The Holy Spirit: God’s gift to His children
It is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged. “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. John 16:7-13
There are differing opinions among believers about the Holy Spirit. There are those that make Him the central focus while others ignore Him. Others view the Holy Spirit as a source of power to draw upon and there are those that will avoid discussing controversies surrounding Him. In order for us to have a clear picture of Him, we should focus on the revelation of the Scripture. Before Jesus Christ left this earth to be with the Father, He always refers to the Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples as to what the Holy Spirit will do; “He will guide you into all truth” (v.13). He reveals to the believers the thoughts of God. “...no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit” (1 Cor. 2:11). He is the one responsible in determining the spiritual gifts for believers (see 1 Cor. 12:7-11). He lives in the life of those who placed their trust in Christ. “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16). “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?” (1 Cor. 6:19). We are able to love God because of the Holy Spirit’s working in us. “Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:30). The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives identifies us as no longer belonging in this unbelieving world and that we belong to God to be with Him forever. “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” (Eph. 1:13-14). Because of the Holy Spirit living in you, God can speak to you at any moment. When you yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit, He will teach you and remind you of everything God said to you through His Word (John 14:26). Apart from Him, it will be difficult for you to know God’s plan and purpose for your life. Once you experience the working of the Holy Spirit in your life you have an encounter with the living God.
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com