The Holy Spirit is the often misunderstood eternal third person of the Trinity. He is seen in the beginning of creation “hovering over the face of the waters” and is often referred to throughout the Old Testament as the “Spirit of God.” Today, the Holy Spirit is the promised Helper who is actually more noticeably present with us than the other two members of the Trinity.
Although the Holy Spirit is a spiritual being, he is not some impersonal force but rather a real person like the Father and Son. He “engages in moral actions and ministries that can be performed only by a person” such as revealing, illuminating, regenerating, guiding, sanctifying, and interceding. These acts of the Spirit are the means by which he manifests the active presence of God in the world, and especially in the church. This particular manifestation within the church can be seen through the granting of specific spiritual gifts to believers by God through the Holy Spirit.
A spiritual gift is a gift given and entrusted to us by God at conversion to serve the body of Christ wherever and however he may direct. The Holy Spirit apportions these spiritual gifts through his wisdom and sovereignty knowing “best what is needed by the body and what best fits each believer for service.” Every believer has at least one spiritual gift, but no believer has all the gifts either so that we must all rely on one another to function efficiently as the body of Christ. As we humbly surrender control of our lives to the work and authority of the Holy Spirit, we should develop a set of qualities that reflect the character of God (Galatians 5:22-26), and our individual spiritual gifts should bind us together in perfect harmony.
With Peace,
Terry
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