The Person of the Holy Spirit
The Person of the Holy Spirit
"Then Peter said, 'Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied TO THE HOLY SPIRIT . . . You have not lied to men BUT TO GOD' " (see also 2 Corinthians 3:17).God has chosen to express Himself to mankind as Father, as Son, and as the Holy Spirit. These are three distinct Persons, yet the three are one.
''But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you" John 16:7 .After Jesus ascended to the throne of His Father, He kept His promise and sent the Holy Spirit to indwell the believer (John 14:17; 1 Corinthians 2:12; 3:16). And this promise is also for the believer today! On the Day of Pentecost, Peter boldly declared:
" . . . you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children AND FOR ALL WHO ARE FAR OFF - for all whom the Lord our God will call'' Acts 2:38-39(read also John 14:16,26; 15:26).
"While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them' '' Acts 13:2.While Jesus was on the earth, He gave His disciples directives through His own audible voice. When He left, He sent the Holy Spirit to fulfil this same ministry "for ever'' (John 14:16) - now on a far wider scale. The Holy Spirit can speak to our hearts at any time and at any place (see also Acts 10:19-20; 16:6; Romans 8:14; Revelation 3:13).
''For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship (or adoption). And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father '' Romans 8:15 (see also Galatians 4:6).The very first work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to give us spiritual "birth" into God's family (see John 3:3,5-8), and His continuing ministry in this capacity is to testify to our new relationship and help us grow in it.
"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children" Romans 8:16.
''And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you for ever - the Spirit of truth . . . " John 14:16-17 (see also 16:13).One of the Spirit's ministries is to be a witness to the truth - that Jesus is the Son of God, that He came and died for mankind, that He is alive today, and that He brought "many sons to glory'' (Hebrews 2:10). Jesus called Him ''the Counsellor" - the One who teaches and guides the believer. He is also called "the Spirit of wisdom and revelation'' (Ephesians 1:17) and "the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and . . . of knowledge . . . '' (Isaiah 11:2) (see also 1 John 2:27).
" . . . And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth'' 1 John 5:6.
"How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished . . . who has insulted the Spirit of grace?" Hebrews 10:29.Grace is the God-given ability to do what we cannot do ourselves. We could not save ourselves, but God by His grace saved us. We could not live lives pleasing to God, but by His grace, through the Holy Spirit, God has made this possible. Through the grace of God's Holy Spirit, we receive salvation, forgiveness, a brand new life, and the ability to ''live by the Spirit'' (Galatians 5:16,25).
''And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work . . because of the surpassing grace God has given you" 2 Corinthians 9:8,14.
"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline'' 2 Timothy 1:7.Love, power and self-discipline are three of the Spirit's main ministries to the believer:
'' . . . who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord" Romans 1:4.God is a holy God, and as an expression of God's character, the Holy Spirit's ministry in our lives is to sponsor holiness and a pure heart before Him. The first step in His work was to make us righteous in God's sight (2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:18), but His continuing ministry is to encourage us to walk daily in that righteousness.
" . . . And he is able to keep you from slipping and falling. away, and to bring you, sinless and perfect, into his glorious presence with mighty shouts of everlasting joy. Amen'' Jude 24-25 (TLB).
"Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father' '' Galatiancs 4:6.The Holy Spirit is called in Philippians 1:19 "the Spirit of Jesus Christ"! The continuing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to renew our minds so that we think like Jesus (Romans 12:2; 1 Corinthians 2:16) - but His ultimate aim is that we might be completely conformed to the very likeness of Jesus (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18).
'' . . . Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession..."Ephesians 1:13-14.
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Unless otherwise stated, all scriptures quoted in these studies are from the New International Version of the Bible, & copy; New York International Bible Society, used by permission. Other versions referred to are: KJV (King James Version), NKJB (New King James Bible), TLB (The Living Bible), Amp (The Amplified Bible) and The Message. All versions used by permission.
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