On the Holy Spirit
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father
will send in my name, he will teach you all things and
bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you (John 14:26, ESV).
Me: If Christ ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father as Mediator interceding on our behalf, are we left here all alone until his return at the end of the age?
God: With respect to Jesus’ human nature he is no longer on earth, but with respect to his divinity, glory, grace, and Spirit he is never absent. Jesus promised his disciples that he would not leave them as orphans to fend for themselves and with that promise he gave them the Holy Spirit to be with them to equip and empower them to carry out Jesus’ ministry reconciling work to the world. For example, in John’s Gospel it is written that Jesus appeared to his frightened disciples who were huddled behind locked doors and said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Then, Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” So what we have here is Jesus breathing our Holy Spirit into the lives of the disciples to equip and empower them to continue his reconciling mission to the world. Imagine! The disciples received the Holy Spirit, without whom, they would be unable to proclaim the good news of the kingdom! It would have been impossible for them to do! Or consider the depth of the Psalmist’s words who ponders the breadth of the Spirit’s presence saying, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?”[1] There is no place in all of creation anyone can go to flee from my Spirit. As the Psalmist testifies even if you ascend to heaven or descend to Sheol, I am there.
Me: So then, who is the Holy Spirit?
God: The Holy Spirit is the third “person” of the Godhead who proceeds from Jesus and me. While “person” helps to convey meaning, “person” in and of itself does not define the nature of the Holy Spirit. As the title “Spirit” implies, it contains an element of mystery. While there is much about the Spirit which can be known, there is a great mystery surrounding the Holy Spirit. That is why Jesus taught the Samaritan woman, who thought that God had to be worshipped at certain locations, that “God is Spirit.” It is impossible to fully comprehend the incorporeal being of the Holy Spirit. But I want you to know that the Holy Spirit is perfectly equal in nature and in relation to Jesus and I, but is also distinct in personhood. He himself lacks nothing; He gives life to all things and is never exhausted. The Holy Spirit has many names including: Spirit of truth,[2] Lord,[3] and Counselor,[4] who has been sent by Jesus and I, to be with you for all time.[5]
Me: Is the Holy Spirit of the New Testament the same Spirit of the Old Testament?
God: The Holy Spirit was not given as something “new” after Christ’s ascension, but has been in the business of creation, sustaining creation, and redemption from the very beginning. The opening words of Holy Scripture affirm the active presence of the Spirit in creation which says that in a beginning when all things in heaven and on earth were created, “the Spirit of God (ruah Elohim) hovered over the face of the waters.”[6] I breathed the same Spirit of life in to the nostrils of Adam and the man became a living being.[7] My prophet Ezekiel spoke to the valley of dry bones saying, “Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.” The Holy Spirit is the breath of life which sustains all of creation as Scripture says if I were to gather to myself my spirit and his breath then all flesh would perish.[8]
Me: Can you unpack this a little more for me? How does the Spirit participate in redemption?
God: How doesn’t the Spirit participate in redemption? The Holy Spirit is my Spirit, the Spirit of truth who reveals the my will…who convicts humanity of sin…who regenerates sinners through the waters of baptism[9] and enables sinners to confess “Jesus is Lord”...who sanctifies the believer and transforms them into the very image of Christ…who fills people to speak a prophetic word…who bestows spiritual gifts of all kinds. The Spirit is at work in every way in redemption. The historical high point in human history is the incarnation whereby the Holy Spirit impregnated Jesus’ mother, Mary. The eternal Word, Jesus, became flesh in Mary’s womb. After Jesus’ ascended to the heavens, the Spirit was poured out through Jesus so that those who confess “Jesus is Lord” and believe in their heart that he is Lord are justified by grace and become heirs according to the hope of eternal life that is in Christ.[10]
Me: You mentioned that the Holy Spirit sanctifies – what does that mean?
God: When Abram was ninety-nine years old I appeared to him and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be perfect.”[11] Likewise, Jesus said to those who had ears to hear, “Be perfect.” There are many who would say that “perfect” doesn’t really mean perfect but means “sincere” so as to say that I accept sincere obedience. I am agreeable to this so long as you accept my definition of “sincere.” To be sincere means to be without wax.
Me: Without wax? What does that mean?
God: The words sine cera (sincere) were associated with crafted pottery which was marked as genuine and original. Cracked or defective pottery would have been repaired with wax and sold at the market potentially for more than it was worth. On the other hand, potteries which had no imperfections were given the stamp of approval and marked as sine cera – or without wax. Just as I called Abram and Jesus called his disciples to be perfect, it is not a call to be without sin for that is impossible for you to do, but it is a call to be original and genuine. It is a call to be conformed more into Christ’s image through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a call to holiness.
Me: Say more about holiness. How does the Spirit transform us more into Christ’s image?
God: The Spirit transforms lives both instantly and progressively. The Bible refers to this transformation process as sanctification.
Me: Say more about sanctification. What is it?
God: Perhaps the best way to answer your question is by way of analogy. Sanctification is like marriage. There was a specific point in time in your relationship with the woman you love when you covenanted to commit yourselves to one another for all of your lives in holy matrimony. On your wedding day you pledged to give all that you knew of yourself to your wife and her to you and there was a moment, an instance when you both confirmed your pledge saying, “I do.” You were entirely wed in holy matrimony in that hour, on that day, in that year. Yet, the wedding day is only the beginning of a marriage. Soon you discovered that you did not in fact know everything there was to know about your spouse. You also discovered that you love her more today than you did eight years ago. A good marriage also takes a lifetime to develop. Does this make sense?
Me: Yes I think so. Just as my wife and I were married on August 17, 2002 - our marriage has blossomed over the last eight years as we grow in both knowledge and love for one another, so also sanctification can be related to a specific point in time and continues over time growing in knowledge of you and love for you and our neighbors.
God: Well said.
Me: So how does the Holy Spirit transform us into Christ’s image via sanctification?
God: The Spirit transforms real lives by uniting believers to Christ. To partake of the divine will is to experience intimate relationship with me through the Holy Spirit who unites believers to Christ. This transformational experience begins with Christian baptism – though I must say the Spirit has been at work in a person’s life long before they are baptized.
Me: Say more about that.
God: When a person is baptized into the threefold name of the “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,”[12] it marks the beginning of a new journey sealed on the path of Jesus. In the waters of baptism, a person literally dies to their old self as they go down into the water, and are raised to new life in Jesus Christ as they rise up. The image is striking don’t you think? As a result of baptism, a believer is, as my servant Paul says, clothed with Christ. To be clothed with Christ is to have a new identity, and that new identity is wrapped up in Jesus Christ. Having a new identity means you are not the same as you were before you entered the water. That person who went down into the baptismal water is dead. But the person who rises from the water has been raised to new life. New life in Christ is only possible by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. For there is no power in the waters of baptism for salvation – only faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ can accomplish that – but, baptism is a visible sign for all to see of the inward work already wrought by the Holy Spirit.
Me: What happens after baptism?
God: After baptism, as the believer grows in their knowledge and love for me and for neighbor – just as husband and wife grow in their knowledge and love for one another the more they discover they have more to give of themselves to their partner – they even desire to give more themselves more fully to their spouse. As a result, put simply, their ultimate desire is to put their mate’s desires above their own. This continues for a lifetime, even after death.
Me: Sounds like things are on the up and up when it comes to sanctification?
God: Well…it depends on how you look at it. Marriage has its ups and downs – fruitful times and difficult times. Sometimes sanctification is a painful process. The more aware you become as you are following Jesus of what it truly means to love me and love your neighbor, the more you realize just how much you have to learn and grow and more often than not it means that you have to let me change parts of you – change your thoughts and attitudes, your actions and certain behaviors, even how you perceive the world around you. This kind of change is painful because it means a part of you has to die in order for you to truly live. It means that you have to surrender that part of you to me and allow the Spirit to make necessary changes. Jesus said that if anyone desires to follow him that that person must pick up their cross daily and follow him.
Me: We’ve been talking quite a bit about sanctification as analogous to marriage. Speaking of marriage, is what ways is marriage a sacrament? For that matter, what’s a sacrament?
God: For starters, a sacrament is a visible sign of an invisible grace which are a
sign and foretaste of the kingdom of heaven. The sacraments serve to heighten your awareness of my redemptive activity.
Me: That’s a lot to take in. Can you give me an example?
God: In marriage, wedding rings are a sacramental symbol of my promises to my children which serve as a sign which point to the marriage union of Christ to his bride, the church. Another example is the Supper which is a sign and foretaste of the consummate Messianic banquet where those who come to the table participate in the life and mission of Christ. They are drawn up by the Spirit to the table to feast on the body and blood of Christ.
Me: So, just as wedding rings are sacramental symbols, so also baptism and the Lord’s Supper are sacramental symbols which are sign and foretaste of the Messianic kingdom.
God: Exactly.
Me: Not to change the subject, but how do I know if I’m being transformed into Christ’s image by the Spirit?
God: By the fruit that you bear.
Me: By the fruit that I bear? How so?
God: One of the surest signs of the transformative work of the Spirit can be discerned by the fruit that is produced as a result of the works that I created you to do. For example, Jesus used a fig tree illustration to emphasize this point. “Every good tree bears good fruit,” Jesus said, “but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit…nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.”[13] Elsewhere in Holy Scripture it says that everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. Good fruit is marked by growing in love for me and for neighbor. So, let me ask you if good fruit being produced as a result of our relationship or are weeds being sown? If the capacity to love and serve me and others is expanding, then I’d say we’re on the right track.
Me: Thank you for telling me this, it’s difficult to hear but it’s comforting at the same time. So if fruit bearing is a sign of growth for the individual, can the same be true for the church?
God: Good question – I’m glad you asked. Let’s talk about the church and how I love her…warts and all.
Copyright 2010 Josh Cooper.
Footnotes:
1. Psalm 139:7
2. John 15:26
3. 2 Cor. 3:18
4. John 14:26
5. John 14:16
6. Gen. 1:2
7. Gen. 2:7
8. Job 34:14-5
9. Titus 3:5
10. Titus 3:6-7
11. Gen. 17:1
12. Matt. 28:19
13. Matt. 7:17-8
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