The Holy Spirit
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The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit-Who Is He?
The Holy Spirit is God Himself. He is one of the members of the Triune God. All Christians believe that God is one in substance, but always has three forms or modes of existence, all fully God: our Father in heaven; the Son, who also became a man on earth; and the Holy Spirit, who lives in believers’ hearts. Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are not parts of God; they are completely God Himself. This is difficult to understand, but it is taught to us in Scripture. For example, after Jesus was baptized in water, the Holy Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove, and the Father spoke from heaven, “You are my Son” (Mark 1:9-11). Jesus told us to baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). The Apostle Paul gives us the benediction: May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:14). The three members of the Godhead are constantly mentioned together (Ephesians 2:18; 4:4-6; Jude 20-21).
All three-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-are distinct (John 14:16-17,26; 16:715; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6; 1 Peter 1:2). But they are also equal. All three are called “God” (John 6:27; Hebrews 1:8; Acts 5:3-4). All three give life (John 5:21; Romans 8:11). All three receive divine honor (John 5:23; 2 Corinthians 13:14). All three are said to be eternal (John 1:1; Hebrews 9:14).
The Holy Spirit can be quenched (1 Thessalonians 5:19). However, the Holy Spirit is not just a kind of power or energy; He also is a person. Like the other members of the Trinity, the Spirit is personal in His relationship with us. He speaks (Acts 13:2), He can be grieved (Isaiah 63:10; Ephesians 4:30), and He can be insulted (Hebrews 10:29). Speaking against the Holy Spirit is considered blasphemy, and is a sin which will not be forgiven (Mark 3:28-29).
The Holy Spirit is one with the Father and the Son. We can see this in Romans 8:9-10, where “Holy Spirit,” “Spirit of God,” “Spirit of Christ,” and “Christ” are interchangeable words and all mean “God.” This oneness does not mean that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are identical. The Son is not the Father, but is begotten by Him (John 3:16); and the Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son, but is sent by the Father and the Son (John 15:26). But the three have a oneness of mind, desire and purpose, as well as oneness of nature.
The Triune God has been thought of as similar to an egg with its three parts: the shell, the white, and the yolk. But God does not have three parts, since God is one substance. The Triune God has also been thought of as similar to water in its three forms: water, ice, and steam. This is a slightly better comparison, since the substance is the same in all three forms. But the problem is that water cannot be in all three forms at the same time, whereas God is three persons at one and the same time (Mark 1:10-11).
It is better to think of God the Father as a writer writing a drama. The drama represents the world we live in. The writer places a character in the drama exactly like the writer himself. This character exactly like the writer is Jesus. The writer’s spirit is also involved throughout the drama influencing every character and giving power to one and taking it away from another. This is like the Holy Spirit, who is active in the world.
The Holy Spirit is “God in the world.” Jesus said that He would leave the world (John 14:2-3), but would send the Holy Spirit to be with us (John 14:16-20,26). The Holy Spirit is God Himself in action, God working in the world.
What, then, does the Holy Spirit do?
The Holy Spirit—His Work
First of all, the Holy Spirit was active in the creation of the world (Genesis 1:1-2). He is involved in giving the breath of life to man (Genesis 2:7; Job 33:4). Second, the Holy Spirit is the One who inspired the writers of the Bible, directing them to write exactly what God wanted to say (Acts 28:25; Hebrews 9:8; 10:15; 2 Peter 1:21).
The Holy Spirit was active in the Old Testament, both teaching (Nehemiah 9:20,30) and coming on God’s people to give them power and gifts (Numbers 11:17; 27:18; 1 Samuel 19:20-24; 2 Kings 2:9-14). However, DAVID feared that God would take His Holy Spirit away from him (Psalm 51:11). Therefore, it may be that during Old Testament times the Holy Spirit did not dwell within every believer, but only came on certain persons for special ministry at special times.
Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20), and anointed with power by the Spirit (Mark 1:10; Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38). Jesus needed the help and power of the Spirit just as we do, because Jesus was fully human. Jesus laid aside His divine power and glory while He was here on earth (John 17:5; Philippians 2:7), although He remained divine in nature.
In John Chapters 14-16, Jesus promised a new age of the Spirit when He and the Father would send the Holy Spirit to His disciples (John 14:26; 15:26). But the disciples already knew the Spirit, because He already lived with them (John 14:16-17). This new “sending” of the Spirit did not mean that the Spirit had not been present in the world beforehand. But in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit came into the world in a special way to do some new things.
The Holy Spirit came in a special way to establish the church, the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:29-30). The Holy Spirit is the source of our unity and fellowship (1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 4:3). The Spirit empowered the church on the day of PENTECOST (Acts 2:1-4), an event that was also prophesied in the Old Testament (Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:17-18). The Spirit gives special gifts to help the church (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:8-10). He guides the church in choosing those for ministry (Acts 13:2), and He sends His word to the church through prophecies, dreams, and revelations (Acts 10:9-16; 16:9; 21:9-10; 1 Corinthians 14:26-32; 1 Timothy 4:14; Revelation 1:1).
But the new age of the Spirit was not just for the church as a group. The Holy Spirit became more closely involved with every individual believer. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts men of their sin (John 16:8-11). Ezekiel prophesied that God would put His own Spirit within us (Ezekiel 36:25-28). Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit would not just live with the disciples, but that He would soon be living inside them (John 14:17). Before His ascension to heaven, Jesus breathed on His disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). The Holy Spirit lives in all Christians (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Galatians 4:6). When we believe, we are born of the Spirit (John 3:3-6; 1 John 5:1), and the Holy Spirit bears witness with our own spirits that we are God’s children (Romans 8:16; 1 John 5:6-8). The Holy Spirit gives us the right to call God “our Father” (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6). Jesus promised that the Spirit would teach us (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13-14) and guide us (Mark 13:11). We see examples of this in Acts 15:28 and 16:6-7. The Spirit also helps us to pray according to the will of God (Romans 8:26-27).
The Holy Spirit lives within every Christian (Romans 8:9); however, He works in different ways in different believers. Paul says that we are sealed with the Spirit when we believe (Ephesians 1:13-14), but he also tells us to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). The disciples received the Spirit in John 20:22, but were filled with the Spirit in Acts 2:4, and then filled again in Acts 4:31. The Spirit can come in special ways for special ministry as well (Acts 13:2-4; 1 Timothy 4:14). Paul tells us not to put out the Spirit’s fire (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Timothy is told to fan into flame the gift of God given to him by the laying on of Paul’s hands (2 Timothy 1:6). We see that we can either allow the Spirit to work more and more in our lives, or we can stop the Spirit from working. We can either be filled with the Spirit, or we can put out the Spirit’s fire.
What does this “filling with the Spirit” mean? What works of the Spirit are not present equally in all Christians’ lives? They can be divided into two groups: the special gifts of the Spirit, examples of which are given in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10; and the fruits of the Spirit, which are listed in Galatians 5:22-23. For a further discussion of the gifts and power of the Spirit, see General Article: Holy Spirit Baptism. The fruits of the Spirit, or “holiness,” will be discussed below.
Holiness, or Sanctification
What is holiness, or sanctification? Briefly, it is Christ-likeness. It results in love and in the other fruits of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Galatians 5:22-23). It involves separation from sin and from the world. But it also involves being set apart for God, whereby all our abilities and opportunities are given to God.
God views us as already being holy (Hebrews 10:10). But we see unholiness in our lives. How can we understand this? There are two meanings of holiness in the Bible. In the first sense, God as judge considers us to be holy or blameless. Jesus Christ is our holiness (1 Corinthians 1:30), and we are called “saints,” or “holy ones” (Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1). In God’s view this is our position in Christ.
But the second meaning of holiness in the Bible is the actual degree of holiness in our experience, in our lives. When we look at our lives, do we see perfect holiness? No, we do not. Christians are declared RIGHTEOUS when they receive SALVATION, but they are still sinners and need to become holy. This is an ongoing work of the Spirit whereby we can become truly holy in our daily lives (2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2). God calls us to live a holy life (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7; 1 Peter 1:15-16), and Jesus commands us to be holy, or perfect (Matthew 5:48). But it is the Holy Spirit who actually makes us holy, or sanctifies us.
Sanctification is included in our salvation (2 Thessalonians 2:13). Without holiness we cannot see God (Hebrews 12:14). Holiness is not something we must have in order to be saved; it is something that becomes possible because we are already saved (Romans 6:22). We cannot become holy through our own efforts alone. The Holy Spirit helps us. It is by the Spirit that we put to death the sins of our sinful nature (Romans 8:13). Paul was concerned that the Galatians were beginning by accepting salvation as a free gift of God, but were then going back to human efforts to be made perfect or holy (see Galatians 3:3; General Article: Way of Salvation).
It is only through the Holy Spirit that we can become holy. But this does not mean that we have no part in the process. We must accept God’s discipline (Hebrews 12:9-11). We must train our bodies in holiness (1 Corinthians 9:24-27; 1 Timothy 4:7). We must “throw off’ all sin of body or spirit that may hinder us (2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 12:1-2), and we must offer our bodies and minds to God (Romans 6:13,19; 12:1-2). We should read the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16), memorize verses (Psalm 119:11; 2 Peter 1:4), and then allow the Scriptures to change our behavior. We can receive help from the leaders God has placed over us (Ephesians 4:11-13). In addition to all this, we need to pray for God’s help (Colossians 1:9-10; 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13; 5:23) or we will fail.
Some Christians believe that there is another step, a separate special experience of being sanctified. They believe that after much prayer and seeking God we can receive sanctification in a special experience and can know for sure that we have received it. They call this experience of sanctification a “second work of GRACE.” (The first work of grace is our salvation.) These Christians teach that initial salvation results in our being born again, separated from the world (1 John 5:4), and indwelt by the Spirit (Romans 8:9). We become infants in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:1). But the “second work of grace,” sometimes called “the second blessing,” results in our being sanctified, separated from self (Galatians 2:20), and filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). We then become mature (Ephesians 4:13), and God’s love is made complete in us (1 John 4:12,17). Many of these Christians believe that we can be completely sanctified, so that we will no longer continue to sin knowingly or voluntarily (1 John 3:9). They believe that the latter part of Romans Chapter 7 gives a picture of the immature Christian, while Romans Chapter 8 gives a picture of a mature Christian who has had this “second blessing.” They point to the filling of the Spirit in Acts 2:4 and 9:17 as examples of this holiness experience (see General Article: Holy Spirit Baptism).
Most Christians, however, believe that sanctification is a slow process that takes time and will not be finished even when we die. They do not believe that there is a separate experience required for holiness. They point to verses which say we “are being” made holy (Galatians 3:3; Hebrews 10:14; 12:10-11), or which say that we are to keep on in the race and to continue to struggle against sin (Hebrews 12:1-4). Many verses in the New Testament tell us to “train” our bodies, “offer” ourselves, “run” the race, or “fight,” and because of such verses it appears that we have not become completely holy yet. Paul himself said that he had not been made perfect, but was still striving for perfection (Philippians 3:12-14), even though he included himself among the mature (Philippians 3:15). Some point to 1 John 1:8, where John says that if we claim to be without sin we are not being honest. The more we become “mature” in Christ, the more we realize our own sin and imperfection. At the end of his life, Paul said that among sinners he was the worst (1 Timothy 1:15). Christians holding this second opinion usually believe that the latter part of Romans Chapter 7 refers to the Christian in his daily struggle against sin.1 They believe that a Christian may gradually come to experience more and more the victorious life described in Romans Chapter 8, but that in this world he will never completely end his fight against his old sinful nature.
Every Christian’s experience is different. Many Christians say that they have received this “second blessing” or special filling of the Holy Spirit. Some Christians experience sudden periods of increased holiness coming in addition to a more gradual experience of sanctification. God works in each life in different ways. We must not confine the workings of the Holy Spirit to our own limited individual experience.
Whatever we believe about a holiness experience, our responsibility is clear: we are commanded to be holy. Peter wrote: … be holy in all you do (1 Peter 1:15). Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).
1 There is another explanation for Romans Chapter 7- Many scholars believe that it does not refer to Christians at all, but to Jews like Paul, who were under the supervision (and bondage) of the Mosaic Law (see Galatians 3:19-25; General Article: The Purpose of the Mosaic Law, in The Applied Old Testament Commentary).