The Holy Spirit
The Spirit is not the New Testament’s afterthought but its engine – a who, never an it. He broods over the whole story: conceiving Jesus in Mary (Luke 1:35), descending like a dove at the Jordan (Mark 1:10), driving Jesus into the wilderness and empowering the ministry that followed (“the Spirit of the Lord is upon me,” Luke 4:18).
In the upper room Jesus promised him by his richest name, Paraclete – Helper, Advocate, Comforter: “another Helper, to be with you forever… he dwells with you and will be in you.” His work is a job description: teach and remind, bear witness to Christ, convict the world, guide into all truth, glorify Jesus (John 14-16). “It is to your advantage that I go away” – an astonishing claim, redeemed at Pentecost when wind and fire filled the house and a huddle of deniers became a preaching church (Acts 2).
From there the Spirit drives every hinge of Acts – Philip to the chariot, Peter to Cornelius, Antioch to send Barnabas and Saul, the council to its verdict (“it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us”). And in the letters he moves into the believer: interceding with groanings too deep for words, bearing fruit of love, joy, and peace, sealing God’s people for the day of redemption (Romans 8; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 1:13-14). Every page of this study that changes a reader is his current work.
In the New Testament
- Conception, baptism, and empowering of Jesus (Luke 1:35; 3:21-22; 4:1, 14-21)
- The Paraclete promised (John 14:15-27; 15:26-27; 16:4-15)
- Pentecost and the Spirit-driven mission (Acts 2; 8:29; 10:19-20; 13:2; 15:28)
- Life in the Spirit (Romans 8; Galatians 5:16-26; Ephesians 1:13-14)
Key Locations
- The Jordan River The river of Israel's crossings and cleansings, where John baptized and Jesus was baptized.
- The Upper Room The large furnished room in Jerusalem where the Last Supper was eaten and the disciples waited for Pentecost.
- Jerusalem The holy city -- David's capital, the temple's home, the stage of the crucifixion, resurrection, and Pentecost.