The Ligonier Ministries site requires Javascript, but you’ve got Javascript disabled. Along the way, he sheds light on the vital role the Holy Spirit serves. Describing the undeveloped creation as “without form and void” and in “darkness,” the author describes the Spirit of God as “hovering over the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:2). But His work is indispensable, and if we do not lean on Him, our efforts bear no fruit. Dr. Ferguson’s goal is to help us know the Holy Spirit as a person, in addition to knowing of His power and work within us. Sproul wasn’t afraid to tackle hard questions. Neither you nor I. Last week, I took my kids to a church where they often kneel to show respect for God’s presence. The Holy Spirit indwells all true believers, and it is by His power that they are enabled to live a godly life. The Holy Spirit leaves no footprints in the sand. View Resource, HORTON: I just wrote a book on the Holy Spirit, and it really enriched my own experience of the Spirit as well as thoughts about questions like this; and it made me more uncertain of the answers that I had for it. View Resource, It was the early spring of 1958. Donate Now. Coming to this conviction also … The Holy Spirit is not merely a synonym for the power of God. But when the trees bow down their heads, The wind is passing by. Forming a bookend at the … What is His relationship to God the Father and Jesus Christ? by Ligonier Ministries Paperback $15.00. The difference is not so much in His indwelling but in the manner of their experience of Him and their knowledge of Him. Have any of the gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased? Trustworthy Answers. These questions have been especially important since the rise of the Pentecostal and charismatic movements in the last century. Ligonier Camp & Conference Center is not a church, but a resource to churches. (F) 724‑238‑6688. We embrace the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Trinity, yet we are often confused by this mystery. Bishop Nikolai (Soraich) of Sitka, OCA: The Conference at Ligonier was an exciting moment for many of us who were priests serving the faithful at that time. Who Is the Holy Spirit? However, the Scriptures paint a different picture, and they portray the Spirit as anything but impersonal. Ligonier, PA 15658. Sometimes it seems that to discern the difference requires a knife sharper than the one I own. Sproul cuts through the complexity, getting to the heart of the Bible’s teaching regarding the third person of the Trinity. The Crucial Questions booklet series by Dr. R.C. Your gift enables our worldwide outreach. He explains the Holy Spirit’s … No matter the subject in theology, R.C. This “Helper” is the Holy Spirit. Did Old Testament believers possess the Holy Spirit the same way as the New Testament believers. Your Questions. So, I would say the Holy Spirit did indwell believers under the old covenant. Yet the concept still challenges our finite minds. He is invisible — He cannot be seen, and He cannot be heard. Donate Now. Dr. Ferguson has written on this really well in his book on the Holy Spirit. Keywords: christ, holy spirit, ligonier ministries, presence, the holy spirit, theology, trinity. This resource collection sets out to acquaint you with the character and work of the third person of the Trinity. ... God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Fix that problem! Contact Us. Only 5 left in stock (more on the way). View Resource, Many people come to faith in Jesus Christ long before they are able to articulate the theology of regeneration and conversion. But who is the Holy Spirit? The mission, passion and purpose of Ligonier Ministries is to proclaim the holiness of God in all its fullness to as many people as possible. At issue was this: my girlfriend was coming to campus. First, every believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Let’s just go back and ask this question: What does the Bible mean by the term “baptized in the Holy Spirit”? View Resource, Dr. Sproul notes that the phrase born-again Christian is a redundancy. © 2020. Only 1 left in stock - order soon. Who is the Holy Spirit and what is His role in redemption? It was a sincere and instinctive gesture. The Next 500 Years: 2017 National Conference, Naming Ligonier the Beneficiary of a Bank or Investment Account, Gifts That Provide Income and Tax Benefits. In this course, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson traces the work of the third person of the Trinity through Scripture—from creation to the work of Christ to His dwelling in our hearts today. While Jesus repeatedly witnesses that the Father sent Him (e.g., John 4:34; 5:19–24, 30, 36–38; 6:29–33, 38–39, 44, 57), He was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matt. 12:3). In the new covenant, because of the coming of our Lord Jesus, we have a clearer view of who the Holy Spirit is and we have a richer experience of Him. Such things result from a true biblical emphasis on the person and work of the Spirit. Listen today on Renewing Your Mind as R.C. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Let us thank the Lord that He chose to grant us spiritual rebirth. This doctrine teaches that the God of Christianity is one in His essence but three in His persons-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Apart from my prompting, my daughter knelt with me and folded her hands in prayer. Fix that problem! Throughout the life and ministry of Jesus, the incarnate Son, the Spirit was active. The third person of the Trinity is personal, and His role in the life and ministry of Jesus attests to this fact. Have you forgotten His real and living presence in you (Luke 11:13)? John Dryden’s magnificent translation renders the opening lines this way: “Creator Spirit, by whose aid the world’s foundations first were laid.” View Resource, Who is the Holy Spirit and what is His role in redemption? There is no such thing as a “non-born-again Christian” or a “born-again non-Christian,” because to be a Christian means to be born of the Spirit of God. View Resource, How often do you think about the work of the Holy Spirit in your life? We … Woven into this work of grace, then, is the unnoticed activity of the Spirit as He persuades us that the Scriptures—our ultimate source for knowing Christ—are the Word of the God. We are not believers because we took the initiative to seek God; instead, the Lord sought us even when we hated Him, and by His Spirit granted us faith in His Son. This item: Who Is the Holy Spirit? But more than three-fourths (78 percent) also said that Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God. The Holy Spirit needed to be secretly active, since “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. He has no body or form, no hands or feet. We are asking all parishioners to pray for our children and to pray that the Holy Spirit will guide the right people to volunteer to work with our children and to share their love of the Lord with them during the next school year beginning in September . View Resource, The mission, passion and purpose of Ligonier Ministries is to proclaim the holiness of God ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Most of them indicate an aspect of His function in, or ministry through, the Christian’s life. We confess the mystery and wonder of God made flesh and rejoice in our great salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. Discipleship is about trusting and obeying Jesus by the book as guided by the Holy Spirit. The Diocese of Greensburg has official qualifications of confirmation sponsors, as well as several guidelines and/or recommendations. Along with a renewed interest in the person and work of the Holy Spirit has come increased confusion. The Triune God has created man in His own image and has called him to manifest and reflect holiness through obedience to His commandments. Though the word Trinity is not found in the Bible, there is no doubt that the Scriptures teach this triune nature of God. Your gift enables our worldwide outreach. She was the girl I loved and desired to marry. The activity of the Holy Spirit as Creator finds expression in the second verse of the Bible! Although the Holy Spirit is sometimes the forgotten Person of the Trinity, His presence and work is found throughout redemptive history. “Jesus said, ‘I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children (Matthew 11:25).’” It was a precious moment experienced at the end of a newsweek that seemed bereft of candid reverence. (P) 724‑238‑6434. I had been converted in September of 1957 and was now facing the deepest crisis of my nascent spiritual pilgrimage. Jesus Himself compared the will of the wind to the work of God’s Spirit (John 3:8). Alistair Begg wrote, "Five Truths About the Holy Spirit," on Ligonier.org. The previous months were difficult for her. At times when we read the New Testament record of those who are baptized in the Spirit or filled with the Spirit, it seems that these terms are used interchangeably, that they refer to the same phenomenon. Donate Now. I had spent the entire morning hours, till noon, on my knees beside my bed. The Holy Spirit (Contours of Christian Theology) by Sinclair B. Ferguson Paperback $20.49. the Spirit is the author of the Scriptures. Before addressing how the Spirit helps us in prayer, let’s establish two foundational truths. My resolve toward matrimony with her was kindled when I was in the eighth grade, five years earlier.