Posts Tagged ‘Holy Spirit’
As the Holy Spirit Says
by Terry Wane Benton When the topic of “inspiration” (breathed of God) is brought up, some will argue that we don’t know how the Scriptures are “breathed of God,” but we do know that the words of the Scriptures were delivered from God’s mind to the mind of the writers of the holy Scriptures. Whenever…
Read MoreConvict the World of Sin
by Terry Wane Benton The Holy Spirit used the revelation He gave to Peter to “convict the world of sin” (John 16:8; Acts 2:22-37). When they heard the convicting truth, they felt a need to be saved. Without telling the world of sin, no one feels a need to be saved. Everyone thinks they are…
Read MoreDoes only the Holy Spirit know the mind of God?
Question: Hey, I have a question. In I Corinthians 2:11, the Holy Spirit is said to know the mind of God. Does that mean that the other members of the Trinity don’t know the mind of God? And since Jesus is called the Word by John, does that mean that He is the mind of…
Read MoreWhat is the Gift of the Holy Spirit?
by Bill Boyd My preacher friends do not agree on the meaning of “the gift of the Holy Spirit.” This is frustrating because this expression is at the end of the oft-quoted Acts 2:38. The passage is clear that baptism is “for the remission of sins,” but what does the baptized person receive? Whatever it…
Read MoreThe Holy Spirit
by Hugh Fulford Quite possibly more confusion exists with reference to the Holy Spirit than any other Bible subject. The divine personality of the Holy Spirit is not recognized by many people; how He works in the conviction and conversion of sinners and in the life of a Christian is often misunderstood. A single essay…
Read MoreLove of God Poured Out in the Heart
by Terry Wane Benton You know the Holy Spirit has poured the love of God in your heart (Romans 5:5) when you have listened to what the Holy Spirit has revealed about it. When you read what the Spirit revealed to Paul (Ephesians 3:3-5), it spills over from Paul’s heart into your heart, and when…
Read MoreThe Words of Jesus
by Doy Moyer The recognition of the Lordship of Jesus Christ is integrally linked to His word as recorded in Scripture: “The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day” (John 12:48). The only way we know…
Read MoreShould we pray directly to the Holy Spirit?
Question: Good day, brothers in Christ. I heard a few Christians who would lead public prayers and at the end of their prayers, they would include the Holy Spirit (e.g “Father, all these things we pray in the mighty name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen”). Is this acceptable? Also, I’m…
Read MoreIs the guarantee of the Holy Spirit miraculous?
Question: What is the seal and guarantee or earnest of the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 1:13-14? One view of the seal is that it is the miraculous gifts of that time. The ones who hold this view will use Acts 19 where Paul laid hands on the disciples in Ephesus and he was reminding them…
Read MoreThe Godhead Dwells in Us
by Whit Sasser God Dwells in Christians II Corinthians 6:16 Ephesians 4:6 Philippians 2:13 I John 4:12-16 Christians Dwell in God I John 4:15-16 Christ Dwells in Christians Colossians 3:11 John 6:56 John 15:4-5 John 17:23, 26 Galatians 2:20 Galatians 4:19 II Corinthians 4:10-11 II Corinthians 13:5 Ephesians 3:17 Romans 8:20 Philippians 1:20 Christians Dwell…
Read MoreExplaining “Born of Water and Spirit” to Charismatics
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Explaining-Born-of-Water-and-Spirit-to-Charismatics.mp3 by Darrell M. Hamilton
Read MoreDo you have a workbook on the Holy Spirit?
Question: First, let me thank you and those that have contributed to your webpage. I search it at least weekly. Great job. Since you have such an exhaustive set of resources on your website, I thought you might have an insight into a good classroom workbook or set of material for adult Christians on the…
Read MoreThere Are Three
by Jefferson David Tant In our Bible studies and teaching, we often refer to God the Father and Christ the Son. Obviously, this is good, as they are prominent figures in our creation, salvation, and daily living. We are also aware that there is a third being that is one of the God-head, and that…
Read MoreThe Holy Spirit in the Old Testament
Author Unknown Sentry Magazine, June 2001 Text: Hebrew 3:7 Introduction. Some say there was no Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. But note the many Bible passages to the contrary. Discussion. Before the Adamic renovation “The Spirit of God moved upon [‘hovered over’ is a better translation] the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). In…
Read MoreWhat is the Holy Spirit doing today?
Question: Good day, I know The Holy Spirit has brought about the Word of God but is the Holy Spirit now inactive? Is its work finish? Answer: Just because Jesus’ task of bringing salvation to the world through his death, I don’t assume that He is no longer involved in the world. “For by Him…
Read MoreComforter or Counselor?
by Matthew W. Bassford Translation is an art, not a science, and this is true even of translating the Bible. We cannot hope to establish a one-to-one correspondence between words in Koiné Greek and English so that one is an apt translation for the other every time. Instead, translators commonly are presented with several different…
Read MoreDid Jesus receive the Holy Spirit when he was baptized?
Question: My question is about Jesus and him being baptized. Did he receive the Holy Spirit during his baptism? Answer: When Peter said, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38), he…
Read MoreIs the Holy Spirit telling not to write about magic?
Question: Hi. So I have been struggling whether the Holy Spirit has been telling me to stop doing this or if it is my feelings playing tricks on me. There is this verse that said, “Do not practice magic.” I have you know, I love magic in literature and that I see nothing wrong with…
Read MoreThe Anointing of the Spirit
Text: I John 2:18-29 I. The other day, one of my boys needed help with a math problem, so I asked him to show me the problem. He brought in his paper on which he was working. A. “No,” I said, “I need to see the original problem in the book.” B. “But I copied just as…
Read MoreIs the Spirit of God the same as the Holy Spirit?
Question: Is the Spirit of God the same as the Holy Spirit? Answer: “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30). The phrase “Spirit of God” and “Holy Spirit” refer to the same being. He is also sometimes called the Helper, the Comforter,…
Read MoreYou Must Be Born Again
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2003/08/You-Must-Be-Born-Again2.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: John 3:1-22 I. I had a fellow ask me if I had been born again. A. In particular, he wanted to know how I came to believe such a thing. B. When I replied with I John 2:3-6; 4:6; 5:2-3, he became quite upset C. He wanted to know how I was…
Read MoreDoes the Holy Spirit only work through the Word?
Question: Hey brother, I know God and Christ work today, I read an article from Truth Magazine in regards to the Spirit. They used scripture to defend the Spirit only works by the word. Does the Spirit only work by the Word? Is He active in regeneration, renewing, and divine intervention? I realize He does…
Read MoreThe Holy Spirit and My Feelings
by Doy Moyer It’s not good theology to attribute to the Holy Spirit that which the Holy Spirit never attributes to Himself. Doing so results in both faulty and contradictory claims, and this is exactly what we often see. Feelings get attributed to the Spirit, which are then contradictory to the feelings of others who…
Read MoreHearing the Spirit
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/HearingTheSpirit.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Proverbs 30:5-6 I. Many people are convinced that the Holy Spirit directly speaks to them A. Yet, these same people will claim things contrary to the teachings of the Bible B. And they rarely agree with each other II. The Bible is the product of the Spirit A. It is not a product…
Read MoreThe Spirit Speaks
by Terry W. Benton The Spirit speaks completely through the scriptures. The Spirit gave the Scriptures so that we would know what the apostles knew (Ephesians 3:3-5). We can know all that the Spirit revealed to Paul, read it, and then know all he knew. That is no small matter because the Word of God…
Read MoreHow could Ananias give Paul the Holy Spirit?
Question: If Paul was an apostle, he was supposed to receive the Holy Spirit from another apostle or directly from God, yet he received it from a disciple. I thought only apostles had the ability to give the Holy Spirit. Answer: “But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of…
Read MoreThe Helper
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Helper.mp3 Text: John 16:1-15 I. Lifting a few statements from their context can often make a writer appear to say things he never intended. A. It happens in politics all the time, and it happens in religion as well. B. In his last hours, Jesus made a series of promises concerning the Helper…
Read MoreContext
by Terry Wane Benton The apostles of Jesus were the eyewitnesses and we are the jurors. Promises made to the apostles in John 13-17 are not made to all of us. The context is about a long discussion Jesus had with His twelve witnesses. Jesus said to them “And you also will bear witness, because…
Read MoreUnderstanding the Guarantee of the Holy Spirit
by Matthew W. Bassford To my knowledge, this concept appears three times in Scripture, all within the body of Paul’s writings: II Corinthians 1:22, II Corinthians 5:5, and Ephesians 1:13-14. “Guarantee” is the ESV rendering of the Greek arrabōn. Other translations use “earnest” (KJV), “deposit” (NIV), “down payment” (CSB), or “pledge” (NASB). I think it’s helpful to consider the…
Read MoreI had a similar question about the ministry of the Holy Spirit and your answer was spot-on
Question: I wanted to thank you for your answer on the ministry of the Holy Spirit. I had the same question about why couldn’t the Holy Spirit come and your answer was spot-on and clarified correctly that question for me. Thank you for your obedience to God’s work and blessings. Answer: I’m glad to hear that…
Read MoreWhat does I John 5:7-8 mean?
Question: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.” (I John 5:7-8 KJV). What does verse eight mean?…
Read MoreThe Gift of the Holy Spirit
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/GiftOfTheHolySpirit.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Acts 2:29-39 I. Our text – Acts 2:38-39 A. When a person repents and is baptized, two things are promised: forgiveness of sin and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. 1. This promise is for all Christians – “As many as the Lord shall call.” 2. It is also not limited…
Read MoreCan I be filled with the Spirit when I have a sinful past?
Question: Hi, good morning, I was looking for a particular topic online when I came across your page where you were giving advice about fornication, etc. However, I’m 21 years old, baptized at 11 years old, changed churches, and I’m now at my present church for several years now; anyways, I’ve been engaging in sexual…
Read MoreBlasphemy Against the Holy Ghost
by Charles G. Caldwell, Jr. Via Truth Magazine XXI: 49, pp. 781-782, December 15, 1977 In Matthew 12:31-32, Jesus said, “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son…
Read MoreThe Gift of the Holy Spirit
by Matthew W. Bassford A couple of weeks ago, I found myself chatting with a friend online about a very familiar subject to me, the meaning of the phrase “the gift of the Holy Spirit” in Acts 2:38 and 10:45. I literally spent decades arguing the point with my father, as part of our ongoing…
Read MoreHow can I get closer to God and be filled with the Spirit?
Question: Hi, I was looking for a particular topic online when I came across your page where you gave advice about fornication and other matters. I’m 21 years old. I was baptized when I was 11 years old. Since then, I changed churches, and I’ve been at my present church for over five years. I’ve…
Read MoreLed by the Spirit
by Scott Smelser
Read MoreWhat is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?
Question: I was wondering what exactly is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? Could you please help me with this? Answer: What Is Blasphemy? Blasphemy is a transliteration of a Greek word: blasphemia. Literally, it combines the Greek words for hurt and speech. It means to speak evil of someone or to slander another person. It contains…
Read MoreIsn’t the Spirit supposed to comfort me?
Question: I’m 26 but my body already seems to be falling apart. I can barely get out of bed these days. If the cause of this is heart problems or cancer or something, can I just resist treatment so I can go home and be with Jesus? I’m so depressed. I can’t be a good…
Read MoreWere the apostles filled with the Spirit twice?
Question: In Acts 4:1-31, it talks about Peter and John facing persecution, being arrested, and being released. After they are released they returned to their companions and told them about what had happened. They then prayed, and in Acts 4:31, it says they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Does this mean the apostles (depending…
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