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The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit Is Guide and Counselor to All Christians
The
Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity and
undoubtedly the least understood member of the Godhead.
Christians
can easily identify with God the
Father (Jehovah or Yahweh) and His Son, Jesus
Christ.
The
Holy Spirit, however, without a body and a personal name, seems distant to
many, yet He dwells inside every true believer and is a constant companion in
the walk of faith.
Who Is the Holy Ghost?
Until
a few decades ago, both Catholic and
Protestant churches used the title Holy Ghost.
The King
James Version (KJV) of the Bible, first published in 1611, uses the term
Holy Ghost, but every modern translation, including the New King
James Version, uses Holy Spirit.
Some Pentecostal denominations
which use the KJV still speak of the Holy Ghost.
Member of the Godhead
As
God, the Holy Spirit has existed through all eternity.
In
the Old Testament, He is also referred to as the Spirit, the Spirit of God, and
the Spirit of the Lord. In the New Testament, He is sometimes called the Spirit
of Christ.
The
Holy Spirit first appears in the second verse of the Bible, in the account
of creation:
Now
the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep,
and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (Genesis
1:2, NIV).
The
Holy Spirit caused the Virgin
Mary to conceive (Matthew 1:20), and at the baptism
of Jesus, He descended on Jesus like a dove.
On the Day of
Pentecost, He rested like tongues of fire on the
apostles. In many religious paintings and church logos, He is often
symbolized as a dove.
Since the Hebrew word for the Spirit in the Old Testament means
"breath" or "wind," Jesus breathed on His apostles after
His resurrection and
said, "Receive the Holy Spirit."
(John 20:22, NIV).
He
also commanded His followers to baptize people in the name of the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit.
The divine
works of the Holy Spirit, both in the open and in secret, advance
God the Father's plan of
salvation.
He
participated in creation with the Father and Son, filled the prophets with
the Word of
God, assisted Jesus and the apostles in their missions, inspired
the men who wrote the Bible, guides the church, and sanctifies believers in
their walk with Christ today.
He
gives spiritual
gifts for strengthening the body of Christ.
Today
He acts as Christ's presence on earth, counseling and encouraging Christians as
they battle the temptations of
the world and the forces of Satan.
Who Is the Holy Spirit?
The
Holy Spirit's name describes His chief attribute: He is a perfectly holy and
spotless God, free of any sin or darkness.
He
shares the strengths of God the Father and Jesus, such as omniscience,
omnipotence, and eternality. Likewise, He is all-loving, forgiving, merciful
and just.
Throughout
the Bible, we see the Holy Spirit pouring His power into followers of God.
When
we think of such towering figures as Joseph, Moses, David, Peter,
and Paul, we
may feel we have nothing in common with them, but the truth is that the Holy
Spirit helped each of them change.
He
stands ready to help us change from the person we are today to the person we
want to be, ever closer to the character of Christ.
A
member of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit had no beginning and has no end. With
the Father and Son, he existed before creation.
The
Spirit dwells in heaven but
also on Earth in the heart of every believer.
The
Holy Spirit serves as teacher, counselor, comforter, strengthener, inspiration,
revealer of the Scriptures, convincer of sin,
caller of ministers, and intercessor in prayer.
References to the Holy Spirit in the Bible:
The
Holy Spirit appears in nearly every book of
the Bible.
Holy Spirit Bible Study
Continue
reading for a topical Bible study on the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit Is a Person
The
Holy Spirit is included in the Trinity,
which is made up of 3 distinct persons: The Father,
the Son, and
the Holy Spirit.
The
following verses give us a beautiful picture of the Trinity in the Bible:
Matthew 3:16-17 – ’As soon as Jesus (the Son) was
baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he
saw the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) descending like a dove and lighting on
him. And a voice from heaven (the Father) said,’This is my Son, whom I love;
with him I am well pleased.’" (NIV)
Matthew 28:19 – “Therefore go and make disciples
of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit,” (NIV)
John 14:16-17 – “And
I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you
forever-- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither
sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in
you.” (NIV)
2 Corinthians 13:14 – “May the grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be
with you all.” (NIV)
Acts 2:32-33 – “God
has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to
the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit
and has poured out what you now see and hear.” (NIV)
The Holy Spirit Has the Characteristics of Personality:
The
Holy Spirit has a Mind:
Romans 8:27 – “And
he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit
intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.” (NIV)
The
Holy Spirit has a Will:
1 Corinthians 12:11- “But
one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one
individually just as He wills.” (NASB)
The
Holy Spirit has Emotions,
He grieves:
Isaiah 63:10 - “Yet they rebelled and grieved
his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against
them.” (NIV)
The
Holy Spirit gives joy:
Luke 10: 21 – “At
that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you,
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the
wise and learned, and revealed them to little
children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure." (NIV)
1 Thessalonians 1:6 - “You became imitators of us and
of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the
joy given by the Holy Spirit.” (NIV)
He Teaches:
John 14:26 - “But the Counselor, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and
will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (NIV)
He Testifies of
Christ:
John 15:26 - “When the Counselor comes, whom
I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the
Father, he will testify about me.” (NIV)
He Convicts:
John 16:8 - “When he comes, he will convict
the world of guilt [Or will expose the guilt of the world] in regard to sin and
righteousness and judgment:” (NIV)
He Leads:
Romans 8:14 - “Because those who are led by
the Spirit of God are sons of God.” (NIV)
He Reveals Truth:
John 16:13 - “But when he, the Spirit of
truth, comes, he will guide you into all 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.” (NIV)
He Strengthens and Encourages:
Acts 9:31 - “Then the church throughout
Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and
encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the
Lord.” (NIV)
He Comforts:
John 14:16 - “And I will pray the Father,
and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;” (KJV)
He Helps Us in
our Weakness:
Romans 8:26 - “In the same way, the Spirit
helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the
Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” (NIV)
He Intercedes:
Romans 8:26 - “In the same way, the Spirit
helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the
Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” (NIV)
He Searches the
Deep Things of God:
1 Corinthians 2:11 - “The Spirit searches all
things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a
man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the
thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” (NIV)
He Sanctifies:
Romans 15:16 - “To be a minister of Christ
Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming
the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering
acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” (NIV)
He Bears Witness or Testifies:
Romans 8:16 - “The Spirit itself beareth
witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” (KJV)
He Forbids:
Acts 16:6-7 - “Paul and his companions
traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the
Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to
the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus
would not allow them to.” (NIV)
He
Can be Lied to:
Acts 5:3 - “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?” (NIV)
He
Can be Resisted:
Acts 7:51 - "You stiff-necked people,
with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always
resist the Holy Spirit!" (NIV)
He
Can be Blasphemed:
Matthew 12:31-32 - “And so I tell you, every sin
and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy
against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks
a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against
the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” (NIV)
He
Can be Quenched:
1 Thessalonians 5:19 - “Quench not the Spirit.” (NKJV)
Mary Fairchild
Christian
minister since 1988 with General Biblical Studies and Missions degrees
Full-time
writer and editor specializing in Christianity, Bible study, and Christian
living since 2005
Author
and general editor of "Stories of Calvary"
Experience
Mary
Fairchild has worked full time in Christian ministry since 1988. While in Bible
School, she worked for a major city church as the assistant to the dean of
Christian education. Next, Mary served on the foreign mission field in Brazil
from 1990-1994. Upon returning to the States, Mary became a pastoral assistant
and office manager for a large intercity church.
Mary
worked as the general editor on several Christian books and booklets for
Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg from 2006 until 2017. Recently, Mary joined the
team of writers for GotQuestions.org, where she provides responses to
questions related to the nature of God, the Scriptures, salvation, and
other spiritual topics.
Education
Mary
received a General Biblical Studies degree from an Interdenominational
Christian Training Center in Central Florida. She also holds a Missions degree
from Youth With A Mission Discipleship Training School.
Publications
"Stories
of Calvary" (2008, Winepress Publishing)
"Exposing
Samson" (General Editor, 2009, Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg)
Mary
Fairchild
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