Before you read: This article is part of a larger series that builds upon itself from the foundation up, with each study building on the last. If something in this article does not make sense to you or if you believe it to be incorrect, please ensure you have read the entire series before passing final judgment. Also, be sure to visit this page’s FAQ And Objections Page
What is the evidence of the Holy Ghost? How do we know when we have received Him? How will others know?
If we want to have a firm grasp and foundation on this subject, we must first understand what the Bible teaches. That means we have to ask a lot of questions. But it all begins with understanding the differences between the gifts and fruits of the Spirit.
Gifts vs. Fruits of the Spirit
The first question on your mind is probably, “What is the evidence of the Holy Ghost?” But before we can answer that, we need to understand the difference between the fruits and the gifts of the Spirit.
Put simply, a gift is something given to you by another, while a fruit is something that forms within you. In other words, fruit grows and develops over time, whereas a gift is handed to you instantly.
Think of it like this: when you want a plant to bear fruit, you prune it, water it, and fertilize it. The plant can’t provide these things for itself. At the same time, though, you can’t force it to produce fruit. It must use the nutrients that flow into it in order to grow. It does this by abiding in the vine.
In the same way, the gifts of the Spirit are given to us instantly by God. We don’t earn them or work for them—they are freely given so that we can complete a certain task.
John 15:5
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
The fruit of the Spirit is like the fruit of the plant. It is produced within us over time as we grow in our relationship with God. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control don’t appear instantly. They develop as we abide in Jesus.
This is the major difference between the fruits and gifts of the Spirit: the gifts are given when needed by the Holy Spirit, while the fruits are cultivated in our lives as we make use of what God has given us through His Spirit.
How Do We Receive the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
You may be wondering what you can do in order to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Saul discovered the answer to that question the hard way—the answer is nothing.
In 1 Samuel 19, Saul sent men to capture David, but the Spirit of God came upon them, and they began to prophesy instead.
1 Samuel 19:20-24
20 And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 21 And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also. 22 Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they be at Naioth in Ramah. 23 And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?
Saul intended to kill David, but instead he ended up on the ground, stripped of his garments, prophesying. Clearly, this was not something he asked God to do. The gifts of the Spirit do not require our effort, though God does invite us to be willing participants.
1 Corinthians 14:32
32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
1 Thessalonians 5:19-20
19 Quench not the Spirit. 20 Despise not prophesyings.
In Saul’s case, he had no ability to say no to the Spirit—God took control to accomplish His mission. But in most cases, since God desires us to share in His work, He gives us the choice to say yes or no to Him.
We should never tell God “no.” Doing so quenches the Spirit and hinders the mission. That is why it is so important to discern what is and is not instruction from the Holy Spirit.
A false prophet is an abomination to God, but a lazy Christian is a shame. Every word and every work will be tried by fire. Let us make sure we know what spirit we are operating in.
The Gifts of the Holy Ghost
1 Corinthians 12:8-10
8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
The gifts of the Spirit include the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues.
That in itself is quite a long list. But is it everything?
Matthew 7:11
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
At first glance, we may think, “Okay, this is referring to the gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:8–10.” But that isn’t all it’s talking about! Let’s look at another verse that explains in even greater detail what these “good things” are.
Luke 11:13
13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
The Holy Spirit Himself is a gift! If there were any doubt about this, here are a few more verses that make it even clearer:
John 4:10
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Acts 2:38-39
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Acts 8:19-20
19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. 20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.
Hebrews 6:4
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
So let’s think about this: The Bible says the Holy Ghost Himself is a gift. That means the Holy Ghost has given Himself to you, if you belong to Him. Doesn’t that also mean that everything which belongs to Him is yours as well? Yes, it does!
Ephesians 1:13-14
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Inheritance is a word that means what once belonged only to another now belongs to you. The Holy Spirit Himself is the gift of God given to the believer, and everything the Holy Spirit has comes with that gift.
When you consider that the Holy Spirit is God Himself, it becomes even greater—because that means you have access to everything God has. It is your inheritance. And if needed, the Father can grant you portions of it even before you reach heaven.
He truly is the gift that keeps on giving!
So if you are a Christian, ask yourself this question: If the Holy Spirit—who is God Himself—belongs to you, what else is available to you if you ask?
2 Corinthians 9:15
15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
Now let me ask you this as well: Do you have the gifts of healing, tongues, prophecy, and so on?
Many people who have never given a prophecy or performed a miracle may think they don’t have those gifts. But as we just said—you do! Every Christian has every gift. But it is up to God what gift is used, and when.
The Purpose of the Gifts
WAIT! How can I say that every Christian has these gifts? Does the Bible actually say that?!
Romans 12:6
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
1 Corinthians 12:29-30
29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? 30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
1 Corinthians 12:29–30 is a series of rhetorical questions. The obvious answer is no.So here’s another question: How can all believers have all that belongs to God, yet not all of us operate in the gifts? Not all of us are apostles, prophets, or teachers. Not all of us work miracles, heal, speak in tongues, or interpret.
What is the answer?
1 Corinthians 12:4-7
4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
This is the answer. We all have the same Lord and the same Spirit, but we do not all operate in the same way. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given for the purpose of benefiting the church. Yet God has assigned to each of us specific roles and tasks.
1 Corinthians 12:13-20
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? 18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. 19 And if they were all one member, where were the body? 20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
The hand doesn’t speak, but it does reach out to heal. The foot doesn’t heal, but it carries the hands to where they can be used. In the same way, God gives each believer certain gifts of the Spirit to use at certain times.
Even though we all have the Holy Ghost—and therefore access to every gift of the Spirit—we do not each operate in every gift individually. We need one another as members of the same body. Together, we make the body of Christ complete.
That being said, we must also remember that if the need arises, God can and will empower us to operate in a different gift of the Spirit. But this is not by our choice.
He alone places us where He wants us and grants what He desires to grant. And every gift He gives serves one purpose: the benefit of the church as a whole. Even gifts used in evangelism ultimately build up the body by bringing in new members.
So yes—we all have the gifts, but we do not use all of them.
The Evidence of the Holy Ghost
Let me give you a teaser. In our next study, I’m going to talk specifically about the gift of tongues. But for now, let me go ahead and ask the question: What is the evidence of the Holy Ghost?
Think of a bride. When she gets married, does she need anything to prove to her that she has a husband? I would hope his presence in her life would be enough proof.
Sure, it’s nice to have a ring, but does she really need that to know she is married? That’s the same kind of thinking people use when asking what the evidence of the Holy Ghost is.
What evidence do you think we need? We don’t need the gift of a ring—or the gifts of the Spirit—to know He is in our lives. The evidence is His presence.
But here’s a good question: How can others know when you have the Holy Spirit? What evidence do they need?
Matthew 7:16-23
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
The evidence of the Holy Spirit is the fruit of the Spirit that you produce. It is not the gifts that prove you have the Holy Spirit. In fact, even the devil can mimic prophecy and perform miracles. But what he cannot do is produce the fruit of the Spirit.
There are people who use many gifts, but those gifts don’t always come from God. This is why it is so important to know what the true evidence of the Holy Ghost is. A demon can speak in tongues, perform miracles, and even give false prophecy—but a demon cannot produce the fruit of life.
Sometimes we place too much emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. But they are not evidence of anything. The evidence comes from the fruit of the Spirit. The gifts are simply tools to be used in building up the church.
In our next study, we will look more closely at this topic—specifically at what many call “the evidence of speaking in tongues.”
Continue To Unit 4:10 – Is Speaking in Tongues Evidence of the Holy Spirit OR
Return To Christianity 101 Unit 4 – The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
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