Scriptural
Reference:
"And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart
from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he
said, “you heard from me; for John baptised with water, but you will
be baptised with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”"
Acts 1:4–8
"And I will
give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I
will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart
of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk
in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the
land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I
will be your God."
Ezekiel 36:26–28
"Now the
Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
And 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.
For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."
2 Corinthians 3:17–18
"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
"Likewise
the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray
for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings
too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind
of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according
to the will of God."
Romans 8:26–27
Reflection:
When we read the gospels we learn of the life and resurrection of Jesus
the Christ. In it Jesus assures His followers that they will receive
the Holy Spirit from God. This is so they should never be alone while
He, Jesus, is seated with God His and our Father. He explained that
the Holy Spirit would be a comfort to each of us. So from this we are
introduced to the connection we as believers should have with the Spirit
(or Ghost for some) of God in our lives.
In the Old Testament,
the Holy Spirit was believed to work externally, and only temporarily
descending upon certain people for particular special duties or callings.
The Spirit gave power to prophets, judges, and leaders, helping them
to fulfil their roles given by God. As well as the suggestion that has
led many Christians to connect Sophia with the Holy Spirit. Sophia had
been seen to embody the Spirit. She is perceived in the divine feminine,
the Third Person of the Trinity. An example of this may be found in
Proverbs 1:20-21
"Wisdom cries aloud
in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the
noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:"
Though there are
some who find it hard to imagine a feminine aspect to the Trinity; there
has always been this aspect throughout the Hebraic tradition and faith.
Nevertheless we can see and understand that the primary function of
the Holy Spirit in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, as
well to the times in which we live, is to guide and give understanding.
Helping us each find answers to such questions as:
- How long should
I set aside each day for prayer and reading the Bible?
- What are some
ways I can resist temptation and practice self-discipline?
- How can I
uplift my spouse and children with Gods' words?
- What is the
most effective way to handle individuals who provoke me?
There is yet another
aspect of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament where Jesus assures His
followers of how the Holy Spirit will attest to who He is in John 15:26-27.
For the Holy Spirit will bear witness about Jesus, giving them a comforting
validation that He truly is the Son of God. Even though they had lived
and walked the earth with Jesus. They were at times like doubting Thomas.
For many Christians, the Holy Spirit creates within us that "aha" moment
for recognition. When we turn to God and accept Jesus the Christ as
our Lord and Saviour. Within us everything seems to fall into place.
Or as some would say, the penny drops. We are amazed at just how true
the experience of our salvation is on a very personal level. Equally
we come to a complete acceptance of the reality of a living saviour.
There is another
difference between the expression and description of the Holy Spirit
in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Between Sophia and the Spirit;
that is that in the New Testament the Holy Spirit is associated with
the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of Truth, and the Paraclete (the perfect
helper). The New Testament describes for us a strong connection between
the Holy Spirit and Jesus throughout his time on earth. For through
the power of the Holy Spirit and by the direction and command of God,
Jesus' own Father, He was able to perform all of the miracles that have
been recorded for us to read and learn from.
In more recent
times there has been a slightly, tongue in cheek, expression of the
Trinity that includes the Holy Spirit. As expressed in a metaphor that
may be deemed funny for some and irreverent for others. This description
comes from a recent remake of the age old story of Pinocchio. Where,
the characters are broken down, to perceivably to represent the following.
"Geppetto is
like God the father, the Blue Fairy is the Holy Spirit, and Jiminy
Cricket is Jesus Christ.
And Pinocchio? Well, he's all of us. We all want to become the best
versions of ourselves that God
intended us to be, just like real boys, girls, and humans."
So if we work with
this we have God, represented as Geppetto, as our creator and father.
The Blue Fairy represents the Holy Spirit with Jiminy Cricket representing
Jesus.
I'm somewhat amused
at how people can so easily try and make every day worldly stories fit
Christian themes. Though for me I might have kept Geppetto as God. But
made the Blue Fairy (yes I know the fairy was represented as a female,
as Jesus. With Jimny Cricket as representing the Holy Spirit or the
guiding moral compass of God. Yes I swapped these last two around as
it is the Holy Spirit that lives with us and is our guide and comfort
in these difficult times.
Regardless of modern
takes on the Trinity and the Holy Spirit; we do have one very important
and stern warning from the Bible regarding the way we refer or treat
the Holy Spirit.
"And so I tell
you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the
blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks
a word
against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against
the
Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age
to come."
Matthew 12:31-32
Let it be known
that the Holy Spirit is not something to take lightly. Nor is it something
to treat with anything other than awe and complete respect. The Holy
Spirit is an integral part of the Trinity and needs to be treated with
humble respect. For it's through the Holy Spirit that we have our very
spiritual link that we now have with both God our Creator and Father;
as well as Jesus the Christ our Redeemer and Salvation.
Prayer: