Lesson 6: What We Believe About The Holy Spirit

A. WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?

1. The Holy Spirit is God. More than one hundred names and titles of the Holy Spirit in Scripture describe Him in divine terms.

a. God (Acts 5:4).

b. Spirit of God (Gen. 1:2).

c. Spirit of the Lord God (Isa. 61:1).

2. The personality of the Holy Spirit involves intellect, emotions, and will.

a. The Holy Spirit knows things that only God knows (I Cor. 2:11).

b. The Holy Spirit is loving (Rom. 15:30).

c. The Holy Spirit acts on the basis of decisions He makes (I Cor. 12:11).

3. The Holy Spirit accomplishes the work of God.

a. Creation (Job 26:13).

b. Regeneration (John 3:5).

c. Inspiration (II Peter 2:21).

B. THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE WORLD.

1. "He will reprove (convict) the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8).

a. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin (John 16:8).

b. The Holy Spirit restrains evil in the world. "The One who now holds back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way" (II Thess. 2:7, NIV).

C. THE HOLY SPIRIT IN SALVATION.

1. Regeneration is the work of the Spirit of God whereby we are given God’s life and nature and are made part of the family of God (Titus 3:5).

2. Indwelling is when the Holy Spirit lives within us thus making our bodies the temple of God (I Cor. 6:19).

3. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is when we are placed into our new position "in Christ" (I Cor. 12:13).

4. The sealing of the Holy Spirit guarantees that God will complete the work He has begun in our life (Eph. 1:13-14).

D. THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

1. There are three types of spiritual gifts.

a. Miraculous gifts.

b. Four enabling gifts.

(1) Discernment

(2) Faith

(3) Knowledge

(4) Wisdom

c. Task-oriented gifts

(1) Evangelism (Eph. 4:11).

(2) Prophecy (Rom. 12:6).

(3) Teaching (Rom. 12:7).

(4) Exhortation (Rom. 12:8).

(5) Shepherding (Eph. 4:11).

(6) Showing Mercy (Rom. 12:8).

(7) Serving (Rom. 12:7; I Cor. 12:28).

(8) Giving (Rom. 12:8).

(9) Administration (Rom. 12:8; I Cor. 12:28).

2. How Christians can discover their spiritual giftedness.

a. Take a spiritual gifts inventory.

b. Look at their personal ministry passion.

c. Compare themselves to a person gifted in a particular area to note areas of similarity.

E. THE FULLNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

1. The Christian can be filled with the Spirit for living and service. "Be continually filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18, ELT).

2. The steps to being filled with the Holy Spirit: "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly (heart) shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:37-38).

a. Desire (thirst).

b. Repentance (come to me).

c. Receiving God’s offer of the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him (drink).

d. Acting on the basis of faith in the Word of God (he who believeth in Me).

F. THE FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

1. The Bible describes the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).

a. Love Relationships

b. Joy Inner happiness

c. Peace Inner assurance

d. Longsuffering Patience

e. Kindness Good acts

f. Goodness Positive attitudes

g. Faithfulness Dependable

h. Gentleness Sensitivity

i. Temperance Self-control

If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:

Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God. Please contact me at eltowns@liberty.edu and tell us about your salvation experience so that we can rejoice with you.