The Purpose of the Holy Spirit
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 16:15
Because of the Holy Spirit within us, we have the power to live the Christian life, but that is not the only work—and not the primary work—of the Holy Spirit. We are never instructed to pursue power, because we already have it (see Ephesians 1:18-19). Our Christian walk is distorted when we pursue things we already have. The Holy Spirit is the divine impetus behind our spiritual gifts, but that also is not the primary work of the Holy Spirit. The church at Corinth seemed to have all the gifts, but they were immature. We are never instructed to seek spiritual gifts for ourselves, but we are instructed to seek the Giver and allow Him to gift us anyway He chooses.
The primary work of the Holy Spirit is to communicate God’s presence to us. While it was good that Jesus was physically present with the disciples, it was better that He left, so He could be spiritually within every believer through the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “When [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8). Sin is rebellion against God that reached its climax in the crucifixion of Christ.
The greatest sin is unbelief (see John 3:18), and it is the unique work of the Holy Spirit to convict the world of sin so that people will turn to Christ. The Holy Spirit will bring glory to Jesus by making known within us His resurrection and ascension (see John 16:14). In addition, the Holy Spirit will bear witness to the judgment of Satan. “The prince of this world now stands condemned” (John 16:11). Satan knows that his future is doomed, and he will do all that he can to take with him as many as he can.
Jesus promised that when the Holy Spirit came, He would guide us into all truth. He would not speak on His own initiative, but would teach only that which comes from the Father. Believing that truth would set us free. Jesus said, “He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you” (John 16:14). The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (see Romans 8:16). We have become partakers of the divine nature (see 2 Peter 1:4). This is the great work of the Holy Spirit: to glorify the work of Jesus and make all this known to us in our inner person.
In the Bible, the word “mystery” means “that which has not been previously revealed.” Paul tells us, “I have become [the Church’s] servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:25-27).
This is why we rejoice: our souls are in union with God. We are alive in Christ. We must learn to begin every day by acknowledging that the very presence of God is within us. Then we need to practice His presence throughout the day.
a few questions to ponder:
How can our Christian walk be distorted if we pursue power? How can it distorted if we seek spiritual gifts for our own glorification?
Why did Jesus tell His disciples that it was better if He was not physically present with them?
What is the greatest sin? How does the Holy Spirit work to make Christ known?
How can you discipline yourself to begin each day with God and practice His presence throughout the day?
Why is it to your advantage to learn to live a spiritually disciplined life?
Neil T. Anderson is the founder of Freedom in Christ Ministries. He began the ministry in 1989 and continues to spread the message of freedom to this day.