God is composed of spirit, John 4:24; God’s Word is spirit, John 6:63; and God’s Law is spirit, Romans 7:14. But what is the Holy Spirit of God? What does it do? Why do we need it?
Jesus Christ came in the flesh to pay the ultimate penalty for sin. Through His sacrifice the door to eternal life in the Family of God was opened, and the most important gift of the Holy Spirit was made available to those whom God would call to repentance.
In order to understand who we are and what we can become, we must first realize a critical element of God’s identity. What does the Bible teach us about God’s Holy Spirit? Have we received it? Have we lost it? How much does it mean to us?
Through careful study of the Word of God, we can uncover these answers and more!
What Are the Attributes of the Holy Spirit?
Through an examination of Scripture, we can understand that the Spirit of God has various well-defined functions.
Just as the air we breathe fills the earth, God’s Holy Spirit is the power and energy that originates from the Father and Son, filling the universe. While His Spirit is invisible, the physical world was created by Jesus Christ through that great power.
Hebrews 11:3- By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
Psalm 139:7-8- Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
Jeremiah 23:24- Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?” says the Lord; “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ relates the gift of His Holy Spirit to the invisible wind (John 3:8) and living water (John 4:10, 14). As the source of His Spirit, the “fountain of living waters,” (Jeremiah 17:13) God’s energy and power flows out from them completing their every command to accomplish Their will. (Psalm 33:6-9)
God's Spirit is Power.
Our Father in heaven wants us to know how He has accomplished His greatest achievements. He explains that all things are upheld by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3), and through Jesus Christ, the Logos or the “Word” of the God Family, He used His Holy Spirit as the instrument to create all things (John 1:1-4).
Psalm 104:30- You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the earth.
Jeremiah 32:17- Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.
Genesis 1:1-3- In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
In the Bible we also find that God’s Holy Spirit can be “poured out” (Acts 2:17, 18, 33) and shared with His servants, empowering them to perform miraculous works.
Acts 1:8- But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Matthew 12:28- But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Romans 15:19- in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
God's Holy Spirit Introduces the Depth of His Mind.
Another defining element of the Holy Spirit is its connection to the divine nature, life, and mind of God. (2 Peter 1:3-4). His Spirit is the expression of His thoughts, revealing the way His mind works, and the ability to understand spiritual principles.
Isaiah 11:2- The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
1 Corinthians 2:13-14- These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with the spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
In some ways, the Bible can be understood in an academic sense. Many are familiar with what it says and some can even recite large portions of God's Word from memory. However, the laws and principles found in the Bible are spiritual in nature, and according to God Himself, the spiritual things cannot be fully understood by one who does not have the Spirit of God.
When God decides to share His power through the outpouring of His Spirit, He also shares His mind.
Daniel 5:14- I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you.
Exodus 31:3- And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship
2 Timothy 1:7- For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
With this special gift, we can be granted the ability to grasp spiritual concepts and principles, including the very truth of God.
This Gift of God Unites Us With Him.
One of the greatest blessings from God is His willingness to share a measure of Himself with us. He has offered us His Holy Spirit, including a portion of His mind and power, if we are willing to change our lives and obey Him (Acts 5:32).
Acts 2:38- Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
Luke 11:13- If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Repentance means change. We are required to turn from a life of sin, promising a life of obedience to the will of God. Then through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Savior, we can be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit, through the laying on of hands, by a minister of God. (Acts 8:14-17, 2 Timothy 1:6)
Our Father wants to give us this tremendous gift, binding us together as the body of Jesus Christ. Through His Spirit we are sanctified, unified, set apart, and made holy to God (Romans 15:16, Romans 12:5).
Romans 8:9- But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
Through this incredible connection to God, we can become like Him!
How God's Spirit Works In You.
Once we have received God’s Holy Spirit, it is our life’s work to continue to increase in the fruit of His Spirit. Our goal is to grow and increase in godly nature, becoming more and more like our Father in heaven.
In order to do this, we tap into the supply of the Holy Spirit (Philippians 1:19) as the means to overcome, with both the power to reject our human nature and the mind of God to spiritually discern truth. Then through our actions, we demonstrate the evidence of God’s Spirit working in us, developing the fruit of His Spirit daily.
Galatians 5:22-25- But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Romans 8:5-6- For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Even after receiving God’s Spirit it is possible to fall away from Him. This happens if we fail to act on the power and wisdom of God’s Word and neglect our development by continuing in a life of sin (Hebrews 6:4-6). We can quench God’s Spirit -- even lose it -- which is why we must be faithful to our promise, living a life of repentance, that we may inherit eternal life.
We Become Heirs of Eternal Life Through His Spirit.
Jesus Christ was conceived (or “begotten”) of the Father (John 1:14), through His Holy Spirit. However, it wasn’t until He was resurrected that He was once again fully born of the Spirit. In the same way, when we are baptized and receive a measure of God’s Holy Spirit, we are conceived by God, we aren’t born yet. At our resurrection, we will become fully composed of His spirit, part of God’s Family, with a spiritual body as inheritors of eternal life!
1 Peter 1:3- Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
1 Corinthians 15:42-45- So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
The Holy Spirit instills in us the nature and mind of God (2 Peter 1:3-4). As we develop the character of God, we prepare to finally be born into the Family of God at our resurrection. Together we will rule alongside Jesus Christ on this earth as God's children.
Ephesians 1:13-14- in Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who[which] is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Through the power of God's Holy Spirit, we can grow in the holy, righteous character of God in this life, and be resurrected to eternal life in God's Family at Christ's return! Have you received this most incredible gift (2 Timothy 1:6)? Are we preparing now for our future inheritance?
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God is composed of spirit, John 4:24; God’s Word is spirit, John 6:63; and God’s Law is spirit, Romans 7:14. But what is the Holy Spirit of God? What does it do? Why do we need it?
Jesus Christ came in the flesh to pay the ultimate penalty for sin. Through His sacrifice the door to eternal life in the Family of God was opened, and the most important gift of the Holy Spirit was made available to those whom God would call to repentance.
In order to understand who we are and what we can become, we must first realize a critical element of God’s identity. What does the Bible teach us about God’s Holy Spirit? Have we received it? Have we lost it? How much does it mean to us?
Through careful study of the Word of God, we can uncover these answers and more!
What Are the Attributes of the Holy Spirit?
Through an examination of Scripture, we can understand that the Spirit of God has various well-defined functions.
Just as the air we breathe fills the earth, God’s Holy Spirit is the power and energy that originates from the Father and Son, filling the universe. While His Spirit is invisible, the physical world was created by Jesus Christ through that great power.
Hebrews 11:3- By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
Psalm 139:7-8- Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
Jeremiah 23:24- Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?” says the Lord; “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ relates the gift of His Holy Spirit to the invisible wind (John 3:8) and living water (John 4:10, 14). As the source of His Spirit, the “fountain of living waters,” (Jeremiah 17:13) God’s energy and power flows out from them completing their every command to accomplish Their will. (Psalm 33:6-9)
God's Spirit is Power.
Our Father in heaven wants us to know how He has accomplished His greatest achievements. He explains that all things are upheld by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3), and through Jesus Christ, the Logos or the “Word” of the God Family, He used His Holy Spirit as the instrument to create all things (John 1:1-4).
Psalm 104:30- You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the earth.
Jeremiah 32:17- Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.
Genesis 1:1-3- In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
In the Bible we also find that God’s Holy Spirit can be “poured out” (Acts 2:17, 18, 33) and shared with His servants, empowering them to perform miraculous works.
Acts 1:8- But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Matthew 12:28- But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Romans 15:19- in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
God's Holy Spirit Introduces the Depth of His Mind.
Another defining element of the Holy Spirit is its connection to the divine nature, life, and mind of God. (2 Peter 1:3-4). His Spirit is the expression of His thoughts, revealing the way His mind works, and the ability to understand spiritual principles.
Isaiah 11:2- The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
1 Corinthians 2:13-14- These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with the spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
In some ways, the Bible can be understood in an academic sense. Many are familiar with what it says and some can even recite large portions of God's Word from memory. However, the laws and principles found in the Bible are spiritual in nature, and according to God Himself, the spiritual things cannot be fully understood by one who does not have the Spirit of God.
When God decides to share His power through the outpouring of His Spirit, He also shares His mind.
Daniel 5:14- I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you.
Exodus 31:3- And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship
2 Timothy 1:7- For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
With this special gift, we can be granted the ability to grasp spiritual concepts and principles, including the very truth of God.
This Gift of God Unites Us With Him.
One of the greatest blessings from God is His willingness to share a measure of Himself with us. He has offered us His Holy Spirit, including a portion of His mind and power, if we are willing to change our lives and obey Him (Acts 5:32).
Acts 2:38- Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
Luke 11:13- If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Repentance means change. We are required to turn from a life of sin, promising a life of obedience to the will of God. Then through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Savior, we can be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit, through the laying on of hands, by a minister of God. (Acts 8:14-17, 2 Timothy 1:6)
Our Father wants to give us this tremendous gift, binding us together as the body of Jesus Christ. Through His Spirit we are sanctified, unified, set apart, and made holy to God (Romans 15:16, Romans 12:5).
Romans 8:9- But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
Through this incredible connection to God, we can become like Him!
How God's Spirit Works In You.
Once we have received God’s Holy Spirit, it is our life’s work to continue to increase in the fruit of His Spirit. Our goal is to grow and increase in godly nature, becoming more and more like our Father in heaven.
In order to do this, we tap into the supply of the Holy Spirit (Philippians 1:19) as the means to overcome, with both the power to reject our human nature and the mind of God to spiritually discern truth. Then through our actions, we demonstrate the evidence of God’s Spirit working in us, developing the fruit of His Spirit daily.
Galatians 5:22-25- But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Romans 8:5-6- For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Even after receiving God’s Spirit it is possible to fall away from Him. This happens if we fail to act on the power and wisdom of God’s Word and neglect our development by continuing in a life of sin (Hebrews 6:4-6). We can quench God’s Spirit -- even lose it -- which is why we must be faithful to our promise, living a life of repentance, that we may inherit eternal life.
We Become Heirs of Eternal Life Through His Spirit.
Jesus Christ was conceived (or “begotten”) of the Father (John 1:14), through His Holy Spirit. However, it wasn’t until He was resurrected that He was once again fully born of the Spirit. In the same way, when we are baptized and receive a measure of God’s Holy Spirit, we are conceived by God, we aren’t born yet. At our resurrection, we will become fully composed of His spirit, part of God’s Family, with a spiritual body as inheritors of eternal life!
1 Peter 1:3- Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
1 Corinthians 15:42-45- So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
The Holy Spirit instills in us the nature and mind of God (2 Peter 1:3-4). As we develop the character of God, we prepare to finally be born into the Family of God at our resurrection. Together we will rule alongside Jesus Christ on this earth as God's children.
Ephesians 1:13-14- in Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who[which] is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Through the power of God's Holy Spirit, we can grow in the holy, righteous character of God in this life, and be resurrected to eternal life in God's Family at Christ's return! Have you received this most incredible gift (2 Timothy 1:6)? Are we preparing now for our future inheritance?
May We Suggest...
Dig Deeper ⬀
cogassembly.org