The Holy Spirit and the Christian Mission

In this paper, I will review Charles Ryrie’s book The Holy Spirit. I will detail what I feel the book is about. I will emphasize various points given by the author that stood out to me. Finally, I will give my personal evaluation of the book.

us day by day the truth of God. The Holy Spirit testifies of Christ: John 15:26, When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. The Holy Spirit convicts: John 16:8, When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt [Or will expose the guilt of the world] in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. The Holy Spirit leads: Romans 8:14, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. The Holy Spirit reveals the Truth: John 16:13, But 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. The Holy Spirit strengthens and encourages: Acts 9:31, then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace.

Just when there’s no hope for Humanity, The Holy Spirit (the third Godhead in the trinity) sent from the father as a promise to aid humankind to inspire and empower Theophilus (The ones who loves God) to spread the “Good News” on the Salvation of Jesus Christ. The necessity of the Holy Spirit is to increase effectiveness of churches and personal testimony and become witnesses in all the Earth. In addition, it gave the disciples a power to perform miracles and healing.

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).

When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, He will guide and lead us into all truth to do all that Jesus has said to us to do, purifying our mind, body, soul and spirit by the washing of His word.

Rather understandably, Christianity has tended to focus primarily on the Jesus Christ, titular savior and most concretely comprehendible of God’s Persons, though dogma of the Trinity names two other Persons, of whom the Father is at least given credit as Creator and Sustainer, while the Holy Spirit has traditionally been assigned only an ancillary role, occasionally intervening to guide the Curia. In fact, the Holy Spirit, offered freely as the Paraclete to all men and women, regardless of merit is quite possibly the most active of the three in the inner lives of all seekers of truth today. It is His guidance we seek and find in the discernment process.

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.

Christianity believes that the Holy Spirit is the third person of God and is the same as the Son of God. He is the Lord and the Lord of Christ. Catholics and Protestants believe that the Holy Spirit by the Holy Father by the Communists, the Orthodox Church by the Father, the ages of faith, love, worship and worship. For by the grace of God, the Holy Spirit is the only one who is able to give birth to salvation; this salvation is completed by the bloodshed of Jesus Christ on the cross. The Holy Spirit lives in the heart of the believer and becomes our Counselor and sanctifies us. The Spirit comes to reveal and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, to lead us into all truths, and to manifest the sins of the world with righteousness and judgment. Through

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)

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

1. Write a paragraph on your current view of the Holy Spirit: Who is He? What is He like? (A force, Influence, Energy, Person, etc.) What does He do for you?

The Holy Spirit is a sign of God's love and providence as he came to

The Holy Spirit acts as a teacher. His work is to teach the Christians in the ways of the truth. In John 14:26, the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus left as a helper to the disciples is depicted as a teacher. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit shall teach the Christians all things, and bring to your remembrance all things thus taught and all that Jesus said. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is a teacher to educate on all things. Moreover, he brings back the remembrance of the word taught when need arises (Tunner, 2013).

The Holy Spirit plays a very vital role in the lives of each and every believer; He can strengthen us with a strength that we cannot even begin to muster up in ourselves. He can bring us joy that we cannot even begin to find in the things of this world. He can bring peace to our lives more than anything that we can ever find on this earth. “The Holy Spirit which is primarily an energizing process, is also a revealing, refining, consuming, illuminating process, and one by which we are made to glow with love to God, and love to man, and love to souls.”

Pneumatology, the study of the Holy Spirit, is one of the controversial subjects in the Biblical studies. It is hard for some people to consider the Holy Spirit as a person and to understand how He works. That is why some people have denied his personhood, and considered him only as “God’s active force”. While the He is also God. He is of great importance in the life of the Christians because after accepting Jesus, the Holy Spirit abides in the Christian, and uses him/her in many ways. This is why there exist the gifts and the fruits of the Holy Spirit.