Difference between revisions of "Holy Spirit"
(Scriptural references to the Holy Spirit are in both the Old and New Testaments, and include Proverbs 8:22-31, John 16:12-15, and Romans 5:1-5.) |
m (Unprotected "Holy Spirit": policy to unlock pages as much as possible) |
(No difference)
| |
Revision as of 16:02, May 30, 2010
| The Godhead |
|---|
|
| God the Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit |
The Holy Spirit (Greek: παράκλητος) [1] is the third person of the Holy Trinity, both distinct and coequal with God the Father and the Son (Jesus).
The Holy Spirit embodies the mutual eternal love of the Father and the Son. The Greek term for the Holy Spirit is "Paraclete", which means advocate or intercessor, thereby connoting a driving force for good.
The apostles credit the Holy Spirit with giving them the courage to spread the good news of Jesus Christ in a very hostile world. Scriptural references to the Holy Spirit are in both the Old and New Testaments, and include Proverbs 8:22-31, John 16:12-15, and Romans 5:1-5.
The essential Christian teachings about the Holy Spirit are summarized in the Nicene Creed:
| “ | I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]. With the Father and Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets. | ” |
The bracketed language in the above will be explained shortly. Christians agree on the following two propositions:
- The Holy Spirit (also known as The Holy Ghost) is the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity.
- Though really distinct, as a Person, from the Father and the Son, He is "one in being" with them with Them; being God like Them, He possesses with Them one and the same Divine Essence or Nature.
There is a key distinction between Western Christians and the Eastern Orthodox churches on a seemingly trivial, but extremely controversial, point. Western Christians believe that the Holy Spirit proceeds "from the Father and the Son In other words, He proceeds, not by way of generation, but by way of inspiration, from the Father and the Son together, as from a single principle. The Eastern Orthodox omit the italicized language. They believe that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father through the Son. The disagreement between the East and West is sometimes known as the filioque controversy, from the Latin word and enclitic for "and the Son," although such term may more properly apply to the Great Schism of 1054.
In the New Testament the word spirit and, perhaps, even the expression spirit of God signify at times the soul or man himself, inasmuch as he is under the influence of God and aspires to things above; more frequently, especially in St. Paul, they signify God acting in man... to the Holy Ghost we attribute the operations of grace and the sanctification of souls, and in particular spiritual gifts and fruits. [2]
"...for the Father and the Son come with Him when He descends into our souls (John 14:23)."
"He performs a sanctifying work among men (St. Athanasius, 360 AC)."
Invocation of the Holy Spirit
Most powerful Holy Spirit,
come down upon us
and subdue us.
From heaven,
where the ordinary
is made glorious,
and glory seems
but ordinary,
bath us
with the brilliance
of your light
like dew.
- - Celtic Prayer
According to the New Testament, Jesus after His resurrection told His disciples that they would be baptized with "The Holy Ghost", and would receive "Power, after that the Holy Ghost [was] come upon [them]" (Acts 1:4-8). Christians believe that the Holy Spirit, guiding people in the way of the truth, produce positive results, known as the Fruits of the Holy Spirit.
See also
- Symbols of the Holy Spirit
- Fruits of the Holy Spirit
- Son of God
- Bible
- Christianity
- Christianity in Conservapedia
External links
- Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit This topic appears three times in the New Testament.
