a primer on the Holy Spirit

The Word for today:
John 15:26--16:15

mark this:

John 15:26 --

"But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me."

The Holy Spirit bears testimony concerning Christ. If the Lord Jesus Christ is real to you, that is the work of the Holy Spirit:

No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3).

The Holy Spirit is a person, not a "force" or an "it." He is the third person of the tri-une God, co-equal with the Father and the Son.

The Holy Spirit is always in the world, from the very beginning in Genesis 1:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

In the Old Testament, the Spirit came upon certain individuals (Gideon, Samson, Bezalel, Isaiah, etc.) for specific purposes. But God promised that one day the Spirit would come upon all believers! (See Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36: 26-27; Ezekiel 47; Joel 2:28-29; cf. Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4; Acts 2:33.)

Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit and was led by the Spirit (Luke 4:1). Jesus' empowerment and guidance by the Spirit sets the pattern for us. We, too, are to walk by the power and guidance of the Spirit, as Jesus did. (See Galatians 5:16, 25.)

When Jesus resurrected, His Spirit--the Holy Spirit--remained on earth, as Jesus promised:
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

Since Pentecost, the Spirit dwells within everyone who trusts Jesus for salvation from sin. The difference that Pentecost made is that the Spirit who was abroad in the world is now in us!

Every believer is baptized into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). This is a one-time event which seals our salvation (Eph. 1:13; 4:30). Water baptism is an outward and public demonstration of a "Holy Spirit-ual" baptism--which already occurred!

We are to ask God for a daily filling of the Spirit to empower our lives and make us purposeful and productive in God's kingdom. (See Luke 11:9-13.)

The Holy Spirit hides Himself and reveals Christ (John 15:26; 16:13-14).

When the church departs, the Spirit will remain in the world as He was in the beginning, in order to make a climate for the Word of God to be heard. See John 16:11:

…He will convict the world concerning sin (faith in Christ takes away our punishment);
…and righteousness (faith in Christ adds His righteousness);
…and judgment (we have already been judged as lost sinners; see Rom. 6:23).