Online Bible Study - Foundations of Faith

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit "Gathers"
In Acts 1:8ff we read, "Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit…'" Later on in Acts 1:41ff, the Bible teaches that "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer… All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts."

Those who were called by the Gospel that was preached by Peter and the other disciples on that first Pentecost were gathered into the fellowship of all believers in Christ, the Church. Christians since that time have been gathered together in prayer and worshipping relationships. The congregational structure of believers is a tool of the Holy Spirit to strengthen faith and to spread the message of salvation.

The Holy Spirit "Sanctifies"
To "sanctify" means to make holy. We read in 1 Corinthians 6:11, "But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." From this passage we know that we are made holy when we are brought to faith by the power of the Holy Spirit. In that holy act of conversion, God performs a good work in us. He makes us holy, equipping us to perform good works. This is supported by Paul's letter to the Ephesians, "For we are God's workmanship. Created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared for us in advance to do" (Eph 2:10).

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Review