The Holy Spirit
Inspired by the musings and questions in the August 7 posting over at The Todd Blog, I’m going to share a little of what I’ve learned about the Holy Spirit.
The best explanation/clarification I’ve ever heard of the Spirit’s role in the trinity is this: One of His primary jobs is to reveal Jesus, and to help us understand, remember and live out His word. It’s also important to note that the Spirit is not about calling attention to Himself. The Holy Spirit is like a spotlight trained on Jesus. If you’re sitting in an auditorium, your attention is focused on the performers on the stage—not the spotlights that illuminate it. Likewise, the HS just wants to shine light on Jesus. Therefore, any ministry that focuses most of its attention on the Spirit is not authentic. (I first learned this ananlogy in BSF, and have also seen it in What Every Christian Ought to Know, by Adrian Rogers. [a book I would only recommend w/ caveats.])
Although I can’t remember or track down the source now, I also remember hearing that where the Spirit is call “the Comforter,” a more accurate translation might be “the Strengthener.” This is certainly borne out in Scripture.
Speaking of Scripture… rather than take my thoughts or any author’s thoughts, why not study for yourself? Though this is by no means a comprehensive list, I did a keyword search on Bible Gateway in the NT for “Spirit,” and came up w/ several pertinent passages. Go to it!
John 7:38 & 39.
John 14:16-18
John 15:26
Acts 1:8
Acts 15:28
(Really, the whole book of Acts. Someone has suggested that rather than “The Acts of the Apostles” a more accurate title might be “The Acts of the Holy Spirit.”)
Romans 8:9-16
1 Corinth. 2:9-16
1 Corinth. 12:4-13
Galatians 5:16-26
1 John 4:1
By the way, since part of the Spirit’s job is to illuminate the Word—ask Him for help.
Happy learning!
P.S. Bible Gateway is a great Bible study resource. Give it a try!
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