There are few theological truths in the history of the Church that have sparked as much controversy, disagreement, and schism as the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. From ancient disagreements about the Trinity and "procession" to modern disagreements about the baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit, there is much that have caused sincere, godly believers to conflict about this important truth. Despite its history of conflict, however, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit lies at the very heart of the way that we understand who God is and how we experience his living presence in our midst.
This module explores the person and work of the Holy Spirit, beginning with the biblical evidence of God the Spirit as the third person of the one Trinitarian God. We begin our study by exploring the biblical portrayal of the Spirit as a divine person who both is God and who consciously acts as God. We will also discuss the relationship of the Spirit to the Father and the Son as the one who is the "bond of love" between them and their "gift of live to the world." Next, we consider the nature of prophetic revelation and the Spirit as the one who both inspires and illuminates the Word of God, and convicts humankind, enabling us to overcome the deception caused by sin and leads us to true repentance. We close our study by investing the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit, i.e., his ministry of grace and power in the lives of those who repent and believe. We outline the critical role of the Spirit in regeneration, adoption, baptism, gifting, indwelling, sealing, and sanctification. Indeed, the Holy Spirit enables the Church to fulfill its mission in the world.