If God is Sovereign, How Does He Work Through Our Prayers?
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If God is Sovereign, How Does He Work Through Our Prayers?

Why Is It Better for the Holy Spirit to Be on Earth Rather Than Christ?

Episode 231 | Dr. Michael Horton and Adriel Sanchez answer questions on if God speaks to us personally, why we need to pray if God knows everything, and why it was better for Jesus to leave and send the Holy Spirit.

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Episode 231 Show Notes

Why Is It Better for the Holy Spirit to Be on Earth Rather Than Christ?

From the Show

Why is it better for the Holy Spirit to be on earth rather than Christ?



But here's the thing, the Holy Spirit, doesn't become flesh. The Holy Spirit doesn't keep the law perfectly in our place. The Holy Spirit didn't die, die on a cross for our sins. And the Holy Spirit isn't raised from the dead for our resurrection. Only Jesus, the incarnate Son, could do all that. That's his proper role as the Son of God. But here's what's interesting: when Jesus preached the gospel, how many people came to him? Just some here and there, right? “He came to his own and his own received Him not, those who did he gave the right to become children of God.” So, Jesus knows the human heart, he knows that people are dead in trespasses and sins, and not until the Holy Spirit is poured out on all flesh, men and women Jew and Gentile, young and old, slave and free, until the Holy Spirit is poured out on all flesh and indwells them, everything Jesus says will fall on deaf ears.



So, the Holy Spirit doesn't do what only Jesus can do, but Jesus doesn't do what only the Holy Spirit can do. They trade places. Now, Jesus has accomplished his work- he's accomplished redemption. Now he leaves because what really needs to happen now is for us to be united to Christ, to receive that redemption, and that's why Jesus says, ‘it's better that I go, because if I don't go the other attorney will not come.’ And here's what will happen, Jesus says when the Holy Spirit comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. In other words, when the Holy Spirit comes, he will work within people's hearts, that's what the Holy Spirit does. I am God with you, but the Holy Spirit is God within you. He will bring you to conviction, he'll be the lawyer within you, convicting you of your guilt, and then bringing you to me for justification. We have not only Jesus who died for us and was raised on the third day accomplishing our redemption, we have a Holy Spirit uniting us to him so that we can receive that redemption, as part of his body. — Michael Horton

Questions in this Episode

1. I beg to differ with you in reference to the Spirit of God speaking to us personally. The Lord deals with me like this all the time. The more intimate we are with God the more we will hear his voice.

2. If God already knows everything we need, why pray?

3. Jesus said that it would be better for him to leave so that the Holy Spirit would come. From your understanding, how is this better?

Resources

Rediscovering the Holy Spirit by Michael Horton

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