The Holy Spirit is one of the least appreciated and understood figures of the Trinity. It is easy to understand and relate to God as Father, as we all have some kind of experience of father figures in our life. We can relate to Jesus as we see him as one of us, not only God but also truly human. But the Holy Spirit… we don’t have experience of spirits in our lives, and we tend to associate spirit with ghosts and exorcisms. This is why when we pray we tend to turn to Father and Son and neglect the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the living presence and power of God, fully divine, who gives life, reveals God’s word, and forms God’s people. In the Old Testament the Spirit is seen in creation and sustenance (e.g., God’s breath giving life), in empowering leaders and prophets for service, and in the promise of a future outpouring on
all God’s people. In the New Testament the Spirit is active in Jesus’ conception and baptism, anoints Jesus for ministry, and is promised by Jesus as the Advocate/Helper who will teach, remind, guide into truth, and glorify Christ. At Pentecost the Spirit is poured out on the Church, uniting believers to Christ, giving boldness for witness, and continuing God’s work through the apostles; the epistles describe the Spirit as the one who dwells in believers, assures them of adoption, produces holiness (“fruit of the Spirit”), and distributes gifts for
ministry.
In the life of the Church, the Holy Spirit makes the saving work of Christ present and effective: drawing people to faith, incorporating them into the body of Christ, and shaping the Church’s worship and prayer. The Spirit builds up the Church through gifts and callings (for teaching, service, leadership, mercy, healing, tongues, and more) so that ministry is shared and Christ is served through the whole community. The Spirit also creates unity across differences, convicts of sin, empowers reconciliation, and sends the Church in mission to
proclaim the gospel and pursue justice and compassion. In every age, faithful Christian life is therefore lived “in the Spirit”: dependent on God’s grace, attentive to Scripture, and growing in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
The Holy Spirit should be as central to our understanding of faith and salvation as Jesus and the Father are, we just need to figure out for ourselves what picture of the Spirit will be most helpful to either forming or deepening a relationship with the Spirit.
