Page 43 - Pneumatology - A Study of the Holy Spirit

chose to appear as “tongues of fire” resting on each of the believers. At that moment, “all of them were filled
with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:3-4).

Fire is a wonderful picture of the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is like a fire in at least three ways: He
brings God’s presence, God’s passion, and God’s purity. The Holy Spirit is the presence of God as He indwells
the heart of the believer (Romans 8:9). In the Old Testament, God showed His presence to the Israelites by
overspreading the tabernacle with fire (Numbers 9:14-15). This fiery presence provided light and guidance
(Numbers 9:17-23). In the New Testament, God guides and comforts His children with the Holy Spirit dwelling
in our bodies—the “tabernacle” and the “temple of the living God” (2 Corinthians 5:1; 6:16).

The Holy Spirit creates the passion of God in our hearts. After the two traveling disciples talk with the
resurrected Jesus, they describe their hearts as “burning within us” (Luke 24:32). After the apostles receive
the Spirit at Pentecost, they have a passion that lasts a lifetime and impels them to speak the word of God
boldly (Acts 4:31).

The Holy Spirit produces the purity of God in our lives. God’s purpose is to purify us (Titus 2:14), and the
Spirit is the agent of our sanctification (1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2). As the
silversmith uses fire to purge the dross from the precious metal, so God uses the Spirit to remove our sin
from us (Psalm 66:10; Proverbs 17:3). His fire cleanses and refines.

The Holy Spirit produces fruit in our lives.

When we walk in the Spirit, we will see the results of His activity in our
lives, producing what the Bible calls the Fruit of the Spirit. This
supernatural fruit is not a result of our own efforts, for in our flesh, we
cannot produce this fruit.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
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faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

The Greek word translated “fruit” refers to the natural product of a living thing. Paul is using this metaphor
to help us understand that the fruit described is the natural product of a living Holy Spirit indwelling the
believer. The fruit is produced by the Holy Spirit. Notice that the verse does not say, the “fruits” (plural) of
the Spirit. He uses the singular word “fruit” meaning a unified whole, not a bunch of independent
characteristics. As we yield our lives to God, ALL of the characteristics of Christ will become evident in our
lives. If they are not evident in your life, then ask yourself these questions: “Am I really walking in the Spirit
of Christ daily?” “Have I yielded my life to Christ in every area of my life?” “Am I practicing 'walking in the
Spirit' daily?”

It takes time to grow fruit. After planting a tree, sometimes it takes years before the tree begins to bear fruit.
The same thing applies to this fruit. It will not appear in its fullest sense overnight. It will take years of
spiritual maturing before it becomes solidly manifested in our lives. And like a fruit tree, we must continually
remove the weeds that seek to choke out the nourishment to the tree. Our weeds are the fruit of yielding to
our Old Sin Nature. The fruit of our flesh opposes the fruit of the Spirit.

As we give the Spirit of God more control of our lives, He begins to do in us and through us only what He can
do, and His fruit will start to grow. Let’s briefly look at the fruit that is generated by the Holy Spirit:

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