October 7, 2023
Who is the Holy Spirit?
Another Helper
Fact: The Holy Spirit is a Helper Who dwells within all believers.
Key Scripture: “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you (John 14:16-18).”
In the above scripture in this first sentence, we recognize the Triunity of God in the Persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We see unity within the Three.
Yes, the Holy Spirit is God, and if you have trusted in Jesus Christ as your Savior the Holy Spirit dwells within you. Think about it, God lives in you! It may be hard for us to understand how this can be, but God’s Word tells us that this is so.
Jesus is telling His disciples that He is going to pray to the Father to give them another Helper, the Spirit of truth.
Jesus had been telling His disciples that He was going away, and they couldn’t go where He was going at least for now. Jesus was going to the Cross first to be Crucified, then He would be resurrected and seated at the right hand of God the Father in heaven.
But Jesus was not going to leave the disciples as orphans. He would send them the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth to dwell in them and be their Helper. Literally the Helper (Holy Spirit) would be their comforter, advocate, counselor, and guide. The Holy Spirit their Helper would abide with them forever.
It’s vitally important that we understand that the Holy Spirit is here to help us. Jesus is coming back for all those who have trusted in Him as their Savior via the rapture or at the time of our death, but in the meantime, we need a Helper.
We need to understand that the Holy Spirit is not just some power or force, but that He is a distinct Person, and He wants to have a personal relationship with us.
The Holy Spirit’s Intelligence, Will and Emotion
A person has intelligence, will, and emotion. The Holy Spirit has all three just like you and me.
The Holy Spirit has Intelligence
Paul tells us a little about the Spirit’s intelligence saying, “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:11-12).
The Holy Spirit has a Will
In Acts 16:6-7 Paul writes, “Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.”
The Holy Spirit has Emotion
Paul warned the Ephesians, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God (Ephesians 4:30).
Personal Pronouns
Another example in scripture referring to the Holy Spirit as a person is through personal pronouns.
Many times, in the New Testament the Greek pronoun is referred to as He when referencing the Holy Spirit. In the Key Scripture above we find the Holy Spirit referred to with pronouns. Jesus says, “and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever . . . but you know Him, for He dwells with you . . . (John 14:16-17)
And in John 14:26 Jesus says, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things (John 14:26).
The Spirit Speaks, Intercedes, Teaches, Leads, and Works Miracles
A person can speak, intercede, teach, and lead and so can the Holy Spirit our Helper, but He can do much more like work Miracles!
He Speaks
“As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them (Acts 13:2).”
He Intercedes
“Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses (Romans 8:26).”
He Teaches
“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 things that I said to you (John 14:26).”
He Leads
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God (Romans 8:13).”
He Works Miracles
“In mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ (Romans 15:9).”
So, in review as our Helper what does the Holy Spirit do in our lives as we trust in Him?
He speaks into our lives, intercedes, teaches, leads, and works miracles. This is certainly just a sample of the many ways the Holy Spirit Helps us. He also pours out love into our hearts so that we bear fruit such as joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
Also, remember that the Holy Spirit is a person that wants to have a loving relationship with you.
Greg Mason