Who is the Holy Spirit

0:00Thanks for tuning in to Manna, a short daily meditation to feed hungry souls with God's Word. These episodes were prepared by our day ministers for a radio broadcast called Voice of the Church and are now republished by the Reform Perspective Foundation, a Canadian charity that applies biblical truth to the issues of our time, here's today serving. Today listeners, welcome to today's broadcast. Who is the Holy Spirit? The true God is the triune God, three in one, Father and Son and Holy Spirit. God the Father created the world and sent His Son who became man to redeem us from our sin. But who is the Holy Spirit? What does He do? Where is He now? How do we know whether or not He is with us? When we hear the name Holy Spirit, it is easy for us to fall into the trap of thinking that the Holy Spirit is not a person, since the name sounds rather impersonal, unlike

1:02the Father and the Son, which are worn personal names, we may think that the Holy Spirit is not a person, but rather just a power which comes from the Father and the Son. And indeed there are considerable number of people today and throughout the ages past, who have held that the Holy Spirit is not a person, but only a power or energy. But when we examine this view in the light of Scripture, we see that it cannot be true. For from Scripture we learn that the Holy Spirit is true and eternal God. He is the third person of the Trinity, not simply a power. He is God. In John 14 verse 16, Jesus tells His disciples that He will ask the Father and He will give you another counselor to be with you forever, the Spirit of Truth. Here the Holy Spirit is called another counselor, putting the Spirit on the same level as Jesus Himself. A power or energy cannot be a counselor for a power that is not a person.

2:07Only a person can counsel and help someone. This other counselor will be sent by the Father at the request of the Son. The Spirit proceeds from the Father since He comes from Him. There are only two kinds of things, the Creator and creation. Under normal circumstances a power or energy is something which is created. It is a part of creation. There is a distinct separation between the Creator and that which He has created or made. And from the fact that the Spirit goes out from the Father it is clear that He is not part of creation but rather shares His being with the Creator. He is God Himself. Indeed He was also involved in the work of creation as we read in Genesis 1 that the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. But the counselor, the Holy Spirit also comes from the Son. In John 14 verse 18 Jesus says, I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you.

3:11Here Jesus identifies Himself so closely with the Spirit that He speaks as if He and the Spirit are one. He is about to go away to His Father in heaven and yet He says to them that He will come to His disciples. And this means that He will come to His disciples in the person of the Holy Spirit. Indeed the Spirit not only comes from the Father but also proceeds from the Son. The Spirit of God is one of the three persons of the triune God. For God is not complete without the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is, together with the Father and the Son, true and eternal God. Jesus told His disciples before He would leave them, that He would send to them the Holy Spirit who would be their counselor. The counselor is someone who will stand beside the disciples as it were and give them any help, which they may need. In John 14 verse 17 this counselor is characterized as the Spirit of truth.

4:12Everything which the Spirit says and tells them is true and sure, for He has gone Himself who speaks to them. In verse 26 Jesus says to the disciples that this Spirit will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. The Spirit will teach the apostles everything which they need to know in order to carry out their task of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. We who live long after the disciples may also know and see the work of the Spirit of truth and our lives. We may know Him especially through the Word of God the Bible. For the Bible is the book of the Holy Spirit. He is His primary author. Many human beings have been used by Him to write the Word of God, Moses and David and the prophets were led by the Holy Spirit when they wrote the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit also works in a special way in the hearts of the apostles so that they also wrote letters and books which were inspired by Him and are therefore authoritative scripture

5:17which we must also live by. Through this Word which He has inspired, the Holy Spirit works face in our hearts to accept all the promises and benefits which Christ has prepared for us through His suffering and death. The Holy Spirit finishes the work which God the Father and God the Son started. God the Father has created us to live for His glory. We fell and rebelled against God and could no longer live for the purpose for which He made us. And then the Father sent the Son into the world to bring the necessary sacrifice so that we might live again and be saved from God's wrath. Now both the Father and the Son set the Spirit into the world so that we might indeed make Christ salvation our own. The Spirit does this by convincing us and guiding us in the truth of Christ. Of ourselves we are sinful by nature and do not want to accept the offer of salvation through Christ's blood. Of ourselves we do not see the need for it and are blind in our sin.

6:21By nature we are captive by the Prince of this world who can only lie and deceive. But now Christ has sent the Spirit of truth so that we might believe in Him. The Holy Spirit uses the Bible, not only to work faith, but also to instruct us how to live lives that are pleasing to God so that we might grow in maturity in His service. Through the joy which we receive because of the wonderful message of salvation through Christ, the Spirit works in us a desire also to live more and more according to the commandments of God. For the Lord wants His people to be holy before Him. We must be holy as God is holy. This is what the Holy Spirit is working at during this final age before the return of our Lord Jesus on the clouds of heaven. In working towards this ultimate goal, Jesus also promises that the Holy Spirit, that other counselor, which He will send, will be with His disciples and us forever.

7:24God in believers, how incredible when you stop to think about it. At Pentecost the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, moved from heaven down to earth to live among the people of God. From now on the Spirit of God lives here on earth in all believers. And He is not here just temporarily. Now believers can say, He will be here permanently, He will be in us forever. How do you know whether the Holy Spirit dwells in you? What are the signs of His presence? Isn't God strong and powerful? Why would He live in me? How does that work? Indeed, these words of the Lord can raise questions in our hearts. Shouldn't the sign of God's presence be more spectacular and dramatic? At the time of the apostles, when they spoke in tongues, and perform many miracles? The outpouring of the Holy Spirit of Pentecost can be compared to the pouring down a mighty

8:25river from a mountain. When the Holy Spirit initially arrived on earth, there were many dramatic signs of His presence just like a river rushes down the mountain side of full force and with much commotion. But once the river has reached the level of the plain below, it meanders calmly through the countryside, hardly drawing any attention to itself. And so it is also with the Spirit. Now that the Spirit has taken a residence in His people, He quietly and unobtrusably does His work in the church, the people of God. But how do I know that the Spirit is actually dwelling in me and working in me? The sign of the Spirit's presence is true faith in Jesus Christ, as He only Savior and the only way to God. The Spirit's presence can be seen in a genuine love for God and a desire to live in holiness before Him. It can be seen in a fierce struggle against the power of sin in our lives. The presence of the Spirit can be seen in the love for the Word of God and an eagerness

9:28to study and meditate upon it and to live in accordance with it. For the Bible is the Book of the Holy Spirit. Here what He works faith in us and reveals to us all we need to know for our salvation and for our life with God. If we see in our life fruit to the Spirit like these, then we may know for a certainty that He is living in us. Believe the sure promises of God, do not grieve the Spirit or spurn Him by rejecting His Word and by going your own way in sin. It is possible to grieve the Holy Spirit and to chase Him away if we constantly resist His work and go our own way. The Spirit's God's promise give to us, but we cannot take the presence of that Spirit for granted. We need to make room in our hearts and lives for Him. All the marvelous ways of our God, we cannot fathom them. He who promised the Spirit sends Him into our lives. God has done everything for us and for our salvation.

10:32In one day the work of the Spirit will be finished and God will be all in all. Thank you for listening till next time.