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1000 articles found for “the Holy Spirit”

• Blasphemy

  [Bible]

  Blasphemy is the dishonoring of God's name and majesty by word or deed. The Old Testament law punished it with death, and in the Gospels Jesus is accused of this offense.

• Matthew 12:31–32

  [Bible Verses]

  Matthew 12:31–32 records Jesus' warning that all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, but that blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven, "neither in this world, neither in the world to come." What constitutes this "unforgivable sin" has long been debated.

• Acts 10:44–46

  [Bible Verses]

  This passage describes how, while Peter was preaching in the house of Cornelius, the Holy Spirit fell on the Gentile listeners, who then spoke with tongues and magnified God. It marks a turning point in the mission to the Gentiles and is frequently cited in discussions of Spirit baptism and speaking in tongues.

• Acts 5:1–4

  [Bible Verses]

  In this passage Peter rebukes Ananias, a member of the early church, for secretly keeping back part of the price of his land while presenting the rest as a gift. Because Peter equates lying to the Holy Spirit with lying to God, the passage is often cited as evidence for the deity of the Holy Spirit. It is also frequently quoted in sermons on giving and honesty.

• Mark 3:28–30

  [Bible Verses]

  Mark 3:28–30 is the passage in which Jesus warns the scribes who had said he was possessed by a demon that "blasphemy against the Holy Ghost" will never be forgiven. Interpreters frequently debate what this "unforgivable sin" is and whether a believer can commit it, and the passage is a common source of spiritual anxiety.

• Ephesians 5:18

  [Bible Verses]

  Ephesians 5:18 reads, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit" (KJV). It is a key verse on being filled with the Holy Spirit, and interpreters and denominations differ in their emphases on what that filling means. In Korean Protestant churches it is also frequently cited as a basis for the tradition of abstaining from alcohol.

• Psalm 51:11–12

  [Bible Verses]

  In this passage David, repenting of his sin, asks God not to cast him away from His presence or take His Holy Spirit from him, and to restore to him the joy of salvation. It is often cited as a model of penitential prayer and figures in discussions of whether the Holy Spirit can depart from a believer.

• Trinity

  [Doctrine & Theology]

  The Trinity is the central Christian doctrine that God is one in essence and exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is confessed in common by Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox churches.

• John 20:23

  [Bible Verses]

  In this verse the risen Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to his disciples and says, "Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them." The Catholic Church cites it as the scriptural basis for the sacrament of penance, while Protestants read it as a declaration of forgiveness through the proclamation of the gospel. Interpretations of the verse therefore differ sharply.

• Spiritual Body

  [Bible]

  The spiritual body is Paul's term in 1 Corinthians 15:44 for the body the dead will put on at the resurrection, in contrast to the "natural body." It refers to a body that is incorruptible, glorious, and governed by the Holy Spirit.

• Christian Spirituality

  [Doctrine & Theology]

  Christian spirituality is the relationship that Christians have with God through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit, together with the ways that relationship finds expression in prayer, Scripture, worship, and everyday life.

• Cessationism and Continuationism

  [Controversies]

  Cessationism and continuationism are opposing positions in the debate over whether gifts of the Holy Spirit such as tongues, prophecy, and divine healing have continued beyond the apostolic age. Some conservative Presbyterians hold that these gifts have ceased, while Pentecostal churches, such as the Assemblies of God (Full Gospel), hold that they continue today.

• Trinity Sunday

  [Feasts & Seasons]

  Trinity Sunday, the Sunday after Pentecost, is a feast of the Western church year commemorating the doctrine of the Trinity, which confesses one God in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

• Acts 1:8

  [Bible Verses]

  Acts 1:8 records Jesus' words to the disciples just before his ascension: when the Holy Spirit comes upon them, they will receive power and be his witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The verse previews the narrative of the entire Book of Acts and serves as a leading watchword for missions. The nature of the experience of the Spirit implied by "receiving power" is debated.

• Ezekiel 36:26

  [Bible Verses]

  Ezekiel 36:26 records God's promise to give a new spirit, to take away the stony heart, and to give a heart of flesh. It is a principal Old Testament text on regeneration and the inward transforming work of the Holy Spirit, and it is frequently cited in discussions among denominations about how God's work and the human response relate to each other in conversion.

• Friday Prayer Meeting

  [Worship & Rites]

  The Friday prayer meeting is a regular prayer gathering in Korean Protestantism, held from Friday evening into the night and consisting of worship songs, preaching, and prayer. Because participants once prayed through the night, it is also called the Friday all-night prayer meeting.

• Acts of the Apostles

  [Bible]

  The Acts of the Apostles is the fifth book of the New Testament. It records how, after the ascension of Jesus Christ and with the coming of the Holy Spirit, the church began in Jerusalem and spread as far as Rome.

• Joel 2:28-29

  [Bible Verses]

  Joel 2:28-29 is God's promise that afterward he will pour out his Spirit upon all flesh, so that sons and daughters will prophesy, old men will dream dreams, and young men will see visions, and that he will pour out his Spirit even upon servants and handmaids. Peter quoted the passage in his Pentecost sermon, and it is a central text in interdenominational debates over the work of the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, and women's ministry.

• Spirit and Flesh

  [Bible]

  Spirit and flesh are a pair of terms the Bible uses to describe human beings as they stand before God. They may refer to the constitution of the human person (spirit, soul, and body), and in the Pauline epistles they can also denote the opposition between a life that follows the Holy Spirit and a life inclined toward sin.

• Authorship of the Bible

  [Bible]

  The authorship of the Bible concerns who wrote each of the books of Scripture. The Bible speaks both of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and of the writing of human authors, and denominations and scholars differ in how they understand the authorship and inspiration of each book.