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Born again – Part 14

By Emeritus Prof. Mercy Olumide
13 June 2021   |   4:01 am
The Holy Spirit will not be the Counsellor of those who are indifferent to the faith or half-hearted in their commitment to the truth. He comes only to those who worship the Lord “in spirit and in truth” (4:24).

Emeritus Prof. Mercy Olumide

Some Work Of The Holy Spirit Cont
The Holy Spirit will not be the Counsellor of those who are indifferent to the faith or half-hearted in their commitment to the truth. He comes only to those who worship the Lord “in spirit and in truth” (4:24).

“with you, and will be in you.” The Holy Spirit now lives with the disciples, and Christ promises them that in the future, he will “be in you.” This promise of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled after Christ’s resurrection, when He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (20:22).

“I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” (Jn 14:18)

“I will come to you.” Jesus reveals Himself to the obedient believer through the Holy Spirit, Who makes known the personal presence of Jesus in and with the one who loves Him (v21). The Spirit makes us aware of the nearness of Jesus and the reality of His love, His blessing and His help. This is one of the Spirit’s primary tasks. The fact that Christ comes to us through the Spirit should cause us to respond in love, worship and devotion.

“Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” (Jn 14:23)

“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me, and I in you” (John 14:21)

“He who has my commandments.” Obeying the commandments of Christ is not optional for those who would have eternal life (3:36; 14:21, 23; 15:8-10, 13-14; Luke 6:46-49; Jas 1:22; 2 Pet 1:5-11, 1 John 2:3-6). (1) Obedience to Christ, though never perfect, must nevertheless be genuine. It is an essential aspect of saving faith, springing from our love for Him (vv. 15,21,23-24; see Mat 7:21). Without love for Christ, trying to obey His commands becomes legalism. (2) To the person who loves Christ and strives to obey His commandments consistently, Christ promises a special love, grace and His deepest inward presence (cf. v. 23).

“we will … make Our home with him.” Those who truly love Jesus and obey His words will experience the immediate presence and love of the Father and the Son. The Father and the Son come to believers by means of the Holy Spirit (see v18, note above). It should be noted that the Father’s love is conditioned on our loving Jesus and being loyal to His Word.

“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 things that I said to you.” (Jn 14:26)

“Holy Spirit.” The Helper/Comforter is identified here as the “Holy Spirit.” For the NT Christian, the most important thing about the Spirit is not His power (Acts 1:8), but that He is “Holy.” His holy character, along with the manifestation of that holy character in the lives of believers, is what matters most (cf. Rom 1:4; Gal 5:22-26)

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (Jn 16:7-8) NKJV

Email:mercyolumide2004@yahoo.co.uk www.thebiblicalwomanhood.com Mobile: +234 803 344 6614; +234 808 123 7987

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