Did You Know This About The Holy Spirit?

Who is the Holy Spirit according to Scripture? Why do believers need Him? He plays an important role in the life of the Christian, leading us to salvation and being our partner in this life. However, many Christians lack a proper understanding of the privilege that it is to host the Spirit of God.

I want to break down 3 fundamental truths about the Holy Spirit, but in order to do so, I must first share some context regarding the Holy Spirit’s first appearance.  

The History of the Holy Spirit

The Spirit is first mentioned in Genesis 1:2, He hovers over the waters, then God speaks the Word, and the miracle happens. Then we see the Holy Ghost again in Genesis 6:3, “The Lord said, ‘My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.'” Scholars debate the meaning of the word “strive” in this verse. The concordance says: judge, plead the cause, and contend.

God is saying, “My Spirit is being affected by the evil in this world.” One would think that as a result of the increase in hate and crime, God would remove His Spirit. But instead of taking His Spirit, God cut man’s life on earth short. Man began to live 120 years, then 100 years, and now the average lifespan of someone is 80 years of age. All of this is a result of mankind mistreating the Holy Spirit.

Why do we not live longer on earth? Because of humanity’s relationship with the Holy Ghost. Our attitude, our behavior, and our motives are grieving the Spirit of God.

In Isaiah 63:9, the Bible says of the people of Israel, “In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them; In His love and in His pity He redeemed them; And He bore them and carried them All the days of old. But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; So He turned Himself against them as an enemy, And He fought against them.” The Word shows us that the Father goes to war against Israel on behalf of His Spirit.

God the Father is so protective of His Spirit that as a result of us mistreating Him, our years were cut off. In order to treat the Holy Ghost properly, we need to know who the Holy Ghost is.

3 Truths About the Holy Ghost

1. The Holy Spirit is the promise of the Father.

Jesus says this concerning the Holy Ghost in Acts, “…wait for the promise of the Father, which He said, you heard from Me.” The amazing thing about this verse is that although in the Old Testament, we see how man’s life was being shortened, in the New Testament we see Jesus making a promise once again to all people – the outpouring of His Spirit.

No promise is greater than the promise that Jesus made to His followers. In the New testament, God promises the Holy Spirit to us, knowing we can grieve Him, knowing we can hurt Him. Yet, He promises Him again to us.

2. The Holy Spirit is the petition of Jesus.

According to John 14:16 it says, “I will pray to the Father, and He will give you another Helper that He may abide with you forever.” This shows that just because God promises something it doesn’t mean it’ll come automatically. God’s promises must be activated through prayer. God the Father promises the His Spirit, yet Jesus prays to the Father to send Him.

In other words, it is Jesus’ petition that for you to have the same relationship with the Holy Spirit that His disciples had with Him. In His prayer, He asks the Father to send “another” Comforter; “another” means: one of the same kind. So, Jesus is saying to “send them somebody just like Me, so they can fellowship with Him, walk with Him, live with Him and be with Him.”

The word “Helper” in John 14:16 is parakletos which is broken down into two words: para and kaleo. Para means “very close” and kaleo means “to call,” meaning somebody who is called to be very close to us. Jesus asks the Father to send us a Person who will walk with us, and be with us in the same way Jesus was with His disciples. That is the type of rich relationship the Holy Spirit wants to have with you. 

3. The Holy Spirit is the purpose of salvation.

In Acts 2:38-39, “…Peter said to them, ‘Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all those who are far off and as many as the Lord God will call.’” Many of us think of salvation as getting into a place called Heaven, but Peter wanted us to get saved in order to get the person of the Holy Spirit.

So my question is, what is salvation? Salvation is not just the goal, but a gate into the Kingdom of God. It is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Salvation is not simply so we escape hell and have eternal life, but it is so we may receive most precious gift – the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit desires to have a relationship with every believer, beginning at salvation. The purpose of our salvation is to enter into the Kingdom of God and in doing so that we may receive the precious gift of the Holy Spirit and live an empowered life.

Conclusion

God the Father promises us the Holy Spirit, but like Jesus petitioned, we must activate the promise through prayer. Then we can have a rich relationship with the Holy Spirit as Jesus did with His disciples. The Holy Spirit desires that type of relationship with you, do you with Him?

Read my blog: 5 Steps to Deeper Relationship With the Holy Spirit.

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