Over the next few weeks, several of us are going to be writing about the Holy Spirit. I’ll get us started with some general truths about God the Holy Spirit. Next week we’ll learn a little more on what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit. Several others will write about the everyday aspects of life in the Holy Spirit. I pray that you may grow in thankfulness for the Holy Spirit and His great work in our lives.
He is a He
Sometimes Christians speak of the Holy Spirit as an impersonal force. I find myself slipping into that thinking sometime, speaking of Him in Star Wars “may the force be with you” language and thinking. He is a Person of the Trinity, and the Bible describes Him in personal language. We are warned against grieving the Holy Spirit of God (Ephesians 4:30). Forces don’t get grieved. Gravity doesn’t get mad when you ignore it. It simply exists no matter what your opinion of it. The Holy Spirit does interact and encounter believers in interpersonal ways.
Along this same vein, He is a person not a feeling. Feelings may not be related to His presence. The joy which is the fruit of His work in a disciple’s life is not mere emotion. Someone might say, “I didn’t feel the Holy Spirit in worship today”. As He is the omnipresent God, He was definitely present. I’m not saying that a more intimate discipleship doesn’t have an emotional component, but it is wise to be more careful about our feelings. If I don’t sleep well before a Sunday service, my emotional experience of worship is different than those nights when I got a full night of deep, stress-free sleep. Is God the Holy Spirit less present in my life those days? On an emotional level, I don’t feel as good - He seems distant. But in reality, He is still present.
In truth, we can enjoy Him more fully than we do now. The process of Christian growth called sanctification is designed to shape us into the image of Christ, and to draw us into greater intimacy with God the Holy Spirit. You are not destined to remain where you are. You can and must grow!
He is sent from the Father, the Spirit of Christ
God the Holy Spirit is described as a gift that flows from God the Father through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:26). We do not need to follow seven steps, or climb seven stories, or pray seven prayers properly. He is God the Father’s gift to all who believe in God the Son (Ephesians 1:13-14). All who have believed in Christ alone and rely on faith alone have the Holy Spirit. That doesn’t mean we are filled with Him all the time, as the commandment to “be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18-20) suggests.
Spirit of Jesus
Often He is called the Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:7), the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9; 1 Peter 1:11) or the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:19). When the Holy Spirit is influencing us, He is pulling us towards the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. He is doing all He can to make us love Jesus, follow Jesus, and obey Jesus. How do I know if something is a legitimate experience of the Holy Spirit? Do you love, follow, obey and worship Jesus - the Jesus in the Bible - more than before? If so, the Holy Spirit has been at work.
God’s gift of the Holy Spirit comes to honor God’s Son Jesus. We may not have Jesus physically present, but He can be present and powerful still in our lives. He is with us. He is in us through the Holy Spirit.
An Example of his work: Ephesians 3:14-19
This great prayer was the object of intense study and devotion in my sabbatical. Of the many things I can and will say about this prayer, I will say only one today. All three Persons of God are in this prayer. God the Father wants our spirits (the innermost you) to grow stronger so that we know Jesus’ love more fully. So fully in fact, that we can be “filled to all the fullness of God”. All three Persons are involved in a process of growth that results in an awareness of Jesus’ love that fills our lives immensely. Amazing language!
I trust that this gets you thinking about God the Holy Spirit. Jesus is with us today.
In Christ,
Don Ward