GOD’S SPIRIT
Spirit of Life
The Spirit of God creates us and gives us life. The Spirit recreates all who believe in Christ, giving us new life and drawing us together as the people of God. The Spirit of life fills us, gifts us, transforms us, matures us, and unites us as a loving community so that the world can see and come to know the saving love of God. The Spirit will one day unite us together with God when Christ returns.
Spirit of God
God is Love. God exists as Father, Son, and Spirit, united as one in love. God is also Spirit. According to the will of the Father through the Son and the creating power of the Spirit of God, man and woman were created to be image bearers of God, designed to live forever in a united loving relationship with God.
- 1 John 4:8
God is Love. - John 4:24
God is Spirit.
Spirit of Life
The Spirit of God is the life of God given to us. The Spirit of God is also the presence of God with us. The presence of the Spirit means the life of God is with us. God breathed his Spirit, his life, his presence, into us. We were created by God through the life of the Spirit to be in close relationship with God and to live in his presence.
- Job 33:4
The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Spirit of Christ
The Spirit convicts all of sin and calls all to believe in Jesus Christ. Those who believe in Jesus Christ by faith receive new life from Christ. This new life is the Spirit of Christ that is given to us to seal or mark us as belonging to Christ. The presence of the Spirit in us guarantees that we have eternal life and will inherit all that awaits those who belong to the family of God.
- Ephesians 1:14
When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance…
Spirit of the Church
Upon returning to the Father, Christ sent his presence, his Spirit, into the world, to be with us until he returns. The Spirit came upon all who believed, first to the Jews at Pentecost, and then to the gentiles, showing that all who believe are part of the one family of God, the church. The Spirit now unites all who belong to Christ to be the place where God dwells.
- Ephesians 2:22
And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Spirit Fills
When we believe we receive new life and the presence of Christ by the Spirit. We are then called to be filled with the Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit is not a second filling, nor is it about how much we are filled. Being filled is in every moment being controlled by the Spirit, to reflect the character and love of Christ, rather than grieving or hindering the Spirit by being controlled by other things.
- Ephesians 4:30
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God… - Ephesians 5:18
…be filled with the Spirit…
Spirit Gifts
The Spirit gives different kinds of spiritual gifts to each one, just as he determines. Each one is to use their different gifts in love to unify and build up the family of God toward maturity. This makes each one unique, valuable, and indispensable to the building up of the body of Christ, yet also dependant on others for their own growth and maturity.
- 1 Corinthians 12:4
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.
Spirit Transforms
We were created as image bearers of God, to reflect his holy character and live in perfect relationship with God and others. The original relationship with God, which was broken by the fall, was restored by Christ. The Spirit within those who believe now transforms our life and relationships toward maturity to produce the fruit of the Spirit and reflect the image of Christ.
- 2 Corinthians 3:18
And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Spirit Unifies
All those who believe have new life in Christ and have been placed into the one family of God. As the family of God, the Spirit now calls us to make the unity we already have in Christ evident to the world. We are called to be a visible, united, loving community, so the world will come to know and experience the saving love of God.
- Ephesians 4:3
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Spirit Life
The power of God through the Spirit of life raised Jesus from the dead. The same Spirit of life now lives in all who believe, giving us true life, and guaranteeing our future resurrection when Christ returns. This means that we have eternal life now, because the Spirit of life who lives in those who believe will never leave us but will be with us forevermore.
- Romans 8:11
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
Spirit Goal
The Spirit indwells all who believe, to gift, transform, mature, and unite us as one, so that one day we, the people of God, will be presented as the perfect bride of Christ. The Spirit of life will then unite us forever to the eternal life of the loving community of God. And so we will be together forever with the triune Father, Son, and Spirit of God.
- Revelation 22:17
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
Life of the Spirit
The Spirit of God within us gives us a life of faith, helps us love, and encourages us to live in hope. The Spirit gifts us to serve and build up one another, it transforms our lives to be like Christ, and binds us together as the people of God in love and unity, to be a witness to the love of God for all. The Spirit within us guarantees eternal life now and secures our future resurrection to a united life of love with God forever. Therefore “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25