Theology / The Holy Spirit

  • The Spirit of Life

    Isaiah 32:9–20

    The Holy Spirit certainly worked in the old covenant people, regenerating the faithful remnant to trust in the Lord. Yet the old covenant people knew that a greater measure of the Spirit was yet to come. Under the new covenant ...Read More

  • The Spirit of Glory

    1 Peter 4:14

    The work of the Holy Spirit is extensive, and we will explore further how we may walk in the Spirit next week. We should note today, however, that the Holy Spirit does not tend to make a fuss about Himself ...Read More

  • God the Holy Spirit

    Genesis 1:1–2

    We do not totally understand what it means for the Father to be unbegotten, the Son to be begotten, and the Spirit to proceed. As Augustine once said, we use these terms not because we can define them fully but ...Read More

  • The Gift of the Spirit

    John 14:16–17a

    Christ has ascended to heaven and has poured out the Holy Spirit to equip us for ministry, pray for us, and convince us of the truth of God’s Word. This work is necessary for us, and without the Spirit ...Read More

  • The Spirit-filled Life

    Ephesians 5:18-19

    Today’s passage also tells us that evidence of the Spirit-filled life includes being full of song and delight (Eph. 5:19). Matthew Henry comments: “Though Christianity is an enemy to profane mirth, yet it encourages joy and gladness. God ...Read More

  • Grieving the Holy Spirit

    Ephesians 4:30

    Just as we experience the joy of restoration upon repentance, so we make amends for grieving the Spirit when we turn from our sin and seek to do His will. When we sense a distance in our relationship to God ...Read More

  • One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism

    Ephesians 4:5-6

    Water baptism does not guarantee that the person baptized has true faith in the Messiah, but it is so closely tied to the baptism of the Spirit we receive at conversion that people should not be rebaptized even if they ...Read More

  • One Body, One Spirit, One Call

    Ephesians 4:4

    Although we all have different roles in the body of Christ, our call is the same — to live together in loving unity with other believers as we worship the Lord in the beauty of His holiness and proclaim the gospel ...Read More

  • Trinitarian Salvation

    Ephesians 2:18

    Adherents of other religions confess belief in one God, but orthodox Christianity alone affirms the existence of one God who exists eternally as three persons who all share the same essence. The love shared between the three persons of the ...Read More

  • Dead On Arrival

    Ephesians 2:1

    John Calvin says that “while we remain in Adam, we are entirely devoid of life; and that regeneration is a new life of the soul, by which it rises from the dead.” We do not come into the world sick ...Read More

  • Wisdom and Revelation by the Spirit

    Ephesians 1:17

    The “spirit of wisdom and of revelation” is not some esoteric gift or special blessing received after conversion. Instead, it refers to the work of the Spirit to help all the people of God understand the things of God. If ...Read More

  • The Sealing of the Spirit

    Ephesians 1:13-14

    Matthew Henry comments, “This deposit makes it as sure to the heirs as though they already possessed it; and it is purchased for them by the blood of Christ.” The blood of Jesus cannot fail to purchase those for whom ...Read More

  • Our Hiddenness in God

    Colossians 3:3-4

    The world sees Christians as ignorant, backward, and even evil because God has concealed our identity to all except those who trust His only begotten Son. Because of the sin that still clings to us, however, sometimes we cannot see ...Read More

  • God in Christ

    Colossians 2:9-10

    To say that all we need is Christ for growth in grace is not somehow to make the Word of God, the sacraments, or the church superfluous. Jesus, by His Spirit, dwells in us, but remaining sin means that we ...Read More

  • Proclaiming Christ

    Colossians 1:28-29

    God calls all of us to take part in the teaching ministry of the church, though not all of us have the same role. Some will be ordained teachers. Others will help their children memorize Scripture. Still others may support ...Read More