Romans 5 : 5 « and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.»
Many of us, even though we read the
Bible and have experienced the manifestation of God's Spirit in our lives, are
confused as to the definition of the person of the Holy Spirit. Through this
text, we'll try to share some of the answers, with the guidance of the Holy
Spirit.
Who is the Holy Spirit ?
In the Bible, we can find many
representations of the Holy Spirit. But all these representations lead us to
one idea: the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God through whom He operates in the
universe (prophetic revelations, revelation of His will, operation of miracles,
etc.). He is like the bridge that links us to God. Let's explore some of these
representations.
1. The Book of
Genesis, through the story of creation, presents the Holy Spirit as the force
that brought into existence what God ordained. He materialized God's thought.
God commanded and the Holy Spirit carried out His thought.
Genesis1 :2-3 « 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. 3And God said,
Let there be light: and there was light. »
2. The Old and New Testaments present the Holy Spirit as the Spirit who helps us to know good from evil. He acts as our conscience, for it is He who convicts us of sin. He guides us by communicating God's principles and teaching us God's ways. So it's thanks to Him that we can live in a way that is pleasing to God.
Ézékiel 36: 27 « And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. »
Psalm 143: 10 « Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: Thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. »
Galatians 5: 22 « But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith. »
Galatians 5: 17 « For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other:
so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.»
3. The Holy
Spirit is the Revealer of the Person of God. It is He who leads us to the
knowledge of God. And the Bible tells us that it is through Him that we believe
in Jesus as Savior.
Ephesians 1: 17-18 « that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: he eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints»
Romans 8: 16 « The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God »
1 Corinthians
12: 3 « Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the
Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the
Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. »
4. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit who reveals to us the thoughts of God, the things to come, and the hidden things of God that our minds cannot understand. God's prophecies are communicated to us by the Holy Spirit, the hidden meaning of a Bible verse is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. That's why it is recommended to pray, to ask for the help of the Holy Spirit before reading the Bible; He is also represented as knowledge, wisdom.
2 Peter 1 : 21 « 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. »
Acts 13 : 2 « As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. »
Acts 1 : 16 « Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. »
Colossians 2 : 2-3 « that their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; 3in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge »
1 Corinthians 2 : 10 « But God hath revealed them unto
us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of
God »
5. The Holy Spirit is our intercessor before God. Since only the Spirit can fathom the depths of God and reveal His will, we cannot pray according to God's will without the help of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 6 : 18 « praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints »
Romans 8 : 26-27 « Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. »
6. The Holy Spirit is the power by which we work miracles in the manifestation of our gifts and talents, for He is the giver of gifts and talents and the power that activates them.
1 Corinthians 12: 7-11 « But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. »
In conclusion, the Holy Spirit is God's grace for Christians to walk in
righteousness, to be witnesses for Jesus Christ, to work miracles as He did,
and to proclaim God's truth.
Isaiah 61 : 1-3 «
The
Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach
good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that
are bound; 2to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of
vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3to appoint unto them that
mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning,
the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called
trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. »
Thus, He is the power by which the
person of God is revealed to the world through us, being the Spirit of God
Himself and helping us to attain the perfect stature of God.
Ephesians 4 : 13 « till we all come
in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a
perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ »
Titus 3 : 5 « not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost »
The Holy Spirit is an integral component
of the Godhead.
1 Corinthians 2 : 11 « For
what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?
even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.»