The Spirit

By Stephen Leonard

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given unto Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

Just who is this Holy Spirit? You learn from God’s Word about the Father, the Son, ……….and the Holy Spirit! You can visualize the Father, even though He does not have a body like man; you can certainly picture the Son, for He does have a body like you; but the Spirit is so much harder for you to visualize as a distinct person of the Godhead. Don’t you think?

Yet, He is! He is a separate person, who enjoys intimate fellowship with the Father and the Son. Together all three create the Triune God and they have always been so and will always be!

The Spirit along with the Father and the Son (that is, “in Him (Jesus) all things were created” the Bible says, Colossians 1:16) was present at the creation, “hovering” over the newly created earth!

He was active throughout the Old Testament age of the church, though in a different manner than He has been since Pentecost, when the Spirit was fully poured out on the church.

The whole Trinity was specifically engaged in Jesus’ baptism (read Matthew and Luke 3 and Mark 1).

This lesser focus in Scripture on the person of the Spirit of God is due primarily to His preeminent purpose: which is, He always shines a spotlight on Jesus, drawing attention to Him more than to Himself.

He is, as Jesus declared and sent Him, the Comforter to you and the powerful energizer of your regeneration. As Jesus told Nicodemus “You must be born again” and this is by the Holy Spirit, like the wind, Jesus says (John 3).

He indwells every believer with the presence of Jesus Christ. He conveys and interprets the Word of God to your personal heart. He understands your spiritual groaning. As He did at the creation, He hovers over you even as He is within you.

If the Holy Spirit is blasphemed against it engenders the unforgivable sin (Mark 3:29). And Paul exhorts, “Do not quench the Spirit!” The Spirit of God should never stir your wrath to blaspheme against Him, for you are literally taking your eternal life into your hands when you turn against the Holy Spirit with blasphemous words or thoughts.

You ought never ignore the Holy Spirit in your head and heart knowledge of the Father and the Son. For He is God every much as they are. The Father’s love is paramount, the Son is your Savior and Lord, and the Spirit binds you to them both!

Daily offer your praise to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for this is your God! Continue increasing your acquaintance of your Triune God through a committed and thorough study of Him in His Word. Use the faithful creeds, Apostles’ and Nicene, to summarize for you what the Bible teaches. For then you will enjoy immediate recognition and comfort upon your entrance into glory!

Encouragement

“Come, O come, Thou quickening Spirit, God from all eternity! May Thy power never fail us; dwell within us constantly, then shall truth and life and light banish all the gloom of night.”

(1st verse of Heinrich Held’s hymn, “Come, O Come, Thou Quickening Spirit,” ca. 1664)