13.1 What is the Holy Spirit?
ANSWER:
The Holy Spirit (sometimes called "the Holy Ghost" and sometimes "the Spirit of God") is a way of describing God's power. By His Spirit God made the world. By His Spirit God caused Jesus to be born. By His Spirit God caused the prophets and apostles to write the Scriptures. By His Spirit God is everywhere, and knows all that we do, think and say. By His Spirit God will raise the dead to life again when the Lord Jesus comes. This Spirit-power of God is called "Holy" when it is applied to God's special work of producing holy scriptures and holy people. See Luke 1:35; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8; Genesis 1:2; Job 33:4; Psalm 104:30; Jeremiah 32:17; 2 Peter 1:21; Psalm 139:1-14; Romans 8:11; Acts 7:51.

13.2 What are the Gifts of the Spirit?
ANSWER:
The gifts of the Spirit are special powers that God gave some of His servants in, and immediately after, the days of the apostles. By means of these powers, selected men were able to speak and to write the words of God, and to perform other miracles. The gifts of the Spirit included apostleship, prophecy, healing and "speaking in tongues". (That is to say, they were able to speak other languages without having to learn them.) These gifts helped the church in a period of exceptional difficulty. In two ways the gifts made it possible for the gospel to be widely preached. Firstly, the early Christian preachers were able to proclaim the gospel boldly and powerfully in many different languages. Secondly, they were able to confirm their message with great miracles. The gifts also enabled the New Testament to be written, and the Christian church to be firmly established. In Old Testament times Moses, Elijah, Elisha and others possessed similar powers. Paul taught that the time would come when these gifts of the Spirit would be taken away. This happened when the Christian church was established, and the New Testament fully written. That is why nobody possesses these gifts today. When the Lord Jesus returns to the earth God's servants will once more be given the gifts of the Spirit. See Acts 2:1-17; Joel 2:28- 29; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11; Romans 15:18-19; Psalm 105:26-27; 2 Kings 2:9-15; 1 Corinthians 13:8-11; Hebrews 6:4-5.

13.3 How should we regard people who claim to work miracles and to speak "in tongues" today?
ANSWER:
They are false teachers who do not work by the power of God. Sometimes they are deliberate deceivers, though more often they are themselves deceived. They are like the false prophets and magicians who claimed to be able to work miracles in the days of Moses, the Lord Jesus and the apostles.
See Exodus 7:11, 12,22; Luke 11:19; Acts 8:9-11; Matthew 24:24.

13.4 Is God's Holy Spirit active today?
ANSWER:
God's Spirit is always active. For the salvation of men and women it is powerfully active in His word, the Bible, which is spirit and life (John 6:63). When God's word is mixed with faith in the heart of the believer, it becomes the incorruptible seed which brings forth, with God's abundant blessing, a new birth by baptism (1 Peter 1:23-25; 1 Peter 2:1-3). By this means we enter into the life of the Spirit. Thereby we have access to God by prayer through Jesus Christ and find strength for daily living and obedience to the commands of God (Hebrews 2:18 and Hebrews 4:16 with Romans 8: 26-28). God has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6).