John 16:7-15 The Roles of the Holy Spirit

“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.” John 16:7-15

Background

In this passage, Jesus taught the disciples the role and function of the Holy Spirit in regards to world evangelism. As He approaches the hour of suffering, He will not speak much more but would let the Holy Spirit does His work of teaching and guiding them in the truth.

Observation

1.  “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away…” Jesus taught the disciples the power of the Spirit and what He could do that Jesus in His fleshly form could not. The Spirit would break the bondages within the soul that prevented them to recognise God as their Father. The Spirit indwells each believer empowering each believer to be regenerated and walk in love. The Spirit is the immediate presence of God where believers can find constant fellowship with God.

2.  “When He comes, will convict the world concerning…” Jesus taught the disciples the role and function of the Holy Spirit:

a.  Convicting the world concerning sin… because they do not believe in Me. The sin that Jesus talked about here is the sin of not acknowledging Jesus as Lord of their life. Many would acknowledge their wrong doings in certain matters, but they would not repent and do the will of God. The Holy Spirit comes to convict their unbelief and turn them back to God.

b.  Convict the world concerning righteousness… because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me. Jesus’ ascension to the Father has vindicated Him as the righteous Son of God. The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the righteous sons of God manifesting the righteous nature of Christ through our lives. The Spirit enables believers to overcome the bondages of sin to live victorious and righteous lives.

c.  Convict the world concerning judgment,… because the ruler of this world has been judged. The Holy Spirit impresses upon people the coming judgment: “but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man (Jesus) whom he has appointed.” (Acts 17:30-31). In view of the impending judgment, the Spirit convicts the world to make the decision while there is still time.

3.  Jesus has many more things to tell the disciples, but because the disciples could not receive them then, the Holy Spirit would speak to them later when He comes. In other words, the Spirit would function as the mouthpiece of Jesus and will be the channel connecting heaven to the earth. The Holy Spirit will be the presence and voice of the Father and the Son.

Truth

1.  The Holy Spirit will use you as an instrument to convict the hardest of sinners. Because one of the Spirit’s role is to convict the world of unbelief, our role as instruments of the Spirit is to convict these hardened sinners. No matter how hardened they may be, continue to let the Spirit use you to speak the words of truth and grace.

2.  The role of the Holy Spirit is to strengthen believers to live victorious and righteous lives. The strong do not need the Spirit, but it is the weak ones; those susceptible to temptations who need the Holy Spirit’s grace. The more we depend on the Spirit, the more He will strengthen us towards righteousness.

3.  The Spirit uses believers to make known to the world the judgment that will be coming. If we do not speak of the future judgment, we are impeding the work of the Spirit. No doubt, it may cause many to fear, but people need to know about the future in order to repent and be reconciled with God.

4.  The Father and the Son has entrusted all things to Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the voice and the presence of the Father and the Son. Jesus said, “He (the Holy Spirit) will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.” No longer is God distant. Through the Spirit, the Father and the Son lives within us forever.

Application

We have to approach all people regardless of their background and moral condition with truth and grace. Grace is giving people the space and time to change and to discover God for themselves. Truth is speaking clearly about the values system of the Kingdom and about the consequences of wrong doing. The Holy Spirit is constantly projecting the truths of the Kingdom and the future judgment, as well as the grace to receive them when they repent.

There are generally three kinds of people:

a.  Those that do not believe in God. Neither do they recognise Jesus as the Son of God. They are the centre of the world and they live by their own rules. For such, we lead them to discover and experience God for themselves through their windows of need. They may struggle with issues concerning suffering and why God allowed it.

b.  Those who agree that Jesus is God but insist on living by their own rules thinking they may get away with it. For such, we have to constantly encourage them with the promises of God. And help them to establish a disciplined lifestyle of reading the word and prayer. When they learn to depend on God, they will begin to live victoriously.

c.  Those who believe in God and have acknowledged Jesus as Lord. But they lack the strength to live victorious lives. For such, we have to warn them of the consequences of wrongdoing. This category is more difficult to turn around, because they have tasted the goodness of God and have remained rebellious.

Dear Lord, it is the Holy Spirit’s work that causes me to recognise Jesus as Lord and the strength to live a righteous life. Use me as Your mouthpiece to communicate the truth and the love of God to the world so that they may know You as Lord. Empower me to evangelise my family, my work place and the community. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.