Many passages in holy Scriptures testify to the Holy Spirit. These verses help the children of Elohim to get to know the Holy Spirit better and thus to be able to distinguish whether it is the Holy Spirit speaking or whether they are dealing with a false inspiration. This ability to distinguish is also called ‘discernment’.
1) Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Spirit of Truth –> John 14:17
„…the Spirit of truth that the world cannot receive because he does not see him nor know him. But you know him, for he abides with you and he will be in you„.
The Spirit of Truth can only speak the truth and speak about the truth. He never lies, unlike the father of lies, about whom we read in John 8:44: “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the lusts of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in truth, because the truth is not in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own, for he is a liar and the father of lie”.
The Spirit of Holiness –> Romans 1:3-4
„Concerning his Son Yehoshua Mashiah our Lord, who came from the posterity of David according to the flesh; 4 And determined the Son of Elohim with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead„.
Since the Holy Spirit is holy, he convicts of sin, justice, and judgment.
„And when he will come, he will convince the world of sin, of justice and of judgment“ (John 16:8).
The Parakletos –> John 14:16 and 1 John 2:1
„And I will pray the Father and he will give you another parakletos, that he may abide with you forever„.
In various Bible translations, this Greek word is rendered differently, for example as ‚helper‘, ‚comforter’… We read in the comments in the BYM about the Greek noun and adjective ‚parakletos‚: This means ’summoned‘, ‚called to one’s side‘, ‚called to help‘. As a noun, it refers to ‚one who pleads for another‘, ‚a judge‘, ‚a party to a lawsuit‘, ‚a defender‘, ‚a legal advisor‘, ‚a lawyer‘.
We find another explanation in 1 John 2:1: „Yehoshua, our defender: The word ‚parakletos‘ (Greek noun) is also found in John 14 to 16, where it is used for the Holy Spirit. The Lord currently has the function of our defender or legal helper in heaven (see Romans 8:33 and Hebrews 7:25).“
“My little children, I write these things to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone has sinned, we have a parakletos with the Father, Yehoshua Mashiah the Righteous” (1 John 2:1).
Here we draw parallels again to the Bible passage we read earlier from John 16:8: „And when he will come, he will convince the world of sin, of justice and of judgment„.
So if the Spirit of Holiness convicts of justice and the parakletos is Yehoshua Mashiah, the Righteous One, then the Spirit of Holiness also refers to Yehoshua Mashiah!
The Spirit of Yehoshua –> Philippians 1:19-20
„For I know that this will turn to my salvation through your supplication, and the supply of the Spirit of Yehoshua Mashiah, 20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I will be ashamed…„.
Here, too, it can be seen that this is one and the same Spirit, the parakletos: the Spirit of Yehoshua, who supplies.
The Spirit of the Lord –> Luke 4:18-19 and Isaiah 61:1-2
„18 The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to evangelize to the afflicted, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord„.
The Spirit of the Lord mentioned by the prophet Yesha’yah is mentioned again here by the Lord Yehoshua himself.
The Spirit of Elohim -> Romans 8:9
„But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since the Spirit of Elohim dwells in you…„.
As we continue reading the verse, we realise that this Spirit of Elohim is also the Spirit of the Mashiah.
The Spirit of the Mashiah –> Romans 8:9
„…Now if anyone have not the Spirit of Mashiah, he is not his„.
Another passage about the Spirit of Mashiah testifies that the Holy Spirit already existed in the Old Covenant:
„10 Of which salvation the prophets have investigated and have searched anxiously and diligently, who prophesied of the grace that is in you. 11 Searching to find out for what time, or what circumstance indicated the Spirit of Mashiah which was in them, and which testified beforehand the sufferings of Mashiah, and the glories which would be followed“ (1 Peter 1:10-11).
The Holy Spirit is therefore by no means one of three persons (Father, Son, Spirit), but is ONE, the same, as we have now read.
2) Examples of people with the Holy Spirit
Did Yohanan the Baptist have the Holy Spirit?
Yohanan the Baptist and the Holy Spirit –> Luke 1:39-45
In the account of Myriam’s visit to her relative Eliysheba, the mother of Yohanan (John), we learn that both Eliysheba and her baby in her womb were already filled with the Holy Spirit:
„And Myriam arose in those days, and went into the mountainous district with haste, into a city of Yehudah. 40 And she entered the house of Zekaryah, and greeted Eliysheba. 41 And it came to pass, that, when Eliysheba heard the greeting of Myriam, the baby leaped in her womb. And Eliysheba was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she cried out with a loud voice and said: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the voice of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she that believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord„.
- Yohanan said of himself that he was not the coming Elijah.
This statement referred to the Jews‘ belief that Elijah would return in the same way that he had ascended to heaven. Since Yohanan the Baptist did not identify with this figure, he asserted in John 1:21 that he was not Elijah:
„And they asked him: What then? Are you Eliyah? And he says: I am not…„.
- Yehoshua, on the other hand, did compare Yohanan to Elijah.
Matthew 11:10-14: „For this is the one about whom it is written: Behold, I send my messenger before your face, to prepare your way before you. 11 Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than Yohanan the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And from the days of Yohanan the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the torah have prophesied until Yohanan. 14 And if you want to receive it, it is the one who is the Eliyah that must come„.
Matthew 17:11-13: „And Yehoshua responding said to them: Eliyah indeed comes first, and will restore all things to their former state. 12 But I say to you, that Eliyah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. In the same way, the Son of human is about to suffer from them. 13 Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist„.
Where in the Tanakh is the Spirit of YHWH mentioned? –> Isaiah 11:1-4
The prophet Yesha’yah speaks of the Spirit of YHWH in chapter 11:
„And the spirit of YHWH will rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of YHWH“ (Isaiah 11:2).
Did people in the Old Covenant also have the Holy Spirit?
1 Peter 1:10-11: „Of which salvation the prophets have investigated and have searched anxiously and diligently, who prophesied of the grace that is in you. 11 Searching to find out for what time, or what circumstance indicated the Spirit of Mashiah which was in them, and which testified beforehand the sufferings of Mashiah, and the glories which would be followed„.
The example of King Shaul
In the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 10, we read how Shaul was anointed king. In 1 Samuel 10:6 it says: „And the Spirit of YHWH will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man„.
Here it is clearly stated that King Shaul received the Holy Spirit.
Where in the Bible is the Holy Spirit first explicitly mentioned?
- When the angel announced the birth of Yehoshua: „And the angel answered and said to her: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also, the Holy One who will be born of you will be called the Son of Elohim“ (Luke 1:35)
- When Miryam was pregnant: „Now the birth of Yehoshua Mashiah happened in this way. Myriam his mother, having been engaged to Yossef, before they lived together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit“ (Matthew 1:18).
3) What does the Holy Spirit do?
Love in our hearts -> Romans 5:5
Romans 5:5: „Now hope does not make us ashamed, because the love of Elohim has been poured in our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit who has been given to us„.
The Spirit convinces/convicts the world -> John 16:7-11
„7 But I tell you the truth: it is profitable for you that I depart. Because if I do not depart, the parakletos will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he will come, he will convince the world of sin, of justice and of judgment: 9 about sin, because they did not believe in me; 10 and about justice, because I go to my Father and you see me no more; 11 and about judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged“ (John 16).
The Spirit seals the believers
Ephesians 4:30: „And grieve not the holy Spirit of Elohim, by whom you been marked with a seal to the day of redemption„.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22: „Now he making us firm with you in Mashiah, and having anointed us, is Elohim; 22 who has also sealed us, and given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts„.
The Holy Spirit can be grieved
Ephesians 4:30: „And grieve not the holy Spirit of Elohim, by whom you been marked with a seal to the day of redemption„.