Holy Spirit in 1 and 2 Thessalonians

The work of the Holy Spirit with man is always prophetic in its nature when that work is done directly with man. Whenever He comes upon man, rushes upon him, falls upon him, fills him, dwells in him, anoints him, or at least a dozen other images expressed in the Bible, the Spirit provides man some kind of prophetic ability.

The Bible’s doctrine about the work of the Holy Spirit with man begins in Genesis. It is described nearly one hundred times in the Old Testament. The Spirit’s work in the New Testament is built upon these sure, concrete, and easy to understand examples. The brightest and clearest of all of these examples is the “promise of the Holy Spirit” in Joel 2.

The New Testament’s lack of reference to other specific Old Testament prophecies about the Holy Spirit should be of great concern for those seeking to explain the Spirit’s work without a reference to Joel 2. Essentially, they must create a doctrine about the Holy Spirit’s work from a collection of New Testament verses and do so in a way which does not refer back to Acts 2 or Joel 2. Interpreting Acts 3 – Acts 28 without connecting their references to Acts 2 is flawed hermeneutically and practically.

The first two references to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament point to His work in the creation of the body of Jesus. His work in these verses is clearly a direct expression of the divine power and is in line with what is seen in the rest of the gospel accounts.