The difference between Christianity and all other religions is Christianity has the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit Christianity would be just another man made religion.
What is the Holy Spirit? What is its’ purpose? How do you know if you have the Holy Spirit? and is it really necessary for today? These are some of the questions I will be addressing in this study using the New King James Version of the Bible as our guide.
The first question is what is the Holy Spirit? Simply put, the Holy Spirit is the spirit of Jesus Christ living inside of you.
In 1 Corinthians 6:19 we read, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” We also see in Romans 8:9 that the Holy Spirit is referred to as “the Spirit of Christ”. “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.”
In Colossians 1:27 we read. “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
We also see that the Holy Spirit is actually the Spirit of Jesus Christ as stated in Galatians 4:19, “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you,”
The Holy Spirit is the power of God living inside of you. In Romans 15:13 we read, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
This shows us Christians just how dependent we are on the Holy Spirit for our very survival. Even new Christians to the faith have to understand that it’s not alcool salerno their power that keeps them as Christians but it’s the power of God’s Holy Spirit. We can see that in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing”.
Without Christ we can do nothing but with Christ we can do all things! That verse is found in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
We can now see that one of the purposes of the Holy Spirit is to empower us to do the will of God. I know some people are thinking I am afraid God will ask me to do something I don’t want to do.
According to God’s word God’s Spirit who is inside of you has that taken care of that problem. In Philippians 2:13 we read, “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
Once you trust God you will discover that there is no greater joy on this planet than when you find yourself doing God’s will and it turns out that it was also your will.
Another very important function of the Holy Spirit is to communicate with you that you belong to God and you are “a child of God”. The Bible says in Romans 8:16-17,
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”
By reading this verse you can see that when you accept Jesus and ask for His Holy Spirit at some point in time the Holy Spirit will bear witness with your spirit that you are a “child of God”. I have found in my life with my insecurities that I need constant reminding.
The Bible says in James 4:8 “Draw near to me and I will draw near to you.”
The closer we move towards God the more we will experience God’s Holy Spirit in our lives.
The Bible says God gave us His Holy Spirit as a “guarantee” of our citizenship in heaven and He has sealed us until the “day of redemption.” In 2 Corinthians 5:5 we read, “Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”
In 2 Corinthians 1:22 we read “who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” And in Ephesians 4:30, we read “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
If then God has “sealed” you and guarantees your place in His kingdom then the only one who can remove this seal on you is God and God says in Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
