John 15, 16 --- The Holy Spirit --- Day 8

John 16:8-11: When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

It has never really dawned on me that the Holy Spirit, the Counselor and the "he" referred to in this passage, is tangibly a figure of God worth studying. Growing up in Sunday School, I believe that I settled into the (true) idea that Jesus lives in me, and just left it at that.

But truly, the Holy Spirit is among the greatest gifts that God has given to us along with grace and atonement in Christ. The vast amount of functions of the Counselor is staggering and seen throughout scripture. Ultimately, the Spirit is a tangible part of the Trinity, that is given as a "replacement" or to "compensate" as Christ was returning to the Father.

I certainly take this gift for granted. Books are written on the function and role of the Holy Spirit, and scripture is clear that the Holy Spirit is from God and Jesus while being God. This entangled web is the Trinity, God's identity as three in one, a distinction which our earthly minds cannot wrap around.

In this particular passage, a specific role of the Counselor is seen in three scenarios: "...he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment". Jesus clarifies:
1. In regard to sin, "because men do not believe in me". The Holy Spirit serves to testify the truth of who Jesus is, who we are in sin, and thus our need for Christ. See Verse 15:26.
2. In regard to righteousness, "because I am going to the father, where you can see me no longer". The Spirit serves as a "replacement" for Christ, since he's leaving, and thus remains present and will continue his work directly through his followers made righteous by Christ alone.
3. In regard to judgment, "because the prince of this world now stands condemned." The conviction to me is that, since Christ has conquered sin and the world, the Spirit reveals our atonement in Christ.

I love this passage from 1 Corinthians 2:10-11, "but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God."

This shows the omniscient aspect of God three in one, by the Spirit of which he literally resides in me. It is the Spirit of God in me that reveals the truths of God to me. What a gift.

My application is to memorize this passage in John so that I can hold the truths about God in me close to heart.

Lord, thank you for the Spirit of you, the indwelling of Christ in me. May I hold firm to the weight of this gift, as your dwelling in me reveals the atonement of the Cross and the status of clean you have given me. I am continually humbled by the thought. Reign in me.