Of all the gifts God has given to us, one of the greatest is the gift of his presence in our lives through his Holy Spirit. To many the Spirit is the most mysterious part of the Trinity. Rather than being a mystery, though, the Holy Spirit actually has a very clear job description in Scripture. According to the New Testament, the Holy Spirit…
- Glorifies and exalts Jesus and reveals him to us (John 15:26, 16:14)
- Convicts us – giving us a sense of sin as well as affirming to us that Jesus (all truth) is the way to God (John 16:8-13)
- Lives in us when we acknowledge Christ as Savior, and fills us as we allow the Spirit free access to every part of our lives (Ephesians 5:18; Acts 2:4, 4:8, 31 and 9:17)
- Guides and leads us when we ask, leading us into all truth (Romans 8:14; Galatians 5:18; Matthew 4:1; Luke 4:1)
- Helps us understand and apply the Scripture to our lives (2 Timothy 3:16; 1 Corinthians 2:12)
- Teaches us to pray and prays for us when we don’t know what to pray (Romans 8:26-27; Jude 1:20; Galatians 4:6)
- Prompts us to listen to God’s still small voice as well as lifting our voices in joyful worship (Psalm 46:10; Revelation 19:6; Galatians 5:5; 1 Thessalonians 1:6)
- Empowers us to share God’s love with others and live boldly in times of trouble (Luke 4:14; 24:49; Romans 15:19; Acts 1:8)
- Distributes spiritual gifts to us for use in the body (his church) (1 Corinthians 12:4; 8-10; Hebrews 2:4)
- Produces fruit in us – the evidence of the Spirit’s work and presence in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23)
- Comforts us (John 14:16; 2 Corinthians 1:3-7; Acts 9:31)
- Brings what Jesus has said to our remembrance (John 14:26)
- Transforms us into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18)
- Seals believers and bears witness that we are the children of God (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30; Romans 8:16)
- Unites believers in oneness to the body (Ephesians 4:3, 2:14-19)
- Is our guarantee for our future resurrection and grants us everlasting life (2 Corinthians 1:22, 5:8; Galatians 6:8)
There are many other passages of Scripture giving us insight into the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The mystery isn’t as great if we learn more and allow the Spirit to work in us! – Judi Brandow, Communications Specialist
Comments are closed.