Living Waters
Lesson 1
“The Person and Nature of the Holy Spirit”
I. Into our history
A. Suggested Ice-breaker:
Preparation: Three glass bowls or regular dinner/paper plates, and one egg.
Object Lesson : Place the bowl/plate where everyone can see them. Show the group the egg and ask the question, “What is this?” Hopefully they will say an egg! Now, crack the egg open and separate the yolk from the white. Put the yolk in one bowl, put the whites in the second bowl, and put the shell in another. Now point to the bowl with the yolk in it and ask, “What is this?” Most will say, “Yolk” but you want them to get back to the general statement that it is an egg. Go down the line pointing to the whites and then the shell. All three separate pieces still represent the egg, but now are just different parts.
So it is with the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. They are three distinct persons, but one being or substance.
B. Preliminary questions:
Question : Were you ever taught about the Trinity as a child? Did you understand it?
Question : Does the egg illustration help in understanding the Trinity?
Question : What are some weaknesses in the analogy?
“Try to explain the Trinity, and you may lose your mind. Try to explain it away and you may lose your soul”
- Anonymous
C. Transition:
1. The Trinity — the triune nature of God — is a basic doctrine of Christianity. Though the word “Trinity” does not appear in the Bible, the elements of the doctrine are taken entirely from the Bible. We are going to spend the next several weeks studying the person and work of the third person of the Trinity: The Holy Spirit.
2. Question: How would you respond to the following quotes?
“The Scriptures themselves unite to show that God’s Holy Spirit is not a person, but is God’s active force by which he accomplishes his purpose and executes his will.” (Aid to Bible Understanding, Brooklyn: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, 1969, 1971, p. 1543)
“As for the ‘Holy Spirit,’ the so-called ‘third person of the Trinity,’ we have already seen that it is, not a person, but God’s active force.” (The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life, Brooklyn: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, 1968, p.24)
II. Into the Bible
A. The Holy Spirit is a Person:
1. He can be grieved - Read Ephesians 4:30.
Ephesians 4:30: 30 “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
2. He has a will - Read 1 Corinthians 12:11.
1 Corinthians 12:11: 11 “ But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”
3. He can be lied to - Read Acts 5.
Acts 5:1: “ But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? 4 "While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."
4. Question - How would you respond to someone who says: “If we conclude that the Holy Spirit is a person due to passages that ascribe to him characteristics of personality, why can’t we equally argue that the Spirit is not a person, due to other instances where he is described has having non-personal characteristics? He is described as fire, water, as being poured out, as well as filling people. ” 6
Even though the Bible sometimes uses non-personal attributes to describe the Father and the Son, it is nonetheless clear that they are persons. So it is with the Holy Spirit. For example:
Hebrews 12:29: 29 “…for our God is a consuming fire.”
Psalm 3:3: 3 “But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.”
B. The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Holy Trinity:
Question: What are some examples in Scripture where we find all three members of the Trinity working together?
1. The Incarnation of Jesus:
Luke 1:35: 35 “The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”
2. The Baptism of Jesus:
Matthew 3:16 – 17: 16 “After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, 17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."
3. The Public Ministry of Jesus:
Acts 10:38: 38 "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”
4. The Crucifixion of Jesus:
Hebrews 9:14: 14 “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
5. The Resurrection of Jesus:
Romans 1:1-4: 1 “ Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
6. The Commission of Jesus:
Matthew 28:19: 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
7. The Promise of Jesus:
Acts 2:33: 33 "Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.”
“Each person of the Godhead - -and I mean this reverently --- was jealous to be included in the process of redeeming humanity.”
- Derek Prince, Atonement
III. Into our lives
A. Closing Question:
We have seen that the Holy Spirit is clearly a person – God -- and the third person of the Holy Trinity. Since Scripture declares that believers have the Holy Spirit indwelling them (1 Cor. 3:16), what comfort do we derive from the indwelling presence of the person, the Spirit of God?
The Holy Spirit is a companion to us today much in the same way as Jesus was a companion to the apostles thousands of years ago. Just as Jesus was able to relate, sympathize, console, and lead his disciples, so the Holy Spirit relates, sympathizes, consoles, and leads us.
B. Ministry Time:
Ask the group if there is something that they need consolation, direction, or help? If the group is more than four people, break off into groups of two or three and pray for one another, asking that the Spirit of God for his aid in those specific areas in each others lives.
Notes:
We must keep in mind that all earthly analogies, although helpful at pointing us in the right direction, breakdown ultimately. Isaiah 40:18: “To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him?” So, with the illustration of the egg, one may argue that the yolk is ¼ of the egg, the shell is ½ of the egg, and the white ½ of the egg. So, if one orders an egg at a local restaurant and they deliver one without the yolk, you can protest that you’re missing something essential to the nature of the egg (You really don’t have an egg unless you have the yolk). In the illustration, this might translate into each member of the trinity being regarded as 1/3 of God. The balance that we should strive for is one that recognizes the distinction of personality within the Godhead, while not allowing this distinction to divide the substance (or being) or God.
Cited in Martin, Kingdom of the Cults, pg 53.
Chances are that someone in the group will point out that the Holy Spirit is described has having attributes of personality. Try to illicit particular passages on the personality of the Holy Spirit from your group. Use these answers as a spring board into the specific passages cited in the “Into the Bible” section.
Isaiah 63:10: “But they rebelled And grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them.”