Living on the Promises: The Holy Spirit

Jesus’ Special Promise: The Helper

What’s so significant about the Holy Spirit as a promise? He is the source of all other blessings and promises. Without the Spirit, we would not be able to enter our full inheritance as God’s children.

Throughout Scripture, we find the Holy Spirit acting in various roles. As the third person of the trinity, He was present at creation:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:1-2 ESV).

The Holy Spirit is mentioned about 100 times throughout the Old Testament in different ways, especially in leadership, prophecy, and power. In Ezekiel, a new Spirit is promised with the new covenant.

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you….And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules (36:26-27 ESV).

The Holy Spirit played a special role in Jesus’ life on earth, filling and anointing Him with power. When He was preparing His disciples for His departure, Jesus promised to send them a Helper.

The giving of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai instituted the beginning of the Mosaic Covenant. Likewise, the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost confirmed the new covenant inaugurated by Jesus.

When the Holy Spirit fell like fire on the believers on the Day of Pentecost, Peter declared that it was the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy: “I will pour out my Spirit on all people” (2:28 NIV).

Because of the power poured out at Pentecost, all believers receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit the moment they accept Jesus as their Savior. This joins them to the body of Christ.

And what are the benefits the Helper provides for believers? The Spirit indwells and seals believers, which means He will never leave us, and we are secure until “the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30 ESV).

The Spirit gives all believers gifts, God-given abilities for service. The purpose of these gifts is to edify other Christians. Several passages in the New Testament list the various gifts: 1 Corinthians 12; Romans 12; Ephesians 4; and 1 Peter 4.

The Holy Spirit also fills believers, which enables them to walk daily in the Spirit and display His fruits.

Other important ministries of the Holy Spirit include teaching, guiding, assuring, and praying.

The promise of the Holy Spirit, then, is vital to all believers today. The best part is that as believers, we have already received this promise!

Read these verses about the Holy Spirit and tell us how focusing on Him changes your life!

Week One

I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him…You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you (John 14:16-17 ESV).

Week Two

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23 ESV).

Week Three

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8 ESV).

Week Four

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words (Romans 8:26 ESV).