We have often heard the story of Jesus Christ, the son of God, and as we have grown, we have become increasingly cognisant of His love, grace and power. However, understanding the Holy Spirit may prove a little more complex – even for those who are more advanced in age.
When Jesus was to return to Heaven, He told his disciples that He would send a Helper; John 14:16 says “And I will pray The Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever–”
In John 14:17, Jesus further refers to the Holy Spirit as “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”
Through these verses we are able to see both who the Holy Spirit is, and His function in our lives.
So, exactly who is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is a palpable form of God’s presence that is made available for us to have, as Jesus promised, within us. Pay careful attention to the diction used; palpable is an extremely important word because the Holy Spirit can be and actually should be felt. If He is a presence, why would you not be able to feel Him?
In Romans 8:14, Paul says: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.”
Therefore, we know that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God in a palpable form. He is living and thus we refer to Him using the appropriate pronoun because He is a divine being.
Of course, He is with us for a purpose, and has many functions in our lives as children of God.
What is the role of the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit has a number of important roles in our lives and neglecting Him can be quite detrimental.
Just as Jesus aided His disciples in understanding the truth and spreading the Gospel, so too, does the Holy Spirit function in that role today. This is one of the roles of the Holy Spirit as Jesus has made clear. It is of significance to have the Holy Spirit in our lives as we cannot obtain the truth without Him. He gives us discernment and revelation that can only be attained as a result of having a close relationship with Him.
Secondly, the Holy Spirit is able to help us fulfil the will of God in our lives through our spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 12 tells us of the different gifts that all have, which ought to be used for the edification of the church.
The Holy Spirit is also an intercessor. In Romans 8:27 Paul asserts: “Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”
To understand just about every role that the Holy Spirit has takes scrupulous Bible Study, but highlighted here are just a few. Through such roles, it is clear that the Holy Spirit’s presence is absolutely necessary in our lives. This brings us to a very consequential question: Does He exist within everyone?
Does everybody have the Holy Spirit?
Quite simply, no. Not at all. As Jesus told His disciples, not all have the Holy Spirit as not all see Him. This is who ‘the world’ is, as Jesus speaks (refer John 14:17). As Christians, in the Bible, we are often separated from ‘the world’, and therefore, as Christians we are different and called to walk separately. Therefore, many people who are in and of ‘the world’ do not have the Holy Spirit.
Now, on the contrary, does that mean that ALL Christians automatically have the Holy Spirit? No, and unfortunately, this is where many Christians are erroneous in their understanding of the Holy Spirit. There is both a baptism of water in which the Holy Spirit is invited into your life, and also a baptism of ‘fire’ which is the manifestation of the Spirit through the spiritual gifts. Now this may be a bit more complex to understand, but the former is the baptism which most Christian churches conduct. With this being said, the Holy Spirit may become present as a result of the water baptism, but it does not mean that He is in control of the practicalities of your life (refer to the early life of the Apostles contrasted with the day of Pentecost Acts 2). While this statement may be shocking, if this is the case, it is entirely because of you. As the Holy Spirit is a being, you ought to nurture your relationship with Him. He may be present in the vehicle, however, as a mere passenger, but dear brother or sister, why not let Him drive?
On the other hand, the baptism of ‘fire’ of course is not literal, but it is the physical manifestation of the Holy Spirit coming upon you. This is where you will not only feel the Holy Spirit, but you will walk in your spiritual gift(s). There will be physical signs following those who believe and walk in the Spirit.
There are many verses in the Bible that aid us in understanding who the Holy Spirit is and why we should have Him in our lives, and it is possible that an entire book can get written about Him. The contributions that He makes to our lives are very important, and if you ponder on it, how awesome is it that God has given us a palpable form of His Spirit? Why would you neglect a relationship with Him?
Faith Like A Fountain 