THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

I believe there is one unique Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:13). He is immaterial, invisible, non-corporeal (Lk 24:39; Jn 3:8), and personal (He is a he, not an it). He can be blasphemed against (Matt 12:31), lied to (Acts 5:3), obeyed (Acts 10:19-21), and grieved (Eph 4:30). He has the attributes of a person: will (Acts 16:6; 1 Cor 12:11), intellect (Rom 8:27), and emotion (Rom 15:30). The Holy Spirit performs personal actions: He restrains (Gen 6:3), teaches (Jn 14:26), testifies (Jn 15:26), convicts (Jn 16:7-8), sends (Acts 13:4), guides (Rom 8:14), intercedes (Rom 8:27), and leads (Gal 5: 18). The Holy Spirit is a person with power, not merely an energy force or impersonal power (Lk 4:14; Acts 10:38; Rom 15:13; 1 Cor 2:4). 

        I believe the Holy Spirit restrains evil (Gen 20:6; 2 Thess 2:7), convicts the unbeliever of sin (Jn 16:8), and enables the unbeliever to accept and believe the Gospel (Eph 1:18; 2 Thess 2:14). The Holy Spirit is active in salvation by giving us a new nature, producing a rebirth (Jn 3:3-7) or regeneration (Tit 3:5). The Holy Spirit is the believer’s guarantee of redemption (Eph 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit sanctifies believers (Rom 15:16), setting us apart and making us holy (2 Thess 2:13). The Holy Spirit prompts worship (Jn 4:23), promotes fellowship (Phil 2:1-2), produces comfort (Acts 9:31) and joy (1 Thess 1:6), prods love (Col 1:8), and provides us with power (Eph 3:16). The Holy Spirit empowers believers to serve in the Body of Christ (Num 27:18; Mt 12:28; Acts 1:2, 8; 1 Cor 3:4; Phil 1:19), each of us with different spiritual gifts (1 Cor 2: 12; 12:11). The Holy Spirit empowers us to conquer sin (Rom 8:1-17; 1 Thess 5:19; Eph 5:18) and provides believers with guidance (Mt 4:1; Acts 8:29; 16:6-7; Rom 8:14).