How God Reveals Himself to Us through the Holy Spirit - Doctrine in Twelve Weeks
A Study on How God Reveals Himself to Us through the Holy Spirit - Leader Guide and Handout
Consider beginning your study with a confessional reading of Hebrews 1:1-2.
Throughout Scripture and Christian history, we see that God desires to reveal Himself to humanity. This revelation is not merely informational, but relational – God reveals Himself so that we might know Him personally and intimately. In this session, we'll explore how God reveals Himself through the Holy Spirit, building on our previous study of God's revelation through Scripture.
The Holy Spirit's Role in Revelation
The Holy Spirit is central to the continued revelation of God to Christians. As we explore the following elements of His revelation, it is worth bringing to mind the central truths about the Holy Spirit which we have explored in a previous session.
This topic touches on areas where sincere Christians may disagree. Some believe that the Spirit's revelatory work was primarily for the apostolic age, while others hold that it continues in similar ways today. As Christians, we should acknowledge the authority of Scripture in God’s revelation to us.
As you facilitate this session, consider encouraging respectful consideration of different views, emphasizing both the authority of Scripture and the Spirit's ongoing work in the world, and especially in the lives of Believers.
The Spirit Speaks through Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:6-14)
Ask a participant to read 1 Corinthians 2:6-16. Discuss how the Holy Spirit helps us understand God's truth revealed in Scripture.
While we affirm the sufficiency and authority of Scripture, we also recognize that the Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in helping us understand and apply God's Word. This primarily plays out through the authors of the Scripture, who were moved along by the Spirit in writing the Scripture. It is by the same Spirit that the Scriptures are rightly discerned.
The Spirit Guides Believers, Convicting and Transforming (John 16:5-15, 2 Corinthians 3:12-18)
Have someone read John 16:5-15 and 2 Corinthians 3:12-18. Discuss what it means for the Spirit to guide Jesus’ apostles into all truth. Explore how this may remain true for Christians today.
Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would guide His followers into all truth. This guidance is in harmony with Scripture and helps us apply God's Word to our lives and circumstances. It is exactly through this guidance that we have the Scriptures with us today. Just as the Spirit guided and helped the disciples, we know that the Spirit indwells all Christians and continues His work in various ways in our lives today.
Primary aspects of this work of the Spirit are the conviction of sins and transformation into the image of Christ. Jesus told His disciples that the Holy Spirit would convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. While this promise had immediate relevance for the apostolic age, we see its ongoing fulfillment in the lives of believers today. The Spirit continues to work in harmony with Scripture, using various means to bring light to areas of our lives that don't align with God's will. As we yield to the Spirit's work, praying in submission to God, He transforms us into Christ's image. This process, in turn, reveals God's character to others through our changed lives collectively as the Church.
The Spirit Empowers for Witness (Acts 1:8)
Read Acts 1:8 and discuss the missional nature of the Spirit's mission and work.
Before His ascension, Jesus promised His disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them, enabling them to be His witnesses. This promise was dramatically fulfilled at Pentecost and events described throughout the book of Acts, revealing the Spirit’s power to enable the proclamation of the gospel. Today, we know the Spirit remains active and steadfast in this mission.
It's crucial to remember that the Spirit's empowerment always points to Christ and aligns with Scripture. Our witness, empowered by the Spirit, should always aim to reveal God's truth and love as revealed in His Word, inviting others to know Him personally through faith in Christ. While the Spirit may not always work in the same ways in which He did in the book of Acts, we must confess that He has the power to do so whenever and wherever it accords with His will and His plans.
Revelation by the Spirit, Through the Church
Spiritual Gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4-11, Romans 12:6-8)
Have study participants read 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 and Romans 12:6-8. Discuss how the Spirit's distribution of gifts reveals God's nature and purposes.
The Holy Spirit gives various gifts to believers for the common good of the church. These gifts, whether overtly supernatural or seemingly ordinary, all originate from the same Spirit and are meant to build up the body of Christ. The diversity of these gifts reveals God's multifaceted grace and His desire for the church to function as a unified body with many parts as an effective organism to carry on the work of Jesus Christ.
While some Christians believe certain gifts were limited to the apostolic age, all agree that the Spirit continues to empower believers for service in the church. We must affirm that the Spirit works through believers to edify the church and glorify Christ.
Unity and Love (Ephesians 4:3-6, 1 John 4:12-13)
Read Ephesians 4:3-6 and 1 John 4:12-13. Discuss how the Spirit fosters unity and love within the church, revealing God's character.
Throughout the New Testament, the Church is repeatedly called to unity and love for one another. This calling is not merely to encourage people to “get along”; rather, it is vital to the mission of the Church, a foundation for creating a community that reflects God's own nature. As the ostensibly absurd union of Jew and Gentile reveals, this unity does not create uniformity but a harmonious diversity that demonstrates the reconciling power of the Gospel. As we love one another, being empowered by the Spirit, we make the invisible God visible to the world around us.
Unity and love are essential to the Church's witness. It is through our love for one another that the world will know we are Christ's disciples (John 13:35), as this is a clear demonstration of the Spirit's transforming power in our lives. This is how Christians reveal God both to one another and to the world around them.
Conversation Starters:
In 1 Corinthians 2, Paul speaks of the Spirit revealing God's wisdom. Who specifically is Paul referring to as recipients of this spiritual wisdom? How might this apply to believers today?
Can you share an experience where you felt the Spirit was guiding you? How did you discern whether it was truly the Spirit's leading? What challenges do we face in reliably discerning the Spirit's guidance?
In what ways have you observed the Holy Spirit's work of conviction and transformation in your life or in others' lives? What specific means did the Spirit use in this process?
How does the variety of spiritual gifts distributed by the Holy Spirit within the church reflect God's character? How do these gifts work together to build up the body of Christ?
The New Testament frequently instructs believers to love one another. What specific commands or examples can you find in Scripture regarding how we should love fellow believers? How does this love serve as a witness to the world?
Consider closing with a prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to continue revealing God to us, His transforming work in our lives, and His unifying presence in the church.
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