"He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you."
(John 16:14)
First and foremost, the primary work of the Holy Spirit is to reveal the Son of God and bring glory to Him (Jn 15.26, Jn 16.7-8,14). This makes perfect sense when we keep the restoration process in mind. Jesus, not the Holy Spirit, is the model for mankind to be restored to the image of God. The Holy Spirit is the Parakletos (Gk), “One who comes alongside” to help the disciple become like Jesus. Yet, I have seen individuals and ministries make the Holy Spirit the center piece of their teaching and practice. I believe this is a subtle error that distracts from God’s full intent. Notice that even the Father puts the focus on the Son for our sake (Mk 1.11, Mt 17.5, 28.18). It is not my goal to pit the members of the Trinity one against the other, but for the purpose of restoration, the focus must be on Christ (Jn 14.6). This emphasis on the Son by the other two members of the Godhead is not an issue of rank but one of clarity. Jesus is our clearest example of what God intended for mankind in the original image (Gen 1.26-27).
(John 16:14)
First and foremost, the primary work of the Holy Spirit is to reveal the Son of God and bring glory to Him (Jn 15.26, Jn 16.7-8,14). This makes perfect sense when we keep the restoration process in mind. Jesus, not the Holy Spirit, is the model for mankind to be restored to the image of God. The Holy Spirit is the Parakletos (Gk), “One who comes alongside” to help the disciple become like Jesus. Yet, I have seen individuals and ministries make the Holy Spirit the center piece of their teaching and practice. I believe this is a subtle error that distracts from God’s full intent. Notice that even the Father puts the focus on the Son for our sake (Mk 1.11, Mt 17.5, 28.18). It is not my goal to pit the members of the Trinity one against the other, but for the purpose of restoration, the focus must be on Christ (Jn 14.6). This emphasis on the Son by the other two members of the Godhead is not an issue of rank but one of clarity. Jesus is our clearest example of what God intended for mankind in the original image (Gen 1.26-27).
The Holy Spirit also guides us into truth and teaches us (Jn 14.16-17,26, 16.13) by illuminating the Scriptures and assisting us in prayer (Rom 8.26). As He helps us in the process of becoming like Jesus and the image is being restored, we begin to exhibit the fruit of the original image: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal 5.22-23). The Holy Spirit also distributes spiritual gifts to the Body for mutual edification and the advancement of God’s Kingdom (1 Co 12). As a result we begin to function as the community that God originally intended.
And the Holy Spirit gives us power to be Jesus’ witnesses (Ac 1.8). This is the reproductive aspect of the image of God and we will discuss this at a later point.
As I stated previously, the Holy Spirit’s role should never be minimized. Without His influence and power, discipleship is not possible. We do well to submit to Him and allow Him to abide in us without resistance or restraint (1 Sam 16.13, Eph 4.30, 5.18, Gal 5.16, 1 Thes 5.19).
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