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NASB | John 14:16 "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 14:16 "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor--Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever-- |
Subject: Filled with the holy spirit? |
Bible Note: Greetings Ray! I have been following you view of the Holy Spirit as opposed to the 'holy spirit' for some time now. But, I must say that I cannot agree with it! :-) While it is true that the phrase 'pneuma hagios' occurs both with and without the article, I don't believe that it indicates two seperate 'things' such as 'gift' and 'giver'. To me, it appears the article is almost always used the the Holy Spirit is the subject of the sentence or clause, while it is almost always absent when the Holy Spirit is the object of the sentence or clause. However, there are a couple of exceptions that I believe indicate my point. Allow me to share a few verses. These verses all use the verb 'filled' with the phrase 'pneuma hagios'. The first group does not have the article while the second group does have the article. Group One: 1) Luke 1:15 - "for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth." (The NIV includes a definite article before 'Holy Spirit', but there is none in the Greek). 2) Luke 1:41 - "When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." (No article in the Greek). 3) Luke 1:61 - "His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied" (No article) 4) Acts 2:4 - "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." (No article) 5) Acts 4:8 - "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: 'Rulers and elders of the people!'" (No article) 6) Acts 9:16 - "Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, 'Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here — has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.'" 7) Acts 13:9 - "Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said," Group Two: 1) Acts 4:31 - "After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." (There is a definite article in this verse before 'Holy Spirit). So, while 'filled with (pneuma hagios) usually appears without the definite article, there is one verse where the definite article is used. So, to me, the use or non-use of the definite article is a stylistic phenomena, not evidence of a 'Holy Spirit' and a 'holy spirit'. There are other examples as well that the two forms are interchangeable. Luke 1:35 speaks of 'pneuma hagios' coming upon Mary, while Acts 1:8 speaks of 'the' 'pneuam hagios' coming upon us. The same verb is used in both verses. In Acts 2:33, Jesus is said to have received 'the' 'pneuma hagios'. In Acts 1:16, 'the' 'pneuma hagios' speaks through David, while in Acts 4:25, it is 'pneuma hagios' Who speaks through the mouth of David. In Acts 5:32, it is 'the' 'pneuma hagios' Whom God gives to those who obey Him, not 'pneuma hagios'. As you have already noted, it is 'the' 'pneuma hagios' Who comes upon the believers in Acts 10:44. However, in light of Acts 10:44, it is clear to me that the 'gift' of the Holy Spirit in 10:45 is the Holy Spirit Himself. Look also at Acts 10:47, where it is said that they had received 'the' 'pneuma hagios'. Can there be any doubt that the Holy Spirit is meant in all three verses? In Acts 11:15, it is 'the' 'pneuma hagios' Who came upon them at the beginning. Then, in the very next verse, Peter equates 'the' 'pneuma hagios' coming upon them with being baptized in 'pneuma hagios (without the article). In Acts 15:8, God gives 'the' 'pneuma hagios'. In Acts 19:2, Pauls asks John's disciples if they had received 'pneuma hagios', and they had not. But, after praying for them, in verse 6 it is 'the' 'pneuma hagios' Who comes upon them. 1 Cor. 6:19 says that it is 'the' 'pneuma hagios' Who is in us. 1 Thess. 4:8 also says that God gives us 'the' 'pneuma hagios'. I said all of this simply to say this: I believe that while 'pneuma' alone my refer to other things, 'pneuma hagios' (with or without the definite article) always refers to the Holy Spirit (the third Person of the Trinity). I look forward to discussing this with you more my friend! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |