Student Lesson 3 – Who is the Holy Spirit?

Read this section, then answer the questions on the Student Response Sheet.

Responses can either be e-mailed to Pastor Kip or pick up a paper copy of these
questions in his office.

We have become a culture that is obsessed with spirituality and religious movements related to mystery, so when we hear the word “spirit” all kinds of ideas and images come to mind.

Q1. What are some of the images and ideas that you think of when you hear spirit?

The Christian tradition has also had its own ideas of a spirit, or a Holy Spirit.  This Spirit plays a significant role within both the individual believer and community of witnesses called the church.

Q2. Before reading further, what comes to mind when you hear of the Holy Spirit? What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit?

Two of the church’s creeds, or statements of faith which continue to provide the foundation for what we believe, mention the Holy Spirit.  The Apostles’ Creed is quite simple, “I believe in the Holy Spirit.”  That doesn’t necessarily help us out if we are trying to understand who the Holy Spirit is, so maybe we can be aided by another ancient creed, the Nicene Creed, composed in the fourth century A.D.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

who, with the Father and the Son, is worshiped and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets.

Now that’s more like it.  The Holy Spirit seems to be deeply connected with both God the Father/Creator and Jesus the Son of God/Savior of the world.  In fact, they are of equal value, which we will talk about more in the next lesson.  We see in this creed that the church believes the Holy Spirit is not an it, but rather a who, a person.  The Holy Spirit is actively involved in creating  life and speaking to God’s people; the Spirit is even to be worshiped.

For a more contemporary version of this creed, read this from a Brief Statement of Faith from the PCUSA, 1983:

“We trust in God, the Holy Spirit, everywhere the giver and renewer of life.  The Spirit justifies us by grace, through faith, sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor, and binds us together with all believers in one body of Christ, the Church.  The same Spirit who inspired the prophets and apostles rules our faith and life in Christ through Scripture, engages us through the Word proclaimed, claims us in the waters of baptism, feeds us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation, and calls women and men to all ministries of the Church.  In a broken and fearful world, the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in Church and culture, to hear voices of people long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom and peace.”

Q3. How does the Nicene Creed’s and the Brief Statement of Faith’s illustration about the Holy Spirit compare to your response in Q2?

While the creeds are helpful for a general idea about the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives, these creeds were ultimately developed based on the teachings found in the pages of Scripture.  One of the main places we can turn to is the Gospel of John which some have called the Gospel of the Holy Spirit because it speaks of this person within the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) more than any other place in the Bible.

Read John 14:12-27 and John 15:26-16:15
(Try this:  visit http://www.biblegateway.com) and enter these verses into the Quick Search box.  Then, where is says “translation”, try 3-5 different English translations and notice the way Holy Spirit is translated in each one.)

Q4. What word does your Bible use to describe the Holy Spirit in these passages?  What are some of the other words used in other translations to describe the Holy Spirit?  What do these words mean?

Q5. What does the Bible say about the purposes and functions of the Holy Spirit? Why does God give us the Holy Spirit?

One Biblical translation uses the word “Advocate” to describe the Holy Spirit.  An advocate is someone who speaks on behalf of another person, gives testimony for and validates (proves true) the work and behavior of another.  In a sense, Jesus became the Advocate of God the Father by coming to earth as a human.  Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as a Parakletos (one called to the side of another, with the secondary notion of counseling or supporting or aiding him) meaning that the Holy Spirit will witness to and validate Jesus’ message and mission to the world.

Further, in Matthew 10:19-20, Jesus assures his disciples that if they should face trial for speaking about Jesus, “do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”

In Romans 8:26, Paul writes about another role of the Holy Spirit, “…the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

John says in 15:26 that the Holy Spirit will testify, or witness, to the disciples and the world on behalf of Jesus.  He tells the disciples also to be witnesses.  When the Holy Spirit lives in us, we are equipped by him to be witnesses - to tell and live the story of Jesus, the hope of the world.  We are also called to be advocates, validating the message of Jesus, the Gospel, with our lives.

Scripture uses other words to describe the Holy Spirit, such as breath of God or the Spirit of truth.  All of these show that that Holy Spirit is God dwelling in the world and in His people, especially following Jesus’ return to heaven and until he comes again. 

Where Does the Holy Spirit Live?

The book of Acts reminds us that the Holy Spirit is significant in guiding God’s people in accomplishing and living out God’s vision for the world – that all may know and find life in Jesus.

Read Acts 1:1-11

Q6: What does Luke tell us about the Holy Spirit?  Where does the Holy Spirit live and for what reason?

Read Acts 2:1-13

Q7: What happened to the disciples in this passage and why do you think this happened?  What were they able to do, especially in relation to your response to Q6?

God does not leave his people ill-equipped for what he has called us to do.  The Creator has breathed into us God’s Spirit as a guide, a support and the strength we need as we carry out God’s vision for the world and tell the good news about Jesus.

Fruit of the Spirit?

How can we tell if the Spirit is dwelling in us?  We produce what is called the Fruit of the Spirit.

Read Galatians 5:16-26

Q8: On a separate piece of paper, compare and contrast the works of the sinful nature (listed in verses 19-21) with the fruit of the Spirit (listed in verses 22-26).

Closing Meditation – Listen to the Switchfoot song Spirit on YouTube.

Q9. As you listen to the Switchfoot song Spirit, re-read Galatians 5:22-26.  Ask God to speak to you through the Spirit.  Which fruit of the Spirit are you in need of developing in your life?  How can you work on this in the coming week?

Click here for the Student Response Sheet for Lesson 3 - Who is the Holy Spirit?