Why Do We Need Holy Spirit?

Throughout our series, we have discussed God the Father and God the Son. Today, we are turning our discussion to the third aspect of the trinity, Holy Spirit. To start off, we explained that we believe that the events of Acts 2 can and do happen today. Which leads some to ask, Why do we need the Holy Spirit.

John 14:15-17

If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

In this verse, we see a few things taking place. The Greek word used here for “another” means “another of the same kind.” This is part of our trinitarian theology, which holds that God exists as 3 distinct persons but is one being. The Holy Spirit is like Jesus in that He is God.

So what is this helper supposed to be? The word for “helper,” which means “a person summoned to one’s aid,” has various applications, but the primary meaning is to be like a legal advocate. He works in a manner that He stands with you, instructing you and guiding you.

Jesus goes on to describe Him as the “Spirit of Truth” and something that the world can’t understand. Why can’t they understand? Because He leads us in what is Holy. When you’re lost, the holy things seem completely foreign to you. It doesn’t make sense to do certain things, yet they are what God calls us to do.

So what does the Holy Spirit do?

John 14:26

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Here we see 2 actions of the Holy Spirit. First, we see that He teaches us. The word for teach is an active word. It literally means to “verbally talk with clothes for the purposes of instructing them.” So what does this look like? It often looks like you are reading your Bible, and the Holy Spirit, in what is often called a still small voice, reveals truth to you about what you’re reading, helping you to understand better.

The second thing is that He reminds us of what Jesus has spoken. What does this look like? This looks like you’re going about your day, and you’re confronted with a situation, be it an opportunity to minister to someone or maybe a situation where you are confronted with sin, and the Holy Spirit begins to remind you of what the Bible says.

Romans 8:11-17

So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Here, Paul is reminding the people of Rome that they need to be intentional about making sure that they are living their lives in accordance with what God has for them. The Holy Spirit leads us, helping us to do this well, reminding us of our identity as sons and daughters of God. At the same time, if we step out of that identity, He begins to speak to us, calling us back to the Father.

Paul goes on to point out that the suffering that takes place in the present, suffering that is directly linked to the decision to walk in the spirit as opposed to the flesh, doesn’t compare to the greatness of being with God in Glory. What does this mean? It means that while it may be uncomfortable living a holy life – Doing the things God has called us to do, not doing the things that are sinful – because it means doing something we don’t like doing, giving up friends, mindsets, and status in social circles. But that uncomfortableness is worth it if it means we get to be with God.

Romans 8:26-27

In the same way, 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. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Here we see that Holy Spirit helps us in our prayers. What does this look like? This looks like when you have a burden to pray over someone or something, and you begin to pray. You get to the point where you feel like you should keep praying, but are not sure what to say, Holy Spirit begins to speak through us.