Who is the Holy Spirit?

Tuesday, June 16, 2020
I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. John 14:25-26

Who is the Holy Spirit Exactly?
When you hear the term “Holy Spirit,” what comes to mind? If the power of the Holy Spirit can make such a difference if we choose it, then why don’t we claim Him? Maybe we don’t know exactly what that means. In the Gospel of John, Jesus invites us to know about, expect, and experience the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is God. He is God in spiritual manifestation as He possesses all the attributes of God. In the verses above Jesus speaks of the third member of the divine family – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - in terms that are personal. In fact, He challenged his original followers to think of the Holy Spirit in the same personal ways they had experienced Him; that He would come along side them in everything, teaching them as Jesus had.  There would be an advantage to God’s presence with them through the Holy Spirit. He would be an ever-present Defense, Advocate, Burden-Bearer, and Strength-Provider for the disciples, and He is all that for us as well.

The Holy Spirit is God working in us, through us. The indwelling Spirit of God enables us to accomplish God's will and work. He enabled the disciples to speak other languages on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4). He stood with them giving them the words to speak before their opponents. Throughout the book of Acts, we see how He guided the early church through its struggles. The Spirit continues to work in and through man today, to accomplish God's will and work. He is the power to bring about righteous living in our lives.

The Holy Spirit brings Conviction of Sin- Sin separates us from God, and through the conviction of the Holy Spirit, knowing that we are sinful and lost without God, we can come for salvation. The Holy Spirit continues to convict and sanctify us once we are Christ's. When we sin, the Spirit convicts and brings us to a place of confession to receive God's forgiveness.

It is All About Christ. The Holy Spirit’s role is to glorify Christ, not promote or reveal Himself. In glorifying Christ in us, this reveals God through the Son, and in us.  The Holy Spirit renews us in the image of Christ and when we have received the Holy Spirit, our lives will reflect it.  We will turn from sin and actively pursue Christ. We will be hungry for His word and our choices will reflect the leadership of the Holy Spirit to glorify Christ in all we do.

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. 

 Ephesians 1:13-14

If we are born-again are have the dwelling Spirit of God inside us. However, the power to live in Christ comes through being filled daily with the Spirit. We must daily choose to walk in the Spirit so that others can see the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives. We must daily choose to be filled.  It is not a choice we make just once when we become Christians. It is a choice we must make every single day if we wish to have Him in our lives and live in His power.  A life lived in this power will reap the benefits and bear much fruit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Galatians 5:22-23