The Testimony of the Holy Spirit, the Angels, and the Disciples to the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ

Continuation from “The Teachings from the Book of Acts of the Apostles.”

Introduction

The Lord Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of Man, and He is God of the Trinity of God (God the Father, God the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit).

We believe that the Lord Jesus is, and always has been, God of the Trinity. Therefore, as God of the Trinity of God, He has power and authority in Himself to perform miraculous works and miraculous healings, and to know the times. Specifically, even while on earth as a man, the Lord Jesus was also God, and He had power and authority in Himself over all things in both the seen and unseen worlds. Therefore, while on earth as a man, the Lord Jesus was more than a prophet of God filled with the Holy Spirit: He is the Son of God and God of the Trinity. Furthermore, the Lord Jesus, as the Son of Man on earth, was a man like any other man in all things while on earth.

After the Lord Jesus fulfilled the plan of the Father on earth by becoming the sacrificial Lamb of God for the whole human race, He rose from the dead, appeared in His resurrected body to many of His disciples, promised to send the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit, and ascended to the Father, where He is seated at the Father’s right hand. He will come again to take His church, but He did not leave us orphans. He sent the Holy Spirit to earth, and all who believe in Him can receive this free gift from the Father.

In the Book of Acts, we witness the mighty work of the Holy Spirit in continuing the plan of God the Father for salvation through His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit’s main work is to testify to the hearts of people about His Son, that He is God and Man at the same time, and that He is the only way to the salvation of souls. We see many testimonies to the deity of the Lord Jesus given by the Holy Spirit Himself, by the angels of God, and by disciples under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

In the Book of Acts, we witness the mighty work of the Holy Spirit in continuing the plan of God the Father for salvation through His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit's main work is to testify to the hearts of people about His Son, that He is God and Man at the same time, and that He is the only way to the salvation of souls. We see many testimonies to the deity of the Lord Jesus given by the Holy Spirit Himself, by the angels of God, and by disciples under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The Spiritual Themes

Within this spiritual category, we see a wonderful progression in the testimony to the deity of the Lord Jesus. First, we find two angels of God testifying to the deity of the Lord Jesus. Then, on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit Himself comes miraculously upon the disciples and baptizes them through tongues of fire and the miraculous gift of speaking in other tongues. This is a testimony to all that the Holy Spirit came by the will of God the Father, as promised by the beloved Son of God.

Additionally, throughout the Book of Acts, many disciples under the guidance of the Holy Spirit testify to the deity of the Lord Jesus. Holy men of God, the apostles and disciples, are moved by the Holy Spirit and testify to those around them, great and small, that the Lord Jesus is the Son of God, that He rose from the dead in His human body, that salvation of souls is found in Him alone, that healings are done in His name, and that He is seated at the right hand of the Father.

Many passages from the Book of Acts fall within this spiritual category. For the purpose of our study, we have classified these passages into five spiritual themes and grouped the relevant passages from the Book of Acts under each theme.

The Testimony of the Holy Spirit, Angels, and Disciples
The Discourses of Peter through the Holy Spirit
The Discourse of Stephen through the Holy Spirit
The Testimony of Philip to the Ethiopian Eunuch through the Holy Spirit
The Testimonies of the Apostle Paul through the Holy Spirit

1. The Testimony of the Holy Spirit, Angels, and Disciples

The Lord Jesus was born on earth as the Son of God and the Son of Man (Luke 1:34-35). The Son of God walked on earth as a human among humans, He died for the sins of the world, and now He is seated at the right hand of the Father in His human and heavenly body.

Under this spiritual theme, we present passages from the Book of Acts that testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and to His deity as the Son of God. These passages testify that He ascended to heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will come again in power and glory. They also testify that the Holy Spirit comes from the Father through Him, that the Father performs mighty miracles in His name, and that salvation is found in Him alone.

Below, we highlight all the Book of Acts passages that entirely cover this theme, with hyperlinks to our Bible Commentary Forever (BCF) work, where you will find more comments and explanations. In addition, we provide a short description of each passage, characterizing its content.

BCF Links in the Book of Acts: Acts 1:1-4 (The Lord Jesus commands the apostles to wait for the promise of the Father: the baptism in the Holy Spirit); Acts 1:10-14 (Two angels tell the disciples that the Lord Jesus ascended into heaven and will return in the same way); Acts 1:15-25 (The choosing of the new apostle, Matthias, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit: to qualify as an apostle, one had to have accompanied the Lord Jesus during His ministry and be a witness to His resurrection); Acts 4:24-30 (The disciples of the Lord Jesus pray to the Father to stretch out His hand and perform mighty works through the name of His Holy Servant Jesus); Acts 4:31-37 (After their prayer, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word boldly; they lived in unity, and the apostles testified to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus); Acts 5:29-33 (The apostles bear witness to the Jewish leaders to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, to Him being the Savior of all, and to the giving of the Holy Spirit to those who obey God).

2. The Discourse of Peter through the Holy Spirit

After the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem, they were all miraculously baptized in the Holy Spirit and bore testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and that He is the Son of God.

Under this spiritual theme, we present passages from the Book of Acts where we see the Holy Spirit using the apostle Peter in a mighty way to testify that the Lord Jesus is the Son of God, that God the Father raised Him from the dead, that He has been made both Lord and Christ, that He is the Prince of Life, the Judge of the living and the dead, the cornerstone of faith and salvation, and that salvation is found in Him alone. Peter bears this testimony before great multitudes and before the Jewish leaders of that time.

Through Peter’s testimony, the Holy Spirit works the miracle of salvation in the hearts of many people, bringing them to faith in the Lord Jesus and adding them to the number of the disciples.

BCF Links in the Book of Acts: Acts 2:14-19 (Peter, through the Holy Spirit, speaks to the multitudes from Scripture, explaining that these days were prophesied and that the Holy Spirit would be given to all people); Acts 2:20-21 (The glory of the Living God will protect the true believers); Acts 2:22-28 (Peter, through the Holy Spirit, testifies that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, who was put to death by lawless hands; but God the Father raised Him from the dead, for the Son of God could not see decay, as David had also prophesied); Acts 2:29-33 (Peter testifies, through the Holy Spirit, that David, a prophet, spoke of Christ’s resurrection; the disciples were witnesses to this, and the Lord Jesus sent upon them the promise from the Father: the Holy Spirit); Acts 2:34-41 (Peter, through the Holy Spirit, testifies that God has made the Lord Jesus both Lord and Christ; he calls everyone to repent and be baptized in water, and they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit); Acts 3:12-15 (Peter testifies to the people that God the Father glorified His Son, Jesus Christ, as the Prince of life by raising Him from the dead); Acts 3:16-18 (Peter testifies that the Lord Jesus, the Christ of God, took the punishment upon Himself to save the humans He loves); Acts 3:19-23 (Peter, through the Holy Spirit, speaks of the salvation found only in the Lord Jesus, proclaiming that the Lord Jesus has ascended into heaven and will return in power to judge the earth and restore all things); Acts 3:24-26 (Peter, through the Holy Spirit, testifies that the Lord declared through all the prophets of old about the coming days of His beloved Son to judge the earth); Acts 4:1-12 (Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, testifies to the Jews that the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ has become the cornerstone of the faith and that salvation is found only in His name).

3. The Discourse of Stephen through the Holy Spirit

Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5), was one of the first Christian martyrs for the faith in the Lord Jesus found in the Book of Acts. In Acts 7, we find Stephen’s defense speech before the council of the Jews, which ends with Stephen’s stoning because of his testimony to the deity of the Lord Jesus. Stephen’s defense includes Old Testament history concerning God’s chosen people, the Jews, the law of the Lord, and the coming of the Righteous One, the Lord Jesus, to the earth.

Under this spiritual theme, we have divided Stephen’s testimony into smaller passages that show the progression of his testimony concerning the history of God’s chosen people, the Jews, their rebellion against God throughout the generations, and the prophecies concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus to earth. Stephen testifies that the Lord spoke to His people through the prophets concerning the coming of His beloved Son; however, when the Son of God came to earth, they rejected Him and killed Him.

Stephen’s testimony concludes with his accusation against the Jews for rejecting and killing the Son of God, together with his testimony concerning the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and His standing in glory at the right hand of the Father. This testimony under the power of the Holy Spirit angered the Jewish leaders, who stoned him to death.

BCF Links in the Book of Acts: Acts 7:1-7 (Stephen, through the Holy Spirit, begins his testimony before the Council of the Jews, stating that God Almighty chose their forefather Abraham and gave him the promise of an inheritance, which Abraham believed); Acts 7:8-18 (Stephen talks about the covenant of circumcision that God gave to Abraham and how Abraham’s offspring were enslaved in Egypt for 400 years); Acts 7:19-22 (Stephen continues the historical narrative of the Jews and presents the birth of Moses); Acts 7:23-29 (Stephen describes the events that led to Moses fleeing to the land of Midian); Acts 7:30-32 (Stephen describes how an angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in the wilderness and how the voice of the Lord spoke to him from the burning bush); Acts 7:33–39 (Stephen presents how the Lord chose Moses to be their ruler to bring His people out of Egypt, and how this Moses prophesied concerning the Lord Jesus); Acts 7:40–45 (Stephen highlights the idolatry of the people of Israel since their exit from Egypt, yet the Lord has preserved the tabernacle throughout the generations until the days of David); Acts 7:46-50 (Stephen has told all about the magnificence of the Most High God and that our God does not dwell in handmade houses); Acts 7:51–53 (Stephen accuses the Jews of persecuting and killing the prophets of God who foretold the coming of the Son of God); Acts 7:54–56 (Stephen testifies to the resurrection, the ascension to the Father, and the deity of the Lord Jesus).

4. The Testimony of Philip to the Ethiopian Eunuch through the Holy Spirit

After the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit moved many disciples to testify to the deity of the Lord Jesus and the salvation found in His name alone. The Lord God Almighty sees the hearts of people, and if we seek Him, He will come to meet us and make His home in our hearts (John 14:23).

Philip, a faithful servant of the Lord Jesus, was willing to serve the Lord, and the Lord used him mightily to proclaim the good news in miraculous ways. His encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch recorded in the Book of Acts is miraculous and serves as a testimony to the deity of the Lord Jesus.

The Ethiopian eunuch, an outsider, came to Jerusalem to worship the Lord God Almighty. The Lord sent an angel to speak to Philip and direct him to meet this man on the road going down from Jerusalem to Gaza. The eunuch was reading aloud from the prophet Isaiah. The Holy Spirit guided Philip to explain the Scriptures to him, beginning with that passage and proclaiming the good news concerning the Lord Jesus. The eunuch believed and asked to be baptized in water.

This event is a clear testimony to the mighty work of the Holy Spirit through His servants in proclaiming the salvation found in His Son, Jesus Christ.

BCF Links in the Book of Acts: Acts 8:26-40 (Philip, under the command of the Holy Spirit, goes out into the wilderness and meets a man of Ethiopia, to whom he proclaims the salvation in the Lord Jesus and baptizes him in water).

5. The Testimonies of the Apostle Paul through the Holy Spirit

The apostle Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13), after his miraculous encounter with the Lord Jesus (Acts 9:1-9), his conversion to faith in the Lord Jesus, and his baptism in water and in the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:10-19), was mightily used throughout the Roman Empire to spread the good news of the Lord Jesus to many nations.

In the Book of Acts, we find the apostle Paul boldly proclaiming, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, faith in the Son of God, the Lord Jesus, to all people, Gentiles and Jews alike, great and small. In many of his testimonies, he clearly proclaims the deity of the Lord Jesus. He proclaims that the Lord Jesus is of the seed of David and the promised Savior. He proclaims His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, and that the Son of God could not see corruption and therefore rose in His body.

BCF Links in the Book of Acts: Acts 13:13-23 (In the synagogue of Antioch of Pisidia, the apostle Paul declares that the Lord Jesus is of the seed of David and the Savior promised to Israel); Acts 13:24-30 (The apostle Paul declares that what has been written about the Lord Jesus happened; He was put to death on the cross, but God raised Him from the dead); Acts 13:31-37 (The apostle Paul declares that the resurrected Lord Jesus appeared to many, is the Holy Son of God, and that the Father raised Him from the dead, fulfilling the Scripture that the One God raised saw no corruption); Acts 13:38-42 (The apostle Paul declares that forgiveness of sins is proclaimed only through Jesus Christ); Acts 20:31-38 (The apostle Paul testifies of his ministry for the Lord to the elders of the church in Ephesus and prays for them before departing).

Conclusions

In conclusion, in the Book of Acts we witness numerous testimonies to the deity of the Lord Jesus, given by the Holy Spirit, angels, apostles, and various disciples. The Holy Spirit, the Writer of the Bible (see our article “Bible Dictation”), gives us these testimonies to strengthen our faith and to serve as examples for our walk with the Lord Jesus.

The doctrine of the Trinity of God is fundamental to all followers of the Lord Jesus, the Son of God. The Lord Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of Man, and He is One with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit (see our article “The Trinity of God”). Therefore, the deity of the Lord Jesus and His Oneness with God from the beginning are fundamental beliefs of our faith in the Lord Jesus.

While on earth, the Lord Jesus testified concerning His deity, His being the Son of God, and His Oneness with God the Father (see our article “Teachings about the Lord Jesus Being the Son of God and the Son of Man”). After His death on the cross as atonement for the sins of the whole world, His resurrection from the dead, and His ascension to the Father, God the Father sent His promise, the Holy Spirit, the Helper, to earth to be with us forever and to guide us in all truth concerning the Lord Jesus.

All of us, following the examples that the disciples left for us in the Book of Acts, after believing in the Lord Jesus, being baptized in water by immersion, and receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit, can continue this wonderful testimony to the deity of the Lord Jesus and the salvation found in Him to all those whom the Lord places in our path.

We encourage all readers to consult our two related articles, “Teachings about the Lord Jesus Being the Son of God and the Son of Man” and “Teachings about the Bodily Resurrection of the Lord Jesus, End Time, and the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus.” These studies provide further teaching concerning the deity of the Lord Jesus, His bodily resurrection from the dead, and His future return in glory.