"You might as well try to hear without ears or breathe without lungs, as try to live a Christian life without the Spirit of God in your heart." ― D. L. Moody
Ephesians 3:14-19 (HCSB)14 For this reason I kneel before the Father15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.16 ⌊I pray⌋ that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit,17 and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. ⌊I pray⌋ that you, being rooted and firmly established in love,18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth ⌊of God’s love⌋,19 and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
This is the second post in the series “Who Is The Holy Spirit”. In the initial post I also give biblical evidence that the Holy Spirit is not an”it”, a “mystic power”, or a “thing” but a person with attributes that only a person can have, attributes like, intelligence, feelings, a will, He prays, He can be insulted, He teaches and He directs.
I also talk about the Holy Spirit being a member of the Trinity along with God the Father, and God the Son.
We first encounter the Holy Spirit at the creation.
Genesis 1:2 (HCSB)2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
We see Him along with God the Father and God the Son at Jesus’ baptism.
Luke 3:21-22 (HCSB)21 When all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. As He was praying, heaven opened,22 and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in a physical appearance like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: You are My beloved Son. I take delight in You!
Ephesians 3:14-19 (HCSB)14 For this reason I kneel before the Father15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.16 ⌊I pray⌋ that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit,17 and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. ⌊I pray⌋ that you, being rooted and firmly established in love,18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth ⌊of God’s love⌋,19 and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
This is the second post in the series “Who Is The Holy Spirit”. In the initial post I also give biblical evidence that the Holy Spirit is not an”it”, a “mystic power”, or a “thing” but a person with attributes that only a person can have, attributes like, intelligence, feelings, a will, He prays, He can be insulted, He teaches and He directs.
I also talk about the Holy Spirit being a member of the Trinity along with God the Father, and God the Son.
We first encounter the Holy Spirit at the creation.
Genesis 1:2 (HCSB)2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
We see Him along with God the Father and God the Son at Jesus’ baptism.
Luke 3:21-22 (HCSB)21 When all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. As He was praying, heaven opened,22 and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in a physical appearance like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: You are My beloved Son. I take delight in You!
The Holy Spirit is God
The Holy Spirit is not only a person, He's also God. He has all the attributes of God.
The Holy Spirit is Omnipotent - All-powerful
Zechariah 4:6 (HCSB)6 So he answered me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength or by might, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of Hosts.
The Holy Spirit is Omnipresent - Present Everywhere
Psalm 139:7-12 (HCSB)7 Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?8 If I go up to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.9 If I live at the eastern horizon ⌊or⌋ settle at the western limits,10 even there Your hand will lead me; Your right hand will hold on to me.11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light around me will be night”--12 even the darkness is not dark to You. The night shines like the day; darkness and light are alike to You.
The Holy Spirit is Omniscient - All-knowing
1 Corinthians 2:10 (HCSB)10 Now God has revealed ⌊these things⌋ to us by the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
The Holy Spirit is not only a person, He's also God. He has all the attributes of God.
The Holy Spirit is Omnipotent - All-powerful
Zechariah 4:6 (HCSB)6 So he answered me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength or by might, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of Hosts.
The Holy Spirit is Omnipresent - Present Everywhere
Psalm 139:7-12 (HCSB)7 Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?8 If I go up to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.9 If I live at the eastern horizon ⌊or⌋ settle at the western limits,10 even there Your hand will lead me; Your right hand will hold on to me.11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light around me will be night”--12 even the darkness is not dark to You. The night shines like the day; darkness and light are alike to You.
The Holy Spirit is Omniscient - All-knowing
1 Corinthians 2:10 (HCSB)10 Now God has revealed ⌊these things⌋ to us by the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
The Names and Roles of the Holy Spirit
As I said in my last post the Holy Spirit plays a key role in the redemption of mankind in that He sees to it that every person feels a call toward God's saving grace. He has additional roles before and after salvation.
Author of Scripture
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (HCSB)16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
2 Peter 1:20-21 (HCSB)20 First of all, you should know this: No prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation,21 because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
Peter is not saying that only prophetic parts of Scripture are inspired by God. He is saying that whatever is in Scripture is from God, written by men who were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Comforter / Counselor / Advocate
The words comforter, counselor, and advocate are all translations of the Greek word parakletos, from which we get the word “Paraclete,”(advocate, intercessor) another name for the Spirit. Jesus promised to send the Spirit to comfort, console, and guide those who belong to Him.
John 14:26 (AMP) 26 But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you.
John 14:16 (HCSB)16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.
John 15:26 (NLT)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.
Isaiah 11:1-2 (HCSB)1 Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him— a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
The Spirit applies the truths of God to men’s own minds in order to convince them that they are sinners. He does this through the conviction in our hearts that we are not worthy to stand before a holy God, that we need His righteousness, and that judgment will come to all men one day.
John 16:7-11 (HCSB)7 Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send Him to you.8 When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment:9 About sin, because they do not believe in Me;10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me;11 and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
Deposit / Seal /Guarantee
The Holy Spirit is God’s seal on His people, He is the guarantee of our inheritance which Jesus secured for us on the cross. Because the Holy Spirit has sealed us we are assured of our salvation. No one, not even us, can break that seal. Salvation is eternal. Once saved, always saved.
2 Corinthians 1:22 (HCSB)22 He has also sealed us and given us the Spirit as a down payment in our hearts.
2 Corinthians 5:5 (HCSB)5 And the One who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.
Ephesians 1:13-14 (HCSB)13 When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.14 He is the down payment of our inheritance, for the redemption of the possession, to the praise of His glory.
Philippians 1:6 (HCSB)6 I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Guide
Just as the Spirit guided the writers of Scripture to record truth, He guides the believer in understanding the truth of Scripture. We are able to know and understand God’s Word because it is “spiritually discerned”.
John 16:13 (HCSB)13 When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak whatever He hears. He will also declare to you what is to come.
1 Corinthians 2:14 (HCSB)14 But the unbeliever does not welcome what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually.
“Indweller” of Believers
The Holy Spirit indwells/inhabits the believer. We don’t know how but He does. He direct, guides, comforts, and influences the believer from the inside. He produces fruit from the inside and that fruit is seen on the outside.
Romans 8:9-11 (HCSB)9 You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God lives in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.10 Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.11 And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives in you.
Ephesians 2:21-22 (HCSB)21 The whole building, being put together by Him, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord.22 You also are being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (HCSB)19 Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,20 for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.
Galatians 5:22-23 (HCSB)22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Intercessor
One of the most encouraging roles of the Holy Spirit in the believer is His intercession on behalf of those He inhabits. When we don’t know what or how to pray the Holy Spirit actually prays for us. When we are overwhelmed with the trial and tribulations of this life He is there with us.
Romans 8:26 (HCSB)26 In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings.
Teacher
Jesus promised that the Spirit would teach His disciples “all things” and bring to their remembrance the things He said while He was with them. The writers of the New Testament were moved by the Spirit to remember and understand the instructions Jesus gave them for the building of His kingdom through the church.
John 14:26 (HCSB)26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit—the Father will send Him in My name—will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.
1 Corinthians 2:13 (HCSB)13 We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.
Witness
The Holy Spirit verifies and testifies to the fact that we are children of God, that Jesus and His followers were sent by God.
Romans 8:16 (HCSB)16 The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children,
Hebrews 2:4 (HCSB)4 At the same time, God also testified by signs and wonders, various miracles, and distributions ⌊of gifts⌋ from the Holy Spirit according to His will.
Hebrews 10:15-16 (HCSB)15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. For after He says:
16 This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws on their hearts and write them on their minds,
"Revealer" / Spirit of Truth
Jesus promised that, after the resurrection, the Holy Spirit would come to “guide you into all truth.” Because of the Spirit in our hearts, we are able to understand truth, especially in spiritual matters, in a way that non-Christians cannot. In fact, the truth the Spirit reveals to us is “foolishness” to them, and they cannot understand it. But we have the mind of Christ in the Person of His Spirit within us.
John 14:17 (HCSB)17 He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive Him because it doesn’t see Him or know Him. But you do know Him, because He remains with you and will be in you.
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John 16:13 (HCSB)13 When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak whatever He hears. He will also declare to you what is to come.
1 Corinthians 2:12-16 (HCSB)12 Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who ⌊comes⌋ from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God.13 We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.14 But the unbeliever does not welcome what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually.15 The spiritual person, however, can evaluate everything, yet he himself cannot be evaluated by anyone.16 For who has known the Lord’s mind, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Spirit of Life
The Holy Spirit doesn’t initiate salvation, but He make communicates the newness of life to the believer. When we receive eternal life through Jesus, the Spirit maintains that spiritual life. We are saved by the Father through the work of the Son, and that salvation is sustained by the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:1-2 (HCSB)1 Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus,2 because the Spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
You Can Have a Personal Relationship with the Holy Spirit
You can have personal relationship with the Holy Spirit and He will inhabit you and guarantee your salvation and eternal life in the presence of God, but you can’t have that relationship apart from the Father and Son.
Romans 10:9-10 (HCSB)9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.
Do you want that relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Here’s how:
If you’re ready pray this prayer in all sincerity (only you and God know if you’re really sincere);
“Dear God, I am a sinner and need forgiveness. I believe that Jesus Christ shed His precious blood and died for my sin. I am willing to turn from sin. I now invite Christ to come into my heart and life as my personal Savior.”
If you have just prayed this prayer, in all sincerity, call, text, email, Tweet, change your Facebook status and tell somebody. Leave me a comment here or send me an email with this Link. Then find a bible believing church and start to fellowship with other believers.
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