More Than Five Words
August 18, 2018
I grew up in a church that recited a creed every service. This was a confession of our shared beliefs, and it is a good habit - to regularly remind ourselves of our beliefs.
In that creed, the Trinity has a central role. The Father is honored in the first sentence. Jesus’s life and sacrifice are remembered in detail, taking up 75% of the whole creed. But the Holy Spirit got five words: "I believe in the Holy Spirit." These words were part of a run-on sentence at the very end of the creed that wrapped up everything else the church believed. I remember thinking as a kid, if the Holy Spirit is important enough to be part of the Trinity, why aren’t His qualities and accomplishments extolled in the creed? There had to be something more to Him.
For the last twelve months, I have been attending a bible academy and learning about the Person of the Holy Spirit. It is a central theme in the curriculum. I learned that when Jesus left the earth, He asked the Father to send the Holy Spirit to be with and live in the believers.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:16-18 (NIV)
We are actually living in the age of the Holy Spirit. Jesus finished His work on Earth and went to heaven. Now it is the Holy Spirit who teaches and guides us. The Holy Spirit is the central active figure in the life of the believer today. His role is to guide and strengthen us from the inside out. I am learning to be sensitive to Him and the way He works in me. He can tell me what to say, when and where to go, and what to do when I get there. The New Testament is full of references to the Spirit and how he worked and guided the people of the early church. He is still working the assignment He was sent to do today. Praise God!
There is definitely something more to the Holy Spirit than five words at the end of a creed. But instead of relying on a creed to extol His qualities, my life should be a demonstration of His power and His qualities. I’d better get busy!
