The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is God at work - create, speak, change, live in us, work in us. Although the Holy Spirit can do this without our knowledge, it is helpful and important for us to learn more about it.

The Holy Spirit is God

The Holy Spirit has the attributes of God, is equated with God, and does things that only God does. Like God, the Holy Spirit is holy - so holy that it is as sinful to curse the Holy Spirit as it is the Son of God (Hebrews 10,29). Blasphemy, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is an unforgivable sin (Matthew 12,32). This means that the spirit is inherently holy and has not been accorded holiness, as is the case with the temple.

Like God, the Holy Spirit is eternal (Hebrews 9,14). Like God, the Holy Spirit is present everywhere (Psalm 139,7-9). Like God, the Holy Spirit is omniscient (1. Corinthians 2,10-11; John 14,26). The Holy Spirit creates (Job 33,4; psalm 104,30) and creates miracles (Matthew 12,28; Romans 15,18-19) and contributes to the work of God. Several passages name the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as being equally divine. In a discussion about the gifts of the Spirit, Paul refers to the parallel constructions of Spirit, Lord and God (1. Corinthians 12,4-6). He ends his letter with a tripartite prayer (2. Corinthians 13,14). Peter begins a letter with another tripartite form (1. Petrus 1,2). While these examples are not evidence of Trinity oneness, they support this idea.

The baptismal formula reinforces the sign of such unity: "Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). The three have a name, which refers to being one being. When the Holy Spirit does something, God does it. When the Holy Spirit speaks, God speaks. If Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit, he lied to God (Acts 5:3-4). Peter says that Ananias did not lie to a representative of God, but to God himself. Humans do not lie to impersonal power.

In a passage Paul says that Christians are the temple of God (1. Corinthians 3,16), in another he says that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1. Corinthians 6,19). We are a temple to worship a divine being and not an impersonal power. When Paul writes that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, he is implying that the Holy Spirit is God.

So the Holy Spirit and God are the same: “Now as they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me from Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13,2), Here, the Holy Spirit uses personal pronouns just as God does. Similarly, the Holy Ghost says the Israelites tested and tried him and said, "I swore in my anger, They shall not come to my rest" (Hebrews 3,7-11). But the Holy Spirit is not just another name for God. The Holy Spirit is independent of the Father and Son, as was shown at the baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3,16-17). The three are independent and yet one. The Holy Spirit does the work of God in our lives. We are born by and of God (John 1:12), which is the same as being born of the Holy Spirit (John 3,5). The Holy Spirit is the means by which God lives in us (Ephesians 2:22; 1. John 3,24; 4,13). The Holy Spirit lives in us (Romans 8,11; 1. Corinthians 3,16) - and because the spirit lives in us, we can also say that God lives in us.

The Holy Spirit is personal

  • The Bible describes the Holy Spirit with human characteristics:
  • The spirit lives (Romans 8,11; 1. Corinthians 3,16)
  • The Spirit speaks (Acts 8,29; 10,19;11,12; 21,11; 1 Timothy 4,1; Hebrews 3,7 etc.).
  • The Spirit sometimes uses the personal pronoun "I" (Acts 10,20;13,2)
  • The spirit can be spoken to, tempted, mourned, insulted, and molested (Acts 5,3; 9; Ephesians 4,30; Hebrews 10,29; Matthew 12,31)
  • The Spirit guides, mediates, calls and instructs (Romans 8,14; 26; Acts 13,2; 20,28)

Roman 8,27 speaks of the head of the mind. The Spirit makes decisions - the Holy Spirit has made a decision (Acts 1 Dec.5,28). The mind knows and works (1. Corinthians 2,11; 12,11). He is not an impersonal power. Jesus called the Holy Spirit Paraclete - translated as the Comforter, the Counselor or the Defender.

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter to be with you forever: the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, for it neither sees nor knows. You know him, because he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14,16-17).

The disciples' first counselor was Jesus. As he teaches, testifies, condemns, guides, and reveals the truth, the Holy Spirit (John 1 Cor4,26; 15,26; 16,8; 13-14). All of these are personal roles. John uses the masculine form of the Greek word parakletos because it was not necessary to use the neutral form. In Johannes16,14 even the masculine personal pronoun "he" is used after the neuter word Geist has been used. It would have been easier to switch to the neutral personal pronoun, but Johannes doesn't. The spirit is addressed with "he". However, the grammar is relatively unimportant. However, it is important that the Holy Spirit has personal qualities. He is not an impersonal force but an intelligent and divine helper living within us.

The spirit of the Old Testament

There is no part in the Bible entitled “The Holy Spirit”. We learn a little from the Holy Spirit here and there when the biblical texts mention Him. The Old Testament gives us only a few glimpses. Spirit was present at the creation of life (1. Mose 1,2; Job 33,4;34,14). The Spirit of God filled Bezalel with the ability to build the tabernacle (2. Moses 31,3-5). He fulfilled Moses and also came through the 70 elders (4. Mose 11,25). He filled Joshua with wisdom as a leader, just as Samson filled with strength and the ability to fight (5. Moses 34,9; Judge [space]]6,34; 14,6). The Spirit of God was given to Saul and taken again (1. Sam 10,6; 16,14). The Spirit gave David the plans for the temple (1. 2 Chr8,12). The Spirit inspired the prophets to speak (4. Moses 24,2; 2. Sam 23,2; 1. 1 Chr2,18;2. 1 Chr5,1; 20,14; Ezekiel 11,5; Zechariah 7,12;2. Petrus 1,21).

In the New Testament, too, it was the Holy Spirit who moved people like Elizabeth, Zacharias, and Simeon to speak (Luke 1,41; 67; 2,25-32). John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from his birth (Luke 1,15). His most important work was to announce the coming of Jesus Christ, who would baptize people not only with water but with the Holy Spirit and fire (Luke 3,16).

The Holy Spirit and Jesus

The Holy Spirit was very present and involved in the life of Jesus. The Spirit evoked his conception (Matthew 1,20), lay down on him after his baptism (Matthew 3,16), led him into the desert (Lk4,1) and enabled him to preach the good news (Luke 4,18). Jesus cast out demons with the help of the Holy Spirit2,28). Through the Holy Spirit, he offered himself up as a sacrifice for the sin of mankind (Heb9,14) and by the same Spirit he was raised from the dead (Romans 8,11).

Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit would speak in times of persecution from his disciples (Matthew 10,19-20). He told them to baptize followers of Jesus in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost8,19). And further that God gives the Holy Spirit to all people when they ask him (Luke 11,13). Some of the most important things Jesus said about the Holy Spirit are in the Gospel of John. First people would have to be born of water and the Spirit (John 3,5). People need a spiritual renewal and it does not come from themselves, but is a gift from God. Even when the spirit is not visible, it makes a difference in our lives (v. 8).

Jesus also taught: "Whoever is thirsty, come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scriptures say, streams of living water will flow from within him. But this he said of the Spirit, which those who believed in him should receive; for the spirit was not yet there; for Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7,37-39).

The Holy Spirit satisfies an inner thirst. It enables us to have the relationship with God for whom we are created by him. We receive the Spirit by coming to Jesus and the Holy Spirit fulfilling our lives.

John says “for the spirit was not yet there; for Jesus was not yet glorified” (v. 39).. The Spirit had already filled some men and women before Jesus' life, but it would soon come in a new powerful way - on Pentecost. The Spirit is now given to all who call on the name of the Lord (Acts 2,38-39). Jesus promised his disciples that the Spirit of truth would be given to them that would live in them4,16-18). This spirit of truth is the same as if Jesus himself came to his disciples (v. 18), because he is the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of the Father - sent by Jesus and the Father (John 15,26). The Spirit makes it possible for Jesus to become available to everyone and for His work to be continued. Jesus promised that the Spirit would teach the disciples and remind them of everything that Jesus had taught them (John 1 Cor4,26). The Spirit taught them things that they could not understand before the resurrection of Jesus6,12-13).

The Spirit speaks about Jesus (John 15,26;16,24). He does not advertise himself, but leads people to Jesus Christ and to the Father. He does not speak of himself, but only as the Father would like (John 16,13). It is good that Jesus no longer lives with us because the Spirit can be active in millions of people (John 16,7). The Spirit evangelizes and shows the world its sin and guilt and fulfills its need for justice and justice (vv. 8-10). The Holy Spirit points people to Jesus as their solution to guilt and their source of righteousness.

The spirit and the church

John the Baptist said that Jesus would baptize people with the Holy Spirit (Mark 1,8). This happened at Pentecost after his resurrection, when the Spirit gave new strength to the disciples (Acts 2). This includes speaking languages ​​understood by people of other nations (v. 6), and similar miracles occurred at different times as the church grew (Acts of the Apostles 10,44-twenty; 469,1-6), but it is not mentioned that these miracles happen to all people who find their way to the Christian faith.

Paul says that all believers are formed into one body, the church, in the Holy Spirit (1. Corinthians 12,13). The Holy Spirit has been given to everyone who believes (Galatians 3,14). Whether or not miracles occurred, all believers are baptized in the Holy Spirit. It is not necessary to seek and hope for a particular miracle to prove that one is baptized in the Holy Ghost.

The Bible does not require a believer to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Instead, every believer is encouraged to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5,18) so that one can respond to the direction of the Spirit. This relationship is ongoing and not a one-off event. Instead of looking for miracles, we should seek God and let him decide if and when miracles occur. Paul mostly describes God's power not through physical miracles that happen, but through the change that takes place in a person's life - hope, love, patience, service, understanding, enduring suffering, and courageous preaching (Romans 15,13; 2. Corinthians 12,9; Ephesians 3,7; 16-18; Colossians 1,11; 28-29; 2. Timothy 1,7-8th). These miracles, too, we can call physical miracles because God changes people's lives. The Acts of the Apostles shows that the Spirit helped the church grow. The Spirit enabled people to report and testify about Jesus (Acts of the Apostles 1,8). He enabled the disciples to preach (Acts 4,8, 31; 6,10). He gave instructions to Philip and later raptured him (Acts 8,29; 39). The Spirit encouraged the Church and established leaders (Acts 9,31; 20,28). He spoke to Peter and the Church of Antioch (Acts 10,19; 11,12; 13,2). He worked in Agabus when he foresaw the famine and led Paul to escape (Acts 11,28; 13,9-10). He led Paul and Barnabas on their way (Acts 13,4; 16,6-7) and enabled the apostles' assembly in Jerusalem to come to a decision (Acts 15,28). He sent Paul to Jerusalem and warned him (Acts 20,22: 23-2; 1,11). The Church existed and grew through the working of the Holy Spirit in believers.

The spirit today

The Holy Spirit is also involved in the lives of today's believers:

  • He leads us to repentance and gives us new life (John 16,8; 3,5-6)
  • He lives in us, teaches us and guides us (1. Corinthians 2,10-13; John 14,16-17,26; Romans 8,14)
  • He meets us in the Bible, in prayer and through other Christians He is the spirit of wisdom and helps us to look at things with courage, love and self-control (Eph1,17; 2. Timothy 1,7)
  • The Spirit circumcises, sanctifies, and changes our hearts (Romans 2,29; Ephesians 1,14)
  • The Spirit creates in us love and the fruit of righteousness (Rom5,5; Ephesians 5,9; Galatians 5,22-23)
  • The Spirit places us in the church and helps us understand that we are God's children (1. Corinthians 12,13; Romans 8,14-16)

We are to worship God in spirit (Phil3,3; 2. Corinthians 3,6; Romans 7,6; 8,4-5). We try to please him (Galatians 6,8). When we are guided by the Holy Spirit, he gives us life and peace (Romans 8,6). Through him we have access to the Father (Ephesians 2,18). He helps us in our weakness and stands up for us (Romans 8,26-27).

The Holy Spirit also gives us spiritual gifts. He gives leaders for the Church (Ephesians 4,11), People who perform the basic charitable duties in the church (Romans 12,6-8) and those with special skills for special tasks (1. Corinthians 12,4-11). No one has every gift and not every gift is given to everyone (vv. 28-30). All gifts, spiritual or not, should be used for the work as a whole - the entire Church (1. Corinthians 12,7; 14,12). Every gift is important (1. Corinthians 12,22-26).

To this day we have only received the firstfruits of the Spirit, which, however, promises much more for the future (Romans 8,23; 2. Corinthians 1,22; 5,5; Ephesians 1,13-14).

The Holy Spirit is God in our lives. Everything God does is done by the Holy Spirit. Paul therefore encourages us to live in and through the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5,25; Ephesians 4,30; 1. Thes 5,19). So let's listen to what the Holy Ghost says. For when he speaks, God speaks.    

by Michael Morrison


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