Highlights
  1. The Holy Spirit is a Person who helps every believer in all their needs.
  2. He is the Third Person in the Triune God.
  3. He can strengthen every believer.
Introduction

My previous blog was entitled Gospel Demonstrated. It is about demonstrating the gospel in our actions, in our words, in our thoughts. We can’t expect non-believers to showcase the gospel, but as a believer, what we say or what we do or how we react in any given situation should reflects our identity as a follower of God.
To which most of you, if not all, would agree that it is a difficult task. Taming the tongue, faith in action, no partiality, looking after the helpless are only a few of the difficult principles discussed in that series. Some of you would say, “I have tried doing that in the past, but I fail.”
Would you consider that you probably fail because you tried so hard to demonstrate the gospel out of your effort? Did you know that even God knew that we would not be able to do it on our own? This is the reason why we need the Holy Spirit. And this is what we are going to talk about on this blog.

While the study of the Holy Spirit is essential, it is also quite difficult. One particular problem is the lack of concrete imagery. We can probably understand God the Father because the figure of a father is familiar to practically everyone. The Son is not hard to conceptualize, for he appeared in human form as recorded in history. But the Spirit is intangible and difficult to visualize. Complicating this matter is the unfortunate (though then current and correct) terminology of the King James Version and other older English translations, which refer to the Holy Spirit as the “Holy Ghost.”
So, who is the Holy Spirit? To answer this, let me bring you to our main point for this blog.

The Holy Spirit is a Person who helps every believer in all their needs.

The Holy Spirit is a Person, with a capital P. He is the third Person in the triune God. And He is very much involved in the life of every believer. And as a follower of God, this is good news for us because this guarantees that somebody is always willing to help us in every need that we will encounter in our life.
There is a New Testament Narrative that clearly describes this. And Jesus himself introduce Him to the apostles. Let us look at the account of John.

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“Now I am going to him who sent me” John 16:5

The setting took place a few days before the crucifixion. Jesus is giving His disciples a farewell message. Can you imagine the fear, anxiety, concerns of the disciples must have had felt when Jesus told them that He is going to leave? They would have probably battle feelings of despair, anxiety, and maybe even feeling of abandonment. Then Jesus said something like this.

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But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. John 16:7

But Jesus said this is a good thing. Going away is a good thing for the disciples. Why? Because unless Jesus goes away, the Counselor or the Holy Spirit will not come to them. And this is excellent news. Now let us dig deeper into who the Holy Spirit is and His role in our life. In an earlier verse, Jesus gave a much clearer description of the Holy Spirit.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, John 14:16 ESV

The word “another”

First, let us focus on the word another. A common understanding of this word is – another of a different kind. However, when Jesus used this, the original Greek word means – another of a similar type. Jesus, on this verse, gives us a hint that the Holy Spirit is also God, distinct but with the same essence as the Father and the Son. Understanding that the Holy Spirit is God is foundational in the Christian Faith. He is not lesser or more significant. The Holy Spirit is another of the same kind as the Father and the Son. The triune God. Both the Old and New Testament talk about Him as God. The Old Testament describes Him before the creation.

Nobody created the Holy Spirit; He is present even before the creation. The Holy Spirit is involved in the creation itself.
Also, the New Testament identifies Him as God. In one incident in the Book of Acts, the time when Peter confronts Ananias. He mentioned something like this.

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Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Genesis 1:2

you have lied to the Holy Spirit … You have not lied to men but to God. Acts 5:3-4

In verse 4, Peter told Ananias that he lied to the Holy Spirit. Then in verse 5, Peter mentioned that Ananias lied not to men but God. Peter interchangeably uses the Holy Spirit and God. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is God. What is the implication of this truth? He deserves no less than honor, glory and reverence, respect, worship, and adoration, just like what we are giving to our Heavenly Father and Jesus. What a revelation, right?
Let us go back to the conversation of Jesus with His disciples.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, John 14:16 ESV

The Helper

Now let us put our focus on the description of the Holy Spirit as a Helper. Helper in this verse means paraclete or Counselor. It also means an Advocate, a Comforter, or even an Intercessor. He is somebody who can assist us in times of need. Now, describing the Holy Spirit as a Helper has multiple implications.

The Holy Spirit is a person

The Holy Spirit is not a force, as some people have thought He is. He is a person, which means that He is personal. We can know Him, and we can fellowship with Him. We can have a relationship with Him.

The Holy Spirit can strengthen us

As a comforter, it means that He can strengthen us. He gives us strength amid trials and temptations. Of course, being strengthened doesn’t mean that the Holy Spirit will take over our lives that we will lose the free will to decide. It does not mean that the Holy Spirit will appear in the middle of your exam, if you are a student, hold your hand to stop you from cheating. No. But He will strengthen you so that you will be able to resist the temptation to cheat.
It takes the power of the Holy Spirit to say no to temptation. Sheer determination is not enough. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit to remain faithful to your spouse, especially if your spouse is away from you right now. If you are single right now, it takes the Holy Spirit’s power to practice purity in your relationship. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit to resist that Sale in the Department Stores if you don’t have the budget for it.

Personal Reflection

Are you still relying on your strength? When temptation is lurking in your life, do you pray to the Holy Spirit? Or do you only pray to the Holy Spirit when you are already in the midst of a messed-up situation? The situation resulted because you already gave in the temptation? When encountering storms in life, are you still trying to use only your energy to resolve it?
Most of the time, if I am going to evaluate my life, I mess up when I try to approach life only with my strength. In whatever aspect it is. Whether finances or my relationship with my family, in my workplace, or even my health. When I tried to tackle it on my own, I always end up in a mess. You see, I could have avoided those kinds of situations if only I trusted and relied on the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the triune God. And He is always able and willing to help us. He is ready to comfort us, or even counsel us, provides the strength that we need. All we need to do is trust Him and allow ourselves to make room for Him so He can operate in our lives. And this is not a temporary arrangement. Let us continue reading the remaining part of the verse.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, John 14:16 ESV

There is forever with the Holy Spirit. Singles, it is good news, right? He will never leave you, and Jesus himself promised this. He is the seal that separates believers from unbelievers.

Practical Application

Let me give you a couple of practical applications. (1) Read more commentaries about the Holy Spirit. There is a vast resource available on the web that tackle this subject matter. I included the link on the resources that I used. You can start with those. (2) This week, as you do your prayer time, I want you to pray to the Holy Spirit, call His name specifically. Fellowship with Him. He is approachable.

Conclusion

Jesus’ sacrifice in the cross and His resurrection made it possible for everyone who will trust Him to receive the Holy Spirit. Our very Helper in times of need. Our Comforter in times of difficult moments. The Intercessor for all our circumstances. The Counsellor when we need wisdom.
In other words, at that moment that you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior; you have never been alone. And no point that you have never been helpless.

CREDITS/NOTES: