Are the Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit separate entities?

In his book Evidences and Reconciliations Mormon apostle John Widtsoe teaches that the Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit are distinct from one another.

According to Widtsoe:

"The Holy Spirit is the agent, means, or influence by which the will, power, and intelligence of God, and the Godhead, personal beings, may be transmitted throughout space... It is a spirit of intelligence that permeates the universe and gives understanding to the spirits of men.

"The Holy Ghost, sometimes called the Comforter, is the third member of the Godhead, and is a personage, distinct from the Holy Spirit. As a personage, the Holy Ghost cannot be everywhere present in person." (P. 172-172, italics added)

Not surprisingly, Widtsoe does not supply any Biblical verses to support his claim. The confusion Widtsoe seems to have most likely comes from the use of the phrase Holy Spirit, which is used four times in the King James translation of the Bible. The word for Spirit is the Greek word pneuma. It is translated as Spirit in Luke 11:13; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30; and 1 Thessalonians 4:8.

The phrase Holy Ghost is used almost 90 times in the New Testament. The word for Ghost is also the Greek word pneuma. Thus we see that the Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit are one and the same, with a different translation of the word pneuma.

Modern translations are more consistent in these and other areas, reducing the possibility of confusion on the part of the reader.

Translation issues aside, there are other reasons to conclude that the Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit are the same. On at least two occasions the tow terms are sued synonymously. In Luke 4:1 we read:

"And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost (pneuma) returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit (pneuma) into the wilderness" (Inserts added)

And again in Acts 2:4:

"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost (pneuma), and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit (pneuma) gave them utterance." (Inserts added)

If the Holy Spirit "is the agent, means, or influence by which the will, power, and intelligence of God... may be transmitted through space," then why does the New Testament repeatedly speak of people being filled with the Holy Ghost and not the Holy Spirit? (see Luke 1:15, 41, 67; Acts 1:8; 4:8; 6:5; 7:55; 9:17; 11:24; 13:9; 1 Corinthians 6:9) Especially when we consider verses like Acts 2:4; 4:31; 13:52 and 2 Timothy 1:14 which place the Holy Ghost in multiple people at one time. An act that would be impossible for the Holy Ghost of Mormonism which cannot "be everywhere present in person."

The Bible is clear that the Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit are one and the same. Contrary to the teachings of LDS apostle John Widtsoe the Holy Ghost/Spirit is also omnipresent (or everywhere-present). As Psalm 139:7 asks:

"Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?"

The answer is obviously nowhere, and thank God for it.

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