One of the things that we Christians pray for is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. All we know about the Holy Spirit is that Jesus promised that he would come and help us with things including spiritual things. The Holy Spirit is part of Christianity, one of the main topics discussed in the church, how to be filled with the Holy Spirit, how to use the Holy Spirit, and how to activate the power. However, one thing that is scarce about the Holy Spirit, the scarce topic is, what is the Holy Spirit? As far as the Holy Spirit is concerned, I can say that not everyone knows what he is exactly – is the Holy Spirit “it” or “He”, is the Holy Spirit like Jesus?

When Christians are asked what the Holy Spirit is, they find it hard sometimes to establish a convincing fact about who or what the Holy Spirit is. Indeed, the Holy Spirit is powerful, there are things associated with the Holy Spirit that seems popular – we pray for these things. I am talking of the fruits of the Holy Spirit and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. To get all of these, it is necessary to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Before explaining concisely what the Holy Spirit is, we will like to examine the power of the Holy Spirit and how to be filled with it.

The Holy Spirit gives power. As Christians, we should know that we need the power to face whatever that may come our way. Acts 1:8a “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” What we wrestle against is not flesh but Spiritual hosts of evil (Ephesians 6:12) so what is needed to fight these powers is a greater power and we can get that through the Holy Spirit. One is not a Christian without the Holy Spirit because to act as a Christian, one must be filled with the Holy Spirit.

To be filled with the Holy Spirit means to be filled with Christ and his power. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, he directs our steps and we will not be able to do the things of flesh which are sin. Galatians 5:16 “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” The Bible certified it that those who walk in the Spirit are the true sons of God. Romans 8:14 “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” We need to be filled with the Spirit, we should seek, and pursue it. How do we get this? Ephesians 5:18 “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” The “wine” when taken, you get drunk and do the things which are not right. It may not necessarily be wine as stated literally in the verse, it might be some other works of the flesh which leads to sin – but be filled with Spirit, doing the things of God. Romans 12:2.

Jesus told the woman of Samaria about the water that he would give to people, water that springs up to eternal life. John 4:14 “but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst, but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” That kind of water Jesus would give is the Spiritual one that will cause us to do things that will result in getting eternal life. The water stands for the Holy Spirit which he promised. Jesus is willing to give this to all believers – the Holy Spirit is a gift for every believer. The Holy Spirit is already available to every Christian.

Having known all these, then what is the Holy Spirit or should we say, who is the Holy Spirit?

Going back to the book of Joel 2:28 “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.” This is God speaking here about sending His “Spirit” to all mankind. God has a Spirit, according to Joel 2:28 – part of this spirit would be sent to mankind. When God says mankind, does that mean everyone? Believers and non-believers? John 4:24 says “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” God himself is spirit, to worship God, one must have a portion of this spirit in Him. That is the only way to connect to him.

Jesus said something about being the way in John 14:6. If anyone must go to the father;

1.   They must be in spirit because God is Spirit and the best way to connect to him is to            have that portion of the spirit in them.

2.   They must go through Jesus because Jesus is the way to the Father.

These are two things about going to the Father [God]. this means that to get that spirit that can make us connect to God, we need Jesus Christ because he is the way. If we want to go to a live concert, there is a way we pass to the venue – along the way, we get our tickets to have access to the concert. In the same manner, we go through Jesus and we get the spirit to connect with God. That is to answer the question of who God will pour his spirit on. The answer is, He will pour it on the people who are in Christ.

God had promised that He would send His Spirit on mankind – that is those who will believe in Jesus, the way to God. Jesus reminded His disciples about the spirit that had been promised. Jesus reminded them and assured them that the Holy Spirit will come. John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”

On the day of Pentecost, the promise of God was fulfilled. Acts 2:4 “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” When people heard the sound, they were moved to check what was going on, Peter stood up, he explained to them what was happening. Acts 2:15-16 “For these are not drunk, as you suppose since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.” Peter explained that it is the fulfillment of the promise of God that was prophesied by prophet Joel.

Looking at all of these scriptures, we can conclude that the Holy Spirit is the spirit of God that was sent to mankind. The Holy Spirit is the third of the Trinity which are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

According to some Bible scholars, the Holy Spirit is not just the spirit of God – just like God the Father and Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is a real person. They also confirmed it to be true through the scriptures, Jesus is the word of God that became a person, the same way, a fragment of God, the spirit became an entity, which is the Holy Spirit. They both have different functions. Jesus came down to the earth to create a path that will lead to God, he opened our eyes to see the way and then saved us having the power of the world in his hands. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, came after Jesus to teach also and expose things that we can’t know using psychology. The Holy is a person that keeps us glued to the path of Christ, he also helps us to know the right thing to do.

Likewise, some also said, the fact that the Bible personifies Holy Spirit doesn’t mean that it is a person. The bible also personifies many other things that are not entities such as wealth, death, wisdom but they are not a person. Whatever the claims of these people are, the Holy Spirit is the spirit of God and we can hold on to that fact. This makes the Holy Spirit powerful. I see nothing bad in using “He” for the Holy Spirit so far God gave man to minister to them and teach them.

Also, according to the scriptures, the Holy Spirit has emotions, He can get angry or sad. Isaiah 63:10. It is also advised not to talk bad against him. Matthew 12:31. The Holy Spirit is a divine person.

There are many things the Holy Spirit is known for – the works. The work of the Holy Spirit is to establish the truth of Christ in the heart of men, to bring to men how bad sin is and how to stay close to God.

The Holy Spirit has been since the time of the Old Testament – through the Holy spirit the books of the Bible were written.

The “Spirit” in Greek is “Pneuma”, the same word used in the New Testament meaning “Breath”. The scriptures are breathed by God which means it is through the Holy Spirit that the scriptures were written.

In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit manifested in different forms. The first was when Jesus went for baptism. Luke 3:22 “And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My Beloved Son; in You, I am well pleased.” This is the first form of the Holy Spirit. The second form is different from the first one and this came on the day of Pentecost. Acts 2:3 “Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.” The Holy Spirit appeared as a tongue of fire.

The Holy Spirit is also the power of God that is sent to fill the Christians. Micah 3:8 “But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the LORD, And of justice and might, To declare to Jacob his transgression And to Israel his sin.” It is the power of God in action and it is like an energy that helps to fulfill the will of God.

Why Do Christians and Non Christians Need Help From God?

How Do The Desires of Daily Living Take Control of Our Heart From God?

Please follow and like us: