The gift of the Holy Spirit is the gift of God’s own personal presence. Since the beginning, God has desired to make His home within man, but sin made this impossible. Only through the completed redemption could God again find rest within the heart of His creature. God’s greatest gift is the gift of himself, first in the person of the Son for our redemption, and then in the person of the Spirit as our permanent Comforter.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is a permanent well of living water within.

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 (John 4:10). 

The gift of the Spirit gives us power to partake of God himself.

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 (Hebrews 6:4). 

 

The gift of the Holy Spirit is the mark of belonging to God’s covenant people.

Forasmuch then as God gave them [the Gentiles at the house of Cornelius] the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? (Acts 11:17). 

The gift of the Holy Spirit is a real impartation of God’s life through the laying on of believer’s hands.

There are exceptions to this means of imparting the gift of the Spirit, but this was the more common way God gave the Spirit. Notice the humility of God in insisting that He be received through the channel of human hands. We learn from the beginning that life from God under the New Covenant requires true submission to other believers. 

And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostle’s hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying. Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money (Acts 8:18-20).