  You will become just like God, know everything, both good and evil.”  The woman was convinced.  The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise!  So she ate of the fruit.  She also gave some to her husband, who was with her.  And he ate it, too.

It’s why there’s so many different religions claiming to follow Jesus yet are so different.  Let me name just a new:

The Jehovah Witnesses began with Charles Taze Russsell.  From 1886 until his death (1916) he wrote a series of books called “Studies in Scripture” and claimed that the Bible could only be understood according to his interpretations.  These books formed the basis for the JW theology leaving Biblical authority behind.

The Roman Catholic Church, according to their teachings, their source of authority does not rest with Scripture alone but with Scripture, tradition, and the Pope- each with equal authority.  In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it states:

“The Supreme Pontiff (Pope), in virtue of his office, possesses infallible teaching authority when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful he proclaims with a definitive act that a doctrine of faith or morals is to be held as such.”  pg. 891

So basically, the above statement says that even if the Pope says something that contradicts the Bible you follow what the Pope says.  And so Biblical authority has been left behind.

Mormonism or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was founded by Joseph Smith and he created the book called The Book of Mormon.  The book was published in 1830 and became the first of many books for the Mormon Church leaving Biblical authority behind.

The Church of Christ, Science, also known as The Christian Science Church was founded by Mary Baker Eddy and in 1875, she published “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures” and claimed it was the final revelation of God to mankind and asserted that her work was inspired of God.  The word “Key” in the title of her book is in reference to her book being the key to unlocking the Bible.  She also placed her book to be on par with the Bible so Biblical authority was left behind.

Do you see a trend in the above religions?  They all claim to know Jesus yet all have strayed away from Biblical authority.  They have taken the ultimate authority of the Bible and replaced it with man’s thinking and man’s books.

Christians have also been influenced by pagan religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and I believe the most destructive being the New Age Movement.

So, to answer why this teaching is out there and why many are embracing it comes down to people believing the Bible isn’t good enough?

Matthew 24:4
Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you.  For many will come in my name, saying, “I am the Messiah”.  They will lead many astray.

The Problem Explored

Regardless of its origin, the result is the same.  Instead of going to God’s Word for truth people accept man’s version of the truth.

As Christians,our ONLY source of authority comes from God’s Word aka the Bible.  That means everything we hear, read or are taught by people must be taken to the Bible to see if it’s true. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.  It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right.  It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.

We don’t need “other books” since no book outside of the Bible can claim this:

• The Bible is inspired by God
• The Bible teaches us what is true
• The Bible points out what is not true
• The Bible prepares us in every way

Do we have a weak God?  NO!  Our God is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent.  Our God is in control at all times. 

Some refute the divinity of the Bible and claim that man put the Bible together therefore it is flawed.  There are some teachers that promote that other books outside of the Bible are God’s Word as well.  LISTEN TO ME – no man can stop God!  The Bible consists of 66 books because that is what God wanted.  End of story. So, do not be deceived by these lies.

God is very clear on this issue….

Revelation 22:18-19
And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book.  And if anyone removes any of the words of this prophetic book, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.

What Does The Bible Say About The Holy Spirit?

So, let’s answer the question since the Bible is actually quite clear about what the Holy Spirit is and is not.

John 14:15-17
If you love me, obey my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you.  He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.  The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him.  But you do, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.

John 15:26
But I will send you the Counselor – the Spirit of truth.  He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me.

John 16:5-15
But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and none of you has asked me where I am going.  Instead, you are very sad.  But it is actually best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Counselor won’t come.  If I do go away, he will come because I will send him to you.  And when he comes, he will convince the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.  The world’s sin is unbelief in me.  Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more.  Judgment will come because the prince of this world has already been judged.
Oh, there is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now.  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 received 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 received from me.

How Do We Move Forward?

The Bible tells us clearly that the Holy Spirit is a “he”.  If you’re reading this and believe otherwise you now have a choice.  You either accept what Jesus says about the Holy Spirit or WILLINGLY go against what Jesus says.  There is no grey area on this topic and no room for interpretation.  You either stand on the Word of God or you stand on the word of man.  It’s that simple.

For those who know people who have accepted this false doctrine, whether that be friend, family, teacher or Pastor, we are told when we see our brothers and sisters stray away from truth we are to in gentleness and in love tell them the truth aka Scripture. 

Galatians 6:1
Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path.

Jude 1:22-23
Show mercy to those whose faith is wavering.  Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment.  There are still others to whom you need to show mercy, but be careful that you aren’t contaminated by their sins.

If they refuse the truth in Scripture then we let them go because it only takes a small amount of yeast to ruin the unleavened bread (Galatians 5:9-10)

Romans 16:17
And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters.  Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things that are contrary to what you have been taught.  Stay away from them.  Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests.

A Final Note

The definition of blasphemy is “the act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things; profane talk”. 

One way of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit is to attribute the works of the Holy Spirit to Satan (Mark 3:20-30).  This false teaching is also blaspheming against the Holy Spirit.  It’s dangerous because it sets a precedent about the authority of the Bible, who ultimately God is and sets people up to believe in other false doctrines that take them away from Jesus.

Matthew 12:31-32
Every sin or blasphemy can be forgiven – except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which can never be forgiven.  Anyone who blasphemes against me, the Son of Man, can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.

I pray that as you read and meditate on the Scriptures found in this blog post that the Holy Spirit would reveal God’s truth to you.  That you would willingly choose God’s Word over man’s and that the Holy Spirit will continue to sanctify your life and lead you into all of God’s truth.

Your Sister in Christ,

Angela

Angela Grover
Author, It's Time to Fight
Founder of Sanctification Day By Day