A. One of the most misunderstood Bible subjects is the Holy Spirit. There are many different views and thoughts regarding the Holy Spirit.

a. 41% of those surveyed agreed strongly and 28% agreed somewhat “that the Holy Spirit is not a real entity but is just a symbol of God’s presence or power.”

b. Among those fitting the classification of “born again,” 53% stated that they did not believe the Holy Spirit existed. (http://www.barna.org)

2. We could show examples of other religious beliefs. What we would find would be differing ideas regarding the Holy Spirit as is seen in the aforementioned survey.

1. What is the Holy Spirit? An active force? A metaphysical apparition? Is it a “Ghost” as some might conclude from the KJV translation?

3. What does the Holy Spirit do? Does He dwell in a person? Does He force Himself upon a person?

C. The tragedy in all this is that God has already explained the Holy Spirit in understandable terms in the Bible. God has revealed:

D. It is the purpose of this lesson to answer the first two questions. We will look at who the Holy Spirit is and His work.

a. Acts 17:29 - “Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising.” (NKJV)

(1) Divine Nature - theios {thi'-os}- 1) a general name of deities or divinities as used by the Greeks 2) spoken of the only and true God, trinity 2a) of Christ 2b) Holy Spirit 2c) the Father (Enhanced Strong's Lexicon)

b. Romans 1:20 - “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,” (NKJV)

(1) Godhead - theiotes {thi-ot'-ace}- 1) divinity, divine nature (Enhanced Strong's Lexicon)

c. Colossians 2:9 - “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;”

(1) Godhead - theotes {theh-ot'-ace} - 1) deity 1a) the state of being God, Godhead (Enhanced Strong's Lexicon)

a. Matthew 3:16 - The voice of the Father was heard saying, “This is my beloved Son . . .” in reference to Jesus. At that point, the Spirit was descending like a dove.

a. Matthew 3:16 - The Holy Spirit descended from Heaven while Jesus was present on this earth.

b. John 14:16 - Jesus, while on the earth, referred to the Holy Spirit, who was in Heaven.

c. John 15:26 - Jesus said that He would send the Holy Spirit. This would show Jesus, God the Son, working with God the Father in sending the Holy Spirit as the comforter or helper.

4. The Holy Spirit is seen as being a distinctive part of the Godhead. (See following chart.)

	God the Father	God the Son	God the Holy Spirit
John 8:16-18	Sent Jesus	Was sent by the Father
John 14:28	Would receive Jesus	Would go unto the Father
John 20:17	Was in Heaven, to where Jesus had not yet ascended.	Was on this earth after His resurrection, waiting to ascend to Heaven.
2 John 9	Whoever abides in the doctrine of Christ has the Father.	Who abides in the doctrine of Christ has the Son.
Acts 5:3-4	They had lied unto God.		They had lied unto the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 3:16	Speaking	Come up from the Water	Descending
John 15:26	From the Father, the Holy Spirit would be sent.	Jesus would send the Holy Spirit from the Father.	Would be sent by Jesus from the Father.
John 16:7-11	To Whom Jesus would return.	Jesus would send the Holy Spirit to convict the world of Sin.	Would be sent by Jesus to convict the world of sin.
John 16:12-15	All things the Father has are Jesus’ and would be declared by the Holy Spirit.	What Jesus determined to be declared would be declared by the Holy Spirit.	Would declare to the people what was from Jesus and the Father.
Acts 10:38	Anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit	Was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit.	Was used by God in the anointing of Jesus.

B. The Holy Spirit possesses the characteristics of a Person. He is not just some active force or abstract or metaphysical idea.

b. The prophets of old "inquired and searched carefully" for the salvation or grace that was to come. They prophesied of the grace or salvation that would come. These prophets of old were aided by the "Spirit of Christ." (I Peter 1:10-12)

c. The prophets of old spoke not of their own will, but they "spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." (II Peter 1:19-21)

a. One of the prophets of old prophesied that the Spirit of the Lord would make revelation during the days of the New Covenant. (Joel 2:28-32)

b. Before ascending to Heaven, Jesus promised His apostles that they would receive the Holy Spirit and that He would teach them all things.

1. Through the means of the apostles and the written word, the Holy spirit was to convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.

a. The Holy Spirit was to convict the world of sin because they did not believe in Jesus. The Holy Spirit's responsibility was to make known the sin of the world. Through His revelations, He would separate right from wrong, revealing to all who did not believe, their sin and error. He would also reveal the outcome of that sin.

b. The Holy Spirit was to convict the world of righteousness because Jesus would ascend to His Father, preparing a place for those who would follow Him. The Holy Spirit's responsibility was to make known the "cure" for the sin. He was to show the lost world the justification (righteousness) that was made possible in Jesus Christ.

c. The Holy Spirit was to convict the world of judgment because the "prince" of this world, the devil, had already been judged. The Holy Spirit's responsibility was to show the world the judgment and consequences of sin. The ruler of this world, Satan, had already been judged by God. All who followed Satan's path would meet with the same judgment.

2. It is important that we understand how the Holy Spirit would convict the world. The method whereby He would convict the world, He would also convert the world.

a. The Holy Spirit was to equip the apostles for teaching the about Jesus Christ and how to follow Him.

(1) The Holy Spirit would teach the apostles all things and bring to their remembrance all that Jesus had taught them. (John 14:26)

(3) The apostles were to then go and make disciples of all nations, teaching the new disciples to observe all things that Jesus had taught. (Matthew 28:18-20)

b. Through the revelation of the Holy Spirit, the apostles would teach and record the Word of God. The Word of God would be the instrument through which the Holy Spirit would convict the world.

(1) The gospel of Jesus (taught in the word of God) is the power of God to salvation. (Romans 1:16-17)

c. The Holy Spirit use of the word of God in His work is clearly seen in the scriptures. Consider the following comparisons.

3. In all the instances of conversions seen within the New Testament, not one conversion was accomplished without the preaching of the Gospel. Consider the cases of those on the day of Pentecost, the Samaritans, the eunuch, Saul, Cornelius, the jailer, the Corinthians, etc.

4. The Holy Spirits convicts and converts through the use of the word of God. Paul called the sword of the Spirit the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17)

5. Through the use of revelation found within the written word, the Holy Spirit calls for the sanctification of God's people.

A. As we have shown, the Holy Spirit is a Person, a part of the Godhead. He exists in Heaven with God the Father and God the son, Jesus Christ.

B. We also established the work of the Holy Spirit, especially as it pertains to the salvation of man.