Who Is the Holy Spirit?

Last updated on: July 12, 2017 at 8:40 pm by Brandon D. Smith

Who Is the Holy Spirit? 2017-07-12T20:40:57-05:00 Brandon D. Smith

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Holy Spirit is perhaps the most overlooked person of the Trinity in many Christian circles today, but he is equally deserving of the praise and adoration given to the Father and Son. He is the crucial third component to the work of the triune God. The Spirit is the one who introduces us to the Father and Son, and then continues to remind us of the Father and Son.

The name “Holy Spirit” does not give a concrete picture of an individual person like “Father” or “Son” might, but he acts out his distinct role as specifically and uniquely as the other persons. The Spirit isn’t an it; the Spirit is a he. Jesus promised that he would send the Spirit from himself and the Father as a “helper” to live within believers (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; Acts 1:8; Eph. 1:13-14). This promise came true at Pentecost, where the Holy Spirit filled believers and performed miraculous deeds through them (Acts 2:4). Christians experience and represent the triune God through the guidance of the Spirit (John 16:7-8; 1 Cor. 6:19-20; Gal. 5:22-25).

In his book Forgotten God, Francis Chan writes, “We are not all we were made to be when everything in our lives and churches can be explained apart from the work and presence of the Spirit of God.” It is important to remember that the Holy Spirit literally lives and works in believers (2 Tim. 1:14). Through the Spirit, God himself accompanies Christians through the ups and downs of life, leading us in truth and pointing us toward the joy of knowing him. As if shackles have been undone from our feet, we are liberated by the Spirit to walk in true freedom from the slavery of sin.

The Holy Spirit is not just a mere expression of God, but God himself. Christians should be encouraged to walk in the expectation that we really are empowered to live as children of the Father, being led, as Luke writes, by “the Spirit of Jesus” (Acts 16:7). The Spirit isn’t some ooga-booga force; he is the personal presence of God to empower disciples of the risen Jesus to live for the glory of God. This is why Paul can say, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom. 8:15-16).

Note: This post is an excerpt from my book with J. A. Medders, Rooted: Theology for Growing Christians.

—

Stay in touch! Email me at [email protected].

Previous Post

May 15, 2017

I Took a Week Off from Social Media (and Survived)

Next Post

May 22, 2017 The Dearth of Patristic Theology in Evangelicalism

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Academics Apologetics Baptists Biblical Interpretation Biblical Studies Blog News Books Christian Life Church History Culture Ecclesiology Eschatology Gospel Interviews New Creation News Politics Science Scripture Sexual Sin Social Media Spiritual Discipline The Smorgasbord Theology Trinity Word Matters Podcast

Select a Month September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which mountain did this Abraham's near-sacrifice event occur on?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Mount Carmel Mount Moriah Mount Sinai Mount Ararat

Books by This Author Books by Brandon D. Smith

See All Titles »