Many people have their own ideas about God’s Holy Spirit.

Some don’t believe in Him, others think that they can tell Him what to do, and others have no idea what to think.

Jesus does not leave us in the dark. He is the Light of the world and He tells us what we need to know. We need to know about the Holy Spirit and so He teaches us about Him.

Jesus tells us in Jn 16:7-15 that the Holy Spirit convinces people of sin, of righteousness and of judgment.

He is specific about each of these.  The Holy Spirit teaches specific aspects of sin, of righteousness and of judgment.

So what?

1. It means that those who do not think that they are sinners have not yet been taught by God’s Holy Spirit.
2. It means that those who do not think that Jesus is the righteousness of His people have not yet been taught by God’s Holy Spirit.
3. It means that those who do not believe in the devil have still to be taught by God’s Holy Spirit.

Going more deeply into Jesus’ teaching, it means that those who do not believe that Jesus is the God-given Saviour have still to be taught by God’s Holy Spirit.

Jesus explains that those who do not believe that it is a sin not to believe in Him have still to be taught by God’s Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ words, the Holy Spirit convinces “of sin, because they believe not on Me.” This is important because Jesus said that if you do not believe that He is the Messiah, you will die in your sins:

“If you do not believe that I am the Messiah, you shall die in your sins.”

Jesus Christ: John 8:24.

This means that you will be on your own when God takes account of your sins.

Next, Jesus asserts that those who do not believe that He has gone to heaven have not yet been taught by God’s Holy Spirit

It means that those who do not think that Jesus fulfilled all righteousness have not yet been taught by God’s Holy Spirit. We need to have the Lord as our righteousness to reach heaven. In effect, Jesus was crucified, died, rose from the dead and ascended to heaven as “the Lord our righteousness”. Without this He would not have gone to heaven to prepare a place for His people – in Jesus’ words: the Holy Spirit convinces “of righteousness, because I go to the Father.”

Finally, Jesus refers to the judgment of the devil through His own crucifixion. The devil’s accusations against believers in Jesus are silenced and he is judged as a false accuser. Those who do not believe this have not yet been taught by God’s Holy Spirit.

Conclusion

So have you been taught by the Holy Spirit? 

The Holy Spirit teaches these things through the Bible, as Jesus went on to explain in Jn 16:13-14.  The Holy Spirit focuses our attention on Jesus rather than on Himself, which is why the New Testament speaks so much about Jesus, His Person as the Son of God, His office as Messiah, His character as the compassionate High Priest, His teaching as Prophet, His Kingdom as King of kings and Lord of lords.

“‘And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.”

The Gospel of Matthew 1:21.

This blogpost has used the teaching of Jesus in the Bible to lead you through an exercise in self-examination in the light of Scripture, to “examine yourself whether you are in the faith” 2Cor 13:5.

If you do not yet believe these things then the Holy Spirit can teach them to you.  He uses the Bible and you should pray for His help.  God bless you.

Update:

17 Aug 2024: what the Holy Spirit teaches the godly.

5 Oct 2024: Jesus’ teaching about the godly.

28 Oct 2024: the apostle Paul’s teaching about the behaviour of the godly.

18 Nov 2024: God the Father’s teaching His children.