1 John 4:1 Galatians 5:22-23
"I would exhort you that ye would ask God . . . if these things are not true, and . . . he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost." Moroni 10:4, Book of Mormon
This is how a Mormon "knows" that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God - he has prayed to God to show him if this is true, and then receives a conviction that it is. A Mormon is banking his eternal destiny on this emotional experience.
How reliable a test is this?
We know that one of Smith's teachings is that there are many gods. Since the Bible says that we should have nothing to do with anyone who wants us to go after other gods (Deut. 13:1-4), we have clear Scriptural reasons for knowing that Smith was not a true prophet of the LORD; therefore it is tempting God to ignore Scripture and ask for 'special revelation' to answer this question.
Catholic Charismatic often claim that their prayers to Mary are more meaningful after they have been "baptized with the Holy Spirit". Yet we know that there is no other Mediator between God and man except Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).
It is very popular today to claim to be led by the Spirit. That the above groups are being led by some kind of spirit is certain, but John under inspiration from the real Holy Spirit warns us to test the spirits to see if they truly are from God (1 John 4:1). Since Mormons and Catholic Charismatic both claim to be led by the Spirit and yet their doctrines contradict each other (and much more the Bible), they should serve as a warning to us to examine the Scriptures carefully for ourselves. We must only rely on what can be proven with testable evidence, and not trust in experiences or feelings (Isaiah 8:20, 1 Cor. 14:37-38).
Think about this for a few minutes: consider the length of time that eternity is, and the cost of making an error (eternal torment in hell). Certainly it is extremely foolish to trust in an emotional experience to verify the truth of a religion, and yet this is what many people do. Imagine the surprise on judgment day, to have felt that you were right, and therefore you spent your life working for 'God', only to discover that you are on the wrong side:
"Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'"
Matthew 7:22-23
With so much emphasis on the Holy Spirit today, we want to be particularly careful to study what the Scriptures say about Him, and to obey the Scriptures rather than our emotions or traditions.
1. The Holy Spirit is everywhere present (omnipresent).
Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend to heaven, Thou art there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Thy hand will lead me, and Thy right hand will lay hold of me. Psalm 139:7-10
Here we clearly see that the Holy Spirit is with us wherever we may go, be it in spacecraft to the moon, or in submarines to the bottom of the oceans.
2. The Holy Spirit is all-knowing (omniscient).
Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or as His counselor has informed Him? With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge, and informed Him of the way of understanding? Isaiah 40:13-14
It is worth remembering that God knows everything - we tend to get proud of our scientific and medical technology, but we are just scratching the surface compared to the knowledge that our Creator has.
Isaiah 11:2 2 And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
The Holy Spirit has total wisdom, understanding, strength, and knowledge. What a fantastic Being.
3. The Holy Spirit is all-powerful (omnipotent).
This is evident from Isaiah 11:2, and because the Holy Spirit was active in the creation, particularly in creating living beings:
Job 33: 4 ÒThe Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Psalm 104:30 30 Thou dost send forth Thy Spirit, they are created; And Thou dost renew the face of the ground.
4. The Holy Spirit is eternal.
Hebrews 9:14. A simple, calm statement of this fact.
5. The Holy Spirit has self-will.
But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. 1 Corinthians 12:11
(Context important)
This verse, in conjunction with Isaiah 40:13 (above), clearly shows that the Holy Spirit is not an agent for the LORD like the angels are, but truly 'thinks for Himself'.
6. The Holy Spirit is a Person.
"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. John 16:13
Since Jesus speaks in such a way as to give attributes of personality to a neuter noun, the Spirit must be a person. Neuter in Greek does not imply that the object is not a person (see John 15:26 also). This is strong evidence that Jesus wants us to regard the Holy Spirit as a Person, and not as some blind force.
a. He can be grieved by our rebellion (disobedience to the Bible). This is not to be taken lightly:
But they (Israel) rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; therefore, He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them.
Isaiah 63:11 (see context)
See also Ephesians 4:30.
b. It is possible to quench the Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19); we should be careful to obey the Scriptures so that the Spirit does not get discouraged with us, or worse, so that God does not become our enemy.
7. The Holy Spirit is Jehovah God.
"Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back some of the price of the land? You have not lied to men, but to God." Acts 5:3-4b
Note the interchangeable use of Holy Spirit and God. Another example is seen in comparing John 3:5 with 1 John 5:1 - John the Apostle, who wrote both books, interchangeably uses 'born of the Spirit' and 'born of God'.
Consider the LORD's promise:
For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."
2 Corinthians 6:16-17
Paul is quoting from Lev. 26:12, where it is clear that Jehovah God is speaking (see vs. 13). In 1 Corinthians 6:19, we find Paul saying,
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
Thus Jehovah's promise to dwell in believers is fulfilled because the Holy Spirit dwells in us.
2 Corinthians 3:17 Here Paul asserts that "The Lord is the Spirit" This is a clear statement that the Holy Spirit is truly God.
8. The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity.
Come near to Me, listen to this: from the first I have not spoken in secret, from the time it took place, I was there. And now the Lord GOD has sent Me, and His Spirit. Isaiah 48:16
That the person speaking in this verse is Jehovah Himself is evident from the context (note verse 12; compare with Isa. 41:4). That Jehovah can say that the Lord GOD ('Jehovah' in most Bibles is translated as LORD or GOD using all capitals) has sent Him only makes sense if the person speaking is Jesus Christ. Notice that the Holy Spirit is mentioned in the same phrase. This verse from the First Testament gives weight to the concept of the Trinity.
Matthew 28:19. Jesus instructs His disciples to baptize "in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." That Jesus puts the Holy Spirit on an equal footing with Himself and the Father is strong evidence that the Spirit should be equally believed in, loved, obeyed, and worshipped.
2 Corthinians 13:14 and 1 Peter 1:1-2. Here we see how the Trinity works in the life of the believer.
Romans 8:9. Paul's flexible use for the naming of the Spirit alludes to the Trinity:
Spirit = Spirit of God = Spirit of Christ.
The key verses we should already be familiar with from the lesson on the Scriptures.
But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. 2 Peter 1:20-21
It is also worth noting the following verses in this regard:
Zech. 7:12-13 with Luke 24:25, 27; 1 Peter 1:10-12 2 Timothy 3:14-17; 1 Cor. 2:9-13
The Holy Spirit is the author of Scripture; imagine what an insult it is to Him when someone asks for special leadings while (if) they ignore His clear warnings in the Bible.
1. Limit Satan.
Matthew 12:28. Jesus uses the power of the Holy Spirit to cast out demons.
1 John 4:3-4. The Holy Spirit in us is stronger than Satan.
2. Convict men of sin.
John 16:7-11. 7 ÒBut I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 ÒAnd He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment; 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you no longer behold Me; 11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
2 Timothy 2:24-25 24 And the LordÕs bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, 25 with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,
When we are witnessing, it is not only our skill that is working; the Holy Spirit is also working in the heart of the other person. is very important to remember, since it shows us what we should be doing, and what God is doing, when we witness.
3. Testifies of Jesus.
John 16:12-14 12 ÒI have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear {them} now. 13 ÒBut when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 ÒHe shall glorify Me; for He shall take of Mine, and shall disclose {it} to you.,
John 15:26 26 ÒWhen the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, {that is} the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me.
These statements were made to the apostles, and are not promises to us. The Scriptures are our record of the things which Jesus taught, and also of the things which He did not take the time to teach while He was here. Note that the Holy Spirit works to glorify Jesus Christ, not Himself.
1. He indwells us.
Romans 5:5 hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you. In a very real sense we are a temple of God. This means that we do not need to go to some distant, special temple in order to be 'close to God'. He has chosen to dwell in us.
Other great verses: Romans 8:15, 2 Timothy 1:14, 1 John 3:24 and 4:13. First Testament believers too: Numbers 27:18.
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Because we are a temple of God, we should strive to honor Him by the way we act, dress, and take care of ourselves. We should by no means think of ourselves as 'junk', or cheap, or be careless with our lives and bodies. The LORD thinks enough of us to make us His temples, and our temples should glorify Him.
2. He was received by faith when we believed in Jesus.
Galatians 3:14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Ephesians 1:13,14 13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation —having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of {GodÕs own} possession, to the praise of His glory.
Ephesian 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
All of these verses are very clear in saying that the Holy Spirit indwells a believer when he is first saved. No 'second blessing' is necessary to have the Spirit; He is given to us as a pledge or seal of our redemption.
Note that 'sealing' (2 Corinthians 1:22) signifies that God is assuring us that we will make it through to the day of redemption without being lost along the way. This is not due to any power of perseverance which is innately ours; if it were up to us, we would fall away from the true faith very easily, because of the wickedness of our hearts. But God in His mercy and love seals us with His Spirit so that we can be safe and secure.
However you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
Romans 8:9b
Here Paul teaches emphatically that unless one has the Holy Spirit, he is not even saved (that the Spirit of Christ is the Holy Spirit is clear from the context). There is no middle ground where one can be saved but not have the Holy Spirit.
NOTE: 2 Thess. 2:13, 1 Peter 1:2, and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
"Observe that sanctification by the Spirit is treated as the first beginnings of God's work in the souls of men, leading to the full knowledge of justification through faith in the blood-sprinkling of Jesus Christ. Far from being "the second blessing", subsequent to justification, it is a work apart from which no one ever would be saved." Ironside, from Holiness: The False and the True, p.51.
NOTE: There are two definitions of sanctify commonly used by Christians;
1) Sanctify - to set apart.
2) Sanctify - to conform believer to the image of Christ.
Both are correct, however (1) reflects the more general Scriptural usage and thus is used by Ironside. (2) is the more specialized definition and is normally what a Christian means by 'sanctification'.
3. He comforts the believers.
John 14:16. Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the 'Paracletos' (an intercessor; one called along side to help). See also John 16:7, Acts 9:31, Isaiah 63:14. With all of the persecutions and trials that we go through, it is fantastic that the Spirit has the special ministry of comforting us.
How does He comfort and help us?
a. Romans 8:26-27. He prays for us when we don't know how or what to ask for.
b. Luke 12:11-12. He gives us the wisdom to speak when we are in a jam (This does not mean that we should ever intentionally try to be unprepared - 2 Tim. 2:15).
c. Ephesians 3:16. He strengthens us.
When we are in concentration camps and faced with execution, we can especially trust that the LORD will provide the strength and wisdom through the Holy Spirit to uphold our testimony for His glory.
It is not wrong, when we have done the best we can, to ask for the Holy Spirit to help us (Luke 11:13, Philippians 1:19).
4. He sanctifies believers.
1 Peter 1:2. "Who are chosen . . . by the sanctifying work of the Spirit." See also 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, and Titus 3:5. The Holy Spirit is the Person of the Godhead who is most actively involved in helping us in our sanctification. This task of molding our hearts, minds, and deeds to reflect a warm love of our Savior would be impossible without the Spirit's aid. When we are undergoing a great temptation to sin, it is a tremendous encouragement to know that the Holy Spirit is on our side to see us through.
5. He guides and teaches by means of the Scriptures which He has authored.
So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh - for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God."
Romans 8:12-14
Consider verses 12-13. Paul is arguing that there are only two basic lifestyles: one is to have our hearts fixed on earthly pleasures ("if it feels good, do it"), the other is to have our heart set on eternal (spiritual) goals and treasures. Paul says that with the Spirit's help, we can overcome the lusts and sins inherent in the fleshly mind set (v.13) which still trouble us even after we are saved. In context then, "being led by the Spirit" means "to be putting to death the deeds of the flesh." To take this verse to mean that our own little urges and compulsions are the leading of the Spirit is but to spiritualize an "if it feels good, do it" lifestyle. What a cheap and deceptive form of "spirituality".
Galatians 5:16-26 gives us explicit examples of fleshly and spiritual affections. Note that our standard of spirituality is given to us by the Scriptures. While our conscience is useful, it is not an infallible guide, John 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him.; however, it does become more accurate as it is molded by the Scriptures.
Notice that the assertion in Romans 8:14 is that the Spirit leads us; the verse does not specify the means of this leading. The next few verses give us insight into the means which the Spirit uses:
How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word. Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee PSALM 119:9, 11
By reading God's word in order to learn what pleases Him, and then by practicing what we learn, do we "put to death the deeds of the flesh".
These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him. 1 John 2:26-27
Does verse 27 imply that the Spirit will lead us so that we do not need good teaching? Clearly John has written this letter so that believers will not be deceived (v. 26). The very fact that he continues to teach them in this same letter and again in the book of Revelation shows us that we certainly need the Scriptures; if verse 27 were to mean that the Spirit taught us everything, there would be no need for the New Testament.
Ephesians 6:17. The sword of the Spirit is the Scripture. If this is the Holy Spirit's powerful weapon we should by no means ignore it.
It appears then, that the most reliable means for receiving the leading of the Holy Spirit is to read His Book. This aspect of the Holy Spirit's ministry is covered in greater detail in "How to Solve Problems Biblically."
6. He bestows special gifts.
"See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge and in all craftsmanship; to make designs for working in gold and in silver and in bronze . . . ." Exodus 35:31
See also Exodus 31:1-6. It is doubtful that Bezalel was a farmer who woke up one morning and suddenly found himself a master goldsmith. More likely God gave him talents and skills which in His providence He developed so that Bezalel would be capable of this glorious task. This implies that we should strive to discover and develop those gifts which the Holy Spirit has given to us providentially.
1 Corinthians 12:7-11. Here we see that some of these gifts are gained, or at least strengthened providentially (wisdom, knowledge, faith), while others are given miraculously and are not learned (prophecy, tongues, healing).
1 Corinthians 12:29-30. Not all will have these miraculously given spiritual gifts. We should be suspicious when a whole group claims to speak in tongues ('The Way', and the Mormons for example).
Thus, while we should desire these greater gifts (1 Corinthians 14:39), to spend hours praying to receive one, or to agonize because we lack one is a mistake; for the Spirit distributes the gifts as He (not we) wills.
Some would argue that the possession of a special gift (tongues, for example) is a sure sign that a person is saved. Nothing could be further from the truth: Hindus and many others in pagan religions are known to speak in tongues; further, obvious cults ('The Way') PROMISE this gift to their members. Certainly the surest sign of redemption is an obedience to the Lord's commandments in the Scriptures (John 14:21).
PROBLEM ONE:
Some people say that they have received "the second blessing", a special filling of the Holy Spirit which manifests itself in the ability to speak in tongues (usually). They then imply or act as if they are more spiritual than Christians without such gifts (i.e., they should be consulted on difficult problems so that they can ask God what you should do).
Do special spiritual gifts necessarily imply that one is a super Christian? The Corinthian church abounded in such gifts but still had big problems:
1 Corinthians 5 - a member is committing incest, and the congregation is proud of their 'loving' tolerance.
1 Corinthians 10 - the congregation is improperly observing the Lord's Supper.
1 Corinthians 15 - some in the congregation do not believe in the resurrection of the dead.
Remember that it is possible to do many good deeds in the name of the LORD and not even be a Christian at all (Matthew 7:21-23).
The real test of spirituality in this area is twofold:
a. Is one using one's gifts according to the Scriptural guidelines (1 Cor. 14:37-38)?
b. Does one's doctrine agree with the Scripture (ex. 1 Timothy 4:1-6)?
PROBLEM TWO:
People who claim to have the special 'super' gifts soon start to trust their internal revelations more than the Scriptures.
1 Corinthians 14:37-38. Paul is emphatic: no one who is really spiritually gifted will disagree with his teaching.
1 John 4:1. John exhorts us to test the spirits.
NOTE: There is never an implication in Scripture that after a while, one gets to 'know' the Spirit and can relax this testing of the spirits. To the contrary, even the greatest prophets in Israel had to watch so that they would not be deceived (Jeremiah 32:3-8). Remember that the Mormons appear to ignore this verse too.
PROBLEM THREE:
Leading by feelings is probably the most dangerous, and most subtle perversion of 'the leading of the Spirit'. The Scriptures are continually exhorting us to get, use, and pray for wisdom, which is the ability to make sound decisions with limited data (see James 1:5 and most of the Proverbs). Note that the Spirit did not lead the apostles and others by feelings in Acts (see Acts 8:29, 13:2, 10:19); when the Spirit told them what to do, it could be quoted.
Since cults encourage 'feelings' to prove their claims (beginning examples), and since the Scriptures exhort us to use wisdom to accurately handle and live by the word, there must be something wrong in any logic that justifies the trusting of our emotions as being the voice of God.
Even true believers can fall into this 'looking spiritual' trap by using phrases like "the Lord told me," or "the Lord showed me." When questioned, the person did not hear God tell him anything that he could quote or show him a vision which he can describe. The use of such phrases is an attempt to get impressionable people to think that you are important. Such use of the Lord's name to bolster our standing before others is certainly a case of using the Lord's name in vain. How can we regard the breaking of one of the ten commandments, and further, claiming to be a prophet when we are not, as 'true spirituality'?
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23
This is true spirituality: molding our personality to be more like the LORD's.
Give attention to the reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed upon you through the laying on of hands by the elders. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you. 1 Timothy 4:13-16
This is true spirituality: Joyful obedience to and study of Scripture. Even Timothy, who was given great spiritual gifts, is exhorted to persevere in studying and obeying the Scripture (2 Timothy 2:15).
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father. Ephesians 5:18-20
This is the exhortation; how do we do it?
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16
There are gushy feelings that some may call 'the filling of the Spirit', and there are emergencies where the Lord does especially strengthen people by filling them with the Spirit (Acts 4:8, Judges 14:6), but Paul implies here that the stable, heart-molding, life-changing filling of the Spirit comes from taking the Scriptures to heart, from heeding good teaching (even admonishments), and from controlling our inputs and outputs.
Paul is continually exhorting believers on this last point:
Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything is worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you. Philippians 4:8-9
These means the Holy Spirit will use (if we let Him) to prevent us from losing our first love (Rev. 2:1-7), and to bring us trough the trials of this life triumphantly into the LORD's eternal kingdom.