Walking Christian on the Holy Spirit DEFINITIONS
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Walking Christian on the Holy Spirit • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 52:37
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· 142 viewsTaking a look at the make up of man in defining the Spirit.
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I. DEFINITIONS
I. DEFINITIONS
In the Old Testament, God’s presence was revealed to the nation of Israel in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
When the tabernacle, and later the temple, was completed, God’s presence resided in the exclusive area called the Holy of Holies.
With the coming of Jesus, however, and the instituting of the New Covenant, the New Testament relates how God fulfilled the promise made to His people long beforehand.
Instead of manifesting Himself to the masses, God took up residence within each believer, Jew or Gentile.
And today, He is at home in the heart of each Christian.
God accomplishes this by means of His Holy Spirit—if you are a believer, you are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit!
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?”
1 Corinthians 6:19
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
Holy Ghost—the third Person of the Trinity.
His personality is proved
His personality is proved
(1) from the fact that the attributes of personality, as intelligence and volition, are ascribed to him (John 14:17, 26; 15:26; 1 Cor. 2:10, 11; 12:11).
He reproves, helps, glorifies, intercedes (John 16:7–13; Rom. 8:26).
(2) He executes the offices peculiar only to a person.
The very nature of these offices involves personal distinction (Luke 12:12; Acts 5:32; 15:28; 16:6; 28:25; 1 Cor. 2:13; Heb. 2:4; 3:7; 2 Pet. 1:21).
His divinity is established
His divinity is established
(1) from the fact that the names of God are ascribed to him
(Ex. 17:7; Ps. 95:7; comp. Heb. 3:7–11); and
(2) that divine attributes are also ascribed to him,
omnipresence (Ps. 139:7; Eph. 2:17, 18; 1 Cor. 12:13);
omniscience (1 Cor. 2:10, 11);
omnipotence (Luke 1:35; Rom. 8:11);
eternity (Heb. 9:4).
(3) Creation is ascribed to him
(Gen. 1:2; Job 26:13; Ps. 104:30), and
the working of miracles (Matt. 12:28; 1 Cor. 12:9–11).
(4) Worship is required and ascribed to him
(Isa. 6:3; Acts 28:25; Rom. 9:1; Rev. 1:4; Matt. 28:19).
A. Who Is the Holy Spirit?
A. Who Is the Holy Spirit?
• The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity—the triune God.
God the Spirit is coequal in power and glory with God the Father and God the Son.
In several books of the Bible, all three members of the Trinity are mentioned together.
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
2 Corinthians 13:14
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
• The Holy Spirit is the active presence and power of God in the life of an individual.
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.”
Ephesians 3:16
16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
• The word translated as “holy” comes from the Greek word hagios, which means “set apart to or by God.”
The words holy, hallow, saint, and sanctify are all derived from this same root word.
— The Holy Spirit is set apart from all other spirits.… He is like no human spirit or demonic spirit.
“We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.”
1 Corinthians 2:12
12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.
— The heavenly Father is referred to as hallowed, set apart … like no other father.
“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.’ ”
Matthew 6:9
9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
— All authentic Christians are, according to the Bible, saints, indicating that they are set apart from sin and set apart for God.
Especially in times of weakness, the Holy Spirit intercedes on behalf of believers to help them do the will of God.
“The Spirit helps us in our weakness.… The Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”
Romans 8:26–27
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
— All authentic Christians are in the process of being sanctified. The Spirit of God provides the power for believers to be set apart for His primary purpose and works in them to conform them to the very character of Christ.
Sanctification is not a onetime act but is rather the process of changing the believer over a period of time.
“From the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.”
2 Thessalonians 2:13
13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
• The English word translated as “spirit” comes from the Greek word pneuma, which means “wind or breath.”
— The wind is invisible, but you can see the effects of the wind.
— The wind is powerful because it causes movement and change.
— The Spirit of God, with invisible power, moves a sinner toward the Savior and a believer to be more like the Savior.
“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
John 3:8
8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
QUESTION: “What is the difference between the Holy Spirit and the Holy Ghost?”
ANSWER: There is no difference.
Both “spirit” and “ghost” are translations of the same Greek word pneuma.
Today the term Holy Ghost can be confusing.
The English word ghost carries the connotation of being a spook, goblin, or disembodied spirit of a deceased person wandering the earth … something to be feared.
However, when the King James Version of the Bible was translated in 1611, the word ghost simply meant the invisible part of a person.
For example, when facing death, Jesus cried,
“Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and … he gave up the ghost.”
Luke 23:46 KJV
46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
To avoid confusion, most modern translators choose to translate pneuma as “spirit” instead of “ghost.” Translating the Greek word as “ghost” has this disadvantage as well: In order for the meaning of the text to be understood, the word ghost would need to be preceded by the word holy, whereas using the word spirit requires only an uppercase “S” to show a clear reference to the Holy Spirit.
B. How Does the Bible Describe the Holy Spirit?
B. How Does the Bible Describe the Holy Spirit?
Are you confused or unsure about who or what the Holy Spirit is?
New Testament word pictures reveal Him to be gentle as a dove and mighty as the wind.
The Holy Spirit, however, is not merely a supernatural power or an invisible force.
He is a person, One whose name is presented in more than 35 different ways in Scripture.
These names serve to define His position, His character, and His work.
• His Position
• His Position
— He is the Spirit of God the Father.
“For it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”
Matthew 10:20
20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
• His Position
• His Position
— He is the Spirit of Jesus the Son.
“You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.”
Romans 8:9
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
• His Position
• His Position
— He is the Third Person of the Trinity.
“God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.”
Acts 2:32–33
32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.
• His Character
• His Character
— He is the Spirit of Holiness.
“[The] Son … through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 1:3–4
3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
• His Character
• His Character
— He is the Spirit of Grace.
“How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?”
Hebrews 10:29
29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?
• His Character
• His Character
— He is the Spirit of Truth.
“The Spirit of truth.… lives with you and will be in you.”
John 14:17
17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
• His Work
• His Work
— He adopts you into God’s family.
“You did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ ”
Romans 8:15
15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
• His Work
• His Work
— He teaches you all things.
“The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
John 14:26
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
• His Work
• His Work
— He guides you into all truth.
“When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”
John 16:13
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
QUESTION: “Does the Holy Spirit have the same authority as Jesus?”
ANSWER: Yes.
The Holy Spirit is a coequal member of the Trinity, composed of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
However, all three have different roles.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, for example, when Jesus obeyed the will of the Father concerning His Crucifixion, God the Son placed Himself under God the Father.
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done”
Luke 22:42
42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
In like manner, the Holy Spirit’s role, in part, is to exalt Jesus Christ … to bring glory to the Son.
Jesus said to His disciples, “He [Spirit of Truth] will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you”
John 16:14
14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
(Refer to “Self-centered or Spirit-controlled?” at the end of the lesson for details of the coequal persons of the Holy Trinity.)
C. What Was the Holy Spirit’s Role before Pentecost?
C. What Was the Holy Spirit’s Role before Pentecost?
Pentecost, from a Greek word that means “fifty,” is a Jewish festival that occurs fifty days after Passover
Leviticus 23:16
16 You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord.
On the first Pentecost after Jesus’ resurrection, the Holy Spirit came upon and “filled” 3,000 believers and “the church” was born
Acts 2:1–4
1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Many people erroneously think the Holy Spirit’s ministry began at Pentecost, but the Bible presents Him as an active member of the Trinity, beginning with the Creation.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
Genesis 1:1–2
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 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.
• Old Testament Activity
• Old Testament Activity
The Holy Spirit came upon certain people for certain tasks and for certain periods of time to impart supernatural wisdom and strength.
He was even said to be “in” certain people.
— He imparted wisdom to Joseph to interpret Pharaoh’s dream and to present a plan for the coming famine.
“Pharaoh asked them, ‘Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?’ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you.’ ”
Genesis 41:38–39
38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?” 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are.
— He anointed Joshua with the needed strength to be the successor to Moses.
The Holy Spirit was also said to have been “in” Joshua.
“The LORD said to Moses, ‘Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.’ ”
Numbers 27:18
18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.
— He left King Saul because of his deliberate disobedience.
“The Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul.”
1 Samuel 16:14
14 Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him.
— He spoke of future events through the prophets.
“The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.”
2 Samuel 23:2
2 “The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me;
his word is on my tongue.
— He was the inspiration behind the writers of Scripture.
“Prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
2 Peter 1:21
21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
• New Testament Activity before Pentecost
• New Testament Activity before Pentecost
In the Gospels, as well as in the Old Testament, the Spirit of God supernaturally empowered people.
— He miraculously brought about the conception of Jesus in the virgin Mary’s womb.
“The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.’ ”
Luke 1:35
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.
— He indwelt and empowered John the Baptist.
“He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.”
Luke 1:15
15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
— He gave Simeon knowledge of a future encounter with Jesus.
“It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”
Luke 2:26
26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
— He anointed Jesus with supernatural power for public ministry.
At the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus read part of the passage from
Isaiah 61:1
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
and interpreted it in reference to Himself.
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Luke 4:18–19
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
— He was promised by Jesus to the disciples as the coming Counselor who would be with them forever.
“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.”
John 14:16
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
D. What Is the Holy Spirit’s Role in the Believer’s Life Today?
D. What Is the Holy Spirit’s Role in the Believer’s Life Today?
If you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit abides within your human spirit to bring about God’s purposes in your life.
Envision the battery of a flashlight and the power and light it produces.
How much more the power, light, and direction that come from God through His Holy Spirit!
• He convinces us that we are sinners.
the act of convicting
“When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.”
John 16:8
8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
• He converts us from sinners to saints.
the act of regenerating
“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
Titus 3:5
5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
• He cleanses us and places (baptizes) us into the body of Christ.
the act of baptizing
“We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”
1 Corinthians 12:13
13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
• He comes to live within us.
the act of indwelling
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?”
1 Corinthians 6:19
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
• He counsels us in the way we should go.
the act of teaching
“The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
John 14:26
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
• He causes us to obey God’s will.
the act of empowering
“I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
Ezekiel 36:27
27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
• He influences/controls our behavior.
the act of filling
“The disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 13:52
52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
• He communicates our unspoken prayers.
the act of interceding
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”
Romans 8:26
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
• He confirms our destiny in heaven.
the act of sealing
“[He] set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
2 Corinthians 1:22
22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
QUESTION: “Are the spirit and the soul of a person the same thing?”
ANSWER:
In certain passages, the Bible refers to the “spirit, soul, and body” to indicate the whole person, while in other places the words body and spirit are used.
However, in
1 Thessalonians 5:23
23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
all three terms spirit, soul, and body are used together, indicating a clear distinction between soul and spirit.
The writer of the Book of Hebrews also states this division of soul and spirit.
Because the words soul and spirit are presented in different ways, the context determines the way to interpret the makeup of a person.
“The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit.”
Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
THE MAKEUP OF A PERSON
THE MAKEUP OF A PERSON
• The Body (soma in Greek) is the material part of a person that constitutes the physical anatomy (flesh, bones, and blood).
• The Soul (psuche in Greek) is the immaterial, rational part of a person that produces behavior through the mind, will, and emotions.
— mind (thinking) Acts 15:24
24 Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions,
— will (desires) Ephesians 6:6
6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
— emotions (feelings, affections) 1 Peter 1:22
22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
• The Spirit (pneuma in Greek) refers to the immaterial, innermost part of a person. The human spirit …
— needs to be made alive to God Ephesians 2:4–5
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
— communes with God John 4:23–24
23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
— can live together with Jesus forever 1 Thessalonians 5:10
10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.
Hunt, J. (2008). Biblical Counseling Keys on Holy Spirit: Living Free in the Power and Peace of the Spirit. Dallas, TX: Hope For The Heart.
Exported from Logos Bible Software, 7:34 AM June 02, 2019.