No Fear, No Doubt, No Worry
By
Lori Jane Hawkins
The Holy Spirit
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
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John 4:24
"Who is the Holy Spirit?"
God is the "Who" of the Holy Spirit.
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The Holy Spirit is the third member of the Godhead.
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The Godhead is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
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The term Godhead is found three times in the King James Version: Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20; and Colossians 2:9.
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It is the "deity", or "divine nature", or God's essential nature.
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We can know that the Holy Spirit is indeed a divine person because He possesses a mind, emotions, and a will.
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As God, the Holy Spirit can truly function as the Comforter and Counselor that Jesus promised He would be (John 14:16, 26, 15:26).
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The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God here on earth that abides within you and has direct access to your heart, mind, and spirit.
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He is our advocate and will never leave us or forsake us. (John 14:16-17, Deuteronomy 31:6)
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You can't live the Christian life on your own.
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The Holy Spirit is your Personal Advocate to help you make decisions, give you guidance, see the truth.
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He gives you strength to obey His will and ways to live the Christian life.
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You will never be alone.
He Shall Testify
Knowing God by J.I. Packer
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If there were no Holy Spirit, there would be no gospel and no New Testament. The average Christian doesn’t know what work the Holy Spirit does. I was one of those people.
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When the disciples met Paul at Ephesus, they hadn’t heard of the Holy Spirit either (Acts 19:2).
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Christianity rests on the doctrine of the trinitas, the threeness, the tripersonallity, of God. According to Apostle John, the Trinity is an essential part of the Christian gospel. He introduces us to the mystery of two distinct persons with the unity of the Godhead.
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“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).
John wanted to convey right off the bat that the words and works of Jesus of Nazareth was in truth God the Son.
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Jesus explained at the last supper how the Savior was going to prepare a place for them in his Father’s house promising them the gift of “another Comforter” (John 14:16).
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This name denoted deity “the Spirit of truth,” “the Holy Spirit” (John 14:17,26).
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The speech and breath of God appear together in the record of creation (Genesis 1:2-3).
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Apostle John’s Gospel shows how Christ related the Spirit’s mission to the will and purpose of the Father and the Son.
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Having sent the eternal Son into the world, the Father now recalls him to glory and sends the Spirit to take his place.
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Apostle Paul tells the disciples:
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (KJV)
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1. And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
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2. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
3. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
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4. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
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5. That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Because the Spirit does bear witness in this way, people come to faith when the gospel is preached; without the Spirit there would not be a Christian in the world.
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What does it mean that God is Spirit?
The fact that God is spirit means that God the Father does not have a human body.
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God the Son came to earth in human form (John 1:1), but God the Father did not.
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To say that God is spirit is to say that God the Father is invisible. Colossians 1:15 calls God the “invisible God.”
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1 Timothy 1:17 praises God, saying, “To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.”
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Since God is spirit, people must worship Him accurately (in truth) and in spirit (with their soul or heart), as opposed to relying on traditions, rituals, and physical locales.
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God must be a spirit in order to be infinite. If God was limited to a physical body, He could not be omnipresent (in all places at once).
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Because God is infinite, He is also said to be transcendent, which simply means that God is exceedingly far above creation and is both greater than creation and independent of it.
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God the Father is not limited to the dimensional restrictions of created things but can exist in all places at one time.
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God is not created; He is eternal, omnipotent that is the power behind all other beings.
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John Wesley's Notes for Deuteronomy 33:27:
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The eternal God - He who was before all worlds, and will be, when time shall be no more: Is thy refuge - Or, thy habitation or mansion - house (so the word signifies) in whom thou art safe, and easy, and at rest, as a man is in his own house.
Holy Spirit is:
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A divine person.
He is referred to as a “He,” as a person, is a personal being.
Every (masculine) pronoun used in reference to the Spirit is “He” not “it.”
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Can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30) (To deny His power and presence.)
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Can pray for us (Romans 8:26–27).
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Thinks and knows (1 Corinthians 2:10).
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Intercedes for us (Romans 8:26-27)
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Makes decisions according to His will (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)
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Comforter and counselor (John 14:16, 26, 15:26)
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Can be sinned against (Isaiah 63:10)
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Can be lied to (Acts 5:3)
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We are to obey Him (Acts 10:19–21)
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We are to honor Him (Psalm 51:11)
He is affirmed by His many works:
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Involved in creation (Genesis 1:2)
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Empowers God’s people (Zechariah 4:6)
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Guides (Romans 8:14)
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Comforts (John 14:26)
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Convicts (John 16:8)
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Teaches (John 16:13)
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Restrains sin (Isaiah 59:19)
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Gives commands (Acts 8:29)
His personality attributes has:
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Life (Romans 8:2)
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A will (1 Corinthians 12:11)
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Is omniscient (1 Corinthians 2:10–11)
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Is eternal (Hebrews 9:14)
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Is omnipresent (Psalm 139:7)
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Matthew 28:19 teaches us to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the unforgivable sin (Matthew 12:30–32, Mark 3:28–30, and Luke 12:8–10).
What the Holy Spirit Does for Us
He Helps Us (Rom. 8:26)
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He Guides Us (John 16:12)
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He Teaches Us (John 14:26)
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He Speaks to Us (Rev. 2:7)
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He Reveals Things (1 Cor. 2:10)
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He Instructs Us (Acts 8:29)
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He Testifies of Jesus (John 15:26)
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He Comforts Us (John 14:26)
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He Calls Us (Acts 13:2-3)
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He Fills Us (Acts 4:31)
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He Strengthens Us (Eph. 3:16)
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He Prays for Us (Rom. 8:26-27)
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He Prophesies (2 Peter 1:20-21)
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He Bears Witness to Truth (Rom. 9:1)
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He Brings Joy (1 Thess. 1:6)
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He Brings Freedom (2 Cor. 3:17)
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He Helps Us to Obey (1 Peter 1:22)
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He Transforms Us (2 Cor. 3:18)
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He Lives in Us (1 Cor. 3:16)
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He Renews Us (Titus 3:4-5)
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He Produces Fruit in Us (Gal. 5:22-23)
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He Gives Gifts (1 Cor. 12:8-10)
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He Leads Us (Rom. 8:14)
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He Convicts Us (John 16:8)
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He Sanctifies Us (2 Thess. 2:13-14)
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He Empowers Us (Acts 1:8)
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He Unites Us (Eph. 4:3-4)
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He Casts Out Demons (Matt. 12:28)
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Grieving the Holy Spirit
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Grieving and Quenching the Spirit:
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The Spirit can be grieved by "bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice: (Eph. 4:31), as well as by rebellion (Is. 63:10) - which turned God into the enemy of His people).
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The flame of the Spirit's baptism can be quenched under the New Covenant, but not removed: "for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable" Rom. 11:29. "Quenching" (NAS) the flame of the Spirit refers to an attitude which despises prophetic utterances (1 Thess. 5:19-20).
When / How do we receive the Holy Spirit?
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The apostle Paul clearly taught that we receive the Holy Spirit the moment we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior.
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The Holy Spirit is received at the moment of salvation.
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Ephesians 1:13-14 teaches us that the Holy Spirit is the seal of salvation for all those who believe:
“Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.”
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The Baptism Of Christ Painting by Bartolome Esteban Murillo
After Jesus ascended, the Holy Spirit came down and breathed indwelling the disciples. After you are saved, the Holy Spirit dwells in you; thereby, sealing your Holy Spirit.
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God exalted Jesus after his death, raising Him as first of the dead, and taking Him to heaven, where Jesus took his seat at the right hand of God.
Jesus - Intercession of the Spirit
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(Rom. 8:26, 27; John 14:26). "Christ is a royal Priest (Zech. 6:13)."
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From the same throne, as King, he dispenses his Spirit to "all the objects of his care, while as Priest he intercedes for" them.
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The Spirit acts for him, taking only of his things. They "both act" with one consent, Christ as principal, the Spirit as "his agent."
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Christ intercedes for us, without us, as our advocate" "in heaven, according to the provisions of the everlasting "covenant."
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The Holy Spirit works upon our minds and hearts, "enlightening and quickening, and thus determining our desires;" 'according to the will of God,' as our advocate within us."
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As the Holy Spirit lives in the believer, He brings about some life-changing results:
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1) The indwelling Spirit comes to a soul dead in sin and creates new life (Titus 3:5). This is the new birth Jesus spoke of in John 3:1–8.
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2) The indwelling Spirit confirms to the believer that he belongs to the Lord and is an heir of God and fellow-heir with Christ (Romans 8:15–17).
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3) The indwelling Spirit installs the new believer as a member of Christ’s universal church. This is the baptism of the Spirit, according to 1 Corinthians 12:13.
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4) The indwelling Spirit gives spiritual gifts (God-given abilities for service) to the believer to edify the church and serve the Lord effectively for His glory (1 Corinthians 12:11).
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5) The indwelling Spirit helps the believer understand and apply the Scripture to his daily life
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6) The indwelling Spirit enriches the believer’s prayer life and intercedes for him in prayer (Romans 8:26–27).
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7) The indwelling Holy Spirit empowers the yielded believer to live for Christ to do His will (Galatians 5:16). The Spirit leads the believer in paths of righteousness (Romans 8:14).
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8) The indwelling Spirit gives evidence of new life by producing the fruit of the Spirit in the believer’s life (Galatians 5:22–23).
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9) The indwelling Spirit is grieved when the believer sins (Ephesians 4:30), and He convicts the believer to confess his sin to the Lord so that fellowship is restored (1 John 1:9).
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10) The indwelling Spirit seals the believer unto the day of redemption so that the believer’s arrival in the Lord’s presence is guaranteed after this life (Ephesians 1:13–14).
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When you accept Christ as your Savior (Romans 10:9–13), the Holy Spirit takes up residence in your heart, bringing with Him an entirely new life of love, relationship, and service to the Lord.
