The Role of the Holy Spirit Compared to Angels
He leads me …
The question has been asked why it is necessary to have angels when Christians have the Holy Spirit leading and guiding them all the time. What follows is a list of their separate roles. They should be familiar, and it should become clear that the Holy Spirit is not just living in a Christian, but that He is completely committed to leading and guiding that person on an ongoing basis. Angels however come and go as they are needed.
The Holy Spirit
Ø He glorifies the Lord Jesus. In John 16:14 Jesus says, ‘He shall praise me and bring me great honor by showing you my glory’ (TLB). This is foundational to all that the Holy Spirit does. He works in and with the believer to do what? Glorify Jesus.
The Holy Spirit Works In and With Sinners
1. He strives with them. Genesis 6:3 indicates that the Holy Spirit will not always strive with people. There comes a time when there is no point in trying to win them over to the Lord. 2 Thessalonians 2:12, (NLT) says this, ‘Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.’ So there is a period where the Holy Spirit of God reasons with a person to win their soul. His work will be evident to the potential believer, but if the person being called rejects His work then He will stop striving.
2. He witnesses to them. John 16:13 says, ‘When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.’ (NLT). As the Holy Spirit says through Isaiah in Isaiah 1:18 ‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says the Lord, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool’ (NKJV).
3. He convicts or convinces them. John 16:8 reads, ‘And when he has come he will convince the world of its sin, and of the availability of God’s goodness, and of deliverance from judgment (TLB)
The Holy Spirit Works In and With Christians
1. He cleanses us of sin. In 1 Corinthians 6:11 Paul says, “But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (NLT) See also Titus 3:5.
2. He speaks to us. John 16:13a says, ‘When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard’ (NLT).
3. He teaches us. Jesus said in John 14:26a ‘But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.’
4. He guides us. Jesus says in John 16:13a, ‘When the Spirit of truth comes he will guide you into all the truth’. He also promised that when His disciples were put on trial, the Holy Spirit would teach them at that time what to say (Luke 12:12; cf. Matt. 10:20; Mark 13:11).
5. He sanctifies us. Sanctification (being freed from sin or purified and made holy – like Jesus) comes by the power of the Holy Spirit (2 Thessalonians. 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2). Romans 8:13 makes it clear – ‘For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live (NKJV).
6. He develops the fruit of the Spirit in us. Galatians 5:22–23 tells us that the fruit is - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These qualities mirror the nature of God and are a significant part of being sanctified. As 2 Corinthians 3:18b says, ‘And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image (NLT).
7. He searches the deep things of God for us.1 Corinthians 2:9-11 tells us that in bringing the Bible together the Holy Spirit searched the attributes, work, and counsels of God and selected from ‘all things’ truth appropriate for the believer. The same thing applies as He highlights scripture to the believer.[1]
8. The Holy Spirit strengthens our prayers, making them effective. As Paul says in Romans 8:26 ‘In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.’ (NIV) Martyn Lloyd-Jones[2] says that in the flesh, we are pushing the prayers forward, but when we pray in the Spirit, we feel caught up in the way the Spirit carries the prayer forward. Praying in the Spirit is experiencing the Spirit of life bringing prayer to life.
9. He assigns spiritual gifts to equip us for ministry. After outlining what was involved with a variety of spiritual gifts, Paul then says, “It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.” (1 Cor. 12:11 NLT). When spiritual gifts are active, it is another indication of the presence of God the Holy Spirit in the church.
10. He commissions us for various ministries or church offices. At the church in Antioch, ‘the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.”’ (Acts 13:2 NLT). The Holy Spirit had commissioned the elders of the Ephesian church because Paul said the elders, ““Be sure that you feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his blood—for the Holy Spirit is holding you responsible as overseers.” (Acts 20:28 NLV).[3]
The Angels
1. Angels remind us that the unseen world is real. The biblical teaching about angels is a constant reminder that the unseen world is very real. Like when the Lord opened Elisha’s servant’s eyes and he saw that ‘the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha’ where previously there was nothing (2 Kings 6:17).
2. Angels bring God’s messages to people (Luke 1:11–19; Acts 8:26; 10:3–8, 22; 27:23–24). Throughout the Bible we find angels involved in passing on God’s truth or a message as the Lord directed them.
3. They guard and protect us (Ps. 34:7; 91:11; Heb. 1:14). Hebrews 1:14 says, ‘Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?’ There are examples in the Bible and in many books written on the subject of how angels protect people – especially in times of danger.
4. Maybe God provides a ‘guardian angel’ for each Christian (?) While we cannot be sure, the basis for this idea comes from Jesus’ warning about the treatment of little children, to ‘Be careful that you never despise a single one of these little ones—for I tell you that they have angels who see my Father’s face continually in Heaven.’ (Matthew 18:10, PHILLIPS).
5. We join with the angels in worship to God. (Hebrews 12:22). This verse indicates that under the Christian dispensation (from Christ’s time to the tribulation) Christians in their feelings and worship towards God become united with a vast host of holy angelic beings. While the angels are not visible to our natural eyes, they are seen by the eye of faith (Barnes' Notes).
6. Beware that there are deceiving angels. Paul gave this warning when in 2 Corinthians 11:14 he says, ‘Satan can change himself into an angel of light’ (TLB).
7. We are not to pray to angels. We are to pray only to the Lord, who is all-knowing and fills the heavens and the earth. This means that He can hear and respond to the prayers of all His people at any time.[4]
We see from this that while the Holy Spirit plays a large role in a Christian’s life, angels assist His work by protecting the believer and bringing God’s message to certain individuals as required by God.
Dear Reader – If you have found some value in this blog, please feel free to send a copy on to your family and friends. Kind regards, John
[1] Editor Charles Baily, "Commentary on 1 Corinthians 2:10". "Contending for the Faith". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/ctf/1-corinthians-2.html. 1993-2022.
[2] Martyn Lloyd-Jones was one of the greatest preachers of the twentieth century. His pulpit radiated the truth around the world, making him one of the most influential ministers on the planet by the end of his ministry.
[3] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, published jointly by Inter-Varsity Press, Great Britain, and Zondervan Publishing House, Michigan, USA. p552 – 566
Ernest B. Gentle, Charismatic Catechism, New Leaf Press, Arkansas, p124
[4] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, published jointly by Inter-Varsity Press, Great Britain, and Zondervan Publishing House, Michigan, USA. p343 – 353.
