Why is it that we humans feel the need to analyze everything? What is our overwhelming need to explain and understand — even things of God? Worse — when we feel we have discovered the answer, and we are convinced we are correct — we are then led to argue with anyone who disagrees with our conclusion.
But isn’t it true that there is nothing really mysterious or miraculous about things we can understand and explain? Didn’t God tell us, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9)?
That being true — why must we work so hard to explain or understand the things of God? And then “do battle” with other believers who might have a different opinion or explanation?
What Does Eternal Procession Mean?
As with so many things, there is a discussion among theologians as to the source of the one who we know as the Holy Spirit. Is he from the Father? From the Son? From the Father and the Son? The disagreements are often broken down between western and eastern theological perspectives.
Discussions of the doctrine of the eternal procession of the Holy Spirit, introduced as early as the writing of the Nicene Creed, some 1700 years ago, were somewhat of a vain attempt to explain who and from where the Holy Spirit emanated. The “why” of such a discussion remains somewhat unclear, although it seems politics may have played a role.
I do understand to a degree though. We know God, the Father, and Jesus, the Son — but so many of us are woefully lost when it comes to He who is the third member of the Trinity.
How Can We Understand the Holy Spirit?
For many years now, it has been my contention that most of us in the west have a distinct disadvantage. That is unless we speak Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, we are not reading the Bible in the original language in which it was written. Why is that a disadvantage?
Well, we miss so many of the nuances of the languages and with those, we often miss the intent of the authors. While we may be able to read and grasp the denotation of certain words — meaning the dictionary definition — we miss the connotation or the subtext.
For example, as I’m sure you know, there are four (some say as many as seven) words for love in Greek, each with a different connotation or subtext. Let’s face it, we don’t love our families in the same way we love our pets or hot dogs.
I don’t love my best friend in the same way that I love my wife. Of course, in English we have but one word for love, at least without adding adjectives.
This being the case, just imagine trying to convey eternal, spiritual realities to human understanding and into words of any language, that we humans could understand. We, who are locked into time, are confined in a very visible, physical reality. As such, we are equally limited in our understanding.
This is precisely why Job states, “I spoke of things I did not understand, things to wonderful for me to know” (Job 42:3). The psalmist agreed, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain” (Psalm 139:6).
Thus, our limited and woefully inadequate understanding of the Holy Spirit. Where does he come from? How does he dwell within us, and guide us, and direct us?
Who Exactly Is the Holy Spirit?
Throughout the Bible, we find many names for who many of us now know as the Holy Spirit: Comforter, Intercessor, Paraclete, Presence of God, Spirit of God, Spirit of Truth, Advocate, etc.
Many still refer to the Holy Spirit as the Holy Ghost — as I did growing up. At the baptism of Jesus, the Spirit appeared as a dove, and in the Book of Acts as tongues of fire.
In the third chapter of his gospel, John relates the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus, a Jewish Pharisee, and member of the ruling council. Jesus offers his first glimpse of the importance of the Spirit.
“…no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:5-8).
And lest we missed it at the start of all things, “…the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:2).
The “Spirit of God.” The Spirit of our Father, in whose image we are made. That Spirit instilled in us. Personally, I cannot even fathom that. For me, that is inconceivable on so many levels. Yet, it is laid out in God’s Word that is precisely what occurs when we give our hearts to Christ.
Unquestionably, the Holy Spirit is critical to us as believers in and disciples of Christ Jesus. We cannot be such without being “born again of the Spirit.”
Jesus received the Spirit at his baptism, and therefore, the Spirit is ours to receive upon our salvation.
How Are Created in His Image?
How often have we all seen parents and their children and uttered the words, “Wow, that kid can never deny who his dad is”? How about the adage about the apple not falling far from the tree? As is common, such clichés came about because they are so often true — we can see the imprint of the mom or dad on their children, on their entire families.
So too with us as children of the living God. We are made in His image, and we are expected to carry that image in our lives. Even as adopted children of God, we are expected to exhibit his qualities. His imprint.
Yet, as we so often see with our own children, they have the freedom to choose — to follow the path their parents have laid out, or to go their own way. So, it is with children of God, who have chosen to follow “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,” which comes “not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:16). We have chosen the physical over the spiritual.
But Jesus told us in John, 4:24, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in Spirit and in truth.” But how can we do that unless God imprints us once again with his Spirit? How can we worship the Father in Spirit if instead, we worship the things of the world?
Only one way is clear — His Holy Spirit.
What Does This Mean?
We read that at the baptism of Jesus, the “Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice from came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased’” (Luke 3:21-22).
When I read the words of Jesus, I believe them. Here is what he said: “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father — the Spirit of truth, who goes out from the Father — he will testify about me” (John 15:26, emphasis mine).
It seems pretty clear that the Holy Spirit is truly the Spirit of God the Father and emanates from Him at His will. Does that make me right? Is that the be-all, end-all? I have no clue. But this I know:
When we step out into eternity, we are not going to be asked if we understand any of the countless theological doctrines.
We are not going to be tested on the “eternal procession of the Holy Spirit,” or the meaning of propitiation, or be quizzed on multiple eschatological theories. We won’t even be asked to spell “procession” or “theology.”
We will only be asked if we know Jesus Christ. “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).
When we receive Jesus Christ into our hearts, we enter the family of God. With that wonderful gift of mercy, the Father gives us the incredible gift of grace of his Spirit. His imprint.
For further reading:
What Is the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit?
What Does it Mean to be Filled with the Holy Spirit?
What Is the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit?
Why Is the Dove Often a Symbol for the Holy Spirit?
How Can I Identify Messianic Prophecies in the Old Testament?
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