First and foremost, the Holy Spirit glorifies Christ, making known the Father’s counsel concerning His Son. “The Spirit of truth ... shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you” (John 16:14). It is the Spirit who reveals the deep things of God. “God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (2 Cor. 2:10).
In Romans, we read: “The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Rom. 5:5). The love spoken of is not that initial appreciation of God’s love towards us in redemption but a deeper sense of His love—an appreciation that grows with each step of our wilderness journey. It is the Holy Spirit who fills our hearts with an overwhelming sense of God’s love, especially in our trials.
The Spirit of God settles the anxious heart, first as to our standing before God, and secondly in all our circumstances. “Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Rom. 8:15). It is through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that we have the consciousness of our relationship with God as children. The Spirit also gives us to know our place as sons whereby we can cry Abba Father.
During Christ’s absence from this earth the life of Christ is to be on display through His redeemed people by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Christ should be manifest in our lives daily. It is the fruit of the Spirit which provides the preeminent characteristics of the Christian walk. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Gal. 5:22). Our walk is to be an outward manifestation of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25). The Holy Spirit will reproduce the moral characteristics of Jesus in our life. Without the Holy Spirit we quite simply cannot walk as Christians.
“The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom. 8:26). In Ephesians, where we read of the armor of God, the concluding component is prayer: “Praying at all seasons, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” (Eph. 6:18 JND). We do not pray to the Spirit; we pray in the Spirit. If I pray to the Spirit, who is doing the praying? It is the Spirit which gives us utterance—not eloquence. Our prayers may well be with groanings for which language is inadequate.
The Holy Spirit is the ultimate Comforter—standing by to strengthen, support, and encourage. The activity of the Spirit is not, however, limited to our trials. The Spirit lifts our thoughts outside of ourselves to the excellencies of God Himself. “For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God, and boast in Christ Jesus, and do not trust in flesh” (Phil. 3:3 JnD). As with prayer, we do not address our worship to the Holy Spirit; it is by the Spirit that we worship. If I worship the Holy Spirit, then it raises the question, by what spirit am I worshiping?
Much could be written as to the fruit of the Spirit, but our overview must be cursory. It is a rich field that demands further study and meditation. The indifference shown by Christendom towards the Holy Spirit on the one hand, or the misguided preoccupation with spiritual gifts on the other, are neither healthy nor scriptural.