Claude T. Stauffer :: The Holy Spirit: Who He Is and What He Does

The Spirit Acts

The Holy Spirit – Who He is and What He Does

• Acts 1:2b – “…after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,”

“Through the Holy Spirit,” is an important phrase because it shows, right from the start the cooperation of God within the Triune Godhead. Acts is a book that will focus on the work of the Holy Spirit in and through believers. But you cannot separate the Spirit from the Father and Son. Therefore we see God at work in the Book of Acts.

The God of Acts

In Acts, the Spirit is at work in the early church people, and it is the Spirit who communicates and works according to Jesus and even the Father in the early church. That is why in Acts we see many references to Jesus working actively in the lives of the disciples. In Acts, we see the Father, Jesus and the Spirit working in concert. Below are a few examples of this:

• Acts 1:2, 6, 22, 24 – ² “until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,… ⁶ Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”… ²² “beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”… ²⁴ And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen…”
• Acts 2:33 – “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.”
• Acts 3:13-16 – ¹³ “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. ¹⁴ “But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, ¹⁵ “and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. ¹⁶ “And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.”
• Acts 4:10-11 – ¹⁰ “let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. ¹¹ “This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’”
• Acts 7:59 – “And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
• Acts 9:4-5, 10-17, 34 – ⁴ “Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” ⁵ And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”… ¹⁰ Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” ¹¹ So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. ¹² And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.” ¹³ Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. ¹⁶ “For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” ¹⁷ And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”… ³⁴ And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.” Then he arose immediately.”
• Acts 11:21 – “And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.”
• Acts13:38-39 – ³⁸ “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; ³⁹ “and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.”
• Acts 15:11 – “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”
• Acts 16:7 – “After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.”
• Acts 17:31 – “because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
• Acts 20:24 – “But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”
• Acts 22:7-10 – ⁷ “And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ ⁸ “So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ ⁹ “And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me. ¹⁰ So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’”
• Acts 22:18-21 – ¹⁸ “and saw Him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.’ ¹⁹ “So I said, ‘Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believe on You. ²⁰ ‘And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ ²¹ “Then He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.’”
• Acts 23:11 – “But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.”
• Acts 26:15, 23 – ¹⁵ “So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting… ²³ “that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

In Acts we see the Triune God at work. Three times we see mentioned God the Father (Acts 1:4, 7; Acts 2:33). 68 times the name of Jesus is mentioned specifically. The Spirit is mentioned 67 times directly in Acts. While we see the Triune God at work in Acts, it is the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit Who we see predominantly at work here. “Wait a minute,” you might say or think, “Jesus is mentioned one more time than the Spirit, so how is it that you say the Spirit is the primary Actor in Acts?” I say this because, when the name of Jesus is mentioned, it is the Spirit at work to exalt His name and teach of Who He is. This is exactly the ministry Jesus stated the Holy Spirit would have when He said:

• John 15:26-27 – ²⁶ “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. ²⁷ “And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”

Since the ascension of Jesus, the Spirit is conveying the will and nature of Jesus to people on earth. This book is about how The Spirit Acts.

The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament

From the opening verses of the Bible, the Holy Spirit is presented as a Member of the Triune Godhead. Further observations of how the Old Testament refers to the Holy Spirit sheds light on the character and Person of the Holy Spirit. The work that the Holy Spirit performs in the Old Testament reveals a close personal involvement with God’s people. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit does not appear to abide in all believers as He does in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, a believer’s salvation is still based on a faith relationship with God (Romans 4; Hebrews 11). But the Bible indicates that those looking forward from the Old Testament to God’s promise were in part looking for a Messiah and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on ALL believers (Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:33, 39; Hebrews 11:39-40, Hebrews 12:18-29). In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit is involved with believers for specific tasks on particular occasions, e.g., to build the Tabernacle; to prophesy; to lead; to battle; to proclaim God’s word. Nevertheless, Old Testament believers recognized the indispensability of the Holy Spirit in their lives (Psalm 51:10-11). The Old Testament foretells a time when the Holy Spirit would be poured out on ALL believers and this was fulfilled at Pentecost (John 7:39; Acts 2).

Twelve Old Testament Aspects of The Spirit of God

In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit is referred to in various ways. There are six portions of Scripture which give us a full picture of the nature of the Holy Spirit as the Third Person of the Trinity in the Old Testament. These references are:

• Genesis 1:2 – “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”
• Genesis 6:3 – “And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
• Psalm 51:11— “Do not cast me away from Your presence,
  And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”
• Isaiah 11:2 –
  “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
  The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
  The Spirit of counsel and might,
  The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.”
• Isaiah 61:1 –
  “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
  Because the Lord has anointed Me
  To preach good tidings to the poor;
  He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
  To proclaim liberty to the captives,
  And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;”
• Zechariah 12:10 – “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”

We can summarize the ways the Holy Spirit is referred to in the Old Testament as follows:

1. The Spirit of God – Genesis 1:2
2. My Spirit – Genesis 6:3
3. Your Holy Spirit – Psalm 51:11
4. The Spirit of the LORD – Isaiah 11:2
5. The Spirit of Knowledge – Isaiah 11:2
6. The Spirit of Counsel – Isaiah 11:2
7. The Spirit of Might – Isaiah 11:2
8. The Spirit of Understanding – Isaiah 11:2
9. The Spirit of Wisdom – Isaiah 11:2
10. The Spirit of the Lord God – Isaiah 61:1
11. The Spirit of Grace – Zechariah 12:10
12. The Spirit of Supplication – Zechariah 12:10

What do these twelve identifying aspects of the Holy Spirit tell us about Him? As the “Spirit of God,” “My Spirit,” “Your Holy Spirit,” “The Spirit of the LORD,” and “The Spirit of the Lord God” we see a direct association of the Holy Spirit with God. The nature of God and the nature of the Spirit are one. As the Spirit of knowledge, counsel, understanding, and wisdom He is omniscient or all-knowing. As the Spirit of might He is omnipotent. As the Spirit of grace He is loving and redemptive. As the Spirit of supplication He intercedes on behalf of believers to help them pray according to God’s will and way (compare with Romans 8:26-27). (In Isaiah 4:4 we might also have evidence of the authority of the Spirit as Judge.) This is a very full picture of the Holy Spirit.

The Active Work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament

In the Old Testament we see the work of the Holy Spirit as being varied. The Holy Spirit’s actions are by no means limited to the Book of Acts or that which occurs after Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is very much involved in the world from the very beginning of God’s revelation. Below are a few of the ways we see the Holy Spirit at work or in action.

First, the Holy Spirit is active in creation. We see this in the following verses:

• Genesis 1:2 – “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”
• Job 33:4 – “The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” (Elihu speaking to Job.)

Second, the Holy Spirit actively strives to save the souls of people. We see this in the following verse:

• Genesis 6:3 – “And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”

Third, the Holy Spirit is an active communicator who inspires and speaks through prophets. We see this in the following verses:

• Nehemiah 9:30 – “Yet for many years You had patience with them, And testified against them by Your Spirit in Your prophets. Yet they would not listen; Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.” (See also 2 Kings 3:11-12; 2 Kings 17:13; Job 32:8).
• Acts 28:25-27 – ²⁵ So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, ²⁶saying,
  
  ‘Go to this people and say:
  “Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand;
  And seeing you will see, and not perceive;
  ²⁷ For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
  Their ears are hard of hearing,
  And their eyes they have closed,
  Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
  Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
  So that I should heal them.” ’
• Hebrews 1:1-2 – ¹ “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ² has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;”

Fourth, the Holy Spirit is active in giving revelation from God. We see this in the following verses:

• 2 Samuel 23:1-2 – ¹ “Now these are the last words of David.
  
  Thus says David the son of Jesse;
  Thus says the man raised up on high,
  The anointed of the God of Jacob,
  And the sweet psalmist of Israel:
  ² “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me,
  And His word was on my tongue.”
• Luke 2:25-26 – ²⁵ “And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶ And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”

Fifth, the Holy Spirit actively teaches. We see this in the following verse:

• Nehemiah 9:20 – “You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, And did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, And gave them water for their thirst.”

Sixth, the Holy Spirit is actively present everywhere to help lead, uphold and guide. We see this in the Psalm, which states:

• Psalm 139:7-13 –
  ⁷ “Where can I go from Your Spirit?
  Or where can I flee from Your presence?
  ⁸ If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
  If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
  ⁹ If I take the wings of the morning,
  And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
  ¹⁰ Even there Your hand shall lead me,
  And Your right hand shall hold me.
  ¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
  Even the night shall be light about me;
  ¹² Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
  But the night shines as the day;
  The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
  ¹³ For You formed my inward parts;
  You covered me in my mother’s womb.”

Seventh, the Holy Spirit actively renews people spiritually and makes them fruitful. We see this in:

• Isaiah 32:15 –
  ¹⁵ “Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high,
  And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
  And the fruitful field is counted as a forest.”

Eighth, the Holy Spirit is active in indwelling and renewing people spiritually. We see this in:

• Ezekiel 36:26-27 – ²⁶ “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

Ninth, the Holy Spirit is active in coming upon people to help them experience the presence of God. Ezekiel points to this when he is inspired to write:

• Ezekiel 39:29 – “‘And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,’ says the Lord God.”

Tenth, the Holy Spirit is actively empowers people. This is referred to in the following verses:

• Micah 3:8 –
  “But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord,
  And of justice and might,
  To declare to Jacob his transgression
  And to Israel his sin.”
• Zechariah 4:6 – “So he answered and said to me:
  “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:
  ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’
  Says the Lord of hosts.”

As you can see, the Holy Spirit is always an active Agent in the Old Testament. What is foretold in the Old Testament is most fully realized in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force; He is God with Whom a person can have a relationship. And that is true in the Old as well as the New Testament.

The Relationship of the Holy Spirit with Old Testament Believers

The Holy Spirit works with and through believers as a Helper on occasion in Old Testament. We see evidence for this in numerous instances where the Holy Spirit worked in and through Old Testament people. Such instances are:

1. The Holy Spirit helped Bezalel with artistic and constructive ability – Exodus 31:2
2. The Holy Spirit helped the Seventy Elders for prophetic utterance – Numbers 11:25
3. The Holy Spirit helped Balaam with prophetic ability – Numbers 24:2
4. The Holy Spirit helped Othniel with leadership and military ability – Judges 3:10
5. The Holy Spirit helped Gideon with leadership and encouraging ability – Judges 6:34
6. The Holy Spirit helped Samson with physical empowerment – Judges 13:25; Judges 14:6, 19; Judges 15:14
7. The Holy Spirit helped Saul with courageous leadership and prophetic utterance – 1 Samuel 10:10; 1 Samuel 11:6
8. The Holy Spirit helped David with an anointing for shepherd leadership – 1 Samuel 16:13
9. The Holy Spirit helped Saul's Messengers with prophetic utterance – 1 Samuel 19:20
10. The Holy Spirit helped Azariah with proclaiming the word of warning from the LORD – 2 Chronicles 15:1-7
11. The Holy Spirit helped Simeon to recognize the arrival of Messiah Jesus – Luke 2:24-25

The Holy Spirit has always worked in and through people. The Holy Spirit is not merely a New Testament phenomenon; He is the Third Person of the Eternal Triune Godhead. But it is true that the Holy Spirit, Who He is and what He does is most fully realized and revealed in the New Testament.

The Promise and Revelation of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament

While the Holy Spirit worked in people in the Old Testament, He did so on an individual and limited way. We cannot say that the Holy Spirit made Himself available to people in the Old Testament as generally or as all-encompassing as He did in the New Testament at Pentecost. That is because, as the Bible tells us, before the Holy Spirit could be available to all people, Jesus must first provide atonement for sin on the cross (John 7:39; John 16:7; Acts 2:33; Galatians 3:1-6). This is an important connection to make. The redemptive work of Jesus on the cross is the means by which the floodgates of heaven are opened to pour out the Holy Spirit on people.

Israel had a twofold prophetic expectation from God in the Old Testament. Israel had an expectation of a future Messiah who would come and deliver them from their sin and foreign oppression (Psalm 2; Psalm 22; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6). The Messiah who was to come would be empowered by the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 61:1-2). But not only that, Israel also had been informed by her prophets of the coming Holy Spirit in a special way. This last expectation is seen in the following verses:

• Joel 2:28-32 – ²⁸ “And it shall come to pass afterward
  That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
  Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
  Your old men shall dream dreams,
  Your young men shall see visions.
  ²⁹ And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
  I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
  ³⁰ “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:
  Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
  ³¹ The sun shall be turned into darkness,
  And the moon into blood,
  Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
  ³² And it shall come to pass
  That whoever calls on the name of the Lord
  Shall be saved.
  For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance,
  As the Lord has said,
  Among the remnant whom the Lord calls.”
• Zechariah 12:10 – “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”

While God had revealed to Israel the hope of the future coming of the Spirit, it had not been fully revealed just what all of that entailed. They were told that the coming of the Spirit involved supernatural enablement such as dreaming dreams, having visions, and proclaiming God to others. They were told that the Holy Spirit was “the Spirit of grace and supplication.” They were told that the Spirit would be available without limitations.

The full understanding of the Spirit would come through the Messiah who would model the coming of the Spirit. That the coming Messiah (who we know is Jesus) would reveal the nature of this coming of the Spirit is seen in the following verses:

• Isaiah 11:2 –
  “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
  The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
  The Spirit of counsel and might,
  The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.”
• Isaiah 42:1 –
  “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,
  My Elect One in whom My soul delights!
  I have put My Spirit upon Him;
  He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.”
• Isaiah 61:1-2 –
  ¹ “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
  Because the LORD has anointed Me
  To preach good tidings to the poor;
  He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
  To proclaim liberty to the captives,
  And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
  ² To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
  And the day of vengeance of our God;
  To comfort all who mourn,”

It’s not surprising that those who failed or refused to see Jesus as Messiah also failed or refused to see the Holy Spirit. God had foretold and revealed the nature of the Messiah and He foretold and revealed the nature of the Holy Spirit. It is in the New Testament that we get the fulfillment of God’s revelation about the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit in the New Testament – A Person To Relate To

While we see the Holy Spirit at work in the Old Testament, it is in the New Testament that we are given the fullest picture and revelation of Who He is. The Holy Spirit is a Person, a Divine Person to relate to.

“Is The Holy Spirit a Person?”

In his book, Living Water: The Power of the Holy Spirit in Your Life, pastor and Bible teacher Chuck Smith makes the following statement:

There are certain things we need to know about the Holy Spirit in order to fully appreciate and understand Him and His work. The first thing is that the Holy Spirit is indeed a Person, and we need to recognize this if we are to have a personal relationship with Him.

If you think of the Holy Spirit as only an essence, as only a force, as only a power, you will find it impossible to have a personal relationship with Him. You cannot have a meaningful relationship with an essence or a force. Have you ever tried to get personal with an electric socket? How about with a steam turbine? An automobile engine?

Of course you haven’t. The thought is absurd. And it’s equally absurd to think of the Holy Spirit as an essence or a force or an impersonal power that permeates the universe, and yet hope to call upon Him in your time of need.

No, the Holy Spirit is a Person who has been sent by the Father at the request of Jesus to come alongside of you to help you. Jesus said, “I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper…the Spirit of truth.”²

To fully grasp the significance of the Holy Spirit therefore, we need to understand that, the Holy Spirit IS NOT an essence, force, power, or breeze. The Holy Spirit IS A PERSON YOU CAN RELATE TO, COMMUNE WITH, KNOW PERSONALLY.

The Personality of the Holy Spirit – Three Characteristics of Personality

Personality requires three characteristics, will, intelligence, and emotion. When we examine what the New Testament says about the Holy Spirit we see all three of these personality characteristics used in reference to the Holy Spirit.

First, we see the will of the Holy Spirit in regards to the distribution of spiritual gifts. We see this when the Bible states:

• 1 Corinthians 12:11 – “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

Spiritual gifts are given according to the Spirit’s exertion of His free will. Spiritual gifts are given according to the sovereign will of the Spirit.

Second, we see the intelligence of the Holy Spirit when the Bible speaks of His knowing the heart of God and the heart of people. We see this in the following verses:

• 1 Corinthians 2:9-12 – ⁹ “But as it is written:
  “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
  Nor have entered into the heart of man
  The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
  
  ¹⁰ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. ¹¹ For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. ¹² Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.”
• Romans 8:27 – “Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

It takes a Being with intellect to search the hearts of people and know what is in the heart of God.

Thirdly, we see the emotions of the Holy Spirit when the Bible speaks of Him as angered, grieved, or loving. We see this in the following verses:

• Isaiah 63:10 KJV – “But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them”
• Ephesians 4:30 – “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
• Romans 15:30 – “Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me,”

The Holy Spirit is a Being with personality and therefore Someone with Whom we can have a relationship.

The Bible Uses Personal Pronouns to Refer To the Holy Spirit

The Bible is the inspired word of God and uses personal pronouns when referring to the Holy Spirit. This is clear proof of the Holy Spirit’s being a Person we can relate to. We see this in the following verses:

• John 14:15-18 – ¹⁵ “If you love Me, keep My commandments. ¹⁶ “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— ¹⁷ “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. ¹⁸ “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
• John 14:25-26 – ²⁵ “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. ²⁶ “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
• John 15:26 – “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.”
• John 16:5-15 – ⁵ “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ ⁶ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. ⁷ Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. ⁸ And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ⁹ of sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰ of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; ¹¹ of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. ¹² “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”

When Jesus taught about the Holy Spirit, He used personal pronouns. Therefore, if we are to deny the Holy Spirit to be a Person, we are going against the truth of God’s word as well as Jesus Himself.

The apostles of the New Testament also referred to the Holy Spirit with personal pronouns, as we see in the following verses:

• Romans 8:16 – “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,”
• Romans 8:26-27 – ²⁶ “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. ²⁷ Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

You don’t look at a chair and say, “Bring him over here,” or “Sit down in him.” But if you are being visited by your parents you tell your children to go and “sit in his lap,” when you want your child to go and sit in the lap of their grandfather. “It” is used for inanimate objects, “he, him, himself,” are all personal pronouns used for beings with personality. Personal pronouns are an undeniable evidence, and infallible proof of the personhood of the Holy Spirit.

Personal Acts Attributed to the Holy Spirit

We’ve already said that the Book of Acts is really a book about the actions of the Holy Spirit in and through people. But we see the Holy Spirit taking action throughout the Bible. A force doesn’t do the things that we see attributed to the Holy Spirit in the Bible, a Person does.

As we examine the New Testament we see many personal actions attributed to the Holy Spirit. Below are just a few of the acts attributed to the Holy Spirit in the Bible.

First, the Holy Spirit is said to speak or communicate. We see this in the following verses:

• Acts 13:2 – “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
• 1 Timothy 4:1-2 – ¹ “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, ² speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,”
• Revelation 2:7 – “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”

Second, the Holy Spirit intercedes on behalf of people. This is seen in the following verse:

• Romans 8:26 – “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

Third, the Holy Spirit teaches. Jesus said:

• John 14:26 – “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”

Fourth, the Holy Spirit testifies about Jesus. Jesus said:

• John 15:26 – “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.”

Fifth, the Holy Spirit guides believers. In Acts it states:

• Acts 16:6 – “Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.”

Sixth, the Holy Spirit communes with believers. He comes together with us and brings believers together. Paul wrote to the Corinthians:

• 2 Corinthians 13:14 – “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.”

Seventh, the Holy Spirit works miracles. In Romans it states:

• Romans 15:18-19 – ¹⁸ “For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient— ¹⁹ in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.”

A person speaks. A person intercedes. A person testifies. A person teaches. A person guides. A person strives. A person works spiritual things like miracles. The Holy Spirit is a Person who does all these types of things and more

The Holy Spirit is Treated as a Person

In the New Testament the Holy Spirit is treated as a Person. The Bible shows us that the Holy Spirit is a Person in the following ways.

First, the Holy Spirit is a Person Who can be grieved. We see this in the following verse:

• Ephesians 4:30 – “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

Second, the Holy Spirit is a Person Who people can try to lie to. We see this in the following verse:

• Acts 5:3 – “But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?”

Third, the Holy Spirit is a Person who can be resisted. We see this in the following verse:

• Acts 7:51 – “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.”

Fourth, the Holy Spirit is a Person who can be angered. We see this in the following verse:

• Isaiah 63:10 – “But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; So He turned Himself against them as an enemy, And He fought against them.”

Fifth, the Holy Spirit is a Person (God) Who can be blasphemed. We see this in the following verse:

• Mark 3:28-29 – ²⁸ “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; ²⁹ “but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”

As much as some people might want to, they cannot grieve, lie to, or anger their car. You can’t blaspheme or grieve an inanimate object or impersonal force. These things can only be true of a Person. The Holy Spirit is a Person.

You Can Have a Relationship with the Holy Spirit “another Helper” Just Like Jesus

When Jesus taught the disciples about the Holy Spirit, He referred to Him as “another Helper.” Jesus said:

• John 14:15-16 – ¹⁵ “If you love Me, keep My commandments. ¹⁶ “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever” —

There is a word here that you need to pay very closes attention to. The word you need to examine closely is “another.” Jesus’ choice of words here is very important and reveals a great deal about the Holy Spirit.

In the original Greek of the New Testament two words can be employed to express the term “another.” The first word for “another” is HETEROS which refers to the qualitative nature of another that is literally “another of a different sort.” Paul used the word HETEROS to refer to “another gospel” (Galatians 1:6-7). HETEROS is not the term used by Jesus in referring to the Holy Spirit. The word Jesus used was ALLOS, which signifies a numerical difference with the sense of “another of the same sort.” Stephen used this term to refer to the succession of pharaohs (Acts 7:18). Paul used this term to refer to two principles of working in people (Romans 7:23). Let’s review:

• HETEROS = QUALITATIVE: “ANOTHER OF A DIFFERENT SORT” – “another gospel” – Galatians 1:6-7
• ALLOS = NUMERICAL DIFFERENCE: “ANOTHER OF THE SAME SORT” – John 14:16 (another Helper), Acts 7:18 (another king), Romans 7:23 (another law).

Jesus chose His words clearly here to convey the message that the Holy Spirit was another just like Him.

We see further evidence of this in the word “helper.” The word “helper,” is a translation of the Greek term PARAKLETOS Strong’s #3875; {par-ak’-lay-tos}) which means literally “called to one’s side” i.e., to one’s aid; an advocate.” The Enhanced Strong’s Concordance elaborates on this word by describing it as referring to:

One summoned, called to one’s side, esp. called to one’s aid; one who pleads another’s cause before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant, an advocate; one who pleads another’s cause with one, an intercessor: of Christ in his exaltation at God’s right hand, pleading with God the Father for the pardon of our sins; in the widest sense, a helper, succourer, aider, assistant: of the Holy Spirit destined to take the place of Christ with the apostles (after his ascension to the Father), to lead them to a deeper knowledge of the gospel truth, and give them divine strength needed to enable them to undergo trials and persecutions on behalf of the divine kingdom.³

Therefore, THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ONE JUST LIKE JESUS WHO COMES ALONGSIDE OF US TO HELP AND DEFEND US.

Jesus was alongside the disciples for years. Once He left, the Holy Spirit came to provide the presence of Christ in an unlimited way, (Jesus in the flesh could only be in one place at one time). During His time with the disciples, Jesus solved all the disciple’s problems, e.g., paid their taxes (Matthew 17:24-27); stilled the storm (Matthew 8:23-27); fed thousands (Matthew 14:15-21); healed the sick (Matthew 9); taught them, (Matthew 5-7; 18-20). When Jesus was with them they didn’t have to fear anything! But a time would come, according to Jesus, when He would leave them. What did Jesus do to soothe the disciple’s concerns about His departure?

When Jesus began to instruct the disciples of His mission and that He would leave them, He soothed their fears with His revelation of the coming of the Holy Spirit.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ONE WHO COMES ALONGSIDE US TO HELP US THROUGH LIFE. WE NEED TO KNOW HIM PERSONALLY AND EXPERIENCE HIM IN FULLNESS. When we recognize the Person and work of the Holy Spirit and begin to relate to Him, He transforms us. How does the Holy Spirit transform us?

The Three Transforming Works of the Spirit in the Believer

The night before Jesus went to the cross, He met with His disciples and one of the last things He taught them about was the Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples that He was going to pray to the Father and that “another Helper” (literally “one just like Him”) would come to abide with them forever. Jesus said:

• John 14:16-17 – ¹⁶ “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

Jesus used two prepositions in the above passage to describe the relationship of the Holy Spirit with people. The Holy Spirit is “with” a person prior to conversion, communicating God’s “truth” and persuading them of their need for salvation. The Holy Spirit comes “in” a person when they accept Jesus as Savior by faith and are born again. The Spirit comes “in” a person to regenerate them with eternal life.

Before we can examine the three works of the Spirit in the life of the believer, we need to consider the work of the Spirit in the unbeliever. The Spirit begins the work of salvation in the unbeliever by convicting the unbeliever of their need of salvation. Once saved, the Spirit begins the sanctifying process.

The Spirit’s Work “with” the Unbeliever

The first work of the Spirit in the unbeliever and the world is that of a Restrainer. The Spirit works through the church to restrain evil in the world so that the world is not totally overcome with evil. This is supported by the following verses:

• 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 – ⁶ “And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. ⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.”

“He who now restrains” is a reference to the Holy Spirit and His work in the world. The Holy Spirit creates an environment where evil is checked enough to allow a person to exert free will to make a decision regarding salvation.

The second work of the Spirit with regard to the unbeliever is that of “Convictor.” The Spirit convicts the unbeliever of their need of a Savior. Jesus defined this work of the Spirit with the following words:

• John 16:8-11 – ⁸ “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ⁹ of sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰ of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; ¹¹ of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

The Holy Spirit “convicts.” The word “convict” is translated from the Greek term ELEGCHO (Strong’s #1651 – ἐλέγχω elegcho, el-eng´-kho) meaning, “to confute, admonish; convict, convince, tell a fault, rebuke, reprove.”⁴ The idea conveyed by the word ELEGCHO is to “expose; refute, show one’s fault, [and]…convincing of that fault.”⁵ We find the sense of this term in the following verses:

• John 3:20 – “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”
• Ephesians 5:11 – “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.”
• 1 Timothy 5:20 – “Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.”
• James 2:9 – “but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”
• Jude 1:14-15 – ¹⁴ “Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, ¹⁵ to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
• Revelation 3:19 – “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.”

What is it that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of or exposes? The Holy Spirit convicts the unsaved world of three things.

First, “of sin because they do not believe in Me.” Jesus paid the penalty (death) for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2); the sin that damns to hell is rejecting the Spirit’s plea to accept Jesus as Savior (Matthew 12:31 – also called the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit). A person’s eternal destiny is determined by whether or not they believe in Jesus. This is what the Spirit convicts the world of.

Second, “of righteousness because I go to My Father.” Jesus died for the sins of the world and was raised from the dead. His resurrection indicates God was satisfied with His sacrifice for sin. Jesus then ascended to heaven and was seated at the right hand of God demonstrating that He is the standard and only acceptable means by which a person can enter heaven (Mark 16:19; Acts 2:33; Acts 7:55-56; Romans 8:34; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 10:11-18; 1 Peter 3:22). The Spirit convicts the world that works are inadequate to make one righteous and gain access to heaven because the standard of righteousness is Jesus, nothing else is acceptable. Nicodemas was a very religious man but Jesus said he needed to be born again (John 3). The Holy Spirit exposes the futility of trying to do religious works to make oneself acceptable before God.

Third, “of judgment because the ruler of this world is judged.” The Holy Spirit convicts the world that the God of this world, Satan, was judged on the cross of Christ (Colossians 2:13-17). The hold of Satan on the unbeliever can be broken when a person accepts Jesus as Savior, because when Jesus comes into a heart, He is greater than Satan (1 John 4:4).

That is the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the unbeliever. What does the Holy Spirit do in the life of a believer?

The Three Transforming Works of the Spirit in the Believer

There are three things the Holy Spirit does in the life of a believer to transform them to the likeness of Jesus Christ. There are three transforming works of the Spirit in the believer. They are as follows:

The first thing the Holy Spirit does in the life of a believer is INDWELLING them at conversion. This is the “in” (Greek EN) experience referred to in John 14:17. In John 3 this work is described as being “born again.” Later in John 4:13-14 Jesus describes this experience as drinking “living water” that quenches the thirst for spiritual fulfillment in every human. In John 20:22 Jesus further describes this experience as receiving the Holy Spirit when He breathes on the disciples and tells them to receive the Spirit. Disciples received the Holy Spirit as Jesus breathed on them. When the Holy Spirit comes to reside inside a person (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), the process (sanctification) of being conformed to the likeness of Christ begins and continues throughout life (Romans 8:29). The Spirit bears witness and communicates the heart and truth of Jesus to the believer (John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:13-14). We are God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10). He works in us (Philippians 2:13). The power of the risen Lord Jesus is in us and it is the Spirit that brings that power to us (Ephesians 1:15-23; Ephesians 3:14-21). The love of Jesus works in us by the presence of the Holy Spirit in us (Romans 5:5). All these things are associated with the work of the Spirit in us.

The second thing the Holy Spirit does in the life of the believer is EMPOWERING the believer for service. As the believer is conformed to the likeness of Jesus by the Spirit, like Jesus, the believer acquires a desire to be used by God to reach the lost in the world, to minister (Matthew 18:11; Mark 10:45; Luke 19:10). This is the “upon” (Greek preposition EPI) experience described by Jesus as torrents of living water gushing forth from the believer and as ynamic empowerment of the believer (John 7:37-39; Acts 1:8). In order to minister like Jesus, the believer needs to be empowered by God. If the believer seeks to serve in his or her own strength they will be frustrated and fail (Romans 7). They need to be supernaturally empowered and the Spirit provides that power. This power is invisible like the wind but powerful like a tornado (Acts 2). It is a fiery, purifying and cleansing of the heart by God. The believer surrenders their heart to God in faith, trusting Him to work to destroy those challenges and hindrances to total trust in God (Acts 2; Acts 15:8-9). The cleansing work of this empowerment attacks inhibitions and barriers between God and the believer. There is an essential empowerment for service subsequent to initial Spirit filling (Acts 1:8; 2). This empowerment involves Spiritual Gifting (Ephesians 4:7-13). This empowerment is the sufficiency of God’s grace revealed powerfully in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). The love of God works not only in us but also through us. This is the second work of the Spirit in the life of the believer.

The third work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is that of ONGOING REFRESHING. The believer needs to be refilled or daily renewed and filled with the Spirit who refreshes and empowers. Those empowered at Pentecost were refilled later (Acts 4). There are subsequent re-fillings and refreshing by the Spirit in the believer’s life. The sense of this ongoing third work is found in Paul’s inspired letter to the Ephesians when he states:

• Ephesians 5:18 – “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,”

The word “filled” is translated from the Greek term PLEROO (Strong’s #4137 – πληρόω pleroo, play-ro´-o) meaning “to make replete,…to cram (a net), level up (a hollow),…to furnish (or imbue, diffuse, influence), satisfy, execute (an office), finish (a period or task), verify,…accomplish,…complete, end, expire, fill (up), fulfill, (be, make) full (come), fully preach, perfect, supply.”⁶ In addition to this definition, the grammatical form of the term “filled” (Present/Passive/Imperative) conveys the thought of an ongoing and constant (Present tense) work, i.e., be being filled with the Spirit. The grammatical form of “filled” also conveys the idea that the believer receives or has done to them this filling (Passive voice). And lastly, “filled” here is in a grammatical form that conveys the thought that this ongoing filling of the Spirit is absolutely essential (Imperative mood) for the believer. Therefore, to “be filled with the Spirit” means to be constantly, regularly, daily filled up, satisfied, furnished, and supplied with the Spirit for one’s daily needs and God-ordained plans.

The impact of such a daily filling is conveyed in the Book of Acts where those who had experienced the empowerment of the Spirit at Pentecost again pray for this ongoing empowerment and refreshing. In Acts it reads:

• Acts 4:31 – “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”

When we are saved and filled with the Spirit initially, the work begins in us. When we are baptized with the Holy Spirit we are empowered for service and the work of God continues through us. And as we advance in the Spirit we need an ongoing refreshing and renewal by the Spirit in our lives.

The New Transforming Life of the Spirit

This is the newness of the Spirit Paul is inspired to refer to in Romans 7:6. Is the Spirit in you? If you do not have the Spirit, you do not belong to God, you remain in your sins (Romans 8:9). Pray for forgiveness for your sins; put your faith in Jesus; receive the Holy Spirit and be born again.

Have you been empowered to serve the Lord? Are you frustrated and failing in your walk with God? Pray for His power and the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Receive it by faith.

Have you been empowered but feel as though you’re running on empty? Pray for a refreshing and refilling of the Spirit in your life. Walk in the Spirit, filled and refreshed daily and receive this regular daily work by faith. Faithful is He who calls you to this and He will do it! (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

The Spirit’s Sanctifying Transformation of the Believer

Another word for the work the Spirit does in and through the believer is sanctification. Toward the end of the epistle of Romans, the apostle Paul writes:

• Romans 15:15-16 – ¹⁵ “Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God, ¹⁶ that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”

Notice the last phrase of verse 16 here, “sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” Earlier in Romans 6; Romans 7, and Romans 8 Paul was inspired by God to discuss the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. We could sum up the work of the Spirit in the believer as The Holy Spirit works in the believer to fulfill God’s predestined plan of making believers Christ-like (Romans 8:29). The word the Bible uses to describe this spiritual process, the Holy Spirit working in us to make us like Jesus, is sanctification. The word “sanctified” is translated from the Greek term HAGIADZO (Strong’s #37 – ἁγιάζω, ανασωζω [hagiazo /hag·ee·ad·zo/]) which occurs 29 times in the New Testament and is translated “sanctify” 26 times, “hallow” twice, and “be holy” once. HAGIADZO means, “to separate from profane things and dedicate to God; consecrate things to God; dedicate people to God.⁷ To sanctify something means, “to make holy” (from hagios, “holy”), signifies to set apart for God, to sanctify, to make a person or thing the opposite of koinos, “common.”⁸ The HOLY Spirit imparts and works into the believer the unique quality of Christ-likeness. The sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit is to prepare believers for God’s use by uniquely making them more and more like Jesus.

As we study the Book of Acts and see the empowering work of the Spirit at work, what we will see is believers who are empowered to respond to the lost world like Jesus would respond. For instance, when Stephen was stoned in Acts 7 his final words were:

• Acts 7:60 – “Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

Now compare these words with the words of Jesus on the cross when He said:

• Luke 23:34 – “Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots.”

It’s interesting that Luke alone records these words of Jesus and it is when we come to the second volume of Luke’s two-volume work that we see the work of the Spirit in Stephen. The Spirit worked in Stephen to enable him to forgive his enemies, just like Jesus did, and work through Stephen’s Christ-like response to make a lasting and eventually spiritually fruitful impression on one who was watching his execution, Saul of Tarsus, who would eventually become Paul of the New Testament (Acts 7:58; Acts 8:1; and Acts 9:1-43). The power of the Spirit in the believer is making the believer like Jesus and impacting the world through Christ-like responses in ministry.

But what is the believer’s part in this work of the Spirit? How can this work of the Spirit come to pass in us?

The Spirit’s Sanctifying Transformation of the Believer is BY FAITH

Just as we are saved from our sin, forgiven our sin when we heed the call and conviction of the Spirit to repent and turn to Jesus Christ by faith to save us, so too does the ongoing sanctifying work of the Spirit to conform us to Christ-likeness happen in and through us when we by faith turn to the Lord. The primary fundamental point that needs to be made and upon which all success rests, is for the believer to realize that the SANCTIFICATION OF THE SPIRIT AS WELL AS SALVATION IS BASED ON FAITH. Sanctification is something God does in us. In Paul’s opening inspired words in the epistle to the Romans he introduced this point by saying:

• Romans 1:17 – “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

God offers salvation to us in a gracious provision through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. A person is saved from their sin when, by faith in Jesus Christ, they admit their sin, repent of it, and accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Sanctification is no different in that the believer advances with the Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit by faith. By putting our trust in God, we offer ourselves to Him to do what He has promised to do in and through us, which is, conform us to the likeness of His Son (Romans 8:29) and use us as His instruments of righteousness to reach a world lost in sin (Romans 12-16). This is the work of the Spirit in and through us.

Read the role of faith in God’s work in us in the sanctification process of life described in the following additional verses:

• Acts 15:8-9 – ⁸ “So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, ⁹ “and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.”
• Acts 26:18 – “to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’”
• Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
• Galatians 5:5 – “For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.”

The sanctifying process of God in the believer, done by the Holy Spirit, takes place as the believer puts their faith and trust in God to do it. We surrender in faith to the Holy Spirit to do His holy work in and through us. Moment by moment, step by step, breath by breath, we surrender to the Spirit’s voice and counsel in our lives and when we do, He applies God’s word to our lives, the word that makes us like Jesus, because Jesus is in the whole of it (Romans 12:1-2; Hebrews 10:7). And when we surrender to Jesus and the work of the Spirit by faith and become more and more like Jesus, Jesus in us by the Spirit reaches out effectively and powerfully to the lost world around us. We do not literally become “Jesus,” this is not the false Godhood taught by New Agers, it is the truth of God’s glorious gracious plan being brought to bear in our lives. This is a very personal work that the Spirit does in each believer, by faith.

An Example of a Personal Experience with the Holy Spirit – Charles Finney

The following testimony of Charles is an example of the personal nature of the Spirit’s work in a believer. Charles Finney was a man of the 19th century who was greatly used by God to bring revival to New York. He was a lawyer by trade and skilled in testimony. The experience of Finney may seem extreme, but it is nonetheless a very personal experience. Finney’s testimony:

After dinner we were engaged in removing our books and furniture to another office. We were very busy in this, and had but little conversation all the afternoon. My mind, however, remained in that profoundly tranquil state. There was a great sweetness and tenderness in my thoughts and feelings. Everything appeared to be going right, and nothing seemed to ruffle or disturb me in the least.

Just before evening the thought took possession of my mind, that as soon as I was left alone in the new office, I would try to pray again — that I was not going to abandon the subject of religion and give it up, at any rate; and therefore, although I no longer had any concern about my soul, still I would continue to pray.

By evening we got the books and furniture adjusted; and I made up, in an open fireplace, a good fire, hoping to spend the evening alone. Just at dark Squire W——, seeing that everything was adjusted, bade me goodnight, and went to his home. I had accompanied him to the door; and as I closed the door and turned around, my heart seemed to be liquid within me. All my feelings seemed to rise and flow out; and the utterance of my heart was, “I want to pour my whole soul out to God.” The rising of my soul was so great that I rushed into the room back of the front office, to pray.

There was no fire, and no light, in the room; nevertheless it appeared to me as if it were perfectly light. As I went in and shut the door after me, it seemed as if I met the Lord Jesus Christ face to face. It did not occur to me then, nor did it for some time afterward, that it was wholly a mental state. On the contrary it seemed to me that I saw him as I would see any other man. He said nothing, but looked at me in such a manner as to break me right down at his feet. I have always since regarded this as a most remarkable state of mind; for it seemed to me a reality, that he stood before me, and I fell down at his feet and poured out my soul to him. I wept aloud like a child, and made such confessions as I could with my choked utterance. It seemed to me that I bathed his feet with my tears; and yet I had no distinct impression that I touched him, that I recollect.

I must have continued in this state for a good while; but my mind was too much absorbed with the interview to recollect anything that I said. But I know, as soon as my mind became calm enough to break off from the interview, I returned to the front office, and found that the fire that I had made of large wood was nearly burned out. But as I turned and was about to take a seat by the fire, I received a mighty baptism of the Holy Ghost. Without any expectation of it, without ever having the thought in my mind that there was any such thing for me, without any recollection that I had ever heard the thing mentioned by any person in the world, the Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed to go through me, body and soul. I could feel the impression, like a wave of electricity, going through and through me. Indeed it seemed to come in waves and waves of liquid love for I could not express it in any other way. It seemed like the very breath of God. I can recollect distinctly that it seemed to fan me, like immense wings.

No words can express the wonderful love that was shed abroad in my heart. I wept aloud with joy and love; and I do not know but I should say, I literally bellowed out the unutterable gushings of my heart. These waves came over me, and over me, and over me, one after the other, until I recollect I cried out, “I shall die if these waves continue to pass over me.” I said, “Lord, I cannot bear any more;” yet I had no fear of death.

How long I continued in this state, with this baptism continuing to roll over me and go through me, I do not know. But I know it was late in the evening when a member of my choir — for I was the leader of the choir — came into the office to see me. He was a member of the church. He found me in this state of loud weeping, and said to me, “Mr. Finney, what ails you?” I could make him no answer for some time. He then said, “Are you in pain?” I gathered myself up as best I could, and replied, “No, but so happy that I cannot leave.” (Charles Finney Autobiography p. 31-32)

A Unique Individual Personal Experience with the Holy Spirit

Not everyone has an experience like that of Finney’s. We are individuals and our relationship with the Holy Spirit is personal. We should not seek out a cookie-cutter like experience with the Holy Spirit. Each person will have his or her own experience with the Holy Spirit. But above all, we should seek to have an experience, a relationship with the Holy Spirit.

The important thing to remember in all of our interactions with the Holy Spirit (e.g., “with, in, upon”) is that, IT IS NOT A MATTER OF YOU GETTING MORE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. IT IS A MATTER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT GETTING MORE OF YOU!

Oswald Chambers who wrote the classic work My Utmost for His Highest, also died at a very young age. Despite his early departure to be with the Lord, he was able to greatly impact the world for Jesus Christ. How was he able to do that? Chambers had a relationship with the Holy Spirit. Read what he said about the Holy Spirit:

The Holy [Spirit] makes Jesus Christ both present and real. He is the most real Being on earth, ‘closer is He than breathing, and nearer than hands and feet…The Holy Spirit alone makes Jesus real, the Holy Spirit alone expounds His Cross, the Holy Spirit alone convicts of sin; the Holy Spirit alone does in us what Jesus did for us. — Oswald Chambers in Biblical Ethics, p. 98-99.

The mark of the Holy Spirit in a man’s life is that he has gone to his own funeral and the thought of himself never enters. — Oswald Chambers in Disciples Indeed, p. 24.

The Holy Spirit is a real Person with Whom you can have a very real personal relationship. The Book of Acts depicts just how real and Awesome that relationship can be. Let’s return to our study and see just how real and powerful the Holy Spirit can be in the life of people.

2 Chuck Smith, Living Water: The Power of the Holy Spirit in Your Life, (Harvest House Publishers: Eugene, Oregon, 1996, p.14.

3 James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1995.

4 James Strong, The New Strong's Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words (electronic ed.). Thomas Nelson: Nashville, 1997, ©1996

5 J. Swanson, 1997. Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Logos Research Systems, Inc.: Oak Harbor

6 James Strong, The New Strong's Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words (electronic ed.). Thomas Nelson: Nashville1997, ©1996.

7 James Strong, Enhanced Strong's Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship: Ontario, 1996.

8 W. Vine, 1997, Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (electronic ed.) (Vol. 2, Page 287). Thomas Nelson: Nashville, ©1996.