I Believe in the Holy Spirit – Assorted Scripture
The final section of the Apostles’ Creed centers on the person of the Holy Spirit; the third member of the trinity and the very presence of God on Earth. Unfortunately, one of the greatest tragedies of the church today is that life with the Spirit has become unknown, feared, and divisive with bible churches sitting on one side and holy spirit churches sitting on the other. We need Christian communities that are deeply committed to engaging with the scriptures and cultivating a relationship with the person of the Holy Spirit.
Summary of the Apostles’ Creed.
The Apostle’s Creed is a summary of the Christian faith that depicts the full story of scripture. The Apostle’s Creed contains one of the most concise summaries of the Christian faith in straightforward scriptural language. It follows the narrative arch of scripture from creation to incarnation, crucifixion to resurrection, and Pentecost to life everlasting.
The Apostle’s Creed reminds us that our story and church are rooted in an ancient faith. There is no singular author by which this creed can be traced, rather it is the work of the Western Catholic Church. Though, it seems to have grown out of Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16. Its origin is as a baptismal confession, those that are laying down their life to join Christ in his death and resurrection (Romans 6:4) confess this as their new reality and guiding story.
The Apostle’s Creed is not simply a routine repetition of doctrine but rather our pledge of allegiance to one God– Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is not a routine repetition of doctrine. It is a liturgical poem meant to move our heart as a pledge of allegiance to the triune God revealed in the person of Christ.
HOLY SPIRIT IN CULTURE
For many, the Holy Spirit has not been acknowledged or even worse, has been used as a weapon. And for those who do not belong to the Christian community, the spirit has become a thing of good vibes, a feeling.
Therefore, it comes as no surprise that research has shown that US adults have very little understanding of the Spirit. In a study conducted by LifeWay Research in 2018, a majority of US adults, 59%, say that the Holy Spirit is a force, not a personal being.
The Holy Spirit in the story of scripture:
Creation
The Old Testament
Jesus
The Early Church
Us
CREATION
“20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.” –Genesis 2:20-22
OLD TESTAMENT
Fast forward in the story to Exodus 40 where we see God’s presence no longer in us, but as a dense, visible cloud by day and a fire by night that led the Israeliteis out of Egypt.
In 1 Kings 8, the tabernacle has become a more permanent home called the temple. And as we see throughout the rest of the Old Testament, the temple is good but it is incomplete. It is good because God's presence is with God’s people.
JESUS
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. – John 1:14
The word became flesh is the person of God becoming the living, breathing, physical being of Jesus.
The Greek word for dwelt means Jesus in the flesh pitched his tabernacle or lived in his tent among us.
“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” – John 20:21-23
We learn that upon resurrection Jesus says the spirit that I was given, that has been in me, is now given to you. As I have been a living, breathing tabernacle, you are now a living breathing tabernacle.
THE EARLY CHURCH
In Acts, the early church, the disciples begin to do the very things that Jesus had been doing.
The disciples are freed from prison
Paralytics are healed
Paul heals a man who falls out of a window while he is preaching
Daily they feed people
And they also suffer just as Christ suffered.
“16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”– 1 Corinthians 3:16
US
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?”– 1 Corinthians 6:19
Once again, the Spirit of God is tabernacled within us just as it was in creation.
In creation, the Holy Spirit is seen through Adam and Even as God affirms their bodies as a dwelling place for God’s spirit- living temples.
In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit is seen through Moses’ tabernacle and Solomon’s temple as he comes to live in the heart of a city with God’s people.
In Jesus, the Holy Spirit is seen through Jesus as it comes to live in Jesus. And through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection every barrier between God and us is broken.
In the Church, the Holy Spirit is seen through the gathering of God’s people. God’s spirit binds us every time we are together and we know he is here in our midst.
In us, the Holy Spirit takes up residence. He dwells in us as our bodies become temples. It is intimate and it is offered to anyone who accepts Jesus’ offer of grace. We are filled with God’s spirit exactly as Jesus was.
God’s Presence
“God’s goal was never to get us into his presence. It was to get his presence into us.” – Tyler Staton
“7 The Holy Spirit is given to each of us in a special way. That is for the good of all. 8 To some people the Spirit gives a message of wisdom. To others the same Spirit gives a message of knowledge. 9 To others the same Spirit gives faith. To others that one Spirit gives gifts of healing. 10 To others he gives the power to do miracles. To others he gives the ability to prophesy. To others he gives the ability to tell the spirits apart. To others he gives the ability to speak in different kinds of languages they had not known before. And to still others he gives the ability to explain what was said in those languages. 11 All the gifts are produced by one and the same Spirit. He gives gifts to each person, just as he decides.” – 1 Corinthians 12:7-11
“It is the lived conviction that everything, absolutely everything in the scriptures is livable, not just true, but livable… This is the supernatural core, the lived resurrection and Holy Spirit core of the Christian life.” – Euguene Peterson
