truth on the Holy Spirit

Getting to truth on the Holy Spirit is difficult but not impossible. God has shared His word and things about His Holy Spirit for us to know. There are also things we can't know (because He hasn't revealed it).

Let's study some of the basics and see what Scripture reveals for us.

featured scripture-block

And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)—when you believed in Christ—you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit, who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.

For those saved (after hearing the gospel and believing), they are marked and sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. He is the believer’s down payment to the eventual inheritance and full redemption.

Opening Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus and ending a long list of spiritual blessings that they have in Christ.

the bible truth on the Holy Spirit

getting to the truth on the Holy Spirit is pretty important

don’t you agree?

get all of the questions about the Holy Spirit

answered by scripture with the Bible Study Framework

  • Receive the Holy Spirit before being saved

    Can someone receive the Holy Spirit before being saved?

    There may be some that wonder if one can receive the Holy Spirit before being saved. This is a great question and one that deserves very careful study as it brings to the forefront at least a couple of commonly misunderstood topics regarding the Holy Spirit. No, [more]

  • Grieve the Holy Spirit

    How does one grieve the Holy Spirit?

    "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God." This somewhat obscure statement occurs in Ephesians1 regarding the Holy Spirit. Understanding that this passage also speaks to something that the Holy Spirit does for the Christian today (e.g. seals), how can a Christian grieve the Holy Spirit? The [more]

  • gift of tongues

    What is the gift of tongues?

    The Holy Spirit's gift of tongues is often espoused in today's evangelical world as a "stamp" of God's approval on the individual. In some cases, as with Kenneth Copeland, the gift of tongues is their proof of anointing as a prophet of God. In other cases, it's a testimony [more]

  • God's word and the Holy Spirit

    Are God’s word and the Holy Spirit the same thing?

    It is believed by some that God's word and the Holy Spirit are the same thing.  Proponents of this idea are often rejecting the idea of a literal indwelling of the Holy Spirit. God's word and the Holy Spirit are closely related but are not the [more]

  • Pray in the Spirit

    What does it mean to pray in the Spirit?

    Frequently in the discussion about gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Bible's command to pray in the Spirit3 will be brought up. The assumption here is that the few times the Bible actually talks about the Christian's need to "pray in the Spirit" is synonymous to and evidence of a [more]

  • Promise of the Holy Spirit

    What is the promise of the Holy Spirit?

    The Holy Spirit can be a difficult topic to study. As a topic, it probably ranks as one of the most critical in applying a disciplined, Scripture interprets Scripture approach without Scripture weighting. The promise of the Holy Spirit, along with miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, the indwelling [more]

  • Purpose for Miracles

    What was the purpose for miracles?

    Before we attempt to understand the purpose for miracles, we should probably be clear about what a miracle actually is...at least according to Scripture. A good definition for Bible miracles would be, "an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs." This is actually the first definition from Websters. Incidentally, [more]

  • Holy Spirit Dwelling

    Where is the Holy Spirit dwelling today?

    The idea of the Holy Spirit having a dwelling is well established in Scripture. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word "shekhinah" means dwelling or settling and culminates into this Jewish idea of "Divine Presence". We can read of God's (e.g. Holy Spirit's) dwelling among the people of Israel [more]

  • Inward Call of God

    Is there an inward call of God?

    The inward call versus the outward call. Many today distinguish these as two different types of Godly or heavenly 'callings'. Dividing the spiritual callings found in scripture between an 'inward call' and an 'outward call' is perpetuated at least in part by teachings credited to John Calvin. "Calvinism", or more [more]

  • Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit

    What is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?

    Jesus teaches that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a sin that is unforgivable. The “unforgivable” aspect to this can be alarming and troubling. Undoubtedly, there's no Christian that would want to be guilty of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit! Matthew 12:31: Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy [more]

  • Miraculous Gifts of the Holy Spirit

    How were miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit given?

    Much is debated today about if miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit still exist. Sometimes blended with the "power of the Holy Spirit" in Scripture, the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit topic could be divided into two camps - cessationists and continuationists. It is also a debate closely [more]

  • Miracles still happen today

    Do miracles still happen today?

    "It's a miracle!" That's an exclamation we hear often and have probably uttered ourselves. It might be used to describe passing a test you didn't study for or to sum up a great, come-from-behind victory. For example, the great Olympic victory by the U.S. Men's Hockey team is known as [more]

  • Bible the complete revelation

    Is the Bible the complete revelation of God?

    Whether or not the Bible is the complete revelation of God has profound implications on Christianity today. If the Bible isn't the complete revelation of God, then the door remains open to "other" revelation. "Other" could be other scriptural authority such as the Quran or the Book of Mormon. [more]

  • Holy Spirit

    What does the Holy Spirit do for the Christian today?

    Much is said about activity of the Holy Spirit today. In fact, in some Christian religious groups the primary emphasis of their message is the Holy Spirit - it is the "lure" and attraction for converts in their faith. Indeed, the combination ofpower andmystery can be intoxicating. On the [more]

  • Where we worship God

    Does it matter where we worship God?

    Where we worship God has often been debated through the years. Some hold to the idea that worship must occur in a cathedral -- an often ornate structure dedicated to the worship of God. Others don't take much stock in the structure at all, whether an official worship building [more]

  • Baptized with the Holy Spirit

    What does it mean to be baptized with the Holy Spirit?

    Being baptized with the Holy Spirit (aka Holy Spirit baptism) is a remarkably hot topic - often disputed among Christians today. And yet, there is little direct Scriptural reference to the explicit act of being "baptized with the Holy Spirit." In fact, there is much the Bible leaves [more]