TOPIC 13 OF 47
The Holy Spirit
The Lord and Giver of life brings us to Christ and dwells in us.
THE MAIN TRUTH
The Holy Spirit is truly God, who proceeds from God the Father through God the Son.
The teaching
From the book · pages 38–40
The Holy Spirit is truly God, who proceeds from God the Father through God the Son. He is the Third Person of the Triune God. The Holy Spirit is the life-giving breath and the outpoured love of God. By him, the Father created and sustains all living things through his Son, the Word.
The Holy Spirit is the Lord and Giver of life, who creates and re-creates. He conceived and worked through the humanity of Jesus, the Word made flesh, in his miraculous ministry and in his death and resurrection to bring forth a new creation. The Spirit of truth convicts us of our sin. Then, through the Word of the Gospel and by Baptism, the Spirit creates faith in us to receive Christ’s forgiveness and comes to dwell in us.
The Spirit regenerates us with new hearts, motivated by holy desires to obey God’s will. He guides and empowers us to live dedicated to God. The Spirit joins us to Christ’s body, the Church, and makes us his temple, filling us with God’s loving presence. The Holy Spirit leads us to glorify God with our bodies. He is the deposit in us, guaranteeing the hope of the resurrection.
Scripture foundations
All Scripture excerpts from this topic are presented below in the book’s order. Ellipses and bracketed explanations follow the manuscript. Select a reference to read the surrounding passage in the EHV.
Reading these passages together
The passages reveal the Spirit as God and show his work in creation, in Christ, and in believers. His work through the Gospel gives faith, new life, and the hope of resurrection.
12 Scripture excerpt groups
SCRIPTURE 01
2 Corinthians 3:17; Acts 5:3-4 ↗
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” “. . . the Holy Spirit . . . God.”
Book page 39
SCRIPTURE 02
John 15:26; Galatians 4:6 ↗
[Jesus:] “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father—he will testify about me.” “. . . God sent the Spirit of his Son. . . ”
Book page 39
SCRIPTURE 03
Psalm 33:6 ↗
“By the word of the LORD the heavens were made. By the breath [Spirit] of his mouth he made the whole army of stars.”
Book page 39
SCRIPTURE 04
Job 33:4; Psalm 104:30 ↗
“The Spirit of God made me. The breath of the Almighty gave me life.” “You send your Spirit—they are created.”
Book page 39
SCRIPTURE 05
John 6:63; 2 Corinthians 3:3,6 ↗
[Jesus:] “The Spirit is the one who gives life. The flesh does not help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” “. . . the Spirit of the living God . . . the Spirit gives life . . . ”
Book page 39
SCRIPTURE 06
Romans 5:5; 15:30; Galatians 5:22 ↗
“. . . God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who was given to us.” “. . . the love of the Spirit . . .” “. . . the fruit of the Spirit is love. . .”
Book page 39
SCRIPTURE 07
Matthew 1:20; Acts 10:38 ↗
“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” “God anointed Jesus . . . with the Holy Spirit and power. . .”
Book page 39–40
SCRIPTURE 08
1 Thessalonians 1:5 ↗
“. . . our gospel did not come to you with mere words, but with power, with the Holy Spirit, and with deep conviction.”
Book page 40
SCRIPTURE 09
John 16:8; John 3:6 ↗
“When [the Counselor] comes, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment.” “Whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
Book page 40
SCRIPTURE 10
Ezekiel 36:26-27 ↗
“Then I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit inside you. I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you and will cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will carefully observe my ordinances.”
Book page 40
SCRIPTURE 11
1 Corinthians 12:13 ↗
“For by one Spirit we all were baptized into one body. . .”
Book page 40
SCRIPTURE 12
Romans 8:9-11,14, 23-24; Ephesians 1:14 ↗
“But you are not in the sinful flesh but in the spirit, if indeed God’s Spirit lives in you. And if someone does not have the Spirit of Christ, that person does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but your spirit is alive because of righteousness . . . the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you . . . Indeed, those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God . . . we eagerly await our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. Indeed, it was for this hope we were saved.” “[The Spirit] is the downpayment. . .”
Book page 40
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture passages are from the Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV), copyright 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission, as noted in the manuscript.
PERSONAL REFLECTION OR GROUP DISCUSSION
Reflect and pray
How do these passages distinguish the Spirit from an impersonal force?
Through what gifts does he bring us to Christ?
What difference does his presence make in the way you use your body and serve others?
A prayer
Holy Spirit, bring the promises of Jesus home to our hearts. Strengthen our faith, renew our desires, and lead us to glorify God in our bodies and lives. Amen.