Big Idea: The Holy Spirit is the Third person of the Trinity and directly responsible for carrying out God’s will on the earth. He is to be esteemed and worshiped as God.
Nicene Creed on the Holy Spirit: We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
God the Holy Spirit
5-1 The eternal Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of the same substance and equal in power and glory with the Father and the Son. By Him the prophets were moved to speak the Word of God, and all writers of the Holy Scriptures were inspired to record infallibly the mind and will of God. He is the only efficient agent in the application of redemption. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, moves them to repentance, and regenerates5 them by His grace, enabling them to embrace Jesus Christ by faith.
The Holy Spirit is a ______________________ _____________________
John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
John 15:26-27; 16:7-11
The Holy Spirit is the Third person of the Trinity who is actively carrying out God’s plan in the world around us and therefore worthy of our adoration and praise. He is God. He is equal in essence with both Father and Son yet distinct in person. He is active in creation. He is bringing salvation to the world. He is sanctifying God’s people.
The Holy Spirit has a _______________________ _____________________
The Holy Spirit is the member of the divine God-head that executes God’s plans on earth.
Genesis 1:1–2 (ESV) — 1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
rauch:
“At the very beginning of the process of creation, we meet the Holy Spirit working to craft a home for living creatures… Genesis [1] is not describing a violent wind but depicting the Spirit as the agent of God’s nurturing presence in the primeval, uncultivated wilderness. This tender image communicates that the Spirit of God cared for creation in its infantile state and brought it to life and completion… As we read in the text that follows how God repeatedly spoke and sovereignly shaped the universe (Gen. 1:3-31), we are to understand that the Spirit accompanied the creative word at every stage of creation.” –Joel Beeke; Systematic Theology
Isaiah 61:1–2 (ESV) — 1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor… to proclaim liberty to the captives… 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God…
Ezekiel 11:5 (ESV) — 5 And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and he said to me, “Say, Thus says the Lord…
2 Samuel 23:2 (ESV) — 2 “The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me; his word is on my tongue.
From the immaculate conception (Luke 1:35), to Jesus’ baptism (Luke 3:22), to the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness (Luke 4:1) to Jesus’ earthly ministry (Luke 4:14-19; Acts 10:38), to His death (Heb. 9:13) and resurrection (Rom. 1:4; Eph. 1:19-20), the Spirit of God was with Christ every step of the way carrying out God the Father’s plan for the redemption of sinners, in and through Jesus the Son.
Questions to Consider
How have you typically viewed the Holy Spirit? How does seeing the Spirit of God as a person help you better relate to the third person of the Trinity?
In what ways have you seen the Spirit of God in work in your life and in the lives of those around you? How might you be more conscientious of the Spirit’s work around you?
