Is the Holy Spirit worshiped too much?
See a video about this topic here.
The Holy Spirit is God. He is just as much God as the Father and God the Son, equal in essence.
I wanted to clearly and unambiguously state that up front because of what the rest of this will say — that perhaps some Christians worship Him too much.
I was in the charismatic movement for a long time, and we talked about the Holy Spirit a lot. Holy Spirit this, Holy Spirit that. We had Holy Ghost revivals. We prayed to Him. We sang to Him. We emphasized His presence, His manifestations, and His gifts (the word charismatic comes from the Greek word for the Spirit’s gifts). We even neglected the Bible — His word — because we thought the Holy Spirit was “moving.”
We glorified the Holy Spirit. We often made Him the center of attention. But as I studied the Bible more, I learned that we glorified Him far more than He did.
What the Holy Spirit said
The Holy Spirit has been called the shy member of the Trinity — meaning, He doesn’t put the spotlight on Himself; He wants glory to go to the Father and the Son. Here are a couple of ways we see this in Scripture:
First, look at the greetings in almost all of the New Testament epistles …
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:7)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:3)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 1:2)
Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ … (Galatians 1:3)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:2)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:2)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Colossians 1:2)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 1:1)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:2)
Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Timothy 1:2)
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. (2 Timothy 1:2)
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. (Titus 1:4)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philemon 3)
James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ … (James 1:1)
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord … (2 Peter 2:2)
… truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:3)
Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ … (2 John 3)
To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ … (Jude 1)
As you can see, over and over and over, the writers mention the Father and the Son but not the Spirit.
Next, consider chapters 4 and 5 of Revelation. These are glorious glimpses into the throne room of heaven. Chapter 4 depicts the One who sits on the throne, perpetually worshiped by six-winged creatures who cry out, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” In chapter 5 we see the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Lamb who was slain, who redeemed His people by His blood out of every nation. The two chapters conclude with:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
A chapter about the Father, a chapter about the Son, and all creation worshiping them both. The Holy Spirit does not get His own chapter but is present in each one; He’s the seven Spirits of God in 4:5 and 5:6. Those brief mentions perfectly illustrate His role in the Trinity, humbly glorifying the Father and the Son.
Remember, this is Spirit-breathed Scripture. These are His words. This is what the Holy Spirit tells us about Himself.
What Jesus said
Of course, Jesus spoke extensively about the Holy Spirit the night before He died. In John 14:26, the Lord teaches His apostles what the Holy Spirit will do: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” In that verse are two ways that the Holy Spirit serves and glorifies Christ:
First, He’s sent by the Father in the name of Jesus, not in His own name. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is all about the name of Jesus; if a church gathering is truly Spirit-filled and Spirit-led, the name you’ll hear the most is the name of Jesus. Then, He will bring to remembrance all things that Jesus said. Whether He’s talking just to the apostles or to all the church, either way, it’s a ministry that points to Jesus.
In chapter 15, Jesus says in verse 26, “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.” Again, you see the Holy Spirit is sent, like a messenger, a servant, to testify of Jesus. The Greek word translated “testify” is martyreo; Jesus uses a form of the same word in Acts 1, when He says, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The purpose of the power of the Holy Spirit is for us to be witnesses to Jesus.
When we constantly proclaim the Holy Spirit, we’re proclaiming the messenger instead of proclaiming who the messenger is proclaiming. That’s not what messengers do or want.
Jesus continues His discourse in John 16:
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”
The Holy Spirit does not speak on His own, but He takes what He hears from Jesus and declares it to us. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is from Jesus and for Jesus. If you hear preachers and churches constantly saying, “Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit,” it’s not Him. He does not do that.
This is not to denigrate anything the Spirit does for us. He indwells us, continually fills us, empowers us, emboldens us, comforts us, seals us, sanctifies us, gives us His gifts, bears witness with us, and produces His fruit in us. All of that has a singular purpose — to point to Jesus, to testify of Jesus, to proclaim Jesus. Not Himself.
Should we worship the Holy Spirit? Yes; He’s God. How should we worship Him? By glorifying the One He glorifies.
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