"The Helper [margin, "Comforter"], the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you" (John 14:26).
The sinner can have but a narrow range of thought. The true free thinker is the one who comprehends "with all saints what is the width and length and depth and height" of "the love of Christ which passes knowledge" (Eph. 3:18,19).
One must feel his need before he will accept help; he must know his disease before he can apply the remedy. The promise of righteousness will be utterly unheeded by one who does not realize that he is a sinner. The first part of the "comforting" work of the Holy Spirit therefore is to convince us of sin.
So "the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe" (Gal. 3:22). "By the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20). He who knows that he is a sinner is in the way to acknowledge it; and "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
Thus the law in the hands of the Spirit is an active agent in inducing us to accept the fullness of the promise. No one hates someone who has saved his life by pointing out to him an unknown peril. On the contrary, such a one is regarded as a friend, and is always remembered with gratitude. Even so will the law be regarded by the one who has been prompted by its warning voice to flee from the wrath to come. He will ever say with the psalmist, "I hate the double-minded, but I love Your law" (Psalm 119:113)." [1]
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