Baptist Faith and Message God the Holy Spirit

2024 SBBC

Baptist Faith and Message

God the Holy Spirit

Article 2C

“The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write Scriptures. Through illumination he enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement. He calls men to the Savior, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration, He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.”

A verse to memorize: Ephesians 5:18 – “Do not get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled with the Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit is God. He is a Person, not a force or a created thing. He has all the attributes of God. He is eternal.

Names of the Holy Spirit: The Holy Ghost (KJV), the Spirit of Grace (Hebrews 10:29), the Spirit of Burning/Fire (Matt. 3:11; Isaiah 4:4; the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13; 1 John 5:5), the Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2), the Spirit of Wisdom and knowledge (Isaiah 11:2; 61:1; Luke 4:18), the Spirit of Promise (Ephesians 1:13); the Spirit of Glory (1 Peter 4:14), the Spirit of God and of Christ (1 Cor. 3:16, Romans 8:9), and the Comforter (John 14:16; 16:7).

Old Testament and the Holy Spirit

He was involved in the creation of everything (Genesis 1:2). He was the regenerator of souls. He indwelt/infilled God’s people (Hebrews 11). He came upon Moses, Joshua, David, Saul, and other various leaders for the purposes of God in leadership and service. He empowered God’s people for His service, to do all kinds of services. He also restrained sin (Genesis 6:3). The Spirit would come on certain individuals and would not remain on them forever.

Numbers 11:16-30 gives a prophetic picture and prayer of Pentecost in the New Testament. Here we see God taking the Spirit that was upon Moses and giving the same Spirit to 70 other elders. And it was here that Joshua became indignant and wanted Moses to forbid them, but Moses said, “Oh, that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!”

Joel 2:28-32 also gives us the prophetic insight of the Holy Spirit coming and being given, or poured out, onto all flesh, upon all of God’s people. That before the terrible day of the lord comes, whoever calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved, and your sons and daughters will prophesy – The Spirit will be poured out in those says.

And starting with Pentecost, we are living in those days.

John 20:22 – Jesus blew on the disciples and told them to receive the Holy Spirit. But they would be filled at a later date.

Acts 1:8 – “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be my witnesses…. To the ends of the earth.

Acts 2:1-21 – The disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 4:8 – Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 4:23-33 – The disciples were filled again. Acts 6:3-5 – Deacons and evangelists like Stephen and Phillip were filled with the Spirit. Saul/Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit. With the filling, there was power to serve, not always in tongues, signs or wonders, but in different ways.

Acts 10:44 and Acts 19:1-6 – This gives us other “Pentecost” experiences of Gentiles being saved and filled with the Holy Spirit.

New Testament/Today and the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit regenerates the believer (John 3:3-5), indwells the believer (1 Cor. 6:19, Romans 8:9), seals the believer (Eph. 1:13, 4:30; 2 Tim. 2:19-21, Gal. 4:6), infills the believer (Acts 2:4; Eph. 5:18), prays for the believer (Romans 8:26-27), empowers the believer for life and service (Rom. 8:2; Gal. 5:17-23, Rom. 8:12), guides believers in every day life (Romans 8:14, Gal. 5:16, 25; Acts 8:27-29, 16:6), and anoints the believer for knowledge and teaching (1 John 2:27), for service (Luke 4:18), and for consecration or influence. He continues to restrain sin and He continues to convict the world or sin (John 16:8-14).

Question: Does everyone receive the same Spirit? Yes (Ephesians 4:4-5). Does everyone receive the same gifts from the same Spirit? No (1 Cor. 12:4).

Read 1 Cor. 12: 1-11; 27-31; 13:1-10; 14:1-33.

Read Romans 12:3-8 and Ephesians 4:10-12 for other lists. But we don’t know all the gifts, or how many gifts there are.

1 Cor. 12:7-11 – The Holy Spirit gives as He wills. Gifts are given for the profit for all, for the building up of others, for the expansion of the Gospel and the Kingdom.

Now - Ephesians 5:18 – “Do not get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled with the Spirit.”

Isaiah 63:10; Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:19 – Do not grieve the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can be grieved or quenched. The Holy Spirit can be resisted, distressed, and grieved as we do not yield to Him in our lives.

We are the temple of the Holy Spirit (John 14:17; 2 Tim. 1:14, and 1 Cor. 3:16).

We grieve Him by sinning, by being impure and unholy. We do this with sinful thoughts and behaviors, when we do not practice love towards others and we grieve and quench His work in our lives.

He is making us into the image of Christ. We are suppressing His work.

Christ has sent us the Holy Spirit for God’s purposes. And now we can better understand what those purposes are. Praise God for the Holy Spirit!