Who is the Holy Spirit anyway?

                For Christmas this past year, my wife gave me a book titled Don’t Know Much About Anything Else by Kenneth Davis. Each page introduces a single item and then asks several questions about that item. On the next page, the author gives the answers to the questions. I have actually learned quite a bit from this fun little book.

                As I was doing my devotions this morning, I encountered the truth that the Holy Spirit plays a key role in our spiritual life and journey. Then, in the spirit of Don’t Know Much About…, I thought, what do we know about the Holy Spirit.

                For many Christians, the Holy Spirit is the hidden and often neglected member of the Trinity. He does His work quietly behind the scenes, and is rarely in the spotlight. Therefore, He is often misunderstood and misrepresented.

                When I was growing up in the church, the King James version of the Bible called Him the Holy Ghost. That always seemed spooky to me. It conjured up images of Casper the Friendly Ghost, from the cartoons. Thinking of the Holy Spirit as a ghost made Him mysterious and inaccessible. So what does the Bible teach us about the Holy Spirit? Take this quiz and check what you know about the Holy Spirit.

1. True or False: The Holy Spirit is an impersonal force in the universe.

2. True or False: The main job of the Holy Spirit is to make people feel good.

3. True or False: The Holy Spirit points away from himself toward Jesus.

4. True or False: The Holy Spirit plays an active role in the preservation and illumination of the Bible.

5. True or False: The Holy Spirit comes and goes in the life of a believer in Christ.

6. True or False: The Holy Spirit plays an active role in guiding the life of a believer.

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1. False: The Holy Spirit is a person, not an impersonal force. I cringe every time I hear someone refer to the Holy Spirit as “it.” The Holy Spirit is the third member of the Trinity, fully God. He is the very presence of God in the lives of all who believe in Christ.

2: False: The Holy Spirit convicts people of sin and awakens them to their need for a Savior.

    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

3. True: The Holy Spirit points people to Christ.

    "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. John 16:12-15

4.True: The Holy Spirit inspired, preserves and illuminates the Word of God.

    Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:20-21

    But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:26

5. False: The Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in everyone who believes in Christ.

    And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17

    Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?

1 Corinthians 3:16     

6. True: The Holy Spirit actively guides the life of the believer.

    So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. Galatians 5:16-18

    But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25