The Bible does not
teach that the Holy Spirit is a force, influence or power
as the New Age and sad to say many so-called Christian
churches purport.
The Bible teaches
that:
I. The Holy Spirit is called God
(Acts 5:3,4)
II. The Holy Spirit does work that only
God can do
(Genesis 1:2; 2:7;
Job 26:13; 33:4; John 1:12,13; 3:5; Titus 3:5)
III. The Holy Spirit possesses divine attributes
A. Eternality
(Hebrews 9:14)
B. Omnipresence (Everywhere
at once)
(Psalm 139:7-10)
C. Omniscience (All
knowing)
(1 Corinthians 2:11)
D. Omnipotence (All
powerful)
(Romans 8:11)
IV The Holy Spirit is a Real Person
A. Personal pronouns
are used when referring to the Holy Spirit
(John 14:16,17; 16:7-15)
V. The Holy Spirit possesses intelligence
(Isaiah 11:2; Romans
8:27; Corinthians 2:11)
VI. The Holy Spirit has a will
(1 Corinthians 12:11;
2 Peter 1:20,21)
VII. The Holy Spirit manifests emotional
responses
(Acts 7:51; Romans
5:5; Galatians 5:17; Ephesians 4:30; Hebrews 10:29; James
4:5)
What Difference Does it Make?
Plenty! If the filling
of the Holy Spirit means that we are filled with God Himself,
it puts a new light on everything we say and do. Our actions
would reflect the character of God and demonstrate our
allegiance to Him. What we say would conform to His Word.
What we believe about ourselves would tend to glorify
God more if we understood that the power and controlling
factor in the Christian life is God, not simply an experience
that we may have had.
Experiences are simply
that - experiences. One may sincerely believe that his
or her experience is valid, but that is no guarantee that
they actually are valid simply because they believe they
are.
It is easy to convince
ourselves that the Spirit is leading us to do something
when in reality it is simply our own desire! God does
not contradict Himself. When a person is filled with the
Holy Spirit their words and conduct
will conform to the character and purpose of God, no matter
what experience they may have claimed to receive.
