A MAJOR ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

1 CORINTHIANS 2:9-12 NKJV 

9 But as it is written: 

"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, 

Nor have entered into the heart of man 

The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." 

10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 

I have heard verse 9 quoted before. It is as if people are making a very spiritual sounding reason for not understanding God and His ways. But Paul is showing us that the spiritual things of God are not discerned with our eyes and ears. 

And if Paul had stopped right there, we would not be in a good place. We would be left wondering what God has done for us. Gratefully, we have verse 10. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. This tells us that pure intellect will not get the job done for us. We don't discern the things of God by simply being smart. That comes as a relief to me. 

What is also a relief is knowing that the Holy Spirit has been given to me so that I can understand the wisdom of God and His plans. No one knows the things of God more than the Spirit of God. Just as our spirit understands and knows us, the Holy Spirit understands and knows God. 

And verse 12 puts the icing on the cake. We have received the Spirit who is from God. Not the spirit of the world. Years later, the apostle John would write about the Holy Spirit of God that we have received. He stated that we are of God. Meaning we are born of Him, we are His children, and we have overcome the spirit of Antichrist that is in the world. The reason we overcome is because of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. Because greater is the Holy Spirit living in us than the spirit that is in the world. (1 John 4:4) 

 The Holy Spirit helps us is by revealing to us the things that have been freely given to us by God. He has been given to us that we might know. So that tells us a lot. What God has freely given to us is not obvious to our natural senses or our ability to reason and figure things out. Because the Holy Spirit reveals the things of God to us, we call this revelation knowledge. God does not want us in the dark. He wants us to know. This is one of the most important roles of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 

APPLICATION: 

Peter said that God has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. He has given us an inheritance in Christ. He has given us great and precious promises. God has given us wonderful things by His great grace. Grace is freely given but has to be received. But we don't receive what we don't know exists. 

That's where the Holy Spirit is such a major help. He reveals to us what God has given so we can receive these wonderful benefits into our lives. 

So becoming more conscious of the Spirit who is from God is a worthwhile pursuit. He lives in us to help us and make us more like Jesus. He has a major role and is our major advantage. 

PRAYER: 

Dear Father, thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to help me and reveal Your words and wisdom to me. Thank You for the wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit.