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Question 8

Who is the Holy Spirit and what is His purpose?


Bible

John 16:13

"When He, the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth."

John 17:17

"Thy word is truth."
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Answer

The Holy Spirit is one of three persons or beings that comprise the Godhead. Though His personhood is somewhat more mysterious than the Father's or Jesus' personhood, He is nevertheless just as much a part of the three person Godhead. What is the function of the Holy Spirit? Jesus said the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. He also said that God's word is truth. Thus, the Holy Spirit's job is to help us understand and put into practice the things we find in God’s word. Just as the virgin's oil was to go into the lamp to make it burn, the Holy Spirit gives us light and understanding in the Bible. The Bible list three primary fumctions of the Holy Spirit: 1. To guide us into truth (John 16), 2. To convict us of our sins which in turn drives us to Jesus for cleansing (John 16), 3. to give needed gifts or tools to us for the purpose of witnessing for Jesus (1 Cor 12). The Holy Spirit is not a tool that people can use to make themselves feel good or do strange things for their own purposes. The Bible tells us that we don’t use Him, rather, He uses us. (1 Corinthians 12:11)

Jesus said He is. As you read John 16:13 you’ll notice that Jesus uses 7 personal pronouns to describe the Holy Spirit all in just one verse; “When He, the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you into all truth; for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak and He will show you things to come.” What is the purpose of using personal pronouns? They are used in place of a personal noun, or a person’s name; in this case, the person is the Holy Spirit. Jesus gives the Holy Spirit personality, therefore the Holy Spirit must be a person. Is Jesus referring to His own person when he speaks of the Holy Spirit? No. He is clearly referring to another person. Read what Jesus says in John 16:7 “It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” Jesus was saying that He had to leave in order for the Holy Spirit to come.

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