Making Sense of the Spirit of God

Rely on God the Spirit, Just Like Jesus....

God is triune: There are within the Godhead three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; and the work of salvation is one in which all three act together, the Father purposing redemption, the Son securing it and the Spirit applying it. - J.I. Packer

Sadly, one of the most overlooked and under-appreciated doctrines in our culture and time today may be that of the Holy Spirit. It seems like there are two typical responses to the study of the Spirit (Pneumatology)—both pendulum swings. One is a hyper-conservative and almost “taming” approach to the nature, prominence, and power of the Spirit. The other is an over-realized, overactive, and often dangerous obsession with certain aspects of the Spirit. The goal here is to see and think rightly about the importance of the Spirit and how crucial it is for us to embrace the reality and implications of living by the power of the Spirit. Herman Bavinck captures this well, saying, “Just as breath comes out of our mouth, so the Spirit proceeds from God and keeps all creatures alive.”

(Source¹)

We get the phrase “pneumatology” from the Greek word for Spirit (pneuma).

Throughout Scripture, we find various terms for the Spirit including:

• The Spirit of God, the Spirit of the Lord, and the Spirit of the Father (Gen. 1:2; Isa. 11:2; Matt. 10:20)

• The Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of the Son (Rom. 8:2, 9; 1 Cor. 2:4–16; 2 Cor. 3:17–18; Phil. 1:19; Gal. 3:2; 4:6; 1 Pet. 1:11)

So what is the Spirit doing?

The Spirit is actively working throughout human history and particularly in our relationships.

1. The Spirit is key in our union with Christ and helps us to become more like Christ (sanctification).

2. The Spirit is also personal. The Spirit can be grieved and lied to (Isa. 63:10; Eph. 4:30; Acts 5:3–4).

3. The Spirit leads believers in wisdom and grace (Gal. 5:17).

4. The Spirit enables our ability to pray and even prays on our behalf when we are unable to pray (Jude 20; Eph. 6:18; Rom. 8:26–27).

One of the greatest blessings of the indwelling Spirit in our lives is that the Spirit brings clarity to God’s Word by illuminating the Scriptures to us. The same Spirit that divinely inspired the human authors of the Scriptures lives within the Christian to bring these ancient words to life.

“If you do not understand a book by a departed writer you are unable to ask him his meaning, but the Spirit, who inspired holy scripture, lives forever, and he delights to open the word to those who seek His instruction. - C.H. Spurgeon

4 Ways the Holy Spirit Works in Our Lives:

1. Empowers

2. Guides

3. Convicts

4. Comforts

If we are feeling weak, we can turn to Him to bring us a strength beyond ourselves. If we are in a season of wandering, we can look to Him to show us our very next best step. If we are in danger of lapsing into sin, we can be assured He will convict us. If we are in the midst of hurt, we can find solace in His comfort.

The Holy Spirit is a kind of first fruit given to us as a gift and seal, a first taste of our future glory we will experience within the household of God (Rom. 8:23).

There is so much more to learn about God the Holy Spirit. One of the phrases I often hear that I find imprecise is that Christians need to learn to “activate” the Spirit in our lives.

I ended up commenting on this in a course I recently taught about the Holy Spirit, saying...

“The Holy Spirit doesn’t need to be activated because the Holy Spirit is the personal presence of Christ inside of you, equipping you, empowering you, and leading you. In other words, the Holy Spirit is always on. The question isn’t, is the Holy Spirit activated?

The question is, are you aware of the Spirit in your life?”

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I really loved teaching this “seminary-ish” course on the Holy Spirit for my friends at Qava.

If you ready to grow in your understanding of the Holy Spirit, check out this brand new course. My friends at Qava are offering a special discount for you!

Learn more - https://qava.tv/joel/

Discount Code: DRJOEL40

1. Horne, Charles, and Julius Bewer. The Bible and Its Story: Acts–Epistles, Apostles to Revelation. Vol. 10. New York, NY: Francis R. Niglutsch, 1910.