"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 have said to you." (John 14:26)
"And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38)
"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." (Romans 8:26)
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, believers are saved, filled, sealed, and sanctified. The Holy Spirit reveals God’s thoughts, teaches, and guides believers into all truth, including knowledge of what is to come. The Holy Spirit also helps Christians in their weakness and intercedes for them.
The Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, is God, the third Person of the Holy Trinity, who eternally "proceeds" from the Father (John 15:26). The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son. The word "Spirit" commonly translates the Greek New Testament word pneuma.
The Spirit dwells inside every true Christian. The body of faithful Christians becomes His temple (1 Corinthians 3:16). He is described as a 'Counsellor' or 'Helper' (paraclete in Greek, guiding them in the way of the truth.) The 'Fruit of the Spirit' (the result of His work) is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22). The Spirit is also believed to give gifts (natural and supernatural) to Christians as is found in the life of Christ and His disciples healing the sick, raising the dead, and more.
Christians believe that it was the Holy Spirit whom Jesus mentioned as the promised "Comforter" in John 14:26. After His resurrection, Christ told his disciples that they would be "baptized with the Holy Ghost," and would receive power or endowment (Acts 1:4-8). This promise was fulfilled in the events recounted in Acts 2. On the first Pentecost, Jesus' disciples were gathered in Jerusalem when a mighty wind was heard, and tongues of fire appeared over their heads. A multilingual crowd heard the disciples speaking, and each heard them speaking in their native language.
The following are ten ways the Holy Spirit works in the lives of believers:
In John 14:26, Jesus told his disciples, “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 have said to you” (John 14:26, ESV).
The Greek word “Parakletos” in this passage is translated as “Helper” in the ESV, “Advocate” in the NIV, and “Counselor” in the KJV. The meaning of this word relates to “legal counsel.”
The Holy Spirit provides wise counsel to Christ’s followers. Jesus knew he would be going away and that his followers would need the Holy Spirit as a helper and an advocate to remind them of his teachings.
In addition to providing wise counsel, attorneys also provide evidence used to convict criminals. In a similar fashion, the Holy Spirit will prove the sin, righteousness, and judgment of the world.
“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:7-8, ESV).
The Holy Spirit is God’s presence in the lives of believers.
“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16, ESV)
“These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except for their own spirit within them? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10-11).
God gives His followers the Holy Spirit, so we may know Him better. Since the Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit, it knows the thoughts of God and reveals those thoughts to believers. The Holy Spirit opens believers’ eyes to the hope of salvation and their inheritance in Christ.
Jesus knew that his disciples would need the power to carry out their mission to be witnesses to the entire world.
Jesus told his disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
Christians have access to power, revelation, and wisdom from the Holy Spirit, just as the Apostle Paul wrote to believers in Ephesus,
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 1:17-20).
The Holy Spirit tells what is yet to come. The Holy Spirit is called the “Spirit of Truth” in John 16:13 because he guides believers into all truth. Jesus told his disciples the Holy Spirit would make known what he hears and would only speak what the Father speaks.
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you” (John 16:13-15).
Attributes of the Holy Spirit, such as wisdom, knowledge, and power, are manifested in the lives of believers for the good of others. More gifts are listed in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11.
In ancient times, a seal was a “legal signature” attesting ownership and validating what was sealed.
The Holy Spirit is our mark of adoption as God’s children. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to his followers so that they could be confident in their salvation.
Just as you might make a deposit or a down payment on a new car to make sure the salesperson doesn’t sell it to anyone else, the Holy Spirit is a deposit in our lives confirming the validity of Christ’s message and that we belong to Christ.
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13).
We all have times when we feel weak and don’t know what to do. The Holy Spirit helps us align with God’s will by interceding for us during those times.
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27).
Holy Spirit works in the lives of believers to renew, sanctify, and make us holy. Just as the Holy Spirit raised Christ from the dead, the Holy Spirit will give eternal life to believers in Christ.
“But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” (Romans 8:10-11).
The work of the Holy Spirit in a Christian’s life is an ongoing process of becoming holy through sanctification. Through the conviction and power of the Holy Spirit, believers will not indulge the sinful acts of the flesh (Galatians 5:16-21) but will bear the good fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25).
Download this free PDF, Living By the Holy Spirit Power - A Prayer and Scripture Guide
Sources
BibleStudyTools.com, Baker’s Dictionary of Biblical Theology: Holy Spirit. BibleStudyTools.com, Baker’s Dictionary of Biblical Theology: Seal. BibleStudyTools.com, Easton’s Bible Dictionary: Holy Ghost. BibleStudyTools.com, New Testament Greek Lexicon: Parakletos. BibleStudyTools.com, Torrey’s Topical Textbook: The Power of the Holy Spirit. CharismaMag.com, “33 Things the Holy Spirit Does.” Marcus Yoars, 2013. OrthodoxWiki, "Holy Spirit"
Acknowledgments
This article was inspired by author and speaker Michelle Hoverson.
Penny Noyes, M.Ed., is the author of Embracing Change - Learning to Trust God from the Women of the Bible and two books about Hezekiah. You can follow Penny on her blog and on Instagram @pennynoyes.
Photo Credit: Unsplash/Joshua Sortino
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Salem Web Network and Salem Media Group.
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