Thoughts on......

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE TRINITY

The identity of the Holy Spirit as Person and His role in the Trinity can be understood only when we consider and answer the following four questions:

1. Is the Spirit of God a Person in contrast to being just divine energy or power?
2. Is He a fully Divine Person or is He inferior to the Other Persons, Father and Son?
3. What is the role of the Holy Spirit in the Trinity?
4. What are the implications of the Trinitarian role of the Holy Spirit for us as members of the body of Christ?

These are huge issues and can be dealt with only cursorily in this essay – the reader should not be tempted to think that this article is exhaustive!

Question 1: The Old Testament (OT) abounds with references to the Holy Spirit, the first reference being the very second verse of the Bible (Gen.1:2). Admittedly, before the advent of Jesus Christ and His explicit teaching on the Spirit, the Personality of the Spirit could not be conclusively established. Having said that, I shall surely argue that the OT references do not encourage the conclusion that the Spirit is some kind of divine energy or force. For example, in II Samuel 23:2, Ezekiel 11:5 and Joel 2:28, the capacity to speak is attributed to the Holy Spirit – it should be noted that speaking is the quality of a Person, not that of a thing. Jesus would echo the same aspect of the Personality of the Spirit when He attributes David’s statement in Psalm 110:1 to the Holy Spirit (Matt.22:43). Micah 2:7 and Eph.4:30 imply that the Spirit can be angered or grieved – both personal qualities. Of all Biblical writers, John the evangelist is clearest in his comments on the Spirit. In John 15:26; 16:8,13,14, he uses the masculine pronoun He for the Holy Spirit although, according to Greek grammar, he should have used the neuter pronoun It, because the Greek word for Spirit (to pneuma) is neuter in gender. John commits this deliberate grammatical mistake only to affirm the Personality of the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit is a PERSON.

Question 2: From both Testaments, we see that the role of the Holy Spirit is to fully represent God. For example, Gen.6:3 – “My Spirit will not contend with man forever” - implies that God will not keep striving with the human race; there is complete identification of the status of God with that of the Holy Spirit. Similarly, Peter rightly accuses Sapphira, Ananias’ wife of ‘testing the Spirit of the Lord’ – Acts 5:9 – meaning that the couple had jointly plotted on lying to God Himself. John has more to say on the standing of the Holy Spirit in the Trinity; Jesus says that it is for the good of the Church that He has to go away to the Father so that He can send the Holy Spirit upon her - John 16:7. This obviously means that the presence of the Holy Spirit will be identical to that of Jesus, except that while Jesus, as a physical human being was limited to one place at a time, the Spirit will be available to all believers in every place all the time! In a similar passage – John14:23 – Jesus says that Father and Himself will come to make their home in a believer. But how can this come about? Only because the Holy Spirit Who indwells the believer can fully represent the Father and the Son to him (her)! The Essence of the Holy Spirit is the same as that of the Father and the Son – the Spirit is EQUALLY GOD.

Question 3: To answer this and the next question, we have to look at Scriptures reflectively – no proof-texts will do. In John 17:20-23, we hear Jesus praying for unity (oneness) among the believers that will reflect the Oneness of the Father and the Son (John 10:30). The word One in these verses is in the neuter gender in the Greek – this means that John is not referring to the oneness (or sameness) of persons but rather the oneness of being (or essence). In other words, these verses rule out the Unitarian suggestion that Father and Son are actually one Person playing two roles. Those cults who call themselves Christians but deny the Trinity claim that the Father and the Son are the same Person playing two roles – like a man (one person) is both husband (to his wife) and father (to his children). Thus it is clear that the Father and the Son are two distinct Persons who share in the same Divine Essence.

We should now proceed to ask the question, “How are the Father and the Son One in their Divine Essence?” The answer: Through the Holy Spirit’. How do we know this? Jesus is praying that the Oneness of God should be reflected in the unity of the Church. How can the Church, which comprises many members, be one entity? The answer: Only through the Holy Spirit.

But there are various aspects of this Unity in Diversity that the Scripture encourages us to explore. Firstly, the agency of God the Holy Spirit in effecting oneness in the Church is only because He is the One through Whom the love of God (the Father) is poured out on us (Rom.5:5). This, we can safely conclude, is a reflection of the role of the Holy Spirit within the Trinity – Jesus tells the Father about the eternal love in the Trinity even before the creation of the world (John 17:24). We can therefore understand that the Divine Agent of communication of this love in the Trinity is God the Holy Spirit through whom the Father and the Son are constituted One God.

Secondly, we see that the Holy Spirit is also the Spirit of knowledge and communication; in fact, love cannot be love in the absence of a relational knowledge and its attendant communication. Paul makes it clear that it only through the Holy Spirit, we can know anything that it is of God (I Cor.2:10b,11). This, again, is a reflection of the role of the Holy Spirit in the Trinity – of forging the amazing knowledge-relationship between the Father and the Son. The medium of communication – for example, a language – is useful only when it is understood both by the speaker and the listener. We reverently conclude that the Divine Personal Medium of communication of knowledge in the Trinity is God, the Holy Spirit. This is possible only because the Spirit suffuses and therefore connects the Father and the Son – that is why the Holy Spirit is referred to in the New Testament (NT) as both the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Jesus; both uses can be seen in Romans 8:9.

Thirdly, it is through the Spirit that true freedom and identity are possible. Love liberates and does not enslave. The Spirit of love and communication is also the Spirit that provides the freedom to be oneself. In this context, it is important for us to note that freedom is a relational quality – it is not a stand-alone entity. At the present stage of our culture, we have become thoroughly individualised – for us freedom actually has come to mean, “I can do what I want!” But is it really so? While playing football, are we free to shift the goal posts? The rules of the game help us to relate to each other and provide us the freedom to play the game. The same is the case with our identity. Our names give us an identity only because they tell us the identity of the family we belong to. In the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is the One through whom the Father and the Son are One – but by the same token, it is through the Spirit, the Father is free to be the Father and the Son is free to be the Son because where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (II Cor.3:17). The Spirit of God provides that free relationship in the Oneness of the Trinity that the identities of the Father and the Son are not erased but enhanced. It is in this amazing function that the Spirit operates only to bring glory to Jesus (John 16:14) and through Him, glory to the God the Father (Phi.2:11)!

Question 4: We can briefly make three corresponding applications to the centrality of the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church:

Firstly, the Church reflects the Trinity through the love that is shown towards the members of the body of Christ (John 17:20-23). The Bible, in the OT and the NT, makes it abundantly clear that our inward love for God is empty sham if it is not expressed in outward love towards our brothers and sisters. The Holy Spirit who bonds the unity of the Trinity is the One through whom the fruit of the Spirit has to be shown in the life of the body of Christ (Gal.5:22,23).

Secondly, we recognise that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are meant to communicate the truth of God by word and deed. Paul has 3 passages on the gifts in the NT (Rom.12:3-9; I Cor.12,14; Eph.4:7-13) but Peter summarises them in one short verse – I Peter 4:11. Without neglecting the exercise of the gifts of the Spirit, we need to emphasise the centrality of the fruit of the Spirit. A very gifted Church as the one in Corinth seemed to lack the fruit of the Spirit so that Paul had to sandwich a Spirit’s fruit chapter (I Cor.13) between two gift chapters.

Thirdly, the unity of the Body of Christ does not remove the beauty of the diversities that make up the Church. We are differently called and differently gifted and yet we are gloriously one in Christ. We are drawn from every nation, tribe, people and language (Rev.7:9) and our identities are not erased but enhanced by the Holy Spirit in a marvellously redemptive way. It also shows us that unity is not to be confused with uniformity or unanimity. While we are agreed on all the fundamentals of the Christian faith, we are, by the Spirit, enabled to be creatively different. We recognise God is not a cloner and He has made us differently from one another so that together, we could express the unity of the Triune God in the multi-dimensioned mosaic of the Church!

Crosses

If you’ve been praying for greater faith and love and freedom from selfishness and more of God, you probably need to read this and take heart. Our Father “disciplines us for our good that we may share his holiness” (Hebrews 12:10).

Prayer Answered by Crosses
By John Newton

I asked the Lord that I might grow 

In faith and love and every grace, 

Might more of his salvation know, 

And seek more earnestly his face.

‘Twas he who taught me thus to pray; 

And he, I trust, has answered prayer; 

But it has been in such a way 

As almost drove me to despair.

I hoped that, in some favoured hour, 

At once he’d answer my request, 

And by his love’s constraining power 

Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

Instead of this, he made me feel 

The hidden evils of my heart, 

And let the angry powers of hell 

Assault my soul in every part.

Yea, more, with his own had he seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe, 

Crossed all the fair designs I schemed, 

Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

Lord, why is this? I trembling cried; 

Wilt thou pursue this worm to death? 

This is the way, the Lord replied
I answer prayer for grace and faith.

These inward trials I now employ 

From self and pride to set thee free,
And break they schemes of earthly joy, 

That thou may’st seek thy all in me.

The Hallway and the Rooms

The Hallway and the Rooms

The Defence and Confirmation of the Gospel - RC Sproul

T4G 2010 -- Session 2 -- R.C. Sproul from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

Being Willing

Love thy neighbour as thyself

-Jesus of Nazareth-

An ancient text says "Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long....". powerpuffgirl asked powerpuffmom, in whose image she was 90% replicated, whether this blessing / admonishment would apply to honouring of another's father and mother. Reason being that powerpuffgirl has been tasked with general oversight of the household, again, whilst all the other competent adults are away. Said household has 3 flu-plagued old folks and said overseer has the same cold. Being a superhero necessitates that powerpuffgirl is immune to all drugs and medicinal remedies available, though apparently she is not immune to contracting nasty flu bugs once everyone else begins to recover.

And it wasn't that they didn't have other, perfectly able-bodied sons and daughters to look after them. It's just that powerpuffgirl was there, it was kinda convenient for her, even when it wasn't always convenient. But it doesn't really matter what other people do or choose. The world we live in is one in which the few are often carrying burdens of the many. It's a fact of life we can either rail against or redeem. The global economic crisis, which powerpuffgirl is beginning to suspect is being used by unscrupulous multinationals to costcut at the expense of the ordinary men-on-the-street's livelihoods, is a fine example. The increasing divide between the wealthy (of which there are a greater number than ever before) and the poor - not underprivileged - let's be brutally honest - people living in chicken coops dirt poor - is a result of self-pursuits.

There are more 21st century kings, but still their fabulously rich dynasties remain just that - inward looking, self gratifying dynasties. Even with some of the clearly uncommon advantages afforded to these chosen few, with the tearing down of racial, cultural and social boulders and the rise of democracy, merit, and human rights, we find that there are still children working in modern industrial factories. Now they don't make matchsticks, but running shoes. There are still dictators killing their own citizens and whole governments who proclaim democracy and spend billions of hard earned tributes from their citizens, on creating, not resolving conflicts. Now we don't kill in the hundreds of thousands, but in the millions. They say that we study history in order to learn from it. But what are we learning?

Sometimes all we need is a little reminder that we are dust. That one day, all our dreams will fade, whether we accomplished them or not, our cars will rust, bodies return to the earth, and if we are fortunate, our stories, our legacy of memories and deeds and words, might be preserved for some future generation to sift through. There is no subjective standard when it comes to the treatment of another creature. We devise new excuses. We justify the defense of ourselves, our lands, and forget to ask ourselves what makes it ours. Man cannot seal up the flaw in his inherent nature, until he surrenders to a law greater than himself and his own needs.

Recently, in a visit to elderly relatives, powerpuffgirl found herself at a rickety sink, washing up dirty eating utensils and pots. It wasn't fun, but it wasn't to be despised either. The thought crossed her mind that those same soapy hands played the piano, twirled drumsticks, picked out tunes on ridiculously expensive guitars. They were responsible for writing what often influenced millions of dollars, determined the course of important international decisions. They'd been held and were desired to be held by any number of admirers, friends and little adoring kid cousins. They were strong, slender, soft hands that were made to change the world, or so powerpuffgirl liked to think, on the really good days. And yet, they scratched the dog behind its ears and washed up too-old, worn-down, scratched-filled pots for sick people who were too weak to bother if the pieces of leftover chicken were stuck to the bottom of the container.

Its strange how one instrument can be so humble and yet so vital. So versatile. No superpowers required. Just the earnest ability to ask "May I do this for you?" and say "Sure - I'd love to." It wasn't even intentionally altruistic. She was under orders of powerpuffmom, who, after all these years, still managed to twist powerpuffgirl's arm without actually lifting a finger, just kinda ESP-ing instructions on how to serve others. It wasn't a great thing. Heck, there were a lot of them, but they were pots. Anyone could have done it. But suddenly it felt like a privilege because it wasn't anyone, it was powerpuffgirl who got to volunteer to, for a short half hour, do something that meant nothing to her but much to others. For even the consummate idealist, there is a reality. And that reality may, in its humiliations and quiet moments, be just the reminder needed to draw a caped crusader back to her core humanity.