The Holy Spirit in the Gospel of John

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LIBERTY UNIVERSITY The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit in John A RESEARCH PAPER SUBMITTED TO DR. CAMPBELL IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COURSE NBST 655 LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY BY STEPHANIE BROWNING LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA December 10, 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 The Holy Spirit is an Identifier of Christ to Believers (John 1:33-34; 3:34) 1 The Holy Spirit is the Initiator of Salvation (John 3:5-8; 16:7-11) 3 The Holy Spirit is the Instrument of Worship (John 4:1-26) 5 The Holy Spirit is the Infuser of Life (John 6:63; 7:37-39) 7 The Holy Spirit is the Instructor 9 Instructor of Truth (John 14:15-21; 16:12-15) 9 Instructor of Righteous Living (John 14:26; 15:26-27) 11 The Holy Spirit is the Influencer of Believers (John 20:22-23) 12 Conclusion 14 Appendix: Parakletos and Its Limitations in Translation 15 Bibliography 19 Introduction The Holy Spirit has endured much confusion over the history of the church. Some even minimize His importance by relegating Him to an undefined characteristic of “God”. As the most cryptic member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is not an optional part of the tri-unity of God, but He is an integral, essential member in terms of His relationship to God the Father, God the Son, and humanity. To that end, this research is organized chronologically by the primary supporting passage for each facet of the definition of the Holy Spirit. Supporting passages are added for each section where there is supporting evidence. Additionally, the historical setting in the theological history of John’s Gospel is also considered in these roles. The Holy Spirit is an Identifier of Christ to Believers (John 1:33-34; 3:34) One of the roles given to the Holy Spirit in John’s Gospel is that of identifying Christ to the believers. This role is
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