The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is God. Some believe the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead (Biblical word) or the Trinity (not in Bible). Others think of the Holy Spirit as God interacting with His creation and His creatures and they do not separate the Holy Spirit from their concept of God the Father.

The Holy Spirit has all the attributes of God. He is eternal (Hebrews 9:14), all powerful (I Corinthians 2:1-11), all knowing (Micah 3:8, Romans 15:19), and present everywhere (Psalm 137:7-10). The Holy Spirit was active in creation (Genesis 1:2). The Holy Spirit has a mind, a will, and feelings. The Holy Spirit speaks, reveals the truth, restrains and has influence. Everything God is and does, the Holy Spirit is and does.

The Holy Spirit was actively involved in the lives of those who lived before Jesus. Isaiah 63:10-14 is a good example the participation of the Holy Spirit in the lives of people before Christ.

The Holy Spirit conceived in Mary the Son of God. (Matthew 1:18-21 and Luke 1:34-35) At the baptism of Jesus the Holy Spirit descended as a dove on Jesus. (Luke 3:21-22) The Holy Spirit filled Jesus without measure. (John 3:34) Jesus offered His life on the cross through the Holy Spirit. (Hebrews 9:14) And Jesus was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:11 and I Peter 3:18)

Of interest to Christians is the role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of both believers and non-believers. The role of the Holy Spirit is also one of the greatest controversies among Christians.

The scale of belief in the activity of the Holy Spirit spans from the denial that the Holy Spirit (God) is involved in the affairs of creation and His creatures, to the belief that the Holy Spirit (God) is in complete control, and that everything that happens, not only happens with the consent of the Holy Spirit, but that the Holy Spirit is actually the cause of everything that happens. In theology this is called “theistic determinism”.

Theistic determinism is the belief that God actually causes everything that happens in both the physical and spiritual realms, the seen and the unseen universes. (More about “theistic determinism” in the chapter on Predestination)

The following is what I believe the Bible says is the role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of people today. Bear with me while I explain the reason I believe the Holy Spirit was more conspicuously involved in creating the church and establishing its beliefs and practices in New Testament times than He has been since the deaths of the apostles and the deaths of those on whom the apostles laid their hands imparting miraculous spiritual gifts.

To the twelve apostles and Paul, Jesus promised the ability to perform miracles and wonders and signs by the power of Holy Spirit. Jesus told the apostles they would receive power and guidance from the Holy Spirit. (John 16:7,13 and John 14:26)

It was by the authority and direction of the Holy Spirit that the apostles and prophets (a prophet of the church is one to whom an apostle imparted – by the laying on of his hands – the miraculous spiritual gift of “speaking for God”) established the church and defined the doctrine and practices of the church. (Acts 2:42, Ephesians 2:19-22) The New Testament Scripture is the result of the inspiration (God-breathed) of the Holy Spirit as the apostles and prophets wrote the New Testament Scriptures.

While the apostles were living they laid hands on some individuals giving them one or more of nine miraculous spiritual gifts (I Corinthians 12:7-11), gifts that were used in two ways. First, the more spectacular gifts (miracles, healings, tongues) were used to confirm the message of the ones who delivered it. And, secondly, the less spectacular gifts (wisdom, knowledge, faith, prophecy, distinguishing between good and evil spirits, and interpretation of tongues) assured the message was correct. (More about the purpose of miracles in the chapter on Providence, Special Providence and Miracles.)

During the first century of the church the apostles and prophets wrote twenty-seven books and letters. When the apostles and prophets died the church no longer had their physical presence. But the apostles and prophets left a written record of the life of Christ and a written record of commands, principles, practices and examples, which most of the church in the succeeding centuries accepted as the New Testament Scriptures, the Word of God.

When a building is being erected, often scaffolding is put up around the shell of the building so the construction workers can lay stone and brick, install windows and siding and gutters and down spouts. Once the building is complete the scaffolding is removed.

In the same way the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit were used like scaffolding to build the church. Once the church was constructed, the miracles and wonders and signs disappeared because they were merely the scaffolding God used to establish the church.

Today we have the beautiful church of Jesus Christ. The story of Jesus’ life and the apostolic and prophetic commands, principles, practices and examples were confirmed by apostolic miracles and are clearly revealed to us in the New Testament Scripture.

What is the role of the Holy Spirit today?

The primary function of the Holy Spirit was and is to lead people to Christ. (John 16:5-16) The Bible declares salvation is found only in Christ. (John 14:6 and Acts 4:12) The Holy Spirit relayed the gospel message through His messengers to us. Now we have the opportunity to choose believe their message and put our faith in Christ. The gospel message is conveyed in two ways: the written word in the New Testament and the spoken word of faithful believers.

No one has ever become a Christian without either reading or hearing the message of Christ. In order to assure that preachers and teachers are conveying the gospel message correctly, we have the written New Testament Scripture as the objective standard of truth.

Preachers and teachers may get the message wrong, but anyone who has a copy of the New Testament can read and study the Scriptures for themselves, even as the Bereans who heard the apostle Paul preach, yet “checked him out”. (Acts 17:11) In the New Testament we can read the way to salvation, the standard for morality and ethics, and the way the church is to operate.

I have little to say about the subjective experiences (voices, dreams, visions, leading, discernment, etc.) many believers claim to have with God, the Holy Spirit or Jesus. It is not my place to criticize or condemn what another has experienced.

However, I believe that God is true to the Bible and will not do nor will God lead anyone to something contrary to the written word.

And I am equally sure that anyone, without any kind subjective experience, can become a Christian by simply reading or hearing the word of God, having faith in Jesus Christ, turning to Christ in repentance and by being baptized into Christ. “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) There is no need to wait for a subjective experience. Anyone can be saved by the grace of God by choosing to put his/her faith in Christ. (Ephesians 2:8)

When a person comes to Jesus in faith and repentance and baptism, it is the Holy Spirit who gives that person the new birth, sometimes called “regeneration”. “By one Spirit we were all baptized.” (I Corinthians 12:13) This is what the New Testament says happens when a repentant believer is baptized into Christ:

1) God works to forgive our sins (Acts 2:38) and the Holy Spirit works to give us the new birth, which changes our relationship to God from sinner to a joint heir with Christ (John 3:1-8 and Titus 3:5) and

2) The Holy Spirit comes into our lives and dwells in our bodies. (Acts 2:38, Romans 8:9-11, I John 3:24)

The first verse of “Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me” captures the essence of what happens in baptism. “Rock of Ages cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the blood, From Thy wounded side which flowed, Be of sin, the double cure, Save from wrath and make me pure.”

Sinners have two problems: 1) the guilt of sins, and 2) the power of temptation. Jesus saves us from both. First, God forgives our past, present and future sins; and secondly, God gives us the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to enable (empower) us to overcome temptation and to produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22), who lives within us.

The results of having the Holy Spirit live in our lives are many.

1. We become new creatures. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

2. The Holy Spirit is the seal or mark or guarantee of our salvation. (Ephesians 1:13-14, Romans 8:11 and 2 Corinthians 5:1-22)

3. We will produce the fruit of the Spirit, which is “love, joy peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”. (Galatians 5:22)

4. We will become more concerned with spiritual things. (Romans 8:13)

5. The Holy Spirit will help us with prayer. (Romans 8:26-27)

6. By following the New Testament Scriptures the Holy Spirit will help us live a more Christ-like life. (Romans 15:16)

7. The Holy Spirit will raise the faithful from physical death to everlasting life. (Romans 8:11)

How can we be assured of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives? The answer is not based on experience and feelings, but on our faith in Christ and His word. The presence of the Holy Spirit is a matter of belief in Jesus and trust that the Scriptures are the objective standard by which we can test our faith.

Many testify of the presence of the Holy Spirit based on feelings, extraordinary events, inward impulses, open doors, voices, dreams, visions, miracles, etc. It is not mine to question or criticized these testimonies.

For me, however, I agree with Martin Luther who wrote (it is assumed M. L. wrote this):

Feelings come and feelings go, and feelings are deceiving.
My warrant is the Word of God, naught else is worth believing.
Though all my heart should feel condemned for want of some sweet token,
There is one greater than my heart, whose word cannot be broken.
I’ll trust in God’s unchanging word till soul and body sever,
For though all things shall pass away, His word shall stand forever.

Now a word of warning: It is possible for Christians to drive the Holy Spirit out of their lives. The New Testament Scriptures speak of grieving the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), despising the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 6:4-6), lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-9), quenching the Holy Spirit (I Thessalonians 5:17-19), resisting the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51), defiling the Temple (one’s physical body) of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19-20), and finally, blaspheming (speaking against the Holy Spirit, speaking disrespectfully of the Holy Spirit, assuming God’s authority, etc.) the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31 and Hebrews 10:26-27).

Gareth Reese wrote: “The insults, the despising, the lying, the defiling, the resisting, are like drops that fill a cup. When the cup is full, the Holy Spirit will leave, Genesis 6:3.” (New Testament History – Acts, page 99)

Today the Holy Spirit is credited with everything from additional written revelation to the Bible – to totally anti-scriptural faiths, morals and ethics. Great care should be taken to examine the claims of such – dare I call them “clairvoyants” – who claim to have a divine insight that justifies practically everything they believe and do.

It used to be thought that only the “charismatics” (tongues, interpreters, prophets, and those who claimed miraculous gifts of knowledge and wisdom) claimed to be receiving instructions directly from God. But now those on the far left of the theological spectrum (the liberals or as they liked to be called now “progressives”) claim to be able to “discern the will of God” for things like where to locate a church to approving behaviors the New Testament clearly defines as immoral.

Yes the Holy Spirit is active in our world today. But the Holy Spirit will never contradict the faith, morals, and ethics found in His written word, the New Testament Scriptures.