The Dual Role of the Holy Spirit

Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, 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. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He [a]will take of Mine and declare it to you. John 16:7-15 (NKJV)

Jesus shows us in this passage that the role of the Holy Spirit is different towards the unsaved than it is towards those who are born-again. The Holy Spirit has a dual role to play.

First, His role towards sinner is to convict them of sin and show them their need for a savior. He shows them the dirtiness of sin and points them to Jesus. He reveals that God is a good God and loves them and wants to make them clean. He leads them to repentance.

Notice it does not say that the Holy Spirit condemns the sinner. His intention is to draw them to the Lord by showing them that they are sinners and can only be made sinless through the blood of Jesus. He does not beat them over the head with their sins and shortcomings. The devil has done that enough. Every unsaved person knows deep in their hearts that they’ve sinned. The Holy Spirit tells them that although they’ve sinned, there is a remedy and His name is Jesus.

While the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, that God is righteous (and they are not), and that they will be judged in their sin if they do not turn to the Lord, the role of the Spirit is very different towards the Christian. Although we are a work in progress in many ways, He is not reminding us of all the ways we fall short. Instead, He is showing us Truth. He leads us into the truth of who God is- a loving God who saves, redeems, and transforms.

For the born-again child of God, the Holy Spirit is our Comforter, Friend, Guide, and Teacher. He reveals God to us. He illuminates the truth of the Bible to us. It is through Him that we are being transformed more and more, and that we grow in God. Christians don’t need to be shown that they are sinners, because once we are saved, we are no longer sinners in the eyes of God. Rather, we are his beloved children, the righteousness of God in Christ. Yes, Holy Spirit will gently point out sin to us in order to prevent the devil from gaining access to our lives, but His main goal is to help us live the Christian life. Holy Spirit reveals the Word of God to us, teaching us deeper and deeper truths about God and how to know Him and be like Him. Holy Spirit helps the children of God grow up and be like their Daddy.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He is the Spirit of Truth. He is One Spirit with two purposes. One, He shows sinners that they need Jesus and draws them to Him. Secondly, He works with the saints to help them grow, mature, and live for God. Thank God for Holy Spirit!