Fundamental 7. 

The Holy Spirit

 

One of the most popular questions of our generation could be phrased something like this: Is it possible not just to know about spiritual things, but to have a spiritual experience?  Many in our culture would answer, “Sure.  Just look inside yourself.  Get in touch with your higher power. Right?”

But a better question may be, is it possible, not just to have a spiritual experience, but to experience the one true God?

The answer to this question by many and certainly Christians would be a resounding “Yes”.  It all goes back to Jesus’ first reassurance to His disciples when He told them He was returning to heaven:  “I will never leave you.  I will send you My Spirit of truth” John 16:5-16.

The Holy Spirit is God, alive within us!

Of the three persons in the Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—sometimes referred to as the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit is doubtless the least known and understood–and maybe the most controversial member of the Trinity.

The best the Greeks could do was to use the word pneuma, meaning “breath” or  “wind”, for spirit.  (We get some of our English words about air from this Greek word, such as pneumatic or pneumonia.

Remember the old folk song, “Blowin’ in the Wind”?  When Jesus was talking to the seeker Nicodemus, that’s exactly the word picture He used to describe the work of the Spirit:

Flesh gives birth to flesh, but Spirit gives birth to spirit…The wind blows wherever it pleases.  You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.  So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. John 3:6-8.

Christians who believed that God’s amazing Holy Spirit was being ignored have started whole church movements.  John Wesley, who became known as the father of Methodism, believed this and said the church needed a “revival”.

Christians disagree more about the Holy Spirit, for example, what He can do for and through believers, than about either God the Father or God the Son.

One of the most important truths about the Holy Spirit’s promise and purpose for Christians goes beyond gifts and powers.  The Holy Spirit is really about closeness with God.  He is how God gets within us and stays there.

He is most vitally and intimately involved in our initial conversion and birth into the family of God and in our ongoing development as Christians.

Let us look at the Holy Spirit from several perspectives:

• Who is the Holy Spirit?
• What was the Holy Spirit doing during Old Testament times?
• What was the Holy Spirit doing during New Testament times (in the life of Christ and first-century Christians)?
• What does the Holy Spirit do now in the life of every Christian?

Who is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is not just an abstract concept.  He is not a vapor, an essence or a force.  The Holy Spirit has existed for eternity with God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son.  And, like the other members of the Trinity, He is a person.  He has a personality.

God’s Spirit in Person

Being a person doesn’t mean that the Holy Spirit has a body.  Rather, He has those characteristic which define a person:

He has intelligence:

• He knows the things of God – these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.  The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.  For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them?  In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10-11)
• He has a mind – And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit interceded for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. Romans 8:27
• He teaches people – This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 1Corinthinans 2:13

He has emotions:

• He can be offended – And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Ephesians 4:30
• He loves – I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.  Romans 15:30

He has an independent will:

• He chooses the distribution of “spiritual gifts” – All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 1 Corinthians 12:11

Under the Greek rules of grammar, the word for “spirit” is a neutral-gender word.  Strictly speaking, a spirit would be referred to as “it”.

But notice how Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit:

But when he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. John 16:13

God’s Holy Spirit is neither male nor female.  Yet when the Bible refers to the Holy Spirit with the personal pronoun he instead of it, we’re reminded that the Holy Spirit is a real person.

God’s Presence Among Us

In the Old Testament, God was present only with particular people and in particular places.

In the Books of the Gospel, God was present in bodily form in Jesus

.

Today, God is present in a third, most amazing way.  Through the Holy Spirit, He lives inside all who believe.  Now He is Immanuel (“God with us”) always!

This third way brings God as close as possible to us while we are still living here on earth.  He didn’t want just to be near us.  He wanted to be inside us, with us always.  Jesus said:

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. John 14:16-17

The Holy Spirit’s Story – A Timeline

1. Creation to Christ
2. The Lifetime of Christ
3. The Early Church
4. The Holy Spirit Today

Creation to Christ

God’s Spirit has been around since the beginning.  And He has been participating in the events affecting humankind.  His presence and activity are revealed in the events recorded in the Old Testament.

1. In the darkness, God’s Spirit brooded…and created a world.  According to Genesis 1:2, “Darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”  The Holy Spirit played an active role in the creation of the universe, the world, and man.  (Genesis 1-2; Psalm 104:30 -When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground. Job 33:4 – The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
2. He changed history through chosen people.  The Holy Spirit was not present in the life of every person who believed in God during Old Testament times.  Scholars talk about the “selective indwelling” of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament.

Certain people were empowered by the Spirit with wisdom and power.  Joseph, Genesis 41:38 – So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”  Joshua, Numbers 27:18 – So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua, son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership, and lay your hand on him.  And Daniel, Daniel 5:11 – There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy Gods in him.  In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods.

In the Old Testament the Spirit also came on individuals temporarily, generally for a particular task and for a period of time.  Then, the occasion for His coming was over, He withdrew.  While men could have an intimate relationship with Him, as shown by David’ experience, the fellowship was not as personal or as permanent as is possible since Pentecost.

For example, the Spirit left Samson (Judges 13-16) and Saul (1 Samuel 10-16) when they continually disobeyed God or misused His power.

1. He spoke eternal truth through writers and prophets.  The Holy Spirit brought God’s message to the men who spoke for God, (prophets) and those who wrote the text of the Bible.

• Old Testament writers and prophets themselves attribute their words to the Holy Spirit – 2 Samuel 23:2 – The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.

• Jesus said that King David (who wrote many of he Psalms) was given his words by the Holy Spirit – Matthew 22:43 – He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, call him ‘Lord’?

• Paul and the writer of Hebrews said that the Old Testament prophets and writers received their message from the Holy Spirit. Acts 28:25 – They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul made this statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet; Hebrews 3:7 – So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice,; 10:15-16 – The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this: First he says: This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord.  I will put my laws in their hearts and write them on their minds.”

Perhaps the apostle Peter best summed it up:

• For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:21.

The Lifetime of Christ

1. When the Messiah was to be born, the Spirit conceived a miracle. We can’t explain how Jesus was conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary, but we know that it was brought about by the Holy Spirit.

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most high will overshadow you.  So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35

2. The Holy Spirit gave Jesus special power to begin His public ministry. When Jesus was about 30 years old, He was baptized and received the Holy Spirit.

And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. Luke 3:21-22

From that moment on, Jesus showed that He had super-human powers – Acts 10:38 – how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

Jesus clearly recognized His special powers when He quoted verses from Isaiah and applied them to Himself:

Luke 4: 17-19:  and the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah was handed to him.  Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:  “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

3. Before Jesus returned to heaven, He promised that “the Spirit of truth” would come. The disciples spent an intensive three-year training program with Jesus.  Imagine how abandoned they must have felt when He told them He was leaving.  But Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to fill their lives in a new way:

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth.  John 14;16-17.

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:2           

The Early Church

1. The Holy Spirit filled the disciples on the Day of Pentecost.

After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, the disciples were waiting in Jerusalem, as Jesus had instructed.

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.  They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:2-4. 

This event happened on the Day of Pentecost.  It marks the arrival of the Holy Spirit.  The report of the event in Acts 2 says that the disciples immediately began to preach about Jesus Christ in languages they didn’t even know.  Foreigners visiting Jerusalem recognized what was being said in their own native language.

Peter stood before them and with raised voice told them: “This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.”

Then word for word, he recited Joel 2:28-32.  His entire message described the life, death, resurrection, miracles, and promises of Jesus Christ, ending this way: “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. He explained to the crowd that this miraculous event was part of the proof that Jesus Christ was the Messiah.  He told them to repent of their sins and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.  About 3000 people became Christians that afternoon.

2. He gave Christians power to spread the message of Christ around the world. As the Books of the Gospel, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, tell the story of Jesus’ arrival in our world, so the book of Acts tell the story of the arrival and deeds of the Holy Spirit. When He arrived, the Holy Spirit changed the disciples’ lives immediately and dramatically:

• Power.  The disciples performed miracles—healing, casting out demons, knowing secret thoughts and deeds, speaking in other languages—by the Holy Spirit. Acts 5.

• Understanding.  The Holy Spirit helped the disciples to understand Jesus’ teachings.  As Christ had told them:

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you John 14:26. 

• Comfort.  The Holy Spirit is also known as “the Comforter” who brought divine encouragement to first-century Christians being persecuted by both Jewish and Roman authorities.  Through the Spirit’s power, they endured, and their love for each other flourished.

• Guidance.  The Holy Spirit directed Christians in making difficult decisions and in understanding the importance of certain events. Acts 8:29 – The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it”; 13:2,4 – While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them”.  The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.

• Inspiration.  The Holy Spirit guided several disciples to write books of the New Testament.  At His ascension, Jesus told His disciples:

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19. 

The Holy Spirit Today

The good news is that the Holy Spirit isn’t just history.  The Holy Spirit is active everywhere in our world, drawing unbelievers to God and living in Christians with life-changing power.

1. He’s the Big Initiator. The Holy Spirit brings people to the point of decision about their need for salvation and God.  This influence, called “conviction”, goes beyond an intellectual or emotional power.  It is God’s Spirit working in the human spirit to lovingly draw us toward God’s best for our lives.  Jesus said:

When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.  John 16:8 

The Holy Spirit also persuades us of God’s holiness, opening our spiritual eyes to see the truth about Christ’s life and death.  Finally, the Spirit shows us our need to choose to receive Christ’s gift of salvation if we want forgiveness and eternal life.

2. He’s the Change Maker. When we respond to the Spirit’s invitation, the truly miraculous transforming power of the Holy Spirit is let loose in our lives.  We are changed—immediately and eternally.

This miracle of starting over is called regeneration or being born again.  We are rescued from our evil nature and restored to fellowship with our Creator.  Paul uses words like washing and renewal to teach young believers about regeneration:

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.  We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.  But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us…through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.  Titus 3:3-6

The Spirit accomplishes regeneration instantly.  It creates a new God-sensitive, God-empowered nature in the individual.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 

Regeneration doesn’t make us perfect.  We are still stuck in our human bodies with many of our old weaknesses.  However, we are spiritually empowered to win over the old nature as we choose to follow Christ’s pattern for living.

3. He’s the Inside Source. The Holy Spirit comes to live inside us.  His presence is very real, whether as a “still, small voice” nudging us in God’s direction or as a lifelong power to change us to be like Jesus.

In Old Testament times, God’s presence was sometimes described as a powerful, shinning light in the temple.  After the coming of the Holy Spirit, God’s place of residence changed.  Here’s Paul’s amazing statement to new believers:

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?  1 Corinthians 3:16. 

This is the “indwelling” of the Holy Spirit.  It applies to every believer. Romans 8:9.

“Without the power of the Holy Spirit all human efforts, methods, and plans are as futile as attempting to propel a boat by puffing on the sails with our own breath.” – D. M. Dawson

IF I BECOME UNHOLY, DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT LEAVE? 

The Holy Spirit never departs from a Christian, even if the Christian engages in sin. John 14:16 – And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever.

In fact, Paul’s statement about being God’s temple was made to Christians in Corinth who were continuing to live immorally.  Paul reminded them that now things had changed—new ownership, new occupant—and they had every reason to turn away from sexual sins. 1 Corinthians 6:19 

4. He’s the Family Name. The Holy Spirit baptizes all believers into the family of God.  Baptism means we’ve been publicly inducted, completely taken into a new identity, but used in this context, baptism doesn’t have anything to do with getting wet.

God’s family of believers is often referred to as “the body of Christ.”  When we accept Christ as Savior, we are “baptized into the body of Christ” regardless of race, education, or social position.

For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body – whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 1 Corinthians 12:13.

5. He’s the Eternal Guarantee. Every believer is made a permanent member of God’s family by the Holy Spirit.  We get our membership papers, so to speak, and the documents are forever sealed.  Theologians call it “sealing.” 

“We can think of the Holy Spirit as the super glue of our salvation.”

Christ has “set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” 2 Corinthians 1:21-22– Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ.  He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 

Sealing lasts until “the day of redemption” Ephesians 4:30 – And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 

Once we are saved, we stay saved until Christ’s return—even if we stray from our commitments to Him.  The Holy Spirit in our lives is the deposit or guarantee that Christ owns us and will return for us.

The Holy Spirit –Key to Your New Life

Beyond the Spirit’s power to save us is His power for our everyday lives.  The apostle Paul knew that the secret to living the way Jesus intends is to allow the Holy Spirit to control our choices and desires.  Paul called this surrendering to the Holy Spirit “being filled.”

Once the Spirit of him who raised Christ Jesus from the dead lives within you he will, by that same Spirit, bring to your whole being new strength and vitality. Romans 8:11 

While the indwelling of the Holy Spirit happens all at one, and once and for all at the moment of salvation, the filling of the Holy Spirit is a continual, and hopefully progressive, process. 

It’ all a matter of who is in control, Paul argued.  He used the example of wine:  When you are filled with wine, you become drunk—the wine is in control.  Paul said, “I have a better idea that works on the same principle”:

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.  Instead, be filled with the Spirit.  Ephesians 5:18

The Spiritual Teacher

Have you ever wondered how the apostle Paul got so smart about the things of God without having gone to seminary?  The answer is the Holy Spirit, who gives each Christian the ability to understand Bible truths: 

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God…No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.  We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.  This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.  1 Corinthians 2:10-13 

Paul isn’t suggesting that any Christian can write a book of the Bible. When we understand the spiritual truths of Scripture, the Holy Spirit is giving us the gift of “illumination”, as in shinning a light on a subject.  We must not, however, confuse this with the gift of inspiration, which the Holy Spirit bestowed on the writers of the New Testament.

The Worship Leader

It makes sense that the Holy Spirit, being God Himself, can enable us to worship God, Philippians 3:3 – For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh.

Praise and worship of God often don’t come naturally to self-centered humans. But the Spirit makes worship and prayer a natural outward expression of God’s new life in us. Jude 20  

The Spirit is our ever-present, ever-awake prayer partner, and the one who nudges our spirit awake to talk to God.  And when we don’t know what to think or pray, the Spirit helps out:

We do not know what we ought to pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. Romans 8:26. 

The Nature of Christ

As the Holy Spirit’s power fills us, we become more like Christ in our values and character.  These traits are referred to as the “fruit of the Spirit.”  Paul described these spiritual remodeling signs in Galatians 5:22-23:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

The Wisdom of God

Another part of the Holy Spirit’s work is to guide believers.   “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God,” Paul said. Romans 8:14.  Right decisions are determined by right thinking, and the Holy Spirit can be a Christian’s personal guide to the truth: 

The Spirit of truth…will guide you into all truth. John 16:13

The Comfort of Heaven

Another wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit is comfort.  The Spirit is God’s way of always being present with the Christian.

The Bible does not promise us that the Christian’s life will be free of difficulties, but it does promise that the Holy Spirit will be  “the Comforter” through those difficulties.  God’s Spirit reminds us of His power, love, and sovereign control.  One important reassurance in hard times is that we are part of God’s family and have a wonderful future:

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.  Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.  Romans 8:16 

The Holy Spirit – Key to New Life for Others Through You

Changing and benefiting you is only half of God’s plan for His Spirit in your life.  The other half is changing and benefiting the rest of the world through you.  A “spiritual gift” is an ability given by the Holy Spirit to a Christian to help and bless others in the family of God.

Check Your Body Language

Paul used a great word picture to explain how each Christian is important for the well being of other Christians.  In 1 Corinthians 12, he compared the believers in a church to parts of a human body.

All believers are joined into one body, stressing its unity, even as the physical body works as one. 

Just as the body has many different parts, each with a special function, the church has many different members, each with his or her own special gift and role.  Everyone is important; no one is dispensable.  All are necessary to a healthy body (church). 

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts…So it is with Christ…If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be a part of the body…If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?  But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be…Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthians 2:12-27.

It is in this context that the Holy Spirit administers spiritual gifts for the good of the whole body:  “The manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7).  The body of Christ, the Church, is the place where the Holy Spirit teaches a new Christian to grow, learn, and serve.

So when we hear people say, even family members, I don’t need to go to Church to know God; or, why do I need to go to Church to know God?  I can watch church on TV, that’s good enough!!

Well no, it isn’t.

Through the work of the Holy Spirit “to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit.  There are differing gifts but the same Spirit . . .the same Lord . . . the same God works all of them in all men (Romans 12:4).

Through the Holy Spirit we come to know Christ, and by the Holy Spirit’s power we live and grow in Christ, in the service of the King and in the fellowship of His church.  Paul gives an excellent and illuminating summary:

Be filled with the Spirit (keep on being filled).  Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.  Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:18-20.

There are four lists of gifts given in the New Testament, showing some differences and some overlap.  Each Christian has at least one gift, others more, but always, gifts are the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Briefly, the list from 1 Corinthians gives a good starting point:

Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Prophecy which gives the idea of preaching rather than foretelling.  Deeds of healing, distinguishing spirits, tongues, and interpretation are also named.

Other references:  Romans 12; Ephesians 4; and 1 Peter 4.

To Recap:

1. The Holy Spirit is God, the third member of the Trinity.

2. Though a spirit, the Holy Spirit is a person with emotions, intelligence, and will.

3. The Holy Spirit’s role is apparent from Creation to New Testament times.

4. The Holy Spirit’s presence and power were evident in the life and miracles of Christ, and in the empowering of the early church.

5. By this same power, Christians today are divinely gifted to glorify God and minister His love to others.

 

What does the Holy Spirit Do?

• Guides to truth – John 16:13

• Reveals Jesus – John 16:14

• Comforts – John14:16

• Counsels – John 14:26

• Gives wisdom – Ephesians 1:17

• Prays for me – Romans 8:27

• Gives me power – Acts 1:8

• Helps my weaknesses – Romans 8:26

• Gives Spiritual gifts -1 Corinthians 12:11

• Gives spiritual fruit – Galatians 5:22-23

Excellent Bible passages on the Holy Spirit:

John 14:15-31; 16:5-16 – What Jesus says about the Holy Spirit

Acts 2 – The Holy Spirit at Pentecost

Romans 8:1-17 – The Holy Spirit’s work in salvation

1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:18-20; 12:1-3 – Paul talks about the Holy Spirit living in the Christian

 

 

08 Angels, Satan and Demons Summary Fundamental

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