Presbyterians are not generally noted for their repetition of the Apostles’ Creed, yet it is a superb statement of fundamental evangelical truth.

Those of a Reformed outlook and persuasion also seem reluctant to say much when it comes to the Holy Spirit. This may simply be a reaction to the undue emphasis placed on the Holy Spirit by those of a “charismatic” outlook. Whatever the reason, what do we mean when we say “I believe in the Holy Spirit?”

The Third Person of the Trinity⤒🔗

The Bible teaches us that the Holy Spirit is God. It sets forth the doctrine of God in three simple propositions:

1. There is only one true God.
2. The true God exists in three persons.
3. Each of the three persons is distinct from the other two.

This is clearly seen in Matthew 28:19 which states:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to His disciples. He calls Him the Comforter and the Spirit of truth (John 14:16- 17).

James Buchanan says:

The first thought that will occur to every reflecting mind, in perusing our Lord’s address to his disciples, immediately before his departure, is that the work of the Spirit is, in its own place, as needful and as important as the work of Christ himself”.¹

The Bible gives certain emphasis to the work of the Persons of the Godhead. Christ came, not to do His own will but to do the will of His Father. He did not glorify Himself, He glorified the Father. The Holy Spirit has come, not to glorify Himself but to glorify Jesus.

The Spirit’s Work in Salvation←⤒🔗

Salvation as a whole is attributed to each of the three Persons, “chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with His blood” (1 Peter 1:2). Salvation is a Trinitarian work and as James Montgomery Boice points out, “apart from this activity of the Holy Spirit no one would ever come to Jesus”.²

We are familiar with our Lord’s encounter with Nicodemus concerning the need to be born again. How can a man be born a second time when he is old? he asks. “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God”, Jesus replied. The conversion of a soul is the work of the Word and Spirit of God. Conversion is not an external reformation of character but an internal and spiritual renovation of the heart. The Holy Spirit is the author of this change, “if any man be in Christ he is a new creation” (2 Cor 5:17). Paul tells us that we are saved “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). The Holy Spirit glorifies the Saviour by drawing men and women unto Him in saving faith. “The same power that called the material creation from nothing into existence, effects the new and spiritual creation”.³

The Spirit Filled Life←⤒🔗

The Bible tells us that the Christian has died to sin. He is a new creation and has been united to Christ by faith, old things have passed away and all things have become new. We are dead to sin and alive to God. However, there is still a war within as the old sinful nature fights for life. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6 of the Christian warfare and the armour that we need as we face the battle of the Christian life. We are also reminded of the indwelling of the Spirit in the life of every believer: “Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you” (1 Cor 6:19). The Holy Spirit enters the soul at the moment of regeneration and the work of sanctification begins whereby we “are enabled more and more to die unto sin and live unto righteousness”.⁴

Paul in his letter to the Christians at Ephesus tells them to be “filled with the Holy Spirit” (5:18). He draws out a comparison here when he says: “do not get drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit.” Dr Lloyd-Jones writing both as a physician and a pastor says “wine, pharmacologically speaking is not a stimulant, it is a depressant”.⁵ He goes on to point out that the Holy Spirit, on the other hand, is a stimulant. He stimulates our every faculty, the mind and the intellect, the heart and the will. He says the Christian is a man whose mind is expanding, whose heart is moved and enlarged. He is someone who wants to make a contribution to the extension of the Kingdom of God. The Spirit filled life does not belong to some elite group of professing people. The fullness of the Spirit is available to all the people of God. We need the filling of the Spirit every moment of every day.

The Spirit filled life is to produce the “fruit of the Spirit” in our lives. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22). As a tree grows and is healthy it will produce good fruit, so in the life of the Christian healthy growth is also evidenced by the fruit that our lives produce. You will recall the words of our Lord:

This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.(John 15:8)

We are to live for the glory of God and our behaviour and conduct are to show that we are followers of Jesus Christ. Where there is no evidence of fruit Jesus points to the need for pruning in order that spiritual life may flourish. The fruit of the Spirit does not dwell naturally in our lives. Like some exotic plant it has to be imported. We cannot help but notice that Paul puts the “greatest of these” first in the list, that of love. It bears all things.

How is it in your life and in your church? Paul says that those filled with the Spirit sing to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs unto the Lord, giving thanks always for all things unto God. Spirit filled Christians have joy and melody in their hearts and are filled, not with grumbling and complaining, but, with thanksgiving.

Mark Johnston in his commentary on John says:

It is as the community of his people flourishes in mutual love that the evidence of true spiritual fruitfulness will come to light for all to see. Such fruitfulness cannot be artificially produced for it goes against the grain of sinful human nature. It will flourish among Christians if it truly flourishes between Christ and Christians in that loving, saving union that he alone establishes. This is the key to the most fulfilling and productive life possible.⁶