Part 1 Holy Spirit - Who Is He?

 

Of the four gospels, John explains who the Holy Spirit is in the greatest of detail.  John was an eye witness to Jesus’ testimony, clinging to all things positive as there was also a lot of negative news the disciples were receiving on the eve of Jesus’ crucifixion.

John 14:16  (Jesus speaking)  I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him. But you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you. 

John 14:26  (Jesus speaking) But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.

The disciples were having a hard time understanding and not freaking out when Jesus told them He would be leaving them.  The Holy Spirit and the rest of the Trinity are such difficult concepts for us to explain today, so imagine how they must have felt hearing a few vague specifics from Jesus about the yet to come resurrection, ascension, and the arrival of the Holy Spirit. 

Since all the disciples were Jewish, they would have known that the Holy Spirit is mentioned in the Old Testament (which they called the Tanakh) several times.

1.  Exodus 31:1-5  Now the Lord spoke to Moses saying, "See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.  And I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom in understanding in knowledge and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to create artistic designs for work in gold, in silver and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings and in the carving of wood, so that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship.

2.  Numbers 27:18  So the Lord said to Moses, "Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.

4.  Judges 13:24-25  So the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson; and the child grew up and the Lord blessed him.  And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him when he was in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

5.  1 Samuel 16:12-13  And the Lord said, "Arise, anoint him (David); for this is he.  So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward.

6.  The Holy Spirit was even promised in the Old Testament!  Joel 2:28-29  It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters will prophesy, Your old men will have dreams, Your young men will see visions  And even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

The Holy Spirit also had a role in creation.  Genesis 1:2  And the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

But there is a big difference between the Holy Spirit's presence in the New and Old Testaments  In the New Testament, 10 days after Jesus ascends to heaven which is also the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit is sent to permanently live inside of believers.   In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit appeared to a select few and usually stayed only until a specific God determined task was accomplished. 

When the Holy Spirit came to believers on Pentecost, it was not His first appearance in the New Testament.  The Holy Spirit is who raised Jesus from the dead after crucifixion.  Romans 6:10-11 The Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.  And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.  And yes, the Holy Spirit is a "He", a person just like God the Father and Jesus. He has all the characteristics of God the Father and Jesus - love, compassion, omnipresent, omnipotent - so we can have a relationship with the Holy Spirit.

God chose Pentecost as the time to send the Holy Spirit since the Jews would be in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Weeks holiday and have a front row seat.

At the end of the book of John, God the Father’s earthly plan for Jesus the Son was about to be complete.  Through Jesus’ teachings, miracles, and death followed by resurrection, believers would have salvation and eternal life with God.  Jesus was going back to God the Father and the Holy Spirit would be sent to help believers continue to learn about the wonders of God, to remind believers of what Jesus said, to help believers understand God’s plan for each of them, and to open ways for believers to spread the news of who Jesus is so that others would believe and gain eternal life.

Said in fewer words…. Jesus came, showed, and told us what awaits if we follow Him and make disciples for Him.  And God the Father knows that we will be unable to do this without having God the Son in the form of a living Spirit, dwelling within us.