GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
BY
ABIMBOLA SALU.
God the Holy Spirit is the third person in the blessed Holy Trinity. Even though He is a spirit, he is alive and is a person. He exists in unity with God the Father and God the Son and as God the Holy Spirit, He completes the triumvirate.
Our first contact with the Holy Spirit is in the book of Genesis 1 v. 2
“ Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
Thus like God the Son, He also existed with God the Father from the beginning of time and he is also a creator [see psalm 104 v.30]
The divinity of the Holy Spirit is established through the names of God he bears. He is called “ Lord”[see 2 Corinthians 3 v. 18], “God” [see Acts 5 v. 3-4],”Spirit” [see 1 Corinthians 2 v. 10- 16], “Spirit of God” [see 1 Corinthians 12 v. 11],“Spirit of the Lord”[see Acts 5 v.9] and “the spirit of Truth” [see John 15 v. 26].
The Holy Spirit is alive, active and has a will [see 1 Corinthians 12 v. 11] He speaks [see for example Acts 8 v. 29] where the Bible records
“The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” See also Acts 13 v. 2 where it is recorded that “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,’ Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them”.
His divinity is also established by the divine attributes ascribed to him. The Holy Spirit is omniscient, that is, he knows everything. [See 1 Corinthians 2 v.10 - 11]
“The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. “
He is infinitely wise. He is also omnipresent, that is, he is present everywhere at once. [See Psalm 139 v.7- 10]
“ Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
Even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”]
The Holy Spirit is the only person or power that has the ability to be present everywhere at once. It used to be that people thought that the devil could be presents everywhere at once. However, Job 2 v. 1-3 debunks this idea. The Bible records in these verses that
“On another day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. And the LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"
Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."
If, as Satan said that he had been roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it, then it shows how limited his powers are. He cannot be everywhere at the same time.
The Holy Spirit is Omnipotent, that is he has unlimited and universal powers. He is all- powerful [see Luke 1 v.35], which says
“The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God”.
The Holy Spirit can manifest itself in many ways. He came down on the Apostles on the day of Pentecost as tongues of fire [see Acts 2 v. 3] He came down with force and power and the sound were likened to the “blowing of a violent wind”. This is a confirmation of what John the Baptist foretold about Jesus Christ. In Mathew 3 v. 11, John the Baptist said
"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire”.
Compare this with the same Holy Spirit that descended from heaven on the day that Jesus was baptized. The Bible records that “ as soon as he was baptized, he went out of the water .At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ promised to send “the Comforter”i.e the Holy Spirit to his disciples after his death. [See John 14 v. 15 to 18] which says, “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
Also in the same chapter 14 at verses 25 to 26, he said
“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
After his death and resurrection, he appeared to his Disciples over a period of 40 days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.
They asked him if he was going to restore the kingdom of Israel and He said to them:
"It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." [See Acts 1 v.7 - 8]
This promise was fulfilled in Acts 2 v.1-21, 32 to 33 and 38 - 39. Where it is recorded:
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine. Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
" ’in the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions;
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Verses 32 to 33 `
“God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
In Verses 38 and 39 “Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."
The Holy Spirit gives boldness to speak. After the Apostles had received the gift of the Holy Spirit, Simeon Peter who denied Jesus before his death became a changed man. [See Mathew 26 v. 31- 35 for an account of how Jesus predicted Peter’s denial and the fulfillment of that prediction in Mathew 26 v. 69 –75]. Through the anointing power of the Holy Spirit, Peter confessed the risen Christ. He made a powerful speech on the day of Pentecost when onlookers thought that those who had received the gift of the Holy Spirit were filled with new wine.
Again, in Acts 3 v. 8-12, after Peter had healed the lame man sitting by the beautiful gate and was challenged, he gave another beautiful speech filled with courage and boldness. Here we see the power of the Holy Spirit at work in him. Indeed, by the time he was released and the Apostles prayed the “Believers Prayer”[see Acts 3 v. 23-31”
"Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
" ’why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One. Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."] The Bible records that after they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
The gift of the Holy Spirit was initially thought to be a privilege of only the Jews. However, this gift was also released unto the Gentiles, thus making it a gift for as many as believe and confess the name of Jesus Christ. Cornelius, a God-fearing Centurion in the Italian army was a gentile who had a vision. The Angel of God instructed him to send for Simeon Peter. Meanwhile, the next day, Simeon Peter who was in Joppa had a vision in which he saw a large sheet containing all kinds of animals, reptiles and birds. A voice instructed him to go and eat. However he replied that he has never anything that was unclean. The voice told him” Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” Peter did not understand the meaning of this dream. Not long afterwards, the men sent by Cornelius came by and Peter went with them. When Peter got to the house of Cornelius, he began to tell them the good news of Jesus Christ. Before he finished his speech however, the Holy Spirit descended on those who were there present and they all began to prophesy and speak in tongues. The circumcised believers who were present were astonished that gentiles could also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. There and then, Peter proceeded to baptize these gentiles with water.
The Holy Spirit gives us access into the presence of God. Ephesians 2 v. 18 says:
’For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit cleanses us from all unrighteousness. 1 Peter 1 v. 2 says
“Who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood”?
The Holy Spirit is a giver of gifts. 1 Corinthians 12 v. 7-11 confirms this
“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
The Holy Spirit guides us in truth. In John 16 v.13 it is recorded
”But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”
The Holy Spirit intercedes for us. See Romans 8 v.26-27
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”
The Holy Spirit produces fruits [see Galatians 5 v. 22-23
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. “
Apart from the works of the Holy Spirit already discussed above, there are so many things that the Holy Spirit does .For example, He gives us access to God [see Ephesians 2 v. 18], He raises from the dead [see Romans 8 v. 11], He sanctifies [see Romans 15 v. 16] and He strengthens [See Ephesians 3 v. 16].
Just like a human being, we can commit sins against the Holy Spirit. Such sins include the sin of blasphemy [see Mathew 12 v. 31], sin of unbelief or resisting the Holy Spirit [see Acts 7 v. 51] and insulting the Holy Spirit [see Hebrews 10 v. 29]. Also, He can be grieved [see Ephesians 4 v. 30] and He can be quenched [see 1 Thessalonians 5v.19].
This “power from on high” is available to all believers and to those who confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Let us all draw near to drink from this “fountain of living waters “to quench our thirst and refresh our souls. A closer walk with the Holy Spirit is what we all need in our Christian lives. May He grant us the grace to experience him more than we can ever think of or imagine, Amen.
