The Holy Spirit and His Work – Underrated

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Little known and far too often ignored. The Holy Spirit and His constant work. Jesus Christ sent the Spirit of God to us and not without reason. Without the Spirit we would be hopelessly lost.

Misunderstood Spirit of God

Today, feeling counts more and more in the Christian faith. At least that’s what the relevant churches convey. You have to feel the Holy Spirit within you, a kind of enlightenment, relief and refreshment. A celebration of feelings, according to some events in charismatic and Pentecostal circles.

But that’s not how the Holy Spirit works. What good does it do for people if they continue to commit their sins ignorantly, but with more satisfaction and a sense of security? The justice of God allows neither salvation without faith nor salvation in remaining sins. To cover up this realization, the once Protestant churches quickly redefined sin (Info).

Man is dependent on the Spirit of God

No matter where you look, most religions teach that people are actually good at their core. Yes, even the divine is in him. Even the Roman Catholic Church teaches this and sells it as Christianity (Info). The New Age scene also speaks of an inherent “divine energy of the universe”. This is even the (secret) creed of the thoroughly spiritual UN (Info). But this is not the way the gospel describes it, Jeremiah 17:9:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?“

Paul was also very conscious of his true character as a human being, Romans 7:18:
“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.“

The heart of the fallen human being is deceitful and evil. Who other than God should be able to show people what is good and what is evil? The Holy Spirit fulfills this task.

What does the Holy Spirit do?

Admittedly, the Holy Spirit works somewhat abstractly. There is far less to be read about the Spirit of God in the Bible than there is about the Lord in the Old Testament and Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Nevertheless, the Spirit of God has immense importance, even during creation. The Spirit of God is mentioned in the second verse of the Bible, Genesis 1:2:
“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.“

Jesus Christ announced the coming of the Holy Spirit to His apostles. John 14:16:
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;“

This assistance will come when Jesus Christ has left this world again. After the ascension of Jesus Christ, it took 10 days for the Holy Spirit to come into this world (Pentecost). Since then, the Spirit of God has fulfilled very specific tasks.

Conviction of sin

He convicts people of sin so that they can even recognize that they have committed a sin. Only after this knowledge is repentance, repentance and future refraining from this sin possible. John 16:8:
“And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:“

1 John 3:19-20:
“And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.“

This is where the grace of God immediately comes into play. He is faithful and just. Confessed and repented sins will be forgiven by God while maintaining all righteousness, 1. John 1:9-10:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.“

This is exactly why Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, died for us all (Info).

Teaching the truth

The Holy Spirit teaches people the truth. His work makes it possible to understand the gospel and recognize the connections. John 16:13:
“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.“

The mind reminds us of the truth

In addition to teaching the truth, the Holy Spirit also makes it possible to remember what has been heard or read and to recall these truths when necessary, i.e. to remember them when the situation requires it. John 14:26:
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.“

One might also call this memory “passive knowledge”. This is only called when this triggers a special situation. It is not absolutely necessary to be able to quote the truth of the Bible that you have learned to the point and comma. The main thing is that the meaning and context match. While the exact verse position can be helpful, it is not necessary. Jesus Christ also resisted temptation by declaring, “It is written.” The truth is king, not academic lectures.

The Holy Spirit fulfills Jesus’ tasks

In principle, the Holy Spirit works in the same way that Jesus Christ did as a human being. He convicted people of sin, He taught them the truth and He repeatedly reminded them of what they had already read or heard. This is exactly the intended salvation of the thoroughly sinful humanity if it recognizes what the right path is.

Jesus Christ Himself said that the Holy Spirit would do more than Himself and the reason for this is obvious. As a true human being, Jesus Christ was locally bound and could therefore only work within a narrow circle. However, the Holy Spirit is completely unbound and independent of space and most likely also of time. In principle, the Spirit of God can work on all people at the same time. However, whether people individually accept this quasi-benevolent offer is another matter.

The knowledge of God’s valid laws

It is the Holy Spirit who makes people realize that God’s commandments are completely valid. Last but not least, the laws are also the truth (the Bible about truth – here). The justice of God stands or falls by the laws. They are the definition of sin and also the standard of judgment.

The Holy Spirit also works to obey these commandments in true faith. As a consequence of faith and not as an attempt to become (self-)righteous by keeping the law. Hebrews 10:16:
“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;“

God’s Spirit brings about character change

The Holy Spirit conveys the truth, faith and, last but not least, character change in people. Man cannot change his character on his own. But it’s easy for the creator.

“You shall know them by their fruits.” This saying is very common and applies to false teachers as well as to the true believer. God will lay hands on the believer who has opened himself to His Spirit. Any negative character traits, be they easily provoked hot temper, latent aggressiveness, constant bullying, will gradually disappear. One slower, the other faster.

The work of the Holy Spirit can therefore also be recognized by positive changes in character, Galatians 5:22: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,”.

Someone who claims to be led by the Holy Spirit, but almost sweeps the coffee cup and cake plate off the table when it is pointed out to him that in connection with Matthew 5:18 the (real) 4th commandment (Info), i.e. the Sabbath, is also in full force is valid, then the work of the Holy Spirit can certainly be doubted. He may even be lying to himself.

Holy Spirit has always worked

The inscription of the laws and the work of the Holy Spirit in people were not only introduced by God with the human appearance of Jesus Christ. This is how God always worked on otherwise lost, fallen people, Ezekiel 36:26-27:
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.“

It is God who, through His sent spirit, gives people His laws into their hearts and lets them act accordingly. Expressed in a “non-theological” way, this is nothing more than having a “bad conscience” because you realized you had done something wrong.

At this point it is always necessary to point out which real laws or 10 commandments are actually involved – here.

False holy spirit

Many contemporary preachers proclaim their messages with the assurance that the Holy Spirit inspired them. It may well be that these “modern prophets” had some inspiration. But in addition to the Holy Spirit, there are countless “prompters” in this world who have no good in mind for people.

Therefore, when such “enlightenments” occur, it is extremely important to know where these insights and ideas come from. The Gospel also points to this, 1. John 4:1:
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.“

This applies to examining what you hear and read as well as your own inner inspirations. The latter especially.

Check inspirations & feelings

The inspirations, the thoughts and feelings that arise must necessarily agree with the Word of God. If the feeling or thought stimulates an act that goes against God’s statutes, then this suggestion cannot with absolute certainty have come from the Holy Spirit.

Surrendering will for obedience

The believer must be willing to surrender his will to God in order to obey Him. If these conditions are missing, the doors remain closed to the Holy Spirit. God does not force or coerce, but rather leaves man his free will. Therefore, one of the first daily requests in prayer should be to allow the surrender of the will freely and to ultimately do so. God grants the requests that are in His good pleasure even before the “Amen” is said. Acts 5:32:
“And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.“

The Bible must be studied for yourself

The Holy Spirit does not secretly instill the truth into people’s minds while they sleep. “Learning in your sleep” are the promises of esotericists. Man is himself. But the Spirit of God gives people the ability to correctly understand the gospel in their own study. In meaning and in context.

It is not the Holy Spirit at work when, for example, in Matthew 5:17 one reads that Jesus Christ fulfilled the law and interprets this as the complete abolition of the laws, and ultimately simply ignores the immediate next verse 18. There it is written that the law will by no means be abolished as long as “heaven and earth” exist (Info).

For this reason, any Bible study should begin with a prayer asking the Holy Spirit for proper understanding. The same applies here: God forces and coerces no one. But whoever asks in the good pleasure of God will receive it. This is what God promised and, unlike man, God keeps a promise with guarantee.

Open yourself to the Holy Spirit

Since God does not force people to do anything against their will, it is also a prerequisite that the person desires it and is therefore bitter that the Holy Spirit works on them. God also speaks through His Spirit to non-believers to make them aware of the truth. Here the person decides whether they want to listen to this “inner voice”. This would be very advisable in all cases, Hebrews 3:7-8:
“Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:“

As long as the Spirit of God works, people’s corrupt hearts are kept in check and still relatively tight. Even a non-believer can have remorse, Romans 2:26-29:
“Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

God will withdraw His Spirit

As long as the Holy Spirit is at work, all doors and gates should be kept open. Man cannot change from evil to good on his own. Today it can already be noticed that God is gradually withdrawing His spirit from this world.

The time will come when God’s Spirit finally ends the work. Even at this point, God’s unimaginably great grace is revealed. It is not He who decides when the spirit will finally stop working, but He leaves this to the person themselves. With a lot of patience, God knocks on each individual person’s door. But if he remains stubborn and constantly rejects the spirit, then that is his own decision. With this final decision, the Spirit of God ends any further attempts on this person (Info). Fate is irreversibly decided.

Without the Holy Spirit, there is no chance for man to ever confess Jesus Christ out of his own faith. More and more people will decide for or against the Holy Spirit and at some point the full number will be reached. That is when God will withdraw His Spirit. Every fate is decided, Revelation 22:11:
“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.“

The final call will soon sound

A large proportion of people have already decided against the work of the Holy Spirit to the point of overstretching the bow. They’re getting more and more. There is still time for the others to listen to and obey the “inner voice” of God. It won’t be long before a “loud call” will be heard in this world with an urgent warning message (Info). From then on things get really serious. But it would not be the grace of God if there were no longer any possibility of timely repentance. The last call, the last chance for what is even available for free.

Bible verses from King James Version