Holy Spirit/Spirit of the Lord

God’s presence in the world. Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Helper or Comforter. The Holy Spirit would convince people about the truth of Jesus and of their sin.

Many word pictures in the Bible help us understand the Holy Spirit. Wind and breath are the most common. Wind shows the power of the Holy Spirit; breath in the Bible stands for life itself. Other word pictures include a dove, oil, and fire. The dove is a picture of the peace of God; the oil (for a lamp) shows the Holy Spirit as light that shines in darkness. The fire pictures judgment.

In Old Testament times the Holy Spirit gave certain individuals power for certain work. This happened to David and many of the judges of Israel.

After Jesus had gone back to heaven, the Holy Spirit came in a new, permanent way on the day of Pentecost. Instead of providing power for a time, He came to live within those who trusted Jesus as their Savior. He provides power to tell others about Jesus. He also gives many different gifts to believers to help them serve God and help others.