DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Pastor Jonathan Falwell 

Doctrinal Statement: We affirm that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, proceeding from the Father and Son and equal in deity. He is the giver of all life, active in the creating and ordering of the universe: He is the agent of inspiration and the new birth; He restrains sin and Satan; and He indwells and sanctifies all believers. 

The believer is declared righteous, born again by the Holy Spirit, turned from sin, and assured of heaven. We affirm that the Holy Spirit indwells all who are born again, conforming them to the likeness of Jesus Christ. 

Who is the Holy Spirit? 

1. The third person of the Trinity 

2. Equal in deity 

3. Active in our lives 

What does the Holy Spirit do? 

1. He indwells us at Salvation 

Titus 3:3-5 (CSB) For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another. 4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, 5 he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 

• Doctrinal Statement: We affirm that the Holy Spirit indwells all who are born again…
• Indwelling – to exist as an inner activating spirit, force, or principle[1]
• Theologically, it means He is permanently present in someone’s soul or mind[2]
• 1 Cor. 3:16 Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 

2. He seals us forever 

Titus 3:6 He poured out his Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior 

• Doctrinal Statement: The believer is declared righteous, born again by the Holy Spirit, turned from sin, and assured of heaven.
• This is a reminder of God’s promise fulfilled at the Day of Pentecost; but also a reminder of how He continues to fulfill this promise in the life of every believer
• 2 Cor. 1:22 He has also put his seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment. 

3. He fills us with His power 

Titus 3:7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.

• Doctrinal Statement: He is the agent of inspiration and the new birth…
• Acts 2:4 Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…
• Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
• 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us He has not given us a spirit of fear… 

4. He corrects us when we are wrong and makes us more like Christ 

John 16:7-8 Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment.

• Doctrinal Statement: We affirm that the Holy Spirit indwells all who are born again, conforming them to the likeness of Jesus Christ.
• The convicting and conforming power of the Holy Spirit is a vital element in the life of the believer
• He gives us the ability to determine the difference between right and wrong 

1 Peter 1:2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient and to be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be multiplied to you. 

2 Thess. 2:13 But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God has chosen you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 

[1] Merriam Webster Dictionary 

[2] Oxford Dictionary