Why Did God Give Us the Holy Spirit?

Scripture Reading

Romans 5:12, 21

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—

21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Devotional

In the beginning, Adam and Even and God dwelled in the Garden of Eden together. There was no shame because there was no sin. Everything was as God intended. However, as well know, that changes quickly when both Adam and Eve disobey God and were kicked out of the Eden because they could no longer dwell in the presence of God and be in sin. The punishment of sin is death and so they had lost the ability to not only be in the presence of God, but they lost their immortality and immortality for all of mankind as well.

Thankfully, that’s not the end of the story. Although sin separated all of mankind from God, God still desired to redeem us and extended that grace to us the only way he could – through his Son, Jesus. Jesus was all man and all God at the same time, which made him the perfect sacrifice for all of humanity. So, Jesus conquered all sin introduced into the world by Adam and Eve, by then dying himself. Of course, Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit could not be held by death, but instead was resurrected and continued to teach for a short period before going back up to be with the Father. What is so amazing about this though is that when Jesus ascended back to Heaven, he left on Earth what the Father gave him when he was baptized – The Holy Spirit, which dwells in every believer.

What’s truly profound about the Holy Spirit is that even Jesus needed the Holy Spirit to do the will of God. In fact, it was not until Jesus was baptized and the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove that he begins to preach and perform miracles. So, that is to say, that even Jesus could not complete what God needed him to do without the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not just give powerful gifts though, it is the source of truth and our Advocate. Like Jesus prior to his baptism, we cannot do what God wants us to do without the help of the Holy Spirit. That is why Jesus says in John 16:7:

7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

As much I think it would’ve been awesome to meet Jesus in person and been there for his teachings and witnessed the miracles he performed, he clearly tells us that it’s better that he is back with the Father so that the Holy Spirit can dwell in all the believers. It’s literally a part of God that helps you through life, revealing truth, convicting you when you do wrong, guiding you, and of course doing great works through you. John 15:5 further states that:

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

That is to say that when we are abiding in God and being led by the Holy Spirit, we are on the right path, doing what God is calling us to do. However, when we are overrun with sin, the more the sin our life grows, the more we drown out the Holy Spirit until the things we do are no longer aligned with God even if we think they are good things. When God says we can do nothing, he means we can do nothing that he wants or needs us to do as a part of his plan. We’re about as useful as a dead branch on a tree. The good news is though that God brings dead things back to life. He brought all of humanity back from the dead, so how much more can he do for you and me to spiritually revive us and use us as part of his plans again. There are some practical ways we can make sure that we stay in-tune with God, we can fellowship with other believers, remain prayerful, read his Word, meditate on his Word, repent of our sins, and when you feel the Holy Spirit calling you to do something – answer the call. Let’s pray over this message.

Prayer

Father God, thank you for restoring our connection with you through Jesus by allowing the Holy Spirit to dwell in the body of the believers. Lord, we know that you work for the good of those who love you and are called according to your purpose. Thank you for letting me be part of your plans. I pray that I would stay in-tune with your will. Today, I am leaving all my sin at your feet. I pray that the Holy Spirit would do a great work in me right now and begin transforming me into the follower you desire me to be. In Jesus’ name, Amen.