Seventy years ago the world was filled with fear. The world-wide depression affected many people, with no end in sight. The dust bowl in America drove many farmers from their homes. Others feared the gathering storms of war in Europe, or the threat of communism.

Even though those fears have faded from the public view, seventy years later we still live with many fears. The Bird flu epidemic, the global warming scare, the war on terror, and the recent killings in Virginia serve to increase people’s fears for the future.

Amid all these fears, Jesus promises to send us one who can help, comfort, and guide us: “I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16-17). Jesus does not send us just any helper, but God the Holy Spirit. He is the Spirit of truth so that He can teach us to trust in God’s providence, comfort us with God’s promises of salvation and life, guide us to know and do God’s will, and through Word and Sacrament supply us with God’s strength to meet every challenge, temptation, and trial we may face in this world.

As the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit will teach us all things, glorify Christ by pointing to His saving work, and guide us into all truth. God’s Spirit focused our attention on Jesus and the faith that justifies the sinner. He does not call attention to Himself by miracles. Even on the day of Pentecost, the sound of the mighty wind and the tongues of fire served to bring people to listen to the disciples. The real miracles performed at Pentecost were the 3,000 people who repented and believed the Gospel and were baptized.

Those who seek the Holy Spirit to do miracles in their lives to convince them that they are believers are not trusting in the Gospel as “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). For salvation does not come from Jesus dwelling in our hearts, or the Holy Spirit’s holiness dwelling in us, or from any outward charismatic gifts. We are rescued from sin solely through faith in the merits and death of Jesus.

To acquire such faith is the work of the Holy Spirit. He does not work on us directly with His sovereign divine power. All Scripture testifies that He creates faith through Word and Baptism. St. Paul told the Christians at Thessalonica, “You became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 1:6). St. James taught, “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth” (James 1:18).

Therefore, salvation rests totally on Jesus, faith is entirely a work of the Holy Spirit, and grace comes only as a gift of God. We can be certain that God’s work and gifts are more than sufficient to save us.

We need to have such certainty when the rest of the world lives in fear, or when Christians suffer difficult persecution. Our Lord Jesus warned us that the world will hate those who love Him (John 15:18-21). He does not want us to be afraid of them or to doubt God’s love. Therefore Jesus promised to send us a Comforter, a Helper: “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me” (John 15:26). The Spirit of truth points to all that Jesus has done so that we confidently believe that “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). That is, many will oppose the truth, but God’s promises will never fail and we are conquers through faith in our risen and ascended Lord. The Spirit of truth has declared it.