Message topic: Who is the Holy Spirit
Scripture text: Acts 5:1-5
One of the most dominant things that is lacking among Christians today concerning the bible is understanding. The wisest man that has ever lived was Salomon, and he has this to say about understanding in proverbs 4: 1-7.
Hear you children the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding: for I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law: for I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. He taught me also, and said unto me, let thine heart retain my words; keep my commandments and live.
Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth: forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee; love her, and she shall keep thee: wisdom is the principal thing; there-fore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee; she shall bring thee to honor when thou dost embrace her.
What a magnificence difference thing would be if all the people who believe that there is one All Mighty God that is reviled in the bible, then there would not be so many different religions around the world today.
There are 4,000 religions faith groups and denominations: they are Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism. Now comes the question we have before us today, who is the Holy Spirit?
The words Holy Spirit and Holy Ghost are used interchangeable in the bible, so there is no difference in their meaning. generally, people use the term Holy Spirit more often today, though some churches still use the term Holy Ghost at times.
The Holy Spirit is God, who was present in the very beginning of creation (Genesis 1-2) the Holy Spirit has been a part of God’s creative and redemptive plan from the beginning. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit was active in guiding, teaching and empowering God’s people.
In the N/T, the Holy Spirit has been given to the church, living in and dwelling with believers and uniting them in the one true God. The Holy Spirit is not just some kind of divine force, but rather a divine person who is with us and within us, just as Jesus promised in (John 14: 16-17: 16: 7-14) He is the source of all Spiritual power and all spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12: 7-11)
There is a lot of debate and disagreement over the answer to this question. Different faiths interpret this differently, so there is no definite answer: generally, most religions agree that God is seen as one supreme being who is composed of three distinct persons or spirits, the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit.
This is called the Trinity and many have their own view on the number of spirits God has. The Bible does, however, make many references to the Holy Spirit and each of these references provide insight into the characteristics and attributes of the Holy Spirit, such as being all-knowing, all-present and all-powerful.
The fact that the Holy Spirit is God is clearly seen in many Scripture, including (Acts 5, 3-4) in these verses Peter confronts Ananias as to why he lied to the Holy Spirt, and tells him that he had not lied to men but to God: it is a clear declaration that lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God.
We can also know that the Holy Spirit is God: he possesses the characteristics of God: for example, His omnipresence is seen in Psalm 139: 7-8, where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there, if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
Then in 1st. Corinthians 2: 10-11we see the characteristic of omniscience in the Holy Spirit: these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? in the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the spirit of God.
We can know that the Holy Spirit is indeed a divine person because He possesses a mind, emotions, and a will. The Holy Spirit thinks and knows (1st. Corinthians 2:10) the Holy Spirit can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30) the Spirit intercedes for us (Romans 8: 26-27)
He makes decisions according to His will, (1st. Corinthians 12:7-11) the Holy Spirit is God, the third person of the Trinity, 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)
Of all the gifts given to mankind by God, there is none greater than the presence of the Holy Spirit: the Spirit has many functions, roles, and activities. First, He does a work in the heart of all people everywhere. Jesus told the disciples that He would send the Spirit into the world to convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness and judgment (John 16:8)
Everyone has a God consciousness, whether or not they admit it. The Spirit applies God’s truth to people’s minds to convince them by fair and sufficient argument that they are sinners: responding to that conviction brings us to salvation.
Once we are saved and belong to God, the Spirit takes up residence in our hearts forever, sealing us with the confirming, certifying and assuring pledge of our eternal state as His children. Jesus said He would send the Spirit to us to be our Helper, Comforter, and Guide. And will ask the Father, and he will give you another counselor to be with you forever. (John 14: 16)
THE Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in the hearts of believers (Romans 8:8) Jesus gave the Spirit as a compensation for His absence, to perform the functions towards us that He would have done if He had remained personally with us,
The Spirit’s presence within us enables us to understand and interpret God’s word. Jesus told His disciples that when he the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth, (John 16:13) He reveals to our minds the whole counsel of God as it relates to worship, doctrine, and Christian living.
The Holy Spirit is the ultimate guide, going before us, leading the way, removing obstructions, opening the understanding, and making all things plain and clear. He leads in the way we should go in all spiritual things. Without such a guide, we would be apt to fall into error.
The Spirit convinces us of Christ’s deity and incarnation, His being the Messiah, His suffering and death, His resurrection and ascension, His exaltation at the right hand of God, and his role as the judge of all.
Another one of the Holy Spirit’s roles is that of gift-giving. First Corinthians 12 describes the spiritual gifts given to believers in order that we may function as the body of Christ on earth, all these gifts, both great and small, are given by the Spirit so that we may be His ambassadors to the world, showing forth His grace and glorifying Him.