The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead; He is a living, breathing being. He is the Spirit of God, so He is God. He is the most misunderstood Person of the Godhead. Many know and accept God the Father and Jesus the Son, but when you mention the Holy Spirit, you will often be met with a blank stare, an enquiring look, or both! Those who should know Him often don’t, and those who are not obliged to know Him have no thoughts.
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God's Spirit is God but functions externally to God. In comparison, the human spirit lives within the person, but we cannot separate our body from our spirit and remain alive. It would kill us! But God exists, and His Spirit also exists as a separate Spiritual Being. In the first book of the Bible, Genesis 1 verse 2, we know that in the beginning, when God created the world, the Holy Spirit was present and active.
There is a general acceptance that God and Jesus are in heaven but a refusal to accept that the Holy Spirit dwells within us and is on earth. It is a genuine challenge for the world. Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit often and tells us that the world cannot accept Him because they don’t know Him. He dwells within us, but not against our will, only when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour and ask Him [the Holy Spirit] to fill us with His holy presence.
The Holy Spirit empowers us for the spiritual journey ahead. When we pray to God in the name of Jesus, the power comes from God the Father through the Son, who instructs the Holy Spirit to carry out the work in us. Everything we receive from Jesus is given to us by the Holy Spirit. Only through the Holy Spirit can we find our purpose and fulfil our destiny.
He is the active person of the Godhead at the forefront of humanity, leading us into all truths. When you become a Christian, you should seek to be baptised (to be filled to overflowing, fully emersed) with the power of the Holy Spirit. The Apostles could only begin their work once Jesus returned to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to continue where He had left off. Jesus told the Apostles, "But you will receive power and ability when the Holy Spirit comes upon you" [Acts 1:8 NKJV]. Jesus often speaks of the Holy Spirit, who is God's promise to the world to help us to live to His standard and to live according to our calling. Jesus directs the Holy Spirit to comfort us when facing difficulties.
Jesus baptises us with the Holy Spirit to teach, empower and lead us into all truths on our faith journey. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and anything else we need to live. The Best Journey Ever: A Simple Guide Through Christianity [available March 2021] provides further explanation of the Holy Spirit and the third work of Grace, which is to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Scriptures
Isaiah 11: 1-2 [AMP version]
Then a Shoot (the Messiah) will spring from the stock of Jesse [David’s father], And a Branch from his roots will bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him— [Jesus] The Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, The Spirit of counsel and strength, The Spirit of knowledge and the [reverential and obedient] fear of the Lord
Recommended Reading
Acts 1 - Power from the Holy Spirit John 16:13 - The Spirit of Truth
Next in the series: What is Heaven?
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