What Does the Holy Spirit Do? #2
When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians, he shamed them by asking them in I Corinthians 6:19-20, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.“
The people to whom Paul wrote this letter were not A-1, super-spiritual, consistent Christians. Not a chance. They were guilty of fornication and adultery. Besides this, they were fighting with one another to the point of legal action in the courts of Corinth. They were in a sorry condition. But Paul did not hesitate to write that the Holy Spirit was still indwelling them. Their sin was grieving Him and quenching His effectiveness, but He did not move out. When the Holy Spirit indwells, it is permanent.
The Holy Spirit Guides into God’s Truth. The Holy Spirit leads the believer to the discovery of spiritual truth. He makes clear the Word of God, which must be spiritually understood and He guides the believer into God’s will for his life. I Corinthians 2:9-12, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.“
The Holy Spirit Fills. One of the least understood and appreciated ministries of the Holy Spirit is His work in “filling” the believer. Perhaps you wonder, “If He lives in me, how can He fill me? Hasn’t He filled me already?” Once again, the English language gets in the way. The filling of the Spirit is the controlling or empowering of the believer’s life by the Holy Spirit. Let’s go back to the example of the Corinthian Christians: the Holy Spirit indwelled them, but He surely did not control them. Why not? Because they didn’t allow Him to. As a result of their deliberate sinfulness, they were not experiencing spiritual victory, growth, or fruitfulness. Paul called them “carnal”, meaning “worldly.” But they didn’t have to be.
They limited God’s power in their lives. And the majority of Christians today do the same thing… just as needlessly.