What the Holy Spirit Tells Christians about Himself – Part 1 of The Holy Spirit Speaks

I have received instructions from the Holy Spirit in one way like the Apostles and prophets present in the Scriptures. This specific way is found throughout the Scriptures from the Old Testament to the New Testament. This is the same way that Peter taught about Judas’ death by quoting the Spirit. Soon after the resurrection of Jesus, Peter used this same mode to teach what the Spirit said to the disciples in Acts 1:16. This is the same way that Paul spoke about those who reject the Gospel by the Holy Spirit to the Jews in Acts 28:25-27. This is also the way that the writer of Hebrews presented the speaking of the Holy Spirit regarding the danger of the hardening of one’s heart in 3:7-11 and the revealing of the new covenant and the remission of sins in 10:15-16. This mode for which the Spirit spoke to the Apostles, to the prophets of the New and Old Testament, to all of Israel (under OT and NT), to the Church, and to everyone in the world is by the Scriptures. This is how the Spirit has told me about Himself. The Apostles quoted the Scriptures as quoting the Spirit.

It is by the Scriptures that Christians can know the revelations of the Holy Spirit and about the Spirit. The passages referenced above quote the Holy Spirit by quoting Scripture. The Scriptures are the speaking of the Holy Spirit. Certainly, the writers of the Scriptures received direct guidance from the Spirit to write the Scriptures. While understanding that to prophesy is to speak forth by God and not to just predict the future, 2 Peter 1:21 states,

“For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit has revealed not only to me but to everyone many things about Himself by the Scriptures. By the Scriptures, Christians may understand the mode of indwelling and operations of the Holy Spirit.

Most people who confess Christ believe that the Holy Spirit operates within them outside of the Spirit-revealed Word. These types of operations attributed to the Spirit consist of just about every kind of spiritual and physical emotion, reasoning, and activity of the Christian life. From enlightened reading of Scriptures to the sense of comfort, peace, anxiety, and excitement to tingling sensations to actual modern-day revelations from God; the Spirit is given credit for so many things. At the same time, there are those who believe that the Spirit dwells within Christians only by the Word of God, which is learned, accepted, and obeyed, so that the Spirit dwells in one’s heart. Understanding the Spirit is very important since having the Spirit is essential according to Romans 8:9, and it would serve us well to go the revelations of the Spirit in Scripture to understanding the Spirit’s actions upon the Christian life and to settle once and for all who the Spirit is and what He is doing.

What can man know is true about the operations of the Spirit? We can prove the spirits whether from God or not. First John 4:1 and 6,

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world…We are of God: he that knows God hears us; he who is not of God hears us not. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”

Apparently, we can test the spirits using the revelation of the Apostles, so lets look at some Scriptures and “prove the spirits”. As the introduction to this post has proved, people can really know the Holy Spirit by what the Holy Spirit has revealed by the Scriptures. Let’s look at the Scriptures about who is the Spirit, how the Spirit dwells in man, what are the actions of the Spirit, what are the instruments of the Spirit, how the Spirit acts on man’s spirit, and what are the true sources of these actions attributed to the Spirit.