The Third Person of the Blessed Trinity
by Dermott Bennett
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he Holy Spirit is “the Lord, the giver of life.” This is the faith which the church professes. This profession is found in the words of the Nicene Creed. It is in this faith that the church receives new birth and new life. It is in this faith that peoples and individuals find new life and the fullness thereof, for Jesus said to Nicodemus “Unless man be born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and the Son given to the church and to individuals. Again, the Nicene Creed refers to the Holy Spirit as the Lord, the giver of life who proceeds from the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is the Counselor or Advocate. The Holy Spirit comes after Jesus, who is the first advocate and Counselor, in order to continue in the world the good news of salvation which Jesus proclaimed. The Holy Spirit is the one whom the Father sends in the name of Jesus and in unity with Him. The Holy Spirit then bears witness to Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life. The Holy Spirit is truth. As the source of truth, He will teach the church and individuals all the truths and revelations which the Father and the Son wish to be made known to human beings. The Holy Spirit is the one who will show us the way to fulfill the will of the Father and the Son, for He is the heart of love between the Father and the Son and is perfectly in tune with their divine will. The Holy Spirit is the great communicator. He communicates and transmits to us the power of salvation which Jesus won for us on the cross through His death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit is the Anointer. It was the anointing of the Holy Spirit which enabled Jesus to walk in the Father's will and in His ways, doing only what He saw His Father doing. As Jesus was anointed priest, prophet and king by the power of the Holy Spirit so too are we anointed priest, prophet and king. The Holy Spirit is the anointing of the Father on human beings. The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Blessed Trinity, is the one who makes Jesus ever present to us in our time and in our age. He is the life giving source in the Eucharist, changing ordinary gifts of the earth, bread and wine, into the real body and blood of Jesus. He is the life giving source who brings food to the world, for He brings spiritual unity to the body of Christ even though there is great physical separation. He is the one who offers again and again the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary to the Father on our behalf in full accord with the Son. It is the Holy Spirit who changes lives. In his life giving role, He changes all who have faith in Jesus, and gives to all who come to eat at the Lords Supper the power to become like Jesus himself. The Holy Spirit, as intercessor is the one who calls forth prayer. He constantly joins with the church in praying for the return of the Saviour as we read in REV 22:17. He also calls the church to intimacy with the Holy Trinity. It is essential for all who profess Jesus as Lord to become lovers of the Holy Spirit for such a relationship will draw us into deeper love for the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit will then become the sweet guest of our soul, the giver of gifts and the light of hearts. The results are the exposition of the fruits of the Spirit especially peace which flows from love. by Dermott Bennett May 25, 2020 |
