Great Doctrines of the Bible
Special English Version

Lesson 6
THE HOLY SPIRIT
(Part One)

INTRODUCTION
We are living in the time of the Holy Spirit. People all over the world are interested in what He does. Much false teaching about the Holy Spirit has caused confusion among Christians. In this lesson and the next two lessons we will teach you what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit. We will help you to clearly understand that the Holy Spirit is a person. You will also learn what work He does.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS LESSON

• The Holy Spirit is the one who gives life (John 3:5). The Holy Spirit gives power (Acts 1:8). He is the One who shows us about Christ (John 16:14).
• It is very important for the believer to know what the Holy Spirit does. The Holy Spirit is God. He is one of the persons of the Three-in-One God. Because He is God, it is important that we know Him and His work. When we know the Holy Spirit we can know God better.
• When we know God better we can worship Him better. Then we can love God and work for Him in the way we should.
• It is my wish that the Holy Spirit will guide you as you search for the truth.

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THE LESSON

I. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A PERSON

1. There are two different ideas about the Holy Spirit.
   1. The Holy Spirit is just a kind of power that a person can use when he is weak.
      This idea makes people proud.
   2. The Spirit is just as wise, full of love and powerful as the other persons in the Three-in-One God. He wants to control the believer and use the believer for His work.
      This idea takes away the pride of the believer. This idea causes the believer to put away his own desires. It causes the believer to give himself to the Holy Spirit, in order that the Holy Spirit can control him.
2. It is very important to know that the Holy Spirit is a person. Knowing this is for our own spiritual good. It also helps us to live the Christian life.
   1. We cannot worship the Holy Spirit if He is just a power that comes from God. We cannot have faith in that which is only a power. We cannot love and honor a power. The Holy Spirit is God and we must worship Him as God.
   2. We lose a blessing if we say that the Holy Spirit is only a power. A power cannot walk beside the believer the way the Holy Spirit does. A power cannot help us carry the load in the Christian life. A power cannot live in the believer to teach him (John 14:16-17).
3. The reasons that some people believe that the Holy Spirit is only a power that comes from God:
   1. Because in the Greek language the word “spirit” is also translated as “wind” (John 3:8).
   2. Because sometimes the writers did not include the name of the Holy Spirit in their greetings (Galatians 1:1-3; Ephesians 1:1-2; Philippians 1:1-2). Paul includes the name of the Holy Spirit when he gives his blessing in 2 Corinthians 13:14.
   3. Because writers in the Bible often use other words for the Holy Spirit. They use words like wind, breath, fire or water. This has caused some teachers to say that the Holy Spirit is just a power that comes from God the Father. This has caused them to say that He is not a person.
4. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is a person.
   1. The Bible uses the words “He,” “His” and “Him” when it talks about the Holy Spirit
      (John 14:16,17,26; 16:7-8, 13-15; 15:26). Jesus uses the word “He” when talking about the Holy Spirit. Jesus uses the word “He” at least 12 times in the verses above. This shows us that the Holy Spirit is a person.
   2. The Bible talks about the Holy Spirit just like a person.
      1. The Holy Spirit has a will and He has reasons for doing things (1 Corinthians 12:11).
      2. The Holy Spirit is able to think (Romans 8:27).
      3. The Holy Spirit knows things (1 Corinthians 2:9-11).
      4. Paul lists nine things in Galatians 5:22-23. These are called “the fruit of the Spirit.” These things can only be said about a person.
   3. The actions of the Holy Spirit show that He is a person.
      1. He gives power to the believer (Acts 1:8).
      2. He shows the believer where to go (Romans 8:14; Acts 16:6-7).
      3. He gives comfort to the believer (Acts 9:31; John 14:16).
      4. He prays for the believer (Romans 8:26).
      5. He talks to people about Christ (John 15:26).
      6. He helps believers to know that they are children of God (Romans 8:16; Galatians 4:6).
      7. He talks (Revelation 2:7).
      8. He teaches believers and shows believers the truth (John 14:26; 16:12-14).
      9. He directs the things that happen in this world and among believers (Acts 16:6-7; 13:2; 20:28).
   4. The Bible talks about sins by which people can hurt the Holy Spirit. A person cannot hurt that which is only a power.
      1. The believer can make the Holy Spirit feel bad (Ephesians 4:30).
      2. The believer can stop the voice of the Holy Spirit in Him (1 Thessalonians 5:19).
      3. The believer can lie to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3).
      4. The believer can speak bad words about the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 10:29).
      5. A believer can curse the Holy Spirit (Matthew12:31-32).
      6. A believer can fight against the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51).
         • Now you know that the Holy Spirit is a person. How do you feel about Him?
         Do you know He is always present with you? Do you depend on the Holy Spirit to show you how to live? Do you depend on Him to give you power in the Christian life? Do you allow Him to control you? Do you live the way He wants you to live? Do you work together with the Holy Spirit? Do you love Him the way you should? Do you worship Him the way you should?
         • If the Holy Spirit is not a person in the Three-in-One God, then He is only a power.
         If the Holy Spirit is not God, then it is wrong to love Him, to worship Him, to obey Him and to work with Him

II. THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD

1. The Holy Spirit is equal with God the Father and God the Son.
   1. Paul gives a blessing to the people of Corinth in 2 Corinthians 13:14. In this verse the Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son.
   2. In the words that are spoken when a person is baptized (Matthew 28:19).
      Notice that it does not say “in the names of” but “in the name of.” This shows that each person of the Three-in-one God is a separate person but they work together and always agree.
   3. The giving of spiritual gifts shows that the Holy Spirit is equal with God the Father and God the Son (1 Corinthians 12:4-6).
2. Peter says that the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4).
3. The Holy Spirit can do things that only God can do.
   1. He makes things out of nothing (Psalm 104:30 RV; Genesis 1:2).
   2. He causes people to be born again (John 3:5).
   3. He gives life (John 6:63).
   4. He raises people from the dead (Romans 1:4; 8:11).
   5. The things He says about the future come true (2 Peter 1:21).
   6. He gives gifts to men according to His own wishes (1 Corinthians 12:8-11).
4. We know the Holy Spirit is God because of His attributes. An attribute shows us what God is like.
   1. What God is like never changes.
   2. Every person of the Three-in-One God is a person.
   3. We can talk about each one separate from the other.
   4. It shows what His power is like. His power never changes.
   5. We can organize the attributes of the Three-in-One God into two kinds.
      1. The attributes that show what God is like in Himself. They cannot be separated from God.
      2. The attributes that talk about how God shows Himself to the people He made.
   6. The attributes that show what the Holy Spirit is like in Himself.
      1. The attributes that show that the Holy Spirit has the Life of God.
         1. Life – Romans 8:2.
         2. Spirituality – He is a person who cannot be seen (John 3:8).
         3. Personality – He is a person who can think, has a will and has feelings (John 16:13-16).
      2. The attributes that show that the Holy Spirit is a person like God.
         1. Unity – God is perfect and cannot be divided because He is One God. He shows Himself in three persons (Matthew 28:19-20; John 17:22).
         2. Eternity – God is eternal. He has no beginning and His life will never end (Hebrews 9:14).
         3. Unchangeable – God never changes in what He is like and in what He plans to do (Malachi 3:6).
      3. The attributes that show that the Holy Spirit has the power of God.
         1. Omniscience – God knows everything and He possesses all wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:9-14).
         2. Omnipresence – God is everywhere present at the same time (Psalm 139:7-10).
         3. Omnipotence – God has power to do anything that is not against his nature (Genesis 1:2; Romans 15:19)
   7. The attributes that talk about how the Holy Spirit shows Himself to the people He made.
      1. The attributes that show what the nature of the Spirit of God is like.
         1. Love (Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22).
         2. Grace (Hebrews 10:29).
         3. Mercy – kindness (Galatians 5:22).
      2. Those that show what kind of a person He is – His characteristics.
         1. The Holy Spirit is Holy (Romans 1:4).
         2. The Holy Spirit is Righteous (John 16:7-10).
         3. The Holy Spirit is Faithful. He always does what He says He will do (Ephesians 1:13-14; John 14:13-14).
      3. Those that show how the Holy Spirit rules the world.
         1. The Holy Spirit has complete wisdom (1 Corinthians 12:8; 2:9-11).
         2. The Holy Spirit is full of truth (John 14:17).
         3. The Holy Spirit has power over all things and He can use this power in any way He wants to use it (2 Peter 1:21).

   • The Holy Spirit is God. He is a person in the Three-in-One God. We must honor and worship Him as God. You will be happy in the Christian life when you act toward the Holy Spirit as a real person. He is not a feeling or a power. We must love Him as God. We must allow Him to control us and we must depend on Him to help us. We can enjoy working together with Him all the time.

III. THE NAMES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Bible gives many special names to the Holy Spirit. His names show us the kind of work He does. The names also show us how He represents the Three-in-One God.

1. The Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:16; Romans 8:9). Both the Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit into the world. The Holy Spirit acts for the Three-in-One God. He is the representative of the Three-in-One God.
2. The Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13; Romans 1:4). This shows what He is like. He is holy. He is holy in Himself and helps us to live holy lives.
3. The Holy Spirit of Promise (Ephesians 1:13). This name shows us that Christ promised to send Him (John 14:16-18). He is the mark on the believer. This mark shows that the believer belongs to Christ (Ephesians 1:13). Of all the things Christ promised to the believer, the Holy Spirit is the first part (Ephesians 1:14). By this we know that we will also receive all the other promises of our salvation.
4. The Spirit of Grace (Hebrews 10:29). This name shows that He gives the grace of God to the believers.
5. The Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2). He is the one who gives us spiritual life. He makes Christ a real person to the believer.
6. The Spirit of Truth (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13). He teaches us the truth. He speaks the truth. He helps us practice the truth and He fights for the truth. He is against everything that is not true (1 John 4:6).
7. The Spirit of Glory or the Spirit of the Splendor of God (1 Peter 4:14). He shows the shining greatness of God. He gives the grace of God to the believer. Through grace the believer can show the shining greatness of God (Romans 8:16-17).
8. The Eternal Spirit. The Spirit that lives forever (Hebrews 9:14). This shows that His work never ends. It also shows that He will live forever. This means that He is really God.
   • In the Bible you will see other names for the Holy Spirit. The above names are enough for now.

IV. OTHER WORDS THAT ARE USED AS NAMES FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT
• The Bible uses other words to describe the Holy Spirit. These words also show us what He is like. They show us the kind of work He does.

1. The Dove (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32).
   The dove is a picture of purity. People use doves as messengers. The Holy Spirit is without sin and He is a messenger from God.
2. The Wind (John 3:8; Acts 2:1-4).
   We cannot see the wind. We know it is powerful and it can enter many places. The Holy Spirit is powerful and can enter inside people.
3. Fire (Acts 2:3; Jeremiah 20:9).
   He makes the Word of God like a fire (Malachi 3:2). He makes the Word of God like a fire that burns away the bad things. Fire makes things clean. Fire burns things to ashes so there is nothing left. The Holy Spirit also does this in the believer.
4. Oil (Exodus 27:20; 30:31; compare Acts 1:8; 2:4; Hebrews 1:9).
   In the Bible people used olive oil in food. People used olive oil to give light. They used it for anointing a person for a special work. In this way it showed how God poured out His power.
5. Water (John 7:37-39).
   Water gives a person new strength. Water makes things clean. Water satisfies a person’s thirst. Water is necessary for life. In this way the Holy Spirit is like water too.
6. A Mark (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30).
   The Holy Spirit is the mark of God on the believer. It shows that God owns the believer. The Holy Spirit Himself is the mark that shows that we are God’s children.
7. The First Part of Something that is Promised (2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5 and Ephesians 1:14).
   The gift of the Holy Spirit to the believer is the first part of all the promises God has given to the believer. Because God gave us the Holy Spirit we are sure that He will give us all the other promises in the Bible. The other promises are the ones we will receive when we go to heaven.

CONCLUSION
The subject of the Holy Spirit is very important. We will study the Holy Spirit in lesson 7 and 8 too. We will study the work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. We will also study the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of Christ. We will learn about the work of the Holy Spirit in creation. We will learn of the men who wrote the Bible and in believers and those who have not believed. We will look at the Baptism of the Spirit and the Holy Spirit’s work. We will see how the Spirit will fill the believer and how He gives power to the believer. If you study these lessons well you will learn who the Holy Spirit is and what He does.

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