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Who is the Holy Spirit?
John 14:15-18 says, “15If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”
John 14:25-27 says, “25These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. 26But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. 27Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
John 7:37-40 says, “37In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) 40Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet.”
So many churches are afraid are to mention the words “Holy Ghost” or “Holy Spirit” in church because they are afraid of scaring people away, but the Holy Spirit is necessary in order to be saved. Without the Holy Spirit, we are merely a social club. Here are scriptures to validate this Biblical truth:
1) “Now if any man does not have the Spirit of Christ, you are none of His” (Romans 8:9).
2) “If you are not born of the water and Spirit you cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5-8). Being born again requires faith, but growth comes through freely receiving greater measures of the Spirit of God. There is no limit to the Holy Ghost!
3) “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).
4) The Holy Spirit identifies you as a child of God, whereby you cry, “Abba” (Romans 8:14-16; Galatians 4:6). *You can be fully adopted without being full of spirit! It is why we need more of the glory of God.
5) “No man can say that Jesus is LORD but by the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 12:3).
6) “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit is the engagement ring the bride wears in which she received from her groom. The Holy Ghost is the proof of whom she is marrying!
7) “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Romans 5:5). Without the Holy Spirit, you cannot have the love of God, which is necessary to be obedient to the commands of God and show others who Jesus Christ is!
8) “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.” (2 Timothy 1:13-14). The only way to hold fast to the Word of God in faith and love is by the Holy Ghost!
The Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity, the Godhead. This does not mean we serve 3 independent gods, but we serve one God who is manifested in three different ways. For example, you have the inner court, outer court and holy of holiness, but you have one tabernacle. You have earth and the heavens, but you have one universe. You have the yoke and shell, but one egg. Colossians 2:9 says, “For in him (Christ) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” Christ as the only begotten Son of God was conceived of the Holy Spirit, meaning He was the manifested Word of God. What He spoke went forth in power and authority, demonstrated what had already been said and done in heaven! He was in human flesh, formed in the image of and sent to earth by the Creator, but He also has His Spirit within Him by the Holy Spirit, having the fulness of the Godhead.
He is not limited to time, space and matter, and the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead rests on the inside of each of us (Romans 8:11). The same Holy Spirit in a pastor should also be in you!
Have you ever heard someone say, “They have a good spirit about them”? The spirit is that invisible nature that bears character and traits, whether positive or negative. This invisible form in which we cannot see known as the Holy Spirit bears the character and nature of God! Holy means “consecrated” or “sacred”. “Ghost” or “Spirit” comes from the Greek word “pneuma”, which means, “breath or mind” of God. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is the breath and consecrated mind of God, which is attracted to our devotion and surrender. It is why Jesus breathed on His disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). He is not something you earn or deserve, but freely receive by being in close proximity to the heart of God! We have to get back to the holiness of God.