Grasping who the Holy Spirit is. It is vital that we grasp who the Holy Spirit is so we can continue in our Christian journey. This article will look at who the Holy Spirit is, and what role He has in our lives.
John 16:7
7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
I wanted to start with this verse from John 16 to bring home the importance of grasping who the Holy Spirit is.
If Jesus is saying it is for our good that He goes away, we must stop, pause, and take note. If He goes the advocate can come.
But who is this advocate, earlier in the Gospel of John Jesus had said the following:
John 14:16-17a
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth.
To understand the significance of this advocate we need to realise the importance of the word another. Who was the first/previous advocate? Jesus.
When Jesus ascended to heaven, He would ask God the Father to send another advocate, the Holy Spirit, this advocate would be the same as Jesus as in so much as the Holy Spirit is God.
This realisation breaks down so many prospective objections to God that you may have or have heard:
Have you heard people say that there cannot be a God because He is missing?
Have you heard people say that God is not personal?
As we can see from the verses, we have looked at already these statements are far from the truth. The Holy Spirit, God, is with us forever.
Do we truly grasp what that means, I honestly do not think we do?
1 Corinthians 3:16
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (Message)
You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that. God’s temple is sacred—and you, remember, are the temple.
Pause for a moment, reflect God himself is present in you
Let that hit home for a minute, God himself is present in you.
If we truly grasp this surely it would change the way, we live as followers of Jesus.
The Holy is a person, He is God, He is not it or an entity.
Ephesians 4:30
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
If the Holy Spirit were not a person, how could we grieve Him?
How do we grieve Him?
By doing things that damage our relationship with Him, by sin.
Here is the kicker, imagine for a minute that you had Jesus physically with you all the time, when you are driving Jesus is sitting next to you, when you are watching TV Jesus is sitting next to you, when you are at work Jesus is with you, when you are arguing with someone Jesus is there right with you. Would this change your current behaviour? Would it change what you watched on the TV, would it change the way you drove, the way you behaved at work, the way you spoke to people?
I reckon if we are truly honest with ourselves the answer would be YES!
Well, it is time for us to remember who the Holy Spirit is, the Holy Spirit is God, we are a temple for God, God is in us. Big News, when we drive, when we watch TV, when we argue with someone God is with us, present, a witness.
Jesus promised His disciples in John 14:16 that the Holy Spirit will be with us forever! He sees all!
The problem with our human nature is that it is broken, it says I can watch that its Ok for me it does not affect me.
Human nature say’s it is ok to gossip at work everyone does it.
We need to start living our lives with the realisation that God is in us and with us and observing us.
How may followers of Jesus do not love this, that their actions feed into the narrative that God is distant, not involved in people’s lives?
I am not wanting to be you and me with stick about this, I want change in my life and your life, I want us to be aware.
I do not want us to be condemned, I want us to be convicted.
If we are condemned, that would be saying we have no hope.
Conviction say’s you have done wrong, change your ways, but do not worry I have covered the cost, I have paid the price for you.
Conviction draws you towards God, condemnation wants to draw you away.
How do you identify the conviction of the Holy Spirit?
To me I know, it is a feeling in my spirit that something is not right. There is a lack of peace about a decision, sometimes it is a feeling that something is just not right.
Sometimes it is simple as you read a bible verse and the Holy Spirit brings it alive to you, the Holy Spirit makes it speak to you, you become aware that you need to change
Glen Ballard and Siedah Garret wrote a song “Man in the Mirror” the chorus of which is:
“I’m starting with the man in the mirror, I am asking him to change his ways. And no message could have been any clearer, if you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make that change”
We need to do this, we need to take a look at ourselves, we need to listen to the Holy Spirit inside of us, we may have pushed down, tried to drown out the Holy Spirit but God will be prompting, speaking to you through His still inner voice saying change.
Maybe you will not have a lot to change, maybe you will.
Do you doubt that God wants to be involved in your live that much, that God wants to speak to you that clearly
John 14:26
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
The Holy Spirit will speak, God will speak to you, are you prepared to listen and change your ways?
Holy Spirit Bible John
Adam Boud