God the Holy Spirit, Mentor's Guide, MG14

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G O D T H E H O L Y S P I R I T

The Prophetic Work of the Holy Spirit

Segment 1: The Spirit Who Spoke by the Prophets

Rev. Terry G. Cornett

We can know the Living God only because he chooses to reveal himself to us. It is the Spirit of God who puts the knowledge of God into human words and makes them known to the prophets. The Spirit of God both gives us the Scriptures and enables us to understand and believe the truths they teach. Apart from the Spirit’s work, no person would either want to seek God or be able to discover what he is like. Our objective for this segment, The Spirit Who Spoke by the Prophets , is to enable you to:

Summary of Segment 1

• Describe the biblical concept of prophecy.

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• Understand that all Scripture is a “prophetic” word from the Spirit of God.

• See that all prophecy involves “forthtelling” a message from God, while some prophecy also involves “foretelling” a future event in God’s plan. • Demonstrate from Scripture that prophecy is a ministry given to women as well as men. • Prove from Scripture that prophecy comes through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

• Verify the biblical claim that the Holy Spirit is the author of the Scriptures.

• Define the doctrines of inspiration and illumination and explain the relationship between them.

In this first segment we will explore the biblical doctrine of prophetic inspiration. The Nicene Creed reminds us that this doctrine relates directly to the ministry of the Holy Spirit when it says that the Spirit is the one “who spoke by the prophets.”