Study of the Holy Spirit

autographa/original writings - Here are six reasons for the importance of the inerrancy of the autographa/original writings (summarized from the Bahnsen statement below).

• Copies of the Bible can serve the purposes of revelation and function with authority only because they are grounded in the autographic (original writings) text.

• Present copies and translations are inerrant to the extent that they accurately reflect the biblical originals.

• Apart from the inerrancy in the original writings, we cannot consistently confess the truthfulness of God, be assured of the biblical promise of salvation, or maintain the epistemological authority and theological principle of sola Scriptura.

• The original writings are without error, for errors in the original would not be correctable, unlike those in transmission.

• The manuscripts in transmission provide overwhelming evidence of an original writings and through textual criticism we can affirm that the text we have in translation is substantially identical with the autographa.

• Therefore, the evangelical restriction of inerrancy to the original writings is warranted, important and defensible, and, additionally, it does not jeopardize the adequacy and authority of our present Bibles.

We may define the work of the Holy Spirit as follows: the work of the Holy Spirit is to manifest the active presence of God in the world, and especially in the church.

Planned and Together From The Beginning

q Genesis 1:2, “the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” And at Pentecost, with the beginning of the new creation in Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to grant power to the church (Acts 10:38; 2:4, 17–18).

What are the names and titles of the Holy Spirit? - Page 71

1.Author of Scripture: 2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:16

2. Comforter / Counselor / Advocate: (Isaiah 11:2; John 14:16; 15:26; 16:7

3.Convicter of Sin: (John 16:7-11) T

4.Deposit / Seal / Earnest: (2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14)

5.Guide: (John 16:13)

6.Indweller of Believers: (Romans 8:9-11; Ephesians 2:21-22; 1 Corinthians 6:19)

7.Intercessor: (Romans 8:26)

8. Revealer / Spirit of Truth: (John 14:17; 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:12-16

Spirit of God / the Lord / Christ: (Matthew 3:16; 2 Corinthians 3:17; 1 Peter 1:11)

Spirit of Life: (Romans 8:2)

Teacher: (John 14:26; 1 Corinthians 2:13)

Witness: (Romans 8:16; Hebrews 2:4; 10:15)

Paraclete / Helper / John 14:16

The Holy Spirit Is A Person.

The word for “Spirit” (pneuma) is neuter and would naturally take neuter pronouns to have grammatical agreement. Yet, in many cases, masculine pronouns are found (e.g., John 15:26; 16:13-14). Grammatically, there is no other way to understand the pronouns of the New Testament related to the Holy Spirit—He is referred to as a “He,” as a person.

the Holy Spirit is the 3rd person of the Trinity through whom God particularly manifests his presence in the new covenant age, it is appropriate that Paul should call the Holy Spirit the “firstfruits” (Rom. 8:23) and the “guarantee” (or “down payment,” 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5) of the full manifestation of God’s presence that we will know in the new heavens and new earth (cf. Rev. 21:3–4).

By contrast, the departure of the Holy Spirit removed the blessing of God from a people: “But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them” (Isa. 63:10). Nonetheless, several prophecies in the Old Testament predicted a time when the Holy Spirit would come in greater fullness, a time when God would make a new covenant with his people (Ezek. 36:26–27; 37:14; 39:29; Joel 2:28–29).

The personhood of the Holy Spirit is also affirmed by His many works.

1.He was personally involved in creation (Genesis 1:2),

2.empowers God’s people (Zechariah 4:6),

3.guides (Romans 8:14), comforts (John 14:26), convicts (John 16:8), teaches (John 16:13), restrains sin (Isaiah 59:19), and

4. gives commands (Acts 8:29). Each of these works requires the involvement of a person rather than a mere force, thing, or idea.‌

The Holy Spirit’s attributes also point to His personality.

1.The Holy Spirit has life (Romans 8:2),

2.has a will (1 Corinthians 12:11),

3.is omniscient (1 Corinthians 2:10–11),

4.is eternal (Hebrews 9:14), and

5.is omnipresent (Psalm 139:7). A mere force could not possess all ofthese attributes, but the Holy Spirit does.

The Holy Spirit Is God!

Acts 5:3–4, Peter referred to the Holy Spirit as God, stating, “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? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

Paul likewise referred to the Holy Spirit as God in 2 Corinthians 3:17–18, stating, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

The Council of Constantinople also declared finally the Trinitarian doctrine of the equality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son.

The Holy Spirit Is God!

The Spirit of God was present at and involved in creation (Genesis 1:2; Psalm 33:6). The Holy Spirit moved the prophets of God with the words of God (2 Peter 1:21). The bodies of those in Christ are described as temples of God because the Holy Spirit is in us (1 Corinthians 6:19). Jesus was clear that to be “born again,” to become a Christian, one must be born “of the Spirit” (John 3:5).

One of the most convincing statements in the Bible about the Holy Spirit being God is found in Acts 5. When Ananias lied about the price of a piece of property, Peter said that Satan had filled Ananias’s heart to “lie to the Holy Spirit” (Acts 5:3) and concluded by saying that Ananias had “lied to God” (verse 4). Peter reveals that the Holy Spirit is God. Lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God.

The Holy Spirit Is God!

Jesus told His disciples that the Holy Spirit, the Helper, was different from Himself. The Father would send the Helper, the Spirit of truth, after Christ departed. The Spirit would speak through the disciples about Jesus (John 14:25–26; 15:26–27; 16:7–15). All three Persons Jesus mentions—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—are God while being distinct from each other within the Trinity.

The Work of The Holy Spirit!

The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Life of the Believer?

1. The Holy Spirit Brings Justification and Life

2. The Holy Spirit Fills the Believer

3. The Holy Spirit Fellowships with Us

4. The Holy Spirit Counsels and Comforts Us

5. The Holy Spirit Empowers Us

6. The Holy Spirit Teaches and Reminds Us

7. The Holy Spirit Bears Good Fruit In Our Lives

8. The Holy Spirit Convicts Us

9. The Holy Spirit Brings Freedom

The Problem with Pelagian

Pelagianism is the unbiblical teaching that Adam’s sin did not affect future generations of humanity. According to Pelagianism, Adam’s sin was solely his own, and Adam’s descendants did not inherit a sinful nature passed down to them. God creates every human soul directly, and therefore every human soul starts out in innocence, free from sin. We are not basically bad, says the Pelagian heresy; we are basically good.

While Pelagianism says that human beings are not born with a natural inclination toward sin, the Bible says the opposite (Romans 3:10–18). Anyone who has raised children can attest to the fact that infants do not have to be taught how to sin; on the contrary, they must be carefully and consistently taught how to avoid sin and behave wisely, prudently, and righteously.

The Work of The Holy Spirit!

John 14:16, 23 , John16:7-15

What is this ministry of the Holy Spirit? Convicting the world; convicting the world. That is, bringing upon the heart and soul of unredeemed humanity the awareness of sin.

1 Thessalonians 1:5: “... our gospel did not come to you in word only, but ... in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction....”

The Work of The Holy Spirit!

Surveyed

1.THE HOLY SPIRIT PURIFIES

a. Since this member of the Trinity is called the Holy Spirit, it is not surprising to find that one of his primary activities is to cleanse us from sin and to “sanctify us” or make us more holy in actual conduct of life. Even in the lives of unbelievers, there is some restraining influence of the Holy Spirit as he convicts the world of sin (John 16:8–11; Acts 7:51).

b. Paul says of the Corinthians, “You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:11; see also Titus 3:5). This cleansing and purifying work of the Holy Spirit is apparently what is symbolized by the metaphor of fire when John the Baptist says that Jesus will baptize people “with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matt. 3:11; Luke 3:16).

2. THE HOLY SPIRIT UNIFIES

a.On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit created a new community, the church. The community was marked by unprecedented unity, as Luke reminds us: And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions…together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. (Acts 2:44–47)

b. Paul blesses the Corinthian church with a blessing that seeks the unifying fellowship of the Holy Spirit for all of them when he says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14).

c. When he wants to remind the church of the unity they should have as Christians, he exhorts them to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3).

3. THE HOLY SPIRIT REVEALS

a.Old Testament prophets and New Testament apostles, in many cases so that these words could be put into Scripture (see, for example, Num. 24:2; Ezek. 11:5; Zech. 7:12). The Old Testament Scriptures came about because “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).

b.The New Testament apostles and others who wrote words of New Testament Scripture were also guided “into all the truth” by the Holy Spirit (John 16:13),

4. He Gives Evidence of God’s Presence

a. Moreover, the Holy Spirit frequently made himself known by phenomena that indicated his activity, both in the Old Testament and New Testament periods. This was true when the Holy Spirit came upon the seventy elders with Moses and they prophesied (Num. 11:25–26), and when the Holy Spirit came upon the judges to enable them to do great works of power (Judg. 14:6, 19; 15:14, et al.).

b. When people had the Holy Spirit poured out on them and began to speak in tongues or praise God in a remarkable and spontaneous way (see Acts 2:4; 10:44–46; 19:6), the Holy Spirit certainly made his presence known as well.

c. He bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Rom. 8:16) and cries, “Abba! Father!” (Gal. 4:6). He provides a guarantee or a down payment of our future fellowship with him in heaven (2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5) and reveals his desires to us so that we can be led by those desires and follow them (Rom. 8:4–16; Gal. 5:16–25). He gives gifts that manifest his presence (1 Cor. 12:7–11).

5. He Guides and Directs God’s People

a. Scripture gives many examples of direct guidance from the Holy Spirit to various people. In fact, in the Old Testament, God said that it was sin for the people to enter into agreements with others when those agreements were “not of my Spirit” (Isa. 30:1).

b. In other contexts, the Holy Spirit gave direct words of guidance to people, saying to Philip, for example, “Go over and join this chariot” (Acts 8:29), telling Peter to go with three men who came to him from Cornelius’ household (Acts 10:19–20; 11:12), and directing the Christians at Antioch, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2).

6. He Gives Us Assurance

a. The Holy Spirit bears witness “with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom. 8:16) and gives evidence of the work of God within us: “By this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us” (1 John 3:24). “By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit” (1 John 4:13).

7. He Teaches and Illumines

a. Teaching certain things to God’s people and illumining their minds so they can understand. Jesus promised this teaching function especially to his disciples when he said that the Holy Spirit “will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26) and “will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13).

8. THE HOLY SPIRIT EMPOWERS

a. the role of the Holy Spirit to give us new life in regeneration.14 Jesus told Nicodemus, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’ ” (John 3:6–7; cf. 3:5, 8; 6:63; 2 Cor. 3:6). He also said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing” (John 6:63 NASB; cf. 2 Cor. 3:6; Acts 10:44–47; Titus 3:5).

b. the Holy Spirit will complete this life-giving work by giving new resurrection life to our mortal bodies: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Rom. 8:11).

9. He Gives Power for Service

a.He came Upon - Old Testament. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit frequently empowered people for special service. He empowered Joshua with leadership skills and wisdom (Num. 27:18; Deut. 34:9) and empowered the judges to deliver

b. The Holy Spirit came mightily upon Saul to arouse him to battle against the enemies of Israel (1 Sam. 11:6), and when David was anointed as king, “the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward” (1 Sam. 16:13), equipping David to fulfill the task of kingship to which God had called him.

c. The Holy Spirit also protected God’s people and enabled them to overcome their enemies. For example, God put his Spirit in their midst during the exodus (Isa. 63:11–12)

d. The Holy Spirit empowered Jesus’ disciples for various kinds of ministry. Jesus had promised them, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

e. Another aspect of empowering Christians for service is the Holy Spirit’s activity of giving spiritual gifts to equip Christians for ministry. After listing a variety of spiritual gifts, Paul says, “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills” (1 Cor. 12:11 NASB). Since the Holy Spirit is the one who shows or manifests God’s presence in the world, it is not surprising that Paul can call spiritual gifts “manifestations” of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:7).21 When spiritual gifts are active, it is another indication of the presence of God the Holy Spirit in the church.

f. believers, we find that the Holy Spirit empowers prayer and makes it effective. “We do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Rom. 8:26).23 And Paul says that we “have access in one Spirit to the Father” (Eph. 2:18).

g. empowering people to overcome spiritual opposition to the preaching of the gospel and to God’s work in people’s lives. This power in spiritual warfare was first seen in the life of Jesus, who said, “If it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matt. 12:28).