To round out our exploration of who God is, we turn our attention to the Holy Spirit. In many ways, the Spirit seems like the most mysterious or elusive person of the Trinity. But when we look carefully at how the Bible speaks of the Spirit, we see more clearly who He is and how the followers of God relate to Him.
Scripture shows us that the Spirit is sent to us to be an abiding presence, and He plays an important role in our salvation (Jn. 14:16–17; Eph. 2:22; Jn. 3:6). The washing and renewal that we receive through salvation is accomplished by the Spirit (Tit. 3:5). Through the Spirit, we learn and are able to mature (Jn. 14:26; 2 Thess. 2:13). This maturity comes from living day by day in the Spirit, or as Paul phrased it, “keep[ing] in step with the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25). When we do that, the Spirit produces good fruit in us (Gal. 5:22–23).
The Spirit also equips us to do work for the Kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 12 lists some of the gifts the Spirit gives to help us do the work He has for each of us. Some people have a little extra wisdom than the rest of us, and others have uncanny discernment to see and understand the spiritual struggles people around them are having. Whatever gifts we have been given, it’s important that we remember the same Spirit is working through each of us, so the way He is leading us will always stay consistent with what we know of Him through His word.
God also communicates His love to us through the Spirit (Rom. 5:5). One of the best examples we have of this in Scripture is the moment when Jesus was baptized. As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, the Spirit of God descended on Him, and everyone present heard the Father say, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased” (Matt. 3:17). In the same way, we should remember that the fact God gives us His Spirit to dwell within us is one of the greatest acts of love we will ever receive.
So we see that the Spirit is active, moving with the same will and power as the Father and the Son. And even though we can’t see Him, He is deeply personal to all of His followers. Along with the Father and the Son, we can confidently say that the Spirit is God.
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1 Comment
Understanding the idea of the Holy Spirit has always been a difficult concept, for me, to understand. The above reading was written, in such a way, that I understand that the Holy Spirit is God, residing in us. How wonderful is that.