The SDA Trinitarians say that the Holy Spirit is a third divine being while the SDA non-Trinitarians say that the Holy Spirit is Jesus Himself. Both views are erroneous and extreme. The SDA pioneers had it right. They said that the Holy Spirit is God’s representative.

The language of John 14-16 speaks of someone whom Jesus would ask the Father to send.  That Person would not speak of himself but would speak only what He hears and would bring back to the minds of the disciples the things that Jesus would have told them – “he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak” (John 16:13).

There is no denying that the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, sent at Pentecost is a person – only not a God-being to be worshipped. Like the Angel of Revelation 18, the Comforter carries out a work of worldwide extent and is aided by other heavenly beings.  Ellen G. White describing the latter rain speaks of a mighty angel from heaven being sent to do this work and further said, “Angels were sent to aid the mighty angel from heaven” (Ellen. G. White, Story of Redemption, p. 399). 

The three powers of heaven are God, Christ, and holy spirits (angels).  There are many such references; for example: “I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things” (1 Tim. 5:21).  These are the same ones who were present at the creation – “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? …. When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4-7).  Again, “Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ” (Rev.1:4, 5). These seven spirits are later described as “seven lamps of fire” (Rev. 4:5) and as “the seven angels which stood before God” (Rev. 8:2). 

This is consistent with the Hebrew word ruach, used for “spirit” in the Old Testament and the Greek word pneuma, used for “spirit” or “Ghost” in the New Testament. that are also translated in the Bible as “spirits”. These words are also translated spirits, thus indicating that the Holy Spirit need not be seen as one individual being who is omnipresent but many spirit beings representing God everywhere.

There is a sense in which the term spirit refers to a person’s mind. In that sense, the spirit of Christ is the mind of Christ, but that is a different usage from references to the person called the Comforter. The Comforter speaks, can be grieved, was sent by Christ etc. signifying that he is a person separate from Christ, but not a God-being to be worshipped.

“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 11:15).

For further information, please visit Patience of the Saints at http://thecommandmentsofgodandthefaithofjesus.com