We Believe in God the Holy Spirit

Introduction:

It’s almost two months since we took a break from our series, “The Nicene Creed”. And today we are going to resume our study. To recap, so far these are the sections we have discussed:

“We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge both the living and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end.”

I hope that by this time you have a working understanding of these creedal statements. Let me stressed that understanding these statements is vital to our growth as Christians, in fact, subscribing to these creedal statements are essential if we are to have an orthodox Christianity both in belief and practice. Now there will be those who will argue that becoming a Christian is simply believing in Jesus, but believing what exactly? Believing in Christ is profitable only insofar as to what we believe about Him is accurate. Our Salvation in Christ is founded on these truths about who God is what he has done.

We don’t have time to elaborate again these sections but if you missed anything or you want to review any portion of it, you can always go back to our Facebook and Youtube page.

Today and the coming sundays, we are going to proceed to the next section of the creed, which says:

“And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets. And we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.”

We are going to focus first on the Holy Spirit but I want you to notice how the Church, baptism, the hope of resurrection and future world are mentioned in conjunction with the Holy Spirit.

Why do you think that is the case?

English Standard Version Chapter 1

13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

This verse talks about how Salvation is applied to us. We are required to believe the message that we heard about the gospel of Jesus. Once we believe, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit to guarantee our salvation.

The word in greek for “sealed” carries a meaning which correspond to the idea that something is being delivered safely.

Think about a person with the seal of king. Example Nehemiah, he was granted safe passage because he carries with him the seal of the King of Persia.

Or in our time a parcel arrives safe and sound because it is labeled and also depends on the courier.

In the same way, Christians carry with us the seal of the King, the Holy Spirit, guaranteeing our safe arrival to heaven.

In other words, as Millard Erickson said it:

“Holy Spirit applies this redemptive work to God’s human creatures, thus making salvation real.”

Not only that, Erickson states:

“But the Holy Spirit is active within the lives of believers; he is resident within us. He is the particular person of the Trinity through whom the entire Triune Godhead currently works in us.”

Through the Holy Spirit, the Triune God becomes personal to us. He is the point of contact. This is basically the concept of the “Perichoresis” or mutual indwelling of the Persons of the Trinity that we discussed previously.

Therefore, I would say, it is important for us who are the saved people of God to know the One that applies that salvation to us. Because if we know Him, we can better understand how Salvation and more urgently, sanctification works in our lives.

Today and in the succeeding Sundays let us answer a simple question, who is the Holy Spirit?

In the Creed, the Holy Spirit is identified as the following:

a. The Lord

b. Giver of Life

c. Proceeds from the Father and the Son

d. Worshiped and Glorified with the Father and the Son

e. Spoke to the Prophets

Letter b and e will be discussed on the succeeding sundays respectively so they will not be discussed in this preaching, but all these descriptions, b and e included, of the Holy Spirit indicates only one thing - He is God.

To be honest I planned to preach this as one including B & E but I realized that as I finished the first point that it will be too long so we are going to limit our topic today.

This why, our preaching today is titled, WE BELIEVE IN GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

The First thing that we should know about The Holy Spirit is, He is God

Disclaimer: Because of the Nature of our Topic this Afternoon, in which we are trying to prove the Divinity of the Holy Spirit, we are going to reserve the main applications in the end but there will be some. So don’t come to me saying that I don’t have enough application because you expected each point has an individual application. The Main Applications for the Truths in each point are in the conclusion.

I. The Holy Spirit is the Lord

If you remember when we studied the Son, this title or name was also attributed to Him and we know that this is basically the greek form of the name of God in the Old Testament, YHVH. So the creed makes an assertion that the Holy Spirit is also YHVH. Together with the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit shares the Divine Name.

English Standard Version Chapter 3

17 Now

If you look at the context of these verses, you will immediately see Paul is making a case about how he does need letters of recommendation but the Corinthians themselves are. Their lives transformed by God are the letter from Christ written with the Spirit on tablets of human hearts. The Old covenant is no more, which Paul described as the ministry of death, we now have the ministry of the Spirit. And the reason why the Spirit can do this is because He Himself is the Lord. As we behold the Lord Christ, through His word, the Lord who is the Spirit who is in us, transforms us into the same image, from glory to glory.

This affirms the unity of the Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are YHVH.

There are those who argue that since the Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of the Lord” in many text that He is therefore not the Lord himself but only the Spirit of the Lord. But Paul clarified it, “the Lord who is the Spirit.” The title “the Spirit of the Lord” does not mean that in a biblical sense that He is not the Lord Himself.

Now, notice that according to this text, the presence of the Spirit brings freedom and transformation.

Freedom from what? The curse of the Law and freedom to be transformed into the same image; righteous, holy and glorious. As we behold the glory of the Lord.

How do we behold the glory of the Lord?

We have to keep in mind the context. Paul is making a comparison with the Old Covenant and New. In the Old, Moses would enter the presence of the Lord and behold His glory, and his face will shine but temporarily. In our time, we should also do what Moses did, come before the presence of the Lord. The difference is, the glory is lasting. How do we come before the Presence of the Lord? Personal Prayer and reading of the Word. Corporate Worship and Prayer meetings. Discipleship groups etc.

But keep in mind, this is a gradual transformation, not full transformation as the text says, “are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”

II. The Holy Spirit Proceeds from the Father and the Son

English Standard Version Chapter 15

26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who

The idea that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and also the Son basically means that He come from them. This is to indicate the relationship of the Holy Spirit to the Father and the Son. As the Son is generated by the Father (eternal generation), the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. This procession is timeless and eternal, therefore , the Spirit is also eternal. This procession does not indicate that the Spirit was brought into existence but to establish that since He proceeded from the Father and the Son, therefore they share the same nature.

Now, interestingly, the phrase “and the Son” also known the “filioque” clause is a source of great controversy in the Church that became one of the reasons why the Western and Eastern Church split in 1054. The western Church added the clause and the eastern saw this as an error.

The reason why the eastern Church saw this as an error because they believe that the Father is the ultimate source of Divinity within the Godhead (Aseity). If the Spirit, proceeds also from the Son, then He will have two sources.

But if you look at verse 26 again, Jesus said, “..whom I will send to you from the Father...” This is basically the same in essence as the Spirit proceeds from the Father.

Then the purpose of the coming of the Holy Spirit is to bear witness about Christ, not to bear witness of Himself.

So we accept the filioque.

Yet, the fact that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son does not mean He is lower or subordinate to them in essence. That’s why the creed affirms their equality.

III. The Holy Spirit is Worshiped and Glorified with the Father and the Son

In the Book of Acts, Peter clearly viewed the Holy Spirit as God:

English Standard Version Chapter 5

3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart

There are verses that indicates the equality of the Spirit to the Father and the Son:

The Baptism Formula:

English Standard Version Chapter 28

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

The Benediction Formula:

English Standard Version Chapter 13

14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

These verses clearly shows us that the Spirit is equal to the Father and the Son, therefore He is true God. But He may do subordinate task. For example:

English Standard Version Chapter 16

13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth,

I love how Robert Letham described the Holy Spirit as “Self-effacing”, meaning He does not draw attention to himself. Additionally:

English Standard Version Chapter 15

26 “But when the Helper comes, whom

How can the Spirit be equal to the Father and the Son if he is sent? Here lies how the Holy Spirit is misunderstood.

Subordinate in function does not mean subodinate in essence.

Take for example the relationship of the Husband and wife:

English Standard Version Chapter 5

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

Wives are commanded to submit to their husbands, does this mean that wives are essentially inferior to husbands? No.

English Standard Version Chapter 3

26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is

Furthermore, Jesus clearly thought this:

English Standard Version Chapter 23

11 The greatest among you shall be your servant.

Let me repeat, Subordinate in action does not mean subordinate in essence.

Conclusion and Application:

Now since we have established that the Holy Spirit is God, then we can say that He deserved to be Worship. Anyone who denies the Deity of the Holy Spirit is in error. (INC, Jehovah’s Witness)

Another important implication here is that since the Holy Spirit is God, He is also a person, He is not some sort of impersonal force emanating from God.

Another application here that I think has to be said is, since the Holy Spirit is God, you do not command Him. When you pray to him, you ask, you request.

Because the Holy Spirit is God, we reverence Him in worship.

We must be careful to not attribute the work of the Holy Spirit to the work of demons the sin that the religious leaders in the time of Jesus keep on committing. The miracles of Jesus were attributed to the Devil.

And like the Holy Spirit, we must be willing to lower ourselves for the glory of God.

This is something that we should really understand and even apply to our own lives. Our worth is not tied up to what we do in the Church. We must be willing to do subordinate task like the Holy Spirit. To be self-effacing and not self-important. Willing to acknowledge and not be acknowledge. I wrote this a few days ago and posted it on facebook:

“Historically, the Church's difficulty in understanding the Holy Spirit lies in the fact that though He is equal to the Father and the Son, He is willing to take a subordinate role, which is counter-cultural to our understanding of ranks and titles. In our economy, if we are equal, we must do equal work, but in God's economy, the greatest serves the least. The high lowers themselves to accomplish the good. We should learn from the example of the Holy Spirit; we may be higher in rank, but we must be willing to do a subordinate role for the glory of God.”