How do we see the Holy Spirit at work in our lives?
‘And we believe in the Holy Ghost, Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spake by the prophets.’ – Nicene Creed
They say St. Patrick of Ireland used a threeleaf clover to explain the Trinity. Does that help you? How about an analogy with water, which is sometimes icy, sometimes steamy, sometimes drinkable, but always the same H2O?
No analogy is fully adequate, but each one tries to draw our attention to something of the mystery that is the Holy Trinity. The Nicene Creed is doing the same thing. We have looked at sections of the creed that express beliefs about God the Father and God the Son. Now the creed takes us to core beliefs about the third ‘person’ of the Trinity.
The Father is worthy of worship. The Son is worthy of worship. And, as the creed says, the Spirit is worthy of worship. God is all three. Sometimes we may focus on God the Father and, other times, God the Son. Sometimes the presence of God the Spirit may be foremost in our thinking. But this is largely a matter of human perception. Father, Son and Spirit are actually always present and always united.
Three in one
It can appear that Christians have three Gods. That is understandable – the mystery of the Trinity defies human conception whether one is a Christian or not. But when Christians are being most careful – and that is what the Nicene Creed aims to be – they affirm the divine unity. God is one. Whichever ‘person’ we name in prayer – Father, Son or Spirit – the one God hears. When we are saved from sin, the one God saves us. When our spirits are most aware of a divine presence, it is the one triune God making us aware of his presence.
When someone is genuinely good, we have reason to believe God has been at work in them
The human experience of divine presence is most closely associated with the work of God the Holy Spirit. Not long before his Crucifixion, Jesus told his close disciples that he would not abandon them. When his earthly ministry in Palestine was done, he would send another parakletos to be with them. In English, parakletos can be translated as comforter, counsellor or advocate. ‘One who comes alongside’ is about as literally as one can translate the Greek.
Being made holy
And how does God come alongside? Of all the work of the Holy Spirit, The Salvation Army has emphasized the Spirit’s power to make people holy. We know people who are holy, not just in their behaviour and appearance, but deep in their being. It is who they are. How has that happened? The short answer is that God the Holy Spirit – ‘the Lord and Giver of life’ – has been at work. It’s not just a matter of good human genes or human effort or positive social environment. When someone is genuinely good, we have reason to believe God has been at work in them.
Nowadays, many people think it is misguided to ‘turn the other cheek’ or ‘love your enemies.’ For them, pride and personal recognition rather than humility are prime values.
Christlike character
If, by contrast, you desire forgiveness over retribution, humility over self-aggrandisement and covenant love over hooking up – or any of the other marks of Christlike character – then someone other than the spirit of this age has been working within you. For people to have the mind of Christ and the power to live accordingly shows the Holy Spirit at work. That continues to be the Christian’s prayer: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, that the eyes of our heart would be enlightened (see Ephesians 1:17-18)
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION
Where do you see the Holy Spirit at work?
Why is it hard to love enemies?
This article is the fourth in a six-part series on the Nicene Creed, which marks its 1,700th anniversary in 2025. It has been reprinted with permission from Salvationist.ca
