What Does the Bible tell us about the Holy Spirit?

In 2017 I began a quest of research and study to gain an understanding of what the Bible reveals about the person and work of the Holy Spirit. The spark that ignited my interest was an early morning reading of Galatians 3:3 where the apostle Paul writes: “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (ESV) His questions raised two questions in my mind. What did he mean that the Galatians had “begun by the Spirit?” Secondly, what was the Holy Spirit’s process he was referring to which led to completion or perfection? I knew that the label for this process is “sanctification,” but how had the Galatians abandoned this process which I had assumed was entirely God’s work, not theirs? This led me to two other questions. First, what is the Holy Spirit’s role according to Scripture as the primary agent of change in Christians? Second, what is my role in this process? Starting with recording and studying every mention of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, I expanded my research to include the Old Testament, and finally began to explore what pastors and scholars have written through the years regarding this topic.

“Walk by the Spirit” is a phrase the apostle Paul uses to define the Christian life. I prefer “walk with the Spirit” since “with” better reflects that the Holy Spirit is one of the divine persons of the Trinity, not an impersonal force or a mysterious influence. “Walk with the Spirit” is not optional. This is a command. It’s not a take-it-or-leave-it, luxury level of Christianity for pastors and the super-spiritual. According to the New Testament, it’s the base-line, mandatory, must have practice of Christianity for all believers to live in obedience to God in following the Lord Jesus. To learn what it means to walk with the Holy Spirit is the foundation of basic training for all believers.

I have learned from my research that the foundation for the Christian life according to God’s Word is the practice of a consistent daily relationship with the Holy Spirit. That’s what Paul means by “walk with the Spirit.” Jesus introduces this concept in the Last Supper Discourse to his disciples, who then introduce his teaching to the church after the arrival of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The church’s practice of Jesus’ teaching is further defined, expanded, and corrected through Paul’s letters to the churches. The purpose of this 100 day exercise is to help you establish this biblical practice in your daily life, so that, you may fully benefit from this greatest divine asset our Lord Jesus has provided from the Father for the thriving of his people.

This is not a new concept. The idea of relationship with the Holy Spirit abounds in the New Testament as you will learn in this study. Nor is the concept of a relationship with the Spirit something I have concocted. Many Christians have written about this going all the way back to the birth of the church in Acts. Yet there seems to be periods of time when such an understanding of the Holy Spirit’s work goes underground until it re-emerges again into the consciousness of the church. This characterizes our present time as Christians seem to have minimized the Holy Spirit to a brief paragraph in our doctrinal statements and mere honorable mention in our teaching and writing. I have found that when believers realize how pervasive are the teachings about the Holy Spirit’s work in Scripture, the discoveries resonate with their desire to follow Jesus in living a life that pleases God. There is a deep sense of fulfillment in this.

One reaction I have received from people who have been Christians for a long time, but are unfamiliar with this concept of walking with the Spirit, involves feelings of indignation. I have learned that such feelings are based on the perception as I seek to share what I have learned that I believe that my Christian life is superior to theirs. My response to this reaction is to state that I did not “discover” the full story of this concept until I was in my sixties; having been a Christian since I was eight, and involved in full-time vocational ministry for over 30 years. I am like a treasure hunter who has found a source of riches vast enough to satisfy all treasure hunters, and I just want to share what I have found so all can experience the boundless wealth. I wonder at the magnitude of teaching that exists in God’s word regarding the person and work of the Holy Spirit and grieve that I had missed out on this for so long.  I don’t want my brothers and sisters in Christ to continue striving to live their lives without fully understanding the provision of God in sending the Holy Spirit as our Helper. This is the heart of what I have attempted to do through this long process of learning and sharing. Now I want to share the fruits of my years of struggle and discovery with you.

This devotional exercise is the product of my desire to not just describe life in the Spirit according to God’s word, but to also provide a prescription of what you can do on a day to day basis to make a scriptural relationship with the Holy Spirit a reality in your life. Such a relationship will not transform you into some kind of “super duper Christian.” In fact, you will learn that relationship with the Holy Spirit is absolutely vital for living the normal Christian life God desires for all his children. I hope and pray that God will use this work in your life as you seek to faithfully follow our Lord Jesus.

This devotional exercise is designed for you to begin on Saturday with the Introduction. The introduction will provide you with information and guidance to begin the actual daily lessons the next day on Sunday.

I struggled with whether I should offer this devotional exercise free of charge or ask a small fee of $5.00 to help cover the expense of the website. Obviously, I decided to ask for the fee as even a small investment in a product can provide motivation to use it. God has richly provided for me and my family, so I decided that all the proceeds from the 100 Days program will be invested back into the ministry. I have tested this program with a wonderful group of over 100 people who provided vital feedback and encouragement as they worked through the studies, so I can confidently offer this exercise as a means of personal growth in your Christian walk as you follow our Lord Jesus.