What the Bible Says About the Holy Spirit

(Genesis 1:2) The most misunderstood and misrepresented Person of the Godhead is the Holy Spirit. How well do you know the Spirit of God? We are introduced to Him on the first page of the Bible and it is time we all got to know Him better. (0945250219) ----more----

An Introduction to the Holy Spirit

Have you met the Holy Spirit? Some people refer to the Holy Spirit like He's an object or a thing or a force, but in fact, He is a real person. Co equal, co existent, co eternal with God the Father and God the Son. And the first time we meet Him is not on the day of Pentecost. 

The First Mention of the Holy Spirit

The first time we meet Him is in Genesis chapter 1. It's amazing to me, really, how many of these great doctrinal truths begin on the opening pages of Scripture. Someone called Genesis 1:11 a seedbed of doctrine, and they said that every major truth in the Bible can be found in seed form in the opening chapters of Genesis. I think that's beautiful.

Genesis 1 verse 1 says, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." Now, did you catch that? The Spirit of God, right there He is, in the creation. Remember, God is a Spirit. And the Spirit of God is at work in the creative work. He's hovering, He's brooding over His creation from the very beginning. He's involved in creation. 

The Holy Spirit as the Breath of God

The psalmist said in Psalm 33:6, "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." The Holy Spirit literally is the breath of God.

Job said in Job 33:4, "The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life." So the Holy Spirit is the creator. The Holy Spirit is the one who gave you life. When God breathed into Adam the breath of life, and man became a living soul, the Holy Spirit was at work. That same Holy Spirit that breathed into man and the creation is the same Holy Spirit we find in Scripture that gave us the Word.

The Bible says that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. Literally, God breathed it out. It is the work of His Holy Spirit. Second Peter 1:21, "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." Second Samuel 23:2, "The Spirit of the Lord spake by me and His Word was in my tongue. Amen." This book we're studying, this Bible, you have the Holy Spirit to thank for that.

Here's what's wonderful, if you're a Christian, the Author lives in your heart. The Holy Spirit, who gave the Word, lives inside of you. Ask Him to help you understand it. He'll help you. Talk to the Author today. I do love the Holy Spirit. Oh, I do love the Holy Spirit. I love the Holy Spirit because everything I know about God, the Holy Spirit taught me.

I say that with authority and conviction because it's impossible to understand spiritual truth apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. So everything I know about Jesus, everything I know about God, everything I know about the Bible, I know because of the Holy Spirit. He's our teacher. 

The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament

We see Him in the Old Testament. In Genesis 6 verse 3, He is the restrainer of wickedness. The Lord said, "My spirit shall not always strive with man. He was holding back wickedness." We see Him enabling believers, even in the Old Testament, for special service. For example, in Genesis 41, the Spirit of God was seen on Joseph. Numbers 27:18 the Lord said to Moses, "Take thee, Joshua, the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit."

Daniel 4, verse 8, they recognize that Daniel had the Spirit of God. We know that the prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit. Samuel was moved by the Spirit of God. The Lord poured the horn of oil anointing David in 1 Samuel 16 verse 13, and the Bible says<
"The Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward." The Spirit of the Lord came on Samson. Over and over again, the Holy Spirit was working in the Old Testament in the lives of men. 

The Holy Spirit in the Life of Christ

Then we see Him in the life of Christ. In His conception, Luke 1:35, the Holy Ghost came upon Mary. The power of the highest overshadowed her. Where do you think the Lord Jesus came from? He had no earthly father. So He was conceived of the Holy Ghost. That's a powerful thought. Matthew 1:20 says, "That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." The Holy Spirit came at the baptism of Christ. You remember that beautiful dove, that picture of purity and peace coming down from heaven, lighting upon the Lord Jesus? And it's beautiful. There's no record that the dove ever left Him. It's symbolic of the fact that the Holy Spirit came upon Christ. But he never left Him. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came and went. He didn't indwell every believer consistently all the time. He came and went. But when Christ came, He came and stayed.

And when you come to know the Lord Jesus and Christ comes to live in you, Oh dear brother, dear sister, the Holy Spirit doesn't come and go. He comes and abides with you forever. The Bible says of Christ that He was filled with the Spirit, and He was led of the Spirit. All through His earthly ministry. He was empowered by the Holy Spirit to do miracles, and He ministered in that power.

Even in His death. His death at the cross was in the power of the Holy Spirit. Hebrews 9 verse 14 says, "How much more shall the blood of Christ Who through the eternal Spirit, offered himself without spot to God. Purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God." The Holy Spirit was at work in the life of Christ.

He was at work in His resurrection. Two, Romans one, verse four. He is declared to be the son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. But now here's where it gets good and here's where it gets very personal. The same Holy Spirit that worked in the Old Testament and that worked in the life of Christ is at work in your life today.

Listen to Romans 8 verse 11. But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you. I tell you, I just want to stop right now and say praise God. Thank the Lord for this.

The same Holy Spirit that moved in creation is moving in my life. The same Holy Spirit that empowered men in the Old Testament wants to empower me today. And the same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, that same resurrection power and person lives inside of me at this moment. The Holy Spirit of God is at work in every stage of history, all through the Word of God, in the lives of all of those who will be yielded and open to Him.

The Holy Spirit in the New Testament Church

In the New Testament we see that He came to indwell every believer on the day of Pentecost. In the Acts chapter 1, verse number 5, Christ said that He would come and guess what? He came. Peter said in Acts chapter number 11 that the Holy Ghost came upon the Gentiles just as much as He did the Jews. That's glorious. That's powerful. Acts chapter 2 is the great record of that event when the Holy Spirit came to indwell every believer on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit works in and through His church. You can study that all through the New Testament. But here's the point. 

Personal Application of the Holy Spirit's Work

Is the Holy Spirit working in you today? And maybe the better question is, are you allowing the Holy Spirit of God to work in and through your life? See, if you're not careful, you can study doctrinal things and it seems so so mystical and so distant when it's supposed to be personal and a living reality in you. They said of a great preacher of a bygone generation that his doctrine was all application, and his application was all truth and was all doctrine. I really like that. You don't separate what you believe from how you behave. So if you believe the Holy Spirit is God and you believe the Holy Spirit has come to live inside of you because you've trusted Christ as your Savior, and you believe the Holy Spirit is all powerful and all present and all wise, then I wonder, how's that going to affect your life today?

Are you going to yield yourself to the control of the Holy Spirit? Ephesians 5 18 says, And be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit. Will you say to the Holy Spirit right now, I want you to control me today. I yield myself to you today. Holy Spirit of God, have your way with me.

I hope and pray today that you'll let what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit affect what you do with your life today. Or may I should say, what He does with your life today. Let the Holy Spirit have His way with you. Repeating what other people have said about the Bible is not enough. We must know the biblical reason behind what we believe.

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