"Digging Deeper with Dr. Dromi" ~ The Holy Spirit

Welcome to my new series of articles!  As you can see from the title, "Digging Deeper with Dr. Dromi," the articles are going to change format from what has been presented in the past.  The new format will have articles that take a more comprehensive look into the subject. The first series will be studying the Holy Spirit of God.  Yes, the articles will be longer than before, but they will take a more in depth look at the topics within each series.  

In this first series of articles, there will be eight articles, all of which look at the role of the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Triune God.  There's a lot of confusion about the Holy Spirit.  It will be my goal to clarify that confusion using the Bible, the Scriptures that speak about Him and His role in the Sovereign Providence of God in the universe.  

It is my hope and prayer that you, the reader, will be blessed and grow in your knowledge about the Holy Spirit of God.

The Holy Spirit, Part 1:  Is He Real?

 

One of the most controversial and often misunderstood doctrines in all of Christendom is the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.

 

The apostle Paul, and other New Testament writers refer to the Holy Spirit a lot!  They talk about the fruit of the Spirit; walking by the Spirit; yielding to the Spirit; and more.

 

It’s only natural for us to want to learn as much as we can about the Holy Spirit of God as He plays such an important part in all that is done by the Triune God:  Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

 

Our source of information will be the Scriptures, God’s Word.  That’s the only place we can find out what’s true about the Holy Spirit.

 

Throughout the centuries people have attempted to explain Him, most with good intentions.

However, some have manipulated the explanation in order to take advantage of people.

 

Some of the most common questions are:

•  Is He real?  

•  How do we know?  

•  Who is He?   

•  Where does He come from?  

•  What were, and are, His ministries?  

•  What about the gifts?  

•  Do I need “more” of Him, or do I already have all of Him?  

•  Should I worship Him?  

•  What’s His relationship with the Father?  

•  What’s His relationship with the Son?

 

We’re going to begin this exciting study of the Holy Spirit:

• To search for the truth, always from the Scriptures, not from the traditions of men.

• To understand who He is.

• To find out exactly what His ministries are.

• Why He plays such an important role in the life of every believer.

 

Let’s look at the Holy Spirit as a member of the Trinity, the Triune God:

• The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son, yet each is distinct.

• They are all of the same essence.

 

Here’s one of the best diagrams that I have found to tryto explain the Triune God.  It’s not perfect, but it helps our finite minds get a little better picture of Who they are and the relationships between them.

 

 

Next, a few verses that speak of the Holy Spirit:  

• 2 cor. 13:14, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”  Paul includes all three.  They’re somehow intertwined.

 

• Matt. 28:19, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”  Here, Jesus speaks of all three members of the Trinity.

 

• Luke 3:21-22, “Now it came about when all the people were baptized, that Jesus also was baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “Thou art my beloved Son, in Thee I am well-pleased.”  In these verses, we clearly see all three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, present at Jesus’ baptism.”

 

These are only three verses, from the Bible, that provide irrefutable evidence for the existence of the Trinity. Mormons deny this truth, as do others. Just because we can’t fully comprehend it doesn’t mean it’s not real.

 

We either trust God’s Word, or we don’t.  There is one God, who exists in three persons, each possessing all of the Divine attributes of God.  Yet the three are One.  This is a mystery that no human being, analogy, or drawing can fully explain.

 

The initial question was, “Is He real?”  Is the Holy Spirit a real person?  

 

What are the requirements for person-hood?  There are three characteristics of personhood:  

(1) Intellect; (2) Emotions; (3) Will.  

 

  

Let’s start with intellect:    

1 Cor. 2:10-11, “For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.  11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him?  Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.”

• The Spirit “knows the thoughts of God.”
• To know thoughts, you must be able to think.
• To be able to think, you must have intelligence.

 

 

Next, Isaiah 11:2, “And the spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”

 

He’s the Spirit of:

• Wisdom is knowing how to apply knowledge and that takes intelligence
• Understanding – He is able to comprehend
• Counsel – He is able to instruct
• Strength – He has power 
• Knowledge – He is able to know and teach truth
• Fear of the Lord requires intelligence – “The fool has said in his heart there is not God” (Proverbs 14:1)

 

Let’s look at His emotions. 

 

He can be grieved, Ephesians 4:30, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

• “grieve” in Greek is the word that means distress or grieve
• If He has no emotions, how could He be distressed or grieved?

 

Next is the love of the Spirit.  Romans 15:30, “Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.”

• “love” is the Greek word agape, which is that deep sacrificial love that Jesus demonstrated on the cross.
• If He has no emotions, how could He love?

 

Next, is His will.  The Holy Spirit gives gifts according to His will, 

1 Cor. 12:11, “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”

• When it comes to spiritual gifts, you and I had no say.
• The Holy Spirit gives as He sees fit.
• He gives gifts according to His wisdom and knowledge of who we are and how we will use the gifts we’ve been given

 

He also directs the activities of God’s servants, of His people.

Acts 16:6-11, “And they passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; 7 and when they had come to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; 8 and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.  9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night:  a certain man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’  10 And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.  11 Therefore, putting out to sea from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and on the day following to Neapolis.”

 

So we’ve seen the biblical evidence that He is a real person having:  intellect, emotion and a will.

 

What does the Holy Spirit do?

• Teaches. John 14:26, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

 

• Testifies or witnesses. John 14:26, “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, Who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness [testify] of Me, 27 and you will bear witness also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”

· Romans 8:16, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,”

 

• Guides. Romans 8:14, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

 

• Convicts. John 16:7-8, “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.  8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment.”

            

• Commands and directs.  Acts 8:29, “And the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go up and join this chariot.’”

 

• Performs miracles.  Acts 8:39, “And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing.”

 

• Calls for special service.  Acts 13:2, “And while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’”

 

• Intercedes.  Romans 8:26, “And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”

 

What can people do to Him?

• Obey Him.  Acts 10:19-21a, “And while Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, ‘Behold, three men are looking for you. 20 But arise, go downstairs, and accompany them without misgivings; for I have sent them Myself.’   21 And Peter went down to the men and said, ‘Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?’”

 

• Lie to Him.  Acts 5:1-5, “But a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet.  3 But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back some of the price of the land?  4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own?  And after it was sold, was it not under your control?  Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart?  You have not lied to men, but to God.’  5 And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came upon all who heard of it.”

 

• Resist.  Acts 7:51, “Stephen speaking, ‘You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.’”

 

• Grieve.  Eph. 4:30, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

 

• Reverence.  Ps. 51:11, “Do not cast me away from thy presence, and do not take thy Holy Spirit from me.”

 

• Blaspheme.  Matt. 12:31, “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.”

 

• Insult.  Hebrew 10:29, “How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?”  

o  The three indictments specified in this verse describe the enormity of the sin of unbelief.  There will be “severer punishment” for:

§  “trampling” underfoot the Son of God.”  “Trampling” is the Greek word which means to treat with disdain, scorn or contempt.

§  “regard as unclean” is the Greek word for common. Jesus’ blood was anything but common!!

§  “insulted the Spirit of grace.”

§  “grace” means freely receiving that with is undeserved.

    

• When we are disobedient; when we sin without concern; when we are filled with pride and self-righteousness; when we look at the blood of Christ with little, or no sadness or sorrow for what you and I did to Him, that’s a problem.  It was our sin put him there!

 

• When we value the things of this world:  cars, houses, money, sports, careers, self – all of these things above and beyond the Lord of glory, we slap Him in the face just like the Roman soldiers did.

 

 

Application

 

What do we do with what we now know to be true?

• The Holy Spirit of God is God!!!  
• We obey Him by obeying the Bible!!

 

For some people, it’s time to stop playing games.  It’s time to stop playing church.  

• Jesus said, “If you love me you’ll obey Me.”

o  The implication is, no obedience = no love

 

We’ve all got to work on this.

 

 

Tough question:  

Does it matter to us? Does it matter to you, personally?

 

 

Things to do:

• Pray for guidance.  That’s part of the Holy Spirit’s ministry to the church.

 

• Reverence Him.  Respect Him.  Be in awe.  Worship Him.  Esteem Him.  Admire Him.   Adore Him.

 

Ask Him to teach us:

• John 14:26, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things.”  This applies, in the immediate context, to the apostles, yes.  

 

• As secondary application, it also applies to us

 

We should not disobey, lie to, grieve (through un-confessed sin), or resist His leading in our individual lives.

 

In future lessons, we will look at role of the Holy Spirit with regard to:

• Regeneration
• The birth of Christ 
• The life of Christ
• Salvation
• Baptism
• Filling
• Sanctification

 

Closing Thoughts

It’s my hope that this introduction to the Holy Spirit will whet your appetite as we continue our study into one of the most fascinating Persons in all of Scripture – the Holy Spirit of God.

 

Titus 3:5-6, “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.”

 

If you are a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, if you are born again, then the Holy Spirit of God lives within you and He’s trying to mold you and shape you more and more, into the image of Jesus Christ.

 

May the Lord bless you as you seek to know Him better through the study of His Word.

 

 

By His Grace,

Gary T. Dromi, Ph.D., D.Min.

It Is Finished!

I’m sure that many of you, and generations past, have thought the same thing as I have over the last eighteen months, “What in the world is going on?  Has the world gone mad?” 

There are people protesting for the “right” to murder the unborn; there are people destroying the property of others with no consequences; there are people pushing others into the way of a passing subway train.  Leaders in our government have left billions of dollars worth of our sophisticated military equipment in the hands of our known enemies; the price of food, gasoline, housing, and just about everything, has doubled or tripled and the leadership does nothing to stem the rising costs; millions of people have entered the country, some who are known to be criminals, and the leadership turns a blind eye.  

 

In a world of uncertainty and fear, there’s one thing that is certain and will never change, that is that atonement for sin is completed.

 

When our Lord was on dying on the cross, He made seven statements.  I want to, briely, focus on number six:  “It is finished,” which is recorded in John 19:30.

 

The English words, “It is finished,” don't’ really convey the depth and results of what Jesus said, and what He meant by what He said.

 

The English words translated as, “It is finished,” is the single Greek word:  tetelestai.  

 

Stay with me.  This is important.

 

In the Greek, the verb tense of tetelestai is the perfect, passive, indicative.  What does that mean and why is it important?  

 

The verb tense of this word describes an action which is viewed as having been completed in the past, once and for all, and does not need to ever be repeated.  And that’s important!!

 

This same word, tetelestai, has been found written on ancient receipts and the documents that listed the crimes that prisoners where charged with.  

 

This word, tetelestai, is written across those receipts and across the charges of those prisoners when they completed their time in prison.  It means, paid in full.  “It is finished,” means that payment has been made completely and it never needs to be made again.  

 

Jesus said this “with a loud voice.”  It was a triumphant outcry, filled with rich meaning.  He did not, simply, mean that His earthly life was over.  He meant that the work that His Father had given Him to do, was now complete.  Jesus paid it all! He completed the work, the mission, that the Father sent Him to do here on the earth.  

 

Jesus left the glories of heaven and came to the earth to become the final spotless, unblemished, sacrificial lamb according to the Old Covenant Law.  He was the lamb that God provided.  The Father sent the Son sent from heaven to pay for the sins of all humanity:  past, present and future.

 

1 John 4:14 tells us specifically, “The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world”  

 

My biblical counseling professor use to say, “We’re all bent to sin.  We’re just bent differently.”   Some of us are selfish, we steal, lie, cheat, gossip, grumble, lust; we’re lazy.  You fill in the blank for yourself.  You know your sin.

 

But, because of what Jesus did on that cross, our sins, past, present and future, are paid for – tetelestai = paid in full, and there is no need for them to paid for ever again.  The atonement, the payment, for our sins is finished. 

 

There is no other way to have peace with God than by believing and receiving Christ as our Savior.  He, alone, is the way, the truth and the life, and no one can come to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).

 

How do we know that Jesus’ death paid the complete price?  Matthew 27:51 tells us.  The veil, the curtain, in the temple was torn from top to bottom.  

 

That curtain was 60 feet tall; 30 feet wide; and 2 - 4 inches thick.  It separated the holy of holies from the people.  Only the high priest could go in there, once per year, to intercede for the sins of the people.  He offered sacrifices to God on their behalf, to pay for their sins.  That sacrifice was a blood sacrifice from an unblemished lamb.

 

The curtain was torn from top to bottom, signifying that it was God who tore it; it was God who accepted the offering of Christ, on the cross, as payment for the sins of all humanity.  It was God who made it possible for everyone to come into His presence through His Son, Jesus.

 

As John the Baptist said, “Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).  

 

“It is finished.” Unlike other religions of the world, that strive to become like God, in biblical Christianity, God became like man in order to become our Kinsman redeemer.  He paid for our sins; He reaches out to offer us a way to be with Him, forever, by accepting the free gift of eternal life, by God’s grace alone, through our faith alone, in Jesus’ death and resurrection alone.

 

The next time you are participating in a communion service, remember that the communion table is a table of grace.

 

 

TABLE OF GRACE (Lyrics:  Anne Hutto & Connie Harrington)

Hear the good news, you've been invited

No matter what others may say

Your darkest sins will be forgiven

You will alwayshave a place

 

At the table of grace, the cup's never empty

The plate's always full, and it's never too late

To come and be filled with love never ending

You're always welcome at the table of grace

 

So come, you weak, and heavy hearted, 

Don't try to hide your earthly scars

For in His eyes, we all are equal, 

Don't be afraid, come as you are

 

At the table of grace, the cup's never empty

The plate's always full, and it's never too late

To come and be filled with love never ending

You're always welcome at the table of grace

 

So let the first become the last

Let the poor put kings to shame

Their willing hearts will be their treasure

By the power of Jesus’ name, 

 

At the table of grace, the cup's never empty

The plate's always full, and it's never too late

To come and be filled with love never ending

You're always welcome at the table of grace

 

In a world of uncertainty and confusion, fear and anxiety can take over.  But these truths, that Jesus paid it all, that there is no need for any other sacrifice to be made to atone for our sins, and that “It is finished,” those truths will never change.  There is no uncertainty with Jesus; there is no fear with Jesus.  There is only a certain hope of seeing Him face-to-face and enjoying eternity with all those who have gone before us.  

 

May the Lord bless you and keep you.  May He remind you during these challenging times that your salvation is secure in Him. There is no need to question or doubt His love and grace in the lives of all true believers.

 

 

By His Grace,

Gary T. Dromi, Ph.D., D.Min.

Life Isn't A Hallmark Movie

Over the last several years, I’ve become a fan of the Hallmark Channel and the movies that they produce. The movies have pretty much been viewable by all age groups.  The Christmas movies are pleasant and some even have some Christ-honoring music.  Of course, there are the Valentine’s Day selections, which are predictable, but also enjoyable to watch.  During the rest of the year, the plots are fairly similar, but, again, interesting.  They seem to strive for the “feel good” story lines with happy endings, and there isn’t anything wrong with that, except life isn’t a Hallmark movie.  But maybe that’s why they produce these movies.

The human experience has happy endings, occasionally, but this life also has sad, and sometimes, tragic endings.  Jesus said, “In the world you have tribulations . . . .” (John 16:33). There is no shortage of sickness, sorrow, sadness, and grief.  Illnesses, divorces, natural disasters, broken relationships, loss of jobs, death of family members and close friends do not make for a happy ending.

 

Added to all of those sorrows, this past two years with the Covid virus has only served to amplify the level of grief that is found in the normal living of life.  Many of us have lost family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors due to contracting Covid-19.  As a hospital chaplain, I have seen more death and grief in these past two years to last me the rest of my life.  There were no Hallmark Channel happy endings as the family members took off their protective equipment and left the ICU after saying “good-bye” to their loved one.  

 

Many people are still suffering from what’s being called “long-term Covid symptoms,” that is, something is still not right physically or mentally.  I, and others, have been dealing with something called “vestibular neuritis,” which is a constant state of vertigo, or dizziness.  I was told this is caused by “a virus,” attacking the vestibular nerve in the inner ear, causing inflammation and damage to that nerve.  Is there a direct link to the Covid-19 virus?  No one will officially say so, but there have, coincidently, been many others who have struggled with the same condition, for months, following their fighting off the Covid-19 virus.

 

Suffering, in this life is a given.  Jesus said so, as did the other writers of the Bible.  Suffering has, at its core, sin.  Sin is the root cause of suffering, our own sin or the sin that others commit out of their own selfish desires.  Spend some time considering that truth.  There aren’t many pastors, teachers or educators who will come right out and say it because in our western culture, the word “sin” has become taboo, not politically correct; it doesn’t fit with the secular narrative that humanity is “good.” But God’s Word is true and sin is the cause of all our suffering.

 

Sin is the reason our Lord, Jesus, came from the glories of heaven to this sin-sick world in which we live, so that He could redeem all those who will believe in His death and resurrection and be saved from the curse of sin, brought about by Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God.

 

Understanding that truth doesn't, necessarily, make living in this sin-sick world much easier.  Yes, we know that eternal life belongs to every true believer; we know that God promises never to leave us or forsake us; we know that God has promised to meet all our needs.  But at the moment of sorrow, at the moment of grief, there is still pain and maybe even confusion, “God, why is this happening?  I don’t understand.”

 

Many, many years ago, at the first church that the Lord called me to pastor, I was teaching the Sunday evening service and we were talking about suffering.  It’s the question that a lot of people want answers to, but seldom are willing to accept what God’s Word has to say.  I thought it would be helpful to play a song that I had on one of my CD’s.  It was called, “Blessing In the Thorn” by Philips, Crain and Dean.  The lyrics are below and I hope it helps those of you who are currently walking through a valley of suffering.

 

May the Lord bless you and keep you; may He shine His light upon you during your journey.

 

By His Grace,

Gary T. Dromi, Ph.D., D.Min.

 

 

"Blessing In the Thorn"by Philips, Craig and Dean

 

I read about a man of God

Who gloried in his weakness. 

And I wished that I could be

More like Him and less like me.

Am I to blame for what I'm not,

Or is pain the way God teaches me to grow?

I need to know.

 

When does the thorn become a blessing?

When does the pain become a friend?

When does the weakness make me stronger?

When does my faith make me whole again?

I want to feel His arms around me

In the middle of my raging storm,

So that I can see the blessing in the thorn.

 

I heard it said the strength of Christ

Is perfect in my weakness.

And the more that I go through

The more I prove the promise true.

His love will go to any length,

It reaches even now to where I am.

But tell me once again,

 

When does the thorn become a blessing?

When does the pain become a friend?

When does the weakness make me stronger?

When does my faith make me whole again?

I want to feel His arms around me

In the middle of my raging storm,

So that I can see the blessing in the thorn.

 

Lord, I have to ask You,

On the cross, You suffered through;

Was there a time You ever doubted

What You already knew?

 

When does the thorn become a blessing?

When does the pain become a friend?

When does my weakness make me stronger?

When does my faith make me whole again?

I want to feel His arms around me

In the middle of my raging storm,

So that I can see the blessing in the thorn.

Oh, I want to see the blessing in the thorn.