What Is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is the crucial element that makes the New Covenant possible, in contrast to the Old Covenant, which failed because of Israel’s disobedience.

Hebrews 8:10 (which quotes Jeremiah 31:33) states, “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people.”

Receiving God’s Spirit begins the process of having His laws in the mind and written in one’s heart. The absence of this vital element is why ancient Israel continually disobeyed God, as does modern Israel today.

God inspired Moses to record, “O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear Me, and keep all My commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever!” (Deut. 5:29).

The reason Israel failed to fear and obey God was that “the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Rom. 8:7).

Spiritual survival depends on the following conditions: “But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (vs. 9).

Scripture shows that the Holy Spirit is the power that emanates from God. The resurrected Jesus Christ promised His disciples, “You shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you” (Acts 1:8).

Jesus had a full measure of that Spirit during His physical life, with which He healed the sick, crippled and blind. He also stilled a violent storm and even raised the dead, yet He explained, “I can of Mine own self do nothing…” (John 5:30). Christ performed miracles after acknowledging that this power never came from within. He said, “The Father that dwells in Me, He does the works” (John 14:10).

The Holy Spirit is the means through which the Father transmitted power to Christ. An earnest amount of this Spirit of power is made available to each true Christian in this age.

Essence of Power

Upon hearing and feeling the thunderous roar of a wonder such as Niagara Falls at close range, one can sense the impact of tremendous power. Scripture actually compares the Holy Spirit to flowing water—“rivers of living water” (John 7:38). This power emanating from God sustains His creation.

(1) Where does all power in the universe originate? I Chronicles 29:11; Psalm 62:11.

(2) Does creation demonstrate the power of God? Hebrews 11:3; Job 26:7; Jeremiah 32:17.

(3) Was the Holy Spirit sent forth to create at God’s command? Psalm 104:30; 33:9.

The Holy Spirit is the very power of God by which He created all things. The Holy Spirit is not a member of a mystical trinity, on an equal basis with the Father and Christ. The fact that the Father is greater than Christ (John 14:28) nullifies that false concept.

The miraculous acts of creation show the unfathomable power of the Holy Spirit. It was by this power that Jesus could keep the Ten Commandments perfectly. What is most fascinating is that a measure of this same power can enter our minds, and even this small measure can grow and expand.

(4) Does God also sustain the creation by the power of the Holy Spirit? Nehemiah 9:6.

The Holy Spirit sustains the entire creation. It emanates from God, permeating everything. It is present everywhere (Psa. 139:7-9).

All the myriads of galaxies have required a level of sustenance to be preserved over billions of years. The relatively recent delicate ecosystem of plant and animal life on the Earth has been preserved for thousands of years. Yet mankind, under Satan’s influence and without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, has put the world in a state of turmoil. We will see how this condition has developed, and how it will later be rectified.

Adam and Eve Rejected the Holy Spirit

(1) Did God offer Adam access to His Holy Spirit? Genesis 2:9.

The Tree of Life offered access to the Holy Spirit and eternal life. The Scriptures show elsewhere that the Spirit gives life (II Cor. 3:6). Galatians 6:8 says, “He that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Revelation 2:7 states, “To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”

(2) What other choice was Adam given beside the Tree of Life? Genesis 2:15-17.

God’s instruction to Adam was to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This tree represented man’s determination of what is good and evil—what is right in his own eyes independent of God’s commands.

(3) What tree did Adam and Eve choose when put to the test? Genesis 3:5-6.

Under the sway of Satan, Eve chose to eat from the wrong tree, and so did Adam shortly after that. Satan contradicted God by his assertion in verse 4, “You shall not surely die.” Satan was saying, in effect, “You can’t rely on God’s word.”

Besides the influence of Satan, Adam and Eve’s human reasoning also led them to make the wrong choice. They rejected the Tree of Life, by which they would have received God’s Spirit and eternal life. Instead, since they decided to follow Satan’s lie, they eventually died. Since that time, mankind has followed the same path.

The Holy Spirit Made Available Again

(1) Under the Old Covenant, Israel showed that the human spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak. Why was the Old Covenant at fault? Romans 8:7; Hebrews 8:7-8.

Ancient Israel proved that human steam was not enough. Their example was recorded for our admonition, “upon whom the ends of the world are come” (I Cor. 10:11).

(2) Can natural minds without God’s Spirit remain submissive to God even while beholding His continual miracles and interventions? Numbers 14:22; Deuteronomy 32:30.

(3) Did God give His Spirit to various prophets and individuals with whom He was working during the time of the patriarchs and ancient Israel? II Peter 1:21; I Samuel 16:13; Daniel 4:18; Micah 3:8.

These scriptures are just a few of many showing that God gave His Spirit to a select number according to His Plan. (Daniel 4:18 comes from the words of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who only had limited understanding of the true God and would expectedly use such a term as “the spirit of the gods” in describing God’s Spirit in Daniel.)

(4) In Acts 1:8, Jesus promised, “But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you…” What series of events had to precede the Holy Spirit being made available to Christ’s disciples? John 7:37-39; 16:7.

These scriptures show that Christ had to “go away” and be glorified before God’s Spirit could be given. Only after His death, resurrection and ascension to heaven could the Holy Spirit be made available. The term “belly” in John 7:38 comes from the Greek word koilia, which means “abdomen,” usually figuratively translated “heart.” Also, the term “ghost” (vs. 39), from the Greek word pneuma, should have been translated “Spirit.”

(5) What new element enters the picture by the New Covenant so that man can obey God’s laws? Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:26-27.

Although the New Covenant has not yet officially begun on a global scale, this will occur in the soon-coming Kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit will be made available to all humanity. To have the Law of God written in one’s heart is to live the meaning of I John 5:3: “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments…” To become perfect in love is to be perfect in obedience to God’s Law.

(6) Will God’s Spirit become available for all who want it? Joel 2:28-29.

These verses depict when all people will experience truly abundant and fulfilled lives.

Note that verse 28 begins, “And it shall come to pass afterward…” This shows that only after these people receive a certain level of preliminary knowledge and understanding of God’s truth can they receive the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ—Full Measure of the Holy Spirit

(1) Was Christ begotten by the Holy Spirit? Luke 1:35; Matthew 1:20.

From the beginning of His physical life, Jesus was strong in God’s Spirit because He was not only begotten physically by the Spirit but begotten spiritually as well.

(2) As a youth, did Jesus show unusual insight and zeal for the Scriptures? Luke 2:40, 46-48.

Being strengthened and inspired by God’s Spirit led the young boy to learn the truths of God and secular knowledge at an unprecedented rate. His knowledge and understanding of Scripture stunned the Jewish religious leaders.

(3) To what extent did Christ have the Holy Spirit? John 3:34.

Christ possessed the full measure of the Holy Spirit, through which He could perform unprecedented miracles and healings. His discernment of the thoughts and intents of others was keen and precise. He spoke with resounding authority, for He was God, by whom God the Father had created the world.

(4) Did Christ set the example for true Christians to emulate? John 13:15; I Peter 2:21; I John 2:5-6.

Jesus set the standard we are to follow. He endured injustice, suffering wrongly by the mouths of false accusers, as we also may need to go through. When suffering, Christ did not threaten, but instead submitted to a greater purpose. He prayed, “not My will, but Yours [the Father’s], be done” (Luke 22:42).

(5) Does Christ live His life over again through true Christians? Galatians 2:20.

By continuing to seek God’s Way throughout life, one can gradually take on the mind of Christ (Phil. 2:5) through the indwelling of God’s Spirit.

(6) In what role is Christ serving at this time in helping true Christians to overcome? Hebrews 6:20; 7:26.

As our High Priest, Jesus Christ has been interceding on behalf of true Christians—for their forgiveness upon repentance, healing, spiritual strength and wisdom. Since Christ lives to make intercession for us (Heb. 7:25; 4:14-16), He understands our limitations, having suffered while in the flesh. We have every reason to succeed and overcome with such an advocate who is ever willing to help us succeed with the spiritual power He makes available.

Church Empowered by the Holy Spirit

(1) Did Christ instruct His disciples to await the arrival of the Holy Spirit? Acts 1:8.

(2) When gathered together for Pentecost in Jerusalem in AD 31, amid many Jews also gathered there, what happened to the 120 disciples? Acts 2:1-4.

(3) What was the Jews’ response to those unusual events? Acts 2:5-7, 12-13.

(4) What other events transpired that day besides the miracle of speaking in unknown languages and Peter’s bold testimony before thousands? Acts 2:41-42.

(5) By what power was Peter able to speak so boldly and assuredly as never before? Acts 4:8.

(6) After being threatened by Jewish authorities shortly after Pentecost, the disciples came together to pray for strength. What signs did God give that He heard their prayer? Acts 4:31.

“The place was shaken” meant that God sent forth earthquake tremors. Besides this physical sign, the disciples were “filled with the Holy Spirit.” They were given an additional measure of the Holy Spirit beyond the initial amount given on the Day of Pentecost. God is no respecter of persons. If we pray as fervently as these disciples, we too can receive more of God’s Spirit.

Source of Spiritual Strength

(1) Does the Holy Spirit inspire an attitude of love, power and sound-mindedness? II Timothy 1:6-7.

(2) Are God’s servants to focus on their own talents and skills to accomplish His Work? Zechariah 4:6.

(3) Can God’s Spirit bring to mind what Christ has instructed from our study of Scripture? John 14:26; I Corinthians 2:10.

(4) What characterized the ministry of Paul as he preached the gospel? Romans 15:19.

(5) What is another of the many attributes the Holy Spirit imparts to one’s mind? Philippians 4:7; Romans 8:6.

Because of the prevailing characteristic of peace the Spirit brings to the mind, Jesus referred to it as the “Comforter.” He told the disciples, “I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that [it] may abide with you forever” (John 14:16).

The term “another Comforter” meant that the Holy Spirit would bring them peace and assurance, just as Christ had done during His time with them. The Comforter is also called “the Spirit of truth” (John 15:26).

(6) Were there some things that Christ could not communicate to the disciples until they had the Holy Spirit in them? John 16:12-13.

(7) Does the Holy Spirit compensate for the inability of the natural human intellect, communicating directly to God what we are otherwise incapable of expressing? Romans 8:26-27.

Christian Growth

(1) Is the Holy Spirit freely available in this age to all who desire it? John 6:44, 65.

The Holy Spirit will not be offered freely to everyone until the Kingdom, when it will be poured out upon “all flesh.” In this age, only those called by God to fulfill a particular purpose are given the Holy Spirit. These are the firstfruits called to help rule in the soon-coming Kingdom of God.

Unlike those living during the time of the Kingdom, those called in this age have a much more difficult path—having to resist Satan, his world and the flesh—but they will be given a far greater reward for all eternity.

(2) What must those called in this age do to receive more of the Holy Spirit? Luke 11:9-13.

Some have erroneously considered the process of receiving the Holy Spirit as an end in itself, giving them an inside track to seek God on their own terms. Those who are called and who seek God from a motive of sincerity and purity because they want to get into harmony with God’s will for all eternity are the ones who will thrive and grow upon receiving His Spirit.

(3) What initial—earlier—steps are required to receive God’s Spirit? Acts 2:38; 5:32.

Upon baptism and the laying on of hands (Acts 8:16-17), one is given an earnest measure of God’s Spirit (II Cor. 1:22)—a down payment.

(4) How are we to be changed or transformed through the use of God’s Spirit? II Corinthians 4:16; Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:1, 11-15.

Besides the inward man being renewed daily, and being transformed by a renewing of the mind, we must seek God on a personal basis.

To learn more about the Holy Spirit, you may want to review our booklets What Do You Mean “Water Baptism”? and What Is True Conversion? They give a thorough and systematic study of the subject of conversion and the central role of the Holy Spirit in that process.