About the Author

Thomas Ray Floyd was born in 1953 in Simpson County, Mississippi, the son of Roy Thomas Floyd and Lina Sue Shows Floyd. Thomas Ray's mother was a member of a Primitive Baptist church, and he cut his teeth on the doctrines of distinguishing grace.

When he was a small boy, his father was converted to Christ and became a member of a Missionary Baptist Church. Thomas Ray joined the church of his father when he was 13 years old, and thought of himself as a Christian. The doctrines of grace that he had heard as a child continued to be precious to him and when he became an adult, he joined a Primitive Baptist Church. When he was 27, Thomas Ray made his first effort to preach the gospel in public and was ordained to the full functions of the ministry in 1985. In 1986 he was convinced under the preaching of Rolfe Barnard (by tapes from Mt. Olive Tape Library), the written sermons of Spurgeon, and the ministry of Elder Zack Guess that he had been a false professor and cried out in agony of soul to the Lord Jesus Christ to have mercy and truly save him. And He did! Floyd then began to preach the gospel as he had been taught of the Lord.

Floyd has pastored churches in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee and until recently was pastor of a church plant known as "Particular Baptist Fellowship." He and his wife Brenda presently attend Zion Baptist Church at Polkville, Mississippi, pastored by Elder Glen Hopkins. The pulpit ministry of Zion Baptist Church can be heard at Sermonaudio.com.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

The Deity of the Holy Spirit

(Article for publication week of 3-16-2011 AD)

Having introduced the doctrine of the Tri-unity of God in our series on the holiness of God, we shall pause to briefly address this vital doctrine. Whether or not the cultists who deny the doctrine of the Trinity are saved or not, we shall leave to our Omniscient God Who knoweth them that are His. For our part, we cannot in good conscience regard such as brethren. Again, final judgment belongs to God.

Our subject this week is the proper Deity of the Holy Spirit. That the Holy Spirit is God is evident by any honest reading of the Scriptures.

First of all I shall show you that the Holy Spirit is specifically called God in Acts 6:3-4. In verse three, Peter said that Ananias lied to the Holy Ghost. Then in verse four, he said that he lied to God. It is easy to see from these two verses that the Holy Spirit is God.

Secondly, note that the Holy Spirit has the attributes of God. He is called the Holy Spirit, holiness properly being an attribute of God. (Christians are holy people, but their holiness is communicated to them by God, but the Holy Spirit is inherently and essentially holy, being God.) The Holy Spirit is eternal (Hebrews 9:14); omnipresent (Psalm 139:7); omniscient (I Corinthians 2:10-11); and omnipotent (as we shall show from His extraordinary works).

Thirdly, the Holy Spirit has done, and does things that only God can do. Note first of all that the Holy Spirit has inspired the Holy Scriptures. In II Timothy 3:16 we read, “all scripture is given by inspiration of God.” And then in II Peter 1:21 we read, “holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” You see that by comparing these two texts that the Holy Spirit is God. The first text plainly says that God inspired the Bible; the second plainly says the Holy Ghost did.

But the most wonderful display of the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit is the regeneration of an elect sinner who by nature is dead in sin and trespasses. In John 3:5 we read, “except a man be born of the water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” Regeneration, or the new birth is a monergistic work performed by God Alone (see also John 1:13). The salvation of a soul is nothing less than a miracle that God Himself must, and does perform. Until this work is done in the soul by the sovereign Spirit, a poor sinner will remain in unbelief and loathsome sin. Human effort and means and instrumentality of men will avail nothing until the Holy Spirit (Who is God) performs the glorious work of regeneration. But as soon as this glorious work is done, the sinner dead in sin is made alive in Christ. He is delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. He is thus granted repentance and enabled to believe in Christ for his eternal salvation. Dear reader, has that ever happened to you?
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