I knew I received the Holy Spirit but I’m just now learning to understand Him and really submit to … One of these roles is to serve as a helper or comforter. The Bible also tells us that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, a being with a mind, emotions, and a will. Jesus promised that He would send the Holy Spirit to “convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8, ESV). I grieve the Holy Spirit by not allowing myself to be led by Him, but choosing my own way instead. He is fully equal with God the Father and God the Son. (see John 3:5; Romans 8:9-10) 2. Discussion Questions: 1. Clearly, then, the greatest thing we can do for our bodies is to make them into a temple for God’s Spirit. confirmation (in the Eastern Orthodox Church, chrismation), although not accepted by Protestants as a sacrament, has been closely allied with the role of the Holy Spirit in the church. 3. The Spirit has many functions, roles, and activities. For many people, the person of the Holy Spirit raises many questions. This occurred on the Day of Pentecost when the church first began. The Holy Spirit gives you self-control. Christians think that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and that if you accept Christ as your redeemer and repent for your sins, you will be saved. The Holy Spirit interacts with us in His own way—distinct from the Father and the Son: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (2 Corinthians 13:14). Learn more about the importance of the Holy Spirit in Christianity. The Holy Spirit also does work among unbelievers. The simple answer to this apparent dilemma is that baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and baptism in Jesus’ name are the exact same thing. The Bible clearly explains who the Holy Spirit is and what role He can play in our lives. The Spirit testifies of Christ (John 15:26), pointing people to the Lord. Updates? Got Question Suggests in their article, What is the Power of the Holy Spirit, that Romans 8:11 states that “All those who put their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately and permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit” but this is a misinterpretation of the scriptures. Is the Holy Spirit a "He," "She," or "It," male, female, or neuter? The Eastern and Western churches have since viewed the Holy Spirit as the bond, the fellowship, or the mutual charity between Father and Son; they are absolutely united in the Spirit. If you want to prove this fact, you can use another scripture but not this one. The Holy Spirit wants to speak to us, especially by God’s Word. Bible readings: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, John 14:25-27. The fact that the Holy Spirit is God is clearly seen in many Scriptures, including Acts 5:3-4. He shares the strengths of God the Father and Jesus, such as omniscience, omnipotence, and eternality. Omissions? It is not the words that are said during baptism that make a baptism valid. Do you have to be baptized to be filled with the Holy Spirit? I grieve the Holy Spirit by not obeying Him. Many of the Christian Faith view God as a Trinity, where God, Jesus, and the Spirit are One, and yet separate; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. What is the seal of the Holy Spirit? Romans 8:9 is even stronger, stating that if a person does not have the Spirit, he does not belong to Christ. The Holy Spirit assists believers in prayer (Jude 1:20) and “intercedes for God’s people in … Therefore, He can and should be worshiped as God. The Bible also does not teach that the Holy Spirit is worthy of worship. How does the Holy Spirit seal us? First, the Holy Spirit provides conviction of sin to all people. Numerous outpourings of the Holy Spirit are mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, in which healing, prophecy, the expelling of demons (exorcism), and speaking in tongues (glossolalia) are particularly associated with the activity of the Spirit. Most Catholic and Orthodox Christians have experienced the Holy Spirit more in the sacramental life of the church than in the context of such speculation. So, to sum up, people who haven’t yet experienced the new birth by receiving Jesus as their Lord and Savior do not have the Holy Spirit living within them, although they do have the “breath of life” as a gift from God and they bear the image of God, and on that basis they can already begin to contribute to God’s kingdom activity. It is not an incantation. “But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. What do you know about Christianity and the Holy Spirit? What is the difference between the Holy Spirit and Holy Ghost? Is praying in tongues a prayer language between a believer and God? He helps you to do the Father’s will. From apostolic times, the formula for baptism has been Trinitarian (“I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”). Answer: Believers have the indwelling Spirit of Christ, the Comforter who proceeds from the Father (John 15:26). When I realize that I cannot live a life of overcoming sin without the help of the Holy Spirit, it becomes very important to me how I respond to the Holy Spirit … Holy Spirit: One of Three Persons of God The Holy Spirit is one of the three persons of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Paul did not write, “… the Spirit also helps your weakness,” but rather, “the Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Holy Spirit, also called Paraclete or Holy Ghost, in Christian belief, the third person of the Trinity. In fact, the New Testament itself is not entirely clear in this regard. The following are questions frequently asked. What is the Latter Rain Movement? His work starts when He helps us know that we are sinners and that we need to accept Jesus as our Savior. The Holy Spirit works in our hearts to help us be more like Jesus. What does it mean that the Holy Spirit is our Paraclete? The Bible declares that there is only one living God, yet we learn from scripture that He comprises three separate personages. From the earliest centuries of the Christian church, various groups, discontented with the lack of freedom, active charity, or vitality in the institutional church, have called for a greater sensitivity to the ongoing outpourings of the Holy Spirit; among such movements were the Holiness and Pentecostal movements of the 19th and 20th centuries. Saying “I baptize you in Jesus’ name” is not a magic formula. All Christians have heard of the Holy Spirit but how well do you really know Him? And we do this by placing our trust and faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior. Christian Truth. Answer: Of all the gifts given to mankind by God, there is none greater than the presence of the Holy Spirit. A demon-possessed man was brought to Jesus, and the Lord cast the demon out, healing the man of blindness and muteness. Holy Spirit works in the lives of believers to renew, sanctify, and make us holy. Do you think it’s selfish to pray to have ‘more of the Holy Spirit’? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. I got saved as a young girl, but I wasnt sure exactly what age so I asked the Holy Spirit how long He’s been living inside of me, and He told me! The fear of Jehovah is pure, lasting forever.” —Psalm 19: 8, 9. Answers to questions about the Holy Spirit Who do we pray to, the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit? We hear lots of teachings on God the father and God the son, but very few about the divine nature and attributes of the Holy Spirit. Why do I need the Holy Spirit? First, the Holy Spirit provides conviction of sin to all people. It is written, if we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. One suggestion of such belief is the promise of another helper, or intercessor (paraclete), that is found in the Gospel According to John. The Bible can thus be considered holy. One way to partially visualize this concept is to examine the nature of water (H2O). For believers in Christ, the Holy Spirit works in additional ways. For many of us, this is a difficult concept to grasp. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. See also Trinity. What is praying in tongues? Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the constant resisting of God’s Spirit to the point of not being able to hear His voice. If we live in the Spirit and walk in the Spirit, we won’t become high-minded, provoking and envying one another. He states, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God (the Father), and the Word was God" (John 1:1, HBFV). If the Holy Spirit lives in us, then are we human and divine? Let me explain. First, He does a work in the hearts of all people everywhere. Just as the Holy Spirit raised Christ from the dead, the Holy Spirit will give eternal life to believers in Christ. “Men spoke from God as they were moved by holy spirit.” —2 Peter 1: 21. He is also not just a person unto Himself, but He is part and parcel of the Trinity … Galatians 5:22- “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, … The Holy Spiritis not just a “person,” but He is “divine” person. Question: "What is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?" In art, the Holy Spirit is commonly represented as a dove. The relationship of the Holy Spirit to the other persons of the Trinity has been described in the West as proceeding from both the Father and the Son, whereas in the East it has been held that the procession is from the Father through the Son. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. He can be insulted (Hebrews 10:29), lied to (Acts 5:3), resisted (Acts 7:51), and grieved (Ephesians 4:30). The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Triune Godhead who has perfect knowledge (1 Corinthians 2:11), a mind (Romans 8:27), love (Romans 15:30), and a will (1 Corinthians 12:11). There was, however, no explicit belief in a separate divine person in biblical Judaism. Corrections? Does every Christian have the Holy Spirit? The bible presents the role of the Holy Spirit as a continuation of the work of God the Father and Jesus, the Son in the lives of the believer. As such He is an essential companion of every Christian and is the guarantee and means by which we persevere to the point of reaching heaven. Sometimes a small pronoun in the Bible can make a lot of difference. I got saved at age 6! Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Its message. ", Copyright 2011-2021 Got Questions Ministries - All Rights Reserved. Paul could not say that we all were baptized by one Spirit and all given one Spirit to drink if not all of the Corinthian believers possessed the Holy Spirit. Christianity is a religion that has been the most popular and most common form of worship, and what is this Holy Spirit. The most succinct statement of this relationship is found in John's gospel. “Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go up and join this chariot,’" Acts … Thus, their bodies are not a temple of the Holy Spirit. In this verse Peter confronts Ananias as to why he lied to the Holy Spirit and tells him that he had “not lied to men but to God.” Those who do not belong to Christ do not have the Spirit of Christ residing in them (Romans 8:9). What is the role of the Holy Spirit? When Jesus took leave of His disciple A disciple is another word for a follower of Christ, one who is learning to be like his Master. (Galatians 5:16.) Likewise, he is all-loving, forgiving, merciful and just. “The commandment of Jehovah is clean, making the eyes shine. What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us power for victory over conscious sin. As mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, outpourings of the Holy Spirit can include healing, prophecy, exorcism, and speaking in tongues. So I decided I would share with you a Bible study on who is the Holy Spirit and what He does. Therefore, the possession of the Spirit is an identifying factor of the possession of salvation. Each of the persons of the Trinity is God. The Holy Spirit is by far the most misunderstood member of the Trinity. Currently, the Holy Spirit is also restraining sin and combatting “the secret power of lawlessness” in the world. Christian writers have seen in various references to the Spirit of Yahweh in the Hebrew Scriptures an anticipation of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Holy-Spirit. John 16:8 notes, "And when he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. Pentecost, during which the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and other disciples (Acts 2), is seen as the fulfillment of that promise. How is the Holy Spirit active in our lives today? The apostle Paul reiterated the same truth about the Spirit's indwelling: "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? I got saved at age 6! Is the work of the Holy Spirit for our own ‘private’ enjoyment or does it have some other purpose? The Eastern Orthodox Church has stressed the role of the descent of the Spirit upon the worshipping congregation and upon the eucharistic bread and wine in the prayer known as the epiclesis. Answer: The concept of “blasphemy against the Spirit” is mentioned in Mark 3:22–30 and Matthew 12:22–32. What a great question! Question: "What does it mean to walk in the Spirit?" John 16:8 notes, "And when he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment." Do you know about Christianity, take the quiz? It is set apart from other writings by its pure contents and sacred use in worship. Holy Spirit, in Christian belief, the third person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is much too vast for anyone to have all the answers. It does teach, however, that the Father and Jesus Christ are both God. First, Acts 2:4 records, "They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." The Holy Spirit's name describes his chief attribute: He is a perfectly holy and spotless God, free of any sin or darkness. Jesus has just performed a miracle. The definition that the Holy Spirit was a distinct divine person equal in substance to the Father and the Son and not subordinate to them came at the Council of Constantinople in ce 381, following challenges to its divinity. Being “filled” with the Holy Spirit is seen as the corollary of one’s salvation. The Holy Spirit does three things: He teaches us the things we need to know for our salvation ( John 14:26), He guides us into all truth (John 16:13), and He convicts of sin (John 16:7, 8). So glorify God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). 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