the Holy Spirit: what does He do?

the Holy Spirit: what does He do?

But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me (John 15:26 ESV).

The Holy Spirit of God has been called the most misunderstood member of the Trinity.

And that often begins with a misperception of what the Spirit is.

The Spirit – also called the Counsellor, the Comforter, the Helper, the Paraclete – is not simply a vague, ambiguous, non-descript metaphysical or mystical force. 

The Lord Jesus clearly refers to the Spirit with the pronoun he.

And the economy of the Trinity projects evidence of order within the Three-in-One.

God the Father sent the Son (1 John 4:14). The Father (John 14:26) and the Son (John 16:7) commissioned the Holy Spirit.

In His discourse in the upper room on the evening before His crucifixion, the Lord Jesus taught His disciples the three-fold role of the Spirit in John 16.

a)    The Spirit will convict of sin.

And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment (v.8).

b)    The Spirit will direct the followers of Jesus into truth.

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth (v.13).

c)    The Spirit will glorify Christ.

He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you (v.14)

Bible teacher J.I. Packer (died July 2020) addressed the Spirit's primary function when he observed, “The Holy Spirit’s distinctive new covenant role, then, is to fulfill what we may call a floodlight ministry in relation to the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Takeaway – every follower of Christ would do well to consider the role and activity of the indwelling Spirit of God in conforming us to be more like the Lord Jesus, and to convicting, to leading into truth, to reflecting the glory of Christ in and through our lives.

Author and pastor A.W. Tozer: “The Spirit-filled life is not a special, deluxe edition of Christianity. It is part and parcel of the total plan of God for His people.

American theologian-philosopher Jonathan Edwards wrote in the 1700s, “The true spirit of prayer is no other than God's own Spirit dwelling in the hearts of the saints. And as this spirit comes from God, so doth it naturally tend to God in holy breathings and pantings. It naturally leads to God, to converse with him by prayer.”

Theologian Wayne Grudem offers this thought-provoking summary for spiritual self-diagnosis: “…the Holy Spirit reflects the pleasure or displeasure of God with the faith and obedience – or unbelief and disobedience – of God’s people…the Holy Spirit gives stronger or weaker evidence of the presence and blessing of God according to our response to him.”

About Us

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. - Galatians 3:28 The community at Bethel includes a wide range of ages and backgrounds. Young and old, families and singles, English-speakers and those with a French mother-tongue, various ethnic and religious backgrounds. We reflect the make up of the city of North Bay. More importantly though, we are a group of people who Jesus has saved through his work on the cross. By God's plan of redemption we were all brought into one family as brothers and sisters in Christ, given a mission to reach into our world and make disciples for Him. We hope you will find at Bethel a friendly, loving group of people striving to live for Jesus Christ. Whether you are visiting for the day or trying to find a permanent church home, you are welcome to join us as we together seek out Him.

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