We Believe – Study Questions Week #6
We Believe – Week #6
The Holy Spirit: John 16:5-15
INTRODUCTION: The Holy Spirit is an integral part of our Christian life, or at least He is supposed to be. At the same time, confusion about the person and role of the Spirit is understandable. That is why the words of Athanasius are so helpful. He states, “We worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in unity, neither confusing the Persons nor dividing the substance, that we are compelled by the Christian truth to confess that each distinct Person is God and Lord and that the deity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is one, equal in glory, coequal in majesty.” The personhood and the divinity of the Holy Spirit are clear and evident throughout the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit should never be thought of or understood as a “cosmic or universal force” that influences humanity. He is the third person of the Godhead and is the one that enables both our regeneration and our ongoing obedience.
The Spirit is not only present but active in creation, indwells himself in and speaks through prophets and specific individuals in the OT, is evident in the life and ministry of Jesus, indwells himself in all believers, and cries out on behalf of the Father to those who do not yet believe in Jesus. We see the Spirit in the creative process in Gen. 1:2 where the Spirit hovered over the waters of the deep. Not only does Genesis specifically mention that the “Spirit of God” was present, but He was also active in the creation process. Genesis uses the word rāhap (hovering), and means to stir up. The Spirit, then, was stirring up or bringing about life in the oceans of Earth before there was any sun. It is also in this passage that we see the Father and the Son being active to form a Trinitarian theology that is affirmed in John’s gospel (Gen. 1:26; Ps. 104:30; Job 26:13; Jn. 1).
Just as Jesus was endowed with the Spirit and the power that comes through the Spirit (Lk. 4:1), so are all believers (Acts 1:8). Jesus told the disciples that it was to their benefit that he would go away so that the Father would send the helper (Jn. 16:7). In his incarnation, Jesus was limited by physical and bodily limits, the Spirit would not be. Instead, the Spirit would be indwelt in the believer and actively be with them wherever they might go (Jn. 14:17, 26). In contrast to the OT, where the Spirit-filled certain people for specific occasions, Jesus now promised that the Father would send the helper and he would live in them. The Spirit helps believers and glorifies Jesus by reminding and continuing to teach believers of all that Jesus taught (Jn. 14:26; 16:14). The work of the Spirit not only enabled but authenticated the ministry of the Apostles (Acts 4:8 & 31, 6:5 & 10; Rom. 15:19; 1 Pet. 1:12) and was present on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Paul emphasizes all believers have access in “one Spirit” to the Father (Eph. 2:18). The evidence of the Spirit in the life of the believer is seen through the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-24). This fruit is the evidence of the sanctifying work of the Spirit and comes through a believer’s active cooperation with the Spirit. This is what Paul means when he encourages us to “walk in step” with the Spirit. As the Spirit seeks to glorify Jesus, the Son, so does the believer when they cooperate with the Spirit and bear fruit that looks like Jesus through the power of the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). The Spirit also gives believers unique gifts that only come after salvation and are given to be used in the work of ministry for the building up of the body (Eph. 4:11-14; 1 Cor. 12:7, 11). Gifts of the Spirit are unique abilities given by the Spirit according to God’s will and will not cease until Christ’s return (1 Cor. 12:7; 13:8-10).
Article #6 – “We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.”
GETTING STARTED – As you begin your group time, take time to answer this question together, when was the first time that you heard about the Holy Spirit? What was your first impression / understanding and how has it changed?
IN THE WORD – Let’s dig back into the passage. It is important to strengthen our muscles in reading God’s Word. On Sunday, we walked through the passage in the sermon. Hopefully, that helped you to see the landmarks of the passage with fresh eyes. Now, with your group, go back through it and see what God is saying to you specifically.
First, before you read the passage, take a moment to ask God’s Spirit to quiet your mind and heart and to illuminate the text to you. Second, read the passage aloud to the group. Then, follow the simple method below. (O.P.A)
Observe: Make 8-10 observations from the passage. Pay close attention to observe and note repeated words and phrases, names, places, and themes.
Principles: From your list of observations, what patterns or big ideas do you see emerging? Can you distill it down into 2-4 big idea truths?
Apply: Moving from your list of principles, it is time to apply God’s Word. Remember, we believe that God’s Word is living and active and that it can change the way we live Monday- Friday. What is one tangible way to apply a truth from your list above?
Note: Another way to approach your time together is to talk through the following questions about the article of faith we are studying that week.
1. How would you answer the question, “Who is the Holy Spirit and what does he do?”
2. What is core to this article of faith? That is, what is something that, if you took it away or changed it, it would significantly alter the article of faith about the Holy Spirit?
3. What is clarified for you in this article of faith about the Holy Spirit?
4. What is confusing for you in this article of faith? Take time as a group to chat through and offer perspectives on the things that are confusing. The beauty of a group is that often when we study together, we help sharpen and clarify what is confusing for one another.
5. How does this article on the Holy Spirit apply to my everyday life? That is, how does it change my outlook and approach to my Monday-Saturday life?