The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology PDF

# 4 The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology We have already seen in an earlier section that the Holy Spirit is a part of the Trinity-He is God. There is a great deal of emphasis placed upon the Holy Spirit today, but not everything taught about Him is true. In this chapter we will see what the Bible says abo...

# 4 The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology We have already seen in an earlier section that the Holy Spirit is a part of the Trinity-He is God. There is a great deal of emphasis placed upon the Holy Spirit today, but not everything taught about Him is true. In this chapter we will see what the Bible says about the person and work of the Holy Spirit. ## His Person * **Who is the Holy Spirit?** The first thing we must understand is that the Holy Spirit is a person, just as Christ and God the Father are persons. * **How can a Spirit be a Person?** Personality is determined by the possession of ... * Intellect-the ability to think and express thought * Emotion-the ability to have feelings * Will-the ability to make decisions and act upon them Look at the following verses: Ephesians 4:30; 1 Corinthians 2:10-11; Acts 13:2; and 1 Corinthians 12:11. Which of these verses states that the Spirit has ... * Intellect * Emotion * Will Proof that the Holy Spirit is a person can be easily found in that the Spirit is never referred to as *it*. The correct translation should be *He*. Read John 16:13-15. How many times is the word *He* used in referring to the Holy Spirit? * **What does the Holy Spirit do?** ## His Work Now, let us look at the actual work of the Holy Spirit in conversion. There are four words in the New Testament which indicate the Holy Spirit's work during and after conversion. * **Birth** * You may remember a verse in the Milk booklet stating that all who receive Christ become children of God. Read John 1:12-13 again. * How do we become actual children in a family on Earth? * How do you think we are able to become children of God? * Look at John 3:3. What did Jesus tell Nicodemus was necessary for him to see the kingdom of God? * In verse 5, what two things did Jesus say we must be born of? * Verse 6 explains verse 5. The first birth or natural birth is a "water birth" because each child spends nine months in the mother's womb. What then, do the two words in verse 5 mean, as explained in verse 6? * Water * Spirit * We see that we are sons of God because we have been of the Spirit. * **Baptism** * Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-13. These verses tell us that we are all ______ into one body by the Spirit. The word *baptism* means to submerge, to place into. * **What does it mean to be baptized into one body?** * Read carefully Romans 12:4-5; Ephesians 1:19–23; 4:4; 5:23, 30, 32 and Colossians 1:18, and answer the following questions. * Who is the "head" spoken of in these verses? ______ * What is the "body" spoken of in these verses? ______ * What is the "church"? ______ * How many people have been baptized, or placed, into this body? ______ * Now, read 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 again very carefully. State in your own words what it means to be baptized into one body by the Spirit. ______ * **Indwelling** * Read Romans 8:9, 11 and 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19-20. According to these verses, where does the Holy Spirit live? ______ * So according to 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, what is your body? ______ * Does your body belong to yourself? ______ * Then, to whom does it belong? ______ * In light of this, how is a Christian to live? Be specific. ______ * **Filling** * The fourth word we want to consider concerning the work of the Holy Spirit is found in Ephesians 5:18. Here we are commanded to be ______ with the Holy Spirit. * The word *filled* means to be controlled by the Spirit. A literal translation of this verse could read, "Be constantly, moment by moment, controlled by the Holy Spirit." * Let's look again at the four words that describe the Holy Spirit's work. List them. 1. ______ 2. ______ 3. ______ 4. ______ * If we are born by the Spirit, can we ever be any less born into God's family? ______ * If we are baptized into the body of Christ, which is the Church, can we ever become more baptized? ______ * The baptism of the Spirit occurs ______ time. What happens at this moment? (Eph. 1:13-14) ______ * If the Holy Spirit lives in us, will He ever leave us? (Heb. 13:5; Matt. 28:20) ______ * However, a Christian who is filled can still try to ignore the influence of the Spirit. How? ______ * In other words, we always have all of Him, but we don't always let Him control all of us. Do you live a life in submission to the Holy Spirit? What areas of your life have you not yielded to Him? ______ * Finally, let's see how we can resist the Holy Spirit-so we can avoid it. Read Acts 2:1-4. When the Holy Spirit first came upon the Christians, in what form did He come? (v. 3) ______ * Now read 1 Thessalonians 5:19. What are we told not to do to the Holy Spirit? ______ * In your own life, how have you quenched or put out-like water on a flame-the Holy Spirit's work in your life? ______ * Read Ephesians 4:30. What must we not do? ______ * Since the Holy Spirit is a real person, He can be grieved. You can grieve Him as you would grieve your mother or father. Read Ephesians 4:25-32 and list the things that grieve the Holy Spirit. ______ Christian, examine your heart. Does the Holy Spirit fill you? Does He control every area of your entire life? Or has His work been quenched, His person grieved by your rebellion against Him? Complete This Section Without Looking Back at the Lesson 1. List at least two verses that present the Holy Spirit as a person. ______ 2. Are we ever correct to refer to the Holy Spirit as "it"? Why? ______ 3. List four words that describe the work of the Holy Spirit and describe what each means. * ______ * ______ * ______ * ______ 4. When is a person born of the Spirit? ______ 5. When is a person baptized by the Spirit? ______ 6. When is a person indwelled by the Spirit? ______ 7. When is a person filled with the Spirit? ______ ## Verses to Memorize * Ephesians 5:18 * Ephesians 4:30 * 1 Corinthians 6:19-20