The Apostles Creed | The Holy Spirit
I believe in the Holy Spirit
The field of theology that studies the Holy Spirit is commonly referred to as Pneumatology. Of the three persons of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, especially within recent western thought, more than likely remains the most confusing of the three. While we affirm the fullness of the Trinity that we worship One God in the distinct co-equal person of the Holy Spirit. While many Christians would affirm their belief, many have a confusion about the role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believer and the function of the role He plays. Jesus provides the closest to an extended explanation in John 14-16.
“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.”
(John 15:26-27 ESV)
The Holy Spirit comes from Jesus’ sending to the world. He lives within the hearts and souls of the believers to serve as the marker for redemption and restoration. As Christians, we believe in the Holy Spirit to lead and guide those of the faith. We believe that it is better, as Jesus tells us, that Christ leave to advocate on our behalf to the Father so that we might have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within us. The Holy Spirit acts as the instrument of creation across all time and bears witness to the person of Jesus Christ in the world. We cannot stop to think that the Holy Spirit glorifies mankind but instead speaks to the work of Jesus and prepares those who believe in Him for the edification of the church.
The Instrument of Authentic Creation
At the dawn of creation, we see eternal God bring forth creation of our nothing. God speaks and creation forms in the nothingness to become something. We see the unfolding of creation as the fullness of the Trinity unveils itself. The Father speaks the word, a common understanding of the Son (cf John 1) who brings forth creation through the breath of God, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, then, acts as the instrument of authentic creation throughout the world. The work of the Holy Spirit is marked by the hand of God who declares the glory of the creator and the one who sent Him. Through the introduction of sin into the world in Genesis 3 and the distance between God and man (so that man would not be immediately destroyed) the work of God in creation became marred and tainted with impurity. Now, forgeries of life and how it was intended to be run amuck in creation. Restoration of the inner self can only come when the Spirit of the Lord takes up residence in the heart once again and works within the person, according to Jesus Christ, for the glory of God.
People often talk of the conviction of the Holy Spirit that occurs as we come face to face with our sin nature and clash with our newness of life. “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (Galatians 5:16-17 ESV) When the Spirit takes residence in us He teaches us the truth of what is and is not His handiwork in creation so that we might grow in flourishing and relationship with Jesus Christ. We will not be alone devoid of the presence of God. Wherever we go and whatever we face, the helper that is the Holy Spirit will teach us and guide us into thriving in life as it should be now and for all eternity. He will reveal our sin to us as not being His handiwork and give us the strength and endurance to stand against our own sin. The Holy Spirit is the witness of God in us to the world as a testimony to the works of Jesus Christ.
A Witness to Jesus Christ
There are certain segments of the church that present, perhaps, and unbalanced view of the Holy Spirit. For some, the emphasis rests on the Holy Spirit as a provider of gifts and expressions. The believer then demonstrates the gifts of the Spirit, largely as it pertains to tongues and prophesy. Thus, the easy temptation comes in the form of demonstrating the power a believer has over other. Power becomes the hallmark of the believer and specific sign gifts validate a persons salvation. Yet, the difficulty in this way of thinking is it completely ignores the person of Jesus Christ. Make no mistake to what I am saying. The Holy Spirit does give gifts to the believer as the instrument of the fullness of life. But the goal of the Holy Spirit is not to empower people with gifts for their own personal glorification. Spiritual gifts are not the sign of a spirit filled life but the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 presents the indication of a life led the the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit looks to create authentic life in the believer and point to the work of Christ as a witness to His work on the cross.
The Holy Spirit bears witness to Jesus Christ to the world so that everyone might come to faith in Him. The goal is not power, gifts, or dominion but a life that has been radically changed by Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit bears witness to the saving work of Jesus Christ in the world. Jesus Christ’s work on the cross is the crux of all human history to redeem and rescue all mankind from the clutches of sin, user them into eternity by His grace and and for His glory. To say we believe in the Holy Spirit means we believe in the fullness of the Trinity to declare the glory of God in all the world. We submit to the guiding and teaching of the Holy Spirit’s leading and indwelling to guide us according to the will and glory of God. We do not seek our own self to be lifted up, nor do we expect the Spirit to just give us gifts for us to display but we allow the Spirit of God to work within us and through us to produce the abundance of life that can only come from the impetus of all creation.
