essay of holy spirit

Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son and is of the same essence. Yet He is also distinct from them.

Scripture describes the Holy Spirit in personal terms, not as an impersonal force, when it says that He teaches, guides, comforts and intercedes. [1] He possesses emotions, intellect and will. [2] The Holy Spirit spoke to Philip and gave counsel to the church at Jerusalem. [3] He was sinned against and lied to. [4]

The Scriptures also attest to the deity of the Holy Spirit. He is spoken of as God and is identified with the title of Jehovah. [5] The Christian who is indwelt by the Spirit is indwelt by God. [6] The Holy Spirit possesses the attributes of deity, such as omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence and eternality. [7] He does works only God can do, such as creating, regenerating and sanctifying. [8] He is equally associated with the other members of the Trinity. [9]

The work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament differed somewhat from His work in the New Testament. The possession of the Holy Spirit by the believer was not permanent in every case. [10] The Spirit had a ministry of restraining sin and in the creation of the world. [11]

The Holy Spirit today plays a major role in the application of salvation to the individual. It is the Spirit who brings conviction to the unbeliever and causes him to see the truth of the gospel in a clear light. [12] Those who respond to this conviction and place their faith in Jesus Christ receive eternal life and a new nature. [13] The Holy Spirit unites the believer with Christ and places him in the body of Christ, the church. [14] He also unites the believer with Christ in His death, enabling him to live victoriously over sin. [15] The Holy Spirit controls the believer who yields to God and submits himself to God's Word. [16] When these conditions are met, the believer lives in the power of the Spirit and produces the fruit of the Spirit. [17]

The Holy Spirit indwells the believer permanently. [18] While the child of God may sin and grieve the Spirit, the Spirit will never leave the true believer. [19] Absence of the Holy Spirit is the mark of the unsaved. [20] The Holy Spirit seals the believer. [21] This ministry guarantees the security of the believer "until the day of redemption." [22]

The Holy Spirit sovereignly bestows spiritual gifts or abilities for service to every believer. [23] Although His restraint of evil in the world today will cease with the Rapture, [24] He will continue to be present in the earth. In the tribulation period the Spirit will be involved in salvation and filling. [25] In the coming kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Spirit will be in God's people and the Spirit will be upon the King. [26]

[1] John 14:26;   Romans 8:14;    Romans 8:26

[2] Ephesians 4:30;   1 Corinthians 2:10-14;   1 Corinthians 12:11

[3] Acts 8:29;   Acts 15:28

[4] Acts 5:3;   Acts 5:4

[5] Acts 5:1-4;   Isaiah 6:8-9   with   Acts 28:25;   Jeremiah 31:31-34   with  Hebrews 10:15

[6] 1 Corinthians 3:16;   1 Corinthians 6:19;   Ephesians 2:22

[7] 1 Corinthians 2:10-11;   Psalm 139:7;   Zechariah 4:6;   Hebrews 9:14

[8] Genesis 1:2;   John 3:6;   2 Thessalonians 2:13

[9] Matthew 28:19;   Matthew 28:20;   2 Corinthians 13:14

[10] Psalm 51:11

[11] Genesis 6:3;  Genesis 1:2;   Isaiah 40:12

[12] John 16:8-11

[13] John 3:3-7;   Titus 3:5

[14] 1 Corinthians 12:13

[15] Romans 6:1-10

[16] Romans 12:1;   Romans 12:2;   Ephesians 5:18;   Colossians 3:16

[17] Galatians 5:16;   Galatians 5:22;   Galatians 5:23

[18] 1 Corinthians 6:19, 1 Corinthians 6:20

[19] Ephesians 4:30

[20] Romans 8:9;   Jude 1:19

[21] 2 Corinthians 1:22;   Ephesians 1:13;  Ephesians 4:30

[22] Ephesians 4:30

[23] Romans 12;   1 Corinthians 12;   Ephesians 4

[24] 2 Thessalonians 2:7

[25] Zechariah 12:10;   Joel 2:28-32

[26] Jeremiah 31:33;   Isaiah 11:2-3

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How to Recognize the Holy Spirit

Nine tests for spiritual fruit.

Scott Hubbard

Ten sweeter, stronger looks, if you confess, live a larger life, does god delight in me, a father’s 5-to-9, the blessings of being bound.

Managing Editor, desiringGod.org

Of all the blessings that are ours in Christ, is any greater than the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit?

The Spirit is “the sum of the blessings Christ sought, by what he did and suffered in the work of redemption,” Jonathan Edwards writes ( Works of Jonathan Edwards , 5:341). The Spirit illumines our Savior’s face (John 16:14). The Spirit puts “Abba! Father!” in our mouths (Romans 8:15). The Spirit plants heaven in our hearts (Ephesians 1:13–14).

For all the blessings the Spirit brings, however, many of us labor under confusion when it comes to recognizing the Spirit’s presence. As a new believer, I was told that speaking in tongues and prophesying were two indispensable signs of the Spirit’s power. Perhaps others of us, without focusing the lens so narrowly, likewise identify the Spirit’s presence most readily with his miraculous gifts: visions, healings, impressions, and more.

“Of all the blessings that are ours in Christ, is any greater than the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit?”

To be sure, the Spirit does reveal himself through such wonders (1 Corinthians 12:8–11), and Christians today should “earnestly desire” them (1 Corinthians 14:1). Nevertheless, when Paul tells the Galatians to “walk by the Spirit” and “keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16, 25), he focuses their attention not on the Spirit’s gifts , but on the Spirit’s fruit .

So if we want to know whether we are keeping in step with the Spirit, or whether we need to find his footsteps again, we would do well to consider love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Fruit of the Spirit

In order to understand the Spirit’s fruit, we need to remember the context in which it appears. Paul’s list came at first to a community at odds with each other. The apostle found it necessary to warn the Galatians not to “bite and devour one another,” nor to “become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another” (Galatians 5:15, 26). The Galatians, in turning from God’s grace in the gospel (Galatians 1:6), had evidently begun to turn on one another.

In this context, the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit describe two communities: the anti-community of those in the flesh, seeking a righteousness based on their works (Galatians 5:19–21); and the true community of those in the Spirit, justified through faith alone in Christ alone (Galatians 5:22–23).

As we use Paul’s list to examine ourselves, then, we need to ask if these graces mark us, not when we sit in peaceful isolation, but when we move among God’s people. I may appear patient, gentle, and kind when alone in my apartment, but what about when I am with the church? Who we are around others — baffling others, irritating others, oblivious others — reveals how far we have come in bearing the Spirit’s fruit.

Now, what are these nine clusters of fruit that manifest the Spirit’s presence? To keep the survey manageable, we will include only one or two angles on each virtue, and restrict ourselves mostly to Paul’s letters.

Love: Do you labor for the good of your brothers and sisters?

When God pours his love into our hearts through the Spirit (Romans 5:5), our posture changes: once curved inward in self-preoccupation, we now straighten our backs, lift our heads, and begin to forget ourselves in the interests of others (Philippians 2:1–4). We find our hearts being knit together with people we once would have disregarded, judged, or even despised (Colossians 2:2; Romans 12:16). Our love no longer depends on finding something lovely; having felt the love of Christ (Galatians 2:20), we carry love with us wherever we go.

“Who we are around others reveals how far we have come in bearing the Spirit’s fruit.”

Such love compels us to labor for the good of our brothers and sisters (1 Thessalonians 1:3), to patiently bear with people we find vexing (Ephesians 4:2), and to care more about our brother’s spiritual welfare than our own spiritual freedom (1 Corinthians 8:1). No matter our position in the community, we gladly consider ourselves as servants (Galatians 5:13), and are learning to ask not, “Who will meet my needs today?” but rather, “Whose needs can I meet today?”

Better by far to carry even an ounce of this love in our hearts than to enjoy all the world’s wealth, comforts, or acclaim. For on the day when everything else passes away, love will remain (1 Corinthians 13:7–8).

Joy: Do you delight in the Christlikeness of God’s people?

For Paul, the fellowship of God’s people was not peripheral to Christian joy. He could write to Timothy, “I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy” (2 Timothy 1:4), or to the Philippians, “In every prayer of mine for you all [I make] my prayer with joy” (Philippians 1:4). To be sure, the joy of the Spirit is, first and foremost, joy in our Lord Jesus (Philippians 4:4). But genuine joy in Christ overflows to all who are being remade in his image. By faith, we have seen the resplendent glory of our King — and now we delight to catch his reflection in the faces of the saints.

The pinnacle of our horizontal joy, however, is not simply in being with God’s people, but in seeing them look like Jesus. “Complete my joy,” Paul writes to the Philippians, “by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind” (Philippians 2:2). What would complete your joy? When we walk by the Spirit, the maturity of God’s people completes our joy. We rejoice when we see humility triumph over pride, lust fall before a better pleasure, the timid speak the gospel with boldness, and fathers lead their families in the fear of the Lord.

Peace: Do you strive to maintain the unity of the Spirit, even at significant personal cost?

The Holy Spirit is the great unifier of the church. Because of Jesus’s peacemaking work on the cross, the Spirit makes Jew and Gentile “one new man” (Ephesians 2:15); he gathers former enemies as “members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19); he builds us all “into a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:21–22). No matter how different we seem from the person in the next pew, we share a body, we share a home, we share a sanctuary — all because we share the same Lord, and will one day share the same heaven (Ephesians 4:4–6).

“Kindness receives an offense, refashions it in the factory of our souls, and then sends it back as a blessing.”

Those who walk by the Spirit, then, do not grieve him by tearing down what he has built up (Ephesians 4:29–30), but rather “pursue what makes for peace” (Romans 14:19): We ask for forgiveness first, even when the majority of the fault lies with the other person. We renounce unwarranted suspicions, choosing rather to assume the best. We abhor all gossip, and instead honor our brothers behind their backs. And when we must engage in conflict, we “aim for restoration” so that we might “live in peace” (2 Corinthians 13:11).

Patience: Are you growing in your ability to overlook offenses?

As a fruit of the Spirit, patience is more than the ability to sit calmly in traffic or to wait at the doctor’s office well past your appointment time. Patience is the inner spiritual strength (Colossians 1:11) that enables us to receive an offense full in the face, and then look right over it. Patient people are like God: “slow to anger” (Exodus 34:6), even when confronted with severe and repeated provocation (Romans 2:4; 1 Timothy 1:16).

Patience is integral to one of the church’s primary responsibilities: discipleship. When Paul exhorted Timothy to “preach the word . . . in season and out of season,” he told him to do so “with complete patience” (2 Timothy 4:2; cf. 3:10–11). Ministry in the church, no matter our role, places us around people whose progress is much slower than we would like. We will find ourselves around “the idle, . . . the fainthearted, . . . the weak,” and instead of throwing up our hands, we must “be patient with them all” (1 Thessalonians 5:14). We must come alongside the plodding, stumbling saint, and remember that he will one day shine like the sun (Matthew 13:43).

Kindness: Do you not only overlook offenses, but also repay them with love?

It is one thing to receive an offense and quietly walk away. It is quite another to receive an offense, refashion it in the factory of your soul, and then send it back as a blessing. The former is patience; the latter is kindness (Romans 2:4–5; Titus 3:4–5; Ephesians 4:32). Spirit-wrought kindness creates parents who discipline their children with a steady, tender voice; sufferers who respond to ignorant, insensitive “comfort” with grace; wives and husbands who repay their spouses’ sharp word with a kiss.

This fruit of the Spirit has not yet matured in us unless we are ready to show kindness, not only to those who will one day thank us for it, but also to “the ungrateful and the evil” (Luke 6:35). The kind are able to give a blessing, to receive a curse in return, and then to go on giving blessings (Romans 12:14).

Goodness: Do you dream up opportunities to be helpful?

Outside the moment of offense, those who walk by the Spirit carry with them a general disposition to be useful, generous, and helpful. They do not need to be told to pitch in a hand when the dishes need drying or the trash needs emptying, but get to work readily and with a good will.

“Just as no one can sit beneath a waterfall and stay dry, so no one can gaze on this Jesus and stay fruitless.”

Such people, however, do not simply do good when they stumble upon opportunities for doing so; they “resolve for good” (2 Thessalonians 1:11), putting their imagination to work in the service of as-yet-unimagined good deeds as they seek to “discern what is pleasing to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:8–10). They follow the counsel of Charles Spurgeon: “Let us be on the watch for opportunities of usefulness; let us go about the world with our ears and eyes open, ready to avail ourselves of every occasion for doing good; let us not be content till we are useful, but make this the main design and ambition of our lives” ( The Soul-Winner , 312).

Faithfulness: Do you do what you say you’ll do, even in the smallest matters?

The faithfulness of God consists, in part, of his always doing what he says he will do: “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). The faithfulness of God’s people consists, likewise, in our making every effort to do what we say we’ll do, even when it hurts.

The Spirit makes us strive to say with Paul, “As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No” (2 Corinthians 1:18). The faithful build such a trustworthy reputation that, when they fail to follow through on their word, others do not say, “Well, you know him,” but are rather surprised . If we say we’ll come to small group, we come. If we commit to cleaning the bathroom, we clean it. If we agree to call someone on Thursday at 4:00, we call on Thursday at 4:00. We labor to be faithful, even if our areas of responsibility right now are only “a little” (Matthew 25:21), knowing that how we handle little responsibilities reveals how we will handle big ones (Luke 16:10; 2 Timothy 2:2).

Gentleness: Do you use your strength to serve the weak?

Gentleness is far from the manicured niceness it is sometimes portrayed to be. “Gentleness in the Bible is emphatically not a lack of strength,” but rather “the godly exercise of power,” David Mathis writes . When Jesus came to save us sinners, he robed himself with gentleness (Matthew 11:29; 2 Corinthians 10:1). When we do our own work of restoring our brothers and sisters from sin, we are to wear the same clothing (Galatians 6:1). Gentleness does not prevent the godly from ever expressing anger, but they are reluctant to do so; they would far rather correct others “with love in a spirit of gentleness” (1 Corinthians 4:21).

“In making our home with him, Christ makes our hearts a heaven.”

No wonder Paul pairs gentleness with humility in Ephesians 4:2. As one Greek lexicon puts it , gentleness requires “not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self-importance.” In the face of personal offense, the proud unleash their anger in order to assert their own significance. The humble are more concerned with the offender’s soul than their own self-importance, and so they channel their strength in the service of gentle restoration.

Self-control: Do you refuse your flesh’s cravings?

Scripture gives us no rosy pictures of self-control. Paul writes, “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. . . . I discipline my body and keep it under control” (1 Corinthians 9:25, 27). The Greek word for discipline here means “to give a black eye, strike in the face.” Paul’s use is metaphorical, but the point still holds: self-control hurts. It requires us to say a merciless “No!” to any craving that draws us away from the Spirit and into the flesh (Titus 2:11–12).

The need for self-control applies to every bodily appetite — for sleep, food, and caffeine, for example — but in particular to our sexual appetites (1 Corinthians 7:9). Those governed by the Spirit are learning, truly even if fitfully, to hear God’s promises as louder than lust’s demands, and to refuse to give sexual immorality a seat among the saints (Ephesians 5:3).

Walk by the Spirit

The Spirit of God never indwells someone without also making him a garden of spiritual fruit. If we are abounding in these nine graces, then we are walking by the Spirit; if these virtues are absent, then no spiritual gift can compensate for their lack. How, then, should we respond when we find that the works of the flesh have overrun the garden? Or how can we continue to cultivate the Spirit’s fruit over a lifetime? We can begin by remembering three daily postures, the repetition of which is basic to any Christian pursuit of holiness: repent, request, renew.

Repent . When the works of the flesh have gained control over us, we must go backward in repentance in order to go forward in holiness. Confess your sins honestly and specifically (perhaps using Paul’s list in Galatians 5:19–21), and then trust afresh in “the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Remember again that we are not justified by fruit, but by faith.

Request . Apart from the renewing, fructifying presence of God’s Spirit, we are all a cursed earth (Romans 7:18). If we are going to bear the fruit of holiness, then, we need to ask him “who supplies the Spirit” to do so more and more (Galatians 3:5).

“Those governed by the Spirit are learning to hear God’s promises as louder than lust’s demands.”

Renew . Finally, we renew our gaze on Jesus Christ, whom the Spirit loves to glorify (John 16:14; Galatians 3:1–2). Here we find our fruitful vine: our Lord of love, our joyful King, our Prince of peace, our patient Master, our kind Friend, our good God, our faithful Savior, our gentle Shepherd, our Brother who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet with perfect self-control. Just as no one can sit beneath a waterfall and stay dry, so no one can gaze on this Jesus and stay fruitless.

Heaven in Our Hearts

Of course, renewing our gaze on Jesus Christ is more than the work of a moment. When Paul said, “I live by faith in the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20), he was speaking of a lifestyle rather than a fleeting thought or a brief prayer. We must do more than cast an eye in Jesus’s direction; we must commune with him.

We cannot commune with Christ too closely, nor can we exert too much energy in pursuing such communion. If we make nearness to him our aim, we will find ourselves rewarded a hundredfold beyond our efforts. The Puritan Richard Sibbes once preached,

Do we entertain Christ to our loss? Doth he come empty? No; he comes with all grace. His goodness is a communicative, diffusive goodness. He comes to spread his treasures, to enrich the heart with all grace and strength, to bear all afflictions, to encounter all dangers, to bring peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost. He comes, indeed, to make our hearts, as it were, a heaven. ( Works of Richard Sibbes , 2:67)

This is what we find when we walk by the Spirit of Christ: in making our home with him, he makes our hearts a heaven.

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Martin Luther on the Holy Spirit: A Lesson in Sticking to the Basics

Martin Luther and the Reformation he initiated are famous for the so-called three solas : sola scriptura, sola gratia , and sola fide ‘Scripture alone, grace alone, and faith alone. This fame is justified, for these three emphases permeate Luther's thought. To understand Luther on the Lord's Supper or salvation, or on how God works in the secular realm, one must first understand the content and contours of the three solas . The solas may be thought of as a key to unlocking much of Luther's thought. This key works especially well on the door to Luther's view of the Holy Spirit’his pneumatology, as the theologians say. Specifically, he emphasized that the Spirit comes to us through the outward, tangible means of God's word in the Scriptures. Further, the coming of the Spirit is an act of God's grace, not a response to our works, and the Spirit both effects and comes by our faith.

We see this idea developed in Luther's 1524-25 treatise, Against the Heavenly Prophets in the Matter of Images and the Sacraments . He wrote this to correct the teachings of his one-time friend, colleague, and ally in the Reformation, Andreas Bodenstein von Karlstadt. Von Karlstadt had come to reject the view that the Lord's Supper was a means of grace. He also rejected the efficacy of infant baptism. He led his followers in forcibly removing and destroying church furnishings such as crucifixes and images of saints. Luther tells us that when von Karlstadt was asked to defend his teachings and actions, the latter did not lean on God's word but asserted instead that the Holy Spirit had spoken to him inwardly, instructing him in his own spirit. Further, von Karlstadt's followers could experience the same inward voice of the Spirit by remaining in a state of "self-abstraction"’that is, by concentrating on turning from material things, one can come to the Spirit and be taught internally.

Luther understood that von Karlstadt referred his followers to "some imaginary realm," where "a heavenly voice will come, and God himself will speak to you." There, Luther mocked, the faithful will "journey on the clouds and ride on the wind." But as Luther pointed out, von Karlstadt could provide no details about such a realm or how to get there, leaving him vulnerable to Luther's claims of spiritual fraud. Luther also saw fraud in von Karlstadt's downplaying of the importance of Scripture, his elevation of the importance of good works (especially works not enjoined by Scripture), and in the lack of miraculous signs to attest to the genuineness of von Karlstadt's new teachings.

Contrary to von Karlstadt and his followers’Luther's ironically named "heavenly prophets"’Luther explained that God teaches us through the external word of the Scriptures. The word, and the material signs of baptism and the Lord's Supper that accompany the word, serves as the "bridge, the path, the way, the ladder" between a person and the Holy Spirit. Moreover, the Spirit comes to the person by this path, rather than the person having to come to the Spirit. The Holy Spirit, said Luther, "is not acquired through breaking images or any other works, but only through the gospel and faith." That is, the Spirit comes to us through the word ( sola scriptura ) and faith ( sola fide ), not because of our works but by grace ( sola gratia ).

Central in Luther's teaching is the order in which these things take place. The external’that is, the word and the sacraments’precedes and effects the internal’that is, the Holy Spirit, faith, and salvation. A false and lying spirit (like von Karlstadt's, or more precisely, the spirit that motivated von Karlstadt's teaching’for our fight is not against flesh and blood) reverses this order. The internal is placed first. Bread, wine, water, and the letter cannot profit us, von Karlstadt argued; it is the Spirit, working internally, that benefits us. But this point merely raised the question of how the Spirit is acquired, in answer to which Luther pointed to the word and the sacraments: "God has determined to give the inward to no one except through the outward. For he wants to give no one the Spirit or faith outside of the outward Word and sign instituted by him."

Today's popular emphasis on the connection between the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues may lead the modern reader to wonder how Luther taught on that matter. Luther appears to have been unaware of the notion of a "personal prayer language" that characterizes much of the charismatic movement of the past several decades. When he taught on tongues, his focus was on the use of the Latin language in the mass. Von Karlstadt criticized Luther for permitting the continued use of Latin in the mass in churches under Luther's sway. Luther defended the practice on the grounds that in those churches the sacrament was provided only to those who had been instructed and understood the words of the sacrament. As Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 14, the use of a tongue not comprehended by the people is permissible if a translation or other interpretation is provided. Again, Luther's laser focus was on the efficacy of the external word, which leads to the gracious indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Against the Heavenly Prophets was a longer and more vitriolic rant than it needed to be. Its benefits are great, however, even today. Its basic message is clear, simple, and sound and therefore useful in any age. When confronted by a movement whose adherents claim to be inspired by the Holy Spirit, we must use the Scriptures to test their claims. Do they understand the external word to precede and effect their internal inspiration? Do they teach the gospel message of justification by grace alone through faith alone? If the answer to either question is negative, we face a lying spirit, not the Holy One.

Russell Dawn

From the issue: signs & wonders, vol.24 , no.2 , mar/apr 2015, related resources, in search of the spirit.

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Being Led and Transformed by the Holy Spirit

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Being led by the Holy Spirit is at the heart of the Christian life. This is clear in the Bible and in the history of the church. If we let the Spirit lead us, our lives will blossom and flourish. But if we neglect or refuse His leading, our lives will languish. Strangely, many believers today seem to misunderstand the Spirit’s leading and how it relates to personal transformation. A clearer grasp of what the Bible teaches about this vital truth will help us all as we seek to grow in grace.

This leads us to ask, what does the New Testament mean by the phrase led by the Spirit? What is the fruit of His leading in one’s life? These are questions we will explore in this article. As it unfolds, we will gain clarity, encouragement, and practical help in our walk with God.

First, some clarity. The phrase led by the Spirit  occurs only twice in the New Testament, and both instances are frequently misused today. The first is in Romans 8:14, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” 1 The immediate context is the believer’s battle with the flesh through the empowerment of the Spirit. The second usage occurs in Galatians 5:18, “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Again, the immediate context is the believer’s battle with sin. In both instances, the larger concern is to show us how to live joyful, obedient lives that produce the beauty of holiness and glorify God.

Paul goes on to talk about how the flesh and the Spirit oppose and contend against each other, something every believer can identify with. This struggle is a part of our lifelong battle against the world, the flesh, and the Devil, as the Holy Spirit works to make us progressively more like Jesus. Sometimes we can grow weary and discouraged with this struggle and even doubt our salvation, but actually it is a sign of life. Walking by the Spirit is the pathway to overcoming the desires of the flesh and living a holy life. What a great encouragement—to know that we don’t have to stay trapped in our sins, in an endless demoralizing cycle of defeat after defeat with no way out!

Practically speaking, how do we walk by the Spirit and overcome the desires of the flesh? We must allow ourselves to be “ led by the Spirit” (emphasis added; v. 18). The word led is a present-passive verb, indicating that we should continuously surrender and yield ourselves to the desires of the Spirit, whose leading is always diametrically opposed to the desires of our sinful flesh (our old self). Our surrender to the Spirit’s leading is an act of the will, a choice we must make; it is saying yes to the Spirit’s leading and no to the desires of the flesh. We will say more about that ahead. But for now, let’s be clear that as we allow the Spirit to influence, direct, and empower us, we can overcome the flesh. Certainty about this is crucial, and uncertainty is self-defeating.

At this point some concrete examples might help us better understand the struggle between the Spirit and the flesh and where surrender to each leads. In Galatians 5:19–21, Paul says, “Now the works of the flesh are evident.” In what follows, he gives a list of various works of the flesh, the self-centered life, that were common in Paul’s day (and in ours). It provides a representative sample and is by no means exhaustive. For clarity, I have given the meaning of each word, drawing from the work of two highly acclaimed New Testament scholars. 3

• Sexual immorality  has been a perennial problem in human societies since the fall because it is rooted in one of our strongest drives. The Greek word used here,  porneia  (from which we get pornography), encompasses a variety of sexual sins, including using prostitutes, committing adultery, engaging in premarital sex, homosexual acts, and incest.
• Impurity  is an even broader term covering any inappropriate sexual activity, that is, sexual activities that make a person unclean and unfit for approaching God. One example would be viewing pornography, which has a long history and was part of Greco-Roman culture.
• Sensuality  refers to throwing restraint to the wind and indulging oneself without regard for normal moral standards. It denotes being so consumed by the pursuit of sexual pleasure that public opinion no longer matters.  Wild living  is a modern term for it.
• Idolatry,  the worship of idols, was a major problem in the Old Testament and was common in the Greco-Roman culture of Paul’s day. However, idolatry was not limited to material objects of wood or stone. When Paul describes covetousness (greed) as idolatry (Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5), he shows that idolatry can take nonmaterial forms. Money, possessions, career, reputation, and ambitions of various sorts can all be forms of idolatry—and much else besides. As John Calvin observed, “The human heart is an idol factory.” 4
• Sorcery  is the English translation of the Greek word  pharmaka,  from which we get the words pharmacy and pharmaceutical. It means “using drugs.” In Paul’s day, it was applied ominously to drugs used in witchcraft and used for poisoning people. Today sorcery would include astrology, fortune telling, and other occult practices. It would also include using drugs (legal or illegal) not for medical purposes but for their mind-altering effects (getting high).
• Enmity  includes negative attitudes and feelings and hostile actions toward other people, either individuals or groups. On an individual level, examples would include refusing to forgive, holding grudges, and working mischief against someone. At the group or community level today, enmity would encompass dislike and prejudice toward people of other races and religions, as well as hatred of political figures and parties.
• Strife  is the relational discord and animosity resulting from a quarrelsome, argumentative attitude that takes pleasure in self-assertion and confrontation.
• Jealousy  refers to the selfish resentment of another’s success or achievement.
• Fits of anger,  often called temper tantrums, are explosive outbursts of anger against other people.
• Rivalries  denote selfish ambition and putting oneself and one’s interests above those of others.
• Dissensions  refer to unbiblical, divisive teaching that is disruptive of church unity.
• Divisions  are a party (partisan) spirit or cliques around particular people or teachings.
• Envy  is not merely begrudging the good fortune of others, but also maliciously resenting it and wanting to spoil it or deprive them of it.
• Drunkenness  speaks of revelry where alcohol impairs moral judgment and inhibitions and possibly leads to immoral actions.
• Orgies  are closely connected with drunkenness and denote wild partying behavior.

“And things like these” (v. 21) indicates that the list is only a sampling. The sins in this list were common and no doubt characterized some of the people in the Galatian church before they professed faith in Christ. True saving faith in Christ involves repentance, a turning away from one’s sins, and a daily battle against them in the power of the Holy Spirit. Apparently some in the church were continuing in their sins and not seeking to forsake them. Whether from ignorance of biblical teaching, backsliding, or lack of true conversion, this was a serious issue. This is why Paul, in the sentence immediately following this list, delivered a sober comment on these behaviors: “I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (v. 21).

In Galatians 5:22–23, Paul shifts to happier thoughts, saying, “But the fruit of the Spirit is …” In what follows he gives nine characteristics of the Holy Spirit’s work in the life of a born again believer. Unlike the word works  (of the flesh),  fruit  is singular, indicating that the nine characteristics are part of a unified whole and are not separable. In other words, a believer doesn’t have some and not others, though their relative strength may vary.

• Love,  by which Paul means the love of God poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5). The Greek word is agape. This is a responsive love that evokes in us a love for God and a desire to please Him. Worship, wholehearted surrender, and obedience are at the heart of pleasing Him. God’s love also produces in us a love for our neighbor, a servant love that is rooted primarily in the will and acts for our neighbor’s best interest and highest good. As Paul says in Galatians 5:6, the only thing that matters in the Christian life is “faith working through love,” and in Galatians 5:13, “through love serve one another.” This humble, servant love was the dominant characteristic of Jesus’ life and is to be so for His followers. In a very real sense, the other eight characteristics of the Spirit are expressions of this agape love.
• Joy  flows out of the awareness of God’s gracious favor to us and the hope of living with Him and His Son and all His children in the world to come. Hope for the future is a key part of joy and is an anchor that keeps us from being blown to and fro by the many and varied circumstances of life and the hard times that sometimes overtake us. Unlike happiness, its worldly and elusive equivalent, joy does not depend on favorable circumstances.
• Peace  is not simply the absence of conflict, but the deep abiding peace of God, the sovereign and almighty King of creation. It is grounded in the assurance of God’s rich mercy and personal love for us, shown supremely in His saving us by grace alone, through Christ alone and not by our works. This produces a tranquil heart that is at rest in God. And it impels and enables us to be peacemakers, to pursue peace with others, including those in our family, community, church, and beyond, and across all ethnic, racial, political, and other barriers that separate and divide people.
• Patience,  also translated as long-suffering, is chiefly a matter of forbearance with other people and of not being easily offended. This particularly includes people who displease, irritate, provoke, or mistreat us—including those who persecute us. Steadfast endurance with difficult people and circumstances is the idea. Such patience illustrates the patience of God and is a powerful witness to others.
• Kindness  is an attitude of graciousness and goodwill toward others, especially those who do not deserve it. Kindness is an expression of love that goes above and beyond what is warranted and demonstrates the kindness of God. It resists all harshness and coldness toward others.
• Goodness  is love and kindness in action, an expression of moral excellence. It gives generously and spends itself to help others, without any expectation of return.
• Faithfulness  is a matter of being trustworthy and reliable to God and to others, being dependable and true to one’s word and commitments, someone in whom others can have confidence.
• Gentleness  is not weakness but strength under control, rooted in humility. Jesus was gentle yet capable of expressing righteous indignation, when appropriate. Gentleness is not arrogant, doesn’t bully or force others, but is considerate and exercises mildness in dealing with them.
• Self-control  engages both mind and body in the business of properly regulating one’s life in all its parts. The scope of self-control ranges from such mundane matters as food and drink to material possessions, to one’s thought life, to speech, to the expression of emotions and much more, but with special attention to sexual matters and the mastery of our passions.

Though not an exhaustive list, these nine characteristic traits that are the fruit of the Holy Spirit, taken together, form a beautiful portrait of Jesus as we see Him in the Gospels. In their Christ-centered selflessness, they stand in stark contrast to the self-centered life of the flesh. They are supernatural in nature and not a human attainment, though we have an essential role in their blossoming. They do not appear piecemeal but all together. Nor do they appear in full bloom but mature over time as we continue to walk in the Spirit and put sin to death. Not only do they have a personal dimension; they also have a community dimension that blesses and edifies fellow believers and strengthens the unity of the church.

What part do we play in the blossoming of the Spirit’s fruit in our lives? After listing the fruit of the Spirit, Paul reminds the believers that they “have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (v. 24). This is his way of describing their original turning to Christ from their sin. As he said in Romans, “We know that our old self was crucified with him [Christ] in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin” (Rom. 6:6). The image of “crucifixion” depicts our turning from sin in repentance and to Christ in faith—dying to the old life and coming alive to the new. The effect of this is that the bondage and enslavement of our will to sin has been broken, and we are now liberated and able to say no to sin. This does not mean that we cannot sin anymore; rather, it means we have been set free to obey God. However, we must choose to yield ourselves, body and soul, to Him (Rom. 6:12–14). If we don’t, we will remain mired in sin. That is why Paul goes on to say to the Galatians, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by [keep in step with] the Spirit” (v. 25). The Spirit leads and empowers us to walk in obedience to God.

How does this work in practice? Being led by the Spirit, walking by the Spirit, keeping in step with the Spirit, is predicated on our having previously surrendered ourselves wholeheartedly to God in response to His grace. This surrender is an act of the will, a choice we make; it is saying yes to God and the Spirit’s leading and no to the desires of the flesh. However, it is precisely here that many of us have a problem. Research has shown that the vast majority of professing believers in the American church have never made such a surrender of themselves to God. They have never taken a decisive stand against the flesh—their old sinful self and its desires—and put God first in their lives.

But as Paul makes clear in Romans 6 and 12, putting God first is the only appropriate response to God for the completely undeserved grace and mercy He has lavished upon us, and it is essential for living the Christian life. In Romans 12:1, for example, Paul exhorts the church, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” If we haven’t done this, it means we still have a divided heart; we have one foot in the kingdom and one foot in the world. We are of two minds. We want the blessings of God but refuse His conditions. We will say no to sin only so far as we find it agreeable. We rationalize and make excuses about our sins, saying we can’t resist, or that we will sin only a little or only occasionally. Then we deceive ourselves into thinking that God understands we are weak and will be satisfied if we do the best we can—which is to assume He will be satisfied with our compromise, our partial obedience, and our halfhearted commitment. But He won’t.

In ways that will amaze and delight you, the Holy Spirit will actively carry forward the process of transforming you through the renewing of your mind. The process works from the inside out. It is not simply the changing of external behaviors but the changing of their source. Renewed minds produce renewed thinking, values, attitudes, desires, motives, and behaviors. At the deepest level, we will begin to experience “the expulsive power of a new affection.” 5 Our hearts will increasingly appreciate God’s grace to us, and our minds will increasingly desire God and His will more than our sin and its pleasure, thus weakening its hold on us.

The Scriptures are the Holy Spirit’s chief instrument in renewing our minds, and His primary focus is Jesus—glorifying Jesus to us (John 16:14). He does this through illuminating our minds and hearts to grasp ever more deeply the love of God and of Jesus for us and to focus our attention on Jesus’ life, His works, His teachings, His death, resurrection, and ascension to glory. This highlights the great importance of being immersed in the Scriptures and praying that God will “grant us so to hear, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them” ( Book of Common Prayer ) that we are truly transformed. One of our main responsibilities in this process is to sit under good preaching and teaching and also read, study, memorize, and meditate on Scripture—the Gospels, the Epistles, and the rest of the Bible.

As we behold the glory of the Lord Jesus over time, pondering and deeply reflecting upon Him and all He has done, our love for Him will grow and with it our desire to please Him and be like Him. These holy desires in turn will propel our daily obedience, which the Spirit will help us render by calling to our minds the teachings and the example of Jesus that apply to the circumstances we face each day—in areas of personal temptation, family relations, friendships, church life, the workplace, community affairs, and ministry opportunities, among others.

By immersing ourselves in the Scriptures, consistently walking in the Spirit, asking Him to reveal the transforming glory of Christ to us, and obediently following as He leads us, we will see the fruit of the Spirit maturing in our lives; we will find ourselves being transformed from one level of glory to another by the Spirit—transformed into the image of Jesus Himself (2 Cor. 3:18). It isn’t easy; it involves challenge and discipline, may lead to hardship or persecution, and takes a lifetime, but the rewards are infinitely greater than anything this world can offer.

Thomas A. Tarrants

Recommended Reading: Octavius Winslow,  The Work of the Holy Spirit: An Experimental and Practical View  (Banner of Truth, 2013)

This classic book on the work of the Holy Spirit was written by one of the most prominent evangelical preachers of the nineteenth century, Octavius Winslow. From the author’s preface: “To the subject discussed in the following pages, the author earnestly bespeaks the prayerful consideration of the Christian reader. It cannot occupy a position too prominent in our Christianity, nor can it be a theme presented too frequently for our contemplation. All that we spiritually know of ourselves, all that we know of God, and of Jesus, and his Word, we owe to the teaching of the Holy Spirit; and all the real light, sanctification, strength and comfort we are made to possess on our way to glory, we must ascribe to Him. To be richly anointed with the Spirit is to be led into all truth; and to be filled with the Spirit is to be filled with love to God and man.”

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Who is the Holy Spirit in the Bible? 10 Roles in a Christian's Life

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, believers are saved, filled, sealed, and sanctified. The Holy Spirit reveals God’s thoughts, teaches, and guides believers into all truth. The Holy Spirit also helps Christians in their weakness and intercedes for them.

In Christianity, the Holy Spirit is considered the third person of the Holy Trinity, along with God the Father and God the Son (Jesus Christ). The Holy Trinity is the Christian understanding of the nature of God as three distinct persons in one divine essence.

"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 that I have said to you." ( John 14:26 )

"And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit ." ( Acts 2:38 )

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, believers are saved, filled, sealed, and sanctified. The Holy Spirit reveals God’s thoughts, teaches, and guides believers into all truth, including knowledge of what is to come. The Holy Spirit also helps Christians in their weakness and intercedes for them.

What is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost , is God, the third Person of the Holy Trinity, who eternally "proceeds" from the Father ( John 15:26 ). The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son. The word "Spirit" commonly translates the Greek New Testament word pneuma .

Holy Spirit vs. Holy Ghost

The terms "Holy Spirit" and "Holy Ghost" are often used interchangeably to refer to the third person of the Holy Trinity in Christian theology. In general, they are understood to represent the divine and spiritual presence of God in the world. However, there are historical and linguistic nuances to consider.

"Holy Spirit" is a more modern and commonly used term, while "Holy Ghost" is an older and somewhat archaic expression. Both terms refer to the same concept in Christian theology—the aspect of God that is active in the world, guiding believers and working in their lives.

The use of "Holy Ghost" in older English translations of the Bible, such as the King James Version, has contributed to its continued use in some traditional contexts. Over time, many modern translations of the Bible have opted for "Holy Spirit" to reflect contemporary language usage.

In essence, there is no substantial difference in meaning between "Holy Spirit" and "Holy Ghost"; they both represent the same divine entity in Christian theology. The choice of terminology often depends on personal preference, denominational tradition, or the particular version of the Bible being used. Many contemporary Christian communities and translations tend to favor "Holy Spirit" as a more accessible and widely understood term in modern English.

What Does the Holy Spirit Do?

The Spirit dwells inside every true Christian. The body of faithful Christians becomes His temple ( 1 Corinthians 3:16 ). He is described as a 'Counsellor' or 'Helper' (paraclete in Greek, guiding them in the way of the truth.) The 'Fruit of the Spirit' (the result of His work) is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" ( Galatians 5:22 ). The Spirit is also believed to give gifts (natural and supernatural) to Christians as is found in the life of Christ and His disciples healing the sick, raising the dead, and more.

The Holy Spirit is often described as the active presence of God in the world and in the lives of believers. In the Christian tradition, the Holy Spirit is associated with various roles and functions, including:

Comforter/Advocate/Helper : The Holy Spirit is seen as a source of comfort and assistance to believers. In times of trouble or need, the Holy Spirit is believed to come alongside believers to provide guidance, strength, and support.

Teacher/Guide : The Holy Spirit is believed to teach and guide believers in understanding and living out the teachings of Jesus Christ. This includes helping believers interpret and apply the Scriptures to their lives.

Conviction of Sin : The Holy Spirit is often seen as convicting individuals of their sinfulness, leading them to repentance and a turning towards God.

Empowerer : The Holy Spirit is considered to empower believers for Christian living, equipping them with spiritual gifts for service and enabling them to live according to God's will.

The Holy Spirit in the New Testament

Christians believe that it was the Holy Spirit whom Jesus mentioned as the promised "Comforter" in John 14:26 . 

After His resurrection, Christ told his disciples that they would be "baptized with the Holy Ghost," and would receive power or endowment ( Acts 1:4-8 ). This promise was fulfilled in the events recounted in Acts 2 . 

On the first Pentecost, Jesus' disciples were gathered in Jerusalem when a mighty wind was heard, and tongues of fire appeared over their heads. A multilingual crowd heard the disciples speaking, and each heard them speaking in their native language.

The Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ

In Christian theology, the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is a central aspect of the doctrine of the Trinity. The Trinity is the understanding that God exists as three distinct persons—the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit—yet these three persons are one God. The Bible is the primary source for understanding this relationship, and while the term "Trinity" is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, the concept is derived from various passages.

Jesus and the Holy Spirit at Jesus' Baptism:

One significant event highlighting the relationship between Jesus and the Holy Spirit is the baptism of Jesus. All three persons of the Trinity are present at this event.

Matthew 3:16-17 : "As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him, I am well pleased.'"

The Promise of the Holy Spirit:

Before His crucifixion, Jesus promised the coming of the Holy Spirit to his disciples.

John 14:16-17 : "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth."

The Work of the Holy Spirit:

Jesus explained that the Holy Spirit would come to guide and empower believers after his departure.

John 16:7 : "But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."

The Great Commission:

In the Great Commission, Jesus instructs His disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, emphasizing the unity of the three persons.

Matthew 28:19 : "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

The Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in a powerful way on the day of Pentecost, fulfilling Jesus' promise.

Acts 2:1-4 : "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."

10 Roles of the Holy Spirit in Our Lives

The following are ten ways the Holy Spirit continues to work in the lives of believers:

1. The Holy Spirit is a Helper Who Teaches and Reminds

In John 14:26 , Jesus told his disciples, “the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” ( John 14:26 , ESV).

The Greek word “Parakletos” in this passage is translated as “Helper” in the ESV, “Advocate” in the NIV, and “Counselor” in the KJV. The meaning of this word relates to “legal counsel.”

The Holy Spirit provides wise counsel to Christ’s followers. Jesus knew he would be going away and that his followers would need the Holy Spirit as a helper and an advocate to remind them of his teachings.

2. He Convicts the World of Sin

In addition to providing wise counsel, attorneys also provide evidence used to convict criminals. In a similar fashion, the Holy Spirit will prove the sin, righteousness, and judgment of the world.

“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 go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” ( John 16:7-8 , ESV).

3. The Holy Spirit Dwells in Believers and Fills Us

The Holy Spirit is God’s presence in the lives of believers.

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” ( 1 Corinthians 3:16 , ESV)

4. He is a Source of Revelation, Wisdom, and Power

“These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except for their own spirit within them? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” ( 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 ).

God gives His followers the Holy Spirit, so we may know Him better. Since the Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit, it knows the thoughts of God and reveals those thoughts to believers. The Holy Spirit opens believers’ eyes to the hope of salvation and their inheritance in Christ.

Jesus knew that his disciples would need the power to carry out their mission to be witnesses to the entire world.

Jesus told his disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ( Acts 1:8 )

Christians have access to power, revelation, and wisdom from the Holy Spirit, just as the Apostle Paul wrote to believers in Ephesus,

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms” ( Ephesians 1:17-20 ).

5. He Guides to All Truth and Knowledge of What Is to Come

The Holy Spirit tells what is yet to come. The Holy Spirit is called the “Spirit of Truth” in John 16:13 because he guides believers into all truth. Jesus told his disciples the Holy Spirit would make known what he hears and would only speak what the Father speaks.

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you” ( John 16:13-15 ).

6. The Holy Spirit Gives Spiritual Gifts to Believers

Attributes of the Holy Spirit, such as wisdom, knowledge, and power, are manifested in the lives of believers for the good of others. More gifts are listed in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 .   

7. He is a Seal in the Lives of Believers

In ancient times, a seal was a “legal signature” attesting ownership and validating what was sealed.

The Holy Spirit is our mark of adoption as God’s children. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to his followers so that they could be confident in their salvation.

Just as you might make a deposit or a down payment on a new car to make sure the salesperson doesn’t sell it to anyone else, the Holy Spirit is a deposit in our lives confirming the validity of Christ’s message and that we belong to Christ.

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory” ( Ephesians 1:13 ).

8. He Helps in Our Weakness and Intercedes for Us

We all have times when we feel weak and don’t know what to do. The Holy Spirit helps us align with God’s will by interceding for us during those times.

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” ( Romans 8:26-27 ).

9. He Makes Believers New and Grants Us Eternal Life

The Holy Spirit works in the lives of believers to renew, sanctify, and make us holy. Just as the Holy Spirit raised Christ from the dead, the Holy Spirit will give eternal life to believers in Christ.

“But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” ( Romans 8:10-11 ).

10. The Holy Spirit Sanctifies and Enables Good Fruit in Our Lives

The work of the Holy Spirit in a Christian’s life is an ongoing process of becoming holy through sanctification. Through the conviction and power of the Holy Spirit, believers will not indulge the sinful acts of the flesh ( Galatians 5:16-21 ) but will bear the good fruit of the Spirit ( Galatians 5:22-25 ).

Download this free PDF,  Living By the Holy Spirit Power - A Prayer and Scripture Guide

Bible Definition of the Holy Spirit

Some have argued that Old Testament believers were saved and sanctified by the Spirit just as New Testament believers. But such teaching appears nowhere in the Old Testament. However, people were made right with God. The focus of the Old Testament roles of the Spirit lies elsewhere.

In the earliest Scriptures, the Spirit does not clearly emerge as a distinct personality. The Hebrew word for "spirit" ( ruah ) can also mean wind, breath, or life force. Most commonly designated as "of God" or "of the Lord, " the Spirit appears as God's agent of creation (Gen 1:2; Job 33:4 ; 34:14-15), a mode of his interacting with humans ( Gen 6:3 ), his agent of revelation (Gen 41:38; Num 24:2), and a mode of empowering select leaders of God's people (Moses and the Seventy — Num 11:17-29; possibly Joshua Num 27:18; Deut 34:9). All of these uses recur throughout the Old Testament, but one other remains unique to these earliest days equipping Bezalel and Oholiab with the skills of craftsmanship for constructing the tabernacle (Exod 31:3; 35:31), although the provision of gifts of the Spirit in the New Testament will become a close analog.

(Excerpt from Baker's Evangelical Dictionary )

Names of the Holy Spirit

Old testament (hebrew).

• וְר֣וּחַ קָדְשׁ֑וֹ ( rûaḥ qādəšô) – His Holy Spirit ( Isaiah 63:10 )
• וְר֣וּחַ קָ֝דְשְׁךָ֗ (rûaḥ qādəšəkā) – Your Holy Spirit ( Psalm 51:11 )
• וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים (rûaḥ ĕlōhîm) – Spirit of God ( Genesis 1:2 )
• נִשְׁמַת־ר֨וּחַ חַיִּ֜ים (nišəmat-rûaḥ ḥayîm) – The Breath of the Spirit of Life ( Genesis 7:22 )
• ר֣וּחַ יְהוָ֑ה (rûaḥ YHWH) – Spirit of YHWH ( Isaiah 11:2 )
• ר֧וּחַ חָכְמָ֣ה וּבִינָ֗ה (rûaḥ ḥākəmâ ûbînâ) – Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding ( Isaiah 11:2 )
• ר֤וּחַ עֵצָה֙ וּגְבוּרָ֔ה (rûaḥ ʿēṣâ ûgəbûra) – Spirit of Counsel and Might ( Isaiah 11:2 )
• ר֥וּחַ דַּ֖עַת וְיִרְאַ֥ת יְהוָֽה (rûaḥ daʿat wəyīrəʾat YHWH) – Spirit of Knowledge[28] and Fear of YHWH ( Isaiah 11:2 )

New Testament (Greek)

• πνεύματος ἁγίου ( Pneumatos Hagiou) – Holy Spirit ( Matthew 1:18 )
• πνεύματι θεοῦ (Pneumati Theou) – Spirit of God ( Matthew 12:28 )
• ὁ παράκλητος (Ho Paraclētos) – The Comforter, cf. Paraclete John 14:26 ( John 16:7 )
• πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας (Pneuma tēs Alētheias) – Spirit of Truth ( John 16:13 )
• Πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ (Pneuma Christou) – Spirit of Christ ( 1 Peter 1:11 )

Depending on context:

πνεῦμα (Pneuma) – Spirit ( John 3:8 )

Πνεύματος (Pneumatos) – Spirit ( John 3:8 )

Greek Meaning of "Pneuma" (Spirit)

According to the Greek Lexicon , the original Greek word for "Spirit," as used for Holy Spirit, is pneuma . This word is used 385 times in the King James translation and often refers to the Holy Spirit, but also in other contexts. Here are the definitions of this Greek word as found in the lexicon:

• sometimes referred to in a way that emphasizes His personality and character (the Holy Spirit)
• sometimes referred to in a way that emphasizes His work and power (the Spirit of Truth)
• never referred to as a depersonalized force
• the rational spirit, the power by which the human being feels, thinks, decides
• a life-giving spirit
• a human soul that has left the body
• used of demons, or evil spirits, who were conceived as inhabiting the bodies of men
• the spiritual nature of Christ, higher than the highest angels and equal to God, the divine nature of Christ
• the efficient source of any power, affection, emotion, desire, etc.
• of the wind, hence the wind itself
• breath of nostrils or mouth

Learn more about the original meaning of pneuma and additional biblical terms in Greek and Hebrew in the Bible Lexicons .

Bible Verses about the Holy Spirit

Acts 4:31 : “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”

Romans 8:14-16 : “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father…’”

2 Thessalonians 2:13 : “…God chose you as first fruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.”

Titus 3:4-6 : “…He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.”

BibleStudyTools.com , Baker’s Dictionary of Biblical Theology: Holy Spirit. BibleStudyTools.com , Baker’s Dictionary of Biblical Theology: Seal. BibleStudyTools.com , Easton’s Bible Dictionary: Holy Ghost. BibleStudyTools.com , New Testament Greek Lexicon: Parakletos. BibleStudyTools.com , Torrey’s Topical Textbook: The Power of the Holy Spirit. CharismaMag.com , “33 Things the Holy Spirit Does.” Marcus Yoars, 2013. OrthodoxWiki , "Holy Spirit". Wikipedia.com "Holy Spirit in Christianity"

Acknowledgments

This article was inspired by author and speaker Michelle Hoverson .

Penny Noyes, M.Ed.,  is the author of Embracing Change - Learning to Trust God from the Women of the Bible and two books about Hezekiah . You can follow Penny on her blog  and on Instagram @pennynoyes .

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Joshua Sortino

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The Catholic Church recognizes seven gifts of the Holy Spirit; a listing of these gifts is found in Isaiah 11:2-3 . (Saint Paul writes of "manifestations of the Spirit" in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, and some Protestants use that list to come up with nine gifts of the Holy Spirit, but these are not the same as the ones recognized by the Catholic Church.)

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are present in their fullness in Jesus Christ , but they are also found in all Christians who are in a state of grace. We receive them when we are infused with sanctifying grace , the life of God within us—as, for example, when we receive a sacrament worthily. We first receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Baptism ; these gifts are strengthened in the Sacrament of Confirmation , which is one of the reasons why the Catholic Church teaches that confirmation is properly viewed as the completion of baptism.

As the current Catechism of the Catholic Church ( para. 1831 ) notes, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit "complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them." Infused with His gifts, we respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as if by instinct, the way Christ Himself would.

Click on the name of each gift of the Holy Spirit for a longer discussion of that gift.

Wisdom is the first and highest gift of the Holy Spirit because it is the perfection of the theological virtue of  faith . Through wisdom, we come to value properly those things which we believe through faith. The truths of Christian belief are more important than the things of this world, and wisdom helps us to order our relationship to the created world properly, loving Creation for the sake of God, rather than for its own sake.

Understanding

Understanding is the second gift of the Holy Spirit, and people sometimes have a hard time understanding (no pun intended) how it differs from wisdom. While wisdom is the desire to contemplate the things of God, understanding allows us to grasp, at least in a limited way, the very essence of the truths of the Catholic faith. Through understanding, we gain a certitude about our beliefs that moves beyond faith.

Counsel, the third gift of the Holy Spirit, is the perfection of the cardinal virtue of prudence . Prudence can be practiced by anyone, but counsel is supernatural. Through this gift of the Holy Spirit, we are able to judge how best to act almost by intuition. Because of the gift of counsel, Christians need not fear to stand up for the truths of the Faith, because the Holy Spirit will guide us in defending those truths.

While counsel is the perfection of a cardinal virtue, fortitude is both a gift of the Holy Spirit and a cardinal virtue . Fortitude is ranked as the fourth gift of the Holy Spirit because it gives us the strength to follow through on the actions suggested by the gift of counsel. While fortitude is sometimes called courage , it goes beyond what we normally think of as courage. Fortitude is the virtue of the martyrs that allows them to suffer death rather than to renounce the Christian Faith.

The fifth gift of the Holy Spirit, knowledge, is often confused with both wisdom and understanding. Like wisdom, knowledge is the perfection of faith, but whereas wisdom gives us the desire to judge all things according to the truths of the Catholic Faith, knowledge is the actual ability to do so. Like counsel, it is aimed at our actions in this life. In a limited way, knowledge allows us to see the circumstances of our life the way that God sees them. Through this gift of the Holy Spirit, we can determine God's purpose for our lives and live them accordingly.

Piety, the sixth gift of the Holy Spirit, is the perfection of the virtue of religion. While we tend to think of religion today as the external elements of our faith, it really means the willingness to worship and to serve God. Piety takes that willingness beyond a sense of duty so that we desire to worship God and to serve Him out of love, the way that we desire to honor our parents and do what they wish.

Fear of the Lord

The seventh and final gift of the Holy Spirit is the fear of the Lord, and perhaps no other gift of the Holy Spirit is so misunderstood. We think of fear and hope as opposites, but the fear of the Lord confirms the theological virtue of hope . This gift of the Holy Spirit gives us the desire not to offend God, as well as the certainty that God will supply us the grace that we need in order to keep from offending Him. Our desire not to offend God is more than simply a sense of duty; like piety, the fear of the Lord arises out of love.

• Counsel: A Gift of the Holy Spirit
• Wisdom: The First and Highest Gift of the Holy Spirit
• Understanding: the Second Gift of the Holy Spirit
• What Are the 12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit?
• Knowledge: the Fifth Gift of the Holy Spirit
• Piety: A Gift of the Holy Spirit
• The Sacrament of Baptism in the Catholic Church
• Fear of the Lord: A Gift of the Holy Spirit
• What Are the Seven Deadly Sins?
• Fortitude: A Cardinal Virtue and a Gift of the Holy Spirit
• Faith, Hope, and Charity: the Three Theological Virtues
• When Did the Holy Spirit Come Down on the Apostles?
• What Are the 4 Cardinal Virtues?
• The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church
• What Is a Sacrament?
• Learn the Meaning of the Eucharist in Christianity

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Who is the Holy Spirit and What Does He Do?

• Fruit of the Spirit , Filled with the Spirit , The Trinity , Walk in the Spirit

If you want to understand who God is, you need to understand all of who God is. Getting your head around the difference between God the Father and Jesus is one thing. But many struggle to grasp who the Holy Spirit is in a way they could explain clearly to someone else.

God is one God, but three persons. That’s not a simple idea to get to grips with.

When theologians speak of the three-in-oneness of God, they refer to Him as “the Trinity.” The Trinity is God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit.

Understanding who the Holy Spirit is, the place He holds within the Holy Trinity and the role He plays in individual lives is vital to anyone exploring what it means to become a Christian and anyone trying to follow Jesus.

Knowing the Holy Spirit will radically change your life because He is the way you will experience the life of God within you.

So let’s take a deep dive into this topic and see how He can transform you.  

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Who Is the Holy Spirit?

What does the holy spirit do, where is the holy spirit in the bible.

When Christians talk about God coming to live in their hearts, it’s the Holy Spirit they are describing. The Bible describes the Spirit as the “breath” of God.

Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you." And with that He breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." (John 20:21-22)

So just as you need oxygen to live in your human body, if you trust in Christ, you are born again in a spiritual sense and the Holy Spirit becomes the source of new life God places within you. You no longer just relate to God as a higher power outside of yourself. God transforms you from within so that you become more like Jesus.

The Holy Spirit is the presence of God in the life of a believer. But this does not mean God separates Himself into three separate parts.

God is three distinct persons who somehow are one in substance. God is unique in this way, so it’s not surprising that it takes some work to come to terms with this truth.

The Bible helps us to break down the mysteries of the Holy Spirit into ideas we can grasp.

The Holy Spirit is a Person

Often, people describe the Holy Spirit as a presence or an "it." But the Holy Spirit is a person, not a thing. The Holy Spirit is God. The Holy Spirit has thoughts and a will.

The Holy Spirit can be grieved and even insulted. But He can also be pleased as we rely on Him to give us the strength to live in a way that’s consistent with God’s plan for us.

Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. (Galatians 6:8, New Living Translation)

The following verses from the Bible help us see the truth about the individual nature of the Holy Spirit:

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17).

“‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’ — the things God has prepared for those who love Him — these are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us” (1 Corinthians 2:9-12).

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

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

“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever” (John 14:16).

“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (1 Corinthians 3:16).

The Holy Spirit thinks about believers in Christ and responds to them. He knows the Father’s thoughts and communicates those thoughts to them. When you pray or read the Bible and sense God speaking to you through that, that is an example of the Holy Spirit at work in your life.

The more you let this sink in, the easier it will be to give the Holy Spirit the place of authority He deserves in your life.  

The Holy Spirit is God Himself

The Holy Spirit is an equal among and a true member of what is known as “the Godhead.” That’s just another way of describing the three-in-oneness of God.

The Godhead is made up of three equal persons living in perfect unity with each other. Believing this is vital to understanding the powerful role the Spirit plays in the lives of Christians and the way God is active in the world.

The Bible verses in this section show that the Holy Spirit is God. They describe Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit interacting and existing in community with one another.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:1-2).

“At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, He saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “‘You are My Son, whom I love; with You I am well pleased’” (Mark 1:9-12).

“God, who knows the heart, showed that He accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us” (Acts 15:8).

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14).

“God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear” (Acts 2:33).

The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is God. If you are a follower of Jesus, these verses prompt you to thank God for giving you His Spirit and help you see the Holy Spirit as worthy of your honor and love.

The Holy Spirit has many different roles. But the first thing to understand is that the Holy Spirit is given to people who believe in Jesus to bind them together with God and help them become more like Him. For Christians, the experience of eternal life does not begin at death but when they trust in Jesus and God places His spirit within them .

Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)

Throughout the Bible, the Holy Spirit equips people for ministry, gives people specific insight and wisdom, teaches people how to interpret God’s Word, communicates with the Father on people’s behalf, and empowers Christians to live according to God’s design .

Here are some Bible verses about the work of the Holy Spirit:

He lives within followers of Jesus and produces lasting change in their character. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).

He teaches the truth about Jesus. “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26).

He says what the Father tells Him to say. “When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come” (John 16:13).

He gives believers the power to share their faith. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

He produces God’s love in human hearts. “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).

The Holy Spirit is a promise of the great things to come for those who trust God. “You also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession — to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14).

He gives people the skills and abilities they need to share God’s love; these are sometimes called “spiritual gifts.” “God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will” (Hebrews 2:4).

The Holy Spirit is unique and creative. The more you learn about Him, the easier it is to recognize His presence in your life.

Jesus is easy to find in Scripture. In a sense, He is everywhere, but we also have four books, known as Gospels, which are biographies of His life specifically. In the book of Jeremiah and elsewhere in the Old Testament, we see early references to God as Father. This is also how Jesus often referred to Him when He was teaching.

But at first glance, it may be unclear where the Holy Spirit shows up in God’s Word. And yet the more you know what to look for, the easier it is to see Him throughout Scripture, from the very first verses until the last.

The following verses are examples of where the Holy Spirit shows up in the Bible.

You can also watch this video for an overview of the Holy Spirit’s presence in the Bible .

The Bible begins with the Holy Spirit present at the creation of the world. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:1-2). These are the very first verses of the Bible. The Spirit is present from the very beginning.

The Holy Spirit lived within Moses as he led the Israelites to the Promised Land. “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Gather for Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand with you. And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone” (Numbers 11:16-17). As the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years, Moses did not have the capacity to care for every single Israelite. God the Father came up with a plan to take the burden of leadership off of Moses and distribute it to other Israelites. The Holy Spirit bestowed on these people God’s power to fulfill the role He had for them. As the Israelite nation moved forward, the Holy Spirit continued leading God’s people.

The Holy Spirit gave King David the words to say. “The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; His word was on my tongue” (2 Samuel 23:2). King David was arguably Israel’s most beloved king, but he also failed spectacularly. Just like all of us, David was far from perfect. During the first half of his reign, King David had a close relationship with God and obeyed Him. This verse is an example of the Holy Spirit empowering King David to effectively lead the Israelites. King David foreshadows Jesus, the coming perfect King who spoke and acted in the power of the Holy Spirit when He was on earth.

The Holy Spirit prophesied about Jesus before the Son came to earth. “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from His roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD” (Isaiah 11:1-2). This prophecy describes Jesus as the true King of Israel and says He would be full of the Holy Spirit as He lived a life full of the Father’s wisdom, clarity and knowledge. The Old Testament was not yet finished when the book of Isaiah was written, but this prophecy shows the Holy Spirit moving history toward God coming to earth in the form of Christ.

Prophets in the Old Testament were filled with the Holy Spirit to speak on behalf of God. “The Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard Him speaking to me. He said: ‘Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites’” (Ezekiel 2:2-3). “But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, to Israel his sin” (Micah 3:8). Both Micah and Ezekiel were prophets who demonstrated powerfully what it looked like to have the Holy Spirit guiding them. They spoke what the Holy Spirit impressed upon them to speak and worked hard to persuade and motivate the Israelites to turn from sin and obey God.

John the Baptist witnessed the Spirit descending on Jesus. “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks before me, because He was before me.” I myself did not know Him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that He might be revealed to Israel.’ And John bore witness: ‘I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on Him. I myself did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit’” (John 1:29-33). This passage brings us to the New Testament and the start of Jesus’ ministry. The Holy Spirit came down from heaven and remained on Jesus for the rest of his earthly life.

Jesus Himself was filled with the Holy Spirit in order to carry out His ministry. “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free” (Luke 4:18). Jesus said these words to Israelites while they were worshipping God in a synagogue. He began his ministry by telling His friends and family that the Lord’s Spirit “is on Me” for a specific purpose. Jesus spent a lot of time talking about the Holy Spirit and wanted His disciples to understand the power of the Spirit. He even told them it was “better” for them that He leave, because then the Holy Spirit would be sent to them (John 16:7).

The first followers of Jesus were filled with God’s Spirit to take the gospel to the known world, and so are we. “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:1-4). This verse is vital to understanding the Holy Spirit. Before this point in history, the Holy Spirit did not indwell every follower of Christ. After Jesus died, rose again and ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit came down and filled up every disciple and apostle of Christ to spread the gospel to the world. Now, whenever anyone puts their faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit immediately lives within them. God’s people get to experience the power of the Holy Spirit like Jesus did.

The Holy Spirit provides believers with the strength to live the Christian life. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5, NLT). The daily experience of living life as a Christian requires qualities that only God can give. The fruit of the Spirit mentioned above are some of those qualities, but believers also need resilience and a continual thirst to know God more deeply. They need to be changed daily to become more like Jesus. God achieves this by coming to live within them, in the form of the Holy Spirit, and then cultivating those qualities from within. The Spirit helps believers to hear God’s voice, understand His Word and choose obedience over self-indulgence. In our own strength, none of this would be possible.

The Bible begins and ends with the Holy Spirit. “‘I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.’ The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life” (Revelation 22:16-17). What a beautiful verse from the end of the Bible. The Holy Spirit wants to give people living water. He wants to change their lives and make them new.

These verses are simply a snapshot of the Holy Spirit in the Bible. Without Him, the Bible does not make sense.

Why not take some time to study what it means to live a Spirit-filled life using our Holy Spirit Starter Kit ?

The Holy Spirit is dynamic and knowable. The more you allow Him to guide and direct your life, the more you will become like Christ and experience the love of your Father in heaven.

The Holy Spirit Resource Kit is a great tool to study the Holy Spirit further.

The devotional “Thirsty” is a clear and compelling read.

Explore resources on the Holy Spirit from The Gospel Coalition and Desiring God .

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture is taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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• Baptism of the Holy Spirit Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the situation whereby a believer is brought into union with Christ through the power of the spirit of God, the believer is at the same time brought into union […]
• How John Portrays the Role of the Holy Spirit in the Lives of Chnristians Besides showing the important role of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ life, John also shows the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.
• The Holy Spirit in Acts It can be clearly seen that the baptizing of Jesus Christ jointly with the coming down of the Holy Spirit and the voice that was heard from heaven, marked the starting of the ministry of […]
• Holy Spirit’s Relevance for Modern Christians Besides, the gifts of grace from God are to be comprehended as the empowerment and equipping of the believing Christ’s followers by the Holy Spirit; thus, they may undertake in establishing the body of Christ.
• The Holy Spirit: Role in the Life of Christians He helps to be free from all the burdens and fulfills God’s plan through the individual, giving them a content and satisfying life. The point is to let the Holy Spirit in the person’s life […]
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55 Holy Spirit Essay Topics

🏆 best essay topics on holy spirit, 🎓 most interesting holy spirit research titles, 💡 simple holy spirit essay ideas.

• Fruits of the Holy Spirit and Its Nine Attributes
• The Holy Spirit: Characteristics and Activity
• The Relationship of the Holy Spirit to the Father and the Son
• Holy Spirit Baptism: Filling With God’s Holy Spirit
• The Holy Spirit as Part of the Trinity
• Scripture as Doctrine of God, Christology, and the Holy Spirit
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• The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit
• The Biblical Doctrine of the Holy Spirit and Present Religious Life
• Perceiving the Holy Spirit Through a Buddhist Lens
• The Holy Spirit in the Life of Jesus and of the Christian
• Searching Out the Holy Spirit via Earth’s Elements
• A Morphology for the Pentecostal Experience of Receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit
• The Role of the Holy Spirit in Early Anglican Eucharistic Theology
• Exploring the Holy Spirit in the Art of the Basilica
• The Scriptural Teaching Respecting the Holy Spirit
• Images of the Holy Spirit in the Writings of Hildegard of Bingen
• Cyril of Jerusalem’s Treatment of Scriptural Texts Concerning the Holy Spirit
• The Holy Spirit as the Unction of Christ in Irenaeus
• Exploring the Holy Spirit in the Fourth Gospel
• The Role of the Holy Spirit in Tolkien’s Middle-Earth
• Father, Son & Holy Spirit: Toward a Fully Trinitarian Theology
• Basil’s Doctrine of Tradition in Relation to the Holy Spirit
• The Holy Spirit as a Holistic Healing Balm for the Community
• Sins Against the Holy Spirit According to St. Thomas
• The Sanctifying Work of the Holy Spirit in Christian Virtue Formation
• Understanding the Concept of the Holy Spirit in Catholicism
• The Holy Spirit in the Qur’an: An Assessment From a Christian Perspective
• The Role of the Holy Spirit in Christ’s Death and Resurrection
• Minjung Theology as an Expression of the Holy Spirit in Korea
• Understanding the Holy Spirit as the Teacher of the Church
• The Holy Spirit in the Pauline Letters: A Contextual Exploration
• A Review of Bible Verses About the Holy Spirit Giving Life
• The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament: A Comprehensive View
• On the Difference Between the Human Spirit and the Holy Spirit
• The Holy Spirit and the Trinity in the Ecumenical Perspective
• The Holy Spirit in the Thought of the English Reformers
• Recovering the Gifts of the Holy Spirit in Moral Theology
• Relativizing the Divergent Approaches of East and West to the Holy Spirit
• The Holy Spirit as Depicted in the Bible and Christian Art
• Eternal Progression and Temporal Procession of the Holy Spirit
• The Holy Spirit as the Mutual Love of the Father and the Son
• Exploring the Holy Spirit in Puritan Faith and Experience
• The Work of the Holy Spirit in Prayer: An Exposition of Romans 8:26, 27
• Baptist Contributions to Theological Reflection on the Holy Spirit
• Place, Prosperity, and the Holy Spirit in Zion Ministries
• Uniformity and Diversity of the Concept of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament
• Emptiness as a Prerequisite for Being Filled With the Holy Spirit
• The Holy Spirit as Source, Power, and Inspiration for Spiritual Practice
• An Investigation of the Nature and Works of the Holy Spirit
• The Holy Spirit in Ecumenical, International, and Contextual Perspective
• John 14:26: The Counseling Ministry of the Holy Spirit
• The Experience of the Holy Spirit in Greek Patristic & Byzantine Theology
• Establishing the Holy Spirit as the Fulfillment of the Liturgy

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This essay topic collection was updated on September 16, 2024 .

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The Trinity

Other essays.

God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is eternally, internally Triune, and when he acts outside himself, he acts in a way consistent to his being—from the Father, through the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In the gospel, God reveals himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As such, the Trinity is the real content and conceptual framework of the Christian faith. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are united in being and differentiated by their eternal relations: the Father eternally begets the Son; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit is the bond of their love. When God acts outside himself in creating and saving, the persons act in unity—from the Father, through the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The God of the Gospel

The Triune God is the God of the gospel—the ultimate reality unveiled in the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 In the gospel, God reveals himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As such, the Trinity is the real content and conceptual framework of the Christian faith. Moreover, the church’s saving knowledge of God occurs through reconciliation to him in the only begotten Son of the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Christ’s instruction for baptism in Matthew 28:19 demonstrates the essential connection between the Trinity and the gospel. 2 Christians are commissioned to baptize “in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” not as a mere formality, but because of the nature of our salvation. The Lord Jesus defines God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In doing so, God heralds himself to us by naming himself for us, thereby revealing his eternal being. He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and our baptism in his name signifies our participation in his loving, Triune communion. The gospel is the gracious act of the Triune God—the Father sending the only begotten Son to become human for us and our salvation, so that in the power of the Holy Spirit we might participate in his eternal life. In our baptism, we are united with Christ in his death and raised to his life (Rom 6:4), the life of the Trinity. The risen Christ then sends his church to proclaim this gospel, an open invitation for all to join our fellowship in the Triune life (1Jn 1:3) through union with him in his death and resurrection.

A Quick Word about Words

As we describe the God of our salvation and proclaim him to one another, the nature and limitations of language present challenges for our theological articulation. Every word we use to speak of God already has meaning in a different context. For example, when you hear the word “Father,” you have a preconceived notion of its meaning related to your understanding of human fatherhood. When we use “Father” to refer to God, we must conform our understanding of the word to align with its divine reference and maintain reverence for God’s holiness. God reveals himself to us in familiar terms, but we must hold our understanding of those terms loosely and allow God to define himself for us, acknowledging his eternal, infinite goodness and our own finitude. We should use theological language with an expectation that God will reveal himself in our speaking and give us an understanding of the reverence appropriate for his presence.

The Union and Communion of God’s Being: Eternal Relations

God’s eternal life is “active and full.” 3 The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the eternal fellowship of abundant life and love, not by willing choice, but as the very essence of God’s being. John reminds us twice in 1 John that “God is love” (4:8, 16), not as a statement of how God acts, but of who God is. God is not only loving toward us; God is love in his internal, eternal being. The Father eternally loves the Son. The Son is eternally beloved of the Father. The Holy Spirit is the bond of the Father and Son’s loving fellowship. The Triune God’s eternal relations (sometimes called “processions”) of love are the subsistence of his being and what differentiate the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Bible uses two parallel language motifs to describe the eternal relations of God’s being—love and begotteness. Readers see the eternal communion of God revealed in terms of love at the baptism of Christ. Matthew tells us that at Jesus’s baptism, “immediately [Jesus] went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’” (3:16–17). The Father identifies Jesus as his “beloved Son.” The Father loves the Son, and the Son is loved of the Father—his Beloved. The Gospel of John uses this same language of begotteness to describe the relationship between the Father and the Son. The familiar verse John 3:16 teaches that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son.” “Only Son” is a translation of the Greek term monogenes that underscores the distinct relationship of begotteness between the Father and the Son. The Father eternally begets the Son, and the Son is eternally begotten of the Father.

The biblical authors describe the eternal relation between the Father and the Son by highlighting the themes of love and begotteness. The Father, by virtue of his divine Fatherhood, eternally gives life and love to the Son, begetting the Son as his very same being. While human fatherhood begins at a point in time and confers some measure of hierarchy, God’s Fatherhood is eternal with no difference in being outside of the relation itself. Likewise, the Son is eternally beloved and begotten of the Father—one in being with him. While human sonship begins at a point in time and involves some measure of subordination, God’s Sonship is eternal with no difference in being outside of the relation itself.

Like the Triune fellowship mentioned above, the relationship of begetting/begotteness does not occur by willing choice. The Father does not choose to beget the Son; if he had, it would mean the Father existed prior to the Son and the Son was his creation. Begetting describes who God is, not what he does. God’s being eternally exists as the communion of the Father and Son. The early church Fathers summarized this teaching for the church in the Nicene Creed, writing that the Lord Jesus Christ is the “only begotten Son of God, begotten from his Father before all ages, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, of one being with the Father.”

The Holy Spirit is the fellowship of the Father and the Son’s love. He proceeds from the Father and the Son eternally. At Jesus’s baptism, the Holy Spirit descends from the Father to the Son. The movement of the Holy Spirit from the Father to the Son is indicative of his eternal relation as the communion of the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit eternally participates in the loving and living communion of the Father and the Son as he proceeds from them both. He is one in being with the Father and the Son and differentiated only by the relation of procession. He is not subordinate to or distinct from the Father and Son in nature.

Three “Persons”

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are differentiated by their eternal relations yet one in their being. Or as the familiar and true adage goes: the Trinity is three persons ( hypostasis ), yet one being/nature/essence ( ousia ). Because of how we use it in our created context, “person” can be misleading depending on how we define it. We must be mindful of the conceptual framework we bring to our understanding of “person” in its Trinitarian sense.

If we impose on the Triune persons our presuppositions about what differentiates human persons, Trinitarian error will be inevitable. Human persons are differentiated in at least three relevant ways: by (1) space—we have separate bodies, (2) consciousness—we have separate minds, and (3) volition—we have separate wills. If we assume those differentiations of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we will undermine their unity of being and functionally hold to tri-theism instead of Trinitarianism.

Differentiating the persons of the Trinity in terms of space is not possible because God is spirit (John 4:24). In terms of mind, God’s knowledge is shared in the same way as his being. God shares his mind/self-knowledge in the communion of the Father and the Son—as Jesus said, “No one knows the Son except the Father. No one knows the Father except the Son” (Matt 11:27). The Spirit participates in the knowing communion of the Father and the Son, as “no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (1Cor 2:11). Thus, the mind of God is shared in the same way as his being—from the Father to the Son in the communion of the Holy Spirit.

God’s will is also shared from the Father to the Son by the Holy Spirit. God’s purposes and actions follow the same contours of the Trinity’s eternal communion. Jesus explains, “For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son” (John 5:19–20). In other words, what willing act the Father does, the Son does also because of the Father’s love of the Son. So it is with the Holy Spirit. He can reveal the will of God because it is his own (Col 1:9, Rom 12:1–2).

Neither body, nor will, nor mind separate the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The eternal relations alone differentiate the persons of the Trinity.

The Union of God’s Actions: Inseparable Operations

God is eternally, internally Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When the Triune God acts outside of himself, he acts in a way consistent with his being—from the Father, through the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible reveals this Triune relational pattern in God’s creating and saving actions.

In creation, the Father creates through the Son in the power of the Spirit. In Genesis 1, God the Father speaks to create all things. 4 He is the author of creation—“the maker of all that is seen and unseen,” as taught in the Nicene Creed. When John explains the Genesis 1, he teaches that all things were created through the Word, who is the eternal Son of God (John 1:3); thus, the Son is the Word spoken of the Father through which he creates. Further, Genesis tells us the Spirit of God hovered over the waters from which all life emerges (Gen 1:2). The Spirit’s hovering indicates his power making actual or effective the Word spoken of the Father to give life. In this way, there is no creating activity of the Father that does not occur through the Son in the Spirit. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are as inseparable in their external acts of creating as they are in their internal being.

Likewise, in salvation, the Father saves through the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit. When Paul recounts the Trinitarian framework of God’s saving activity in Ephesians, he begins by praising the Father who authored the plan of salvation before the foundations of the world (Eph 1:3–4). Specifically, the Father planned for the church to be adopted to himself through his Son. To accomplish this work, the Father sent the Son to become human and save us (John 3:16). The Father authors our salvation, and he accomplishes our salvation through the Son.

The Son, who is one with the Father eternally and sent by the Father in history, is the agent of our salvation. He accomplishes our salvation in the incarnation. God blessed us with his grace “in the Beloved” (Eph 1:6), who became human to save us through his life, death, resurrection, and ascension. Through his sacrificial, substitutionary death, Christians have “redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses” (Eph 1:7). Through his resurrection and ascension, God “made us alive together with Christ . . . raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places” (Eph 2:5–6). Through the Son’s descent into our humanity, his vicarious obedience unto death, and his ascent out of the grave to the right hand of the Father, Christians have received adoption “as sons through Jesus Christ” (Eph 1:5). By the salvation wrought in Christ, we are welcomed into sonship in the incarnate Son.

The Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and Son, is sent of the Father and Son to make actual and effective in the church the salvation accomplished in Christ. The Spirit indwells believers so that they are “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Eph 1:13), uniting them to Christ in his death and resurrection. According to Romans 8:11, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” In the same way the Spirit brought life in creation through the agency of God’s Word, the Spirit brings life to our mortal bodies through the agency of Christ according to the plan of the Father. As a result, we are saved by the united work of the Triune God as the Father acts in the Son through the power of the Spirit.

The Church’s Communion with God: Nature and Mission

The eternal life given to the church in salvation is participation in the loving fellowship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Just before Jesus’s crucifixion, he prays to the Father for his disciples, present and future, that “the love with which you have loved me might be in them and I in them” (John 17:26). Jesus prays that we might join the Trinitarian communion of love by receiving the eternal love with which the Father has loved the Son. We receive the love of God through his grace in “the Beloved” (Eph 1:6) and in the “fellowship of the Holy Spirit” (2Cor 13:14), who is the bond of love between the Father and the Son. This is the glorious mystery of our salvation, that we who “were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph 2:13) to receive the eternal love of the Father in him. In Christ we have his life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). Our salvation and the gospel we proclaim cannot be understood apart from a right understanding of God’s eternal Triunity.

The church goes on mission by proclaiming Christ and inviting others to join us in communion with God. We who have beheld Christ now preach him to the world that, by believing in him, they too might have the eternal, abundant life of God. As John explains in his epistle, “that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1Jn 1:3). As the church participates in God’s mission by preaching the gospel, God’s life and love spread across the globe as people from “all nations” are baptized into the communion of God “in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” (Matt 28:19). The nature and mission of the church is grounded in the Triune God. His being provides the conceptual framework of the church’s faith, and he reveals himself—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—as we proclaim the gospel. The Triune God is the God of the gospel—the ultimate reality unveiled in the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Further Reading

Reeves, Michael. Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith . Illustrated ed. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2012.

Sanders, Fred. The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything . 2nd ed. Wheaton: Crossway, 2017.

Sanders, Fred. The Triune God . Michael Allen and Scott R. Swain, eds. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2016.

Swain, Scott R. The Trinity & the Bible: On Theological Interpretation . Bellingham: Lexham Press, 2021.

Torrance, Thomas F. The Christian Doctrine of God: One Being Three Persons . 2nd ed. T&T Clark Cornerstones. New York, NY: T&T Clark, 1996.

Vanhoozer, Kevin J. and Daniel J. Treier. Theology and the Mirror of Scripture: A Mere Evangelical Account . Studies in Christian Doctrine and Scripture. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2015.

This essay is part of the Concise Theology series. All views expressed in this essay are those of the author. This essay is freely available under Creative Commons License with Attribution-ShareAlike, allowing users to share it in other mediums/formats and adapt/translate the content as long as an attribution link, indication of changes, and the same Creative Commons License applies to that material.