The Holy Spirit has many attributes and duties. John 16:7 tells us, “But 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.” (NASB 1995) Jesus told the Disciples that He would be leaving them, but He would be sending a Helper, His Holy Spirit. Jesus says that sending His Spirit would be an advantage to us. Why is that? Because when Jesus was here on earth, He gave up His ability to be Omnipresent, to be everywhere all at once, and if He were to stay, He could not be a help to everyone at the same time. However, if He sent His Holy Spirit, the Spirit could be with everyone all at once, thereby giving us the help we need and leading us into our calling.
As my husband and I were talking about this, we began looking at the different things the Spirit does to help us. The Holy Spirit was present at creation (Genesis 1:2) and He also is involved in creating new life. “The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” (Job 33:4 NASB 1995) Without His work of creation, we would not be able to fulfill His calling upon our lives.
The Holy Spirit convicts of sin. “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:” (John 16:8 ESV) He shows us where we have fallen short of God’s glory. (Romans 3:23) The Spirit draws us to salvation. He woos us to the foot of the Cross to ask forgiveness for our sins and accept Jesus as our Savior. “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:44 KJV) He also regenerates through the work of the Holy Spirit when we are saved. (John 3:5-8) It is by the Holy Spirit that we come to salvation. This is the greatest calling He has upon our lives.
The Holy Spirit also baptizes. He baptizes with fire. Fire is a cleansing agent. It takes out all that is not pure. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is shown plainly in Acts 2. As the Disciples were being sent out to minister, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to baptize them, and it was shown in tongues of fire which lit upon each one of them. The Spirit cleansed them and gave them the power to do things they couldn’t do before and to speak with authority. That was their calling…to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit speaks the truth, He is the truth! He leads us into all truth (John 16:13), He testifies of and reveals truth (John 15:26) He lives in us and reveals to us what God the Father says. (John 14:17) When we know the truth of the Gospel, we are called to share it with others. (Matthew 28:19)
The Holy Spirit leads and guides us in other ways as well. “But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.” (1 John 2:27 ESV) He leads us into a specific calling. When the Holy Spirit led the Disciples to the various missionary efforts they were to go to and minister. An example is Philip, he was directed to go to a desert road that led to Gaza. Philip was obedient and met the Ethiopian eunuch, where Philip explained the Scriptures to him, and the eunuch was saved and baptized. (Acts 8:26-39) The Holy Spirit directed Philip into his calling.
The Holy Spirit has wisdom and knowledge. God reveals to us that wisdom and knowledge through the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:9-14) He brings to our remembrance Scriptures when we need them and interprets them to our spirit for our benefit and knowledge. When we witness to others, the Holy Spirit is working in us. (2 Timothy 2:15)
The Holy Spirit also intercedes for us. When we find ourselves at a point where we just can’t seem to pray, the Holy Spirit prays for us. “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;” (Romans 8:26 NASB 1995) There are times when words just don’t come and all we can do is cry or groan, the Holy Spirit understands our deepest longings and prays to the Father for us. The Holy Spirit also comforts. In the middle of grief and pain, we have the comfort of the Holy Spirit to help us through it all. “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” (Psalm 94:19 NIV) The comfort of the Holy Spirit also gives us hope, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13 ESV)
In all these ways the Holy Spirit is our helper. Each attribute and action He exhibits, help us in fulfilling our calling. The Holy Spirit lives in us, guides us, and works to see that we are walking out the plans God has for us.
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