Depending on your personal belief about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, I share this study and information with all of you that do accept the Holy Spirit as God and to those of you seeking to understand more about the Holy Spirit – just as I am.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son and is of the same essence. Yet, He is also distinct from them. Scripture describes the Holy Spirit in personal terms, not as an impersonal force when it says that He teaches, guides, comforts, and intercedes. He possesses emotions, intellect, and will.
The book of Acts in the Bible, which sometimes goes by the longer title of “The Acts of the Apostles,” could just as accurately be called “The Acts of the Holy Spirit through the Apostles.” After the time of the apostles, there have been some changes – the Spirit does not inspire further Scripture, for example – but He continues to do His work in the world.
What does the Holy Spirit do?
The Holy Spirit does many things in the lives of us that believe in Him. He is our Helper (John 14:26). He lives in us and seals us. (Biblically, to be “sealed” is to be verified as God’s child). Ephesians 1 says “When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.” (v.13) ) To continue – ‘seals’ us until the day of redemption. I mean by redemption, the resurrection that occurs when we receive our new bodies at the time Christ returns to earth (1 Thess. 4:13-18) on the last day (John 6:39-44) when the last trumpet is blown (1 Cor. 15:51-55). I will share all of this information as a new forthcoming study for you. Please be patient. The above statements indicate that the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives is irreversible. He guards and guarantees the salvation of us He indwells (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30). The Holy Spirit assists us in prayer (which we so often need)( Jude 1:20) and He “intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (Romans 8:26–27).
The Holy Spirit regenerates – Regeneration is also called the “second birth” – When Christians believe in Jesus Christ for their salvation, they are then “born of God” and renewed. (Titus 3:5). At the moment of our salvation, the Spirit baptizes us into the Body of Christ (Romans 6:3). We receive a new birth by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:5–8). Some or all of my above statements may be confusing to some or all of you, so please ask your questions to me and consult a Bible commentary for more insight.
The Holy Spirit comforts us with fellowship and joy as we daily live through our difficult world. (1 Thessalonians 1:6; 2 Corinthians 13:14). The Spirit, in His mighty power, fills us with “all joy and peace” as we trust the Lord, causing us to “overflow with hope” (Romans 15:13). Is not that a beautiful thought? May the Holy Spirit fill each of you with joy.
Sanctification (the act of making or declaring something holy) is another work of the Holy Spirit in our lives as believers. The Spirit sets Himself against the desires of our flesh and leads us into righteousness (Galatians 5:16–18). The actions of our bodies become less evident to us and the “fruit of the Spirit” becomes more evident (Galatians 5:19–26). As believers, we are commanded to “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), which means we are to give ourselves to the Spirit’s full control of us.
The Holy Spirit is a gift-giver. “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Holy Spirit distributes them” (1 Corinthians 12:4). The spiritual gifts that we possess as believers in Jesus Christ are given to us by the Holy Spirit as He determines in His wisdom (verse 11). This is for a future presentation to you.
The Holy Spirit also does work among unbelievers. Jesus promised that He would send the Holy Spirit to “convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8, ESV). The Spirit testifies of Christ (John 15:26), pointing people to the Lord. Currently, the Holy Spirit is also restraining sin and combatting “the secret power of lawlessness” in the world. This action keeps the rise of the Antichrist (a person or force seen as opposing Christ or the Christian Church held back. (2nd Thessalonians 2:6–10).
The Holy Spirit has one other important role for us and that is to give us wisdom by which we can understand God. “The Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except for the Spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10–11). Since, as Christians, we have been given the amazing gift of God’s Spirit inside of ourselves, we can comprehend the thoughts of God, as revealed in the Scriptures – the Bible. Wow! The Spirit helps us to understand. This is wisdom from God, rather than wisdom from man. No amount of human knowledge can ever replace the Holy Spirit’s teaching (1 Corinthians 2:12–13). I pray that all of you may experience the joy and peace of the Holy Spirit in your individual lives,
Jack