The Hly Spirit Intrductin We are nt ging t be cvering everything r much f what culd be said. We are ging t limit ur discussin t areas which I feel are imprtant t a basic understanding f the Hly Spirit and His wrk frm which we can grw. Therefre, we are nt ging t cver issues such as speaking in tngues, hw the Hly Spirit functined in the OT, were OT saints regenerate, r the blaspheme against the Hly Spirit. What He is nt He is nt a ghst (aka, the Hly Ghst). Our Pneumatlgy has t make sense with scripture and derive frm scripture. Pin the tail n the Hly Spirit. Our view f the Hly Spirit shuld be backed by scripture, supprted by scripture. Althugh there is certainly a mysterius aspect t the Hly Spirit and hw He wrks, as we will see, we must be careful nt t make ur understanding f the Hly Spirit mysticism. What we say has t make sense; it must be practical (i.e. pwer f the Spirit ). He is nt still making new revelatins. The cann is clsed (Revelatin 22:18-19). I have heard many fanatical persns say the Hly Spirit revealed this and that t them. Nw that is very generally revealed nnsense. The Hly Ghst des nt reveal anything fresh nw. He brings ld things t ur remembrance.... The cann f revelatin is clsed; there is n mre t be added. Gd des nt give a fresh revelatin, but he rivets the ld ne.... There are n new dctrines, but the ld nes are ften revived. It is nt, I say, by any new revelatin that the Spirit cmfrts. He des s by telling us ld things ver again; he brings a fresh lamp t manifest the treasures hidden in Scripture; he unlcks the strng chests in which the truth had lng lain, and he pints t secret chambers filled with untld riches; but he cins n mre, fr enugh is dne. 1 Wh He is He is a persn. He has intelligence - He knws and searches the things f Gd (1 Cr 2:10-11); He pssesses a mind (Rm 8:27). He has a will (1 Cr 12:11; Jhn 3:8). He can be blasphemed (Mt 12:31). He can be utraged r insulted (Heb 10:29). He can be lied t (Acts 5:3). He is t be beyed (Acts 10:19-21). He interacted with the Apstles (Acts 15:28 It seemed gd t the Hly Spirit and t us ). The use f He (masculine): Jhn 16:13-14 - When the Spirit f truth cmes, He will guide yu int all the truth, fr He will nt speak n His wn authrity, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare t yu the things that are t cme. 14 He will glrify me, fr He will take what is mine and declare it t yu. He is Gd (Act 5:3-4). Names: The Hly Spirit. We ve already shwn in ur lessn n the Trinity a while back hw the Hly Spirit is bth Gd and a persn. 1 Charles Haddn Spurgen, The New Park Street Pulpit, Vl. I (1855), p. 38.
The Hly Spirit Emphasizes the Hly nature f the Spirit, in particular, hw He sanctifies us (makes us mre Hly). The Spirit f Truth (1 Jhn 4:6). Emphasizes the truthfulness f the Spirit in His wrking with Gd s Wrd in ur lives in cntrast t the false spirits The Spirit f Life (Rm 8:2). Emphasizes the life giving nature f the Spirit. Paraklete (Jhn 14-16). We are unsure f what this wrd means. Used exclusively by Jhn and is in the Bible five times (fur times in Jhn, nce in 1 Jhn). In 1 Jhn it is used t describe Jesus as ur advcate. In Jhn it is used t describe the ne wh will replace Jesus when He leaves, therefre, this wrd describes the Hly Spirit as serving the same functin that Christ did t the disciples. Anther (Jhn 14:16) Meaning f the same kind. Jesus says, "I will nt leave yu as rphans; I will cme t yu (Jhn 14:18). Therefre, many believe this wrd means helper, cmfrter, cunselr, r encurager. Frm this we can learn that the Hly Spirit is ur Paraklete, just as Jesus was t the disciples. What He des Regeneratin. What is regeneratin? Simple definitin The wrk f the Hly Spirit whereby He makes us alive spiritually, brn again, a new creatin. Regeneratin is instantaneus and takes place simultaneusly with faith, nt at baptism (mre n this in later lessn n regeneratin). Jhn 3:1-8 - Nw there was a man f the Pharisees named Nicdemus, a ruler f the Jews. 2 This man came t Jesus by night and said t him, "Rabbi, we knw that yu are a teacher cme frm Gd, fr n ne can d these signs that yu d unless Gd is with him." 3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say t yu, unless ne is brn again he cannt see the kingdm f Gd." 4 Nicdemus said t him, "Hw can a man be brn when he is ld? Can he enter a secnd time int his mther's wmb and be brn?" 5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say t yu, unless ne is brn f water and the Spirit, he cannt enter the kingdm f Gd. 6 That which is brn f the flesh is flesh, and that which is brn f the Spirit is spirit. 7 D nt marvel that I said t yu, 'Yu must be brn again.' 8 The wind blws where it wishes, and yu hear its sund, but yu d nt knw where it cmes frm r where it ges. S it is with everyne wh is brn f the Spirit." 3 - Being brn again (brn frm abve) is a requirement fr the kingdm. 5 - Water and Spirit. Water is nt referring t physical birth but is a reference t cleansing and Ezekiel 36:25-26. Ezekiel 36:25-26 - I will sprinkle clean water n yu, and yu shall be clean frm all yur uncleannesses, and frm all yur idls I will cleanse yu. 26 And I will give yu a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within yu. And I will remve the heart f stne frm yur flesh and give yu a heart f flesh. 8 Wind and Spirit are the same wrd in Greek. Nicdemus des nt understand what Jesus is saying s Jesus uses this play n wrds as an illustratin t teach Nicdemus. He emphasizes the svereign free will f the Hly Spirit in regeneratin. Indwelling. Indwelling takes place immediately at regeneratin.
The Hly Spirit 1 Crinthians 3:16 - D yu nt knw that yu are Gd's temple and that Gd's Spirit dwells in yu? Jhn 14:16-18a - And I will ask the Father, and he will give yu anther Helper, t be with yu frever, 17 even the Spirit f truth, whm the wrld cannt receive, because it neither sees him nr knws him. Yu knw him, fr he dwells with yu and will be in yu. 18 "I will nt leave yu as rphans. Indwelling was prmised as a part f the New Cvenant. Ezekiel 37:14a - And I will put my Spirit within yu, and yu shall live. Indwelling des nt refer t spacial presence (Gd is mnipresent and present in the unregenerate), but relatinal (meaning He acts in ur lives) and experiential presence (meaning He is nt just there, but we experience the affects f His presence). Rmans 8:9-11 - Yu, hwever, are nt in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit f Gd dwells in yu. Anyne wh des nt have the Spirit f Christ des nt belng t him. 10 But if Christ is in yu, althugh the bdy is dead because f sin, the Spirit is life because f righteusness. 11 If the Spirit f him wh raised Jesus frm the dead dwells in yu, he wh raised Christ Jesus frm the dead will als give life t yur mrtal bdies thrugh his Spirit wh dwells in yu. Thse wh are saved are indwelt by the Spirit and thse wh are nt saved d nt have the Spirit. We can see by the cntext f this passage that the Spirit s indwelling is empwering us t live life in the Spirit, meaning a life in accrdance t hw the Spirit wuld have us live and in line with His characteristics, namely hliness. Verse 14 describes this activity as being led by the Spirit. We will lk mre at this type f phrase and thers later, but keep this passage in mind. Sanctificatin. What is sanctificatin? Simple definitin The prcess by which the Hly Spirit wrks in ur lives t make us mre Hly, mre Christlike. It is nt instantaneus but prgressive. 2 Crinthians 3:18 - And we all, with unveiled face, behlding the glry f the Lrd, are being transfrmed int the same image frm ne degree f glry t anther. Fr this cmes frm the Lrd wh is the Spirit. The Hly Spirit is prgressively transfrming us frm ne degree f glry t anther int the image that we behld with an unveiled face (unlike thse under the law whse hearts are veiled [verse 15 and 16]). He is the Hly Spirit. What characterizes thse with a Spirit f sadness, jy, anger? Nt t diminish the fact that the Spirit is a persn, but the fact that He is a Hly Spirit shws us that ur pssessin f Him is ging t crrespnd t His characteristic f Hliness. Bearing fruit (fruit f the Spirit). Galatians 5:16-17 - But I say, walk by the Spirit, and yu will nt gratify the desires f the flesh. 17 Fr the desires f the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires f the Spirit are against the flesh, fr these are ppsed t each ther, t keep yu frm ding the things yu want t d. 18 But if yu are led by the Spirit, yu are nt under the law. The flesh and law (which Paul tend t relate tgether) are ppsed t the Spirit. 19 Nw the wrks f the flesh are evident: sexual immrality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idlatry, srcery, enmity, strife, jealusy, fits f anger, rivalries, dissensins, divisins, 21
The Hly Spirit envy, drunkenness, rgies, and things like these. I warn yu, as I warned yu befre, that thse wh d such things will nt inherit the kingdm f Gd. These are the fruits f the flesh, characteristic f the damned (thse wh will nt inherit the kingdm f Gd ). 22 But the fruit f the Spirit is lve, jy, peace, patience, kindness, gdness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-cntrl; against such things there is n law. These are the fruits f having the Spirit in yur life. There is n law against these traits. Yu dn t need a law telling yu what t d and what nt t d when yu have the Spirit. He is yur law s t say. He has replaced the law, s t say, as ur guardian (Galatians 3:22-25). Jeremiah 31:33 - But this is the cvenant that I will make with the huse f Israel after thse days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it n their hearts. And I will be their Gd, and they shall be my peple. Jhn 15:8 - By this my Father is glrified, that yu bear much fruit and s prve t be my disciples. Dual purpse: T glrify Gd and prve t be a true disciple. Sealing. Ephesians 1:13-14 - In him yu als, when yu heard the wrd f truth, the gspel f yur salvatin, and believed in him, were sealed with the prmised Hly Spirit, 14 wh is the guarantee f ur inheritance until we acquire pssessin f it, t the praise f his glry. (2 Crinthians 1:20-22). Seal T seal up safely, t mark. Guarantee Pledge, dwn payment. The Hly Spirit is evidence f Gd s prmise. This brings assurance. Intercedes in ur prayers. Rmans 8:26-28 - Likewise the Spirit helps us in ur weakness. Fr we d nt knw what t pray fr as we ught, but the Spirit himself intercedes fr us with granings t deep fr wrds. 27 And he wh searches hearts knws what is the mind f the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes fr the saints accrding t the will f Gd. 28 And we knw that fr thse wh lve Gd all things wrk tgether fr gd, fr thse wh are called accrding t his purpse. Cnvicts. Jhn 16:8 - And when he cmes, he will cnvict the wrld cncerning sin and righteusness and judgment. This wrd cnvict can mean t reveal sin, crrect r rebuke sin, r t judge sin. Cncerning sin, meaning He accuses us f ur sinful state and need fr Gd. Cncerning righteusness, meaning He places righteusness (namely, the standard f Christ) as the standard fr His cnvictin. Cncerning judgment, meaning He accuses the wrld because f the judgment they face due t their sin and the righteus standard. Nw this refers t the Hly Spirit s cnvictin f the wrld. Yu will nt find a verse saying the Hly Spirit cnvicts believers f sin, hwever, mainly because this wrd cnvict carries the idea f judging r cndemning, and we knw that fr the believer there is nw n cndemnatin (Rm 8:1). Hwever, as we have seen, the Spirit ppses the flesh and therefre
The Hly Spirit will resist the flesh. In this sense, we can say the Hly Spirit cnvicts us f ur sin as it indwells and sanctifies us. Revelatin. Inspiratin. Jhn 14:24-26 - Whever des nt lve me des nt keep my wrds. And the wrd that yu hear is nt mine but the Father's wh sent me. 25 "These things I have spken t yu while I am still with yu. 26 But the Helper, the Hly Spirit, whm the Father will send in my name, he will teach yu all things and bring t yur remembrance all that I have said t yu. The pre-authenticatin f the New Testament. The Hly Spirit s wrk. 2 Peter 1:21- Fr n prphecy was ever prduced by the will f man, but men spke frm Gd as they were carried alng by the Hly Spirit. (2 Tim 3:16). The Hly Spirit didn t dictate what they wrte, He didn t tell them exactly what t write and then they wuld write it, He didn t cntrl their bdies like a rbts t make them write what they did. Men were definitely invlved in the writing f scripture and their persnalities, perspectives, and backgrund d shw. But inspiratin als isn t this idea that the Spirit inspired (in an emtinal sense) them t write stuff. Gd, the Hly Spirit, was als certainly invlved, carrying them alng in their writing s that they wuld write exactly what He wanted them t withut any errr. Illuminatin. 1 Jhn 2:27b - But as his aninting teaches yu abut everything, and is true, and is n lie-- just as it has taught yu, abide in him. (1 Cr 2:10-15). Illuminatin is the Hly Spirit s (aninting) wrk f teaching us the things in scripture. 1 Crinthians 2:14 - The natural persn des nt accept the things f the Spirit f Gd, fr they are flly t him, and he is nt able t understand them because they are spiritually discerned. Nt fr the unregenerate They cannt understand. Sanctificatin thrugh the scriptures. Being the Spirit f Truth, being the authr f scripture, being the ne that illumines and teaches us His wrd, and cnsidering the fact that He is the agent f ur sanctificatin, He uses His wrd t sanctify us and implement its truth int ur lives. Jhn 17:17 - Sanctify them in the truth; yur wrd is truth. Our relatinship t Him As mentined befre, the Hly Spirit s wrk f regeneratin, indwelling, and sanctificatin all empwer us as believers. We are ging t take a lk at exactly what that means and lk at sme f the cmmn Biblical phrases used cncerning this idea. First, the key t understanding these phrases is t understand what yu are being led by, what yu are being filled with, what yu are walking in. In ther wrds, yur life and wh yu are is being characterized by the indwelling f the Hly Spirit. Yu are living a Hly life. Walk by/in the Spirit. Galatians 5:16-17 - But I say, walk by the Spirit, and yu will nt gratify the desires f the flesh. 17 Fr the desires f the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires f the Spirit are against the flesh, fr these are ppsed t each ther, t keep yu frm ding the things yu want t d. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us als walk by the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit is nt gratifying the flesh, fr the Spirit is ppsed t the flesh.
The Hly Spirit (As seen frm the cntext) walking in the Spirit is shwing its fruit. Verse 25 Walking in/by the Spirit is living ur everyday life in the same pwer that regenerated us. The Hly Spirit nt nly regenerates us, but sanctifies us. Walking by the Spirit is living this life f sanctificatin. Led by the Spirit. This phrase is used in Galatians 5 passage just mentined and has the same idea as walking by/in the Spirit. Rmans 8:14 This passage talks abut putting t death the deeds f the bdy and flesh. Living in the Spirit and being led by the Spirit is simply the ppsite f living in the flesh and living in sin. Filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 - And d nt get drunk with wine, fr that is debauchery, but be filled [passive tense] with the Spirit. Just as a drunk man is cntrlled by his alchl and is filled with its affect, s we must be cntrlled by the Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit (r cntrlled by it like a drunk persn is cntrlled by His drunkenness) is nt sme mystical idea. We see frm the verse right befre (verse 17) that we are t understand what the will [r desire] f the Lrd is. In ther wrds, we live in accrdance t hw Gd desires r wills us t live. Pwer f the Spirit. This is and similar phrases are rare in scripture (three times - Luke 4:14; Rmans 15:13, 19). The idea here is that the Spirit enables r strengthens. This idea is always accmpanied by an actin. Fr example: Rmans 15:13 - May the Gd f hpe fill yu with all jy and peace in believing, s that by the pwer f the Hly Spirit yu may abund in hpe. Therefre, this is nt sme mystical idea. It is simply the Hly Spirit giving strength r ability t us fr us t accmplish smething thrugh Him. D nt quench the Spirit. 1 Thessalnians 5:19 - D nt quench the Spirit. This phrase ccurs nce. Quench literally means t extinguish. As we just nted, the Spirit is pwerful, like a fire, and is ding a wrk in us t bear fruit and sanctify us. Quenching the spirit is therefre, resisting His wrk. Spiritual Gifts Simple definitin - Gifts frm Gd given by the Hly Spirit t every believer that are used fr the spiritual purpse f edificatin f believers, namely, in the lcal church. The tw listings f spiritual gifts fund in scripture (1 Cr 12 and Rm 12:3-8) d nt serve as a catalg. That is, they are nt t be viewed as an abslute and definite list. The tw are nt even the same. Paul listed these ad hc. If smene asked me t name sme attributes f a gd sccer player, first, the attributes I listed wuld nt cntain every pssible attribute, secnd, if yu asked me again anther time, my list wuld mst likely differ frm the first. Gift frm Gd It is nt smething f us r smething we can take credit fr. Given by the Hly Spirit s svereign will. 1 Crinthians 12:11 - All these are empwered by ne and the same Spirit, wh apprtins t each ne individually as he wills.
The Hly Spirit T every believer. 1 Peter 4:10 - As each has received a gift, use it t serve ne anther, as gd stewards f Gd's varied grace: Fr the purpse f edificatin. 1 Crinthians 12:7 - T each is given the manifestatin f the Spirit fr the cmmn gd. (14:12; Eph 4:11-12). Order is required in their use. 1 Crinthians 14:40 - But all things shuld be dne decently and in rder. Lve as the supreme characteristic in their use. 1 Crinthians 13:1-3, 13 - If I speak in the tngues f men and f angels, but have nt lve, I am a nisy gng r a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prphetic pwers, and understand all mysteries and all knwledge, and if I have all faith, s as t remve muntains, but have nt lve, I am nthing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my bdy t be burned, but have nt lve, I gain nthing. 13 S nw faith, hpe, and lve abide, these three; but the greatest f these is lve.