For each lesson, I would like to begin and end with a song that speaks about the Holy Spirit. So let’s begin this first session with a song by one of my favorite Christian artists, Bryan Duncan, titled “Come, Holy Spirit.”
Who is the Holy Spirit
When I say “Holy Spirit,” what comes to mind?
If asked, how would you explain who the Holy Spirit is?
Today, many churches are empty, dry, and void of spiritual life because they’ve never known or have lost touch with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit played an important role in the life and ministry of the early church. It’s practically impossible to understand the explosive growth of the New Testament church without understanding the important role of the Holy Spirit in the church.
When speaking with different people and groups at the church, I asked if they think the Holy Spirit might feel left out by many of us Christians. I wonder if we make the Holy Spirit sad. I mean, we have no problem praising the Father and giving Him the glory. We’re great at worshipping Jesus and remembering Him every Sunday, but what attention do we give to the Spirit? For the record, some told me I was probably just overthinking the matter, but I really don’t think so!
For much of church history, the third person of the Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost) has been virtually overlooked. Even and especially today, Christians know about the Holy Spirit, but, unlike the Father and the Son, they don’t really know who the Holy Spirit is. So, we set out on our journey together now to better understand just who the Holy Spirit is.
Thinking of how we answered the question about how we would explain who the Holy Spirit is, please watch these two brief videos with differing opinions and then we will dive in a little deeper.
So the guys in this video talk about the Holy Spirit being Ruakh, a type of energy, wind, or breath that’s actually God’s presence. Now, let’s see what Rev. Billy Graham’s daughter, Anne, has to say about the Holy Spirit.
So in this teaching, Anne Graham Lotz said that the Holy Spirit is “Jesus In Me.” To both explanations of the Holy Spirit in these videos, I would say yes…and no.
I’d like to start peeling back the layers of who the Holy Spirit is with a theology 101 lesson.
Christians worship one God, so we are called monotheistic. If we worshipped more than one God, we would be called polytheistic. And actually, many people of other faiths claim that we are polytheistic. But the Bible reveals that the one true God has a triune nature. He is three separate persons, yet one God. Now, the Holy Spirit is part of the triune nature of God which consists of the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. The three persons of the Godhead are of one divine essence, same nature, distinct in their roles, yet unified, indivisible, and eternal. Does that make sense? Meh…not really. So, let’s look at it like this then.
Here we see that the Father is not Jesus, Jesus is not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father. They are three distinct persons. But, the Father is God, Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. In simpler terms, think of an egg. There is the shell, the white, and the yoke. These are three separate parts, but together they make one egg.
Now let’s turn our focus back on the Holy Spirit.
The, is an article that stresses the uniqueness of the Spirit. There are many spirits, but there is only one Holy Spirit.
Holy, stresses the sacredness and purity of the Spirit. Holy also stresses the majesty and glory of God.
Spirit or sometimes Ghost, implies no flesh or material substance.
If you get nothing else out of our time during this study, please understand that the Holy Spirit is not an it. The Holy Spirit is not a thing. The Holy Spirit is not a power. The Spirit is a person just like the Father and Jesus, but having no flesh or material substance.
(Please watch this video from the beginning to 1:45.)
You see, if the Spirit is a power, we could ask how much power can we have. Since the Spirit is a person, we can ask how much of us can He have?
If the Spirit is a power, we could own it. Since the Spirit is a person, He can own us.
If the Spirit is a power, it’s something impersonal to us. Since the Spirit is a person, He is a friend who loves us.
If the Spirit is a power, we can use it to fulfill our plans. Since the Spirit is a person, He uses us to fulfill His plans.
If the Spirit is a power, then the power lives in us. Since the Spirit is a person, we are a temple of God.
Personal Nature of the Holy Spirit
Many Christians who think of the Spirit as an it find it hard to understand the personal aspect of the Holy Spirit. In the Bible, Jesus often referred to the personal nature of the Holy Spirit. He called the Spirit the Paraclete, which means one called alongside. It’s one who is an advocate, comforter, or counselor. The word Paraclete implies a distinct personality.
Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? (Acts 5:3)
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30)
Do not quench the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:19)
You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! (Acts 7:51)
These scriptures tell us that the Holy Spirit can be lied to, grieved (have deep sorrow), quenched, and resisted. These are all things that happen to a person, not an it.
How Does the Holy Spirit Work
So, now that we’ve talked about who the Holy Spirit is, let’s talk about how the Holy Spirit works.
God works in various ways to bring people to Jesus Christ, and it all begins when God calls us by the Holy Spirit. This is referred to as the effectual call. The effectual call is when the Holy Spirit calls a person by awakening their heart, mind, and soul to their personal need for salvation. The Spirit works as a guide at this point to lead us to a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Justification is a judicial act where God cancels a person’s sins and declares them to be in a position of righteousness before God. It’s what God does for us. It’s by the merits of Christ that we receive justification, which is the forgiveness of sins.
The Spirit is the agent that effects justification in the life of the believer. The Spirit applies Christ’s work of reconciliation to us in order to transform us into fellowship with God. As the Father sent His Son to die for us, the Spirit applies the fruit of his death to our lives in justification.
The word regeneration literally means rebirth. Regeneration is a spiritual transformation where the Holy Spirit takes us from death to life. A glorious change takes place in the believers’ hearts when they receive Christ into their life by faith. The Spirit of God is the agent of regeneration that works to bring about this change in a person’s heart.
Sanctification is a process of being restored to the image of God, which begins at the new birth and gradually takes place over the lifetime of a believer. It’s a real change in the heart, mind, and soul of the believer. Sanctification is a process of Christian growth where the Holy Spirit gradually transforms the hearts and minds of Christians. The goal of the Holy Spirit in sanctification is to help make us more like Christ.
In addition to the Holy Spirit’s work in salvation, there are numerous ways that the Spirit works in our lives. Here are just a few:
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. (John 16:13-14) The Holy Spirit illumines and guides believers into all truth.
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:5-6) The Spirit enables Christians to fight sin.
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. (Romans 8:15-16) The Spirit gives us assurance to know that we are children of God.
There are many other ways that the Spirit works in your life. Sometime this week, think back on the many things the Spirit has done and is doing in your life.
The Fruit of the Spirit
In Galatians, the Apostle Paul gives a list of nine virtues called the fruit of the Spirit. These are nine ethical qualities which the Holy Spirit gives to believers. They are the hallmark of a sanctified and Spirit-filled life. Paul uses fruit of the Spirit to show the difference between a person who is under the flesh and a person who is walking by the Spirit. As a farmer prepares for a harvest of fruit, the Spirit cultivates the fruit of the Spirit in the life of believers.
Galatians 5 tells us: “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh…The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
Now the first and most important fruit of the Spirit is love. Love is a spiritual anchor of truth in relationship with God and neighbor. This love is a distinctly Christian love, which finds its source from God alone.
The second fruit of the Spirit is joy. The word joy appears 60 times in the New Testament. Joy is a deep gladness that comes from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Peace is the third fruit of the Spirit. Peace refers to a tranquility of mind, body, and soul. It’s a spiritual wellbeing that only God can give.
Forbearance or long suffering is the fourth fruit of the Spirit. The Greek word is commonly translated as patience. With the Holy Spirit, we can have patience to hold on under difficult situations and circumstances.
The fifth fruit of the Spirit is kindness. It’s God’s virtuous gift to be able to respond to the special needs of others who are hurting or in need. In a world full of anger, selfishness, and contention, the Lord wants us to cultivate the fruit of kindness in our lives.
The sixth fruit of the Spirit is goodness. Goodness is the generosity that overflows from kindness. Although goodness and kindness are similar, goodness is a more active term which is often directed toward others in a benevolent way. The virtue of goodness reminds us that we become the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit desires to use us as vehicles through which the goodness of God may flow.
The seventh fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness which refers to being a person that others can rely upon. You cannot have faith in God without being faithful. The Spirit of the Lord wants to make us responsible persons in every area of our lives and that requires us to be faithful.
The eighth fruit of the Spirit is gentleness. It literally means to be mild or tame. It’s closely associated to humility. It’s the virtue that’s needed when confronted by opposition. Peter tells us that gentleness is necessary to have a genuine witness.
The final ethical virtue of the Spirit is self-control or temperance. It’s the virtue of a person who masters their passions and desires. Self-control is relying on the power of the Spirit to overcome the desires of the flesh.
Here, Christian Apologist, Greg Koukl, speaks a little more about the fruit of the Spirit.
Well, that about wraps up our first study on the Holy Spirit. In our next lesson, we will talk about Spiritual Gifts, the Holy Spirit and revival, and the Holy Spirit and you. I would like to close this session with a video of Francesca Battistelli singing her song “Holy Spirit.”
For Further Study
Read the following scriptures and answer who the Holy Spirit is: 1 Peter 1:11, Genesis 1:2, 1 Peter 4:14, Isaiah 61:1, Matthew 10:20, Galatians 4:6
Read the following Scriptures and answer what the Holy Spirit is: Romans 1:4, Isaiah 11:2, Revelation 11:11, Hebrews 9:14, John 14:17
Read the following Scriptures and answer what the Holy Spirit does: Zechariah 12:10, Isaiah 4:4, Romans 8:15, John 14:15-18, Ephesians 1:17
Describe how the Holy Spirit is divine. How can we know that the Spirit isn’t just an energy source?
Why is what Jesus said about the Spirit in John 14:16, 26 so important for understanding the personal nature of the Holy Spirit?
Reflecting back on your salvation experience, in what ways can you recognize that the Holy Spirit was at work in your life?
What particular fruit would you ask the Spirit to cultivate more in your daily life?
Are there any fruits of the Spirit that you can see more than others in your life?
**Thank you for joining in on this study. Feel free to “like” or leave a comment.**
Theology at Your Fingertips 