Holy Spirit Chapter 8

The Holy Spirit of God is the active force or power in one’s life, which most certainly includes spiritual formation (Pettit, 2008, p. 46). When Jesus was speaking with his disciples he made it clear – by using the analogy of a vine and branches – that apart from him they could do nothing (John 15:5). Only if one is connected to Christ will they have the ability to bear fruit and the way Jesus empowers those connected to him is through the Holy Spirt that that father will send in his name (John 14:26). The fact is that the triune God dwells in the Christian in and through the Holy Spirit. One sees this when they place multiple passages together to gain a full understanding of this concept. For example, Jesus made it clear that he and the father would come and make their home with the disciple (John 14:23). In 1 Corinthians 6:19 Paul reminds the Corinthians that their bodies are the very temple of God because the Holy Spirit dwells in them which is similar to what Jesus said would happen when he sent the Holy Spirit after his resurrection and ascension (John 14:17, 16:7).

The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, and is equal in essence and in power in the Trinity to the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit was originally sent by Jesus after his ascension into heaven, Jesus himself saying that he would send a “helper” after he departed from the earth. This spirit is worshipped just as the Father and the Son are, and also participated in the creation of the world, sustaining and giving life continually to all things, and exhibits the uniqueness and characteristics of the third person in the Trinity. This is the same Holy Spirit that divinely inspired the infallible word of God, and although the canon is now closed, the Holy Spirit still works powerfully and constantly in the life of the church and in believers. The Holy Spirit is the giver of spiritual gifts, which are given at conversion and help the believer become more like their creator. The presence of the Holy Spirit is evident in the life of all true believers, and this Spirit turns cowardly men into mighty warriors for Christ who accomplish actions way beyond their natural ability.

In conclusion Scripture confirms the person of the Holy Spirit, sharing equally in the glory and authority of the Godhead. The Spirit of God possesses attributes reserved only for Almighty God and reviles the things of God to man, including the presence of the Spirit

In the Gospel of Luke, Luke pronounces “all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up, after he had given instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles…” (Act 1:1-2 CSB). However, Acts is the account of all that Jesus continued to do and to teach through His apostles by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Luke portrays the role of the Holy Spirit as being given to help accomplish the Great Commission throughout his book. Fernando provides a great outline of Acts when he states, “The first chapter records the promise of the Holy Spirit… the second his descent, and the rest… his work in and through the church.” It could be concluded that Luke’s portrayal of Pentecost demonstrates the larger narrative on how the Church

My word study portrays a sermon given on United States Independence Day weekend. The sermon’s topic related to liberty. One of the verses that were abused was the following: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17) The pastor preached on the how this verse parallels the U.S. Constitution and the liberties it prescribed. Moreover, the pastor mixed metaphors from the Bible and the Constitution. The text is taken out of context. Indeed, the text alludes to the letters of the law written in stone versus those written with the Holy Spirit. And, Paul is referring to the superiority of having the Holy Spirit versus just adhering to the law. Thus, Paul explicitly speaks of a spiritual

The Holy Spirit scolds us, teaches us, guides us and attests of Jesus Christ. Acts 5:3-4 4 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.”…1 Timothy 3:16 John 14:25-26: “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the

In his article Reversal of Fortune: Rahab the Israelite and Achan the Canaanite Frank Anthony Spina discusses what it means to be an Israelite or a Canaanite, and he highlights an instance in Joshua where roles are reversed: a Canaanite becomes an Israelite and an Israelite becomes like a Canaanite. Spina astutely recognizes that the stories of Rahab and Achan not only bookend the story of the fall of Jericho, but

The book of Acts establishes the pattern that the Holy Spirit is imparted to genuine believers at the time of their conversion. This pattern is reinforced in several ways. Jesus foretold the imparting of the Holy Spirit to believers before His ascension, a fact that Luke was

It is important to see how all three are working together for our good. The Holy Spirit is our "Promise" from God (Acts 1:4) and also a gift to give power to the Church (Acts 1:8), to allow God's love in our hearts (Romans 5:5), and to impart spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7-13)

The Holy Spirit is considered to be the Father and the Son as one person so completely. The Holy Spirit approved the humanity of the Son. This meant that the eternal relationship between God and the Son was then extended to the human man, Jesus. The Holy Spirit in a way can be foreseen as the protector of Jesus in addition to guiding him through his every earthly action. In addition, the Holy Spirit played a large role in the communication between God and Jesus. Not only was the Holy Spirit the unity of mankind in God, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in Jesus allowed for communication with God through his human consciousness. After his crucifixion, Jesus is the resurrected through the transformation of his human body into a spiritual one.

The Holy Spirit was promised by Jesus to the apostles as their power in Luke chapter 24, verse 49. Jesus can give the Spirit to his followers because he has received the Spirit from the Father (chapter 3 verse 16). In the book of Acts, when the Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost, he came as the Spirit of Christ, not just in the

To start our research, we need to ask a critical question at the very beginning : Who is the Holy Spirit? The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is a person. Jesus never referred to “it” when He was talking about the Holy Spirit. In John 14,15 and 16, for example, He spoke of the Holy Spirit as “He” because He is not a force or thing but a person. The point is especially important at a time when pantheistic tendencies are

The third person in the trinity is the Holy Spirit. Many times people tend to believe there is a hierarchy in the trinity, and often the Holy Spirit is at the bottom. This is not; the Holy Spirit is just as important as the Father and the Son. The trinity is made up of three people who are equally important. The Holy Spirit dwells inside all believers and guides them throughout their life. He is also the one to bring believer’s heart’s to the point of conviction. He is significant because he is referenced in the Bible in 261 different passages; fifty-six of those are found in the gospels (Willmington 641).

The first set of verses I chose is Acts 13:9-11. “Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.” In the very beginning the first thing I noticed was that it states, before the confrontation, that Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit. I feel like this proves that the Holy Spirit can talk to you and lead you in the direction of the Lord. The Holy spirit told him to go to Elymas and show him how horrid his actions had been and the consequence he will receive because of that.

Before I can progress on this point, I must first provide demonstrate the foundation of my beliefs in the Spirit and its gifts. Belief in the Holy Spirit is one of the defining traits of Christianity ; however defining such an entity comprehensively and succinctly is difficult. One definition, merely to begin the discourse, can be found in the The Anchor Bible Dictionary. There, the Holy Spirit is defined as "the manifestations of divine presence and power perceptible especially in prophetic inspiration." This definition is simplistic and laden with theological assumptions which, but it provides a starting point in this discussion. One of the primary components that initially struck me from this definition is the emphasis on the role of the Spirit in prophecy and inspiration. This idea does not spring out of nothing, but is routinely supported by writings of the early church fathers and modern theologians. However, this also feels restrictive, minimizing the role