The Third Person

Q: It is clear to me that the Father is omniscient. I also believe the Son of God is omniscient but that He gave it up for a while during His ministry on Earth and relied upon the Father for His strength. I am not so sure about the Holy Spirit. Is there any scripture that can support a claim either way? If He knows one less thing than the Father, then He isn`t omniscient. If He is omniscient, how can this be reconciled with Mark 13:32?

A: It is clear to me that the Holy Spirit is also omniscient. To say otherwise is to call into question God Himself. We must remember that there is only one God. In order for Him to reveal Himself to us in a way in which we could begin to grasp who He is, He revealed Himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Mark 13:32 says, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." The absence of the Holy Spirit being mentioned in this particular passage doesn't eliminate Him from being fully God and fully omniscient. By that same reasoning we could suggest that Jesus, the Son, is not God because the passage says that the Son doesn't know the day or hour. One could say that Jesus isn't God because He doesn't know everything. But, as you mention in your question, Jesus "gave it (His deity) up for a little while." Therefore, it is not a stretch to believe that an all powerful God could withhold some of His power when He felt it necessary to do so. With that said, there is plenty of evidence proving the omniscience of the Holy Spirit.

"For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:11)." If God is omniscient and the Holy Spirit is said to know the thoughts of God, then it is safe to say that the Holy Spirit is omniscient. "Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God (Acts 5:3-4)." Here in Acts we read where Ananias is accused of lying to the Holy Spirit. And then Peter equates lying to the Holy Spirit as lying to God. In numerous places in Scripture we find where it says God raised Jesus from the dead. In Romans 1:4 we see where Jesus was raised from the dead "according to the Spirit of holiness." In just these few passages we see the Holy Spirit knows the thoughts of God, is equated to God when lied to and is said to have raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Clear evidence that the Holy Spirit is fully God.

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast (Psalm 139:7-10)." The psalmist gives us some of the clearest evidence of the omnipresent abilities of the Holy Spirit. God is the only one whose presence we are unable to flee from. The Holy Spirit doesn't know "one less thing than the Father" because He is God just like the Father. In John 14:26 it says "the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." Then in John 15:26, we see Jesus say when "the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me." These two passages tie the Holy Spirit to God the Father and God the Son. The Bible is clear that the Holy Spirit is equal to God because He is God. In fact, the Holy Spirit is the greatest evidence of God in many ways.

Have you ever wondered how God can indwell every believer, all over the world, at the same time and have an individual relationship with us all? That is due to the Holy Spirit indwelling each and every one of us. Paul asks the question, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God (1 Corinthians 6:9)?" We have God indwelling us in the form of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the very life of God that is His promise to us of our eternal inheritance. Wherever a believer is the Holy Spirit is also. Thus, God is there with them as well. That is the very definition of being omniscient which is having "complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness or understanding." We will most likely never know all there is to know about God. But, we can take comfort in the fact that not knowing all He is doesn't prevent us from spending eternity with Him in Christ. We know of God as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This alone is not the full scope of who He is, only of how He has revealed Himself to us so that we could begin to have a relationship with Him. Be thankful that we have an eternity in which to get to know God because of work of Christ on our behalf.