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In Galatians 4:6 it reads,
Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out "Abba, Father." (NIV)
Is Paul saying the Son of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, indwells in the believer as a Spirit next to the Holy Spirit? Or, is Paul saying the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Son?
According to the new testament witness, the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ are one and the same Spirit (Romans 8:9).
The apostles tell us that this was true of the Spirit in the Old Testament also (1 Peter 1:11).
It is through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, that the Father and the Son are said to "make [their] home" in the believer (John 14:23).
So, yes, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Son but also the Spirit of the Father. The Holy Spirit is therefore said to proceed from both the Father and the Son (John 14:26; 15:26).
Because you are sons" indicates that we have a Father.
"Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so also I am sending you.” When He had said this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit." (John 20:21-22)
The Holy Spirit is one and clearly proceeds (εκπορεύεται) from the Father, (John 14:26, John 15:26, John 14:16,17,26, Acts 1:4) through the Son (and us who are Baptised and Christened).
There is difference between the Spirit of God in you and the Holy Ghost upon you.
Notice two promises in the Old Testament concerning the Spirit of God.
Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. (Eze 36:24-27) And And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. (Joe 2:28-29)
Comparing these two verses notice both are “my spirit” but there are a few distinct differences:
The Prepositions: The Spirit spoken of in Ezekiel is “put WITHIN you” while the Spirit spoken of in Joel is poured “UPON all flesh”.
The Effect: The Effect of the “spirit within”, is to “cause you to WALK in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them” while the effect of the “Spirit upon” is spiritual gifts: prophecy, dreams and visions.
The Spirit poured out
We know the Acts 2 is that which was spoken of by the Prophet Joel. Notice the consistency of the prepositions and the effect:
This is consistent all throughout Acts as the Spirit is “poured out upon all flesh”
The Ezekiel passage is not as expressly identified in the New Testament, but considering the effects of receiving the new heart and the Lord’s spirit within that “cause you to WALK in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them”, seems to be what Romans 8 and almost all of Galatians is teaching:
Notice now both Roman 8 and Galatians emphasises that the Spirit is WITHIN (never upon or filled):
I therefore repeat, there is a difference between the Spirit of God within you and the Holy Ghost upon you.
Now, what is interesting also is that the Spirit of God within, is also identified as:
Notice even in the Old Testament: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. (1Pe 1:11)
Christ in me (Rom 8:10 & Gal 2:20)
Never the Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost in KJV, whereas this is always the Name used about the Spirit that comes upon people through the laying on of hands, spoken of in Acts, manifesting in spiritual gifts rather than obedience.
It appears TO ME as if the early English Translators (not just KJV) knew of this difference and consistently translated Holy Ghost for the Spirit of God as the Third Member of the Trinity, distinct from Christ and external to the believer but poured out, using the word “ghost” seemingly is to mean “breathed OUT spirit” (see Gen 25:8 as an example of גוע (gava) - breathed out, and Mat 27:50 as an example of αφηκεν το πνευμα (send forth the spirit) are translated to "gave up the ghost").
Other differences include how and when the Spirit is received.
It has led me to also ask the following questions:
My answer, therefore, is that it does not appear to be as simple as some here have suggested, and I pose the questions above as evidence that your question is an excellent but leads to deeper questions that does challenge what most Christians hold as a simple fact. In John 14 where Jesus promises that He and the Father will indwell the obedient believer, and also promises the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, but the "oneness" and distinctions within the Trinity and with the "Comforter" (and the believers) are nothing short of mysterious!
Simplistic answers may leave contradictions and errors suggesting such things as your body being a temple of the Holy Ghost (the Bible does not say that) or (worse) that not unless you have been baptised with the Holy Ghost (evidenced by speaking in tongues), you are not saved.
What I know is:
I also know that the Mormon faith makes a similar distinction, but I have as yet not made an effort to understand their teaching on the matter.
