I Believe in the Holy Spirit

I Believe in the Holy Spirit

I believe in the Holy Spirit, – The Apostles’ Creed

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” – John 14:26

When you think of the Holy Spirit, what do you picture in your mind?

The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is perhaps the most difficult for us to comprehend. The idea of a God that creates things and rules over us (the Father) we get. Jesus came in the flesh which we can certainly relate to. However, the Holy Spirit can seem much more ambiguous.

One of the things that makes the Spirit more difficult for us is that He often hides Himself. Sure, at Jesus’ baptism He descended in the appearance of a dove, and on Pentecost, there were what appeared to be tongues of flames above the disciples, but mostly He works in the background. Yet, we dare not dismiss the Spirit or underestimate Him.

Even though we can’t see the Holy Spirit directly, He is at work…a lot!

  • He moves people.
  • He creates faith through the proclamation of the Word.
  • He comforts us.
  • He reminds us of Jesus and what Jesus said.
  • He changes us, producing fruit in our lives which we could not produce on our own, but which externally appear to come from us.
  • I could go on…

The Spirit has been active from the beginning.

He was a part of creation, hovering over the waters. It is the Spirit who carried people along to write Scriptures. It is He who gives us life-giving faith. He moves through the church. He advocates for us, comforts us, gives us words to speak, and so much more. And, of course…

The Holy Spirit is God.

He is co-equal with the Father and Son. He is one with the Father and Son. He rules with the Father and Son and Saves with the Father and Son.

When we proclaim our belief in the Holy Spirit, we proclaim the one who enables us to proclaim our faith in the Triune God. We proclaim the one who reveals the truth to us. We proclaim the one who moves in us to live our Christian lives for God.

Holy Spirit,

Thank you for creating faith in me. Move through me and purify me of all unrighteousness. Produce your good fruit in my life that I might glorify God.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt