1. Session 13:
I believe in the Holy Spirit

2. The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. AMEN.

3. 16And I will ask the Father, and
he will give you another
Advocate, who will never leave
you. 17He is the Holy Spirit, who
leads into all truth. The world
cannot receive him, because it isn’t
looking for him and doesn’t
recognize him. But you know him,
because he lives with you now and
later will be in you.
John 14

4. I believe in the Holy Spirit
• He is divine.
– Equal to God the Father and God the Son
– He is an active “person”

5. I believe in the Holy Spirit
• Is the Holy Spirit active in the Old Testament?
– YES
• In creation
– The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the
deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the
surface of the waters. Genesis 1:2
• Through prophets
– The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has
anointed me to bring good news to the poor. Isaiah 61:1
• Equipping God’s servants and evoking godliness
– Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit
from me. Psalm 51:11
– In the OT, the HS is active, but not permanent.

6. I believe in the Holy Spirit
• The HS in the NT
– Purpose
• “to see glory and praise come to the Son.”
• The HS acts “like a floodlight trained on Christ, so that it
is Christ, not the Spirit, whom we see.” J.I. Packer

7. I believe in the Holy Spirit
• The HS in the NT
– Work
• In the human birth of Jesus
– As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in
a dream. "Joseph, son of David," the angel said, "do not be
afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was
conceived by the Holy Spirit. Matthew 1:20
• In the life of Jesus (He himself was filled with the HS)
– 1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and
was led by the Spirit in the desert,
– 18 The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor. Luke 4

8. I believe in the Holy Spirit
• The HS in the NT
– Work
• As witness and teacher-he convinces us Jesus exists and is
the Son of God
– And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 1
John 5:6
– Paul is describing the Spirit’s work of witness when he speaks of
“having the eyes of your hearts enlightened” (Eph. 1:18) -Packer
• As an agent of Jesus—directing us to Christ, joining us to
Christ, making us like Christ
– “He shows Jesus to us through the gospel,
– unites us to him by faith,
– and indwells us to change us “into his image” by causing
“the fruit of the Spirit” to grow in us.
» J.I. Packer (2 Cor. 3:18; Gal. 5:22)

9. I believe in the Holy Spirit
• The HS in the NT
– Work
• Giver of gifts -to every believer
– 4Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 7To each
is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common
good. 8For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of
wisdom... knowledge ...faith by the same Spirit, to another
gifts of healing ...miracles, ...prophecy, .....All these are
empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to
each one individually as he wills. 1 Cor. 12

10. I believe in the Holy Spirit
• REMEMBER:
• The work of the HS fulfills the purpose of the
HS, “to see glory and praise come to the Son.”
– But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes,...He will bring
glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it
known to you. John 16:13-14

11. I believe in the Holy Spirit
• To say, “I believe in the Holy Spirit,” is to say...
– I believe the Spirit of the living Christ dwells within me
making fellowship with the Jesus of the NT possible now
and forever.
– I am open and willing to be led by the HS in obedience to
God and in service to my neighbor.
– I am assured that I am a son or daughter of God, adopted
into His family, never to be forsaken.

12. Review
• Why does the word “Holy” tell us about the
Spirit?
• What is the Holy Spirit’s purpose?
• What does the HS do to fulfill his purpose?