February 6, 2022

DOCTRINE: GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

February 06, 2022

Pastor Jonathan Falwell

Sometimes, as adults, a subject will come up in conversation that causes us discomfort, perhaps because of things we were taught in our early years. Can you share such an example?

The past two weeks we have examined the doctrine of the Trinity in God the Father and God the Son. Today we will look at God the Holy Spirit, searching the Scripture for His personality (who He is), His function, and His work in our lives. We will also look at the Doctrinal Statement of our church, written by godly men who were part of the formation of Thomas Road Baptist Church, and see for ourselves that the affirmations they assigned to the Holy Spirit are completely Biblical.

Focal Passage: Titus 3:3-7

Doctrinal Statement: “We affirm that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, proceeding from the Father and Son, and equal in deity. He is the giver of all life, active in the creating and ordering of the universe: He is the agent of inspiration and the new birth; He restrains sin and Satan; He indwells and sanctifies all believers.

“The believer is declared righteous, born again by the Holy Spirit, turned from sin, and assured of heaven. We affirm that the Holy Spirit indwells all who are born again, conforming them to the likeness of Jesus Christ.”

Who is the Holy Spirit

  • Read John 14:26. What did Jesus call Him in this verse? What did He say the Holy Spirit would do for the believers? Read Psa. 139:7. Is He God?
  • Read Matt. 28:19. The Trinity is laid out specifically in this passage. What assurance can you gain from the words of Jesus?
  • Read Mark 12:36, 1 John 5:7, and Acts 2:38. Is there any doubt that the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity, and equal in deity to both the Father and the Son?
  • Read Acts 16:7, Acts 20:28, and Romans 5:5. How is He active in our lives?

 He indwells us at salvation

  • Read Titus 3:3-5. Who is active in your salvation in these verses? What part did God the Father have? How did He save us? What part did God the Holy Spirit have? Read 2 Cor. 5:17. How can you connect the actions of the Holy Spirit making us a new creation? Read Rom. 8:9. How do you know you have the Spirit residing in you?
  • Read 2 Tim. 1:14. The indwelling spoken of in this verse indicates existing as an inner activating spirit; or, to dwell in a person and influence him for good. What thoughts come to your mind as you realize you have, within you, God the Holy Spirit, never leaving you, and influencing you for good? How can you quench the Holy Spirit? Read 1 Cor. 3:16. Does this give you fear or hope?

He seals us forever

  • Read Titus 3:6. What was your situation when Jesus saved you (Eph. 2:1)? Read John 10:28-29. Why should this verse give us peace?
  • Read 2 Cor. 1:22. What is special about the promises of God, and especially in this verse? The original meaning is to confirm, make sure, or establish. What does this mean to you, knowing God is the author of what is said?

He fills us with His power

  • Read Titus 3:7. What is the basis on which He justifies us? What is the result of His justification? What does justification mean to a believer?
  • Read Acts 1:8. When do you receive the power of the Holy Spirit? Is it the same power the disciples had? What is the reason for the filling of the Holy Spirit?
  • Read 2 Tim. 1:7. We know we often have fear when it comes to witnessing. Why should we not? How can we overcome it?

He corrects us when we are wrong and makes us more like Christ

  • Read John 16:7-8. Why did the Holy Spirit have to wait until Christ had gone back to the Father before He could come? What was He going to do? Read Rom. 8:5. How can we tell if we do not have the Holy Spirit?
  • Read Rom. 8:28-30. Again, what is the main goal He has as He indwells our lives?

Close

If you are more than half a century old and raised in a traditional church, chances are you were raised on the King James Version of the Bible. This was the preferred version in almost all Protestant churches that were “mainline” until modern translations began coming out in the second half of the Twentieth Century. The unfortunate characterizations of that era were the superstitions that abounded in those days: as immigration was prolific, the people brought their backgrounds of the occult, witchcraft, legalism, and false teachings. Even with the Bible, most schools taught the theory of evolution as fact, and children seldom heard Creationism taught.

The KJV, with its old-fashioned language, referred to the Holy Spirit as “the Holy Ghost.” Because of “ghost” stories told around the fireplaces before going to bed, children often grew up with a very misguided sense of spirits, ghosts, and the spirit world. To read of the Holy Spirit—whom we today understand to be not only the Third Person of the Trinity but also our indwelling Comforter and Guide—we know no fear is to be considered in the same breath when referring to His character. However, it has left impressions on our lives that possibly can still infiltrate our thoughts. Hopefully, this study of His character and work will give you a new reverence for Him. Take some time this week to use www.blueletterbible.org or www.biblegateway.com to do a study on this Person who dwells inside us, and knows us—our beauties and our sins—better than anyone else!