Last week we talked about how to set our hearts and minds on things above. I mentioned that we can’t do that without the help and direction of the Holy Spirit. So, who is the Holy Spirit? In this post, we’ll discuss some important things you should know about God’s Spirit and end with what life by the Spirit looks like. The Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity, so I believe it’s vital for Christians to know who the Spirit is and His purpose.
Our Counselor & Guide
In John 14:15-31, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit. Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the Counselor and the Spirit of truth because He will teach and guide those who are in Christ. In verses 15-17, Jesus says: “’If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—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.’” If you believe, follow, and love Jesus, then the Spirit will be in you and you will know the Spirit. This is an amazing gift. God, our relational and intimate God, lives in us by His Spirit to help us know Him more and show us the way He wants us to go.
Knows the Thoughts of God
God’s Spirit leads and guides us in the way we should go because He knows the thoughts of God. Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 2:11: “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” Knowing God’s thoughts, the Spirit directs us to God and gives us the understanding to know how God wants us to live. In 1 Corinthians 2:14, we are told that if we don’t have the Spirit of God, then we will consider the things of God foolishness and will not understand them. So, if we desire to know and understand God, we need His Spirit.
Points to Jesus
Knowing the thoughts of God in order to guide us, the Holy Spirit then, living in us, reminds us daily of our great need for Jesus and the hope that we have in Him. In John 16:7-11, Jesus explains: “’But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.’” The Spirit is sent to open our eyes to the truth of God, mankind’s need for Him because of sin, and mankind’s relationship to Him because of Jesus.
A Mark for Life
As God’s Spirit fills us and opens our eyes to the truth, we are born again. Jesus clarifies this in John 3:5-8: “’I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, you must be born again. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.’” Jesus is saying that being born again doesn’t mean we will be born from our mother’s womb again (thank goodness). He means that we will be born again through the Spirit. The Holy Spirit washes us with a rebirth and renewal because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross (Titus 3:4-7).
With this rebirth and with the Spirit in us, we become sons and daughters of God (Romans 8:15-16) and our bodies become God’s temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). We are no longer slaves to our past life of sin. Therefore, we are called to live different lives. Surrendering our lives to Jesus and His Way, the Spirit in us acts as a seal or mark that guarantees us the promise of eternal life with God (Ephesians 1:11-14). God has invited us into a rebirth, becoming part of His family, and then calls us to live differently. He is holy and cannot be in the presence of sin, but He wants us to experience all of who He is. That’s why He first sent His Son to die on the cross, taking our place in receiving the wrath of God for our sins. And second, God sent His Spirit to consistently point out our need for God and the way to Him, that being Jesus. We now are to live by the Spirit, not by our flesh.
Life in the Spirit
So far, we’ve discussed who God’s Spirit is and His purpose, but how do we live by the Spirit? Before we get into this, we should take a step back and look at how to recognize the Spirit of God. Whether we want to admit it or not, there is a spiritual world around us that is full of other spirits. Some of these other spirits are out to harm us and turn us away from God. In 1 John 4:2-3, we are told: “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.” Sounds simple, right? This is one reason we need to be in God’s Word daily—to pursue God and know God in His Word, allowing His Spirit to feed us truth.
Another way to distinguish between God’s Spirit and others is by the fruit that is produced. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” God’s Spirit will only lead us to Jesus and produce the fruit that is listed in Galatians 5. Our job is to let the Spirit lead us. We must learn to listen and follow the Spirit’s guiding. This means we also must have our minds set on what the Spirit desires. Look at Romans 8:5-8: “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.” This sounds a lot like what we talked about last week—setting our hearts and minds on things above (check out last week’s post here). The Spirit lives in us to help us pursue the things of God. Without the Spirit, we would not choose God.
After reading this post, what I want you to take away is that we all need God’s Spirit. We cannot follow Jesus without the Spirit of truth continually pointing out our great need for Jesus and then showing us the Way. Jesus sent His Spirit to help us for a reason. Let us listen and follow.
Here are some questions to pray about and consider for your life today:
Are you listening to the Spirit?
Are you living like you’ve been reborn with the Spirit of truth?
Do you pursue the things of God or your sinful nature?
Are you allowing the Spirit to direct you to pursue life and peace?
What do you need to do to surrender to God’s Spirit today?
