Seven duties of the Holy Spirit

John 16
9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you


Please note that these seven duties all come from John 16, where Jesus is promising another Comforter, and describing what he will do.

1. Convicting of sin
A primary function of God the Spirit is to convict us of sin, and this he seems to do severally. First, he convicts the sinner of his nature, which I think to be the main aim of this passage. But also, he convicts the believer of his sin, and the need to confess (agree) with God that sin is indeed sin. Perhaps also, there is a general sense of right and wrong that most people have that may originate with the general convicting power of the Spirit.

2. Convicting of righteousness
The Spirit’s job when people are being prepared to come to Christ is first to convict them of their need, and then to convict them of the perfect solution—the righteousness that is available only in Christ Jesus. All our righteousness is as filthy rags, declares the Bible, and the job of the Spirit will never convict us of our righteousness in ourselves, but steadfastly will convict us of the righteousness in Christ.

3. Convicting of judgment
A great part of the process of believing God is the conviction, first of sin, then of the righteousness available in Christ, but last, not any less important, is the need for the believer to apprehend the judgment. What is to be done with someone who refuses the gift of God? It is the Spirit’s plain job to show the new believer of his peril in trying to face God in his own strength. It is a fearsome thing to fall into the hands of an angry God, and all the more so because we refuse the mercy of God and think that we are able to maintain our own righteousness.

4. Guiding us
The scripture is reprinted below so that you might check each step.
The seven steps the Holy Spirit takes in guiding us:
1. The Comforter’s job is to testify about Jesus. John 15:26
2. The Comforter’s job is to guide us into all truth. John 16:13
3. The Comforter’s job is to not speak of himself. John 16:13
4. The Comforter’s job is to speak that which he hears. John 16:13
5. The Comforter’s job is to show us things to come. John 16:13
6. The Comforter’s job is to glorify Jesus. John 16:14
7. Finally, the Comforter’s job is to take the things that belong to the Father and the Son and show them unto us. John 16:15 (This verse implies the triune power and nature of God.)

John 15
26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
John 16
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.



5. Speaking what he hears (from Jesus)
Here we are told the Holy Spirt speaks that which he hears only. We can have confidence that all that we hear is completely from Jesus.

6. Showing things to come
All the prophecy of the New Testament had not been written. In the years to come, it was the job of the Holy Spirit to reveal that which was to come as the mystery age of the church was to unfold. In large part, the Holy Spirit took of the things already written in the Old Testament and revealed God’s plan for the church.

7. Glorifying Jesus by showing us Jesus
Jesus reminds us that he is sending “another” Comforter—one that is just like him in nature, but it is his job to unfold for us the beauty of the Son, and not to speak of himself.

The seven steps are repeated below to put them simply. Remember that fourth step seems to have seven of its own steps, outlined above.

1. Convicting of sin
2. Convicting of righteousness
3. Convicting of judgment
4. Guiding into truth
5. Speaking what he hears (from Jesus)
6. Showing things to come
7. Glorifying Jesus by showing us Jesus

I notice that the first three are used on the unsaved. Many people turn aside when convicted of sin and judgment, not allowing the Spirit to have his full work. When working properly, this part of the Holy Spirit results in the conversion of the unbeliever, and is the only way anyone can find God at all. The Bible is very clear that we are so totally lost in our sin that we are blind, and it is the very job of the Spirit to bring, as it were, light to that blindness, that we might begin to see our need for the Savior.

The fourth step that of guiding us can be divided seven ways and each of the ways has to do with the ministry of the Spirit after he is indwelling the believer. The Spirit speaks not of himself, but declares to us the things of the Son and the Father. The strongest testimony to the believer of God then comes from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, providing God-in-us to testify of the God without. We are so blind that we could not see at all except for the Holy Spirit who illumines our walk with God.