26 “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.”
The Comforter - the Advocate - coming from both the Father and the Son – the precious Holy Spirit – a deep and mysterious union of the Trinity - all of which we have neither eyes to fully see nor minds to totally comprehend. Indeed, there is a close and personal connection between the Spirit, the Son and the Father – none being greater or less than the other. In His essence, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth going out from the Father. He is both distinct and divine in His Person. He is both divine light and divine power. In His mission He comes overflowing with His graces, gifts and powers. He is an Advocate for Christ and a Counselor for the saints against the hatred of the world. He also bears witness for the Lord Jesus as He qualifies ministers and sanctifies believers – both testifying of their faith in Christ through their works and words. Just as the work of Jesus was to promote the Father and not Himself, the work of the Spirit bears witness to Jesus as the Messiah as He continually testifies to the Truth. Earlier in John Jesus tells us the following regarding the Counselor:
16 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:16-18 (NIV)
26 “But the Counselor, 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.” John 14:26 (NIV)
Every true believer in Jesus is sealed with the precious Holy Spirit – He is our deposit guaranteeing us of what is to come. We are anointed with the Spirit so that, like Christ, we can glorify God with our lives as we become more and more conformed to the image of Jesus through the Spirit’s indwelling power. The pouring out of the Holy Spirit is reminiscent of the anointing of Priests with oil in Biblical times. The Spirits presence identifies us with Christ and shows that we are God’s property – both protected and cherished by Him. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians:
21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Cor 1:21-22 (NIV)
“There is to be communication of the Holy Spirit with the individual Christian in the present life, and in a sense the Holy Spirit’s communication carries with it the entire Trinity. In a sense the Spirit is the Trinity’s agent in communicating with us humans. If I am going to walk in this present life according to my high calling as a Christian, I need a strength higher than my own strength. I need the power of Christ. How is this power of Christ to be mine? It’s not enough just to imagine that I have this power. It’s not even enough to take the second step and reckon myself dead to sin and alive to Christ. There must also be a communication of the power of Christ to me through the agency of the Holy Spirit who indwells me.” Francis Schaeffer
The Holy Spirit is the ultimate Gift. Upon conversion, He is the precious Gift believers receive. He comforts and consoles us as well as convicts and councils; He brings Truth to light by reminding us of things once learned and illuminates the new for our greater understanding; He strengthens, equips and empowers us for our God given tasks; He is the Song in our step, the Song in our hearts and the Song in our nights; He is a Gentleman and will never force our obedience; we may shrink His presence by our poor choices, but He will never leave us. Through the Spirit’s power Jesus tells us that we will do even greater things than He did. In our willingness to be faithful vessels to share the Gospel, His power will transform the life of the hearer and we are made part of the eternal even in our humanness. Jesus tells His disciples in Luke:
13 “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:13 (NIV)
My question is, with all this available power indwelling believers, why is it we see so little manifestation of the Spirit? Seriously, where are the Peter’s and Paul’s and John’s of our day? Where are those who will stand for the hard right against the easy wrong; those who will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord; those who will clean up their own lives to be a model and reflection of Jesus; those who will die to stinking self and live for Christ? We have one life and we are each accountable for how we live it and the only things done for Christ through the power of the Spirit are acceptable and eternal.
“Considering Mary, how did she ‘walk by the Spirit’ and glorify Christ when God gave her an impossible circumstance? She believed God for the impossible---‘How will this be, for I am a virgin?’ And she lived a life of repentance—‘I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said.’ What does a life of repentance look like? It is a daily recognition that you are not your own, for you have been bought with a price. What is your life response to the impossible issues you are facing? How must you walk by the Spirit, in the way of repentance and faith, like Mary? I must believe God that I am an adopted son or daughter. That I am loved unconditionally; that I am forgiven and really free from sin in my life. I must believe I have the Holy Spirit’s seal of approval...I must believe God can and will do miraculous things in my life...in the lives of others around me... I must stop living life by and for myself... I must repent of my self saving ways...My idols of comfort, security and approval. And I can because Jesus has already done all for me. Not just some of what I need, but all of what I needed and need, on the cross and He continues to do, by the active Presence and Power of His Holy Spirit.” Tom Wood