Holy Spirit
What Does the Holy Spirit Do?
1B. Seven major ministries.
1C. Convicts unbelievers of sin, righteousness and judgment: John 16:8–11.
2C. Regenerates or causes us to become believers: John 3:1–8; Titus 3:5, I Peter 1:23–25; James 1:18.
3C. Indwells and baptizes the believer: I Corinthians 6:19; Romans 8:9; John 14:16; I Corinthians 12:13.
4C. Seals us: Ephesians 1:13–14; 4:30.
5C. Imparts gifts: I Corinthians 12:7–11.
6C. Fills the believer: Ephesians 5:15–21; Galatians 5:16.
7C. Causes us to bear fruit: Galatians 5:22–23.— The characteristics of Jesus Christ.
The Biola Hour Guidelines, What We Believe, by David L. Hocking, (La Mirada, CA: Biola Univ., 1982), pp. 17-18.
Quote
• The average church member’s understanding of the Holy Spirit is so vague it is nearly non-existent.
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Holy Spirit’s Role
The Holy Spirit’s distinctive role is to fulfill what we may call a floodlight ministry in relation to the Lord Jesus Christ. So far as this role was concerned, the Spirit “was not yet” (John 7:29, literal Greek) while Jesus was on earth; only when the Father had glorified him (John 17:1, 5) could the Spirit’s work of making men aware of Jesus’ glory begin.
I remember walking to church one winter evening to preach on the words, “He will glorify me” (John 16:14), seeing the building floodlit as I turned a corner, and realizing that this was exactly the illustration my message needed. When floodlighting is well done, the floodlights are placed so that you do not see them; in fact, you are not supposed to see where the light is coming from; what you are meant to see is just the building on which the floodlights are trained. The intended effect is to make it visible when otherwise it would not be seen for the darkness, and to maximize its dignity by throwing all its details into relief so that you can see it properly. This perfectly illustrated the Spirit’s new covenant role. He is, so to speak, the hidden floodlight shining on the Savior.
Or think of it this way. It is as if the Spirit stands behind us, throwing light over our shoulder on to Jesus who stands facing us. The Spirit’s message to us is never, “Look at me; listen to me; come to me; get to know me,” but always, “Look at him, and see his glory; listen to him and hear his word; go to him and have life; get to know him and taste his gift of joy and peace.” The Spirit, we might say, is the matchmaker, the celestial marriage broker, whose role it is to bring us and Christ together and ensure that we stay together.
Your Father Loves You by James Packer, Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986.
Resources
• A Focus on the Holy Spirit: Spirit and Spirituality in John Wesley, A. Outler, The Best In Theology, Vol. 4, pp. 211ff
• In life of Christ, Fairest of All, Herbert Lockyer, Eerdmans, 1936, pp. 91ff
• Christian Personal Ethics, C.F. Henry, Eerdmans, 1957, p. 437ff
Great Norwegian Explorer
Gordon Brownville’s SYMBOLS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT tells about the great Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, the first to discover the magnetic meridian of the North Pole and to discover the South Pole. On one of his trips, Amundsen took a homing pigeon with him. When he had finally reached the top of the world, he opened the bird’s cage and set it free. Imagine the delight of Amundsen’s wife, back in Norway, when she looked up from the doorway of her home and saw the pigeon circling in the sky above. No doubt she exclaimed, “He’s alive! My husband is still alive!”
So it was when Jesus ascended. He was gone, but the disciples clung to his promise to send them the Holy Spirit. What joy, then, when the dovelike Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost. The disciples had with them the continual reminder that Jesus was alive and victorious at the right of the Father. This continues to be the Spirit’s message. – Thomas Lindberg
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