5 replies to this topic

[daysha]

On Facebook some people seem to be suggesting that the Holy Spirit is more than what I've come to understand it to be.

I see it as God's power and wonder why we put capital letters H S as though it is a separate entity to be revered.

When God works in our lives, I always thought that it was by His power, the holy spirit, not some indwelling Holy Spirit that some now seem to be suggesting in a subtle way.

Is this the right place to discuss this or should it be in a private area? I have some concerns about these new ideas (new to me anyways!).

[Richie]

Yes in reacting against the evangelical indwelling idea we've gone to the opposite extreme and said the Holy Spirit is meaningless today except talking in vague terms about God answering prayer and working through his word. But the fact of the matter is the spirit of God is a big part of NT teaching and we can't explain away all the verses and say it just applied to the first century when they had the Holy Spirit gifts.

The problem with the evangelical idea is that they turn the Holy Spirit into a thing, whether it be a person of the Godhead or some invisible energy that inhabits the body of a believer. However from studying this topic it occurs to me that it's far more abstract than that. The Holy Spirit is not a thing, it's how God acts. It's sometimes manifest in things, like when we read the word of God or when angels are at work, but ultimately the spirit of God is not something you can touch, feel, hear or see even if you could see the invisible. It's simply the way God thinks and acts, his attitude towards us, the way he deals with us according to his revealed character. That's the power of God that if it affects us can mightily change us. Far more powerful than the evangelical idea!

[Rebel]

Richie, on Jul 23 2009, 12:14 AM, said:

Yes in reacting against the evangelical indwelling idea we've gone to the opposite extreme and said the Holy Spirit is meaningless today except talking in vague terms about God answering prayer and working through his word.

Were you told you are blaspheming HS?

Dayshakiwi,
I think that holy spirit is an allegory of how God influences people, the same way as devil is an allegory of human sinful nature. In a similar way Wisdom is personified.
There are different aspects, which are not exactly the same as holy spirit, like God's spirit and spirit living in believers. It can make it complicated. Especially when gifts are mixed into it.

Why are you worried?

[daysha]

Maybe someone could suggest a good book or online article about the holy spirit/God's spirit etc then it would help clear it up for me.

[bibleman47]

[quote name='dayshakiwi' date='Jul 22 2009, 09:31

[Jeremy]

" 'Spirit' in the New Testament", Whittaker & Carr. Available here.