I believe in the Holy Spirit.
The Apostles’ Creed is an ancient and honored statement of faith, with a basic creed that is common to all Christians. It begins by acknowledging God the Father, and then has an extended section on God the Son. Now, we see in the Creed a reference to God the Holy Spirit.
For many people, the Holy Spirit is the silent or forgotten member of the Godhead. They look at Him as the least of the Trinity, and pay little attention to the Holy Spirit. But the Apostles’ Creed won’t let us do that. In a simple, straightforward statement it says, “I believe in the Holy Spirit.”
Is it good or bad that many Christians forget about the Holy Spirit?
In one way it is good, because the Holy Spirit loves to work with the spotlight on Jesus, not Himself. Jesus said this about the ministry of the Spirit: But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me (John 15:26 – click here for more on this important passage). The Holy Spirit’s whole purpose is to draw us to Jesus, and to testify of Jesus. He is happy to be in the background, just as long as the focus is on Jesus. People who really listen to the Holy Spirit will always have a wonderful focus on Jesus.
In another way it is bad, because forgetting about the Holy Spirit may be an indication that we are dead or asleep to spiritual things. For many Christians, their walk with God is no longer a supernatural thing; it is all too natural. It isn’t that we expect a strange, dramatic supernatural encounter every hour. Yet if there is little or no evidence of the Spirit of God moving in and around our life, something is missing.
As in many things, we are faced with a balance in regard to the Holy Spirit. Yes, we want to remember His presence, His work, and His constant desire to move in us and through us to supernaturally meet the needs of a hurting world. And yes, we do this without an over-emphasis on the Holy Spirit Himself, who longs more than anything to tell us about Jesus and to lead us to Jesus.
It’s important to remember that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit each share the same divine nature. They are all the same kind of Being. It isn’t as if each of them has widely different personalities. Jesus could say, When you see Me, you have seen the Father. (John 14:9) The same could be said of the relationship between the Holy Spirit and Jesus. Where the Holy Spirit is really working, it will look a lot like Jesus.
Some people think that spiritual living is all about having more of the Holy Spirit. In reality, it is all about the Holy Spirit having more of us. Is there some thing or some matter you should yield to Him today?
