God the Holy Spirit's Ministry Through the Word: Pneumatology in the Gospel of John - Part 4

According to John 15:26, God the Holy Spirit was sent to give a testimony of Christ. Since God the Holy Spirit is "the Spirit of Truth"; and "the Truth" is a book about Jesus, then God the Holy Spirit's entire ministry is to "shine headlights" on Jesus Christ. His ministry is to exalt Christ, and He is also equally God with Christ. Because God the Holy Spirit is equally God with God the Father and God the Son and His ministry is to exalt God the Father and God the Son, He is interchangeably called the "Spirit of God" and "Spirit of Christ". So, when Christians exalt Christ, they also faithfully acknowledge God the Holy Spirit's ministry.

Furthermore, because God the Holy Spirit's ministry is to bring sinners to God the Son and thus, God the Father, this is the reason to reject His ministry of bringing sinners to Christ, thus "blaspheming" Him, is the "unpardonable" sin. Those who know Jesus to be the Messiah, but reject Him outright even attributing His abilities to Satan; these, God will no longer pursue, but will harden their hearts; and thus, there is no longer any opportunity for saving Grace. These have committed an unforgivable sin. If Christians therefore want to give glory and honor to God the Holy Spirit, they simply must exalt God the Son and God the Father for His ministry is to testify of them.[1]

God the Holy Spirit taught the disciples all truth (John 14:26; John 16:13)

In John 14:26 Jesus said, "He [God the Holy Spirit] will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." God the Holy Spirit is the teacher of divine truth. He was going to teach the disciples all things concerning what they needed in order to be faithful to the Lord.[2] God the Holy Spirit shines light on the Word of God. Since He is the Author of it all, and He never operates against it or in place of it. God the Holy Spirit will teach Christians all things through His Word; He will never lead them away from the Word. This is His ministry; remember that He is called "the Spirit of Truth".

Not only was God the Holy Spirit going to teach His disciples all things, He was also going to bring everything to their remembrance.[3] This is why the Word of God can be trusted. God the Holy Spirit authored it. The Bible is not a divine/human product with errors. It is literally God-breathed. The Apostle Paul, in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 said, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. The Apostle Peter, in 2 Peter 1:19-21 said,

"And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, ²⁰knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. ²¹For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."

Furthermore, Jesus prophesied of His death and the supernatural coming of God the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in John 16:13. God the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth. This is another reason why we can trust the Scriptures because they were either written by the apostles or those closely associated with them. As mentioned in the previous verse, there were things that His disciples could not bear right now, but God the Holy Spirit would reveal "all things" to them later.[4] Christians have "all things" in front of them; or all that they need! [5] This should communicate to the church that the Word of God is sufficient concerning Christ.[6] It is all the truth concerning God that humanity needs.

Finally, God the Holy Spirit once again did not come to press His own agenda. He came to "speak what He heard". He came to continue the ministry of Christ.[7] Not only was God the Holy Spirit going to guide the apostles into all truth, but He was also going to show them the future. This is why there are prophecies in the New Testament of the future. This is also another reason why the New Testament can be trusted.

God the Holy Spirit lives to glorify Christ (John 16:14)

In John 16:14 Jesus testifies that God the Holy Spirit would come to glorify Him. As previously learned, God the Holy Spirit's entire ministry is to exalt Christ.[8] This is what He "lives" for. Due to this truth, Christians must make sure they are not staring into the "Headlights." Remember, in order to give praise and honor to God the Holy Spirit, Christians must exalt God the Son, and thus, God the Father! Also, if Christians are indwelled by God the Holy Spirit, who lives to exalt Christ alone, one must assume that those who are indwelled by Him will live how He lives.

God the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth (John 15:26)

Christ calls God the Holy Spirit "the Spirit of Truth" in John 15:26. Part of His ministry is to point everyone to the Truth. There are some within Evangelicalism who would refer to God the Holy Spirit as "The Black Sheep" of the Trinity. Some believe the emphasis is always on God the Father and God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is not given His "due respect." What the reader must understand is that God the Holy Spirit's ministry is the Truth; and if Christians want to give Him His "due respect" then they must submit to the Truth.[9] When Christians worship God the Son and God the Father, they are also worshipping God the Holy Spirit because His entire ministry is to ensure that God the Father and God the Son are exalted.

[1] Raymond Brown, The Gospel According to John XIII-XXI, 699-701.

[2] Steven Thomas, "The Pneumatology of the Johannine Account of Christ's Farewell Discourse", 99.

[3] Rodney K. Ryle, "The Convicting Ministry of the Holy Spirit in John 16:8-11", 16.

[4] Steven Thomas, "The Pneumatology of the Johannine Account of Christ's Farewell Discourse", 126.

[5] D.A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, 505.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Dwight Hunt, "Jesus' Teaching Concerning the Paraclete in the Upper Room Discourse", 21.

[8] Ibid., 23.

[9] Andreas Kostenberger, Encountering John, 156-157.