QUESTION: Have we concentrated less in the past on the Holy Spirit than the Father and the Son?

ANSWER: The line of thought, that we have not concentrated on the Holy Spirit to the same degree as God and Christ, is to some degree legitimate, since He is the third person in the Godhead. However, I know of none that have suppressed the knowledge, attributes, or functions of the Holy Spirit. It appears that some, especially in the Pentecostal movement, have taken it upon themselves to give “undue” attention to the Holy Spirit, thus relegating the Father and Son to seemingly inferior roles. This ought not to be! The yearning for spiritual gifts by the groups you speak of stems from an immature need to “walk by sight and not by faith,” instead of the other way around (I Corinthians 13:11; II Corinthians 5:7). It is an attempt to prove (or to be assured of) one’s faith based on a “feeling” of being set free as the result of seeing or experiencing a sign from God (Matthew 12:39). It is a false assurance based on a false premise and it, therefore, will not stand in Judgment! Faith comes only by hearing (which includes acceptance and obedience) the Word of God (Romans 10:17).