Last Sunday we looked at the line in the Apostles’ Creed that says ‘I believe in the Holy Spirit’, which is a little tricky because this is all it says. With the Father we are told that he is almighty and the maker of heaven and eath, and with Jesus, the Son, we are all about his birth, death, resurrection, and return, but with the Holy Spirit all it says is ‘I belive in the Holy Spirit’. Later creeds will fill this out a bit and speak of the Holy Spirit as the Lord and giver of life and who is to be worshipped and glorified along with the Father and the Son, but for now all we have is the simple declaration ‘I believe in the Holy Spirit’.
Describing and speaking about the Holy Spirit is not easy and so we began our time by trying to think of some of the images, pictures, and metaphors that are associated with the Spirit in Scripture: some of the most common are those of fire (Acts 2), water (Isaiah 44:3), wind (Acts 2, Ezek 37), and oil (1 Sam 16:13, Isaiah 61, Acts 10:38). Each of these different elements reveals something true about the nature of the Holy Spirit and speaks of things like power, mystery, life, holiness, presence, and refreshment.
‘The Spirit presents a unique challenge to speech. How does one render that reality that is … tangible yet intangible, invisible yet powerful, inexpressible yet intimate, powerful yet gentle, reliable yet unpredictable, personal yet impersonal, transcendent yet imminent’
Clark Pinnock
Whilst each of these different ways of describing the Holy Spirit are indoubtedly true, one the key things that we need to bear in mind is that the Spirit is a person. This becomes clearer in the New Testament when the Spirit is often linked with the Father and the Son (1 Cor 12:4–6; 2 Cor 13:14; Eph 4:4–6; Matt 28:19) and is described in deeply personal terms such as being able to teach (1 Cor. 2:13), guide (Acts 16:6), speak (Acts 8:29, 10:19), comfort (Acts 9:31), search (1 Cor. 2:10), and be grieved (Eph. 4:30).
The Holy Spirit is a person just as the Father and the Son are persons and this is reflected in the Christian view that God is a trinity, that there is one God in three persons. It is not that there are three separate gods or that it is one god who sometimes appears in three different ways; it is one God in three distinct persons. Perhaps an image will help…
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all God but they are each distinct persons with distinct roles with their oneness a reflection of the deep love, relationship, and unity that they share together. This is a beautiful but deeply mysterious truth that lies at the heart of the identity of the God that we worship and don’t worry if this doesn’t all make sense right now as we willbe unpacking it for the rest of eternity.
If we think of the Holy Spirit only as an impersonal power or influence, then our thought will constantly be, how can I get hold of and use the Holy Spirit; but if we think of Him in the biblical way as a divine Person, infinitely wise, infinitely holy, infinitely tender, then our thought will constantly be, ‘How can the Holy Spirit get hold of and use me?
R.A. Torrey
As always, we would love to hear any thoughts or feedback you might have.