WHO/WHAT? WHEN? WHY?
Who?/What?
Language questions
In the Old Testament the same word ‘ruach’ means both wind and spirit. So Genesis 1.3 can be translated, “the spirit of/from God was moving over the waters”, or “a wind from God was moving over the waters”. In the New Testament the Greek word ‘pneuma’ it always means spirit, though it could also means breath. (It is the word we get ‘pneumatic tyre’ from). But only in John 3.8 is ‘pneuma’ used for both wind and spirit. A different word, ‘pnoé’ is used to mean a strong wind (Acts 2.2).
He or It?
Rather embarrassingly, the New Testament usually refers to the spirit as ‘it’, but this is because the Greek word ‘pneuma’ is neuter, so takes neuter pronouns. In modern European languages the Spirit is masculine and is referred to as ‘he’. In Old Syriac (c. 200 AD) the word is feminine, so takes feminine pronouns. Certainly the New Testament talks about the Spirit in personal terms: It descends “like a dove”, “throws Jesus into the wilderness”, it can be grieved. On the other hand it is also like a substance into which believers are immersed (baptised), which fills believers (Acts 2.2), and which can be poured out (Acts 2.17).
The or A?
In Greek there is no word of ‘a’. “I saw a boat” would come out as “I saw boat”. There is a word for ‘the’, but that is sometimes used, sometimes not. In general when the New Testament talks about God’s Spirit, it either says “the Spirit” or “Holy Spirit” – with “holy” taking the place of the definite article.
Big or Little?
In English translations,the Spirit is given a capital ’S’, meaning God’s Spirit, and sometimes it is written with a small ’s’ meaning our spirit. This is entirely the editors’ decision. Up until the 6th century AD there were no lower case Greek letters. Everything was written in capital letters with no punctuation, and indeed no spaces between words. So when Paul discusses the spirit/Spirit in 1 Corinthians 2.13, the RSV translates the last phrase as “interpreting spiritual truths to those who possess the Spirit.” In the NRSV it is translated “interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.” It makes a difference.
Natural or Supernatural
In the gospels and Acts “Spirit” is only used in terms of God’s activity. Paul uses the word both for God’s activity, and, in line with current thought in the Hellenistic world, the inner nature of a person, that part of us which is capable of relating to God. A good example is Romans 8.5-6: The NRSV translates it as “Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” Another translation could be “Those who are fleshly have the fleshly mindset, but those who are spiritual have the spiritual mindset”. There is a significant theological issue here. Do we have a spiritual element innately, or are we purely dependent on God’s action? See what a difference a capital letter makes!
When?
When did Holy Spirit arrive on the scene? In the Hebrew scriptures, Spirit is usually simply a different way of talking about the presence of God, or his power or his word or his wisdom: “Where can I go from your spirit? or where can I go from your presence?” (Psalm 139.7)
There are a few instances where the coming of the Spirit is a more dramatic event. During the exile in Babylon, the prophet experienced the Spirit in a new way:
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me
he has sent me to proclaim good news to the poor….”
And the prophet Joel looked forward to the day when:
“I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions…” (Joel 2.28)
In the New Testament there are four moments when the Holy Spirit acts in a particularly powerful way: at Jesus’ conception; at his baptism; at his resurrection, and at Pentecost.
Luke 1 & 2: Gabriel tells the priest Zechariah that his yet-to-be-conceived son (John the Baptist) will be “filled with the Holy Spirit” (1.15); Mary is told that “Holy Spirit will come upon you and power of most high will overshadow you…” (1.35); her aunt Elizabeth was “filled with the Holy Spirit” when she saw Mary (1.41); as was Zechariah (1.67), and Simeon (2.25, 27). Luke is particularly keen on Holy Spirit!
b) When Jesus was baptised “he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending on him like a dove…” (Mark 1.10), i.e. gently like a dove settling, not like a gale or a raging fire, more common descriptions of the Spirit. But it/he then “drove him out into the wilderness.” (1.12) When Jesus started his ministry, healing and exorcisms were a major component, implicitly relying on the power of the Spirit. And the disciples did exactly the same. (Luke 10.17)
But John’s gospel says that there was no Spirit until Jesus had been crucified and raised:
“On the last day of the festival … (Jesus) cried out, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, “Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.” ’ Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7.37-39)
c) John makes the key moment the evening of Easter Day. “Jesus came to the disciples and said, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. When he had said this, he breathed and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’ “ (John 20.22-23)
(Note: the Greek does not say that he breathed “on them”, unlike all the translations I have seen).
d) Seven weeks later at the Feast of Pentecost, “suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting… All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.” As a result Peter spoke to a large cosmopolitan crowd and three thousand were baptised into the new community
e) Luke recounts several stages of the Spirit coming in transforming power:
on the Jerusalem disciples (4.31)
on the new Samaritan believers (8.17)
on a Gentile army household (10.44-47)
on twelve followers of John the Baptist (19.5-6)
So, when was the main coming of Holy Spirit? Was Pentecost the main event? Perhaps. But one of Luke’s agendas in writing the Acts of the Apostles is to affirm a particular aspect of the Spirit, namely his sudden manifestation to groups of believers and the bestowal of speaking in tongues. Perhaps a different author would have had a different emphasis.
John connects the gift of Holy Spirit with Jesus’ conquest of death: “He breathed (in) and said to them, ‘Receive Holy Spirit”. (John 20.22) First century Jews would not have been surprised that Jesus was raised from the dead. That would happen at the end of the age, at the Last Judgement. What would have astonished then was to see it taking place within history. It’s as if by his resurrection Jesus had broken down the barrier between heaven and earth. So the writer of the letter to the Hebrews connects Holy Spirit with the powers of the age to come: “It is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come…” (Hebrews 6.4-5) So maybe Easter Day is the crucial date.
It makes sense to me. It does not mean I am right!
WHY
Why did the Spirit come? What were the outcomes? I think they can put under two main headings: Witness and Transformation.
Witness
Witness is a strong emphasis in the New Testament.
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses…” (Acts 1.8)
“When they bring you to trial … do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; … for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 13.11)
“We are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.” (Acts 5.32)
The Spirit was a key witness at Jesus’ baptism: “As (Jesus) was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’” (Mark 1.10-11)
One of the key ways of witnessing to the truth about Jesus was the working of miracles. Here is Paul writing to a church he is in the middle of telling off:
“Does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?” (Galatians 3.5)
“My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” (1 Corinthians 2.4)
“I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God…” (Romans 15.18-19)
Miracles, probably miracles of healing, were so common they were taken for granted!
The other way Holy Spirit witnessed to Jesus was in the spoken word, particularly prophecy and tongues.
“While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God.” (Acts 10.44-46)
“If all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninstructed person enters, that person is reproved by all and called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so falling on his face he will worship God, declaring that God is really among you.” (1 Corinthians 14.24-25 – own translation)
“Be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves…” (Ephesians 5.18-19)
John’s gospel has a different emphasis:
“Receive Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20.23)
Does this mean the authority to accept people as members of the God’s new covenant community? It is echoed today in the Methodist Church’s absolution after confession: “In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!”
Transformation
All the signs and wonders of the world would be meaningless if they did not give rise to personal transformation – which is itself is perhaps a miracle, through the remapping of our neural pathways. Here are some of the things that Holy Spirit does:
“You are not in flesh; you are in Spirit, since God’s Spirit dwells in you.” (Romans 8.9)
“When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ the Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” (Romans 8.15-16, my translation)
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Lord’s Spirit is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3.18)
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5.22-23)
Finally there comes this amazing result: “All of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3.18)
How do we get there?
How do we enter into this experience of Spirit? Paul is clear. It is a gift. “God’s love has been poured into out hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given us.” (Romans 5.5)
So how do we get it? Jesus says in Luke:
“If you, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’ (Luke 11.13)