Living the Christian Life – Chapter 4: The Holy Spirit Helps Us Become Like Jesus

As we mentioned in chapter 2, our goal as believers is to become more like Christ. As frail and sinful human beings, we simply cannot do that on our own. We need the Holy Spirit to:

1. Lead us to salvation through Christ (Romans 8:15-16);
2. Guide into the truth from Scripture of God’s plan for our lives and His desire for us to live holy lives (John 16:13);
3. Strengthen us to resist temptation to sin and disobedience to God (John 16:8);
4. Comfort and encourage us when we miss the mark in life (John 16:8);
5. Give us wisdom and discernment in our choices of friends, entertainment, hobbies, etc. (1 Corinthians 2:12-14); and
6. Encourage us through ongoing Bible reading, prayer, and fellowship with other believers (1 Corinthians 14:12).

The Holy Spirit Reminds Us We Are God’s Children

In Romans 8, the apostle Paul speaks of the Holy Spirit as “the Spirit of adoption.”

“So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children” (vs. 15-16 NLT).

Again in his letter to the Galatians, Paul affirms that the Holy Spirit reminds us that we are children of God.

“God sent him [Jesus] to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the
law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because
we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our
hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are
no longer a slave but God’s own child” (4:5-7 NLT).

These verses show us the deep, personal, and intimate nature of our relationship with God by using the Aramaic name for “Father,” which is “Abba.” The Holy Spirit—the Spirit of adoption—enables us to know God not only as Father, but also as an intimate “Daddy.”

Now that you know about the love of the Father, the wisdom of the Son, and the work of the Holy Spirit, let’s go on to explore God’s revelation to you, which is found in the Bible.