The Role of the Holy Spirit: Comforter, Convicter, and Sanctifier
Many Christians can speak with some confidence about God the Father and about Jesus the Son. When the conversation turns to the Holy Spirit, they become less sure. Some think of Him as a vague influence or a feeling. Others associate Him only with dramatic experiences. As a result, the Spirit is probably the least understood person of the Trinity.
That is a real loss, because the New Testament teaches that the Christian life is impossible without Him from beginning to end. This article sets out who the Holy Spirit is and what He does.
Who Is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He is fully God, equal with the Father and the Son, and He is a person, not an impersonal force.
He is God. Jesus commanded His followers to baptize “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19), placing the three together under a single name. When Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit, Peter told him, “You have not lied just to human beings but to God” (Acts 5:3–4).
He is a person. Scripture attributes to the Spirit what can only be true of a person. He knows the thoughts of God (1 Corinthians 2:11). He makes decisions, distributing gifts “just as he determines” (1 Corinthians 12:11). He can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30). Jesus consistently refers to the Spirit as “he,” not “it.”
The Spirit has been at work throughout the Bible’s story. He was present at creation, “hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:2). He empowered leaders and prophets in the Old Testament, and He inspired the Scriptures, as “prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). Since Pentecost, He lives in every person who belongs to Christ.
What Does the Holy Spirit Do?
1. He convicts
Jesus said of the Spirit, “When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8). No one comes to Christ without first seeing their need for Him, and it is the Spirit who opens our eyes to it.
He continues this work in believers, making us aware of sin so that we will confess it and turn from it. It helps to distinguish the Spirit’s conviction from condemnation. Conviction is specific and leads us toward Christ and His forgiveness. Condemnation is a vague, crushing sense of worthlessness that drives us away from God. Scripture is clear that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
2. He gives new life
Jesus told Nicodemus, “No one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5). Becoming a Christian involves more than turning over a new leaf. It is a new birth, and the Spirit brings it about. Paul writes that God “saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).
3. He lives in believers
At conversion, the Spirit takes up residence in the believer. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). This is true of every Christian, not only of a spiritual elite. Paul states it plainly: “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ” (Romans 8:9).
His presence is also God’s pledge about our future. Believers are “marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance” (Ephesians 1:13–14). And He assures us in the present: “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:16).
4. He makes us holy
Sanctification is the lifelong process by which believers become more like Christ, and the Spirit is the one who drives it. “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). Paul describes a real conflict within every Christian between old sinful desires and the new desires the Spirit gives.
The outcome of His work is what Paul calls the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23). Fruit grows gradually, and it grows from life within. We cannot produce these qualities by effort alone. We are not passive either. We cooperate with the Spirit through obedience, prayer and time in the Word, trusting that “it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13).
5. He equips us to serve
“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7). The Spirit gives every believer gifts for building up the church. The New Testament lists many, including teaching, serving, encouraging, giving, leading and showing mercy (Romans 12:6–8; 1 Corinthians 12:8–10). Christians hold different views about how some of these gifts operate today. All agree that the gifts exist to serve others and not to elevate the person who has them.
The Spirit also gives power for witness. Before His ascension, Jesus promised, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The book of Acts shows fearful disciples becoming bold messengers once the Spirit had come.
6. He helps, teaches and guides
Jesus called the Spirit “another advocate to help you and be with you forever” (John 14:16). The Greek word can also be translated Helper, Counselor or Comforter. It describes someone called alongside to give aid.
He teaches us, reminding us of what Jesus said and helping us understand it (John 14:26). He guides us into truth (John 16:13), chiefly through the Scriptures He inspired. And He helps us pray: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26). When we cannot find words, He is not at a loss.
7. He points us to Jesus
One more statement from Jesus ties all of this together: “He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you” (John 16:14). The Spirit does not draw attention to Himself. His aim is to make Christ known and loved. This gives us a reliable test. Any teaching or experience that truly comes from the Spirit will lead us to treasure Jesus more and to trust His Word.
Living by the Spirit
How should we respond to all that the Spirit does? Scripture gives several clear instructions.
Be filled with the Spirit. Paul’s command in Ephesians 5:18 describes an ongoing way of life in which we continually yield to His influence. Begin each day by asking for His help and direction.
Keep in step with the Spirit. “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). When He prompts you through Scripture or conscience, obey promptly.
Do not grieve or quench the Spirit. Persistent, unconfessed sin grieves Him (Ephesians 4:30), and resisting His leading quenches His work (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Confess sin quickly and return to Him.
Stay in the Word. The Spirit who inspired Scripture uses it to shape us. He will never lead us contrary to what He has already said there.
Pray in dependence on Him. Ask Him to produce His fruit in you, to give you understanding and to make you bold in sharing Christ.
Conclusion
The Holy Spirit is God’s own presence with His people and one of His greatest gifts to us. He awakens us to our need, gives us new life, lives within us, makes us holy, equips us to serve and keeps our eyes on Jesus. We could not live a single day of the Christian life without Him.
Because He lives in us, we never face temptation, suffering or the work God has given us on our own. The Helper whom Jesus promised has come, and He will remain with us forever.
