Word of Salvation – Vol. 33 No. 33 – September 1988
Believing In The Holy Spirit
Sermon by Rev. M. P. Geluk on Lord’s Day 20
Reading: John 14:15-18; John 16:5-16
Singing: Ps.H.393:1,2; BoW.H.605; Bow.H.602; Ps.H.391:1,2,3,4; Ps.H.491.
The Christian church must confess the reality of the Holy Spirit. It is not an option. The Heidelberg Catechism has been following the Apostles’ Creed, and, having dealt with the section on Christ, now focuses on the Holy Spirit. However, this is not the first time the Holy Spirit is mentioned. Whilst Lord’s Day 20 is quite brief on the Holy Spirit, you cannot say that the authors of the Catechism; nor the Reformation church that made the Catechism its beloved confession, were unaware of the importance of the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. References to the Spirit are found throughout the Catechism, 27 times in fact.
For example, it says that it is the Holy Spirit who assures the Christian of eternal life, and makes him whole-heartedly willing and ready to live for Christ (A.1). The Catechism confesses that the Holy Spirit causes the new, spiritual birth, in the lives of spiritually dead sinners (A.8). The Holy Spirit, through the Gospel, creates within the believer the deep-rooted assurance that his sins are forgiven, that he is right with God and has been granted salvation (A.21). It is the Holy Spirit who anointed Christ to be our prophet, priest and king (A.31). Through the working of the Holy Spirit the eternal Son of God took to Himself a truly human nature from the flesh and blood of Mary (A.35). Although in heaven with the Father, Christ is present with us here on earth through the Holy Spirit (A.47). By the power of the Holy Spirit the Christian is able to make, not earthly riches but heavenly riches, the goal of his life (A.49). And through the Holy Spirit, Christ pours out His gifts from heaven upon us, the members of His body (A.51).
Furthermore, the Catechism says, the gathering of the elect into the church is the work of Christ through the Holy Spirit (A.54). The Holy Spirit is mentioned when the Catechism speaks on the nature of faith (A.65). Frequent references are made to the Holy Spirit when the sacraments are dealt with (A.57-80). It is by the Holy Spirit that Christ renews the Christian in His likeness and so enabling him to do good works (A.86). Three times the Holy Spirit is mentioned as the one who enables the Christian to obey God’s commandments (A.103, 109, 115). And three times the Holy Spirit is referred to in the exposition of the Lord’s Prayer (A.116, 123, 127).
So the Reformation, which rediscovered the rich contents of the historic Christian faith, and to which we trace back the roots of our Reformed faith and the Reformed Churches, certainly knew about and taught the richness and wide scope of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. And the Heidelberg Catechism reflects that richness. The question is of course: “Are you and I also aware of it, and do our lives reflect the same richness of the Holy Spirit?”
Well, let us see. The scriptural content of Lord’s Day 20 deals with:
Believing In the Holy Spirit.
1. The Spirit and God.
2. The Spirit and Christ.
3. The Spirit and Me.
1. In the first place we look at the Spirit and God. In his Gospel, John has recorded the things Jesus said about the Holy Spirit. It is clearly indicated in chapters 14-16 that the Holy Spirit is not merely a power but a person. For us it is hard to imagine that a spirit can be a person. But when the church speaks of the three persons of the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, then it means to say that each has personal qualities. A mere influence or a mere power (as the Jehovah Witnesses and the Mormons think of the Holy Spirit) is impersonal. But that is not what the Spirit is. Jesus referred to the Spirit as another counsellor, or helper. The word “another” indicates “one like Jesus” who will take His place and do His work. Hence, if Jesus is a person, the Holy Spirit must also be a person. And so He is, for Jesus said that the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in Jesus’ name, will teach the disciples all things and He will remind them of everything Jesus told them (Jn.14:26). Jesus said: the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father and He will testify about Christ (Jn.15:26).
When the apostles in the early church wrote a letter to Gentile believers about various matters, they said, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us that…” (Acts 15:28). It is clear the apostles regarded the Spirit, like they did Jesus; a Person. So the Spirit is someone. He is the one, says Paul, who helps us in our weaknesses, and intercedes for us (Rom.8:26). The Spirit is the one who distributes the different gifts to the Christians (1Cor.12:11). But not only is the Holy Spirit personal, He is on an equal level with God the Father and God the Son. The apostle Peter, when he exposed the sin of lying in Ananias and his wife Sapphira, said firstly, “you have lied to the Holy Spirit,” then “you have lied to God,” and finally, “you have tested the Spirit of the Lord.” (Acts 5:3,4,9). This equality with God come s out also in the command to baptize. It is to be done “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt.28:19). Whilst Paul in his letters greets the churches in the name of God the Father and Christ His Son, Peter in his first letter includes the Holy Spirit in his greeting (1:2). And one benediction from Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians, includes the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son (13:14).
And if the Holy Spirit is God then He is also eternal, everywhere present, all-powerful and all-knowing, as indeed many texts in Scripture indicate.
Now why do we stress all this so much? Why this teaching on what the Bible says? Why not some exciting stories of what the Holy Spirit is doing in the lives of people today? Does it really matter so much if one thinks of the Holy Spirit as just a mere power or influence? Would God really mind if people were a bit vague about the Spirit? As long as people acknowledge that the Spirit is at work somehow, that will do would it not?
Well, imagine yourself as a person who can be a great help to others. People would really benefit if they knew about you and your skills. But you are not personally known to them. All that others know about you is some vague, general information which is half true and half false. People might even have been in the same house as you without recognizing you. Notwithstanding the help you could be for others, you are really a stranger to them. They do not come to you for help, and when you come to them, they somehow do not seem to notice you. Now that would be a real pity, but that’s how it often is with God the Holy Spirit. He has so much to give, so much to offer, but many do not know Him and are vague about His work, sometimes badly misrepresenting Him. Some of these people come to church, but they are like robots. Their whole worship, if you can call it that, is mechanical. Some read the Bible and pray, but again it is just a routine, like putting your clothes on or off; you don’t think about it anymore. People come face to face with God the Holy Spirit and they do not know that it has happened.
In some ways our times are not very helpful in getting to know the Holy Spirit. We live in an age of self-sufficiency. Man seems to have all the answers. There is modern science, well-equipped hospitals, the latest drugs, specialists of all kinds, computers, the welfare system. In this kind of world many people do not seem to need God the Holy Spirit. And yet, in the midst of all this self-sufficiency, there is often a tragic spiritual emptiness. Machines, gadgets, efficiency, good planning, comfortable homes, financial security, helpful as they may be, do not give people love, warmth, understanding and a feeling of being loved and wanted. People feel lonely, even the young commit suicide, and there is an increased dependency on drugs, alcohol and sex. Local communities offer self-awareness classes to people who are frightened of the powerful forces of darkness inside them. Man is so small and incapable of dealing with life’s complex problems. It can be so terribly difficult to handle one’s Own moods and emotions. And so people turn to eastern religions; they have tried the materialism of the west and found it empty. Or people turn from one movie to another, preferably the action-packed ones, for without the fast lane, life seems dull and boring. Or people lose themselves in their music, wild sounds and sweet and bitter words of love and sex endlessly filling their minds. People, drifting through life, aimless, feeling empty and sometimes lonely and hurting. And all the time there is God the Holy Spirit who can do more than anyone can imagine.
look at
2. In the second place let us look the Spirit and Christ and see what the Spirit can do. We are often wary about unusual experiences and dramatic happenings when these are attributed to the Holy Spirit. That’s not without reason. Extreme and even bizarre happenings have been associated with the Holy Spirit and have given the Christian faith a bad name.
It is good, therefore, to be reminded that the Holy Spirit gives no teaching other than what we find in Christ. Any claim, therefore, to a new teaching, a vision, or a special revelation, that cannot be traced back to Christ is therefore false and imagined. And we can know whether or not it is of Christ by searching the Scriptures. If it not found in Scripture, either directly or by logical deduction, then it is not truth. And if it is there, then it cannot be claimed as something new.
We must point out time and again that the work of the Holy Spirit is a continuation of Christ’s saving work. The Catechism reminds us that the Holy Spirit makes the Christian believer share in Christ and all His blessings. Jesus said that the Spirit will teach us all things (Jn.14:26) and He will guide us into all truth (Jn.16:13).
But what are “all things” and what is “truth”? Well, Jesus said that the Spirit will not speak on his own but He will only speak what He hears (Jn.16:13). The Spirit will remind us of everything Jesus has said and the Father has sent Him in Jesus’ name (Jn.15:26). The Spirit, said Jesus, will take what is mine and make it known to you (Jn.16:15). What is the work of Christ? It is to have us grow in His likeness. It is to have Christ build us up in our most holy faith. To renew us and make us into a God-honouring people. How does Christ do this? He works within us through the Spirit and enables us to live godly lives, to fight and resist sin and to make us behave as true citizens of the Kingdom of heaven. The Spirit has been given to each Christian and each is to become more and more Christ-like; each is to become a living member of the body of Christ, the church, and each is to help build up the church with the gifts or talents supplied by Spirit, for the common good.
But God’s Word also speaks of the possibility of Christians resisting the Holy Spirit, which results in grieving Him. How do we avoid this? By not ceasing to believe in the Holy Spirit. The article in the Apostles’ Creed says, “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” If we continue to do that, then we will not resist or grieve the Spirit. You see, it is the Spirit’s aim and work to point us to Christ and His salvation. The Spirit wants us to experience and live in the fullness of all of Christ’s blessings. Now that is what we must continue to believe about the Holy Spirit. As soon as we stop seeing the Spirit in that way, then we grieve Him, because we block His efforts in uniting us to Christ and His salvation blessings.
Sometimes we believe more in ourselves than in the Holy Spirit. It is understandable that we do this, for it is the way of the world. Much of the psychology of the world is aimed at getting people to believe in themselves. In one sense we have to, of course. We have to accept the fact that we exist and are somebody. It would be difficult to function as human beings without that belief about ourselves. But in another sense, believing in oneself can really resist the work of the Holy Spirit. Christ has said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn.15:5). But what do Christians often do? They begin thinking that Christ no longer loves them because they have been neglecting to love Him. Especially in times of loneliness and depression they feel that Christ is no longer near to them and the reason for this absence of divine of divine nearness which they so acutely feel, is that they themselves have lacked in trust, faith and service. So God, they feel, is only paying back in kind. They are getting what they deserve. But this unbiblical thinking drives them deeper into despair, for how can they ever dig deeper into their human reservoir of spiritual good when they have already hit rock-bottom? With all their might and power they cannot restore the beautiful relationship they had with Christ. But what they are doing is believing in themselves more than in the Holy Spirit. They have, in fact, forgotten the Holy Spirit. But the Bible says, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.” (Zech.4:6).
Oh, we as Christians must learn time and again that the Lord does not treat us as we deserve but according to His own loving kindness. And the Holy Spirit was there all the time for us to go to Him and say, “Spirit of Christ, restore to me the riches of salvation.” It is the Spirit’s work to do precisely that. He will not rest until the unity between Christ and the Christian is restored. The Spirit will not leave us alone until we are drinking once more from the wells of salvation.
3. In the third and final place let us see the Spirit and Ourselves. Is it the not Spirit that comforts us and remains with us forever? Actually, nothing so far has been without us. When we spoke of the Spirit and God, then it was to make us see the majesty, power and might and might of the Spirit. And when we talked of the Spirit and Christ, then it was to make us see the beauty of belonging to Christ and living out of the fullness of His grace.
There may be many needs in your life. No doubt you are deeply aware of them and you wonder if you can cope. But when we believe in the Holy Spirit, we are comforted to know that He brings aid to us from the Father’s throne and the riches of Christ. Sometimes we are not so keen to read and meditate on God’s Word. Our minds are occupied with daily things. But what comfort it is that the Spirit makes us love that Word again and drives us back to it. The Spirit increases our faith, helps us to understand, leads us to heaven, makes us fight the spiritual battle and never forsakes us, neither in life nor at death.
Surely you, a Christian, must have noticed within you a desire to praise God, because He is so great and mighty! Surely you, a Christian, have felt the urge to pray and tell the Lord everything! Surely, there is within you the intention to fight and overcome sin and say ‘no’ to temptation! Surely, you have the desire to put your hand in the Father’s hand and trust him for all things! Surely, when you have seen others in spiritual darkness, you have wanted to tell them of the saving grace of Christ and His compassion on sinners! Surely, you have wanted the whole world to be free of corruption and wickedness and Christ be King over all! Surely, you have wanted to love, to have joy, to have peace, to be patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and have self-control!
If you haven’t experienced within yourself any of these things then, and I hardly dare say it but I must, then you are not of Christ. Then you are in great danger and you must and you must repent and believe.
But if you know of those precious things I have just said, then why, do you suppose, are these things in you? They are there because God the Holy Spirit lives within you and He is there to make Christ rich in you. You might say, yes, but those desires and intentions you spoke about are not always so strongly present. Sometimes they are weak and hardly noticeable. Yes, we do grieve the Spirit. But the fact that they are there at all is because the Spirit of God is within you. He is even willing to do much more and therefore you must be open to His leading. You must yield to Him, all and every part of you. Yes, to be a child of God, to know Christ as the Saviour and King, to experience the Spirit bringing God within us, is a truly wonderful thing.
Praise God indeed!
AMEN.