The Roles of the Holy Spirit According to John 14–16
Briefly list and
describe the roles of the Holy Spirit according to John 14–16. Which role is
the easiest to explain? Which is the most difficult? Give reasons for your
answers. Which of these roles is most relevant to your current church
situation? Why?
The Gospel of John describes one of the advantages of Jesus
returning to the Father was that He was going to send the Holy Spirit.[1]
Kostenberger writes that the Holy Spirit was only able to come down once Jesus’
glorification was made come upon his death, burial, resurrection and ascent
back to his Father.[2]
Therefore, Jesus spent time preparing the disciples for this great event. The
Holy Spirit stands as a substitute for Jesus’ earthly presence in the lives of
believers.[3]
The Holy Spirit would bring back to remembrance all that Jesus taught the
disciples, and this is why Jesus told them not to worry about what they would
say in front of governors, etc., because the Holy Spirit would speak through
them.[4]
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth who would testify before others about
Jesus through His disciples.[5] The
Holy Spirit will convict those who are unbelievers about sin, righteousness and
judgment.[6] The
Holy Spirit speaks what is given for Him to say and will prophecy.[7]
The Holy Spirit’s job is to elevate Jesus and make known to His followers the
revelation of Jesus Christ.[8]
I believe that the easiest work of the Holy Spirit to explain is
the conviction of right and wrong. Most people understand about the conscious
and when they have done something wrong, they may be convicted of it from
within. Therefore, when you teach them that the Holy Spirit convicts the person
of what is right before the eyes of God and what is wrong in that it goes
beyond just a feeling of guilt, but a conviction of wanting to please, God,
they are able to understand the Holy Spirit much better from that aspect. The
most challenging work of the Holy Spirit to explain to people is the gift of
prophecy in my opinion. There are so many people claiming to hear from God that
it can become confusing even for believers. This person is saying that the
Spirit told them one thing and then the other person is saying something quite
opposite. If believers can be confused by this, unbelievers would definitely be
confused and think that we are just a ball of mess as believers. Therefore, I
like to go to the scripture that is in Deuteronomy that describes the test of a
true Word from God. If what that prophet says fail to come to past…it is not a
word from the Lord.[9]
This verse helps to bring clarity to those who are hearing various people
claiming to get a prophetic Word from the Lord. As for which roles is more
relevant in my current church, I do not believe that I can choose one role
being more significant over the other. All the roles that the Holy Spirit
performs are important to edify Jesus and to bring souls to Him. The Holy
Spirit is an important part of the believer’s life and operates daily within us
if we allow Him. We bring honor and glory to God when we allow the Holy Spirit
to reign supreme in our life because Jesus died and rose again so that we may
be able to operate in the power that He has given to us. Therefore, this is not
a faucet where we are to turn it on and off, but the Holy Spirit is to operate
continuously in our daily lives, which shows our love for Christ through our
obedience.[10]
[1]
Andreas J Köstenberger, Encountering John:
The Gospel in Historical, Literary, and Theological Perspective (Grand
Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic, 2013), 145.
[2]
Ibid.
[3]
Ibid., 148.
[4]
John 14:26 (New International Version).
[5]
John 15:26 (New International Version).
[6]
John 16:8-11 (New International Version).
[7]
John 16:13 (New International Version).
[8]
John 16:14-15 (New International Version).
[9]
Deut. 18:21-22 (New International Version).
[10]
Donald Arthur Carson, The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2015), 498.
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