2025-05-16
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week, the Holy Spirit led me to write about the Father and the Son, the first two personalities of the Godhead or Trinity. We know little about the Father, other than that He is invisible to humans on earth, makes all the decisions, is greater and wiser than any human, that He has no evil (darkness in Him), and He is the Creator. His second personality, Jesus Christ, did the work of creation and is by the Father’s command, our Redeemer. He came to earth in human form, was the visible image of the invisible God, served a ministry, and then gave His physical life after much suffering on the cross [COL 1: 15; JN 3: 16; RO 3: 25]. The Father then resurrected Him to heaven, which is why we celebrate Easter or resurrection day [LK 24: 7 in His own words]. In DN 7: 13-14, we are told that Jesus Christ has been given the right to make the final judgment of all humans. As with the Father, Jesus Christ was without sin, yet He became the perfect sin sacrifice, so that humans who are born with sin [GN 3: 1-6] and add to it with our own sins could have the opportunity to repent and be saved from eternal destruction (hell).
The paragraph above leaves us with the question: Who is the Holy Spirit and what is His function? The Holy Spirit is the third personality of the Trinity, and He guides us when decisions need to be made. That is not all, because it is the Holy Spirit Who counsels us as to the Father’s will. Jesus didn’t leave us in a lurch when He was taken up to heaven. Jesus promises, in JN 14: 26, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” before leaving earth. Our Lord Jesus left earth but not before telling His followers there will be a time when He returns and not to be troubled and afraid. Those with true faith stood firm in it, and in AC 2: 1-3, about 50 days after Jesus was taken up to heaven, the Pentecost occurred. “When the Pentecost came, Christ’s followers were together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed like tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” As one reads further in Acts, the need for these other tongues becomes apparent. It doesn’t mean that all people can speak in tongues. It does signify that those who remain with the Holy Spirit and are solid in their faith in Christ’s teaching will always have His presence. They will want to be obedient to Him, relying on the Advocate/Counselor (Holy Spirit) for the rest of their lives.
For those who are seekers (people who want the inner peace and the hope for eternal life that faith in Christ gives), the next logical step after receiving the Holy Spirit is baptism. Baptism is the outward expression of the inward transformation that the Holy Spirit has begun in a person’s life; it is not what brings salvation itself. The latter is accomplished by Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross. Baptism is a symbol that a person has surrendered to Christ and His teaching and to the direction of the Holy Spirit. While it may sound like the three personalities are separate beings, they are each a personality of God. DT 6: 4-5, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your might.” When one is baptized, this ritual has two components: baptism by water and baptism in receiving the Holy Spirit. The water baptism is a symbol of surrender and cleansing of sins. It is also a symbol of Christ’s burial and resurrection. The Spirit baptism is a symbol of accepting the Holy Spirit and becoming part of the body of Christ. This is the Father adopting us as His children. EPH 1:5: "He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will." RO 8:15: "The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship."
PRAYER: O Lord, we are so grateful for the mercy You have shown in using Your righteous power to bring us and seekers to where the Holy Spirit leads us to accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. [PS 103: 13] Until a new believer has studied the Scriptures, Your love letter to all believers and potential believers, he can’t completely understand and appreciate what a great gift to us Christ’s death on the cross and His resurrection really are. We surrender to Your will and teaching, knowing because of the Holy Spirit, that Your will for us is always righteous and always in our best eternal interests. We offer You our loyalty, praise, thanksgiving, and acknowledgment that Your teaching is best for us [2 TIM 3: 16-17]. You are a God of grace. We pray in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: There is more for me to write about the Trinity, why traditional Jews reject Jesus, and what the Holy Spirit leads me to say about how they fit into God’s plan of salvation next week. JN 15: 5 helps us to understand why connection with the Godhead is so very important to our eternal wellbeing. [Jesus speaking], “I am the Vine and you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I remain in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” This metaphor of a grape vine really makes it clear. God wants us to be the best that we can be. When we obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit, we are doing that. The fruit we produce are the good deeds that are spoken of in EPH 2: 8-10. If there are citations here you don’t know, please take the time to look them up. We have good reason to offer praise and thanksgiving to God every day of our lives!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2025. All Rights Reserved.
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