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The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. When Jesus ascended to the Father, He promised His disciples "another Helper," the Holy Spirit (see John 14:16-17). In Greek, the word another means "another of the same kind." Jesus promised a supernatural Helper just like Him.

The word for God is elohim, which indicates three or more (referring to the Trinity). The Holy Spirit was active at the time of creation (see Genesis 1:1-2). When God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness" (Genesis 1:26), He was addressing the other two Persons of the Trinity.

Some have wrongly thought of the Holy Spirit as more of an "it" than a "He," but Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as "He" (John 26:13). The Holy Spirit has distinct functions on the lives of believers and the church (see John 14:17; 1 Corinthians 2:10-12; Acts 5:3-4). In the original language, the Holy Spirit is called the paraclete, which literally means "One called alongside to help."

In John 16, Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin (w. 8-9) and convinces the world of righteousness and judgment (w. 10-11). The Holy Spirit also restrains the sweeping spread of evil (see 2

Thessalonians 2:7). Before we were Christians, the Holy Spirit spoke to our hearts, showing us our need for salvation. He drew us to Christ and convicted us of sin (see John 15:26).

For Jesus to represent sinful humanity, He had to become a man. His Virgin Birth, which was essential for Him to be sinless, was prophesied long before it occurred (see Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:18, 23; Luke 1:34-35; and Galatians 4:4). Jesus shared in the human experience even to the point of death. However, unlike us, Jesus was without sin (see Hebrew 4:15).

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit dwells within us. The Apostle Paul writes, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16).

The Holy Spirit regenerates us (see Titus 3:4-7; John 3:5; 6:63); indwells us (see 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19); seals us (see Ephesians 1:13-14); guides us (see John 16:13; Romans 8:14); teaches us (see John 14:26); helps us to pray (see Romans 8:26-27); and empowers us (see Acts 1:8).

As believers, we need the power of the Holy Spirit to come upon us. Some call this the 'baptism' of the Holy Spirit. Others call this the 'empowering' of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you..." (Acts 1:8).

When the Holy Spirit comes upon a believer, He fills his or her mind with a genuine understanding of truth, takes possession of the believer's abilities, and imparts gifts that qualify him or her for service in the body of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 12:4-10). The Holy Spirit imparts power for service and boldness in testimony and service (see Acts 4:29, 31).

After His resurrection, Jesus visibly departed from his disciples into heaven (see Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9). His ascension and exaltation were necessary to complete the redemptive work of God, because His work was not complete when He rose from the dead (see Mark 16:19; Philippians 2:9; Ephesians 1:20-21; Hebrews 1:3).

Unless otherwise noted, a// Scripture references are taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version (NKJV), copyright@ 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.