The Holy Spirit

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy
Ghost: and these three are one. 1 John 5:7

God is a Trinity, made up of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. The Bible says that
these three are one. This is not an easy truth to understand. It means more than that
these three agree perfectly, though that is true. It means more than that they have
equal power, though that is true. What it does mean is that in their very nature they
are actually one.

Another truth which sheds some light on the mystery of the trinity is the nature of man.
God created man as body, soul and spirit, a “trinity.” When I speak of myself I refer to
myself not as just a body, though I have a body. Nor do I speak of myself as just a soul,
though I have a soul. I am body, soul and spirit. These three exist together as one
person. This is part of what God meant when he says that he created man in His own
image.

So God created man in his own image, ... Genesis 1:27
... for in the image of God made he man. Genesis 9:6

Even though we don’t fully understand the Trinity, we can still know God in a personal
way. That, in fact, is the greatest need of every person - to know God. But knowing
God is more than an intellectual study of the facts about God such as the Triinty. A
Christian is a person who has a relationship with God. That relationship begins at the
moment we repent of our sin and receive Jesus Christ by faith as Savior. At that
moment the Holy Spirit begins to dwell within us.

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.
Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Romans 8:9

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Romans 8:14

The Father is in heaven and Jesus Christ, the Son, after his resurection, ascended from
earth back to heaven. Then He sent the Holy Spirit to be with us.

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the
Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: John 15:26

Jesus said to his disciples shortly before He ascended to heaven:

... but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. Acts 1:5

Ten days later that promise of Jesus was fulfilled. Since that time the Holy Spirit dwells
in every believer from the moment he repents of sin and receieves Christ in faith.
Jesus spoke about this miracle of the new birth to a Pharisee named Nicodemus.

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not
tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
John 3:8

We experience the working of the Spirit of God without really understanding how it is
accomplished. Without the work of the Spirit of God we could not come to salvation.
Jesus told us that the Spirit of God would “reprove the world of sin.” Only when we
have been convinced of our lost condition and sinfulness can we experience the blessing
of salvation. Salvation occurs when we seek God’s forgiveness becuase we are grieved
over our lost condition. Men do not naturally do this. It requires the work of the Spririt
of God.

No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: ... John 6:44

God does this through the Holy Spirit.

And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of
judgment: John 16:8

But salvation is only the beginning. As we showed earlier, The Spirit of God begins to
dwell within us at the moment we are saved. He is not just passively present but
actively at work to guide and santify us so that our lives will honor God. According to
the Bible, He is our comforter, teacher and guide. Jesus said to His disciples:

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he
shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have
said unto you. John 14:26

Just how does the Spirit of God do this? Primarily through the Word of God, the Bible.
More than 40 men over 1500 years wrote the Bible, but the true author was the Holy
Spirit who worked through these men.

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For
the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as
they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 2 Peter 1:20-21

The Holy Spirit will cause us to understand and be affected spiritually by what we read
in the Bible. For this reason the Bible is far different and greater than any man made
book.

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow,
and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

The reason the Bible is powerful is because of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said the Holy Spirit is our “ Comforter.” So when we neeed help in times of
trouble - read the Bible!

Jesus said the Holy Spirit teaches us. So when we need answers to the dilemnas of life -
read theBible!

Jesus said the Holy Spirit will guide us. So when we need to find direction in life - read
the Bible!

Far too often Christians neglect the word of God. We spend too much time listening to
people’s opinions or reading the books of men and not listening to the Spirit of God. He
wants to speak to us, but without His Word, we will not hear Him!
The Bible is vital to our spiritual growth. But remember, the Bible is not just a man
made book, it is the living word of God, which the Spirit of God uses to comfort, teach
and guide us.

We learned that the Holy Spirit is one member of the Trinity.
... that the Holy Spirit convinces lost men of their need for salvation.
... that the Holy Spirit dwells in the believer from the moment of salvation.

This is what is known as the new birth. This fact, that the Holy Spirit actually dwells
within us, is an amazing and wonderful truth.

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye
might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the
world through lust. 2 Peter 1:4

We actually receive a new nature when God saves us and that nature is of God Himself.
It is the presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.
But some might ask: “Can the Holy Spirit stop dwelling within me?” In other words,
“Can I after being saved ever be lost again?”

The Bible says:

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of
redemption. Eph 4:30

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of
promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession, unto the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13-14

The “day of redemption” is when Jesus returns. In other words we have a guarantee
from God that we belong to Him. That guarantee lasts as long as we live, until Jesus
returns! That is why Jesus promised:

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them
eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my
hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck
them out of my Father's hand. John 10:27-29

Eternal life is eternal! That should be obvious, but it is sad that so many people believe
and teach that a child of God can lose his salvation.

The fact that our salvation is secure gives us a wonderful sense of confidence and hope.
That hope is in God, not in self, and that is why it is secure. Thank God that our
salvation does not depend on us. It is God that saves us and it is God that keeps us!
But salvation is on only the beginning of our Christian life. The Holy Spirit’s presence
gives us much more than just a guarantee for the future. His presence influences us
even now.

The Bible describes the effect of the Holy Spirit in the believers life.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's
have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also
walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying
one another. Galatians 5:22-26

To live in the Holy Spirit means that we have been born again. This is the spiritual life
that begins the moment we are saved. It is the life that results from the dwelling of the
Holy Spirit within us which can never be taken away.

But this verse also says, “ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” In order
to walk in the Spirit the Christian must willingly follow the Spirit of God.
It is a day by day choice.

It is a moment by moment choice!

The result is what verse 22 describes as the “fruit of the Spirit.”
An apple tree is called an apple tree because it is supposed to produce apples. But if the
soil and weather conditions are bad then it may not produce good apples.
So it is with the Christian. The quality of our Christian life depends on whether we
provide the proper conditions for producing the fruit of the Spirit. We do this by
“walking in the Spirit”. I don’t know anyone who would not want love, joy and peace in
their life. But true love, joy and peace is not something we can produce. Only the Spirit
of God can bring this fruit into our life. What we must do is make the choices that allow
the Spirit of God to effectively work in our life. In the negative sense that means not
doing anything to “grieve” the Holy spirit.

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of
redemption. Ephesians 4:30

Yielding to the flesh will grieve the Holy Spirit.

And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Galatians 5:24

We must strive against sin in our life. It is a daily fight and we must be do it with all
our strength. It is not salvation we are fighting to earn, but rather the fruit of the
Spirit. If we provide the right conditions then our apple tree will produce many, good
apples! Since the fruit we desire is the “fruit of the Spirit”, it stands to reason we must
not grieve the Spirit with sin. We must confess our sin to God.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness. I John 1,9

So, in the negative sense, we must not grieve the Spirit of God with unconfessed sin.
But, in the positive sense we must ask for the fullness of the Spirit of God.

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that
knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will
he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he
shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give
good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy
Spirit to them that ask him? Luke 11:10-13

The most important thing the Christian should ask in prayer is for the fullness of the
Spirit of God. As we learned earlier, every true believer has the Spirit of God dwelling in
them. Asking for the Spirit of God does not mean asking for Him to dwell in us, but
rather for him to fully control us and work in and through us.
There are negative things that hinder the growth of an apple tree, such as rocks and
sand in the soil.There are positive things however that promote its growth such as
sunshine and water. So it is with the fruit of the Spirit - We need to confess our sin,
and ask for the Holy Spirit.

Allow me to say in closing that we live in troubled times, full of hate and fear. We
desperately need Christians who are producing the fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace -
not the works of the flesh. If each of us will seek to be filled with the Spirit then we will
produce the fruit of the Spirit. That is, in fact, the greatest need of these troubled
times and has always been the greatest need of man in
every age.

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath,
strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:
of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do
such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such
there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections
and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:19-25