Believes In The Saving Work Of The Holy Spirit

Believes In The Saving Work Of The Holy Spirit

A HERO’S TALE

American history is filled with folklore —legendary tales of real and fictional characters whose stories have been told, retold, and exaggerated over time.

One of the most famous characters in American folklore is Johnny Appleseed. He was a real person, but quite misunderstood. Over the centuries, fact and fiction in his life story have gotten all jumbled up.

Johnny Appleseed’s real name was John Chapman. He was born in Massachusetts in 1774, and yes, he did plant apple trees in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois during America’s early years. Was he an animal lover? Yes. Did he sleep next to wolves? Doubtful. Did he really wear coffee sacks for shirts and a cooking pot on his head and walk barefoot in the snow? Maybe, maybe not.

The Bible tells of a person who, like John Chapman, is real but often misunderstood too. It’s the Holy Spirit.

The Bible has plenty to say about the Holy Spirit. He can’t be seen, but he is not a ghost or some sort of make-believe creature. He is the eternal third person of the triune God, along with God the Father and God the Son (Jesus). God is one being, but three distinct persons with different functions. Each person is fully God.

This is called the Trinity. And if it’s confusing to you, don’t worry. Even the smartest Bible scholars don’t fully understand the Trinity. After all, God is a perfect, holy God and we are imperfect humans with limited knowledge. But if the Bible says it, we must believe it’s true.

DECODING THE MESSAGE

Why is it so important for us to understand the Holy Spirit? Because we can’t be saved from our sins without him.

In John 3, Jesus told Nicodemus, a confused Jewish teacher, that no one can be saved without being “born again” (John 3:3) and “born of the Spirit” (3:8). In other words, becoming a Christian is more than just praying a prayer or “asking Jesus into your heart.” It’s about God’s Spirit changing us from the inside out. He does that by regenerating (or renewing) our sinful hearts and bringing us to the point where we repent (turn) from our sins and put our faith in Jesus.

No one else can accomplish these amazing transformations inside of us —only the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit pulling us toward Jesus, we wouldn’t even know we needed to be saved!

Praise God for the work of his saving Spirit!

BATTLE PLAN

Read the story of Jesus teaching Nicodemus about salvation and God’s Spirit in John 3:1-21. If you don’t understand all of it, that’s okay! Ask your parents to explain it to you.