The ministry of the Holy Spirit includes convicting of sin, enabling a new birth, teaching new believers and gifting them for service in God’s kingdom.
By His teaching, the Spirit informs believers so they know spiritual truth. In addition, the Spirit also works to enable informed believers to do the truth, so understanding (what we know) and practice (what we do) grow together as divinely supplied twin enablements.
In His last lengthy discourse with His disciples, Christ promised, “When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13–14). Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of truth inasmuch as an important ministry of the Spirit is to guide believers into all truth.
The Apostle Paul referred to the Spirit’s teaching ministry: “We have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches” (2 Cor. 1:12–13).
The ministry of the Spirit is not limited to enabling the understanding of revealed truth, but also makes it possible for believers to be servants of the truth by bestowing a variety of ministering gifts for the benefit of the church and the cause of the gospel.
The Bible points out that there are “diversities of gifts” bestowed upon believers, which gifts enable “differences of ministries” (1 Cor. 12:4–5). It is clearly declared that such gifts are given for the benefit of the whole church, not the enjoyment of the gifted individuals or the promotion of their importance.
‘Grace gifts’
A sampling of spiritual gifts is given in several passages such as 1 Corinthians 12:7–11 and Romans 12:6–8. Appropriately, spiritual gifts also are termed “grace gifts,” hence, they are not earned by human merit and thus should not be employed for the enhancement of a person’s reputation.
The Spirit teaches us all and gives a variety of gifts that the body of Christ might be served and built up, both knowing the truth and ministering it in the world.
Share with others: