The Holy Spirit
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things." — John 14:26
"Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?"1 Corinthians 3:16
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity — fully God, co-equal with the Father and Son. Far from being an impersonal force, the Spirit is a Person who thinks, wills, loves, and grieves.
The Spirit's Work in Salvation
The Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). He regenerates the believer — bringing them from spiritual death to life (John 3:5-8). He seals every believer as God's own possession (Ephesians 1:13-14).
The Indwelling Spirit
Every Christian is indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9). This is the promise of the New Covenant — not merely God's presence among his people, but God's Spirit within each individual. The body of the believer is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).
Sanctification
The Spirit is the agent of sanctification — progressively conforming believers to the image of Christ. The fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control — Galatians 5:22-23) is evidence of the Spirit's work.
Spiritual Gifts
The Spirit distributes gifts to believers for the building up of the church (1 Corinthians 12). Christians hold various views on the continuation of miraculous gifts today, but all agree that every believer is gifted by the Spirit for service.