God the Spirit

In the Beginning

Yahweh — God the Father — was in the beginning. The Word — God the Son — was in the beginning.

So it shouldn’t be any surprise that God the Spirit was in the beginning, too. In fact, it couldn’t be any other way since they are three-in-one.

In the formless chaos, before creation began, the Spirit of God hovered over the surface of the deep waters (Genesis 1:2). Then God created the heavens and the earth. Everything.

The Spirit has always existed. He didn’t just suddenly appear when Jesus left earth. But things did change then (see John 7:39). Up until then, the Spirit filled, led, and empowered just certain people in certain circumstances for a certain period of time. Now, the Spirit dwells permanently within everyone who follows Jesus as their Savior, Lord, and King.

Have you ever imagined what it would be like if Jesus were here today, walking, talking, teaching, and leading his followers? Have you ever thought life would be better if he were here? Or that you would be a better follower if he were here? It makes sense, from a human viewpoint.

But Jesus told his closest friends and followers that it was better for his Spirit to be within them than it was for him to stay on earth with them.

It might not make sense to us, but Jesus said it’s true. We can trust him on this.

Read & Reflect

John 14:15-26, John 16:5-15

Up to this point in your life with Christ, what have you heard or learned about the Holy Spirit?
What questions do you have about the Holy Spirit?
What does the Bible tell us about the Holy Spirit in these passages?
How have you experienced the Holy Spirit in your life?
Think of the Holy Spirit this way: he is Christ in you. It really is that simple.

Extra Info

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In the very early days of Israel’s history, God’s Spirit would sometimes “come upon” individual people (including Bezalel, a master craftsman; Moses, who led the Israelites out of Egypt; Joshua, who continued the work of Moses; Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson, who all served as national leaders and judges; Saul and David, the first two kings; Ezekiel and other prophets) and sometimes he came upon groups of people (including wise elders and kings’ men).
The Hebrew word most often translated in the Bible as “Spirit” is ruwach (ROO’-ahk). It is also translated as wind (Genesis 8:1, Exodus 14:21, Numbers 11:31, etc.) or breath (Exodus 15:10, Numbers 27:16, etc.) depending on the context.

Extra Verses

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Joel 2:28-32

Acts 2:1-17

Extra Things

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Watch "Holy Spirit You Are Welcome Here" and BibleProject "Understand How the Holy Spirit Works in the Bible" below.

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2103 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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