I decided to read through What the Bible Teaches, by R.A. Torrey again. It’s a great book – you can download a free PDF here - so we’re doing a little Bible study every Thursday. The collection is here. Subscribe over there to make sure you don’t miss anything, but come back and add your voice in the Comments! >>>

What is in a name?

I love talking about names in the Bible, because they’re always so rich in meaning. Not least of all the names through which God reveals Himself. Torrey provides an exhaustive appendix of the names of the Holy Spirit, which is pretty handy:

1. The Spirit
2. The Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 3:16)
3. The Spirit of Jehovah (Isaiah 11:12)
4. The Spirit of the Lord God/Lord Jehovah (Isaiah 61:1)
5. The Spirit of the Living God (2 Corinthians 3:3)
6. The Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9)
7. The Spirit of His Son (Galatians 4:6)
8. The Spirit of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:19)
9. The Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:7)
10. The Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13)
11. The Spirit of Burning (Isaiah 4:4)
12. The Spirit of Holiness (Romans 1:4)
13. The Holy Spirit of Promise (Ephesians 1:13)
14. The Spirit of Truth (John 14-16)
15. The Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2)
16. The Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding/Counsel and Might/Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2)
17. The Oil of Gladness (Hebrews 1:9)
18. The Spirit of Grace (Hebrews 10:29)
19. The Spirit of Glory (1 Peter 4:14)
20. The Eternal Spirit (Hebrews 9:14)
21. The Comforter (John 14-15)

Some of my favorite insights from this chapter:

The Spirit

The word, as in 1 Corinthians 2:10, means “breath” or “wind.” The Holy Spirit is the breath of God, which makes John 20:22 even more profound – when Jesus breathes on His disciples and tells them to receive the Holy Spirit. No one breathes on anyone anymore to impart the Holy Spirit … because He isn’t our breath, He’s God’s breath.

The Comforter

We think of a comforter as someone who puts an arm around us after a bad day and makes us feel better, but Holy Spirit is more than that.

The word translated “Comforter” … means literally “one called to another’s side,” the idea being one at hand to take another’s part. It is the same word translated “advocate” in 1 John 2:1. The thought is that the Holy Spirit is one who is called to our side, one who is every ready “to stand by us,” to take our part.

Awesome.

What name or insight from this chapter struck you?

I decided to read through What the Bible Teaches, by R.A. Torrey again. It’s a great book – you can download a free PDF here – so we’re doing a little Bible study every Thursday. The collection is here. Subscribe over there to make sure you don’t miss anything! >>>

John is hosting the discussion this week on our little book study, and it has room to be a very interesting discussion. He’s challenging Torrey’s theology in this chapter, and I have to say … I’m with John.

What do you say?

I decided to read through What the Bible Teaches, by R.A. Torrey again. It’s a great book – you can download a free PDF here - so we’re doing a little Bible study every Thursday. The collection is here. Subscribe over there to make sure you don’t miss anything, but come back and add your voice in the Comments! >>>

This is probably the shortest chapter in Torrey’s book, which makes it’s inclusion interesting. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard anyone argue that the doctrine of the Trinity is not taught in the Bible, but Torrey includes a short chapter, here, to prove otherwise.

He provides five examples:

1. Luke 3:21-22 – A clear distinction is drawn between Jesus on earth, the Father in heaven, and the Holy Spirit descending.
2. Matthew 28:19 – A clear distinction is made between each member of the Godhead.
3. John 14:16 – A distinction is made between the Son who prays, the Father to whom He prays, and the Comforter who is given.
4. John 16:7 – A distinction is drawn between Jesus who leaves and the Holy Spirit who comes.
5. Acts 2:33 – There is a distinction between the Father, the Son at the right hand of the Father, and the Holy Spirit whom the Son receives.

Torrey generally concludes:

They are separate personalities, having mutual relations to one another, acting upon one another, speaking of or to one another, applying the pronouns of the second and third persons to one another.

So here’s my question for discussion: Why does this matter?

Ready? Go.