Shedding the Past
GIVING UP YOUR OLD LIFE FOR A LIFE IN CHRIST
At times Christianity can be confusing. When it comes to the Holy Spirit, this confusion only seems to amplify. There are misconceptions of who He is, what He does, and why it matters. But Word on the Street has your back, and we’re tackling this common question too essential to be left unanswered: what role does the Holy Spirit play?
Who He Is
For starters, the Holy Spirit is not an inanimate power or an impersonal essence. The Holy Spirit is God, and He is personally and intimately involved as the One who gives new life to those who follow Jesus. Scripture speaks of Him as a person, and He is the third person of the Trinity, which means He has all the same divine attributes.1 Scripture shows that He is eternal, has all power, and knows all things.2 Furthermore, God desires to dwell inside of His children, despite Him being God and us living on this little planet in a vast universe. That’s part of communion with God and what it means to have a relationship with Him.3 It’s as intimate and personal as it gets. Upon salvation, this becomes a reality.
What He Does
But this begs the question, what does He do? First, He teaches, leads, and guides us through life.4 Not only did He author the book that provides the truth from which we can be saved, but He also gives us the ability to understand it in the context of our own life.5 Like Romans 12:2 describes it’s not about a moral checklist but about aligning ourselves with how God thinks. Simply, He has a plan for our lives: His will. However, He will not force any of this on us because it’s a relationship. We can obey Him or resist Him.6 It’s our choice how we treat Him. We grieve and hurt Him when we flippantly sin, and like any relationship where we hurt another, it breaks the bond.
“He provides us with security in a world of insecurity, peace in a world filled with anxiety, and a sound mind in the chaos of our own.”
Why HE Matters
Since eternity, the Holy Spirit has been alive, working, and actively involved. Just like He was involved in the world’s creation, He’s in the business of giving life.7 The Holy Spirit provides the “how” to the Christian life.8 He extends His hand to us, just as we are– convicted on all counts by the truth He reveals. He invites us in. Then He begins radically transforming us—giving us a new heart.9 It’s not about acting like a “good Christian” in our own strength, but it is the impartation of the Holy Spirit in us. This means that through a life of increasing surrender and obedience to the Holy Spirit, we begin to experience His power in our life. He gives us everything we need to obey God and live out His will, even giving us special gifting.10
This transforming life is only found in God’s will. It’s where we experience the joy of the Christian life. In it, He brings comfort and warmth to our lives, that of love, grace, and purification.11 He provides us with security in a world of insecurity, peace in a world filled with anxiety, and a sound mind in our own chaos.12 He satisfies in a world that is just so unsatisfying.13 He truly gives us new life.14