Who is the Holy Spirit?
Clarifying confusion about the Spirit
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth…” (John 14:16–17, ESV)
Let’s just cut through the fluff and get right to the point: I think many Christians today are either scared of the Spirit, unaware of the Spirit, or confused about the Spirit. Our Pentecostal and Charismatic brothers and sisters tend to be among the most comfortable with the Holy Spirit. But, to put it bluntly, they often seem to be a little off base (I say that with love as a former Pentecostal). Some of the excesses and questionable biblical theology within Pentecostalism have raised red flags among other branches of the Church.
As a result, many Christians are scared of the Spirit’s work. They tend to minimize the Holy Spirit to avoid the problematic practices in Charismatic churches. Usually, these believers place a very high value on Scripture, to the point where, as one pastor put it, “Our functional Trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Bible. We’ve completely missed the Spirit.” While I commend their commitment to God’s Word, I must say that it’s rarely a good idea to make decisions out of fear. We should not be afraid of growing in our relationship with God!
Others who follow Jesus may not be scared of the Spirit, but they are almost completely unaware of the Spirit. They might be pursuing God in a church or denomination that has little, if any, teaching on the Spirit. They know God is Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But beyond hearing that when someone gets baptized, they never learn much of anything about the Spirit. For these faithful Christians, the work of the Spirit is largely relegated to the unseen realm, quietly invisible in their lives, in their churches, and in the world today. When the Spirit does work in them, they are unaware.
A third group of believers, perhaps the largest group, is confused about the Spirit. Who is he? What does he do? How does the Spirit relate to my life as a believer? What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and how is it different from being filled with the Holy Spirit? How can I be filled with the Spirit? What are spiritual gifts? How do I know what my gifts are? Do people still speak in tongues? What is that? Should I believe the YouTube video claiming to be a prophecy, or the person from my small group who said those things don’t happen anymore? These people want to walk faithfully with the Lord, drink deeply of the Spirit, and remain faithful to the Scriptures. But, they just don’t know how.
So, let me share with you a brief Bible reading list to help us understand him better. I’d encourage you to spend some time reading and reflecting on these passages.
Gen 1:1-2, the Spirit in Creation
Ps 104:24-30, the Spirit creates life
Ezek 34:25-27, the Spirit as part of God’s plan of redemption
Luke 3:21-22, the Spirit descends on Jesus at his baptism
Luke 4:1-21, Jesus is led and empowered by the Spirit
John 1:29-34, Jesus will baptize God’s people with the Spirit
John 14:15-27, the Spirit is our Helper and Teacher
John 15:26-27; 16:5-15, the Spirit testifies about Jesus
Acts 1-2, the Spirit is promised and poured out
Rom 8:1-17, the Spirit gives life and freedom
Gal 5:16-26, the Spirit produces the character of Christ in us
1 Cor 12-13, the Spirit empowers believers to love and good works
Eph 4:1-16, the Spirit produces unity and maturity
Eph 5:15-21, believers should live filled with the Spirit
2 Cor 3:7-18, the Spirit transforms believers in glory
Jude 20-21, believers should pray in the Spirit