The Spirit has the function of fellowshipping, which implies communication. Second Corinthians 13:14 says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” According to our experience, we do not receive the love of God first. We receive the grace of Christ; then in the grace we realize the love of God. The fellowship of the Spirit is the Spirit Himself as the transmission of the grace of the Lord with the love of God for our participation.
The Spirit also functions to perfect us. Paul asked the Galatians, “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Gal. 3:3). This verse indicates that the beginning Spirit is also the perfecting Spirit. The Spirit begins our spiritual life and also perfects our spiritual life.
In Galatians 3:5 Paul indicated that the Spirit has the function of doing works of power.
Galatians 3:14 says, “In order that the blessing of Abraham might come to the nations in Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” This verse reveals that the Spirit is the blessing of the gospel to the nations. Galatians 3 talks about God’s blessing through Christ to all the nations. This was a promise to Abraham, and this promise was the glad tidings, the gospel, God preached to Abraham. Actually, it was the promise God gave to Abraham, but Paul considered that promise as the gospel. God promised Abraham that through one of his descendants, all the nations would be blessed. According to Galatians 3, the blessing of that promise, the blessing of the gospel God preached to Abraham, is just the all-inclusive Spirit. The all-inclusive Spirit is the very realization of Christ, who is the embodiment of the Triune God as the blessing to all the nations. We have to realize that in the gospel, the main blessing, the central blessing, we have received is this all-inclusive Spirit.
The Spirit also has the function of crying, “Abba, Father” (Gal. 4:6). On the one hand, we are crying, “Abba, Father” (Rom. 8:15), but actually, the Spirit of God’s Son is crying in our hearts.
John 3 tells us that we need to be reborn, to be born of the Spirit (vv. 5-6). Galatians 4:29 refers to being “born according to Spirit.” We are children according to the Spirit. Such a word indicates that the Spirit is the regenerating Spirit. We all were regenerated by Him, so we became children according to Him.
According to Galatians 5:5, the Spirit is the hope-expecting Spirit: “For we by the Spirit by faith eagerly expect the hope of righteousness.” Christ’s coming is our hope. We should eagerly expect Him as the hope of righteousness. The Spirit always earnestly expects this hope. When we walk according to the indwelling Spirit, we spontaneously expect the coming Lord Jesus as our hope. The indwelling Spirit has a hope-expecting function.
The believers walk by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 25b). This means that the Spirit is walking with the believers. We are walking by the Spirit, and the Spirit is walking with us.
While the Spirit is walking with us, He is fighting against the flesh (Gal. 5:17). We have a major enemy—our flesh. Who can deal with such a major enemy? Only the Spirit can deal with our flesh. The Spirit is the fighting Spirit, fighting against our flesh. He is both the fighter and the sword, the weapon for slaying (Eph. 6:17-18).