Jesus had to reassure His disciples before he left them that it was expedient for Him to go but He would not leave them as orphans but I will send you a Helper (John 14:18). He was referring to the Holy Spirit who would play various roles as Helper, Comforter, Guider, Teacher, among other roles.
In this article we will look at two of the roles of the Holy Spirit as a Teacher and Convincer.
This word “teach” is the Greek word didasko — a word that is used approximately 200 times in both the Old and New Testaments. It is used so often, in fact, that its meaning is very well established.
According to The NIV Theological Dictionary of New Testament Words, which gives the primary meaning of this word as “to teach, inform, instruct, demonstrate, and prescribe.” It continues, “The word is used typically for the relationship between teacher and pupil, instructor, and apprentice. What is taught may be not only knowledge, opinions, or facts but also artistic and technical skills, all of which are to be systematically and thoroughly acquired by the learner through the activity of a teacher.”
In the context of John 14:26, which states: “ He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said to you “- we see that the word didasko means the Holy Spirit has taken on the role of a Teacher, just as Jesus was a Teacher to the disciples.
The Holy Spirit has become our Teacher, and we are His pupils. He is our Instructor, and we are the apprentices. Furthermore, the full extent of the Holy Spirit’s teaching is deep and multifaceted. Not only was He sent to us to impart knowledge and facts, lessons from Scripture, and theological truths, but He also teaches us how to live our Christian lives with divinely artistic skill.
Instructed by the Teacher who lives within each of us as believers, we receive lessons imparted as we spend time in the Word or prayer or through any aspect of our innumerable life experiences. If we are listening, the Holy Spirit is teaching us constantly. Our responsibility is to listen, to obey, and to internalize and put into practice the truths He is teaching us.
There are always people who claim that if you haven’t been to Bible school, you are untaught and ignorant and therefore unable to be used significantly by God. However, this is simply not the case. It’s true that Bible school can be an immensely beneficial experience, and it’s good for you to read every book that you can read. But if you never go to a Bible school or read a teaching book, the Holy Spirit will still teach you, because He is ordained by the Father to do just that. Teaching is a fundamental part of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
- Bulls to charge into Zimbabwe gold stocks
- Drum, percussion define Yenge Family
- Samaita owes success to God
- ZRC wraps up stakeholder consultations
Keep Reading
Jesus told His disciples that when the Holy Spirit came, He would teach them, and today the Holy Spirit has been sent to teach you. If you’re seeking the best Teacher in the world, look no further! If you are born again, you have the Holy Spirit — the greatest Teacher in the history of the world — living inside you. If you’ll see yourself as His apprentice and cultivate your partnership together, He’ll teach you everything you need to know to live successfully and victoriously for Christ.
In the Upper Room, as Jesus continued teaching about the ministry of the Holy Spirit, He said, “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). Let’s talk about what Jesus meant when He said the Holy Spirit would “reprove” the world of sin.
The word “reprove” is the Greek word elegcho. It means to expose, to convict, or to cross-examine for the purpose of conviction — as in convicting a lawbreaker in a court of law. The Holy Spirit will begin to deal with the heart of an unbeliever, and by the time He is finished, that lost, sinful soul will feel exposed and convicted.
As the Holy Spirit enables that person to hear the Word of God for the first time, the razor-sharp sword of the Word will penetrate his soul until he feels as if he has been cross-examined on a witness stand. Finally, the court will be adjourned, the verdict announced, and he will know on the inside that he is guilty of sin.
This is precisely what a sinner feels when the Holy Spirit convicts him of sin. It is amazing how long a sinner can live without conviction or godly sorrow for his behavior — how long he can be nearly numb to any sense of wrongness regarding his sinful actions. The Bible says that sin has made unbelievers to be hardhearted, spiritually blind, and past feeling (see Ephesians 4:18,19).
But those factors change instantly when the Holy Spirit touches the human soul and exposes its sinful condition. Exposed, naked, confronted — that is exactly what a sinner feels when the Holy Spirit wakes him up to his true spiritual condition.
It is the work of the Holy Spirit to convict sinners of their lost condition. The whole world stands guilty before God (see Romans 3:19), but the lost don’t realize they are guilty until that moment when the Holy Spirit reveals it to them.
But something happens when the Holy Spirit begins to work in that person’s soul. He lovingly cross-examines that person, until finally He brings him to a place of confrontation. It is at this point that invisible scales fall from the person’s eyes, and he truly sees for the first time that he is in sin. This is something that can only be revealed by the Holy Spirit. When He convicts of sin, the sinner absolutely knows that he is a sinner.
Once the Holy Spirit has lovingly brought that person to the place where he finally sees it for himself, the person has a choice: Will he stay in sin, or will he repent and turn toward God? Helping that person reach this point of decision that has such eternal consequences is the purpose of the Holy Spirit’s convicting ministry in his life.
It is frustrating to share Christ with family and friends and to feel as if you are “hitting a brick wall.” You share, talk, and plead with them to receive Christ, yet it seems they just can’t hear what you are saying.
Even though they may acknowledge they are sinners, they may not seem to be too deeply disturbed by the implications of this fact. They just press on as though they were numb to or ignorant of the spiritual deadness in their lives.
But the Bible clearly teaches that a lost person is “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). Don’t forget that dead people don’t feel anything. Spiritually dead people especially don’t feel the conviction of sin. It requires a special, supernatural work of the Holy Spirit to rouse the human consciousness to realize its sinful condition.
How can you make a dead man see? How can you cause a dead man to feel? How can you convince a dead man that he needs to change? Thank God for the convicting work of the Holy Spirit! Only through the convicting power of God’s Spirit can a spiritually dead man be awakened and beckoned to Christ.
It was the Holy Spirit’s call that touched your soul, awakened you to your sinfulness, and beckoned you to Christ. Once you were brought to this place of undeniable conviction and you recognized that you were a sinner, the Spirit invited you to receive Jesus as your Saviour and Lord.
What a miracle it was when God raised our spirits from spiritual death to spiritual life. In fact, there is no greater miracle! The convicting work of the Holy Spirit is part of the foundational work that He does in our lives, but it’s certainly not the last!
