What is the Work of the Holy Spirit

(Galatians 4:6-7)

In these verses we see the Holy Spirit mentioned, showing one of the works of the Spirit. This particular work is as an intercessory between ourselves and God on our behalf for the scripture here says,

And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” (Galatians 6)

It is important to note these words and the further implications of them, because it leads us to understand more about what the Holy Spirit does for us and in us as we walk with Christ Jesus. We do not receive the Holy Spirit just because it is “nice to know he’s there.” The Spirit has an extremely important and critical role to play in our walk with Christ.

In-Dwelling Holy Spirit

The words quoted above show us that the Holy Spirit intercedes to God on our behalf. When we cry to the Father seeking help, knowledge, insight or guidance, it is the Holy Spirit who speaks to the Father with us as we make our petitions. This is one of the key works of the Holy Spirit on our behalf. And it is worth noting here that the whole purpose of the Holy Spirit being given to us is for our benefit and to work with us to bring us closer to the Lord.

In the gospel of John we see several of the other critical works of the Holy Spirit. Note these scriptures.

16 And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you. (John 14:16-17)

This verse shows us several notable things. First, we receive the Holy Spirit because He is sent to us by the Father at the request of Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit you will also note, is called the Spirit of TRUTH. He speaks the truth because He is the spirit of God, sent from God for the purpose of showing us the truth. Just as Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), the Holy Spirit is the one who speaks the truth, shows us the way to Christ and leads us fully into the life of Jesus Christ.

The next thing we see in this verse is that Jesus calls the Holy Spirit “another Counsellor.” This indicates that there was a prior counsellor, who of course was Jesus Himself who opened up the teachings of the New Covenant to show us the path to God. To call the Spirit “another counsellor” is to indicate that the work commenced by Jesus would be completed by the Holy Spirit. More on this in a moment.

The third thing we see in this verse is that at that time, the Holy Spirit was WITH the disciples, but He was not yet dwelling IN the disciples.

Why? Because the Holy Spirit had not yet been poured out and made available to all mankind as this could not occur until Jesus had died. In His death Jesus ratified and brought into effect the New Covenant through which the Holy Spirit could be received by mankind, but while Jesus was still alive the New Covenant was not yet in force. The New Covenant was the will of God and a will takes effect only at the death of the one who made the will. Thus, the New Covenant did not come into full effect until Jesus died and brought it into effect.

We see the impact of this and how the world changed when the disciples first received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, fifty days after the Lord had been put to death. That was when the Holy Spirit was no longer just with them, but dwelt within them.

Counsellor, Teacher and Guide

As we continue on in the gospel of John we see that Jesus speaks more of the work of the Holy Spirit.

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (John 14:26)

This verse shows us another aspect of the work of the Holy Spirit. Here we see that the Spirit, sent by the Father in the name of Jesus Christ, is a teacher. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to teach us ALL things. He is the one who will work in us so that we can fully understand the words of Jesus and the fullness of the truth about God.

How does He do this? The first thing we need to do to enable the Holy Spirit to teach us is to fill ourselves with the words of Jesus. We need to read and study and meditate and think on the words of the Bible so that these words become part of our being.

Once we do these things, the Holy Spirit opens up the teachings of the Bible so that we can fully understand and comprehend what this teaching is all about. Note that the Holy Spirit will “bring to your remembrance all the I said.” How can the Holy Spirit bring anything to your remembrance that you have not committed to memory in the first place? That is why we need to be immersed in the word, so that when the right teaching is needed to deal with any situation, the Holy Spirit has it available to lead and guide us.

Jesus gave us the words of life and truth. The Holy Spirit interprets these words to us in language and by means that enables us to fully understand the principles in the Bible. He is our personal teacher.

Furthermore, we see other verses that open this up to show more of what the work of the Holy Spirit covers.

But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me (John 15:26)

This is a particularly important aspect of the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit bears witness to Jesus Christ. Whenever we doubt we have the power of the Holy Spirit in us as evidence of what Jesus Christ did for us and is doing in us. We know that Jesus is true because we receive the Holy Spirit, which was not possible until Christ had died and been resurrected to send the Holy Spirit to us.

7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convince the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. (John 16:7-11)

The Holy Spirit could not come until Jesus had died and been resurrected. And as we see in this verse, it is to our advantage that Jesus DID die and be raised from the dead because now we are able to receive the Holy Spirit.

The work of the Holy Spirit is expanded in this verse as we see His work is one of convincing and convicting the world with regard to sin, righteousness and judgement. It is because of the work of the Holy Spirit in us that we understand these things in some detail and we can see the work the Lord is doing in this world to bring a people to perfection. For those who choose Jesus over the world, the Holy Spirit is there to train and teach us the ways of God.

At the time the disciples were receiving this message, they were unable to fully comprehend what Jesus was speaking about. And it is no different for the people of the world who know nothing of the ways of God. We were no different until we chose Christ and chose to receive the Holy Spirit, and we see Jesus make this point to His disciples in the next verses.

12 “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. (John 16:12-15)

We know that the words of the Spirit are true because He is not operating on His own authority, but on the authority of God. The Holy Spirit declares the truths of God so that we can learn and understand. Just as the disciples could not bear the full testimony of Jesus at that time because they had not yet received the Holy Spirit, so too we cannot understand these things until we receive the Holy Spirit.

And look at what power, insight and knowledge the Holy Spirit has at His fingertips to help us to grow and understand the truth. He has access to ALL that the Father has and declare it to us as and when we need it to learn, grow and understand the things of the Spirit, which are the things of God. There is nothing outside the access of the Holy Spirit to assist us to become perfected in Jesus Christ.

Transformation

There are so many blessings we received because Jesus died and was raised, and the ability to receive the Holy Spirit is one of the greatest of the blessings Jesus gave us. In my last few posts I have spoken about the freedoms Jesus gave us when He died: freedom from sin, freedom from law and freedom from the passions of the flesh. But it is the working of the Holy Spirit in us that makes these changes.

One of the primary reasons that Jesus died was to enable the process for us to receive the Holy Spirit who is doing a work of transformation in all Christians who receive the Holy Spirit. This is the primary work of the Holy Spirit and we see this described and defined by Paul in his letter to the Corinthians.

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)

The work of transformation is the reason why we receive the Holy Spirit. It is His job to take us from our sinful human nature and mould us into the image of Jesus Christ. This work of transformation is why we receive the Holy Spirit.

But it is not an instantaneous change. As we walk with Christ, we need the power of the Holy Spirit to stand against the evil that will be thrown up against us. We will be tempted, tested and tried at every turn. It is by using the spiritual weapons of warfare, including the word that is wielded by the Holy Spirit as a sword, that we shall overcome and have victory. This victory is not by anything we do, but by remembering what Jesus suffered for our sake, and using the power of the Holy Spirit to walk in the Spirit.

The transformation will take a lifetime, which is why it is described as being a change that occurs from one degree of glory to the next. The Holy Spirit is working in us in increments so that whatever changes are made will stick. And we learn these things slowly and apply them slowly as we learn.

This is the primary work of the Holy Spirit; to change us into the image of Jesus Christ.

Seek to receive the Holy Spirit so that you can begin this journey. If you want to know more, scroll to the top of this page and click the menu item titled “Finding Jesus” and follow the Q&A processes to learn how to receive the Holy Spirit, and then what to do when you have received the Spirit.

I have barely scratched the surface of this subject, so I urge you to read some of the links below and if you have any questions, add a comment or email me.

You might also like:

One Important Reason To Receive The Holy Spirit
Temptations To Sin Are Sure To Come
Ask And It Will Be Given You
Who Is The Ultimate Advocate
You Must Be Born Again
Have You Drunk The Living Water
The Holy Spirit
The Peace Of Christ
Holy Spirit Convicts
The Spirit Of Truth
You Shall Receive Power
Pentecost And Receiving The Holy Spirit
Speaking In Tongues
The Promise Of The Holy Spirit
Receiving The Holy Spirit
Enlightened By The Holy Spirit
Change Your Behaviour
Walking In The Spirit
The Holy Spirit At Work
Understanding The Depths Of God
Perfected In Jesus Christ
In The Holy Spirit
Manifestation Of The Spirit
Tongues Build Up
Praying In Tongues
Using Tongues Properly