A Study of the Holy Spirit:
Introduction
Much has been written and spoken about the Holy Spirit. The number
of books, articles and tapes produced about the Holy Spirit is
very large. Yet, in spite of the abundance of material, there is
still widespread misunderstanding about the Holy Spirit.
More controversy surrounds the Holy Spirit than any other
person of the Godhead. Here are but a few of the areas related to
the Spirit where there is misunderstanding: His nature, being,
work, relation to revelation, giving of miraculous powers,
indwelling, etc. It is difficult to find anything related to the
Holy Spirit that is not the subject of controversy.
What is the reason for so much controversy over the Spirit?
The problem lies in a failure to understand what the Spirit says
about Himself. The sourcebook for learning about the Holy Spirit
is the Bible—a book that claims to be authored by the Spirit
Himself, 2
Peter 1:20-21. Many people have their minds made up about the
Spirit before they ever go to the Bible, and thus their study of
the Bible is clouded by preconceptions.
Two major preconceptions that confuse people's thinking on
the Holy Spirit are Calvinism and Pentecostalism.
Calvinism holds that without special guidance
from the Spirit of God, a person cannot read and understand the
Bible. It is interesting that persons who hold this view are among
the most divided and confused of all on the Spirit—something
that would not be the case if they were really guided by the
Spirit. Calvinism also claims a direct and personal indwelling
where the Holy Spirit is actually inside of a person's body. This
view is so widespread that few people even question the validity
of this position. This preconception prevents men from
understanding the Spirit's relation to the believer. The second
major preconception relates to the Pentecostal movement.
Pentecostalism is much like Calvinism in that
it teaches a direct and personal indwelling of the Spirit, and
that this indwelling is necessary to understand the Bible. But,
Pentecostalism goes a step further and alleges that all believers
have access to the power to work miracles by the Spirit.
Pentecostalism argues that miraculous spiritual gifts were
possessed by all believers in the first century and are available
to all believers today. Pentecostalism errs on both of these
assertions. You can readily see that if one goes to the Bible with
these preconceptions, his interpretation of Holy Spirit passages
will be affected.
Even among those who profess more conservative views on the
Spirit, there are still many vague, hazy and ill-defined ideas.
When that is the case, it is difficult to teach others the truth;
in fact, ill-defined concepts on the Holy Spirit can leave one
vulnerable to false teaching.
While the study before us may not answer every question
that may be raised on the Holy Spirit, it will set forth a number
of concrete truths that every believer can stand on. We will
appeal to the Holy Spirit's own testimony concerning Himself in
the word of God as the foundation for our understanding. The
workbook we have produced will serve to help us study in an
orderly manner, but we will appeal to the scriptures as our
authority.
Accepting the authority of the Bible is the crux of the
issue on the Spirit. If the Bible does not teach the truth on the
Holy Spirit, then we have nothing at all to which we may appeal.
The experiences and claims of men are not our authority.
"What does the Bible say?" is the question we must ask
and answer. What somebody saw on a TV program, or what somebody
heard about a "faith healer," a fortune teller or
psychic is not what this study is about. This study is about what
the Bible says. Do you know what the Bible says about the Spirit?
If the Bible is not our authority, then we have no defense against
the false teacher; we have no way of
protecting our families from those who would lead them into error;
we have no means of strengthening the church and preventing
apostasy. Should we just listen to anyone who comes along and
tells us what he thinks about the Holy Spirit, or should we hear
the Spirit's own testimony?
Accepting the authority of the Bible also means that my
feelings, opinions, and "I think..." are not the
standard for knowing what is right. It is as Paul wrote in Romans
3:4, "...let God be true but every man a liar."
Every person has feelings and experiences. The Bible must not be
interpreted in the light of our experiences; rather, our
experiences must be interpreted in the light of the Bible. The
Bible is our standard!
The chapters in our workbook are laid out in a progressive
order, beginning with basic and fundamental truths about the Holy
Spirit, and progressing to more complex issues. Please take note
of the lesson divisions listed below. You will note that each of
the lesson titles (with the exception of Appendices A and B) is
expressed in the form of a question. We have laid out the study in
this way, because these are the very questions that people have
problems with in regard to the Holy Spirit.
INDEX OF LESSONS:
Part
One: |
WHO
IS THE HOLY SPIRIT? |
Page
3 |
|
The
Holy Spirit is called by many names in the scriptures; The
Holy Spirit is a member of the Godhead; The Holy Spirit is a
Divine Person; The Holy Spirit cooperates in the work of
Deity. |
|
Part
Three: |
WHAT
ABOUT THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT? |
Page
10 |
|
Do
people receive Holy Spirit baptism today? What is the
baptism of the Holy Spirit? Holy Spirit baptism is not water
baptism; How are we born of water and the Spirit? |
|
Part
Four: |
WHAT
ABOUT SPEAKING IN TONGUES? |
Page
13 |
|
What
was speaking in tongues? The gift of tongues was only one of
many spiritual gifts; How are the claims to tongues today to
be explained? |
|
Part
Five: |
HOW
DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT DWELL IN CHRISTIANS? |
Page
16 |
|
What
is the real issue on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit? A
distinction between the "Person" and
"Presence" of Deity; The Holy Spirit Dwells in us
by means of His revealed word; When we are obedient to the
Spirit's word, fellowship exists between God and man. |
|
Part
Six: |
WHAT
IS THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT? |
Page
20 |
|
The
gift of the Holy Ghost is the salvation promised by the
prophets; The earnest of the Spirit is not the gift of the
Holy Spirit. |
|
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
Franklin
Church of Christ
|