The Holy Spirit
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Who is the Holy Spirit?
You had a lesson related to the Trinity that explained to you about the Holy Spirit. However, this “Person” in the Trinity is often the least understood and is not spoken of often at church or in Bible study.
If you are a Christian, then you have a clear understanding of who Jesus is. He is the Son of God, the One who died to pay the cost for all our sins. He is Savior and God. Jesus often spoke about the Father, and there are many references to Him in the Bible, especially within the Gospel accounts. However, the Holy Spirit does not receive as much attention and so many are confused as to what His role may be.
Could you explain who the Holy Spirit is?
There Is a Lot More Than You May Think
While the Bible does not speak as much about the Holy Spirit as it does about Jesus, the truth is that there is a lot that is said. This not only includes the role of the Holy Spirit, but also provides many instances of where the Holy Spirit has acted or will act in the life of the believer.
It is in this latter part that we will focus much of this lesson. Our lack of understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit is often why Christians struggle to overcome temptation and fear. The Holy Spirit has come to help each one of us, and this is one of the primary reasons why we need to have a much greater appreciation for the Holy Spirit.
Before continuing, it is important that we return to something that was said during your lesson on the Trinity. Our God operates in complete unity with each Person in the Trinity. Therefore, there is no division. However, there is a difference in the specific role that each Person in the Godhead plays.
He Is Your Advocate
Let’s start with the most obvious role of the Holy Spirit – your Advocate. What does an advocate do?
The dictionary describes an advocate as one who speaks, pleads, or argues in favor of someone or something. Jesus tells us in John 14:26 that the Holy Spirit came to be our advocate. How do you think the Holy Spirit advocates for you?
The truth is that the Holy Spirit advocates for you in many ways. The first is by living in you, helping you to overcome your struggles. 1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. This means that God is dwelling inside of you. Can you think of some reasons why it would be good that God is dwelling inside you?
Part of the reason that the Holy Spirit dwells inside of you is to change you into a “new man.” That begins by convicting each one of us of sin (John 16:8-11). In fact, Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit would come to convict the world of sin. Thus, the Holy Spirit comes upon each one of us to reveal the sin in our lives and the need for Jesus. This is part of His role as our Advocate.
When we accept Jesus, we become “born again.” This was a term that you learned when you first came to Hope and were studying with Rob on Fridays. In John 3:5, Jesus told us that we had to be “born of water and the Spirit.” Do you remember what it meant to be born of the spirit?
A Little Theology
Let’s dig into a little theology for you. When Adam and Eve were first created by God, they were perfect in every way. They had spirits that were completely connected with God. However, sin corrupted those spirits, deflating them very much like a balloon is deflated. As a result, their communion with God suffered.
When one is “born of the Spirit,” that spirit is “re-inflated.” The Holy Spirit indwells the person and his or her spirit is revived. This is what makes a person “born again.”
This is one of the roles of the Holy Spirit as our Advocate. He comes to dwell inside of each believer so that there is that direct connection to God once again. It is through Him that a person is able to worship God “in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).” You are able to worship and honor God because His Spirit is inside of you.
That indwelling takes you from being a person led by your flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) to a person who is filled with the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Do you remember what the fruit of the spirit are?
The reason that you have this fruit is because the Holy Spirit is dwelling in you as His temple. He enables you to have love, peace, patience, kindness, joy, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
The Holy Spirit is helping you to grow from that old man, the one led by your flesh, to a new man led by Him. He is here as your Guide, explaining to you all truths about God and helping you to see the things that will come (John 16:13). Part of His role is to guide you in all truth.
He Seals You in Jesus
How do you know that you are saved?
This is one of the biggest challenges that many believers face. They are just not sure that they have been forgiven and are headed for heaven after they die. They wish that they knew for sure that they were saved.
The truth is that you can know you are be saved. There is absolute assurance in fact.
In 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, Paul tells us, “21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
In Ephesians 1:13, Paul writes, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.” Do you believe in Jesus and that He died for your sins? Then you can be sure that you have been sealed by the promise of the Holy Spirit.
God wants us to be absolutely sure that we belong to Jesus. How does He do this? By sealing us to Himself by giving us the Holy Spirit. This is the guarantee that we have. We no longer need to question whether we are saved or not. The Holy Spirit is indwelling in each one of us to assure us the truth that we are saved and have an eternal resting place with God.
Do you know that your salvation is secured because the Holy Spirit is dwelling inside of you?
If you have concerns that He is not with you, maybe you need to ensure that you have committed yourself to Jesus as Lord. Are you ready to do that?
He Is Our Teacher
The Holy Spirit is also our Teacher. Back in John 14:26, Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit would come and teach all things, bringing to remembrance what Jesus said. In 1 Corinthians 2:12-13, Paul explains, “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. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.”
The Holy Spirit helps us to understand the ways of God. He also teaches us how we should pray and helps us to understand spiritual truths. The reason that we are able to grasp the ways of God is because the Holy Spirit teaches us.
What are some ways of God you would like to know?
How do you think you could ask the Holy Spirit to help you with this?
The Spirit is there to help you even when you do not know what to pray. In Romans 8:26-27, Paul writes, “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.”
This is an interesting set of verses as many of us have no issue with knowing what to pray. By this point, hopefully you are praying and speaking with God quite often. However, there will be times when you simply don’t know what to say. Your frustration, weaknesses, challenges, and bitterness make it difficult for you to know what to say to God anymore. This is when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, interceding by giving you “groanings too deep for words.”
Have there been times where you simply did not know what to pray but some words or sounds came out of your mouth?
How do you think the Holy Spirit has helped you in your prayer life?
When you are struggling or challenged in your prayer life, this is the time to look to the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to help you.
Isaiah 11:2 provides us with some great insight about the Holy Spirit. Here it reads, “And 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 the fear of the Lord.”
Your Teacher is wisdom and understanding. He is counsel and might. He is knowledge. If you are looking for these things in your life, don’t you think it’s time to turn to the Holy Spirit to teach you?
When You Need Comfort
We have learned that the Holy Spirit is our Advocate. This word used in John 14:26 is παράκλητος (parakletos), which also means Comforter. Our God is not only one who advocates on our behalf, fighting and speaking for us. He is also there as our Comforter, helping us through our difficult times. He is our Helper. He is there for you when you are feeling defeated.
Are you facing challenges in your life right now?
How do you think the Holy Spirit can help you?
Could you use the comfort of the Holy Spirit right now?
One of the most important ways that the Holy Spirit helps you is when you are facing persecution. In John 15:20, Jesus explained that we will face persecution because He did. Many will hate us because of our belief in Jesus. This can be difficult to face, but we have an Advocate, a Helper who helps us through these challenges.
Truthfully, you do not face persecution on the level that many do. There have been millions of Christians who had been martyred for their faith. That still occurs in many countries across the planet. So, we may not truly understand the persecution that some face.
However, you are going to face persecution. Even in this country there are times when people will attack you because of your faith. They may be family members or friends, neighbors or coworkers, or maybe even someone you barely know. When you face these types of challenges, know that the Holy Spirit is there to assist you, to comfort you.
Your God Is Always with You
In Matthew 1:21-23, we are told of the birth of Jesus. Jesus was born of a woman, Mary, but his father was God Himself, the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20). It is why Jesus was both man and God.
It tells us in Matthew 1:23 that He would be born of a virgin and that He would be called “Immanuel.” Immanuel means “God with us,” and the name spoke to the fact that God would live and dwell among us in the form of Jesus.
While Jesus does not walk the earth now, the truth is that the believer still has God living among him or her in the form of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is indwelling each one of us, meaning that we still have God with us.
We always have God here as our Comforter, Teacher, Advocate, and Guide. No matter what challenges you face, what fears you have, or what persecution comes your way, know that God is not only indwelling in you, but is leading and guiding you everywhere you go.
The purpose of this lesson was to teach you that God is always with you in many roles. He did not just come to save you from and pay the debt for your sins. He came to be a continual guide to help you through your struggles. He is always there for you, wanting to help you to overcome your challenges.
What are areas in your life where you need the Holy Spirit to help guide you?
Are you asking the Holy Spirit to help you to overcome the struggles you face?
Are you asking the Holy Spirit to help lead you into making smart decisions?
Memory Verse: 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.
Bible Passages for the Week:
Monday – 1 Corinthians 6:19
Tuesday – Acts 1:8
Wednesday – Isaiah 11:2
Thursday – John 14:26
Friday – Romans 8:26-27
Saturday – Pick a passage from Scripture that teaches you about the Holy Spirit.
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