Preserving Sound Doctrine

Dr. Thomas Kehn

Perhaps, like me, you have sometimes wondered about and even wrestled with fully understanding who the Holy Spirit really is and what He actually does for us. If so, then it’s time to reconsider what we think we know about the Holy Spirit regarding his presence and involvement in our lives.

Arguably, when it comes to a theology about The Holy Spirit, ignorance is not bliss. As committed followers of Christ and faithful adherers to God’s word, it is essential that one have a clear understanding of who the Holy Spirit really is and what he is not. Additionally, it is needful to recognize the practical implications of the Spirit’s presence in our lives. Therefore, every believer should seek to better comprehend the fundamental truths about the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

This article will attempt to address this need by answering the following theological questions:

·      WHO, Actually, is the Holy Spirit Anyway?

·      WHAT is the Holy Spirit’s Role in a Believer?

·      HOW Should the Holy Spirit Impact One’s Life?

For a more expanded Biblical treatise on the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit, refer to my booklet entitled, The Holy Spirit – Moving From Confusion to Infusion.

Click on the following link:

Who, Actually, is the Holy Spirit, Anyway?

Let’s be clear, the Holy Spirit is a Who, not a What. He is a person, not a thing, force or it! A.W. Tozer, in his book, How to Be Filled with the Holy Spirit, correctly explains, “The Holy Spirit…is a person. Put that down in capital letters – that the Holy Spirit is…a Person, with all the qualities and powers of personality. He is not matter, but He is substance…if you think of the Holy Spirit as being literally a wind, a breath, then you think of Him as non-personal and non-individual. But the Holy Spirit has a will and intelligence, and feeling, and knowledge, and sympathy, and ability to love and see and think and hear and speak and desire, the same as a person has.”

The Apostle Paul provides some rather remarkable insights regarding the Holy Spirit’s Triune nature in Romans 8. He appropriately identifies the Holy Spirit as…

·      The Spirit of God, the Father (Rom. 8:11)

·      The Spirit of God, Christ the Son (Rom. 8:9-10) and…

·   The Spirit in God’s Children, the Saints (Rom. 8:14-15)

The Spirit of God, the Father

The Holy Spirit possesses the exact nature and fullness of deity as does God Almighty. He is…well, Holy, and only God is Holy. “There is no one holy like the Lord, no one besides you” (1 Samuel 2:2). “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty” (Rev. 4:8). When used in reference to the Holy Spirit, the word “He” has been capitalized intentionally to reinforce the truth that the Spirit is a person.

Consider the following verses which describe the Holy Spirit as God:

·      “The Spirit of God, was hovering over the waters.” Genesis 1:2

·      “The Spirit of God has made me.” Job 33:4

·      “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me.” Isaiah 61:1

·      “The Spirit of God lives in you” Romans 8:9 

Furthermore, we need to realize that when we say that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, it also incorporates the truth that He is the Spirit of God, the Father. 

·   “For this reason, I kneel before the Father…I pray that you out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” Ephesians 3:14-16

·   “I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God.” Ephesians 1:17 CEV

The Holy Spirit is not only identified as being the same as God the Father, but also the same as God the Son, Jesus Christ.

The Spirit of God, Christ the Son

Once more, A.W. Tozer explains, “There is nothing eerie, nothing queer, nothing contrary to the normal operations of a human heart, but the Holy Ghost. He is only the essence of Jesus imparted to believers.”

Consider these verses which indicate that the Holy Spirit is, actually, none other than the Spirit of Christ:

·      “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Romans 8:9

·      “God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying Abba Father.” Galatians 4:6

·      “The Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah.” 1 Peter 1:11

The Spirit in God’s Children, the Saints

“God’s holy people” or Saints (Eph. 1:1, Phil. 1:2, and Col. 1:2), have God’s Holy Spirit living in them. It’s the Holy Spirit in us that makes us holy. As his redeemed and adopted children, we have been spiritually transformed. The Spirit is now our guarantee that we belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), and that He is coming back for us (John 14:3).

The following passages emphasize these reassuring truths:

·      “And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised, and that he has purchased us to be his.” Ephesians 1:13-14. NLT

·      “In love, he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ…When you believed you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.” Ephesians 1:5, 13

·      “We have confidence before God…And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.” 1 John 3:21, 24

·       “God lives in us…God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him, and he in us.”  1 John 4:12-13.

In the previous passages, we can see that, not only does Christ live within his children, but also that each member of the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) is actively involved in every believer.  Jesus said, “How much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” Luke 11:1

The Apostle Paul wrote, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to know him better.” Ephesians 3:17 We can be assured that the Holy Spirit is God. As God, He is ONE in essence, yet THREE (Triune) in His presence. And because the Holy Spirit is God, His character is exactly the same as God the Father and God the Son. There is no diminishment of the Holy Spirit’s deity, regardless of the manner or personage of his presence.

WHAT is the Holy Spirit’s Role in a Believer?

Jesus was very forthright in his conversations with the twelve disciples about the Holy Spirit, especially at the time of the Last Supper. He explained to them the Holy Spirit’s role in the believer’s life. He is to…

·               Lead – “And I will ask the father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.“ John 14:16–17

·               Teach – “But when the Father sends the Holy Spirit – he will teach you everything and remind you of everything I have told you.” John 14:26 

·               Comfort – “I will send you the Comforter – the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.” John 15:26

·               Convict – “I go away, because if I don’t, the advocate won’t come…I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God‘s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.“ John 16:7-8 NLT

·               Guide – “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth… the Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.” John 16:14-15

·               Pray – “The Spirit is here to help us. For example, when we don’t know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us…He can understand what is in the mind of the Spirit, as the Spirit prays for God’s people.” Romans 8:26-27 CEV

·            Renew – “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.” Titus 3:5-6

·            Empower – “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Ephesians 3:16-17

Each of these descriptions asserts the important truths that the Holy Spirit is a person and is personal in his interactions with mankind. This is so, because it is only a person who can lead, teach, comfort, convict, guide, renew and empower. One should be greatly encouraged to know and believe that God’s Spirit is personally and actively engaged in the lives of all believers. It should also be noted that the Holy Spirit can experience sorrow and grief (Isaiah 63:10) which is something that an “it” or a force cannot do. Paul intoned, “And do not bring sorrow to God’s Spirit by the way you live.” Ephesians 4:30

In the Gospel of John, Jesus identified the Holy Spirit as our Advocate, Helper, Teacher and Comforter (14:16), depending on the translation’s rendering of the Greek word, parakaleo. The Holy Spirit is also identified as the source of Truth (15:26). Each of these additional descriptions should affirm and/or reaffirm in our hearts and minds the very personal nature of the Holy Spirit. 

Scripture makes it quite clear that when we are “born again” by the Spirit, we are made new in Christ and at that time in-dwelt (filled) with the fullness of the Holy Spirit:

·      “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ.” Col. 2:9-10

·      “God says, “I will pour out (generously) my Spirit upon all people.” Acts 2:17

·   “God gives…the Spirit without limit.” John 3:34

As one pastor noted, “This is a pouring out time—not a sprinkle, but a downpour—and many people know it not.” Anonymous 

One can glean from these verses that the Spirit of God has been given fully to all believers. It should be emphasized that the Holy Spirit is given in all of his fulness, not piece meal. As “born again” believers, we don’t lack any part or portion of the Spirit. It is not a matter of us needing more of the Spirit of God, but rather the Spirit of God wanting more of us.

Believers, both new and old, are admonished to not only be filled with, but also be controlled by, the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 5:18, the Apostle Paul reminds us of this command: “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.” NLT

How Should the Holy Spirit Impact One’s Life?

In other words, “What difference will it make when a believer is filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit?” Below are some suggested implications of the impact the Holy Spirit should make in one’s life:

1. Our Lives will Demonstrate More of God’s Leading!

The Apostle Paul provides some helpful insights concerning this issue in his writings to the Galatians and Romans. He wrote…

“All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Romans 8:14. ESV

“Walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those…who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” Romans 8:38-39

“Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” Galatians 5:25 NLT

The point is, we are to allow the Holy Spirit to influence both our heart and our mind, which in turn, can lead to a change in the way we feel, think and act. It should also impact the way we relate to and interact with others both inside and outside of the church.

2. Our Lives will Reflect More of God’s Character!

Paul continues with his admonitions to all believers:

“For all of you who were baptized into Christ (into a spiritual union with…the anointed) have clothed yourselves with Christ (that is, you have taken on his characteristics and values).” Galatians 3:27 AMP

“Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives, and you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves…which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And…when you are directed by the Spirit…the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:16-23 NLT

“Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with…the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.” Philippians 2:1-2

It is important to note that the Holy Spirit’s work of guiding, directing, and producing in us Christ’s character qualities, will be a direct result of us choosing to follow the Spirit’s leading in our lives. Though we will never be perfect, and we all struggle at times, the Holy Spirit can supernaturally transform us into the person he intends us to be and increase in us both a desire and ability to follow Christ’s example (1 Corinthians 11:1).

3. Our Lives will Display More of God’s Holiness!

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus so that…you may become blameless…without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Philippians 2:5, 15

“Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1

“My dear friends, we must not live to satisfy our desires. If you live by the help of God’s Spirit, you will say “No” to your desires. Rom. 8:12-13 CEV

In spite of our inherent limitations and temptations, we can pursue a greater degree of holiness in the way we live our lives. This pursuit of holiness will help motivate and mitigate our personal desires, attitudes and actions.

4. Our Lives will Project More of God’s Boldness!

Knowing that we are guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit should give us a greater degree of confidence in our Godly status and convictions which will enable us to project and exude more of Christ’s boldness. This confidence is based on the Spirit’s power, not our own, and his active presence in our lives.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace…so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13 ESV

“God’s Spirit makes us sure that we are his children. His Spirit lets us know that together with Christ we will be given what God has promised.” Rom. 8:16-17 CEV

“After they prayed…they were all filled with the Holy spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” Acts 4:31

Focusing on God’s promises and the Spirit’s presence in our lives will infuse in us a greater level of reassurance and strength in our spiritual walk. It becomes apparent that the presence of the Holy Spirit in us is intended to make a dramatic difference in how we think, feel and act.

Greg Laurie offers us a fitting reminder of this reality in his book Jesus Revolution. He writes, “(Jesus) calls those who follow him to be the visible manifestation of his love, and his truth. That’s a challenge we cannot meet without humility, personal and corporate repentance, and the fresh wind and power of his Holy Spirit.”

Holy Spirit of God, we ask that you bring to mind these spiritual nuggets of truth as often as is needed for us to more fully entrust ourselves to you. Remind us of what you have done for us in the past and what you will do for us in the present and in the future. Spirit of the living God, may we humbly rely on your presence and leading as we seek to honor and praise you as our redeemer, teacher, guide and comforter.