Well, it's better for us that Jesus is gone. He said so when he left. But how so? Why is Christ's physical absence from us better for us than his physical presence with us? It's a wise theological question and it comes to us from a listener named Sam in the form of a question about the Holy Spirit.

"Hello, Pastor John. Can you tell me why did Jesus have to leave before the Holy Spirit could come? The timing doesn't make sense to me. Couldn't the Spirit have come in full power while Christ was physically on earth with us?" This is a hugely helpful question because it causes me at least to step back, ask the bigger question of what is God doing in the world and why does he do it the way he does it?

It's a huge question. So simple. It's obviously simple and yet, my oh my, does it shed enormous light on the very history of redemption. What is God doing? Why does he do it the way he does it? So Sam asks, "Couldn't the Spirit have come in full power while Christ was on earth?" And here's my answer.

He could not have come in full Christ-exalting, gospel-applying, new covenant-fulfilling, deepest sin-convicting, Satan-defeating power while Jesus was on the earth. No. And the reason he couldn't is because every one of those hyphenated expressions, every one of those expressions of power are all based upon the death and resurrection and ascension and rule of Jesus Christ.

It had to be done. Those had to be done before the Holy Spirit could glorify them. In other words, the most basic ministry of the Holy Spirit in this age is the glorification of Jesus Christ crucified for sins, risen, triumphant over Satan, forgiving sins on the basis of the blood, ascended in triumph and kingly power in heaven, coming again.

That's what the Holy Spirit glorifies. He couldn't glorify that until it happened. In other words, the Holy Spirit's ministry is not power in general. That's a mistake made in the question. It's not power in general. It's Christ-glorifying power, particularly glorifying the gospel or Christ crucified as we see it in the gospel and Christ risen.

Now, let's see this. We can see this in the New Testament really clearly that what I'm saying is so. John 16, 7 following goes like this. It says, "I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you." Now, we should ask, "Why not?" And let's watch.

Watch what he says. "But if I go, I will send him to you, and when he comes," here's what he's going to do, "he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment." And then he unpacks what he means by those three things. Concerning sin, because they do not believe in me.

Concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, okay? I go to the Father and you will see me no longer. So there we see that the resurrection and the ascension show the world to be wrong, to be convicted about the justice of Jesus' crucifixion, namely they're guilty. And the Holy Spirit's work is to make that clear after the resurrection.

Verse 11, "Concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged." When did that happen? That judgment of Satan was accomplished in the death and resurrection of Jesus, Colossians 2, 15. Here's verse 12, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth, namely the most important truths yet to be accomplished in my death and resurrection." Continuing, "For he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears, he will speak and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

He will glorify me." That is the most important sentence about the work of the Holy Spirit in the Bible. He will glorify me, namely, specifically me in my resurrection glory and my achievements over sin and Satan on the cross. That's the peak, the apex of the glory of Christ in the gospel.

You can't glorify Christ for that if he hasn't done it. See it again, John 7, verse 37, following, "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture says, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive.

For as yet," this is a very perplexing text if you don't see what he's doing, "as yet the Spirit had not yet been given." The text says, "just has not been," because Jesus has not yet been glorified. Now we know that the Spirit was present in the ministry of Jesus.

It was causing people to be born again in John 3. Jesus was doing his ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit. We know that the Holy Spirit was present in the Old Testament, overcoming the mind of the flesh. If you read Psalm 51 or Isaiah 53, he was overcoming the mind of the flesh, which according to Romans 8, 7, keeps you from pleasing God.

We know saints pleased God in the Old Testament, which they can't do without the work of the Holy Spirit. So we know he was there. And he could not, however, powerfully do his most essential work, which was glorifying the risen and crucified Christ. Here it is again in 2 Corinthians 3 and 4.

Here's 3.18. We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. And then Paul adds this, to our being changed into the likeness of Jesus by looking at him. He adds this, "For this comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." So there's the most essential ministry of the Spirit.

He lifts the veil, he causes us to see the glory of Jesus Christ, and thus he transforms his church into the likeness of Jesus. Now where are we seeing that glory? Where are we seeing the glory of Christ as the Holy Spirit lifts the veil so that we can see and be transformed?

And the answer, four verses later, is this. The God of this world, Satan, has blinded the minds of unbelievers to keep them from seeing—here it is—the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. So the Spirit's role, in verse 18 of chapter 3, is to reveal the glory of Christ in the gospel, which cannot be until Jesus is dead, buried, risen, raised, and reigning.

That's the key work of the Holy Spirit that he could not do until Jesus was gone. Here's one last way to say it. The Holy Spirit's work is spelled out in the promise of the new covenant in Ezekiel 36-27 like this, "I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules." Now that is the work of the Holy Spirit, which we just saw happens by revealing the glory of Jesus Christ.

That's his work in this age, right now. But Luke 22-20 makes clear that Jesus bought this work, secured this work, obtained this new covenant work by shedding his blood. This cup is poured out for you as the new covenant in my blood. So the work of the Holy Spirit in power—and that's what we're being asked, "Couldn't he come in power while Jesus is still here?"—the work of the Holy Spirit in new covenant power happens only on the basis of the blood of Jesus.

So I'll give my answer one more time, and maybe this time it'll make more sense. So Sam asks, "Couldn't the Spirit have come in full power while Christ was on the earth?" Here's my answer. He could not have come in full Christ-exalting, gospel-applying, new covenant-fulfilling, deepest sin-convicting—and that sin is the crucifixion of Jesus—deepest sin-convicting, Satan-defeating power.

All of those aspects of the power of his ministry are based on the death, the resurrection, and the triumphant ascension of Jesus to God's right hand as King. Yeah, we get more of Christ in his absence through the Holy Spirit. And that's the beauty of the new covenant. Pastor John, thank you for those words.

And just about everything you need to know about this podcast, you can find online at DesiringGod.org/AskPastorJohn. Well young couples face a lot of questions. Can they use birth control? Should they? Can the wife be the breadwinner in this season? Should she? Questions like these are faced by young couples in the transition years of finishing up school and launching into careers.

And those two questions come to us as a package deal in one email that we'll address on Friday. I'm your host Tony Reinke. We'll see you then.