The Holy Spirit
“And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.”
(Ephesians 1:13 NLT)
Who is the Holy Spirit? In this segment we are considering the doctrine of the Holy Spirit (Pneumatology). The Holy Spirit can be defined as the Third Person of the Trinity, who is both fully divine and fully personal. (1) The reason He is called ‘Holy,’ is related to His work and task, which is to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ, as part of the process called sanctification. As we had seen in the preceding segment on the doctrine of God, He is a distinct member of the triune Godhead – being co-equal with God the Father and God the Son (Jesus), while simultaneously being one in essence with the others, therefore One God.
While the Bible does not reveal much about Him, let us be sure we understand what the Holy Spirit is not: He is not a “ghost,” even though the KJV translates Him in that way, as a result of the English language used at that time. ‘Ghosts’ do not exist. He is also not an impersonal ‘force’ or unguided energy field and cannot be manipulated in any way to do something. There is no method or mechanism to receive Him, such as the common idea of speaking in tongues (as proof of having received Him) or through the laying on of hands. These are falsehoods and distortions of biblical truth, and amount to nothing more than man-made ideas. Jesus clarifies this in His discussion with Nicodemus in the Bible: “So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.“ (John 3:7-8 NLT).
So let us explore who He is and what the Bible (and especially Jesus) tells us about Him. In the OT, we learn that one of the primary functions of the Holy Spirit (HS) is to do God’s Will, as we read about His existence in Genesis 1:2 where He is first mentioned. As such, there is a fivefold distinction of the Spirit’s work, pointing to God’s presence and blessings in the OT:
One, the HS empowers in that He gives life to all creatures (Job 34:14-15; Psalm 104:30), most notably at the creation of mankind through God’s divine plan (Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 2:7). Similarly, He empowers people to serve God (Numbers 27:18; Judges 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 13:25; 1 Samuel 11:6; 16:13). A major prophecy (later fulfilled in the NT) about the HS is found in Isaiah 11:2-3 and Isaiah 42:1 and 61:1, which directly points to Christ Jesus, who refers to it in Luke 4:18.
Two, the HS purifies or cleanses (as we can see in several OT examples, where people are temporarily placed in God’s presence) (Genesis 15:12; 1 Kings 8:11; Ezekiel 1:28; Daniel 8:27).
Three, the HS reveals (or discloses) God’s Will to people (Numbers 24:2; Ezekiel 11:5; Zechariah 7:12), God’s presence (Numbers 11:25-26; 1 Samuel 10:6) and God’s guidance and direction (Isaiah 30:1; Ezekiel 11:1), among many other examples.
Four, the HS unifies (brings separate parts together) as seen in Moses’ request (Numbers 11:29) and manifested in Ezekiel’s vision – the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14).
Five, the HS is responsive to how people relate to Him (either in obedience or disobedience) seen especially in the life of Samson (Judges 13:25; 14:6; 16:20).
Turning to the NT, following the same fivefold grid – noting, that while the HS remains the same in essence and fulfilling God’s purposes – the difference is that once Jesus arrives on the scene and thereafter, He manifests Himself in a way that always points directly to Christ. This is so, even after the HS arrives at Pentecost (Act 2:1-13) following Jesus’ ascension, in contrast to the Spirits temporal presence in the OT.
Therefore: One, the HS empowers (gives ‘new’ life) as Jesus Himself testifies (John 3:6-7; John 6:63) and earlier as our Lord is conceived by the HS (Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:35). Very important to understand, is that the HS in this context, seals all true believers in Christ as to not falling away from God, thereby guaranteeing our salvation – in other words, our salvation cannot be lost (Ephesians 1:13)!
Similarly, the HS empowers Christians to do God’s Will and God-given work (Matthew 3:16; Luke 4:1, 14; 4:18-19). As such, Jesus admonished His disciples to wait for the HS to come upon them after His ascension (Acts 1:4-8). This also applies to us as believers today, since after Pentecost, every believer is empowered, (equipped) to do God’s Work through a variety of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:11).
These gifts are always provided to build up and edify the church (the body of Christ comprised of all individual believers). So, speaking in tongues for example, requires another believer to interpret them and in that way edifying the church – leaving no room for self-glorification (1 Corinthians 14:27-28).
Equally important is the fact that as believers we encounter times when we don’t know what to pray for, so we can surrender this to the HS who prays for us (Romans 8:26). This is a very practical aspect, and shows how much Jesus loves and cares about us, revealing this truth to us. On this note, Jesus reveals to us in His Word (the Bible) the nature of spiritual warfare we face, and Scripture shows that it is the HS who helps us to distinguish true from false (1 Corinthians 12:10) and who helps us overcome Satan (in Christ’s strength, through the HS, and not in our own) (Ephesians 6:17) – please read and take to heart Ephesians 6:10-18.
Two, the HS purifies believers – that is cleansing us from sin (‘sanctification’) (1 Corinthians 6:11; Titus 3:5). Sanctification is a result of the ongoing work of the HS (2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2; Romans 8:15-16) leading to growth in our personal holiness (Romans 8:13; Philippians 1:19).
Three, the HS is an agent of revelation. This does not involve fortune-telling or any form of divination, which is against God’s law (Deuteronomy 18:10-12; 1 Samuel 15:23; Acts 16:16; Revelation 21:8). The HS will always point to Christ (John 1:32) and remind us that we are God’s own children (Romans 8:16). The Spirit reveals to us God’s plan, purpose and timing in our daily walk of faith (Romans 8:14; Galatians 5:16, 18) and convicts, as well as convinces us to turn from sin (Galatians 5:16-26). We have the assurance of our salvation as well as being God’s children (Romans 8:16; 1 John 4:13). In our witnessing about the gospel to others it is the HS who speaks on our behalf (John 14:26; John 16:13; Luke 12:12) and gives us additional spiritual discernment as needed (1 Corinthians 2:14-15).
Four, the HS unifies us as believers (2 Corinthians 4:13-14; Philippians 2:1-2; Ephesians 4:3). The spiritual gifts given to every Christian are unique and cannot be attained through any man-made mechanisms or ritual. This is a very important truth – along with the fact that every such gift – has as its purpose to unify and strengthen the body of Christ, i.e. fellow believers (1 Corinthians 12:7-21). The Spirit unifies us in Christ’s divine love (Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22; Colossians 3:14). This is a sign of a spiritually healthy church community, where others genuinely care about their fellow believers, and look after each other.
Lastly, the fifth aspect is similar in nature to the OT, as the HS in the NT is just as responsive to our obedience, as He is to our disobedience as believers. Thus, we are called not to grieve the HS (Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19) and reminded that our bodies are not our own, but God’s, and must be kept pure (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). There are further stern warnings in Scripture about this, and we must take heed not to succumb to temptation and Satan’s strategies, leading us to fall into sin (Acts 5:1-11).
On this note, we want to consider what is often referred to as blaspheming the HS, which is related to the so-called ‘unpardonable sin.’ The latter (‘unpardonable sin’) is unique to Jesus’ life and teaching and cannot be repeated by a Christian today (Mark 3:22-30). Here, at this unique event, the Pharisees witnessed Jesus’ performing a miracle first-hand (also mentioned in Luke 11:14-23) and they attributed the Lord’s work to Satan, making them guilty “of an eternal sin” (Mark 3:29). This unique and specific act of blaspheming God is not replicable.
No true believer can blaspheme the HS.
Nevertheless, on a different note, a believer can ‘grieve the Holy Spirit?’
This is possible, since, the HS will never override our free will and the choices we make (1 Corinthians 14:32), yet, we must understand there are consequences and are called to avoid any form of grieving the Holy Spirit.
So, no true believer intentionally grieves the HS, but it is possible, as the Bible reveals:
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.” (Ephesians 4:30-32).
However, if we sense we have committed some transgression against God (and the HS convicts us) we are always called to immediately repent, as we immediately turn to Christ (1 John 1:8-9). (2)
To sum up – while we have touched upon some, but not all activities of the Holy Spirit, we realize the He is actively involved in our Christian lives on countless levels. Thus, it only makes sense to turn to Him in all areas of our daily living, since He seals us until the day of redemption. As believers we are eternally saved and cannot lose our salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). The Holy Spirit is our guide to reveal God’s perfect plan, purpose and timing to all followers of Christ. Nevertheless, we must listen to and heed His voice in our hearts. We can trust Him, since He will never compromise or violate a single law God has given to us (such as the Ten Commandments) and will never violate any of Jesus’ teachings and precepts (John 16:13). Never. Period.
That is why Jesus speaks over and over again to His disciples (and us) about the Holy Spirit, as revealed in many instances in John 14-16, to help us embrace Him and follow His lead. We have Jesus’ Word here! Amen.
Notes
(1) Erickson, Millard J. The Concise Dictionary of Christian Theology. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2001. p.91.
(2) Grudem, Wayne A. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000. p. 634-649.
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