We believe (1) that the Holy Spirit is the Lord, the giver of life, who formed the world, empowered certain individuals for God’s purposes, and who speaks in the Holy Scriptures; (2) that God anointed Jesus Christ with the Spirit for His ministry and that the Spirit was given to the Church at Pentecost to indwell, lead, and unite believers, gifting each of them for various works of service; (3) that the Holy Spirit glorifies Christ, gives understanding of the Word, convicts people of their sin, unites believers to Jesus, and forms the character of Christ within them; and (4) that the Spirit pours the love of God into our hearts, enables prayer and witness, and seals the believer for the day of the redemption of their bodies.
Romans 8:2 ESV - “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
2 Corinthians 3:6, 17-18 ESV - “who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. … Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
John 6:63 ESV - “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”
Genesis 1:2 ESV - “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”
Job 33:4 ESV - “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”
Psalm 33:6 ESV - “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.”
Exodus 35:30-31 ESV - “Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship,”
Numbers 24:2 ESV - “And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him,”
1 Samuel 10:10 ESV - “When they came to Gibeah, behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them.”
2 Samuel 23:2 ESV - ““The Spirit of the LORD speaks by me; his word is on my tongue.”
Acts 1:16 ESV - ““Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.”
Hebrews 3:7 ESV - “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice,”
2 Timothy 3:16 ESV - “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”
Isaiah 61:1 ESV - “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;”
Matthew 3:16 ESV - “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;”
Luke 4:18 ESV - ““The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,”
Acts 10:38 ESV - “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”
Acts 1:8 ESV - “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””
Acts 2:4 ESV - “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
Romans 8:11, 14 ESV - “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. … For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”
Ephesians 4:3-4, 11-12 ESV - “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit–just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call– … And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,”
Romans 12:4-7 ESV - “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching;”
1 Corinthians 12:7-11 ESV - “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”
John 16:8, 13-14 ESV - “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: … When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
1 Corinthians 2:9-16 ESV - “But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”– these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”
Ephesians 1:17-18 ESV - “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,”
2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV - “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
Galatians 4:19 ESV - “my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!”
Galatians 5:2-23 ESV - “Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves! For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Romans 5:5 ESV - “and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Romans 8:26-27 ESV - “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
Ephesians 6:18 ESV - “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,”
Acts 1:8 ESV - “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””
2 Corinthians 1:22 ESV - “and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
Ephesians 1:13 ESV - “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,”
Ephesians 4:30 ESV - “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
Galatians 5:16, 22-23 ESV - “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. … But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”