More than Just A Nebulous Substance: The Holy Spirit
by Daniel Carandang
When you hear the term holy spirit, what comes to mind?
Foggy thing that comes out of nowhere?
Unknown nebulous substance?
Smoke?
What is this Holy Spirit?
Before we discuss what he is (yes friends, it's not an IT. Will explain further later), we should clarify what the Holy Spirit is NOT:
- The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force. It's no way similar to the Force so famously used in the movie Star Wars. It is simply not just an IT.
So what is the Holy Spirit?
1. He is a PERSON
This may come across as odd but that's the truth. The Holy Spirit is a PERSON. What's the proof that this Spirit is as living as any 2-legged person?
29 The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”
Acts 8:29
A plant can't speak. Animals make sounds but they can't utter words. People do. The Holy Spirit SPEAKS, therefore, he is a person. Since he is able to speak, it's good to say that he also TEACHES.
26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
John 14:26
The Holy Spirit acts as a teacher to us. He is a personal Jimminy Cricket, so to speak. The Yes' and No's of life are in his hands and it's up to us if we will heed the advice.
Like any other person who has emotions, the Holy Spirit can also be grieved whenever we do things our way and become so engrossed in living in our little lives.
30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own,[a] guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
Ephesians 4:20
In Matthew 28:19, it is stated that God exists in three persons: The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit. We have God the Father then Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit whom Christ sent once He ascended towards heaven to serve as our helper until He returns.
The story of Ananias in Acts 5 reiterates the oneness of the trinity. Ananias basically was overcome by greed when he decided to prioritize himself over the church by giving what was left from the money he decided to pocket for himself. Eventually, Peter found out:
3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. 4 The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!”
Acts 5:3-4
Lied to the Holy Spirit = LIED TO GOD.
Ouch.
Now that we know who the Spirit is, it's time to understand our relationship with the third being of God:
- He indwells us
19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,
1 Corinthians 6:19
If you belong to Christ, He is in you. Our bodies our not ours but they were made for Christ to dwell in us.
So what?
9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)
Romans 8:9
Because of Adam and Eve's fall, we are all sinners. We fall short of God's glory because we are slaves to sin. But then, we are reminded of Christ's sacrifice on the cross and if we put our faith in Him, we are bit by bit cleansed of the sinful nature. We then allow the new nature to take over us.
If you accepted Christ, you belong to God.
Let's take a look at 1 Corinthians 6:18-19:
18 Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. 19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,
Corinth was basically the Vegas of Paul's time. What happens in Corinth, stays in Corinth. Paul reminds the people to stay away from the reigning sexual immorality in the city. He points out the fact that they do not own their bodies, rather God does.
Respect your body, the temple of the Holy Spirit!
- He leads us
Juniors and seniors in high school all have to undergo the COCC or CAT experience. One of the exercises usually involves all the students marching in synchronize according to the orders of the leader. Should you not follow orders and go ahead of the rest, well, say hello to burning push-ups.
The Holy Spirit acts us our spiritual leader in this life.
Paul says so in Galatians 5:16-17:
16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.
Have you experienced this heavy feeling whenever you're about to do or actually doing something against God's will? Like when you're about to steal a cookie from the jar, or when you're about to sneak out with friends or basically, just out for something bad- there's this nagging feeling inside of you, something that's screaming NO!
When you are in Christ and you have this feeling, it's the Holy Spirit nudging you. Because of sin, life can get messy. It's a good thing that the Holy Spirit keeps on reminding on us on what to do and what not to do. However, if we keep on ignoring his reminders, we tend to develop calloused-hearts: hearts so numb to sin that we don't listen to the Spirit anymore.
25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
Galatians 5:25
Choose to yield, dear brothers and sisters! Don't let sin take over you! Listen to what the Spirit has to say.
- He comes alongside us
Sometimes, life can be just painful.
Your so-called friends start talking behind your back. You got rejected by this girl you really like. Your parents are always quarreling.
Scenarios that make you ask: "What is life?"
Sometimes, you just feel alone with all these problems.
But in reality, you're not.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,[a] who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.[b]
John 14:16-17
The back story of the verse above is this was the time Jesus was about to be crucified. Notice the word ADVOCATE. Advocate in Greek is PARAKLETOS. It's actually a compound noun composed of two words: para which means beside and kletos which means to call.
Combined = CALLED TO BE BESIDE US.
The Holy Spirit is the number one cheerleader in our lives. He's always there, encouraging us and beside us. You are never alone. There's no reason to turn to alcohol or drugs just to be satisfied. Come to the Holy Spirit when you need encouragement.
Stay in sync with the Holy Spirit and see that Christ has more to offer than the rest of the world!
Written by: Ashley Bernadette Petallano (c) 2013
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