Who Is The Holy Spirit
Jesus in Acts 1:5, told his disciples that within a short time they would receive the “baptism of the Holy Spirit”. He said, “For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” (Acts 1:5) Jesus told them this just before he returned to Heaven. In Acts 1:4, He said that they were to wait until they had received the Holy Spirit. In Old Testament times, those who believed in God did not permanently receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Now, however, the Lord was going to do something new. All believers would receive the Holy Spirit, who would be with them forever. In Acts 2:1f, is the account of the disciples receiving the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus earlier had promised the disciples that He would send them the Holy Spirit to guide them in their lives.
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (John 14:26) Jesus also said, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” (John 16:13-14) The Holy Spirit is God, living within us. He, the Holy Spirit is God and is identified as the third member of the God Head, made up of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Church Is Begun
In Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit came, the Lord Jesus began the church. The Body of Christ of Christ is made up of all persons saved until the Lord returns to take us to Heaven. The Bible uses the word “body” in the same sense as we do in referring to our human bodies. Our body is made up of all our body parts. So all our body parts are referred to as one body.
Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth, not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:12-14)
Paul further says, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19)
Attributes Of The Holy Spirit
1. The Holy Spirit knows us in our infirmities.
The Holy Spirit not only knows us, but he helps us in our infirmities (Rom. 8:26). He helps us do things that we cannot do in our own strength.
2. The Holy Spirit teaches us.
The Holy Spirit works through Scripture and people to change our hearts (John 14:26; Rom. 8:14; 1 Cor. 2:6–14). When we struggle with a passage of the Bible, the Holy Spirit will teach us what it means and how it can be applied in our lives. Oftentimes, that teaching comes through people via a pastor’s sermon (Rom. 10:14–16), a close friend, or our spouse.
3. The Holy Spirit works through prayer.
The Holy Spirit will intercede for us through prayer (Rom. 8:26). He will especially intercede when we’re focused on glorifying Christ and loving his people. If you don’t know what to pray, ask the Holy Spirit for help. After all, he is “the Helper” who will help those who love him. Oftentimes, God uses our prayers to change our hearts more than the hearts of others, to conform us to be more like him.
4. The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus’ Purpose for us.
God gives good gifts. He gave us Jesus, who died on the cross for our sins. He gave us the Holy Spirit. He also gave us instruction in the Bible for living this life2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
The purpose of our life is to glorify Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit and to love people. The Holy Spirit will reveal the finer details of our purpose, such as where we will work, whom we will marry, and where we will live, as we study the Bible and walk in faith.
5. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin.
John 15:8–11 teaches us that the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin to conform us to Jesus’ likeness. As we lean more on the Holy Spirit, sin becomes more apparent in our lives (Gal. 5:16, 18). This allows us to repent and seek change in Christ so that we can become more like Jesus.
If you’re a believer, the Holy Spirit lives in you. Open yourself up to the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus calls him the Helper for good reason. It’s certainly to our advantage that he is in our lives, but ultimately to glorify Jesus was why he was sent to us (John 15:26-27).
Lesson 2 Assessment
Click the link below to complete the Unit Assessment for this unit.
The Holy Spirit