What are the functions and attributes of the Holy Spirit? The day a person receives Christ, I believe the Holy Spirit of God takes up permanent residency in that person. A Christian’s relationship with the Holy Spirit is too often ignored or under-emphasized. Here are a few functions of the Holy Spirit which are laid out for us in Scripture.
1. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin (John 16:8-9). In the unsaved, He convicts of sin to bring them to salvation. In the saved, He convicts of sin to keep them clean and show them how to live for Jesus.
2. The Holy Spirit creates and regenerates. He was active in the creation of the world (Genesis 1:2, Job 33:4). In Jesus Christ, you are a new creature, born again by the Holy Spirit (John 3:3-8).
3. The Holy Spirit seals you once you’re saved (Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30). He puts His permanent mark on your heart, designating you a child of God.
4. The Holy Spirit bears witness of your salvation (I John 4:13, Romans 8:16).
5. The Holy Spirit intercedes in prayer for you (Romans 8:26-27). In fact, the Bible says that when we are so discouraged that we don’t even know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit prays for us.
6. The Holy Spirit gives comfort in time of need (John 14:15-18).
7. The Holy Spirit empowers you to serve God (Ephesians 3:16). It is the Holy Spirit Who gives you the right words to say to comfort others or witness to them.
Being yielded to the Holy Spirit developes the “fruit of the Spirit” in your life. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance (Galatians 5:22-23). Who wouldn’t want to emulate those qualities? The Bible says to be filled with the Spirit and to walk in the Spirit, and if we want to do that, we must have an understanding of Who He is. The Holy Spirit is the most misunderstood of the Godhead. This is by no means an exhaustive account of the Holy Spirit’s function and ministry, but it is a good foundation for a proper understanding of Him.
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