“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever.” (John 14:16)
by Pastor Patrick Cho
There are many unique aspects of biblical Christianity. Perhaps you’ve heard of the simplistic cliché that all other religions teach “do,” while Christianity teaches “done.” In other words, other religions teach that we need to do good things in order to have any hope in the life to come, whereas Christianity teaches that Christ has done it for us. It may be that the most unique aspect of Christianity has to do with God Himself. Certainly ours is not the only monotheistic religion in the world, but the Bible teaches that God is in three Persons.
You won’t find a verse that uses the word “Trinity,” per se. It is not a biblical term, but the evidence is clear. There are verses that speak about God the Father (John 6:27; 8:41; 20:17). There are verses that refer to Jesus Christ as God, but distinct from the Father (Matt. 4:7; John 1:1-2; Titus 2:13; 2 Pet. 1:1). There are also verses that speak of the Holy Spirit as God, but distinct from God the Father and God the Son (Gen. 1:2; Ezek. 11:5; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 3:17-18). Still there are verses that clearly teach that we worship and serve one God (Deut. 6:4; 1 Tim. 1:17; James 2:19).
While there is a lot of attention given to the first two Persons of the Trinity, sadly in comparison, very little good material is written about the Holy Spirit. This is most likely the reason there is so much misunderstanding about who He is and what He is like. Some people think of the Holy Spirit as some impersonal force (perhaps similar to the force in Star Wars). They refer to the Spirit as “it.” “It” is everywhere and does its thing, but we can’t really get to know it. But the Bible teaches that the Spirit is a Person of the Trinity. Jesus Himself referred to the Spirit as “He” (John 14:16-17).
The Holy Spirit is said to have a mind (Rom. 8:27), and He searches everything, even the depths of God (1 Cor. 2:10). The only way we can come to know divine things is because the Spirit knows the thoughts of God (1 Cor. 2:11). The Spirit is also described as experiencing emotion in that He can be grieved (Eph. 4:30). And there are passages in Scripture that teach of the Spirit’s will. He sets apart Barnabas and Saul for ministry in the first missionary journey (Acts 13:2). He even intercedes for believers according to the will of God (Rom. 8:27).
The Holy Spirit is particularly involved in the salvation of sinful people. He is the one who works in our hearts to bring conviction about our sin, the righteousness of God, and our impending judgment (John 16:7-8). And Jesus teaches that it is by the Spirit that believers are born into God’s kingdom (John 3:5-8). The believer is then sealed by the Spirit, which means that the believer’s salvation is secure, and the Spirit Himself serves as the believer’s guarantee of eternal glory (Eph. 1:13-14).
Besides all this, it is in the power of the Spirit that every believer lives. Without the assistance of God, we would still be powerless to live for Him and bring Him glory, but the Spirit of God dwells within the believer (Rom. 8:9). As Christians read and study God’s Word, it is the Spirit that brings true understanding (1 Cor. 2:12-13). As believers yield themselves more and more to the Spirit’s control (Eph. 5:18), they will see more spiritual fruit in their lives (Gal. 5:22-23).
So, biblically, the Holy Spirit is very significant. It is definitely worthwhile to take time to learn as much as possible about the third Person of the Trinity. In fact, you can even pray to the Spirit to help you understand God’s truth! Not to live according to the Spirit is to live according to the flesh. Our goal as believers is to live in dependence upon Him in obedience to His Word to the glory of God.