Some time before his death, Jesus tells His disciples that He will send them a helper, the Holy Spirit (John 14-16). Then, after His resurrection, He tells them they will be baptized with the Holy Spirit and will receive power to be witnesses to the world (Acts 1:5; 8). But, just who is the Holy Spirit?
In scripture, we find that the Holy Spirit:
- Was present at creation, waiting for the Word to be spoken
- Created creation according to the Word
- Gives gifts of creativity and craftsmanship for the building of His temple
- Causes people to prophesy — that is, to speak for God
- In the Old Testament, came on prophets, kings, and judges — leaders
- Rests on Jesus (7-Fold Spirit of God)
- Since we are Jesus’ Body, and He is the Head, the 7-Fold Spirit of God rests on us
- Causes us to walk in the Lord’s ways
- Causes the Church to create new Christians
- Shows the Kingdom of God is here
This is not all of who the Holy Spirit is! I encourage you to dig into the Word to see just who the Holy Spirit is for yourself! To get you started on a treasure-hunt through scripture, here’s a list (not an exhaustive one, though) of verses that will help you answer this question. Take some time to read through these and make a list of what you discover.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
Gen. 1:2 Lk. 1:15 Acts 19:1-6
Ex. 31:3; 35:31 Lk. 1:35 Acts 10:44ff
Numbers 11 (esp. v. 29) Mt. 4:1 Acts 8:15ff
Judges 6:34; 11:29 Mt. 12:28 1 John 4:2
1 Sam 10 Mt. 28:18-20 Gal 5:22
1 Sam 16:13 Jn. 14:26ff 1 Cor. 12:7ff
Is. 11:2 Jn. 15:26ff Rom. 14:16
Is. 61:1ff Jn. 16: 1 John 4:13
Ez. 36:26-27 Jn. 20:2 Acts 2
Joel 2:28-29 Rom. 8:14-16
Habakkuk Ministries 