The Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit

The Spirit of God is the Holy Spirit. He is the third person of the Trinity (Three-in-One God). There is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew word for the Spirit of God is "Ruach Elohim", which means "breath" or "breathing out". Breath is a good word to describe God because breath represents life, a living creative force.

## Bible InfoScan

The Spirit of God is the Holy Spirit. He is the third person of the Trinity (Three-in-One God). There is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew word for the Spirit of God is "Ruach Elohim", which means "breath" or "breathing out". Breath is a good word to describe God because breath represents life, a living creative force.

When God created the heaven and the earth, the Spirit of God hovered over the surface of the waters. (Genesis 1:2).“Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils and the man became a living person” (Genesis 2:7).

The Holy Spirit was present throughout history. God told Moses he had “filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of craft” (Exodus 31:3), which he would use in the building of the Tabernacle and the Ark.

The Holy Spirit also came upon others in the Old Testament including Balaam (Numbers 24:2), Saul (1 Samuel 11:6), messengers (1 Samuel 19:20), Azariah (2 Chronicles 15:1), and Zechariah (2 Chronicles 24:20).

The Holy Spirit filled Solomon with God’s wisdom. Solomon had more wisdom than any man on earth! The Holy Spirit helped Solomon to settle a quarrel between two women. After King Solomon’s decision, the people of Israel were in awe of the king and recognized the Spirit of God in him (1 Kings 3:10-12, 16-28, 1 Kings 4:30, 1 Kings 10:23).

Even before birth, John the Baptist was filled with God's Spirit! (Luke 1:15). When Jesus was baptized by John, the Holy Spirit came down like a dove and settled on Jesus while God's voice spoke, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy” (Matthew 3:16-17).

After Jesus' death and resurrection, and before He returned and ascended into heaven heaven, Jesus promised the gift of the Holy Spirit and His power to His followers (Acts 1:8).

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to live in all believers. He is our helper and advocate, He convicts us of sin and guides us into all truth (John 16:13). He gives us spiritual gifts and produces God's fruit in us! (1 Corinthians 12:1-11, Galatians 5:22-23). He reveals the deep things of God to us. He gives strength, comfort, and encouragement. The Holy Spirit helps us to overcome our sinful nature so we can live a life that pleases God (1 Corinthians 2:10, Romans 8:5-9, 11; John 14:26).

When we face difficult times, He gives us the words to speak (Luke 12:12). The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness and to pray according to God's will (Romans 8:26). In his letter to the Romans, Paul encourages the Christians to live in the Spirit, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God” (Romans 8:14). The Holy Spirit in us is greater than any evil spirit in the world. He helps us to recognize false prophets and teachers who claim to speak by God's Spirit, and the apostle John warns Christians to be aware of false prophets who do not have the Spirit of God (1 John 4:2-4).

In the Book of Revelation, the phrase “seven Spirits of God” or the “sevenfold Spirit of God” is mentioned four times (Revelation 1:4, Revelation 3:1, Revelation 4:5, Revelation 5:6). Seven is considered God’s number of perfection, and there are different interpretations of the phrase "Spirits of God". In Isaiah 11:2, the work of the Spirit is described as seven-fold: the Spirit of the Lord, wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, the fear of the Lord. These “seven Spirits” are interpreted by some scholars as being the Seven Spirits of God described in the Book of Revelation. The Holy Spirit works in our lives to perfect us. In 2 Peter 1:5-11, the seven-fold character of God is described through Christ: moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, patient endurance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love for everyone. Some scholars believe that these refer to the seven Spirits of God.

## Life Lessons

* Allow the Spirit of God to bring you to Christ, to live in you, and to work in your life.
* The Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) will give you wisdom, understanding, knowledge, guidance, and power.
* The Holy Spirit leads us into all truth.
* The Holy Spirit is our Helper.
* The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom when we ask.