The Holy Spirit

For the next several posts, I will be writing a series on the Holy Spirit.  Today I want to cover two basic truths regarding the Holy Spirit that are foundational to our understanding of His work in our lives.

1.) The Holy Spirit is a Person

The Holy Spirit is not simply a “force” or an “energy” in the world.  He is not to be referred to as an “it.”  Consider the following passage where Jesus describes the work of the Holy Spirit:

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
-John 16:13

Notice that Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as “He” not “it.”  Notice also some of the functions that Jesus describes: guiding, speaking, and hearing.  We also see from Scripture that the Holy Spirit can be grieved.  These are all attributes of a person.

When I say that the Holy Spirit is a person, I do not mean that He is a human being.  I mean that He is not just some impersonal force or cosmic energy out there that cannot be known.  We can know the Holy Spirit, fellowship with Him, and be led by Him in our lives.

2.) The Holy Spirit is God

The Holy Spirit is not just any kind of person…He is God!  He is all-knowing, all-present, and all-powerful.  Consider the following passages:

Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land…You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”
-Acts 5:3-4

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
-2 Corinthians 3:17

There is only one God, but He has revealed Himself in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is just as much God as the Father and the Son.  Therefore, He is to be worshipped, obeyed, honored, and loved.

Do you know the Holy Spirit?  Is He real to you or just a theological concept?  For the next several posts we will be looking at different aspects of His work in our lives and in the world today.  I pray that you will come to know Him intimately and will continually seek to be filled with and led by the Spirit!