Blake Long

Have you ever thought deeply about the Holy Spirit? Do you know, understand, and believe that the Holy Spirit is not a spiritual force but an actual Person? More so, do you know He is the third Person of the Godhead?

As God, there is much about the Holy Spirit that remains perplexing to us. But what Scripture is clear about, we can know. The Holy Spirit is an integral part of the Christian’s walk with Jesus; in fact, the Christian life, from the very beginning, is impossible apart from the power and work of the Holy Spirit.

There are many ways that the Holy Spirit operates in the life of a Christian, but let’s look at four of them.

Regeneration

Through the process of regeneration, God the Holy Spirit brings newness of spiritual life to the believer, changing the heart of stone to a heart of flesh (Ez. 36:26); this divine, sovereign act of pure grace then enables believers to repent and believe (Mk. 1:15).

Regeneration is monergistic, meaning only God the Holy Spirit is involved in changing a sinner’s heart. Humans are passive in the new birth. Before Christ, we did not have the power in ourselves to believe upon Jesus; therefore, we needed the Holy Spirit to open up the eyes of our hearts. Regeneration is what Jesus is referring to when telling Nicodemus that he “must be born again” (Jn. 3:3). This new birth is also a type of cleansing (Titus 3:5). Without the rebirth, no one can be saved.

Sanctification

Whereas regeneration is the sole act of God the Holy Spirit creating newness of life in our hearts, believers play more of an “active” role in sanctification. Even still, there are quotation marks around active because, in the end, the Holy Spirit is the One empowering believers to become more like Jesus Christ; that is, we cannot sanctify ourselves.

Sanctification is a lifelong process; believers will not become perfect until glory. Becoming more like Jesus is gritty, messy, and frustrating at times because part of the process is battling with our flesh. But that is why, in sanctification—the epitome of the Christian life—we rely on the Holy Spirit, not ourselves.

Brings conviction

If you are convicted of sin, you ought to be thankful for the Spirit’s work in you. “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John‬ ‭16‬:‭8‬). ‬‬

Though grueling, conviction is a wonderful sign of salvation. When there’s no conviction, there is likely no presence of the Holy Spirit. We must never downplay the Spirit bringing conviction in our lives as Christians. Conviction hurts, yes; it shows how we fall short, how we stumble, how we sin. Conviction perhaps will reveal sin in your life you didn’t know was there. But it’s a tremendous blessing. Don’t despise the Spirit’s conviction.

Guides our steps

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God,” Romans 8:14 says, “are sons of God.” We must not neglect the guidance of the Holy Spirit as children of God. He directs our steps and ensures we follow the will of God. It is when we yield to our flesh, not the Spirit, that we stop following God’s will.

There’s an important point to make here. We must be prayerful in making decisions, but at some point we have to make a choice. We cannot, and should not, continuously wait for a special divine sign in order to make a decision on what to do in life. That’s why it’s important to be in God’s will and allow the Spirit to guide you.

“We make the mistake of thinking that if we just sit still, God will somehow force us to do something,” Kevin DeYoung wrote. “But God’s will is about living faithfully in the choices we make, not waiting for some cosmic push.”

Friends, the Holy Spirit is God Himself, the third Person of the Trinity. May we never neglect His guidance and presence in our lives.