What do you know about the Holy Spirit and what his role is in our lives? List and discuss whatever comes to mind for you.
The Holy Spirit is God himself—not just an idea or force—and we have a relationship with him equal to God the Father and God the Son. When Jesus ascended to heaven, he didn’t leave us alone. Instead, he sent us the Holy Spirit to live in us, to fill us, to lead and empower us. He did not leave us as orphans. Instead, the Holy Spirit is his constant presence with us.
Living in our Own Strength
Read Romans 7:14-25
- What do you observe about Paul’s tone and the way he felt?
- Can you relate to how Paul was feeling? Are there specific areas in your Christian walk where this struggle is particularly strong?
Living in the Spirit
Read Romans 8:1-16
- What do you now observe about Paul’s tone and the way he felt?
- What do we learn about the Holy Spirit in these verses? Who is he? What does he do?
- What difference does it make to know that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
- What do you still find challenging even with this knowledge? What questions or obstacles remain for you? What truths are you struggling to work out?
We see in Romans that the key to the growing Christian life isn’t to try harder. The key is not just to do more “Christian activities” for the sake of doing them. While reading the Bible, praying, doing ministry, and so on are integral to our relationship with God, just trying harder in any of these areas is not going to save us or give us victory. Paul tried that, as we saw, but all it brought was defeat and frustration.
Instead, the key is the dwelling and working of God’s Spirit in us. The essence of the Christian life is what God does in and through us, not what we do for God. We are made more like Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. God invites us to partner with him in his work in our lives, and it is by his Spirit that he produces new life in us.
The Spirit in Scripture
The following chart is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Scripture about the Holy Spirit, but we hope it will help you begin to get a picture of who he is and all he does in our lives. Look up a few verses in each category and then discuss these questions:
- What stood out to you about the Spirit’s names, personhood, attributes, or works?
- What have you learned about the Holy Spirit that makes you love God more?
- What work do you want to trust the Spirit to do in your life this week instead of trying to do it in your own strength?
| Category | Description | Scripture |
| His Names | Holy Spirit: he is holy | Luke 11:13; John 20:22; Acts 1:5 |
| Spirit of Grace: means by which we experience God’s grace | Hebrews 10:29 | |
| Spirit of Truth: abiding in us through truth and Spirit | John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13 | |
| Spirit of God: presence of God | Isaiah 11:2 | |
| Spirit of Glory | 1 Peter 4:14 | |
| Counselor/Helper: offers guidance | John 14:16; 16:7 | |
| His Personhood | In relationship with the Father and the Son | Matthew 3:16-17; John 14:16; Acts 10:38; Isaiah 11:2 |
| Has a relationship with believers: revealing truth, wisdom, etc. | Romans 8:27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 | |
| Has capacity to love, to grieve: he has emotions | Isaiah 63:10; Ephesians 4:30; Romans 15:30 | |
| Has a will, he is an agent: decides to whom he apportions gifts | 1 Corinthians 12:11 | |
| His Attributes | Holy Spirit is God: Peter equates the Holy Spirit with God | Acts 5:3-4; 2 Corinthians 3:18 |
| Eternal Spirit | Hebrews 9:14 | |
| He is everywhere: omnipresent | Psalm 139:7 | |
| Searches the mind of God | 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 | |
| His Works | Present and involved in the creation of the world | Genesis 1:2; Job 33:4; Psalm 104:30 |
| Initiates prophecy | 2 Peter 1:21 | |
| Brought about the birth of Jesus | Luke 1:35 | |
| Convicts us of sin: evidence of Holy Spirit at work in our lives | John 16:8 | |
| Gives new life: we were once dead | John 3:5-6 | |
| Helper/Counselor: leads us into truth, gives wisdom | John 14:16-17; 16:7, 12-14 | |
| Confirms our adoption | Romans 8:15-16 | |
| Enables us to understand | John 16:12-14; 1 Corinthians 2:13-14 | |
| Acts as intercessor | Romans 8:26-27 | |
| Raised Jesus from the dead | Romans 8:11; 1 Peter 3:18 | |
| Sends out missionaries | Acts 13:4 | |
| Functions as our seal: guarantees our inheritance in heaven | Romans 8:23; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30 | |
| Lives in believers | Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19 | |
| Empowers us for holy living | Galatians 5:16; Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Corinthians 3:18 | |
| Empowers us for effective witness | Acts 1:8; Acts 4:31, 33 | |
| Gives gifts to the church | 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 |