Holy Spirit
Key Verse
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
– 2 Corinthians 3:17
Basic Biblical Understanding
When we trust in Jesus to forgive us for our sins, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, a gift that will never be taken away. We can’t earn the gift or work for it. We receive Him by faith. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit baptizes, fills, comes upon, falls on, dwells in, and is poured out on believers; but this all refers to the moment of salvation when the Holy Spirit comes to live permanently inside the believer. So wonderful a gift is this that Jesus actually said receiving the Holy Spirit was more advantageous to the disciples than Jesus staying and living among them! We should ask God to help us better appreciate this divine gift.
So mysterious at times, the Holy Spirit nonetheless holds the key to our deepest, most personal questions about the Christian faith. When we wonder if we’re truly saved, the Holy Spirit “bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). When we wonder if God’s promises are truly meant for us, the Holy Spirit is “the guarantee of our inheritance” (Ephesians 1:14) that we will possess in eternity with God. The Holy Spirit makes believers spiritually alive, or born again, and the Spirit also causes us to grow in holiness.
Jesus compared the Holy Spirit living in believers to “rivers of living water” flowing out of their hearts (John 7:38). The Spirit moves us from defeat to victory over sin and pours God’s love into our hearts. When we have the Spirit, we see His fruit in our lives: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23). Sometimes Christians choose to be led by worldly things or old habits instead of letting the Spirit lead us in the ways of God. When that happens, we won’t grow in the fruit of the Spirit because we’re suppressing His work in our lives. We should ask God to show us any areas where we aren’t being led by the Spirit and ask for His help submitting those areas to Him.
The Bible tells us that, like Jesus and God the Father, the Holy Spirit is fully God, not an impersonal force or an “it.” He has a personality, a mind (Romans 8:27), and a will (Acts 16:6–11). The Holy Spirit guides us into truth (John 16:13), tells us about Jesus (John 15:26), and prays for us when we don’t know how to pray for ourselves (Romans 8:26). He is our great Helper (John 14:26), and when we’re confronted with our weaknesses, it’s the Holy Spirit living in us who helps us to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” (Colossians 1:9–10).
Verses (ask God to to show you how they apply to your life)
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
– John 14:26
“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.”
– Romans 8:9
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”
– Romans 8:26
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
– Galatians 5:22–23
Helpful Questions and Application
Why do we call the Holy Spirit a gift?
What are some of the ways the Holy Spirit works in our lives as believers?
Are there any areas where you are not being led by the Holy Spirit? Ask God to help you submit those areas to Him.
Additional Resources
Scripture references: Ecclesiastes 3:1–4, Psalm 37:23–24, Psalm 73:26, Revelation 21:4
WordTruth Article:
“Holy Spirit: The Divine Developer”
“Spirit-filled and Grace-Reliant”