The Day of Pentecost marked a dramatic turning point. The promised Holy Spirit was poured out, Peter preached the risen Christ, and about three thousand people responded to the gospel. But an important question remained unanswered. Was this new covenant promise only for the Jewish people? Jesus had told His apostles that they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, …
What Really Happened at Pentecost?
Few events in the New Testament are as dramatic as the Day of Pentecost. There was a sound like a violent rushing wind. Something resembling tongues of fire appeared. The followers of Jesus began speaking in languages they had never learned. A crowd gathered, thousands heard the gospel, and about three thousand people responded to Peter’s message. Because the miraculous …
What Does It Mean That the Holy Spirit Was “Poured Out”?
The Holy Spirit did not suddenly appear for the first time on the Day of Pentecost. He was present at creation. He spoke through the prophets. He empowered people to accomplish God’s purposes. David prayed that God would not take His Holy Spirit from him. The Spirit was active throughout the Old Testament and throughout the earthly ministry of Jesus. …
What Is the Holy Spirit’s Primary Purpose?
When Christians begin studying the Holy Spirit, it is easy to become fascinated by questions about what He does. How does the Holy Spirit guide us? What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? Does He still perform miracles? What are spiritual gifts? How can we recognize His work in our lives? Those are important questions, and we …
The Trinity: How Do Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Relate?
We have established two important truths about the Holy Spirit. He is a Person, not merely an impersonal force, and He is divine. But those truths raise an obvious question. If the Father is God, Jesus is divine, and the Holy Spirit is divine, are Christians saying that there are three Gods? No. Christianity has always affirmed that there is …
Is the Holy Spirit God? What the Bible Says
In the previous article, we looked at the biblical evidence that the Holy Spirit is a Person. He thinks, speaks, teaches, guides, makes decisions, intercedes, bears witness, and can be grieved. But that raises another important question: What kind of person is He? Is the Holy Spirit an angel or some other created spiritual being? Is He a representative of …
Is the Holy Spirit a Person—or Just a Spiritual Force?
When people talk about the Holy Spirit, they sometimes describe Him almost as though He were a spiritual form of electricity, like a mysterious power flowing from God. We may speak of being “filled with the Spirit” or of the Spirit working powerfully in someone’s life, and that language can unintentionally leave us with the impression that the Holy Spirit …
Who is the Holy Spirit?
For many Christians, the Holy Spirit is both familiar and strangely unfamiliar. We hear His name when we read the Bible. We sing about Him. We speak of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Yet if someone asks a simple question—“Who exactly is the Holy Spirit?”—the answer may not come quite so easily. Is the Holy Spirit a mysterious power …