Sunday
April 9
1. THE THIRD PERSON OF THE GODHEAD
a. How do we know that the Holy Spirit has a personality? 1 Corinthians 2:11; Romans 8:16, 26.
“The Holy Spirit has a personality, else He could not bear witness to our spirits and with our spirits that we are the children of God. He must also be a divine person, else He could not search out the secrets which lie hidden in the mind of God.”—Evangelism, p. 617.
“We need to realize that the Holy Spirit, who is as much a person as God is a person, is walking through these grounds. . . . [From a talk to the students at the Avondale School.]”—Ibid., p. 616.
b. In what three names is a person to be baptized, and why? Matthew 28:19.
“There are three living persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these three great powers—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these powers will co-operate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to live the new life in Christ.”—Ibid., p. 615.
Monday
April 10
2. A HEAVENLY TEACHER
a. What is another name given to the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures, and what work does He do for us? John 14:16, 26.
“The Comforter is called ‘the Spirit of truth.’ His work is to define and maintain the truth. He first dwells in the heart as the Spirit of truth, and thus He becomes the Comforter. There is comfort and peace in the truth, but no real peace or comfort can be found in falsehood. It is through false theories and traditions that Satan gains his power over the mind. By directing men to false standards, he misshapes the character. Through the Scriptures the Holy Spirit speaks to the mind, and impresses truth upon the heart. Thus He exposes error, and expels it from the soul. It is by the Spirit of truth, working through the word of God, that Christ subdues His chosen people to Himself.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 671.
b. How is the Holy Spirit also a guide to us? John 16:13.
“If men are willing to be molded, there will be brought about a sanctification of the whole being. The Spirit will take the things of God and stamp them on the soul. By His power the way of life will be made so plain that none need err therein.”—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 53.
“How earnestly should we pray that He who ‘searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God,’ He whose office it is to bring all things to the remembrance of God’s people, and to guide them into all truth, may be with us in the investigation of His Holy Word.”—Testimonies to Ministers, p. 111.
c. What is one way the Holy Spirit impresses truth upon our mind? Luke 24:32.
“The promised Holy Spirit, that He would send after He ascended to His Father, is constantly at work to draw the attention to the great official sacrifice upon the cross of Calvary, and to unfold to the world the love of God to man, and to open to the convicted soul the precious things in the Scriptures.”—Reflecting Christ, p. 132.
Tuesday
April 11
3. A REGENERATING AGENT
a. Describe the workings of the Spirit. John 3:8.
“Though we cannot see the Spirit of God, we know that men who have been dead in trespasses and sins, become convicted and converted under its operations. The thoughtless and wayward become serious. The hardened repent of their sins, and the faithless believe. The gambler, the drunkard, the licentious, become steady, sober, and pure. The rebellious and obstinate become meek and Christlike. When we see these changes in the character, we may be assured that the converting power of God has transformed the entire man. We saw not the Holy Spirit, but we saw the evidence of its work on the changed character of those who were hardened and obdurate sinners. As the wind moves in its force upon the lofty trees and brings them down, so the Holy Spirit can work upon human hearts, and no finite man can circumscribe the work of God.”—Evangelism, p. 288.
b. How will the Spirit make impressions upon the heart? John 16:8.
“Only when the truth is accompanied to the heart by the Spirit, will it quicken the conscience or transform the life. A minister may be able to present the letter of the word of God; he may be familiar with all its commands and promises; but his sowing of the gospel seed will not be successful unless this seed is quickened into life by the dew of heaven. Without the co-operation of the Spirit of God, no amount of education, no advantages, however great, can make one a channel of light.”—Gospel Workers, p. 284.
“Who but the Holy Spirit presents before the mind the moral standard of righteousness and convinces of sin, and produces godly sorrow which worketh repentance that needeth not to be repented of, and inspires the exercise of faith in Him who alone can save from all sin?”—Reflecting Christ, p. 132.
“Of what avail would it have been to us that the only begotten Son of God had humbled Himself, endured the temptations of the wily foe, and wrestled with him during His entire life on earth, and died the Just for the unjust that humanity might not perish, if the Spirit had not been given as a constant, working, regenerating agent to make effectual in our cases what has been wrought out by the world’s Redeemer?”—Selected Messages, bk. 3, p. 137.
Wednesday
April 12
4. THE SPIRIT’S WORK IN THE HEART
a. How does the Holy Spirit prompt us to do what is right? Isaiah 30:21.
“He who does the will of God, who walks in the path that God has marked out, cannot stumble and fall. The light of God’s guiding Spirit gives him a clear perception of his duty, and leads him aright till the close of his work.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 527.
“But those who desire to be true to Christ will listen to the voice that says, ‘This is the way, walk ye in it’ (Isaiah 30:21). They will decide to take the course of the righteous, although it is more difficult to pursue, more painful to follow, than the way of their own heart.”—That I May Know Him, p. 251.
b. How does the Spirit help us in our weaknesses? Romans 8:26.
“Christ, our Mediator, and the Holy Spirit are constantly interceding in man’s behalf, but the Spirit pleads not for us as does Christ who presents His blood, shed from the foundation of the world; the Spirit works upon our hearts, drawing out prayers and penitence, praise and thanksgiving. The gratitude which flows from our lips is the result of the Spirit striking the cords of the soul in holy memories, awakening the music of the heart.”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 6, pp. 1077, 1078.
c. What role does the Spirit play in our conversion? Ezekiel 36:25–27.
“Men may be church members, and may apparently work earnestly, performing a round of duties from year to year, and yet be unconverted. . . . But when the truth is received as truth by the heart, it has passed through the conscience, and has captivated the soul with its pure principles. It is placed in the heart by the Holy Spirit, who reveals its beauty to the mind, that its transforming power may be seen in the character.”—Reflecting Christ, p. 217.
Thursday
April 13
5. NO CONDEMNATION
a. What is written about our standing with God when we are led by His Spirit? Romans 8:1.
“Henceforth you are not your own; you are bought with a price. ‘Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold; . . . but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot’ (1 Peter 1:18, 19). Through this simple act of believing God, the Holy Spirit has begotten a new life in your heart. You are as a child born into the family of God, and He loves you as He loves His Son.
“Now that you have given yourself to Jesus, do not draw back, do not take yourself away from Him, but day by day say, ‘I am Christ’s; I have given myself to Him;’ and ask Him to give you His Spirit and keep you by His grace. As it is by giving yourself to God, and believing Him, that you become His child, so you are to live in Him. The apostle says, ‘As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him.’ Colossians 2:6.”—Steps to Christ, pp. 51, 52.
b. How close will our relationship then be to Jesus? Matthew 10:20.
“Then with Christ working in you, you will manifest the same spirit and do the same good works—works of righteousness, obedience. . . .
“Our only ground of hope is in the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and in that wrought by His Spirit working in and through us.”—Ibid., p. 63.
Friday
April 14
PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What relationship does the Holy Spirit have to the Father and to the Son?
2. How does the Holy Spirit work to impress truth upon the mind?
3. How do we know that the Holy Spirit is at work in someone’s life?
4. How does the Holy Spirit intercede for us?
5. As the Holy Spirit begets a new life in the heart, what will we be led to do each day?