God the Holy Spirit [Who is He and What Does He Do?] – Pastor Ted Wilson

We have learned about God the Son and God the Father in the previous episodes. In this video, Pastor Ted Wilson talks about the third Person of the Trinity. He is invisible but existent—God the Holy Spirit.

Our fifth fundamental belief says: "God the eternal Spirit was active with the Father and the Son in Creation, incarnation, and redemption. He is as much a person as are the Father and the Son. He inspired the writers of Scripture. He filled Christ's life with power. He draws and convicts human beings; and those who respond He renews and transforms into the image of God. Sent by the Father and the Son to be always with His children, He extends spiritual gifts to the church, empowers it to bear witness to Christ, and in harmony with the Scriptures leads it into all truth."

The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins, leads us to repentance, and transforms our lives to be like Jesus. He also helps us understand the truth God has revealed in the Bible.

“His work is to define and maintain the truth. He first dwells in the heart as the Spirit of truth, and thus He becomes the Comforter. There is comfort and peace in the truth, but no real peace or comfort can be found in falsehood…Through the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit speaks to the mind and impresses truth upon the heart. Thus He exposes error and expels it from the soul” (Ye Shall Receive Power, p. 13).

Moreover, the Holy Spirit “strives” as Genesis 6:3 says: "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever…" He also “teaches” as in Luke 12:12: "For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." He convicts as John 16:8 notes: “And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” Also, He inspires as 2 Peter 1:21 indicates: "For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." Lastly, He sanctifies as 1 Peter 1:2 states: "...the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ."

We see the Holy Spirit's activity and involvement in some remarkable events in the Bible.

For instance, He was active at Creation, "hovering over the face of the waters" (Gen. 1:1,2).

Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:5, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." He was referring to the necessity of baptism by water and the Holy Spirit.

During Jesus' incarnation, an angel told Mary, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One Who is to be born will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35).

Jesus acknowledged the anointing of the Holy Spirit. He said in Isaiah 61:1, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound."

Also, before His crucifixion, Jesus assured His disciples: "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you" (John 14:25, 26).

In Acts 10:38, Peter preached to the household of Cornelius, saying, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power…"

To conclude, we are to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit by surrendering ourselves to Him and allowing Him to transform our lives. He was sent to teach, guide, comfort, encourage, and transform us. However, the choice is ours to accept Him. But Jesus warned us about the consequences of resisting the Holy Spirit.

With this, let us heed the call given in Psalm 95 and repeated in Hebrews 4:7: "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts."

To know more about the Holy Spirit, Pastor Wilson encourages you to visit adventist.org/holy-spirit.