holy spirit?
i was trying to breakdown all the definitions on Galatians 5:25: Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. And then I got stuck on two words.
The Spirit.
i’m on my studies with Pneumatology this month, the study or doctrine of the Holy Spirit. The word comes from the Greek pneuma, which can mean “spirit,” “breath,” or “wind,” depending on the context. it points out that the biblical words for “spirit” can carry several meanings..
He gives power. He gives gifts. He guides us. He comforts us. He helps us pray.
And the more I studied, the more I realised I had been thinking mainly about what the Holy Spirit does, rather than who He is.
…perhaps the Holy Spirit has sometimes become the forgotten Person of the Trinity because He does not draw attention to Himself.
Romans 8:27 speaks about “the mind of the Spirit.” 🧠… 1 Corinthians 2:11 says the Spirit knows the things of God. 🫨🫨🫨 Romans 15:30 speaks about “the love of the Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:11 says He distributes gifts according to His will. To me, these are strange things to say about an impersonal force…
WHO is the Holy Spirit?
i always hear.. “May the Spirit move.” “I felt the Spirit.” “The Spirit came upon them.”
..make Him sound like divine electricity, some invisible power flowing from God. 😂 but as i dig deeper what the scripture describes, sounds more personal. i.e.
The Holy Spirit knows (1 Corinthians 2:11).
He wills and chooses (1 Corinthians 12:11).
He speaks (Acts 13:2).
He directs people (Acts 8:29).
He teaches (John 14:26).
He can be resisted (Acts 7:51).
He can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30).
He identifies three basic characteristics of personhood:
knowledge or intelligence, feeling or affection, and will.
Holy Spirit is an influence or power? we cant have a relationship with ⚡️ electricity ⚡️, I cannot say electricity loves me. Electricity does not know me. Electricity does not decide what gift I should receive. Electricity does not have intentions for my life… i cant grieve a force.. my theology studies today teaches that the Holy Spirit is personal. He is fully divine. a distinct, divine Person.. Scripture attributes to the Spirit qualities belonging to God. He knows the depths of God (1 Corinthians 2:10–11). He is present everywhere (Psalm 139:7–8). He is eternal (Hebrews 9:14). He exercises divine power and participates in God’s work.
I started looking at what ‘He’ actually does
In Acts 8:29, the Spirit speaks to Philip and tells him to approach the Ethiopian’s chariot. In Acts 11:12, the Spirit tells Peter to go with the men who have come for him. In Acts 13:2, while the believers are worshipping and fasting, the Holy Spirit speaks: “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul…” That sentence is remarkable when you really think about it. The Spirit says “for me.” He calls people. He has purposes for them. Then Acts 13:4 says Barnabas and Saul are sent out by the Holy Spirit. Later, in Acts 16:6–7, Paul and his companions actually have their travel plans interrupted. The Spirit prevents them from preaching in one region, and the Spirit of Jesus does not allow them to enter another. The Spirit can change the plan.
Revelation 2 repeatedly says: “Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.” And Revelation 22:17 says: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’” The Spirit speaks. The Spirit calls. The Spirit directs. The Spirit sends. The Spirit forbids. The Spirit knows. The Spirit wills. The Spirit loves…And Ephesians 4:30 especially stands out: “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” 🫨🫨🫨 He Can Be Grieved 🫨 Horton from my textbook points to passages saying that the Spirit can be grieved, resisted, insulted, tested, lied to and blasphemed.
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There is relationship involved! seeing the biblical attributes associated with the Spirit that belong to God: omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence and eternality…
This brings us directly into the mystery of the Trinity.
The Father is God.
The Son is God.
The Holy Spirit is God.
Yet there is one God.
…distinct, but Scripture repeatedly places them together.
Before His death, Jesus tells His disciples that He will ask the Father to give them “another Helper” (John 14:16). There is something beautiful hidden inside that word “another.” the Greek uses allos, meaning another of the same kind, rather than heteros, another of a different kind. Jesus is speaking about someone distinct from Himself who will continue His work among His disciples.
Jesus would leave.
The disciples would remain.
But they would not be abandoned.
The Father would send the Spirit.
This means Pentecost is far bigger than an unusual supernatural event in Acts 2. It belongs to the continuing work of the Triune God among His people.
interestingly, He is already there at the beginning of Scripture. Genesis 1:2 says: “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” The Spirit is involved in creation and sustaining life. He works among Israel. He empowers leaders. He speaks through the prophets. He is intimately involved in Jesus’ life and ministry. He empowers the church in Acts. He sanctifies believers and distributes gifts for ministry.
class today shares tht the Holy Spirit does not compete with Jesus for our attention. His ministry continually points toward Christ.
Jesus is conceived by the Spirit > Jesus is anointed by the Spirit > Jesus ministers in the power of the Spirit > Christ offers Himself through the eternal Spirit > Jesus promises the Spirit to His disciples > After His resurrection and ascension, the Spirit empowers Christ’s followers to become His witnesses.
.. probably shifted how I think about being “Spirit-filled.” It cannot simply mean becoming more emotional, supernatural, charismatic, or spiritually impressive. The Spirit’s work should increasingly make the life of Christ visible through us. through us. through me ><
Before gifts, there is the Giver. Before manifestations, there is the Person. Before asking what the Holy Spirit can give me, perhaps I should understand who He is.
If the Holy Spirit is truly God, personally present and active among His people, then Christianity was never supposed to be a life where I merely learn God’s teachings and try very hard to obey them. God Himself is present with His people. The Spirit who hovered over creation, empowered God’s servants, spoke through the prophets, rested upon Jesus and filled the believers at Pentecost is the same Holy Spirit whom the New Testament says dwells within believers, me! 🤯🤯🤯
And suddenly I come back to where I started: “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25 “Keep in step” feels different now…. 💭if the Spirit were merely a power, there would be no one to keep in step with. … perhaps my Christian life is less about asking God to strengthen me to live for Him, and more about learning every day to live with Him..
He is present.
And maybe that is what “keep in step with the Spirit” is beginning to mean to me. I hope it makes you think a little deeper about Him too. 🩷
