The power of the Holy Spirit–those words can bring images of miracles and of emotional worship services. But, the Holy Spirit has a specific mission to the human race that we (as a body of believers) haven’t explored much. Now, more than ever with trouble exploding in our world, we need to understand and take part in what the Holy Spirit wants to do. So, let’s begin with Romans 8:14-16* and then we’ll see where those verses lead us:

  For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God…

Did you catch that last sentence–”the Holy Spirit testifies with our spirit?” Two different spirits are working here: our spirit which is the same spirit that made Christ the Son of God and the Holy Spirit which is the Spirit of God. Sounds confusing, doesn’t it? But, it’s not really: the Holy Spirit overshadows us to create our inner man of righteousness then indwells us to help us know God as “Abba, Father!

     As recorded in John 14-16,Christ talked extensively about the Holy Spirit with his disciples. Keeping in mind what we just read from Romans 8, let’s look at some of what he said. First, let’s read John 14:16-18, 26:

  I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans … But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

The Holy Spirit is God’s provision for human beings to understand His fatherhood. Christ did not come just to leave us hanging when he ascended to the Father–he did not leave us as orphans without a father. This Holy Spirit, who had worked from the beginning of our world and who abided with the Hebrew nation, was (is) going to be inside believers in Christ. This Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth, was (is) going to bring truth and to teach all things to those who were (are) born again. So in a world full of deception, God has provided the source of truth.

     Now, let’s jump ahead to John 16:12-15 and listen to more of Christ’s words:

  I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All that the Father has are Mine…

 Everything that is God’s is Christ’s, and through the Holy Spirit, everything that is Christ’s is ours–this is truth. What is God’s? Remember in my first few posts, we talked about God’s character–life, light, good, truth, spirit–all of those are Christ’s. And, through the Holy Spirit, all of those are ours (Romans 8:17)–the Holy Spirit discloses life, light, good, truth, and spirit to us. The Holy Spirit enables us to make them ours. What great news!

     In his talk with his disciples, Christ even spoke of the methodology the Holy Spirit uses to guide us into all truth:

  And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.  (John 16: 8-11)

The first work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to show us our unbelief–sin is simply not holding onto God through Christ. (Not holding onto God causes all kinds of destructive behavior.) Then the Holy Spirit convicts us of righteousness–Christ became sin and died; he was resurrected and he ascended to his Father because life is greater than death; and we are made the righteouness of God through Christ. And, the Holy Spirit convicts us of the fact that Satan and his cohorts have been judged–Christ demolished the dividing wall they had built and their lies are being revealed through the Holy Spirit. (Notice that the Holy Spirit does not convict us that any human beings have been judged!)

 

     Before we pause in our discussion–more to come in my next post–let’s look again at the first part of Romans 8:15, “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again…” Nowhere is there a stronger statement of the difference between the Mosaic covenant and the second covenant that Christ ushered in. Remember, Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 tells us that, after Solomon had spent many years seeking all there was to hear, his conclusion was that humans were to fear God and keep His commandments “because God would bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.” This one statement of Solomon’s sums up the main idea of the Mosaic covenant–fear and obey the unseen and holy God or face judgment (with certain punishment for evil).  However, while he ministered to the Hebrews, Christ repeatedly drove home the truth that God is the loving Father and that humans need not to fear Him. The indwelling Holy Spirit is the One who brings this truth into reality in our lives. We don’t have to fear God–we are not His slaves, we are His children. God loves us with His absolute love which is perfect, complete, and real!

     As always, please feel free to comment–just keep it respectful!

     *Note–all scriptures are taken from the NASB.

     @2009-2010 by Patricia Zell. All rights reserved.