C.S. Lewis once said that humanity is “far too easily pleased.” Instead of focusing our efforts on pursuing a glorious God, living a meaningful life of worship and service dedicated to him and the expansion of his kingdom, we are all too willing to settle for a life of finite worldly pleasures. In this way, Lewis likens humanity to “an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea.”

I don’t think he is inaccurate in his assessment. It is one of the great tragedies of creation that we find so much comfort and enjoyment in mediocrity. To this human tendency, unsurprisingly, Christians are no exception, especially as it pertains to being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Every Christian has the ability to live a Spirit-filled life, but generally speaking, we do not dwell on this awesome truth enough, nor do we ask him to work through us using his Spirit! Too often, the everyday grind bogs us down, leaving us blind to the ways the Holy Spirit could use us to make disciples and glorify the Father. We come to church with no expectation the Spirit will transform us. We allow ourselves to dwell on the seven-day cycle and all its immediate chores as opposed to dwelling on eternity and how we could be living for it right now.

This article is all about changing that and becoming filled with the Holy Spirit.

What Does It Mean to Be Spirit-Filled?

Essentially, it is to increasingly yield control of your life to his influence. Let’s take a look at Ephesians 5:18-21 for more insight on the matter. It is the basis for this article.

¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²¹ Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Ephesians 5:18-21

As you can see from this passage, there are many ways living a Spirit-filled life can take form. Maybe it means you now have a greater desire to see the lost brought to Jesus Christ and a will to act on that desire. Maybe you now long to experience community with your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, encouraging and equipping them as needed. Perhaps it means letting the Spirit into the bedroom so he can deal with sexual sin, into your office cubicle to reckon with what you look at in your spare time as well as your handling of business accounts, or into your family room to refine parenting skills.

As the Spirit fills you, he could address lust, anger, unforgiveness, financial stress…you get the picture.

Before continuing, it is important to make this clear: receiving the Holy Spirit and being Spirit-filled are not the same thing. When we place our faith in Christ and become born again, that is when we have the Holy Spirit. However, when we are filled with him, then the Holy Spirit has us. So you can have the Holy Spirit without being filled by him. Of course, to do so is profoundly unfortunate, comparable to Superman entering into battle with Lex Luthor without using the laser vision or inhuman strength available to him.

How Do You Become Spirit-Filled?

That’s an interesting question. Asking something like that assumes almost by default that you must take initiative and be the catalyst in having this happen. That is not the case. The filling of the Holy Spirit, like salvation, sanctification, and so many other miraculous happenings, is a work of God, and we must simply yield to his will.

There are some things you can do, though, that help surrender control over to the Spirit.

Don’t Be Filled with the World:

Let’s dig a little deeper into Ephesians 5. Paul tells us not to be “drunk on whine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” Take note of the language he’s using here , particularly with the word “instead.” Paul is saying that in place of being full of sinful drunkenness, we are to be full of the Spirit. It’s like we have two choices. We can choose to fill ourselves with worldly pursuits or we can choose to fill ourselves with the Spirit. It’s an either/or type of deal; we can’t do both.

If you want to live a Spirit-filled life, then, but it’s not happened thus far, consider your behavior. Are you desiring a Spirit-filled life while also continuing to lie to your boss every day at work? Are you hoping to enjoy the full abundance of God but also turning on your computer each night to look at pornography?

Repent of your worldly pursuits and pray for the power, grace, and love of the Holy Spirit to overflow within you.

It’s Gonna Take Humility:

A large part of living as an effective servant for Jesus Christ is a letting go of the self. You must realize that you are woefully, wretchedly broken on your own and can do nothing to further God’s kingdom by yourself. Anything of spiritual productivity you have done in the past was due to the awesome power of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It was not done because of your righteousness, grace, spirituality, and so on (this is certainly the case with me).

Consider the wording of our text in verse 18, when Paul writes that we should “be filled” with the Holy Spirit. This call to be filled is written in the passive voice, even in the original Greek with which Paul wrote Ephesians. If Paul had decided to write this passage in the active voice, it would have read something along the lines of “fill yourself with the Holy Spirit.” But he tells us to “be filled” instead.

In other words, be passive and receive the filling of the Holy Spirit instead of taking personal action to get the filing for yourself. See the distinction?

Realize in humility your desperate need for the Holy Spirit and, in prayer and petition, ask God to fill you with him. This is something you need that you cannot attain on your own accord. You will become more filled not as you grow more devout—you will become more filled as you grow more dependent.

We also see this concept of humility in verse twenty-one of this passage. We are to humbly submit to one another out of reverence for Jesus! Being Spirit-filled does not mean taking center stage and powerfully shouting the Gospel from the rooftops so that, after your glorious speech, people have no choice but to convert. Often times, it means lowering yourself to servant status and dying to yourself for the sake of others.

Know the Filling Is Ongoing:

During one of his sermons on this topic Pastor Anthony once said “the influence of the Holy Spirit is a grace in which you continue to walk.” In a nutshell, this means there is not just one instance in which the Spirit fills us, leaving us set for life. We must be filled with the Spirit on a regular and ongoing basis. After all, there will never be a time you don’t need the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit in your life.

You will need him when the person you are discipling backslides once again and you begin to lose patience with them. You will need him when you and your spouse fight for the third time in a week and you’re beginning to worry about your marriage. You will need him when a beloved family member is diagnosed with a terminal illness, and you are so distraught that you feel like you have nothing to give others spiritually.

You will always have need for the filling of the Spirit. Remember that, and consistently hunger for it.

A Life Transformed in Gratitude

I want to close by focusing on verses 19-20, starting in the middle of 19: “Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

This passage is a clear instruction to do something that may sound like a silly platitude, but it is undeniably necessary t do. Put gratitude in your attitude.

Right after Paul instructs the Church to be Spirit-filled, he goes on to tell us to continually give thanks to the Father. Being Spirit-filled and harboring a thankful heart are linked. And there is a lot for which we can thank God, isn’t there?

We can give thanks for the joyful purpose serving him instills in our lives, as well as the immense honor of having his Holy Spirit come to dwell in us. Or, what about the fact that we have a hope carrying us not just through this world, but into the next? We have eternity ahead of us.

Then think of the small things that make life wonderful. We have God to thank for the cool breeze that rustles through branches, making trees whisper. We have God to thank for the rising sun each morning as it heralds in the new day. We even have him to thank for the roughly 23,000 breaths we draw in over a 24-hour period. There is no shortage of reasons for our thanksgiving.

With God, our yoke is easy and our burden is light. Draw near to him with a humble, submissive heart gladdened by gratitude, and take on the abundance of a Spirit-filled life. Watch as the Spirit transforms your personal relationship with the Lord, your disciple making, your proclivity for old sinful habits, and the innermost desires of your soul.

The Bible teaches that all people are called to come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:4, Titus 2:11), while also acknowledging that we are dead in sin and cannot come to God of our own will. (John 6:44, Romans 3:9-12, Ephesians 2:1) How do we reconcile the biblical call to turn to God with humanity’s inability to respond to God’s offer of new life? This tension is reconciled through the enabling effect given by the Holy Spirit called prevenient grace. This is a grace that prepares the soul to effectively hear the gospel by lessening their spiritual blindness and strengthening their will to knowingly accept or reject revealed truth. Without God’s prevenient grace, no one could come to Christ and be saved. Everyone would only plunge deeper into sin and misery. The Bible is clear that God is bestowing grace in countless ways into our lives prior to our receiving Christ and conversion to God.

When a person comes into a saving relationship with Christ, they do not meet him as a stranger. Jesus has been showing himself and drawing that person to him in numerable ways. Prevenient grace provides the link between human depravity and God’s universal call.

Let’s launch an exploration into prevenient grace through the opening statements of the Gospel of John. Then we will look at important qualities of this doctrine and then tease out its significance for mission and evangelism.

Universal Call and Personal Response

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it… ⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God…¹⁶ Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 

John 1:1-5, 9-13, 16-17

If you’re not familiar with this passage you might think, “Who is this Word that John mentions over and over again?” The term Word was actually a phrase taken from Greek philosophy which refers to the ultimate basis of meaning and life. John, in using this term, uses it to reference Jesus as the personal expression who reveals who God is. In v.4 he writes, “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” To strengthen this claim, John adds in v.5, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” The word shine in this verse is a strong verb. Pastor Matt Woodley states that v.5 could be translated as follows: “The light is shining on even now in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” In v.9 he says this again in a different way: “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” In the original language it’s in the present tense, which means this is an ongoing process; he is still shining on everyone.

Further, it is seen from these verses that the scope is universal. Prevenient grace is extended across the globe. Jesus is the light “of all mankind” and “to everyone.” Though this grace is universal, people need to respond to it. This grace is not forced or irresistible. People need to willingly or positively respond. So, the offer this grace brings can be rejected. Verse 12 clarifies, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” The condition for being a child of God is to receive and believe. Not everyone wills to do so.

What are some qualities of this grace?

Qualities of Prevenient Grace

Prevenient Grace Draws

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:44

And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.

John 12:32

Notice the beautiful expression Jesus uses: “draw all men to Myself.” They are not forced or pushed. This drawing is an inner persuasion and motivation to see one’s need for Christ and respond to the goodness of his love.

Prevenient Grace Convinces

One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.

Acts 16:14

But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.

John 16:7-8

This grace convinces us of the truth of Jesus Christ and our need to receive it. It may do so by convincing us of our guilt before God, of the hopeless of our lives without Christ, or mercifully helping us to see that the world has no more answers to meet our deepest needs for hope and love.

Prevenient Grace is Given Generously:

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

Romans 2:4

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

Acts 17:26-27

The wideness and depth of this grace is vast, calling people to the extended arms of Christ, who is ready to embrace everyone who comes to God by faith and repentance.

Prevenient Grace Can be Rejected:

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.

Matt. 23:37

Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved…You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

John 5:34,39,40

You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!

Acts 7:51

So What?

The practical implications of prevenient grace are innumerable, but let’s look at a few as it relates to mission.

Christ initiates mission.

If you are a Christian, it is because of prevenient grace. Prevenient grace accompanies the first openness of a person’s heart and mind and will toward Christ. If you think, will, or do anything that is good, it is because God has secretly worked upon your heart. This is important to realize in the task of evangelism and discipleship. The best of missions have understood that even if you go to the ends of the earth with the gospel, you will always find that God always beats you there. One example of this was when a missionary who was lecturing in Africa about how the missionaries brought the Gospel to Africa. The African believer interrupted and said, “The missionaries did not bring the Gospel to Africa; God brought the missionaries to Africa.” This insightful comment shifts the emphasis to God’s prior agency and the Great Commission. God was already there in prevenient grace. We fully embrace the importance of human decision and the the necessity to proclaim the gospel. (Romans 10:14-15) However, the efforts of mission and evangelism are futile without God’s prior action of prevenient grace.

Christ make himself known.

We stated earlier that the scope of this grace is universal. Now that’s a pretty astounding claim. How then does Jesus shine on Buddhist, Hindus, or Muslims? I do not know all the answers to this question. That is really for God to figure out. But here is an interesting story of Pastor Tounde from Nigeria, told by Pastor Matt Woodley. Speaking of Pastor Tounde, Woodley writes of meeting him:

I just assumed, he was raised in a Christian family. But as he told his story he said, “I was actually raised in a very strong Muslim family, and I’d never really heard the name of Jesus.” Then Tounde told his story: “This is how I came to know Christ. I had a dream in which Jesus appeared to me, and he was holding a lit candle shining bright. And he brought me into this room, and in this room there were all these candles that were not lit yet. And Jesus said, ‘You must take my light and you must light all these other candles.'” He said that was the first step on his journey towards Christ. He had other dreams about Jesus. He came to accept Christ as his Savior. He was disowned by his family, kicked out of his house as a young man, and was treated as dead. But he kept following Christ. Now, Tounde’s story is really interesting because nobody shared the gospel with him. Jesus appeared to him in a dream.

This is such a beautiful story because we see Christ was drawing this precious man. Christ was shining on him. Christ’s light was appearing to him in his dreams. When somebody comes to Christ, they’re not meeting a complete stranger. They’re meeting somebody that was already seeking them, already drawing them to himself.

Last week, we took a deep dive into the divinity of the Holy Spirit, affirming that he is fully God just as the Father and the Son are. This week calls for another exploration of the Spirit, focusing instead on his unique role within the Trinity. Studying such a topic will inevitably result in a broad discussion spanning many categories, as he does so much more than simply one thing.

However, it could be said that the Spirit, in all he does, works to uplift and glorify the Father and Jesus Christ. To this end, he appears to take a behind-the-scenes approach to his work.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at the unique role of the Holy Spirit!

What is the Holy Spirit’s Role?

He Convicts the World:

Consider the words of Christ:

⁷ Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.”

John 16:7-8

Here we see the active part the Spirit plays in the realization of our desperate need for a savior. Without his conviction, we would not understand that we are unrighteous. The idea that a totally good and just God must judge us for what we have done would not give us any pause.

Basically, the Holy Spirit’s grace allows us to see how we have sinned against a sovereign God, of whose perfect standard of righteousness we fall short. Without this merciful act, we would not know we need to approach Christ and ask him to be our savior. Salvation could not take place.

If you have not been a Christian your whole life, then you remember the days before you believed. Think about the first time it dawned on you that, left to your own devices, you were woefully and hopelessly sinful. I remember vividly the shame I felt when this knowledge came over me—the knowledge that time and time again, I had sinned against a perfect and holy God who had only ever shown me love.

This was, of course, an unpleasant experience, but it’s what brought me to my knees before Christ, knowing I had no other hope but him. In this way, the conviction of the Holy Spirit informs us of our need to reconcile with a glorious God and brings us to see the miraculous wonder of salvation through Jesus.

He Is Our Advocate and Teacher:

What do you think of when you hear the word “advocate?” It’s a word that evokes strong imagery. If someone is your advocate, then they are always stepping up to the plate for you. They are always encouraging you, looking out for your best interest and promoting your strong traits to others. Personally, I think of a sports agent, who “advocates” for their clientele of players by telling the league executives about how great a player they are, asking around about new opportunities for their players, helping their players market themselves in their career, guiding them to new business opportunities, and so on.

When it comes to the Holy Spirit, though, he does not advocate for our monetary gain—he advocates for us spiritually. Romans 8:26 tells us that he intercedes for us, talking and pleading with God on our behalf using groanings too deep for words. He knows our deepest needs far better than we do, as we do not know what to pray for. That is why, through wordless groans, he speaks for us.

This advocating isn’t the only way the Spirit helps the helps the believer. He teaches us too. Think about it: how much better do you comprehend the wonders of the Bible now as opposed to when you first believed?

The Spirit guides us, helping us take the Word of God as more than just abstract knowledge and apply it in our lives. He treasures scripture in our heart so that we do not forget the promises of God, the salvation we have received, or the commands we must follow in order to make disciples.

All of this not only serves to grow us into closer relationship with God; it also equips us to proclaim his word to others. This equipping, part of which includes the Spirit’s gifts of ministry (we will discuss that soon), is called the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We are not alone in our mission to pass on an obedient relationship with Jesus to our community. The Holy Spirit is there to lead us in our disciplemaking and in our proclamation of Christ!

Look no further than Acts 2 for a concrete example of this. The Holy Spirit, who had just come upon Peter other believers, guided him to give a profound teaching that led to the salvation of thousands:

³⁷ Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” ³⁸ And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” ⁴⁰ And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” ⁴¹ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Acts 2:37-41

He Regenerates:

…he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.”

Titus 3:5

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Ezekiel 36:26

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.”

John 3:5

Picture a pile of dried twigs and leaves. Not exactly the most beautiful sight to behold, is it? Then picture what happens when someone throws a lit match on the pile. Pretty soon, that pile looks very different—it erupts into burning, dancing flames.

This is a good word picture to describe the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. Before placing our faith in Christ, we are dead in our sins: spiritually bankrupt through and through. We are not unlike the twigs and leaves from the previous paragraph, all dried out and devoid of warmth. But then, the instant we become believers, the Holy Spirit sparks a flame of spiritual life within us. It is now our honor to be a new creation in Christ. This happens as soon as we receive the Holy Spirit, an event which occurs the moment we accept Jesus as our savior.

I like the way The Gospel Coalition puts it:

The grace of regeneration is the power of God that grants humans the ability to exercise faith and new inclinations towards God.

The Gospel Coalition

Without regeneration, there is no pursuing a new life with the Father.

He Sanctifies Us:

But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

2 Thessalonians 2:13

I’ll ask you one more question. How different are you now from when you first became a Christian? If your conduct has become more righteous, your will more aligned with Christ’s will, then this is attributable to the Holy Spirit’s work of sanctification.

In layman’s terms, sanctification is the gradual, lifelong process the believer undergoes in which the Spirit leads them to be more like Jesus. Perhaps you have noticed this in your personal walk with the Lord. As time passed, you began to desire the things God desires, and your old life of sin became less and less appealing. Maybe you desire to make disciples and see God transform the lives of others more than you used to. Maybe you no longer lose patience for those who are less mature than you are, instead extending them grace just as God extended grace to you. It could be any number of situations like this. Through consistent sanctification, we better display the fruits of the spirit laid out in Galatians 5:22-23, making us more loving, joyful, patient, forbearing, kind, faithful, good, gentle, and self-controlled.

Sanctification does many things. It grows us internally, drawing us into deeper community with God and helping us glorify him on a whole new level. It also acts as a testimony to those around us. The Holy Spirit’s work of sanctification will not go unnoticed by others in your life, especially those who knew you before it took place.

This stark difference in your character will demonstrate to them that Jesus has made a real, tangible impact on your life. It will show them the hope you have through him, which in turn may lead them to desire God themselves. This is another way the Spirit elevates the Father and the Son.

He Equips:

⁴ Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; ⁵ and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; ⁶ and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. ⁷ To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸ For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

1 Corinthians 12:4-11

Finally, as if playing a pivotal role in our salvation, helping us understand and draw near to God through his Word, making us new, interceding for us before God, and transforming us to be more like Jesus were not amazing enough, the Holy Spirit is the one who distributes spiritual gifts to the Body of Christ.

It is he who gives proper equipping for making disciples of Jesus Christ and proclaiming the glory of God. He lovingly gives each person a distinct blend of gifting to fit how God fearfully and wonderfully made them and the situations he placed them in. Whatever your particular gifting in ministry is, it came from the Spirit so the Father and the Son Could be honored—so their kingdom could grow.

The Selfless Love of the Spirit

I hope reading this revealed to you new insights about the Spirit. I hope it helps you better appreciate all he does for us in our personal relationship with God and our ministries. Furthermore, I hope it made you appreciate the beautiful model of selfless love the Spirit provides us.

The reason his role is initially less obvious to Christians than the roles of God the Father and God the Son is because he willingly works from behind the curtain, letting the fruits of his labor result in an exaltation of the other two. This is a divine being—fully God and worthy of honor and worship and praise—who chooses to work for the honor of Jesus Christ and the Father.

This is not done because he is somehow lesser than they are. It is done out of love. The work of the Holy Spirit is a work of love.

How often does the Holy Spirit cross your mind? If you stop to think about it, how much do you truly know about him? If you are like many Christians, you may be surprised as you realize you know shockingly little.

Many in the church do not dwell on the wonders of the Holy Spirit anywhere near as much as they should. This is odd. He’s mentioned countless times throughout scripture. He is pivotal to our ministry and the growth of God’s kingdom. Perhaps most importantly, the Holy Spirit is divine. He is one of the three distinct persons that are God.

While we dedicate consistent worship and study to the Father and the Son, as we should, we do not devote the same attention to the Holy Spirit. There could be any number of reasons for this. Don Stewart, a prolific theologian and defender of the faith proposes that we neglect him because teachings on topics such as the Father’s deep love for creation or Christ’s sacrifice for mankind’s sin appear more important.

To a lot of people, the Holy Spirit is just that third vague, abstract member of the Trinity. They may regard him as more of an it than a he. If you were to ask them who he is, they might tell you he is a Godly soul or Star Warsy force that comes to live with us, guiding us through life with profound wisdom and knowledge as well as fueling us spiritually…and yes, they would tell you he’s a member of the Trinity, but they would not be able to tell you the implications of that.

The Holy Spirit is fully God, just like the Father and just like the Son. He is worthy of devotion and worship just like the other two. God is not God without the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is God.

Today, we are going to explore three pieces of evidence that demonstrate the Spirit’s divinity.

Evidence #1: The Holy Spirit Is God’s Spirit

The Holy Spirit isn’t just an otherworldly, heavenly being sent by God to do his bidding. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God himself who comes in the name of Jesus Christ to equip the saints and expand the kingdom of God. Take a look at some of the passages that show this:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Genesis 1:1-2

For it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Matthew 10:20

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

2 Corinthians 3:17

And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Ephesians 2:22

These scriptures illustrate the fundamental misunderstanding many Christians have today regarding the Spirit. He is more than an impersonal force. He is more than a friendly ghost we can refer to as an “it.” He is not lesser than the Father and the Son. If God can live in us, making us his dwelling place through the Spirit we have received, then clearly the Spirit is God. If, as Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:17, the Lord is the Spirit, then the Spirit must be God. Finally, if, as Jesus explains in Matthew 10:20, the Spirit is the Father’s spirit, then he is undoubtedly God because the Father is God.

Furthermore, this was one curated selection of passages. There are many ore throughout the Bible pointing to the Spirit as God.

Evidence #2: The Holy Spirit Has Immense Power

There is nobody like the Spirit of God. Read the Bible cover to cover, and you will find no person with more power or ability. Let’s unpack a few supporting verses together.

For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. ¹² What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.

1 Corinthians 2:11-12

God is an infinite, all-powerful being. He is outside of time and space, fully eternal in nature. To wrap your mind around him is to wrap your mind around the incomprehensible. Who can hope to grasp the concept of infinity or the concept of forever? Such a feat would require someone to transcend the material, linear world. Yet, the Holy Spirit, as we see in this passage, knows completely the thoughts of an infinite and eternal God. This is something only God could do.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Galatians 5:22

This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.

1 Corinthians 2:13

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸ To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11

But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

2 Thessalonians 2:13

In these readings, we see the incredible and pivotal work of the Holy Spirit in God’s ministry here on earth, as well as in the individual lives of believers. It is the Holy Spirit who has the divine power to provide Christians with spiritual gifts so that disciples may be made and the body of Christ may be edified. The Holy Spirit helps us, in his great power, to be more like God in conduct and character, sanctifying us and giving us the fruits of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is he who grants us understanding of God and guides us along in our teaching of others. Without the awe-inspiring power and authority of the Spirit, there would be no effective ministry, no effective proclamation of the Gospel. So profound and overwhelming is this power, it directs us to the reality of the Holy Spirit’s identity: he is fully God.

There is nobody else in the Bible endowed with as much spiritual authority or influence than the Spirit, save for the other Persons of the Trinity.

Evidence #3: The Holy Spirit is Co-equal

Have you ever heard the saying, when someone was comparing two allegedly similar things, that one “should not even be mentioned in the same breath” as the other? It is an expression used to convey extreme distaste at the thought of pitting two specific entities against each other as one so clearly reigns supreme that it shouldn’t even be a discussion. In a sports debate, for example, an avid LeBron James fan might forcefully assert that “Michael Jordan shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath as LeBron James.”

Setting that silly example aside, we see the Holy Spirit mentioned in the same breath as the Father and Jesus. Observe the scriptures below:

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 28:19

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 Corinthians 13:14

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Ephesians 4:4-6

When the speakers in these scriptures mention all of them in the same breath like this, it is deliberate. In passages such as these, the persons of the Trinity are established as co-equals. To describe God, each one is mentioned—including the Holy Spirit. This means the Holy Spirit is God. He is co-equal with the Father and the Son. If the Father and the Son are God, then he must be God too, since he is on equal footing with them.

So What?

Some many wonder why a study on this topic even matters. After all, since the Holy Spirit is God isn’t learning about God the same as learning about the Spirit? Why single out the Holy Spirit in particular?

R.A. Torrey answers this question well. Consider this quote:

If the Holy Spirit is a divine person, worthy to receive our adoration, our faith and our love, and we do not know and recognize him as such, then we are robbing a divine being of the adoration and love and confidence which are his due.

R.A. Torrey

Also, as if the previous tragic statement is not enough, neglecting the Holy Spirit does more than rob God of much-deserved glory: it keeps us from knowing and loving him as we ought.

Think about relationships with other people. In order to grow into closer community and friendship with them, you must learn more about them. Gradually, you discover who they are—their aspirations, their deepest longings, their personality quirks—and this brings you closer. Relationship with God, in this respect, works the same way. To learn more about God and his nature is to grow in relationship with him, or, to put it even more plainly, to grow in understanding of God is to deepen the most important relationship of your life.

Lastly, learning about the Holy Spirit’s divinity informs us of the many amazing ways he advances the Gospel to every corner of the earth. Next week we will explore more intently how he works to accomplish this when we look at the role of the Holy Spirit.