Daily Lesson for Wednesday 11th of December 2024
The Holy Spirit is not as prominent in the Gospel of John as the Father and the Son are. Yet, His role is crucial to the success of Jesus’ mission.
Read John 1:10-13. What does this text teach us about the importance of the Holy Spirit for conversion?
In the first chapter of John, we can see just how central the role of the Holy Spirit is. John tells us that as many as received the Word (that is, as many as believed in Him) became children of God, those “who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13, NKJV). This comes only from the work of the Holy Spirit.
What do the following passages tell of the activities of the Holy Spirit? John 3:5-8, John 6:63, John 14:26, John 15:26, John 16:7-11.
image © Linda Lovett from GoodSalt.com
“In describing to His disciples the office work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus sought to inspire them with the joy and hope that inspired His own heart. He rejoiced because of the abundant help He had provided for His church. The Holy Spirit was the highest of all gifts that He could solicit from His Father for the exaltation of His people. The Spirit was to be given as a regenerating agent, and without this the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail. The power of evil had been strengthening for centuries, and the submission of men to this satanic captivity was amazing. Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 671.
What a blessing, then, to receive the Holy Spirit, who certifies that God is true (John 3:33). It is the Spirit that convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8-11). Hence, the key for us to know what is right, what is true, and what is good is our submission of our reason and life experiences to the Word of God through the convicting and convincing power of the Holy Spirit.
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