I recently had the privilege of teaching our church’s youth group on the Holy Spirit. Here are my notes:
The Holy Spirit
Who is He?
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He is God, equal to the Father and the Son (cf. Acts 28:25-27 with Is. 6:9-10). In 2 Cor. 3:17, God is equated with the Holy Spirit
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A member of the Divine Trinity
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Promised to believers by God (Joel 2:28; cited in Acts 2:17-21) and by Christ (John 14:15-17)
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Parkletos (Παράκλητος): John uses this word 5 times (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7 and 1 John 2:1) in his writings to describe the Holy Spirit. He is the Comforter/Helper of all believers – without Him, we are unable to minister (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8)
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He lives inside believers (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19)
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He is the seal and pledge of God on His children; a guarantee of His promises to them (Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30; 2 Cor. 1:22, 5:5)
What does He do?
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Equally involved in our salvation: The Father planned our salvation, the Son purchased it, and the Holy Spirit applies it to us by giving us new life (John 3:5-8) and convicting us of sin (John 16:8). He is the one who draws us to Christ (cf. John 6:44).
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He writes the law of God in our hearts and enables us to delight in obeying it (Jer. 31:33).
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He helps in our weakness (Rom. 8:26)
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We are called to be transformed unto the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29), and that happens by the work of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18) who produces His fruit in our lives (Gal. 5:22-23).
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He also ministers to the Church by bestowing spiritual abilities known as gifts
(Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:4-11), though there is debate today as to whether all of these gifts are still active.
Questions:
- Isaiah 6:9-10 is quoted in John 12:39-41 in relation to Jesus, and in Acts 28:25-27 in relation to the Holy Spirit. Given the contexts, what is the common thread?
- Compare Ephesians 5:18-19 with Colossians 3:16. What conclusions can you draw about “being filled with the Spirit”?
- How did the Holy Spirit draw you to Christ? What influences did He use that you can only appreciate now that you have trusted Christ for your salvation?
