What is the Holy Spirit?

by | Apr 24, 2020 | Faith Builders

JESUS SENT THE HOLY SPIRIT TO INDWELL AND CHANGE CHRISTIANS

OUR DILEMMA- JESUS SENT THE HOLY SPIRIT TO INDWELL AND CHANGE BELIEVERS. (Or He didn’t)

I. WE CAN BELIEVE ALL THE RIGHT THINGS BUT NOT HAVE THE POWER OF GOD IN OUR LIVES:

  1. I can believe there is a God.
  2. I can believe that God created everything.
  3. I can believe that God wants to have a relationship with people.
  4. I can believe that God has made promises to mankind and kept them.
  5. I can believe that God communicated with mankind through people and the Bible.
  6. I can believe that God became a man in the virgin birth.
  7. I believe that God came by miracle birth.
  8. I believe that God, who became a man, did miracles.
  9. I believe that God, who became man, lived a sinless life, and became the sacrifice for sinners.
  10. I can believe that God, the one who became a man and died on a cross, arose from the dead.
  11. I can believe that God sent the Holy Spirit to convict the world of sin, God’s righteousness, and the judgment to come.
  12. I can believe that the Holy Spirit He indwells every Christian and empowers them to be on mission with God.
  13. I can believe that God continues to give evidence in history that the Bible is His word. Archeology, non-Christian writers, the number of texts of scripture etc.
  14. I can believe that God changes people.

NOTE: Satan believes all of the above but is not saved!

II. BELIEVING IN THE HOLY SPIRIT AND NEEDING TO UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT HIM:

  1. A snap-shot of the Holy Spirit.
    1. The Holy Spirit is the third person in the Trinity.
    2. He is fully God.
    3. He is eternal, omniscient, and omnipresent, has a will, and can speak. He is alive.
    4. He is a person.
    5. He is not particularly visible in the Bible because His ministry is to bear witness of Jesus (John 15:26).
  2. A simple man’s understanding of the Holy Spirit.
    1. The Holy Spirit WORKS ON non-Christians.
    2. The Holy Spirit WORKS IN Christians.
    3. Illustration – I once gave my son a toy for his birthday but forgot the batteries. He opened the gift and soon was making the sound of a truck and pushing it across the floor. It “worked,” but not like it was designed. I went to the store, bought batteries and put them in the toy and showed him how to turn it on and you should have seen his face when it quickly zoomed across the floor!
  3. A deeper teaching on the Holy Spirit by J.I Packer.
    1. “Christian people are not in doubt as to the work that Christ did; they know that He redeemed men by His atoning death, even if they differ among themselves as to what exactly this involved. But the average Christian is in a complete fog as to what work the Holy Spirit does.
    2. Some talk of the Spirit of Christ in the way that one would talk of the Spirit of Christmas a vague cultural pressure making for bonhomie and religiosity.
    3. Some think of the Spirit as inspiring the moral convictions of unbelievers like Gandhi, or the theosophical mysticism of a Rudolf Steiner.
    4. But most, perhaps, do not think of the Holy Spirit at all, and have no positive ideas of any sort about what He does. They are for practical purposes in the same position as the disciples whom Paul met at Ephesus—‘We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost’ (Acts 9:2).” (J.I. Packer. Knowing God. Downers Grove, IL. ; IVP, 1973, 60).
  4. Mr. Packer challenges us to consider seeking the answers to the following questions:
    1. In honoring the Holy Spirit: by recognizing and relying on His work? Or do we slight Him by ignoring it, and thereby dishonor, not merely the Spirit, but the Lord who sent Him?
    2. In our faith: do we acknowledge the authority of the Bible, the prophetic Old Testament and the apostolic New Testament which He inspired? Do we read and hear it with the reverence and receptiveness that are due to the Word of God? If not, we dishonor the Holy Spirit.
    3. In our life: do we apply the authority of the Bible, and live by the Bible, whatever men may say against it, recognizing that God’s word cannot but be true, and that what God has said He certainly means, and will stand to? If not, we dishonor the Holy Spirit, who gave us the Bible.
    4. In our witness: do we remember that the Holy Spirit alone, by His witness, can authenticate our witness, and look to Him to do so, and trust Him to do so, and show the reality of our trust, as Paul did, by eschewing the gimmicks of human cleverness? If not, we dishonor the Holy Spirit” (Packer, Knowing God, 63).

III. THE NAMES, ATTRIBUTES AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT VISUALIZED:

His NamesHis AttributesSymbols ofSins AgainstPower in Christ’s Life
God
Acts 5:3-4		Eternal
Heb. 9:14		Dove
Matt. 3:16		Blasphemy
Matt. 12:31		Conceived of
Matt. 1:18, 20
Lord
2 Cor. 3:18		Omnipotent
Luke 1:35		Wind
Acts 2:1-4		Resist (Unbelief)
Acts 7:51		Baptism
Matt. 3:16
Spirit
1 Cor. 2:10		Omnipresent
Psalm 139:7-10		Fire
Acts 2:3		Insult
Heb. 10:29		Led by
Luke 4:1
Spirit of God
1 Cor. 3:16		Will
1 Cor. 12:11		*****Lied to
Acts 5:3		Filled with Power
Luke 4:14, 18
Spirit of Truth
John 15:26		Loves
Rom. 15:30		*****Grieved
Eph. 4:30		Witness of Jesus
John 15:26
Eternal Spirit
Heb. 9:14		Speaks
Acts 8:29, 13:2		*****Quench
1 Thess. 5:19		Raised Jesus
Rom. 8:11


The Works of the Holy Spirit

Access to God, Eph. 2:18Inspires prayer, Eph. 6:18, Jude 20
Anoints for Service, Luke 4:18Intercedes, Rom. 8:26
Assures, Rom. 8:15-16, Gal. 4:6Interprets Scripture, 1 Cor. 2:1, 14, Eph. 1:17
Authors Scripture, 2 Pet. 1:20-21Leads, Rom. 8:14
Baptizes, John 1:23-34, 1 Cor. 12:13-14Liberates, Rom. 8:2
Believers Born of, John 3:3-6Molds Character, Gal. 5:22-23
Calls and Commissions, Acts 13:24, 20:28Produces fruit, Gal. 5:22-23
Cleanses, 1 Thess. 3:13, 1 Pet. 1:2Empowers Believers, Luke 24:49
Convicts of sin, John 16:9, 14Raises from the dead, Rom. 8:11
Creates, Gen. 1:2, Job 33:4Regenerates, Titus 3:5
Empowers, 1 Thess. 1:5Sanctifies, Rom. 15:16
Fills, Acts 2:4, 4:29-31, 5:18-20Seals, Eph. 1:13-14, 4:30
Gives gifts, I Cor. 12:8-11Strengthens, Eph. 3:16, Acts 1:8, 2:4, I Cor. 2:4
Glorifies Christ, John 16:14Teaches, John 14:26
Guides in truth, John 16:13Testifies of Jesus, John 15:26
Helps our weakness, Rom. 8:26Victory over flesh, Rom. 8:2-4, Gal. 4:6
Indwells believers, Rom. 8:9-14, Gal. 4:6Worship helper, Phil. 3:3

IV. SPECIFIC WAYS THE HOLY SPIRIT WORKS IN CHRISTIANS LIVES:

  1. The Holy Spirit testifies about Jesus. John 15:26 – “But I will send you the Advocate – the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me”. The Holy Spirit and the works that He does bear direct testimony as to the reality and divinity of Jesus.
  2. The Holy Spirit gives us a new life. Titus 3:5 – “He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.
  3. The Holy Spirit gives us gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:4 – “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all”
  4. The Holy Spirit gives us gifts to be able to help and encourage others and to show that God is still at work in the lives of people.
  5. The Holy Spirit lives on the inside of us. 1 Corinthians 3:16 – “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
  6. The Holy Spirit not only dwells in the church, but He dwells on the inside of every born again Christian.
  7. The Holy Spirit produces fruit in our lives. Galatians 5:22-23 “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
  8. The Holy Spirit produces the fruit in our lives. The good things we have as character traits are produced by Him.
  9. The Holy Spirit transforms us into the image of Jesus. 2 Corinthians 3:18 – But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. The Holy Spirit is the one who changes and transforms who we started off being into the image of Jesus.
  10. The Holy Spirit identifies us as God’s own. Ephesians 1:13 “And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago”. The Holy Spirit is the evidence that you have been identified as God’s own. When you have the Holy Spirit in your life, it shows beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you are Gods child.
  11. The Holy Spirit helps us when we pray. John 6:13 – “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future”.
  12. The Holy Spirit is our present day guide on this earth. Not only does He guide us in learning the truth of the scriptures, but He guides us on the application of those truths in our journey.
  13. The Holy Spirit teaches us. John 14:26 – “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative – that is, the Holy Spirit – he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you”. It is one thing to hear the words of Jesus, it is another to know how to apply them. The Holy Spirit teaches us how to walk like Jesus walked.
  14. The Holy Spirit speaks to us. Revelation 2:7 – “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God”.
  15. The Spirit of God reveals things to us. 1 Corinthians 2:10 –“ But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets”. There are things about God that seem to be mysterious. The Holy Spirit reveals to us why God does some of the things He does. The Holy Spirit gives us personal instructions. Acts 8:29 – The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.” The Holy Spirit not only teaches us how to apply the scriptures, but there are times when He gives personal instructions on what we are to do in our everyday lives.
  16. The Holy Spirit encourages us. Acts 9:31 – “The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers”. The Holy Spirit is the one that encourages us in our faith. When we are encouraged then the church is strengthened and it grows.
  17. The Holy Spirit calls us for service. Acts 13:2 – One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” The Holy Spirit is the one who chooses men and women to special work in the kingdom of God. He is the one that calls them, not men.
  18. The Holy Spirit fills us with boldness. Acts 4:31 – “After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness”. When we are faced with trials and persecution, the Holy Spirit fills us with Himself  and gives us boldness to face what we are up against.
  19. The Holy Spirit gives us inner strength. Ephesians 3:16 – “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit”. When your faith is lagging or you are just worn out spiritually, the Holy Spirit is the one that will give you inner strength.
  20. The Holy Spirit prays for us. Romans 8:26 – “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groaning that cannot be expressed in words. Not only does the Holy Spirit help us when we are weak, but He prays for us as well.
  21. The Holy Spirit confirms things as true. Romans 9:1 – “With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it”. The Holy Spirit confirms that what we are saying and doing is truthful. He confirms the truths.
  22. Other examples of what the Holy Spirit does:
    • 1 Thessalonians 1:6 – “So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. The Holy Spirit brings us the joy of the Lord. That joy is our strength and so we need the Holy Spirit today.
    • The Spirit of the Lord brings freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17 – “For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom”. The Spirit of God breaks bondages and sets us free. He gives us the ability to be free in how we live and worship.
    • The Holy Spirit helps us be obedient. 1 Peter 1:22 – “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart”,
    • The Holy Spirit helps us live a life that is willing to be obedient to the truth of the scriptures. He gives us both the willingness to obey and the power to carry out that obedience.
    • The Holy Spirit calls for the return of Jesus. Revelations 22:17 – “And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely”. The Holy Spirit, along with the church, yearns and calls out for Jesus to return again.
    • The Holy Spirit frees us from the power of sin. Romans 8:2 – “And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death”. The Holy Spirit has freed us from the power of sin that made us spiritually dead, thus separating us from God.
    • The Holy Spirit leads us. Romans 8:14 – For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
    • The Holy Spirit is the one who gives us direction and guidance for our journey here on earth.
    • The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin. John 16:8 – “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment”.
    • Every human knows they are a sinner. Those that have come to Jesus have had the Holy Spirit convict them of that sin and they have accepted the offer of Jesus to take the penalty for that sin from them.
    • The Holy Spirit brings salvation and holiness. 2 Thessalonians 2:13 – “As for us, we can’t help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation – a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth”.
    • The Holy Spirit is the one that brought salvation to you. It was paid for by Jesus, but it was activated by the Holy Spirit. He is also the one that makes you holy or set apart to God.
    • The Holy Spirit gives us power to be witnesses of Jesus. Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere – in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
    • The Holy Spirit gives us supernatural power to be witnesses of the reality and goodness of Jesus in all the earth.
    • The Holy Spirit gives us access to the Father. Ephesians 2:18 – “Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us”.
    • The Holy Spirit is the avenue or conduit that we use to have access to the Father to develop relationship with our heavenly Father.
    • The Holy Spirit enables us to wait for the fulfillment of God’s promise. Galatians 5:5 – “But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us”. God has given us many promises including the promise that one day we will be totally righteous. It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to wait for these promises. As you can see, the Holy Spirit is an important and active member of the trinity today. I think it is time we learned more about what the Holy Spirit does in the world today.

V. WHERE CAN I FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION?

  1. Bill Putman www.answersforreallife.org
    • Teaching tools for GODISNOWHERE APP.
    • LIFE SURE IS CONFUSING – A free book by Bill Putman.
  2. Handbook of Christian Apologetics”, Peter Kreeft & Ronald Tacelli, Monarch Publications, 1995
  3. Building Blocks for Christian Faith, J. P. Holding, http://tektonics.org/jesusexist/jesusexisthub.html
  4. A Ready Defense, Josh McDowell, Here’s Life Publishing, Inc., San Bernardino, CA 92402
  5. Answers to Tough Questions about the Christian Faith, Josh McDowell and Don Stewart, 1980, Here’s Life Publishers, Inc., San Bernardino, CA 92402
  6. The Trinity Series, Glenn Miller, http://www.christian-thinktank.com/trin01.html
  7. Know What You Believe –  Richard Helsby – knowwhatyoubelieve.com
  8. Defending You Faith: Reliable answers for a new generation of sceptics and seekers, Dan Story, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI 49501, 1997
  9. Knowing God – J.I. Packer – Inter Varsity Press.
  10. Mere Christianity – C.S. Lewis – HarperCollins Publisher
  11. Building Blocks for Christian Faith, J. P. Holding, http://tektonics.org/jesusexist/jesusexisthub.html
  12. Evidence That Demands A Verdict Volume 1, Josh McDowell, Here’s Life Publishing, Inc., San Bernardino, CA 92402
  13. www.ChristianAnswers.Net, http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/rfsm-miracles.html