Holy spirit alphabet vol. 1

HOLY SPIRIT ALPHABET VOL. 1
Written and edited by Glenn Pease
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
ABIDING SPIRIT
ADOPTION
ADVOCATE
ANOINTING OF SPIRIT
ANONYMITY
ASKING FOR THE SPIRIT
ATTRIBUTES
BAPTISM OF SPIRIT
BEAUTY OF SPIRIT
BIBLE INSPIRATION
CHANGER
CHARACTER
CHURCH
CLEANSING
COMFORTER
COMMUNION
CONVICTOR
COUNSELOR
CREATOR
DEITY
DEVOTION TO THE SPIRIT

DEW
VOL. 2
DOCTRINE
DOVE
DRAWING
EARNEST
EMBLEMS
EMOTIONS
END TIME
FACTS
FULLNESS
GENTLE AND QUIET
GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT
GIFTS THAT MAY HAVE CEASED
GLORIFIES CHRIST
GRACE
GRIEVE NOT THE SPIRIT
GUIDANCE
HEALER
HEAVEN
HELPER
HONOR
ILLUMINATOR
INDWELLER
JESUS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
JOY
LIBERTY
LISTENING

LOVE OF SPIRIT
MIND
MIRACLES
NAMES OF THE SPIRIT
OIL
PARACLETE
PARTNER
PARTNER IN PRAYER
PENTECOST
PERSONHOOD
PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
PRESENCE
PRESERVING
PROVIDENCE
PURITY
QUICKENING
QUOTES
RECEPTION
RIVER
SALT
SALVATION
SANCTIFICATION
SCHEDULE
SEALING
SEVENFOLD SPIRIT
SHEKINAH GLORY
Sins Against the Holy Spirit
BLASPHEMY

GRIEVING AND QUENCHING
SPIRIT FILLED LIFE
SYMBOLS
TEACHER
TEMPLE
TENDERNESS
THRONE
TRANSFERING
TRANSFORMING
TRINITY
TRUTH
TYPOLOGY
UNBELIEVERS
UNION
VOICE
WALKING IN THE SPIRIT
WATER
WIND
WISDOM
WITNESS
WORKS
WORSHIP
YIELDING
ZEAL
INTRODUCTION

It is important that we develop an alphebet of the Holy Spirit, for there are so many
areas of Biblical revelation about Him that are forgotten without such an aid for our
memory. This alphebet will allow you to scan the many topics available for growth
in your understanding of this valuable and vital subject. This list is not exhaustive
and many on this list do not cover all that can be written, Some topics are seen from
different perspectives and not all views are shared in each topic listed. I am just
exposing believers to the vast information that is available.
How important is it that we grow in our understanding of the Holy Spirit? Read
what others have written about how vital a subject it is, and how greatly it is ignored
and neglected.
BRIAN BILL, "Our topic this weekend is, “Engaging with the Holy Spirit.” As part
of my preparation my mind went back to a book I read a couple years ago called,
“The Forgotten God: Reversing our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit” by Francis
Chan. Here’s something he said: “From my perspective, the Holy Spirit is tragically
neglected and, for all practical purposes, forgotten. While no evangelical would deny
His existence…there are millions of churchgoers across America who cannot
confidently say they have experienced His presence or action in their lives over the
past year. And many of them do not believe they can.”
Pastor J.D. Greear believes evangelicals generally fall into one of two extremes.
• Some seem obsessed with Him, relating to Him in strange, mystical ways.
Their experiences with the Spirit seem to coincide with an emotionally
ecstatic moment.
• Other Christians react to that perceived excess by neglecting His ministry
altogether. They believe in the Holy Spirit, but they relate to Him the same
way they relate to their pituitary gland: grateful it’s in there; know it’s
essential for something; don’t pay much attention to it.
W. H. GRIFFITH THOMAS, D.D. "In truth, the Holy Spirit is in several ways the
unique and ultimate Fact and Force in Christianity. He is the culmination of
everything in the revelation of Divine redemption. Other religious systems have
their founders, their sacred books, their ethics. But not one has anything
coresponding to the New Testament doctrine of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is
the only means of guaranteeing religion as personal communion with God. The
Divine revelation given historically in the Person of Christ is mediated and made
real to the soul by the Holy Spirit. This, again, is a mark of uniqueness in
Christianity, since only therein is religion realised as a matter of personal
communion with the Deity."
"The importance of the subject can be rightly measured by the place given to it.
Other doctrines of great importance, as, for example, those of the Church and the

Sacraments, do not obtain anything like the notice given in the New Testament to
the Holy Spirit. No one can fail to be impressed with the frequency, variety, fulness
and promi- nence of the references to the Spirit all through the New Testament
Scriptures. Instead of stopping with the Resurrection, the New Testament leads on
to the subject of the Holy Spirit and His work. In truth, the Holy Spirit is in several
ways the unique and ultimate Fact and Force in Christianity. He is the culmination
of everything in the revelation of Divine."
ABRAHAM KUYPER, “Even though we honor the Father and believe on the Son, how
little do we live in the Holy Spirit! It even seems to us sometimes that for our
sanctification only, the Holy Spirit is added accidentally to the great redemptive
work. This is the reason why our thoughts are so little occupied with the Holy Spirit;
why in the ministry of the Word He is so little honored; why the people of God,
when bowed in supplication before the Throne of Grace, make Him so little the
object of their adoration. You feel involuntarily that of our piety, which is already
small enough, He receives a too scanty portion.
ROBERT N. McKAIG, D. D. “The reason of failure in much devoted work that is
being done is because, while we recognize Jesus Christ as our personal Lord in
Heaven, we do not recognize the Holy Spirit as our personal Lord on earth.”
By Z. T. SWEENEY, "Christianity is differentiated from all the other religions by the fact
that it offers its followers a spiritual dynamic in living up to its precepts. That dynamic
is the Holy Spirit, that sets the word of God on fire, warms the church from coldness to
enthusiasm, and strengthens the Christian with a power not his own in the great
battle between the flesh and the spirit."
By Z. T. SWEENEY, "The Old Testament has eighty-eight distinct references to the Holy
Spirit. In these references there are eighteen names applied. The New Testament
refers to the Spirit two hundred and sixty-four times and uses thirty-nine names. Five
names are common to both Testaments, which leaves fifty-two different appellatives
for the Spirit. Seventeen appellatives express his relation to God, five his relation to
the Son, five indicate his divine nature, seven describe his own character, while
seventeen are used to indicate his relation to man. He is called the Holy Spirit, the
Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of his Son, of the Lord, of
Truth, of Grace, of Holiness, of Glory, and of Adoption."
Dr. S. Lewis Johnson, SLJ Institute, "In Dr. Chafer’s Systematic Theology in the
introduction to the section on the Holy Spirit he comments on something you may
have noticed in your looking at hymn books that evangelicals use. About eighty
percent of the hymns on the Holy Spirit begin with the words “Come, Holy Spirit.”
And in that, there is an implicit recognition — it seems to me, failure to recognize,
the most fundamental fact of the Holy Spirit and that is that he has come. Now, I

know it is possible for a hymn writer, who speaks often under kind of poetic
inspiration, to speak of the coming of the Holy Spirit in the sense of a coming to
realization of his ministry, but that is really not the force of most of the hymns. Most
of them speak as if — as if the Holy Spirit is really absent, and by pleading and by
prayer we, as Christians, may force him, cajole him, coax him into coming into our
lives. And if we do not understand as Christians that the Holy Spirit has come and
that we possess the Holy Spirit, then we have not realized the most fundamental
thing in the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.”
UNKNOWN AUTHOR, "We are not to look for his coming, he has come. He dwells
in the believer. He is in the world doing his promised work in the Church. He is
here. This is his dispensation. This is his day of power. This is his day of sovereign
control. This is his time of preparation in the Church for the return of our blessed
Lord. What are Christians to do? How are they to recognize his presence and his
power? The answer is seven-fold.
1. Mind the things of the Spirit.
2. Wait for the direction and reward of the Spirit.
3. Pray in the Spirit.
4. Use the sword of the Spirit.
5. Walk by the Spirit.
6. Sow to the Spirit.
7. Be filled with the Spirit.
Such is the blessed privilege of the Christian. Yea more, such is the imperative duty
of the Christian. With such high and holy co-operation realized in every beliving
soul the time of the triumph of Christ would not be far distant. The duty of believers
toward the Holy Spirit is clear. He waits — he works. Oh, that a weak and wearied
church would realize the source of her strength ! Would awaken to her duty! Would
arouse to her high privilege and enter into her real life ! Then would her Lord come.
Then would the darkness give place to light, and sadness to rejoicing. May
Christians hasten to their duty."
The following studies are selected from many authors. Some I have named, but
others have been lost because I gathered them before I knew I was going to do this
project, and so I was negligent in getting their names. Others just did not put their
names with their articles. If any author identifies his or her quotes and lets me know

I will gladly give credit where credit is due.
A.
ABIDING SPIRIT
John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help
you and be with you forever—
New Living Translation And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another
Advocate, who will never leave you.
Contemporary English Version Then I will ask the Father to send you the Holy
Spirit who will help you and always be with you.
International Standard Version I will ask the Father to give you another Helper, to
be with you always.
King James 2000 Bible And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another
Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;
The above text makes it clear that Jesus was sending the Holy Spirit, not as a
temporary guest just passing through, but, as a permant abiding Person. He is no
renter. He is an owner, and once he takes residence in His temple, which you are as a
believer, He is there for good. He is an abider. The texts below reinforce how He
dwells within us.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the
Spirit of God dwells in you?
1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit
who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
2 Timothy 1:14 Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which
has been entrusted to you
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,

He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies
through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Galatians 4:6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our
hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"
"The Holy Spirit Is Literally The Abiding PRESENCE Of God In The Life Of A
Believer."
Jesus was about to leave them but He would be replaced by the Holy Spirit who
would never leave them. He will abide in them forever. There was a set time for
Jesus to be in the world, but the Holy Spirit has no such limitation.
Where once that holy Dove has lighted,
There that Dove abides.
And once that Holy fire is ignited,
It will burn forever inside.
“The blessed Son of God has sent us a Comforter to abide with us forever. This Holy
Spirit is never going away. His power and His grace are never to be withdrawn, He
is never to be separated from the sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty. How
much better this is than even to have Jesus in the flesh. Jesus in the flesh could have
been at only one place at a time. Jesus in the flesh would have been compelled to be
absent from us much of the time, but Jesus in the Spirit can abide in us forever.
Receive the Holy Spirit. He is better than a blessing. Beloved, when you seek a
blessing you get a wonderful experience of grace and it enthuses you, but somehow
or other it loses its freshness; but when you receive Him, Who comes to stay, He
gives you a new experience of saving grace and saving power every day of your life.”
UNKNOWN
gotquestions.org, "Answer: The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the action by which
God takes up permanent residence in the body of a believer in Jesus Christ. In the
Old Testament, the Spirit would come and go from the saints, empowering them for
service but not necessarily remaining with them (see Judges 15:14; 1 Chronicles
12:18; Psalm 51:11; Ezekiel 11:5). Jesus revealed to His disciples the new role the
Spirit of Truth would play in their lives: “He lives with you and will be in you”
(John 14:17)."
"These verses are telling us that the believer in Jesus Christ has the third Person of
the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, living in him. When an individual accepts Christ as
personal Savior, the Holy Spirit gives the believer the life of God, eternal life, which
is really His very nature (Titus 3:5; 2 Peter 1:4), and the Holy Spirit comes to live
within him spiritually. The fact that the believer’s body is likened to a temple where
the Holy Spirit lives helps us understand what the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is all

about. The word temple is used to describe the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctum in
the Old Testament tabernacle structure. There, God’s presence would appear in a
cloud and meet the high priest, who came once a year into the Holy of Holies. On the
Day of Atonement, the high priest brought the blood of a slain animal and sprinkled
it on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. On this special day, God granted
forgiveness to the priest and His people.
Today, there is no Jewish temple in Jerusalem, and the animal sacrifices have
ceased. The believer in Christ has become the inner sanctum of God the Holy Spirit,
as the believer has been sanctified and forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ
(Ephesians 1:7). The believer in Christ becomes the habitation of the Holy Spirit of
God. In fact, Scripture also says that the believer is indwelt spiritually by Christ
(Colossians 1:27) and by God the Father (1 John 4:15)—the Trinity is involved."
The Saviour promised precious things, each far beyond compare,
For any gift the Saviour brings, He truly means to share
And when Christ said that He must leave, He spoke of Calvary,
Yet to His friends He knew would grieve, He promised company.
The Comforter would soon be sent, thus Pentecost must come,
As soon as sinners would repent, He came to all not some
And thus was born the Church of Christ, redeemed by Christ alone,
So, in His Name, they were baptised and by God's angels known.
The Comforter could intercede, with earnest groans of grace,
To meet each new disciple's need, so miracles took place.
Thus signs and wonders came to Earth, like nothing known before,
To prove the name of Christ had worth in what God's Son died for.
That's why today when Christians pray, the Holy Spirit's near,
Sometimes with songs or words to say, as if to make things clear.
A Scripture or a prophecy, a vision or a dream,
Whatever God decides to be will always prove supreme.
Eternal life and great rewards, forgiveness at the start,
So that we serve the Lord of Lords with purity of heart.
The Holy Spirit beckons still, He's with us every hour,
So we obey God's perfect will, abiding in His power!
Denis Martindale March 2017.
Remember that grace and truth cannot finally be crucified. Remember that all the
high things that make humanity beautiful cannot be forever laid in the dust,
spattered with blood. And most of all, remember that He who rose from the dead,

rose to pour out His Holy Spirit into human lives, and, by that Spirit, to make
available to any individual all the fullness of Himself, twenty-four hours a day. Ray
C. Stedman
ACCEPTING
Accepting the holy spirit by hyles
Millions of Christians who when they received Christ became the temple of the Holy
Spirit. However, they never acknowledge him; they never speak to Him! They
accepted Christ as their Saviour. When Christ came, the Holy Spirit came with Him,
and He indwells them, but they have never come to the place to where they say,
"Holy Spirit, just as I accepted Christ, I accept You. You are a member of the family.
I will acknowledge you as such."
Now the Holy Spirit has been there all along to lead, to strengthen and to comfort,
but He awaits His acceptance. The stepfather provided for his stepchildren. He may
have comforted them, taught them and loved them, but they did not accept him as
their own and acknowledge his presence and membership in the family.
Notice John 7:37-39, "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and
cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth
on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
(But this spake He of the Spirit, Which they that believe of Him should receive: for
the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)" Now
compare that with John 20:22, "And when He had said this, He breathed on them,
and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost." John 20:22 is a fulfillment of John
7:37-39. In John 7 our Lord had promised that the Holy Spirit would be available to
indwell believers upon the resurrection of Christ. In John 20:22 our glorified Lord
admonished His disciples to receive the Holy Spirit. This verb "receive" is not
passive but active. It could be translated, "accept the Holy Spirit" (just as you
accepted Christ). You see, Jesus is the Saviour of the world, but we have to accept
Him personally for Him to be our personal Saviour. The holy Spirit indwells
believers, but we need to come to a time when we receive Him or accept Him, even
as the stepchild received the stepfather and the son-in-law received the mother-in-
law.
This explains Acts 19:1,2, "And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth,
Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain
disciples, said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And
they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy
Ghost." These disciples, though they were indwelt by the Holy Spirit, had not heard
about the Him Who lived in them. This, no doubt, is true in the lives of so many
Christians. The One Who indwells us receives no attention, no conversation, no
expression of live, and in many cases no awareness of His presence.

Notice Galatians 3:2, 14, "This only would I learn of you, RECEIVED YE THE
SPIRIT by works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? That the blessing of
Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; THAT WE MIGHT
RECEIVE THE PROMISE OF THE SPIRIT through faith."
The main purpose of these studies is to acquaint believers with a Person (the Holy
Spirit) so that they may ACCEPT Him Who came in at salvation and yet Who is
being treated like an unwanted stepfather or an unwanted mother-in-law!
I had been preaching for many years. I knew that the Holy Spirit lived in me. The
Bible said so. I even taught the doctrine, but I had never one time spoken a word to
the Holy Spirit. Though I realized He lived in my body, and knew my body was His
dwelling place, I had never accepted Him as a person. Yes, He provided; yes, He
assured; yes, He comforted; yes, He strengthened; yes, He taught. Though I was
aware of these marvelous works in my life, I never accepted Him as a person or
received Him as such.
One day I was preaching on a radio broadcast. I was standing behind the pulpit of
my small church in east Texas. My coat was half off, my collar was unbuttoned, and
my tie was draped around my neck as I was preaching in the early morning hours to
a radio audience from behind the pulpit of my empty church building. That
morning I said to my radio audience, "The Holy Spirit lives in you. He hears what
you say. He knows what you do. He sees where you go. He knows how you are
dresses this morning." I began to tremble. I realized for the first time that He saw
me and that He was a person. I finished the broadcast, I fell to my knees, lifted my
voice to God and looked heavenward as I said, "Dear Holy Spirit, forgive me. I have
never spoken to You. Doctrinally I knew you lived in me, but I have never accepted
You as a person. I have never reckoned that You were part of my life in a practical
way. I accept you today."
My life has changed! I have never been the same! I went out to my car to drive home
for breakfast. I bowed beside the car and said, "Holy Spirit, lead me to know the
route that I should take as I drive home." I then included Him in every decision that
I had to make. I asked Him to help me when I went shopping. I asked Him to lead
me in every area of my life. There has not been one day from that day until this
when I have neglected to say a word to the Holy Spirit. To me He is a person. He not
only lives in my body, but I accept Him as such. I acknowledge His presence. I talk
to Him. I seek His guidance in even the smallest of decisions.
In summary, dear reader, when you accepted Jesus and asked Him to come into
your life, He had with Him another member of the Godhead. As Jesus entered, this
other member silently entered. Perhaps you did not realize it, or perhaps you
realized it and have never taken time to accept this other member for what He really
is. The purpose of this manuscript and of these studies is to acquaint you with Him.
May we begin by accepting Him. Bow your head now and say, "Holy Spirit, I know
You have been living in me. I now accept You." Beloved reader, would you do what
this preacher did many years ago in an empty church building after preaching on a
radio broadcast? Your life will never be the same. Accept Him now; receive Him
now; include Him in everything. Ask Him to help you find the bargains when you go
grocery shopping. Ask Him to lead you to the right clothing when you shop for

apparel. Ask Him what route to take as you take even the smallest and most
insignificant of journeys. Ask Him where to sit on the airplane. Ask Him to help you
as you wash the dishes and clean the house. He yearns to be accepted by you.
Yes, He does come in at salvation. Romans 8:9, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in
the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the
Spirit of Christ, he is none of His."
Yes, we are to plead with God for the fulness of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18,
"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit." Luke
11:13, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how
much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?"
Yet, in between His entering at salvation and His filling us for service there needs to
come a time in our lives where we receive Him or accept Him Who very quietly and
without fanfare has been doing His work in us, through us and for us. Without any
attention or gratitude He has been strengthening you, comforting you, teaching you,
exhorting you, helping you and guiding you. He longs for you to know that He is
there. He longs for you to fellowship with Him as a person. This moment could be
the dawning of a new day, the beginning of a new era and a day of gladness for the
Holy Spirit. He is in you. He is your guide. He is your teacher. He is your comforter.
Bow your head now and accept Him as such and tell Him that you will never again
live a day without fellowshipping with Him, expressing your love to Him and
acknowledging His presence in your life.
ADOPTION
Romans 8:15
For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received
the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Galatians 4:5
To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
ADOPTED SONSHIP BEDE JARRETT, O.P.
1. Here again we have to realize that the sonship of God is no mere metaphor, no mere
name, but a deep and true fact of huge significance: "Behold what manner of charity the
Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called and should be the sons of God!"
(1 John 3). We become the sons of God. St. Paul very gladly quotes the saying of a Greek
poet that men are the offspring of God, making use of a particular word which necessarily
implies that both the begetter and the begotten are of the same nature. A sonship indeed is
what Our Lord is Himself incessantly teaching the Apostles to regard as their high

privilege, for God is not only His Father, but theirs: "Thus shalt thou pray, Our Father."
With the Gospels it is in constant use as the view of God that Christianity came especially
to teach. The Epistles are equally insistent on the same view, for St. Paul is perpetually
calling to mind the wonderful prerogatives whereby we cry, "Abba: Father." We are
spoken of as co-heirs of Christ, as children of God. St. John, St. Peter, and St. James
repeat the same message as the evident result of the Incarnation, for by it we learn that
God became the Son of Man, and man the son of God.
2. Yet it must also be admitted that this sonship of God, which is the common property of
all just souls, and is the result of the indwelling of God in the soul, does not mean that we
are so by nature, but only by adoption. Now adoption, as it is practiced by law, implies
that the child to be adopted is not already the son, that the new relationship is entered
upon entirely at the free choice of the person adopting, that the child becomes the legal
heir to the inheritance of the adopting father. It is perfectly evident that all these
conditions are fulfilled in the case of God's adoption, for we were certainly no children of
His before His adoption of us as sons; strangers we were, estranged indeed by the
absence of grace and the high gifts of God. Naturally we were made by Him, but had put
ourselves far from Him: "You were as sheep going astray." Then this adoption of us by
God was indeed and could only have been at His free choice, through no merits of ours,
but solely according to the deliberate action of His own will, for "you have not chosen
Me but I have chosen you." "So that it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth,
but of God that showeth mercy." Finally, the inheritance is indeed ours by right and title
of legal inheritance. We are co-heirs with Christ, and our human nature is lifted up to the
level of God; not, of course, that we supplant Him who is by nature the true Son of God,
but that we are taken into partnership with Him, and share in Him the wonderful riches of
God."
Mark Diebel
ADOPTION AND THE TRINITY
We really shouldn’t be able to talk about adoption long without considering the
Trinity. As I’ve written before, adoption is ultimately about relationship; and the
relationship that transcends all others is the relationship(s) that the Persons of the
eternal Trinity enjoy with each other. Theologians speak of God as a communion of
persons. Our minds are stretched far beyond their ability to imagine when we
consider the fact that reciprocal love has eternally flowed between the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit. What do the eternal relationships of the Trinity have to do with the
doctrine of adoption? First, there would be no biblical doctrine of adoption if God
were not Triune. Think about it: If God were only one person rather than three,
there would be no love into which we could be brought to share through adoption.
Only a God who is more than one person can be love. There is much more that
could be said here, but the bottom line is that if there’s no Trinity, there’s no
adoption as sons, period.
Second, and this is absolutely staggering, God’s gracious work of adoption is an
enlarging of the circle of communion that has eternally existed between the three

Persons of the Trinity. The good news of the gospel is that God brings us to share in
the loving communion that He enjoys with His eternal and natural Son through the
work of His eternal and natural Son. As Kevin Vanhoozer writes, “The gospel…
concerns the triune God’s self-communication for the purpose of enlarging the
circle of communion. The gospel proclaims a new possibility, namely, that of
becoming a ‘communicant’ in the life of God” (The Drama of Doctrine, 43). Through
adoption God graciously brings us to participate in the reciprocal love that ever
flows between the Father and His Son.
Dumitru Staniloae, in his book The Experience of God, expresses the relationship
between adopted sonship and the Trinity well:
“As a work of raising up believers to intimate communion with God,
salvation [is] nothing other than the extension to conscious creatures of the
relations that [exist] between the divine persons. That is why the Trinity
reveals itself essentially in the work of salvation and that is why the Trinity is
the basis on which salvation stands. Only because a Triune God exists does
one of the divine persons become incarnate, placing all his human brothers
within this relationship as sons to the heavenly Father…Through the
incarnate Son we enter into filial communion with the Father, while through
the Spirit we pray to the Father or speak with him as sons…If in the
incarnate Son we have become sons by grace, in the Spirit we gain the
consciousness and boldness that come from being sons” (248).
“The revelation of the Trinity, occasioned by the incarnation and earthly
activity of the Son, has no other purpose than to draw us after grace, to draw
us through the Holy Spirit into the filial relationship the Son has with the
Father. The Trinitarian acts of revelation are acts that save, acts that raise us
up into communion with the persons of the Holy Trinity” (249).
William E. Brown
New Testament The New Testament cultural environment was much different from
that of the Old since elaborate laws and ceremonies for adoption were part of both
Greek and Roman society. To people with this background, the adoption metaphor
in the New Testament was particularly meaningful.
The Greek word for adoption (huiothesia [uiJoqesiva]) means to "place as a son"
and is used only by Paul in the New Testament. Each of the five occurrences in his
letters is to readers of a decidedly Roman background. In one instance Paul refers
to the Old Testament idea of Israel's special position as the children of God —
"Theirs is the adoption as sons" ( Ro 9:4 ). The remaining four references describe
how New Testament believers become children of God through his gracious choice.
The full scope of God's work of salvation past, present, and future is seen in
adoption.
The believer's adoption as a child of God was determined by God from eternity:
God "predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ" ( Eph 1:5 ).
This adoption is not the result of any merit on the part of the believer, but solely the
outworking of God's love and grace ( Ephesians 1:5 Ephesians 1:7 ).

The present reality of the believer's adoption into the family of God is release from
the slavery of sin and the law and a new position as a free heir of God. Entering into
salvation brings the rights and privileges of free sonship: "For you did not receive a
spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.
And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father'" ( Ro 8:15 ). Paul tells the Galatians that
Christians were redeemed from the law so that they might receive adoption as sons.
As a result the Holy Spirit comes into the believer's heart crying, "Abba, Father" (
Gal 4:5 ). The intimacy of a relationship with God the Father in contrast to the
ownership of slavery is a remarkable feature of salvation.
Like many aspects of salvation, there is an eschatological component of adoption.
Believers "wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies" ( Ro
8:23 ). The full revelation of the believer's adoption is freedom from the corruption
present in the world. Being a member of God's family includes the ultimate privilege
of being like him ( 1 Jo 3:2 ) and being conformed to the glorious body of Christ (
Php 3:21 ). This is part of the promised inheritance for all God's children ( Ro 8:16-
17 ).
PINK, "The blessed fruit of receiving the Spirit of adoption is that there is born in
the heart a childlike affection toward God and a childlike confidence in Him:
"Whereby we cry, Abba, Father." The Apostle employs in the original two different
languages, "Abba" being Syrian and "Father" being Greek, the one familiar to the
Jews, the other to the Gentiles. By so doing he denotes that believing Jews and
Gentiles are children of one family, alike privileged to approach God as their
Father. "Christ, our peace, having broken down the middle wall of partition
between them; and now, at the same mercy-seat, the Christian Jew and the believing
Gentile both one in Christ Jesus, meet, as the rays of light converge and blend in one
common center>
This filial spirit which the Christian has received is evidenced in various ways. First,
by a holy reverence for God our Father, as the natural child should honor or
reverence his human parent. Second, by confidence in God our Father, as the
natural child trusts in and relies upon his earthly parent. Third, by love for our
Father, as the natural child has an affectionate regard for his parent. Fourth, by
subjection to God our Father, as the natural child obeys his parent. This filial spirit
prompts him to approach God with spiritual freedom, so that he clings to Him with
the confidence of a babe, and leans upon Him with the calm repose of a little one
lying on its parent's breast. It admits to the closest intimacy. Unto God as his
"Father" the Christian should repair at all times, casting all his care upon Him,
knowing that He cares for him (1 Peter 5:7). It is to be manifested by an affectionate
subjection (obedience) to Him "as dear children" (Ephesians 5:1).”

ADVOCATE
WILLIAM CLARK, “The word in the Greek is Paracletos, Paraclete, and etymologically
cor- responds with the Latin Advocatus, Advocate. In the New Testament it is used in
two passages ; first, in the valedictory address of our Lord four times, * in reference to
the Holy Ghost, and once by implication to our Lord Himself; and again with direct
reference to the Lord Jesus Christ, in the first Epistle of S. John "We have an Advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous." Two principal ideas have been connected
with the word, the idea of advocacy and that of consolation. The Latin word Advocate
represents, as nearly as possible, the Greek word Paraclete. Accordingly, in the Greek
diction- aries we find the word defined, " Called to one's aid in a court of justice,
advocatus" ; and again, " One who maintains the cause of anyone before a judge." And
thus we can at once see the fit- ness of its application to our Lord, since He is our
Advocate before the throne of God, who ever liveth to make intercession for us. But,
indeed, it is no less appropriately applied to the Holy Spirit, since He is our Advocate
within our hearts, making intercession for us there, according to the will of God. || * S.
John xiv. 16, 25 ; xv. 26 ; xvi. 7. f 1. S. John ii. 1.”
J. R. Thomson, 'The Paraclete is One who is called to the side of him who is in need, an
Advocate who undertakes the cause Of the defenseless, a Patron exercising a wise
protection, a Strengthener or Comforter communicating his power to the feeble. It is
implied in the designation that the Holy Spirit is a Person, and that he is Divine. He
teaches, guides, assists; he is living, acting, gracious. As he came on the Day of Pentecost
- the promise of the Father - so he has ever resided in his Church, to quicken, to purify, to
bless."
J. Brown, "The etymological meaning of the word is, "One called to be beside another."
The word is used in classical Greek, and a word of similar etymology, from which our
word "advocate" is derived, is used in classical Latin to denote a person who patronises
another in a judicial cause, and who appears in support of him. It was the custom, before
the ancient tribunals, for the parties to appear in court, attended by one or more of their
most powerful and influential friends, who were called "paracletes" — the Greek — or
"advocates" — the Latin term. They were not advocates in our sense of the term — feed
counsel; they were persons who, prompted by affection, were disposed to stand by their
friend; and persons in whose knowledge, wisdom, and truth the individual having the
cause had confidence. These paracletes, or advocates, gave their friends — "prospelates,"
or "clients," as they were called — the advantages of their character and station in
society, and the aid of their counsel. They stood by them in the court, giving them advice,
and speaking in their behalf when it was necessary. Jesus had been the Paraclete of His
disciples while He was with them. He had made their cause His own. He had taught them

how to manage their cause with God. He had taught them to pray; and He had prayed for
them. He had taught them how to manage their cause with the wicked one; bidding them
watch and pray, lest they should enter into temptation; and He had prayed for them, that
their faith should not fail. When the scribes and Pharisees attacked them, He was ever
ready to defend them. In the great cause which was at once His and theirs He was their
great helper. He instructed them what to say, and how to act. He gave them miraculous
powers, and taught them how to use them. Thus He had been their patron — their
paraclete. And He was not to cease to be so; He was, in His Father's house of many
mansions, "ever living to interpose in their behalf" (1 John 2:1; Hebrews 7:25). But He
was to cease to be their Paraclete on earth; and therefore, knowing how much they
needed such a patron and adviser, and monitor and helper, He says, "I will pray to the
Father, and He will send you another Paraclete." "Instead of losing, you are to gain by
My removal."
ANOINTING OF SPIRIT
Lynne Hilton Wilson
Anointing. The Old Testament associated the Spirit’s anointing with making
something sacred. Consecrated structures, clothing, people, and offerings affiliated
with the Tabernacle or Temple were all anointed (see Exodus 29:29, 36; 30:26;
40:10–15; Leviticus 2:4; 8:10). Whether the anointed one was a person, place, or
thing, if the Spirit was involved in its anointing, it became something holy (see 1
Samuel 16:13; Isaiah 61:1). An “anointed one” or “messiah/mashiach” meant
chosen and commissioned by God to do his work.
Stan Coffey
WHAT IS THE ANOINTING? Baptism of the Holy Spirit places us in the body of
Christ at the moment of conversion and gives us our position in Christ. The filling of
the Holy Spirit is the yieldedness of our life to Him who lives and indwells us that we
might serve in power and He might control every single area of our mind, our
emotions, and our will. The anointing of the Holy Spirit gives us our vocation in
Christ. Baptism gives us our position, the in-filling gives us our condition, and the
anointing gives us our vocation. You say, ''Which one is important?'' They're all
important. Someone has defined the anointing of the Holy Spirit as the special

ability or favor to accomplish the calling given to us by God in a manner which
glorifies God. If you want a shorter definition, it's this: the anointing of the Holy
Spirit is a special touch for your special task that God has called you to do."
ANOINTING BY UNKNOWN
In his first epistle John wrote
As for you, the anointing (to chrisma) which you received from Him abides in you, and you
have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is
true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him. (1 John 2:27)
NLT paraphrase - But you have received the Holy Spirit, and He lives within you, so you don’t
need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to
know, and what He teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as He has taught you, remain in
fellowship with Christ.
TLB paraphrase - But you have received the Holy Spirit, and He lives within you, in your hearts,
so that you don’t need anyone to teach you what is right. For He teaches you all things, and
He is the Truth, and no liar; and so, just as He has said, you must live in Christ, never to depart
from Him.
John had just declared that "you have an anointing (KJV = "unction") from the Holy One, and
you all know." (1 John 2:20-see discussion) Most expositors agree that this anointing refers to
the Holy Spirit that every believer received (Romans 8:9-note) at the moment of regeneration
by the self-same Spirit (Titus 3:5-6-note) Later in his first epistle John clearly spoke of the Holy
Spirit adding that "the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And
we know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit Whom He has given us." (1 John 3:24-note)
"By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit." (1
John 4:13-note)
I. J. ROSENBERGER
Anointing is a subject of general teaching both
in the Old and in the New Testament. Anoint is
defined by lexicons to mean : to consecrate. This is
the sense in which it seems to be used in the Scrip-
tures. Persons anointed were fitted or sealed for
higher callings or missions ; hence it implies ad-
vancement; it is therefore a service that is attended

with joy and gladness, as indicated in my motto text.
Oil was used in literal anointing, both in the Old
and New Testaments. It was a type of the Holy
Spirit, that engaged the spiritual anointing In the
New Testament.
by Pastor Jack Hyles
"Perhaps no doctrine concerning the Holy Spirit has been more misunderstood than that of
the anointing of the Spirit. This doctrine has been associated with the fulness of the Spirit.
There is, however, a difference between the two.
There were three different types of anointing in the Old Testament. First was the anointing of
the priests. Leviticus 8:12, "And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and
anointed him, to sanctify him." It is noteworthy that this anointing took place only one time
for each priest.
Second, there was the anointing of the kings. I Samuel 16:13, "Then Samuel took the horn of
oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David
from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah." This anointing was likewise a
one-time ritual.
Third, there was the anointing of the prophets. I Kings 19:16, "And Jehu the son of Nimshi
shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel- meholah shalt
thou anoint to be prophet in thy room." Again, it took place only one time for each prophet.
Since our Lord Jesus was a priest and king and prophet, then He was anointed. Luke 4:18, "The
Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor;
He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and
recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." Acts 4:27, "For of a
truth against thy holy child Jesus, Whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate,
with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together." Acts 10:38, "How God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: Who went about doing good,
and healing all that were oppressed of the Devil; for God was with Him." Notice in Luke 4:18
the words, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He HATH anointed Me." It had already
been done. Now compare this one-time anointing to Ephesians 5:18, "And be not drunk with
wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit."" The words, "be filled," here are in the
durative or linear which means "be being filled" or "be filled and be filled and be filled and be
filled." Notice the fulness of the Holy Spirit is a durative doctrine, whereas the doctrine of the
anointing is an aorist or a one-time anointing. That is, one time for each job or each
responsibility. Notice the words in Acts 4:27, "hast anointed." Notice the past tense and then
in Acts 10:38 we have the word "anointed." Once again, this is the past tense.

Therefore, the anointing of the Holy Spirit was and is like the anointing of a king or a priest or
a prophet. When one was chosen to be a priest, he was anointed with oil, symbolic of the Holy
Spirit coming upon him and giving him power, wisdom and ability for the task set before him.
The same was true when a king was anointed and when a prophet was anointed. This leads us
to some conclusions.
1. The anointing was done upon the accepting of a new responsibility. When a Christian
accepts a new responsibility, he should be anointed by the Holy Spirit for that task. When a
pastor is called to a new church or when a Christian is chosen to be a Sunday school teacher, a
choir member, a choir director, a departmental superintendent or an usher, he should be
anointed by the Holy Spirit. Any new task to which a child of God is chosen and any new
responsibility that God has given to him is so important that the Holy Spirit should anoint him
upon the assumption of his new responsibility. Likewise, as the Christian ministers and
continues to fulfill the work to which God has called him, he should constantly be being filled
with the Spirit. However, the doctrine of being filled should not be mistaken for the doctrine
of the anointing.
2. This anointing was appropriation; it equipped one for a task. When God calls, He qualifies,
He equips and He prepares. When a Christian is called to a new responsibility, he needs to be
equipped. Hence, he needs to be anointed by the Holy Spirit as God appropriates to him what
he needs to fulfill his new calling and equips him for that calling.
3. The Christian simply yields himself to the Spirit for this anointing. Hemay, upon being given
a new ministry, go along with God and yield himself and surrender his will and present himself
for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Have you been called to a new task? Is there a new charge
given you? Then choose several hours. Get alone with God. Plead with Him to equip you or
anoint you for the task to which God has called you. This should be done by a new parent, a
new bride, a new groom, a new pastor, a new song director, a new choir director, a new
Sunday school teacher, a new bus captain,, a new usher, a new choir member, a new deacon a
new evangelist. This anointing will not take the place of the fulness of the Spirit. After the king
or the priest or the prophet was anointed by God, he still from time to time was filled with the
Holy Spirit, as we are admonished by the apostle to be "being filled" with the Spirit.
4. This anointing is, in a sense, God giving His mind to the task. It is a little private ordination
service. It is a private inauguration. It is a private installation service."
ANOINTING
Now, let us observe what this anointing is. It is not a blessing, a gift of the Spirit, or
a grace or fruit of the Spirit, such as peace, love, joy, gentle- ness. The anointing is
God, the Holy Spirit. Not that the Holy Spirit is the agent in giving this anointing, or
that some influence or sacrednesss comes from the Holy Spirit, but that He Himself

comes to be the anointing oil on us and in us. Jesus 102 Life and Times of Holy
Spirit. was anointed, not by the Holy Spirit, nor from the Holy Spirit, but with the
Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus of Nazareth. He was poured out on
the disciples at Pentecost and He is poured out now on all the believers who yield
themselves unto God as those alive from the dead. 3. In the next place, let us notice
who it is that anoints us. John says, “Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye
all know it” Who is the Holy One from whom this anointing comes? It is not the
Holy Spirit, for he is the anointing. Who is it that anoints us with the Holy Spirit?
The “Holy One” is a special title of Jesus Christ. Six times in the New Testament He
is called “The Holy One,” “The Holy One of God.” God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit to make him the Christ , and through the Christ the Holy One,
we receive the anointing that makes us true Chris- tians. John says again and again,
“He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost,” and Jesus claimed this as His
prerogative, “I will send you another Com- forter.” “The Comforter whom I will
send unto you.” And Peter declares, that Jesus “being by the right hand of God
exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, hath
Anointing With The Holy Spirit. 103 shed forth this which yoti now see and hear.”
He is first anointed and then we are anointed through Him. The anointing which
God poured on him is flowing down unto us, His members, members of His body,
His flesh and His bones. Of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace .
The Christ of God is now with us, ready to impart unto us the Holy Anointing which
will abide forever. Why was the baptism with the Holy Spirit called the anointing?
First, because the anointment was sweet and delightful. It was characteristic of
Jesus. Thy name is as ointment poured forth. There- fore, do the virgins love thee.
When the Holy Spirit lodges in the soul he makes it like a garden of spices. It is
delightful in the church, in the ministry, in the communion of saints. It sweetens a
man’s thoughts and actions and makes a man’s own conscience a continual feast.
Oh, what a delight it is to come in from the strife and defilements of life and walk in
Beulah Land on the delectable mountains with God the Spirit ! When Mary broke
the alabaster box at the house of Bethany, we are told that the house was filled with
the odor of the ointment. When the high priest came from the tabernacle bearing on
his beard and garments the holy oil that was poured on him, the sweet odor 104 Life
and Times of Holy Spirit. filled all the atmosphere where he went. The fra- grance
of the Rose of Sharon, or the Lily of the Valley will be ours and the people will know
that we have been with Jesus and learned of Him. Second, this baptism is called the
anointing because it strengthens us; Moses, being anointed, en- dured as seeing
Him who is invisible; Bezaliel was anointed, and he was skillful in all carving; he
was a boss carpenter; Othneil was anointed and went out to battle. Paul was
anointed and then took pleasure in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for
Christ’s sake. Kings, when they went out to battle, were anointed that they might be
strong. So when the Spirit of God abides in men, they can do things that they could

not otherwise do. They can deny themselves, overcome the world. They are able to
want, able to abound, able to bear crosses, to endure temptations and to do all
things through Christ, who is able to make all grace abound unto them, because he
that is in you is greater than he that is in the world. This is the royal kingship which
we have by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Third, This Baptism of the Holy Spirit
is called the anointing, because ointment makes the joints of the body nimble, and
when the Spirit abides in Anointing With The Holy Spirit. 105 us, he makes us
ready for every good work, ready to serve God in the newness of the spirit and not
in the oldness of the letter. When the Spirit abides in God’s people, they are a
willing people and eat the fruit of the land. Oil lubricates, makes supple, prevents
friction; no more hot boxes, no more blue Mondays, grave yard faces or whining.
Oil up ! Oil up! And speed on! There is a disposition of love in the anointed ones
that constrains them to become all things to all men, that they may save some. When
a man is without unction, he goes lumpishly and heavily about the service of God.
He is forced and dragged to pray. He avoids conference and testimony. He is dull
and dead and frozen towards the interests of unsaved men. But when a man receives
the sweet anointing of the Spirit, his heart is enlarged, the love of Christ constrains
him. He has on the old gospel shoes and is ready to go anywhere and do anything
that God wants him to do. His daily cry is, “Here am I. Send me, send me.” Fourth,
this Baptism with the Spirit is called the anointing , because there is a healing ,
cheerful virtue and power in it. This baptism hath a cordial virtue, healing us from
the guilt and stain and sore- 106 Life and Times of Holy Spirit. ness of sin and
sorrow. The Scriptures mention this as “the balm of Gilead.” In the composition of
the anointing oil in the Old Testament there was special reference to healing. Myrrh
has in it the virtue of easing pain and taking soreness out of a bruise. Sweet
cinnamon is a fiery spice, hot and pungent, but the sensations are pleas- ant and
stimulating; Sweet calamus is sweetness itself; it aids digestion, counteracts acids
and takes soreness out of the stomach. Cassia is really a good food. It contains all
the elements for nourishment and strengthens every part of the body. While olive oil
has restoring, nourishing power, it is a great thing to lubricate, smooth out the
wrinkles and kinks and put a shine on. If anybody has a sore heart, this will heal it.
Sometimes pastors and members have chronic sore heads. This anointing with the
Holy Spirit is the divine cure. Sin gives people diseases, fevers, de- liriums,
consumption, leprosies, tympanies, atrophies. This anointing cures these diseases.
Fifth, the purpose of this anointing was that they may minister unto the Lord. This
makes us love servants of Jesus Christ. So that, “We preach not ourselves, but
Christ Jesus, the Lord, and ourselves, your servants, for Jesus’ sake.” Anointing
With The Holy Spirit. 107 What a false notion we have of being ministers, receiving
titles, honors, offices, authorities, dignities, which has ruined tens of thousands of
ministers, the bible teaching “He that is chiefest among you, let him be servant of
all.” God’s ministers are spiritual cooks, waiters, laundrymen, housemaids, coach

drivers, nurses, sheep tenders, herdsmen, farm hands, in the Kingdom. Sixth, This
anointing of the Spirit expresses in some way the importation of spiritual
knowledge. “You know all things.” You have no need that any man teach you. The
Spirit will impart to us God’s view of things and we will see things in the light that
Christ saw them. He will teach us that true honor is to serve God, that true nobility
is to be born of God. That true riches is the grace of God. That true pleasure is the
peace of God and the joy of the Holy Ghost. That true life is the knowledge of God
and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent.
ANONYMITY
You can see where this has been leading: the anonymity of the saints - the
anonymity of the Holy Spirit. The anonymous Holy Spirit because, like the saints,
indeed the saints’ inspiration, it is the Spirit’s nature to draw attention away from
himself and direct it to the Son, who in turn directs it to the Father. As our text tells
us, the Spirit does not take what is his own and declare it, rather he takes what is
Jesus’ and declares it. He doesn’t teach about himself, nor does he teach on his own
authority, anymore than a good school teacher teaches about her own brilliance and
presents herself as a fountain of knowledge and wisdom. No, because she stands on
the shoulders of her predecesors, she is the servant of a tradition, she is only a
catalyst in the learning process from which she is happy to withdraw when her
students come to the point of understanding for themselves: it is her subject, not
herself, that the good teacher conveys.
Yes, the Holy Spirit, withdrawn, working behind the scenes, in the engine room
rather than on deck - be we all know where the power is generated. The Holy Spirit,
the self-effacing and anonymous member of the Trinity. A model for the Christian,
to the glory of God.
Kim Fabricius
ASKING FOR THE SPIRIT
from Dr. Hyle's excellent book, Meet The Holy Spirit)
Luke 11:8, 13, "I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is
his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he
needeth. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how

much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?"
When a middle-easterner received guests into his home, it was the custom to set food
before them. If the first thirteen verses of Luke 11, we have a guest arriving at
midnight. The embarrassed host had no bread to feet him so he went to his friend at
midnight and ask him if he would let him borrow three loaves of bread. The friend
and his family were all asleep; consequently, he refused to be bothered. The
embarrassed host, however, was unwilling to take "no" for an answer and
continued to plead for bread. Though his friend would not give him the bread
simply because of their friendship, verse 8 reveals that he did give him bread
because of his importunity. The word "importunity" means "much begging." What
he could not get just because of friendship, he could get by continuing to beg. Verse
13 teaches us that this represents the Christian begging for the power of the Holy
Spirit. "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how
much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?"
Note the work "ask" in verse 13. This is durative action. It means "continue to ask."
Notice verses 9 and 10, "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek,
and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh
receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."
The words "ask," "seek," and "knock" are also durative action, which means that
we are continually to ask for the power of the Holy Spirit!
Some would say that the power of the Holy Spirit is obtained as salvation is
obtained, simply by faith. There is a basic truth that needs to be examined
concerning which of the workings of the Holy Spirit are obtained instantaneously by
faith and which are obtained by sincere supplication. The answer is determined by
whether a certain work of the Spirit is TO us and FOR us or whether it is His
working THROUGH us FOR others. Those works of His that are primarily FOR us
such as salvation are given to us in response to our faith. However, when the Holy
Spirit decides to work THROUGH us and to let us become partners with Him in
working for others, it is a different matter! For these things He insists upon such
sincerity that we demonstrate to Him our intense desire by paying a higher price
than that of faith only.
If a person would come to the First Baptist Church of Hammond to be ministered
TO, he simply walks in and we minister to him. If that same person is being
considered for a staff position whereby he MINISTERS TO OTHERS, we would
take extra care by investigating his past record; we would want references
concerning his credit, his service for God, his character, etc. When we minister TO
him, he simply presents himself; when we minister WITH him, he must pay a price
and be the object of our intense scrutiny. When the Holy Spirit ministers TO us (as
in salvation) we must simply come to Him in faith. When He ministers TO us by
teaching the Word, by leading us, by comforting us, etc., we simply come to Him by
faith. If, however, we would desire to be used as an instrument OF His, there is a
price that we must pay. This price, of course, includes personal separation and
purity. It includes, among other things, a complete surrender to Christ. It also
includes supplication, or begging for His power.
It is one thing for a son to ask his dad to drive him somewhere in the family car; it is

another thing for that son to ask to USE the family car!
In the model prayer, known as the Lord's Prayer, there are several things for which
e are to ask. First, we are to ask for daily bread. The very fact that it is DAILY
bread teaches that we simply ask for it and receive it. Then there is the prayer for
forgiveness. God offers forgiveness to us by sincere request in faith. Then, we are to
ask protection from temptation and deliverance from evil. This is received in
response to our earnest request.
The lesson on prayer, however, does not end there with Luke 14:1-4. It goes on to
the discussion of the aforementioned host who was embarrassed because he had no
bread when his friend came to him at midnight. When one receives bread for
himself, he may simply ask his father. When he works in the bakery, he must pay a
great price of cleanliness, purity and supplication. God will not allow us to enter
into His very work and He will not impart to us the fulness off His Holy Spirit for
the winning of others until we have proved our purity and our sincerity.
When our son David was a teenager he could receive his food at the table by simply
saying, "Dad, pass the meat, please. Pass the bread, please." One day, however, he
said to me, "dad, could I have $20? I want to take my girlfriend out and buy her a
steak." Now he got the $20, but not as easily as he got the meat and bread when he
said, "Pass the food."
I said, "Twenty dollars? What are you going to do-buy that girlfriend a cow?" He
said, "Oh, come on, Dad. This is something special. Please let me have $20 so I can
take my girlfriend out to eat and buy a steak." I said, "When are you going? Where
are you going? Why are you going? With whom are you going???" I then replied,
"I've got to think about this, son." He kept begging and kept on pleading. Finally I
realized how important it was to him, and I gave him the $20. It was simple for him
to get bread for himself, but when I gave him that which he needed to feed another,
it was another matter.
When we employ somebody to work on the staff of the First Baptist Church of
Hammond, he is required to be clean. He is required to be faithful. He must share
our beliefs. He must convince me of his intense desire to work with me and for me.
When God employs someone to work in His work, He also requires that one be
clean, that he be faithful, that he agree with the true doctrines of the faith and that
he be in agreement with what God has written in His book.
This is why yielding and praying for His power is constantly necessary. When the
Holy Spirit was ministering TO you, He did it in response to your simple faith.
When He ministers WITH you, He requires that you pay a great price in your
personal life in your supplication.
Acts 8:99, 18-21, "But there was a certain man, called Simon, which before time in
the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that
himself was some great one. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the

apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me
also this power, that whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But
Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the
gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this
matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God."
Simon the sorcerer sought to obtain the results of the Holy Spirit's power by
purchasing it. The end that he sought was a noble one, but the means that he used to
reach that end were carnal and wrong.
The Holy Spirit is a very sensitive person. If we try to do His work in our way, He
will not do His work. He will not sing a duet; either He does the work that He is
supposed to do or He quietly tiptoes away and lets us flounder with our own flimsy
substitutes.
It is His job to comfort me. If I comfort myself, He will quietly tiptoe away. His
departure is such a quiet one that Samson did not realize that the Holy Spirit had
left him powerless. He "wist not" that the Spirit had departed from him. (Judges
16:20). If I comfort myself, I do it alone. If I pity myself, I do it alone. If I yield to
Him for comfort, what sweet solace is the result!
It is the job of the Holy Spirit to strengthen me. If I strengthen myself, He will not
do His work but will quietly tiptoe away. This does not mean that I should not stay
in good health, exercise, eat right, get proper rest, etc. This is spiritual strength or
spiritual power. If I supply my own power for preaching, then he will tiptoe away
and quietly leave me to do it alone. If I go soul winning in my own strength, He will
not argue with me or push Himself on me. He will, as a quiet peaceful dove, take His
flight, leaving me to wallow in my own strength and to flounder toward failure.
He is my teacher. If I read the Bible and use my own human wisdom, He will not
pursue me. He will gently take leave and allow me to study the Book alone. How
foolish of me when the Author is desirous to teach me!
Many years ago Henry Ford was driving down a highway. Soon he noticed that a
car had pulled off the road, that its hood was up, and its driver was attempting a
repair job. Henry Ford pulled his car behind the ill one, got out and asked the
driver if he could help him. The driver, in anger, said something like this: "Old
man, there's not anything that you can do that I can't do. You go your way; I'll take
care of this myself." Very quietly, graciously and gently, Henry Ford got back in his
car and drove off. Little did the driver realize that he had turned down the maker of
the car! Certainly the maker could repair it. The Holy Spirit comes to me and says,
"I notice your having trouble with your life."" I say to Him, "I can make it by
myself, thank You." He will very quietly and unobtrusively take His flight, and I
will have turned down my Maker, certainly the only One Who can adequately do
the repair!
When I teach in my own power, this sensitive One takes leave. When I preach in my
own power, He likewise departs.
When I seek to make my own synthetic joy, I deprive myself of His joy. This is
likewise true in teaching a Sunday school class, singing a special musical number,
teaching in a Christian school, rearing a child, and in the doing of every endeavor of

life pursued by the child of God.
The Holy Spirit must be invited to help. He must be invited every day. He must be
invited for every task. He must have free course to do His work alone. He will not
force His away to your side. He will simply tiptoe out unnoticed and will not help
again unless invited. Be careful! Be careful! Be careful! Do not offend Him! Do not
insult Him. Invite Him into every area of your life. Depend on Him to do that which
He has been ordained to do for you. Love Him, talk to Him, be friendly to Him, lest
He quietly slip away and leave you to work in your own energy which is doomed to
failure. Please notice II Corinthians 3:5-7, "Not that we are sufficient ourselves; but
our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new
testament; not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter killeth, but the Spirit
giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was
glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses
for the glory of His countenance; which glory was to be done away." Notice the
words, "for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life," in verse 6. The word
"letter" comes from the Greek word which means "something traced." Paul is
comparing two ways of doing the same thing: first, with the Spirit; second, trying to
trace it or copy it without the Spirit. It goes back to two witnesses in court. The
Jewish law requires two witnesses for a matter. One witness would kill the case; two
witnesses held up. When we witness alone in our own energy, it actually hurts. The
letter killeth. When we and the Holy Spirit witness together, it giveth life. When the
Christian witnesses in the power of the Holy Spirit, conviction comes and with it
comes conversion. Oftentimes the Christian who witnesses alone apart from the
power of the Holy Spirit is simply used to harden the heart of the sinner. When the
teacher of the Bible teaches with the Holy Spirit and His power, how exciting it is!
How refreshing it is! How thrilling it becomes! Yet when the teacher of the Bible
teaches in his own strength without the second witness, he becomes unbelievably
boring, and the attitude is given that the Bible is boring.
When a Gospel singer sings and the Holy Spirit sings with him and through him,
how heart warming, how life changing it is! But what is more formal and dead than
to hear a singer just perform in his own flesh for his own glory without the Holy
Spirit? There is no better example of the letter killing.
When the Holy Spirit leads us as we rear children, what a challenge it is to them!
They respond. They feel our love, our care and our concern. When the same rules
are enforced by the letter and not by the Spirit, they become harsh, cruel and hard.
There is nothing more wonderful than o serve God when the Holy Spirit works
through us and empowers us. There is nothing more laborious and difficult than to
serve in our own strength. Every servant of God should be very, very careful to
invite this dear, sensitive Holy Spirit into every endeavor of his life and should take
extra care to prevent His quiet departure, leaving the Christian to serve in the letter,
which killeth.

ATTRIBUTES
Special Attributes of the Holy Spirit
By Charles F. Stanley
As Christians, it’s possible for us to be unaware of one of God’s most awesome
blessings. Although we may know we’ve been saved, we might not realize that the Holy
Spirit came to live within us at that moment. And even if we’ve heard this truth, we may
not understand who the Spirit is or why His indwelling presence is significant. The
Scripture tells us everything we need to know about this amazing gift of the Holy Spirit
sent to us from our heavenly Father to enable us to become and do what He desires.
Consider these special attributes of the Holy Spirit:
1. He convicts us of sin (John 16:8).
2. He permanently indwells us (John 14:16-17).
3. He seals us (Eph. 1:13).
4. He teaches us (l "l "John 14:26).
5. He guides us into all truth (John 16:13).
6. He reminds us (John 14:26).
7. He bears fruit through us (Gal. 5:22-23).
8. He comforts us (John 16:7).
9. He equips us with spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:4-7).
10. He fills us (Eph. 5:18).
11. He empowers us (Acts 1:8).
Although the Spirit comes to indwell us immediately upon salvation, His work
within us takes a lifetime. His job is to enable us to do everything God desires and to
transform us into the people He wants us to be. Since we now have a constant
Helper reminding us who we are in Christ and equipping us for each day’s
challenges, we never have to struggle through life in our own strength. This doesn’t
mean we’ll never have difficulties, conflicts, or misunderstandings; but through
them all, He guards our way and gives us His wisdom. And when we sin, He
immediately convicts us so we can confess and receive forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
The Holy Spirit is our source of power.
When Jesus gave His disciples the task of preaching the gospel to the entire world,
they had absolutely no power to carry it out (Luke 24:49). That’s why Jesus told
them to wait until the Spirit came. In the same way, if we hope to accomplish what
God desires in our lives, we need to see Him as our source of power and strength.
The power of the Holy Spirit is God’s divine ability and authority released in
believers’ lives for the purpose of godly living and fruitful service. When we walk in

the Spirit, we’re relying on His strength to accomplish God’s will. As a result, we
experience the following benefits:
• We may get tired, but we won’t burn out.
• We won’t get discouraged by obstacles, knowing the Spirit within us will
enable us to do whatever He’s called us to accomplish.
• We’ll trust God rather than trying to manipulate our circumstances.
• We may experience distress, but we won’t become desperate.
When we do God’s work in His strength, in His way, and with His wisdom, we’ll be
blessed no matter what goes on around us. Walking in the Spirit doesn’t make life
easy, but we never have to walk through it alone because our Helper is always with
us.
What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit?
Although we’re sealed and indwelt by Him when we’re saved, this is not the same as
being filled. To be filled with the Spirit means we have surrendered our lives to
Him, acknowledging that He owns us and has the right to lead us. When we are fully
yielded and walking in obedience to His will, then He has full control and fills us
with Himself.
Personal Attributes
Of The Holy Spirit
MANY CHARACTERISTICS THAT ONLY A PERSON
CAN POSSESS ARE ASCRIBED TO THE HOLY SPIRIT.
The Holy Spirit has knowledge.
1 Corinthians 2:10-11 [10] but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit
searches all things, even the deep things of God. [11] For who among men knows the
thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one
knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
"Doesn't a computer have 'knowledge'? That's a thing, not a person."
The concept of 'knowledge' must not be confused with the concept of 'information'
or 'data'. 'Knowledge' is a concept that requires a living being. A book may contain
'data' or 'information', but the book doesn't 'know' the information.
Admittedly, at least in theory, man might some day produce computers so advanced
that we would consider them 'alive', but nothing like that currently exists. Even the
most advanced computers simply store and retrieve characters, do mathematical
operations and logical comparisons such as determining whether one quantity is
greater than, less than, or equal to another quantity.
The Holy Spirit has will—He makes determinations.
1 Corinthians 12:11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives

them to each one, just as he determines.
The Holy Spirit has a mind.
Romans 8:27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because
the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
Compare Romans 8:7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's
law, nor can it do so.
The Holy Spirit has love.
Romans 15:30 I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the
Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.
The Holy Spirit is intelligent.
The Holy Spirit is sentient.
Nehemiah 9:20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold
your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst.
Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,
"Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
Obviously, intelligence and sentience are needed to instruct and to call for
particular work. 'Sentience' is not the same as intellect or intelligence. A sentient
being understands that there is a 'big picture'. It understands abstract concepts
such as honesty, loyalty, community, and honor. It can conceive of events in the
distant future, e.g., retirement or graduation from college.
A sentient being is alive and has intelligence, but a creature can be alive and
intelligent yet not be sentient. Cats, dogs, and horses are intelligent, but probably
not sentient.
Compare Ephesians 1:11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined
according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the
purpose of his will ....
The Holy Spirit is described as good (as opposed to evil).
Rain is 'good' because it allows crops to grow; when 'good' is used in that sense it
simply means 'beneficial'. When the Spirit is described as 'good' it means good in
the moral sense, i.e., good as opposed to evil.
The Holy Spirit is able to grieve.
Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were
sealed for the day of redemption.
The Holy Spirit is blessed.
John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my
name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
Compare Psalms 118:26a Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.

MANY ACTS THAT ONLY A LIVING ENTITY CAN
PERFORM ARE ASCRIBED TO THE HOLY SPIRIT.
The Holy Spirit searches the deep things of God.
1 Corinthians 2:10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all
things, even the deep things of God.
The Holy Spirit speaks.
Hebrews 3:7-9 [7] So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice, [8] do
not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the
desert, [9] where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I
did."
Revelation 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in
the paradise of God.
Note: This does not necessarily mean "speak" in the literal sense, i.e., to cause air to
vibrate or to form words. In many instances when people say "the Spirit spoke to
me" they mean that they had an overwhelming feeling that they knew was from
God. Most often, this will be after they have been praying specifically for an answer
regarding a specific problem, e.g. "Should I take the job I'm being offered?"
The Holy Spirit calls out.
Galatians 4:6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."
The Holy Spirit hears.
John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.
He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you
what is yet to come.
The Holy Spirit intercedes.
Romans 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know
what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that
words cannot express.
The Holy Spirit has feelings. He "intercedes for us with groans that words cannot
express."
Sometimes a feeling such as love, joy, sadness, sorrow, frustration, or anger is so
strong that it cannot be fully expressed in words.
Romans 8:26 ... the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot
express.
The Holy Spirit gives testimony.
John 15:26 When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.

The Holy Spirit teaches all things.
John 16:13-14 [13] But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all
truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will
tell you what is yet to come. [14] He will bring glory to me by taking from what is
mine and making it known to you.
The Holy Spirit reveals.
1 Corinthians 2:10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all
things, even the deep things of God.
The Holy Spirit reminds men of things past.
The Holy Spirit leads or directs men what to do.
Romans 8:14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
The Holy Spirit commands men.
Acts 16:6-7 [6] Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia
and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the
province of Asia. [7] When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter
Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
The Holy Spirit prevents men from doing things.
Acts 16:6-7 [6] Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia
and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the
province of Asia. [7] When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter
Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
The Holy Spirit calls men to work and appoints them to office.
Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has
made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his
own blood.
The Holy Spirit goes forth upon the mission to which He is sent.
John 15:26 When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
Psalms 104:30 When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face

of the earth.
The Holy Spirit tells what is yet to come.
The Holy Spirit convicts the world of guilt in regard to sin.
John 16:8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and
righteousness and judgment:
In biblical usage, "to convict" does not mean a criminal conviction. It means the
Spirit will make men realize their sinfulness and feel guilt for their misdeeds.
The Holy Spirit takes sides in disputes.
Isaiah 63:10 Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became
their enemy and he himself fought against them.
The Holy Spirit changes sides in disputes.
The Holy Spirit fights against those who rebel against Him and grieve Him.
did."
The Holy Spirit chastises, disciplines, rebukes.
did."
Compare Proverbs 3:11-12 [11] My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline and
do not resent his rebuke, [12] because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a
father the son he delights in.
The Holy Spirit makes decisions on the basis of events and reasoning.
The Spirit did not change sides like the wind—out of pure coincidence; He changed
sides because they rebelled against Him. When He saw rebellion He had several
choices:
12. ignore the rebellion and continue to support them
13. punish them and continue to support them

14. ignore them and let them fend for themselves
15. change sides and actively fight them
He made a conscious decision to respond in a particular way.
The Holy Spirit performs works.
The Holy Spirit lives with believers and lives in believers.
John 14:16-17 [16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another
Counselor to be with you forever—[17] the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept
him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with
you and will be in you.
The Holy Spirit fellowships with believers.
2 Corinthians 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
To "fellowship" means to commune, to join together, to socialize, to "hang out
with" someone.
The Holy Spirit takes direction.
The Holy Spirit creates.
Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Psalms 104:30 When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face
of the earth.
The Holy Spirit dwells.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that
God's Spirit lives in you?
1 Corinthians 3:16 New English Bible Surely you know that you are God's temple,
where the Spirit of God dwells.
An Office is predicated of the Holy Spirit that could only be predicated of a person.
John 14:16-17 [16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another
Counselor to be with you forever—[17] the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept
him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with
you and will be in you.

It is the office of the Holy Spirit to be "another Counselor" (or paraclete) to take the
place of the absent Savior. Is it possible that Jesus Christ could use such language in
speaking of an impersonal influence or power?
John 16:7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I
go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
The Holy Spirit is treated in ways that only a person, not a thing, is treated.
The Holy Spirit is rebelled against.
did."
People cause the Holy Spirit to grieve.
See Isaiah 63:10 in the previous point.
Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were
sealed for the day of redemption.
The Holy Spirit can be insulted.
Hebrews 10:29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be
punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an
unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the
Spirit of grace?
The Holy Spirit is lied to.
Acts 5:3 Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that
you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you
received for the land?"
The Holy Spirit is blasphemed against.
Matthew 12:31-32 [31] And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven
men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. [32] Anyone who
speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks
against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
"To blaspheme" means to slander a celestial being.
Note: God deals with man in a series of 'ages'. Each age has a different set of rules.
For instance, the Garden was one age, the Law, ushered in by Moses, was another
age, the age of grace, ushered in by Jesus, is another age, and the Millennial
Kingdom, during which Satan will be bound and Christ will physically preside over
the nations, is another age, "the age yet to come." The Tribulation will actually be
the final seven years of the age of the Law.

B.
BAPTISM OF SPIRIT
HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISM -- JUST THE SCRIPTURES PLEASE
by Bryan Gibson
Much has been written and said about Holy Spirit baptism, sometimes with
little concern for what the New Testament actually teaches. We will do our
best to stick with the scriptures in this article.
John the Baptist promised that “one mightier than I” would baptize with
(“in”—ASV) the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16). That
this One would be Jesus was confirmed to John in a remarkable way. God
told John, “Upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining on
Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit” (John 1:33). John saw
what God described when he baptized Jesus (John 1:32; Matthew 3:13-17),
and so he knew for sure that Jesus was the One who would baptize with the
Holy Spirit.
Here is where we need to be careful. We might assume that Jesus baptized
people with the Holy Spirit on a regular basis, but we can only find two
instances in the New Testament specifically described as Holy Spirit
baptism.
First, Jesus promised the apostles that He would baptize them with the Holy
Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8). He specifically told the apostles to wait in
Jerusalem until they received this promise, and it was there in Jerusalem that
they were baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4, 33).
Jesus baptized the apostles with the Holy Spirit to give them power for their

work as His witnesses (Acts 1:8; 4:33). They were empowered in basically
two different ways. First, the Holy Spirit revealed all truth to them (John
14:26; 16:13), so that what they spoke and what they wrote was inspired of
God. Secondly, they were empowered to perform miracles, in order to
confirm that what they were teaching came from God (Acts 14:3; Mark
16:20).
There is only one other example specifically called Holy Spirit baptism in
the New Testament—a Gentile named Cornelius and his household (Acts
10:44-48; 11:15-18). That this was an unusual event can be seen in Peter’s
words when he recounted what happened: “And as I began to speak, the
Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning” (Acts 11:15). To
describe this unique event, Peter had to go back to the time when the
apostles were baptized with the Holy Spirit (“at the beginning”).
Cornelius and his household were baptized with the Holy Spirit for a special
purpose: to convince the Jews that God made no distinction between them
and the Gentiles, to show that the Gentiles could be saved through Jesus
Christ—without having to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses (Acts
11:17-18; 15:5-11). It had this very effect on the Jews in Jerusalem because
this was their reaction when Peter told them everything that had happened:
“Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life” (Acts 11:18).
Baptism with the Holy Spirit is not something we should seek today—in
fact, it was not even sought by the people cited in the examples above. It had
a unique purpose for the apostles and for Cornelius and his household. We
don’t need it for the reasons the apostles did, because all truth has been
revealed and confirmed. And we certainly don’t need it for the reason it was
given to Cornelius and his family, because we can learn the same lesson
from what happened to them. The “one baptism” of Ephesians 4:5 is water
baptism, and it is necessary for the remission of sins (Acts 10:47-48; 2:38;
8:35-39). Holy Spirit baptism was a promise, fulfilled in only certain
individuals; water baptism is a command that everyone must obey.

NOTE D. THE BAPTISM OF THE SPIRIT. The phrase, ' the Baptism of the Holy
Ghost,' is so frequently used as to call for careful notice. As it stands, it is not found in
Holy Scripture, though there are seven passages which speak of being baptised in (or
with) the Holy Spirit. The first four of these are associated with the words of John the
Baptist in stating the difference between his own baptism and that of the coming Messiah
(Matt. iii. 11 ; Mark i. 8 ; Luke iii. 16 ; John i. 26, 33). Two others refer to the same
distinction (Acts i. 5 ; xi. 16). The seventh is i Cor. xii. 13. In one passage (Mark i. 8) the
preposition ei' is omitted. But even the preposition may be fairly translated ' with '
according to a well known Hebraism, which makes eV stand for 5- Then again, the
reference to baptism in, or with, the Holy --^ Spirit is plainly stated as the actual
experience of every Christian without exception, and not at all as the special ' privilege
of the certain number. This is absolutely clear in I Cor. xii. 13, and is implied in other
passages. As the term ' baptism,' when applied to water, refers to an initial act which is
never repeated, and is used of designation for, and introduction to a new sphere of
relationship, it is perhaps best to interpret the phrase, ' baptised in (or with) the Holy
NOTES 277 Ghost ' as referring to the initial work of the Holy Spirit in uniting believers
to Christ and to one another in Him (Acts ii. 33 ; Gal. iv. 6). If this is the true meaning,
then the view that the baptism of the Holy Ghost is a second distinct work of grace after
conversion is without any warrant in Holy Scripture, especially as the phrase, ' the
baptism of the Holy Ghost,' is not found in the New Testament. But while believing that a
Spirit-filled life is the privilege and duty of every believer, and that as a matter of
personal experience A it is often realised by means of a distinct crisis after conversion,
yet much modern phraseology about ' the Baptism of the -^ Spirit ' does not seem to be
justified by the New Testament, which teaches that all who are born again have been
baptized by the Spirit into the one body of Christ. Instead of seeking some exceptional
and transcendental experience, it is rather the true duty of the believer to accept and yield
quietly each day to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit for the purpose of Christian living.
See also Note E, ' The Fulness of the Spirit.' Scroggie, The Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
McConkey, The Three-fold Secret of the Holy Spirit. Biederwolf, A Help to the Study of
the Holy Spirit, ch. ix. (Important for its statement of various views.) Robson, The Holy
Ghost the Paraclete, p. 149. A. J. Gordon, The Ministry of the Spirit, p. 75. Elder
Gumming, Through the Eternal Spirit, p. 149. Torrey, The Baptism with the Holy Ghost.
Moule, Veni Creator, p. 12. Humphries, The Holy Spirit in Faith and Experience, p. 194.
Denney, Article ' Holy Spirit,' vol. i. Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels. Wolston,
Another Comforter, p. 221
By Doug Batchelor |
Just as you can have varying intensities of relationships with people, you can have a
relationship with the Holy Spirit in varying degrees. Did Jesus have the Holy Spirit

before He began His ministry? Of course He did, but the Holy Spirit came down to Him
in a special measure at His baptism. Still, “God gives not the Spirit by measure unto him”
(John 3:34). This means that Jesus had a limitless supply of the Holy Spirit.
Likewise, did the apostles have the Holy Spirit before Pentecost? Yes, because Jesus sent
them out to preach. Would He have done that if they didn’t have the Spirit? However,
they received a special fullness of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, often called the baptism of
the Holy Spirit, at the time of Pentecost. John the Baptist prophesied this in Matthew
3:11: “I indeed baptize you with water … but there is One coming after me who is
mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. He will baptize you with the Holy
Spirit and with fire.”
In the parable of the 10 virgins, half of them were not prepared for the great wedding
feast. What distinguished those who were ready from those who were not ready? The
amount of oil in their vessels. Every virgin had oil, which represents the Holy Spirit. But
some had more than others, and those others simply didn’t have enough. It’s not enough
to have the Holy Spirit in your life. Instead, you must have enough of the Holy Spirit in
your life. Some Christians are satisfied to have a thin relationship with the Lord, but the
Lord longs for us to be filled with the Spirit.
G. CAMPBELL MORGAN, “THE BAPTISM OF THE SPIRIT
IN dealing with these matters of the Spirit, it is wise
to keep, as far as possible, to the terms of the New
Testament; and it would be an enormous gain if they
were used only as they are used in Scripture. The term
the baptism of the Spirit has been very generally mis-
understood, and therefore misapplied. It has been used
as though it were synonymous with the filling of the
Spirit; and, consequently, some persons speak of the
baptism of the Spirit as a second blessing. They teach

that it is necessary to ask for, and to wait for, and to ex-
pect this baptism of the Spirit, as something different
from and beyond conversion. That is a view utterly
unauthorized by Scripture. The baptism of the Spirit
is the primary blessing; it is, in short, the blessing of
regeneration. When a man is baptized with the Spirit,
he is born again. There is, however, an essential dif-
ference between that initial blessing and the blessing into
which thousands of God's people have been entering
during recent years the difference between the bap-
tism of the Spirit and the filling of the Spirit.
In the majority of cases in the experience of believers,
the filling of the Spirit is realized after the baptism.
They are identical in the purpose of God, but there is a
difference in the experience. So important is it that
Christian people should have a clear understanding of
what the baptism of the Spirit really is, that it will be
well to review the whole of the passages in the New
Testament in which the words are used, in order to a
correct appreciation of the true significance of the
phrase.
John . . . when he saw many of the Pharisees and
Sadducees coming to his baptism, said unto them . . . I

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