Sep 26, 2025 The Holy Spirit Bears Witness About Christ – Words of Grace Blog – September 26, 2025
I had been a Christian a month or two when I began thinking about the Holy Spirit. In conversations with other Christians, it was suggested that there might be more to the Christian life than faith in Christ and following him as Lord. That “more,” it was suggested, was an experience with the Holy Spirit that was distinguishable from the new birth I had already experienced and the new growth that was now underway.
I am grateful that soon after those conversations I was exposed to biblical teaching that has helped me over the years. I say “biblical teaching” because the connection between the Holy Spirit and the Bible is inseparable. The Holy Spirit is the eternal third person of the one Triune God. He inspired the writings of the prophets and the apostles that we have in the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:19-21). We know what we know about the Holy Spirit from the Scripture that he has given to us.
The biblical teaching about the Holy Spirit that we will consider this Sunday is from John 15:26, which we see happening in real time in the book of Acts.
“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” (John 15:26)
Here Jesus promised the disciples that the Holy Spirit would be sent to them, and he taught the disciples what the Holy Spirit would do in relation to him.
Jesus did send the Holy Spirit to the apostles and to those who received the gospel on the day of Pentecost. Acts 2 is the record of this unrepeatable and irrevocable event in the redemptive plan of God.
The Holy Spirit did bring the truth of Christ to the apostles, and they preached it. He brought it to the hearers of the preaching, opened their minds to comprehend it and their hearts to want it, and they believed (Acts 2:41).
The Holy Spirit brought Christ into the hearts of the disciples, and they began to grow in his likeness, as evidenced in their new life together in Jerusalem (Acts 2:42-46).
Filled with the Holy Spirit, these believers became witnesses of Christ to the community in which they lived (Acts 2:47).
In these ways the Holy Spirit bore witness about Jesus. This same ministry of the Holy Spirit continues through the rest of the New Testament as the norm for all who are born of the Spirit and believe in Jesus Christ for salvation.
The Bible teaches us that the Holy Spirit bears witness to Christ. The experience we have with the Holy Spirit is that he makes Christ known to us, grants us new life that grows into Christlikeness, and causes us to witness to the name of Christ in the world. The “more” of the Christian life is more knowledge of Christ, more conformity to Christ, and more making Christ known by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I look forward to seeing you Sunday.
-Scott