FRIDAY July 29, 2022

The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit

“...for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Acts 1:5

It is important to understand the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Theologically, this is known as Pneumatology. Some people believe the Holy Spirit to be an essence, but they are wrong; He is Person. He lives in us:

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you (Romans 8:11).

The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. He is deity, and there are divine attributes ascribed to Him. In Hebrews 10:14, we find that the Spirit of God is eternal, and He was active in the sacrificial death of Christ:

...how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

The Holy Spirit is omnipresent:

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there (Psalm 139:7-8 NIV).

The Holy Spirit was present in the creation of the earth:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:1-2).

The Holy Spirit was active in the conception of Christ:

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you [Mary], and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).

The Holy Spirit came upon Christ’s disciples to empower them to be witnesses throughout Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the world. They turned the world upside down for Christ (Acts 17:6).

The Spirit of God knows the things of God because he is one with God.
~Matthew Henry~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!