LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
What is the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives today?
Submitted to Dr. James Sulfridge
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
DSMN 500
Discipleship Ministries
By
Anthony Bean
Of all the gifts given to mankind by God, there is none greater than the presence of the
Holy Spirit. The Spirit has many functions, roles, and activities. First, He does a work in the
hearts of all people everywhere. Jesus told the disciples that He would send the Spirit into the
world to “will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment” (John 16:8,
NASB). Everyone has a “God consciousness,” whether or not they admit it. The Spirit applies
God’s truths to people's minds to convince them by fair and sufficient arguments that they are
sinners. Responding to that conviction brings us to salvation.
Once we are saved and belong to God, the Spirit takes up residence in our hearts forever,
sealing us with the confirming, certifying, and assuring pledge of our eternal state as His
children. Jesus said He would send the Spirit to us to be our Helper, Comforter, and Guide. “And
I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever” (John
14:16). The Greek word translated here “Counselor” means “one who is called alongside” and
has the idea of someone who encourages and exhorts. The Holy Spirit takes up permanent
residence in the hearts of believers (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 12:13). Jesus gave the
Spirit as a “compensation” for His absence, to perform the functions toward us that He would
have done if He had remained personally with us.
Among those functions is that of revealer of truth. The Spirit’s presence within us enables us to
understand and interpret God’s Word. Jesus told His disciples that “when he, the Spirit of truth,
comes, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). He reveals to our minds the whole counsel
of God as it relates to worship, doctrine, and Christian living. He is the ultimate guide, going
before, leading the way, removing obstructions, opening the understanding, and making all
things plain and clear. He leads in the way we should go in all spiritual things. Without such a
guide, we would be apt to fall into error. A crucial part of the truth He reveals is that Jesus is
who He said He is (John 15:26; 1 Corinthians 12:3). The Spirit convinces us of Christ’s deity and
incarnation, His being the Messiah, His suffering and death, His resurrection and ascension, His
exaltation at the right hand of God, and His role as the judge of all. He gives glory to Christ in all
things (John 16:14).
Another one of the Holy Spirit’s roles is that of gift-giver. First Corinthians 12 describes the
spiritual gifts given to believers in order that we may function as the body of Christ on earth. All
these gifts, both great and small, are given by the Spirit so that we may be His ambassadors to
the world, showing forth His grace and glorifying Him.
The Spirit also functions as fruit-producer in our lives. When He indwells us, He begins the work
of harvesting His fruit in our lives—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). These are not works of our flesh, which is
incapable of producing such fruit, but they are products of the Spirit’s presence in our lives.
The knowledge that the Holy Spirit of God has taken up residence in our lives, that He performs
all these miraculous functions, that He dwells with us forever, and that He will never leave or
forsake us is cause for great joy and comfort. Thank God for this precious gift—the Holy Spirit
and His work in our lives!
