I Believe in the Holy Spirit (Apostles' Creed 9/13)

This article was first published in French at TPSG.

By Daniel Thornton

The Spirit is present in the first words of the Bible (Gen. 1:2) and the last words of the Bible (Rev. 20:17) – and at every moment in between. He is involved throughout God’s plans and actions, the two greatest being the Creation of the universe and the redemption of His people. If we want to know God and to live in relationship with Him, then we need to understand who the Holy Spirit is and what His purposes are for our lives. 

The Spirit as the Wind or Breath of God

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for Spirit is “ruach” which can be translated as “wind” or “breath”. So, sometimes in Scripture when we read “breath” or “wind”, the author is pointing to the Spirit. This is evident in a number of passages that speak of the Spirit giving life and order to creation (Ps 33:6, Jb 26:13a, Gn 2.7, Jb 33:4, Gn 8:1). 

The Spirit Delivers and Empowers Old Testament Saints

The Spirit has always been involved in operating salvation on behalf of His people. The greatest redemptive event in the Old Testament is the Exodus, which is considered the birth of the nation of Israel as God’s covenant people. 

In reference to the Exodus, Isaiah 63:14 states that by His Spirit, the LORD “lifted them up and carried them.” God thus empowered Moses and Aaron to operate great miracles by his Spirit. In the subsequent wilderness wanderings, the Spirit provided gifted leaders for the covenant community in the form of the 70 elders. Similarly, in the construction of the tabernacle, Bezalel and other artisans were “filled him with God’s Spirit, with wisdom, understanding, and ability in every craft” (Ex 31:3, cf. Ex 28:3; 35:31).

In the book of Judges, the Spirit of the Lord comes upon various judges to enable them to defeat their enemies: Othniel 3.10; Gideon 6.34; Jephthah 11.29; Samson 13.25; 14.6, 19; 15.14. The Spirit also comes upon and enables king Saul (1 Sam 10.9,10) and King David (1 Sam 16.13). Finally, the prophets of the Old Testament are filled with the Spirit so that they might communicate God’s message to the covenant community (Mic 3.8).

The Spirit in the Life of Christ

1. Jesus’ Birth

We read both in Matthew 1.20 and Luke 1.35 that Mary was to conceive by the Holy Spirit. 

Just as the Holy Spirit, hovered over the waters at creation, so the Spirit overshadows Mary in the incarnation

2. Jesus’ Baptism

The Baptism of Christ marks the beginning of His ministry and is one of the rare instances we see all three persons of the Trinity present. The Spirit and the Father (“a voice from heaven”) attest to Jesus’ identity as the Son of God (Lk 3.22). 

3. Jesus’ Temptation

If Jesus’ baptism attested to his divinity, his temptation speaks of his humanity. And, once again, the Spirit is a key actor in this event, leading Jesus into the wilderness for 40 days to be tempted by the Devil (Lk 4.1-2). 

4. Jesus’ Earthly Ministry

Jesus operated in the power of the Spirit during His earthly ministry (Lk 4:14). He cast out demons by the Spirit of God (Mt 12:28). By claiming to be the fulfillment of Isaiah 61:1, Jesus encapsulated his ministry during his incarnation as a work of the Spirit (Lk 4:18). 

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.

5. Jesus’ Passion

Jesus’ death on the cross was accomplished through the sustaining power of the Spirit in the Son (He 9:14). The Spirit, the Son, and the Father acted together to accomplish the divine plan of salvation for His people. 

6. Jesus’ Resurrection

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead was also a collaborative act between the members of the Trinity (Ga 1:1, Jn 2:19, 10:28, 1 Pe 3:18, Ro 8:11).

7. Jesus’ Ascension

The link between the ascension and the giving of the Spirit is an important one. Jesus promised that once the Son was glorified then the promised Spirit would be sent (Jn 7.39, 16.7). By the Spirit, God applies the accomplished work of Christ in the individual lives of those who are saved to form a new covenant community. 

The Spirit in the Life of the Believer

In Acts chapter 2 we witness the birth of the Church. As the Spirit was instrumental in the forming of the Old Covenant people of God in the Exodus, so he is instrumental in the forming of the New Covenant people of God beginning at Pentecost. 

1. Regeneration

Regeneration is the secret act of God by which he communicates new life in the Spirit. It is sometimes referred to as conversion or the new birth. It is the giving of life where it was not present before, and it is necessary because we “were dead in your trespasses and sins” (Eph 2.1). 

2. Baptism in the Holy Spirit

Baptism is the act by which God, by his Spirit, unites us to Christ and His new covenant community, the Church. In correction of the common charismatic belief that Baptism in the Holy Spirit is an event subsequent to conversion, baptism in the Holy Spirit is, in fact, simultaneous to regeneration. It is impossible for someone to be Christian and not to have received the baptism in the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12.13).

3. The Filling of the Spirit

The filling of the Spirit speaks of the Spirit’s empowering presence in the believer’s life and ministry. This is an ongoing experience, since Paul commands the believers in Ephesus to be “(continuously) filled by the Holy Spirit” (Eph 5.18). 

4. Sanctification

Sanctification is the process by which the believer progressively puts to death sin and walks in newness of life. This is made possible through union with Christ and the filling of the Spirit (Ro 8:9).

5. Gifting

As the Spirit unites us to Christ and His Body, he also empowers us to serve the Church through the use of particular gifts He gives to each believer (Ro 12.6-8, 1 Co 12.4-11, 12.28). The gifts are thus lived out “through” and “by” the Spirit. They serve to unify the Church in being built up in Christ. 

6. Glorification

The Spirit is the seal of God’s promise of a glorious future, the guarantee of our inheritance (Ep 1:14). And the Spirit furnishes in our hearts the true presence of the Father and the Son until we see them with our own eyes in heaven (Jn 14.23, Dn 7:13-14, Rv 22:1-3). 

7. The Unifying Role of the Spirit 

By His Spirit, God makes us a family, his universal, international, invisible Church (1 Co 12:13). In our individualistic Western cultures, sometimes we forget this element of the Spirit’s work, but it also is central. 

8. The Inspiration of Scripture

The Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16 that Scripture is inspired by God, or, literally in the Greek, God-breathed. As we mentioned at the beginning, the breath of God and the Spirit of God are often interchangeable terms. Other passages give weight to the argument that the Spirit himself inspired the authors of Scripture, including 2 Peter 1:21 and Act 1:16, 4:25. Scripture thus possesses divine power because it is the product of the divine Spirit. 

Implications

1. It causes us to depend on the Spirit

The study of pneumatology, or the doctrine of the Spirit, is not something we divorce from our walks with Christ. On the contrary, knowing the Spirit’s central role in redemptive history as well as in our own salvation helps us live in dependence upon him. We can’t do this on our own. We need him. 

The same Spirit who saved us and made us a part of his family is the Spirit who will sustain us to the end. Sometimes we falsely believe that God opened the doors for us to enter his kingdom, but that it’s entirely our responsibility to ensure that we behave in such a manner as to merit staying there. That’s simply not true. From beginning to end, we depend on the Spirit to keep us. Yes, we work out our salvation with fear and trembling, but we do so while recognizing how incapable we are of living righteously on our own. This is why we acknowledge that it is God who is at work in us to will and to do his good pleasure. Concerning the fifth point of Calvinism, we don’t believe so much in the perseverance of the saints as we believe in the preservation of the saints. 

2. It reminds us of our finiteness

When we consider the Spirit’s work in creating the universe, we are reminded of our finiteness, our creatureliness. We develop an appreciation of the beauty of creation and a new awareness of the Spirit of God’s role in it. The Spirit brings order and life out of darkness and chaos. This exemplifies His character and mission that we will see also in the spiritual realm. All this produces humility and worship.