When Jesus rose from the grave and was seated at the right hand of the Father, the new covenant was just beginning. Jesus fulfilled the old covenant by becoming the perfect and last sacrifice. He had become the law and the penalty and the curse of the Law by His Own Blood and death. Jesus was now to take His place in the Heavenlies and take on the ministry of the High Priest over the new covenant. In His stead here on earth, Jesus was to send down the Holy Spirit Who was and is, to bring about the new birth and the new covenant.
Jesus ascended to heaven and the Holy Spirit's ministry began. This ministry was no longer one of works, but one of grace and faith in that grace. The Holy Spirit began revealing to the hearts of men, the sacrifice of Jesus on their behalf. They would then believe, by faith in His finished works, and the Holy Spirit could now bring the very life of Christ into their spirits and they could be born again from on high. We could be transformed and raised with Him from death unto the Life of God. By our faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit can bring the righteousness of God into the place of sin and separation.
It's only the Holy Spirit Who could reveal this new revelation to mankind and it's only He Who can show us the way unto salvation in Christ. If we allowed the Holy Spirit to unveil Jesus as the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world and we believed what He showed us, then we could be saved. Mankind still must choose to believe or not to believe.
Romans 3:23-5 (Amplified) says, "Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives. (All) are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy) through the redemption which is (provided) in Christ Jesus." Verse 25 goes on, "Whom God put forward (before the eyes of all) as a mercy seat and propitiation by His Blood (the cleansing and life giving sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation, to be received through faith." This was done to show God's righteousness, because His divine forbearance He had passed over and ignored former sins without punishment.
The Holy Spirit was responsible for bringing to light, this sacrifice and cause faith to arise for the salvation of the new birth. His job was not only to reveal what Jesus had done, but also reveal what Jesus continues to do for those who would believe.
This is no small matter to be responsible for, because man had been spiritually dead and separated from God since the fall of man in the Garden. Man only knew God by the works of the flesh and the Law. Now, we'd be required to put aside the works of the flesh and trust the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Romans 4:4-5 (Amplified) says, "Now to a laborer, his wages are not counted as a favor or a gift, but as an obligation (something owed to him). But to one who, not working (by the Law) trusts (believes fully) in Him Who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited to him as righteousness (the standing acceptable to God)."
Without the ministry of the Holy Spirit, man continues struggling to become righteous by his own works and deeds. Only the Holy Spirit can bring this revelation into man's heart. Even some into today's Church still struggle to achieve right standing with God by dressing a certain way, attending the "right" church, observing certain days or eating certain foods or donating money in the offering a certain way.
The Holy Spirit is constantly in the process of revealing deeper things in man's hearts and is never content with leaving the revelation of the our Lord unfinished. To be sure, this must be as difficult, if not more so, than it was when Jesus was on earth as a Man. People could at least see and hear Jesus when He walked among them. Many did believe then, but many did not.
We must trust fully in the truth of God's Word as the Holy Spirit reveals it to us, because we cannot see Him like they did. John 16:13-5 (Amplified) says, "But when He, the Spirit of truth (the truth giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the truth (the whole, full truth) For He will not speak His Own message (on His Own authority), but He will tell whatever He hears (from the Father, He will give the message that has been given to Him) and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come (that will happen in the future)."
Keep in mind that at this point, the death, burial, resurrection, and the new birth and the Church were still to come when Jesus made this statement. He goes on in Verse 14, "He will honor and glorify Me because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you." Verse 15 says, "Everything that the Father has is Mine." The Holy Spirit will take the things of Jesus and will reveal, declare, disclose and transmit them to you.
Can you see here, the ministry of the Holy Spirit as the Teacher and Guide of the Church? Everything the Father has, is Jesus'. And, it's the Holy Spirit's ministry to transmit these things in our spirit. We keep hoping for a "sign" or some kind of tangible thing to grasp hold of. We are still holding back the revelation that the Holy Spirit has come to give us.
Each time He reveals more of the things He holds to give us, some of us would rather cling to what we think we know instead of what He does know. Jesus lists the work of the Holy Spirit in John 16:7 (Amplified) which says, "However, I am telling you nothing but the truth when I say it, is profitable (good, expedient, advantageous) for you that I go away. because if I do not go away, the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Stand-by) will not come to you (into close fellowship with you) but if I go away, I will send Him to you (to be in close fellowship with you)."
The Holy Spirit's ministry is revelation to the lost man and working on behalf of the born again man. His ministry is revealing Jesus to all the world. The work of the Holy Spirit is to be our Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener and Stand-by and to work on behalf of the Church. We can see His work in the lives of many people, but fail to recognize that it's Him Who is at work in the Church.
For some reason, the Church seems afraid to recognize the work of the Holy Spirit, because we believe we are "dishonoring" the Lord Jesus Christ. We just read, though, in John 16:13 (Amplified) that, "But when He, the Spirit of truth (the truth giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the truth (the whole, full truth) For He will not speak His Own message (on His Own authority) but He will tell whatever He hears (from the Father, He will give the message that has been given to Him)."
If God is truly Three in One, like we believe, then how can we think we're being disloyal to Jesus when we receive the very Spirit Who worked through Jesus when He was here as a Man? Jesus said that, "It wasn't Him, but the FATHER in Him Who was doing the work."
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