Episode 130 – But What About … the Holy Spirit 2

Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”  The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God.

Script:  

Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

Acts, chapter 2, verses 2 through 4, New Living Translation

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VK: Hello. I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. Today, we are continuing our study series we’ve called “But what about” because a lot of time you hear questions like “but what about angels and demons” or “what about heaven and hell?” Unfortunately, we live in an age that where a lot of people who identify as being Christian are unfamiliar with the specifics of the faith they claim. This means many people either do not understand or cannot explain the basic tenants that make Christianity unique. This is particularly true with elements of the Christian faith that pertain to the nature of God and the supernatural realm. Obviously, the remedy to this problem is to see what the Bible actually has to say about them. I’m in the studio today with RD Fierro, author and Founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, last time we began our look at the 3rd Person of the Divine Trinity, the Holy Spirit. RD, can you give us a brief overview of some of the things we discussed?

RD: I’d be glad to, but before we get started I want to say a word of greeting and thanks to all the Anchored by Truth listeners. Thank you for joining us here today. As you mentioned a lot of people today who would identify themselves as being Christian find themselves at a loss if they are asked to explain some of the basic doctrines of the Christian faith – such as the triune nature of God or the dual nature of Christ. Now, admittedly, these are doctrines that contain elements of mystery. And no human being will ever understand them exhaustively. But the fact that we cannot comprehensively comprehend these doctrines is not an excuse for not applying ourselves to learning what we can. Most people cannot explain electricity but they know enough not to put their hands around a live bare wire or throw an electrical appliance into the bath tub.

VK: Well, we certainly hope that they know that.

RD: So, on our last episode of Anchored by Truth we covered some really important points about the Holy Spirit. First, the Holy Spirit is the 3rd Person of the Trinity. But in saying that the Holy Spirit is the 3rd Person we are not in any way saying that the Holy Spirit is inferior to either the Father or the Son. Saying the Holy Spirit is the 3rd Person is just a form of description or nomenclature. It’s not a hierarchical designation. Next, the Holy Spirit is a Person, not an impersonal force of the variety that is postulated in some science fiction movies. The Holy Spirit makes personal choices and takes personal actions. He intercedes for us, teaches us, transforms us, and helps us personally and individually. Third, the Holy Spirit inhabits every believer the moment they accept Christ as their Savior. There are no 2nd class citizens when it comes to believers and the Holy Spirit. And it’s important to note that the Holy Spirit does not play favorites. The Holy Spirit is as fully present in believers the world might see as humble as He is in the most famous Christians who have ever lived.

VK: And today we want to build on that foundation. I believe you said that you want to think about a couple of the most prominent appearances of the Holy Spirit in scripture. We heard about one of those appearances in our opening scripture for today. This was the appearance of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. So, let’s take just a brief look at the background about Pentecost itself. Pentecost comes from a Greek word meaning fiftieth. In the Jewish calendar Pentecost was  the fiftieth day after Passover – well, actually the 2nd day of the Feast of Passover because Passover lasted for a week. Pentecost could be regarded as a supplement to the Passover. The center piece of the celebration was the presentation of the two loaves made from the first-fruits of the wheat harvest. Other sacrifices were also offered but until the Pentecostal loaves were offered, rest of the harvest couldn’t be eaten. Pentecost signified the dedication of the harvest to God as its giver.

RD: Exactly. Pentecost signified that the harvest time had come. In a sense Pentecost was both a beginning and an end. It was the end of the planting and growing season and the beginning of bringing in the fruits of those labors. So, I want to keep those principles in mind as we move on to another prominent appearance of the Holy Spirit in scripture. This is appearance of the Holy Spirit at the time Jesus began His public ministry that is recorded in Matthew, chapter 3.

VK: Ok. Let’s listen to the verses you’re referring to. This is the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 3, verses 16 and 17. In the New Living Translation those verses say, “After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

RD: A few things to notice immediately. First, like the verses we heard from the Gospel of John, chapter 14, verses 16 and 17, this passage of scripture clearly demonstrates the triune nature of God. The Son, in his human nature, is on earth being baptized. The Spirit descends on the Son in the form of a dove. And, immediately, we hear the Father affirming His approval of His Son. So, as with the verses in John – where Jesus told his disciples He was going to ask the Father to send another advocate (comforter) – we hear a clear distinction being made between the 3 Persons of the Trinity.

VK: In the New Living Translation the verses from John say, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.” So, in both these passages from scripture we see that the 3 Persons of the Trinity clearly interact with each other on the basis of relationship and identity. They all share a single nature, but they all have separate identities and they perform roles based on their relationship with one another.

 RD: Yes. The Trinitarian nature of God is a fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith. We should all do our best to grapple with it. It’s not easy and there will always be mystery associated with it. But it is a basic principle of the Christian faith and as we will see it is foundational to the coherence of the faith. But let’s move on to another important point we see from the Matthew passage. The Holy Spirit manifests Himself in a wide variety of guises in His various appearances in scripture.

VK: For instance, in Revelation, chapter 1, verse 4 the Holy Spirit is said to appear as “seven spirits” that are before the throne of God. And in Zechariah, chapter 3, verse 9 the Holy Spirit is described as a “stone” on which there are 7 eyes.

RD: Right. The Holy Spirit obviously takes on whatever form He deems suitable for the occasion of His appearing. So, why did the Holy Spirit take on the form of a dove on this occasion – at Jesus’ baptism which was effectively the start of His public ministry?

VK: I think that’s a very good question – so I expect you probably have some thoughts about the answer.

RD: Actually, I do. Let’s remember back to Biblical flood account that we hear about in Genesis, chapters 6 through 9. What did Noah did as the flood waters were receding from the earth. 

VK: Oh, I see what you’re getting at. Noah released two birds from the window of the ark so they could check and see what was happening on the outside of the ark. The first bird Noah released was a raven. The Bible says the raven “kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth.” Then Noah sent out a dove. The dove actually went out three times. Each time was a week apart. The first time it came back because scripture says “the dove could find nowhere to perch.” The second time the dove came back it had a “freshly plucked olive leaf” in its beak. The third time it didn’t return. Evidently, by then the dove had found plenty of food and places it could land and rest.

RD: Right. The raven didn’t need to come back because ravens are carrion eaters. It could land and feed on dead animals that were either floating or starting to be exposed on the few parts of the land that were starting to appear. But doves feed on seeds, grains, fruits, and insects. On its first couple of flights it wasn’t able to find what it needed to sustain itself. But the olive leaf told Noah that the plant life was starting to come back. But the point is that the dove became a symbol of peace because the dove’s flights marked the end of the end of the flood and the resumption of a period of growth and harvesting. So, the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove is a graphic reminder that Jesus came to bring peace between mankind and God.

VK: I see what you’re saying. This calls to mind the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, verses 13 and 14 which described the scene of the shepherds in the field seeing the vision of angels. The New Living Translation puts it this way: “Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.’”

RD: Exactly right. Notice the angel said “peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” Then, in the passage from Matthew the Father distinctly says that He is pleased with His Son. Jesus pleased the Father not only at the start of His public ministry but throughout His entire life. And because Jesus pleased the Father Jesus was able to bring peace to anyone who would place their trust in Jesus for their salvation. So, the Holy Spirit taking on the form of a dove at the start of Jesus’ public ministry was a graphic way of telling the world that Jesus had arrived to bring that peace between the Father and anyone and everyone who would allow Jesus to become their comforter and advocate.

VK: Wow. That’s amazing. The Holy Spirit’s appearance as a dove at the start of Jesus’ public ministry was a graphic punctuation point that a very long period of estrangement between mankind and God was coming to an end. From the time God created the heavens and earth to Jesus’ birth was a period of about 4,500 years. During that 4,500 years God was shaping both histories and cultures to prepare the world for the arrival of the Messiah. So, when the Messiah arrived after all that time it really did mark a major line of demarcation in the history of the world.

RD: Just as the flood of Noah had. But now let’s fast forward to the Holy Spirit’s appearance at Pentecost. This is after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. Jesus had completed his sacrificial work and the Father has demonstrated His satisfaction with work by Jesus’ resurrection. And at the time of Pentecost Jesus has returned to the Father. This also inaugurates a new period in the grand saga of redemption. This is the time when the veil had separated the Holy of Holies in the temple from the rest of the temple had been torn and removed. And the Apostles Peter and Paul will shortly demonstrate that now Gentiles as well as Jews are welcome to participate in salvation. Prior to Jesus’ ministry and death the plan of salvation had been focused on Israel and the Mideast – but now it will be taken to the whole world.

VK: So, let’s amplify that point a little. When the Holy Spirit descended at the time Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit only rested on Jesus. But at Pentecost the Bible says, “Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.” At Pentecost there was a large group of believers who had gathered together in one place. When the Holy Spirit came, He didn’t just settle on one or two of the believers – not even the leaders. The Holy Spirit settled on “each of them.” What a marvelous illustration that the plan of salvation had entered an entirely new era. Now, the Holy Spirit was demonstrating that He would be available to anyone who chose to believe in Jesus as the Messiah.

 RD: And the beginning of this new era is demonstrated even further because the Bible tells us that there were believers from all over the known world that were there who immediately heard the message that the disciples began preaching. The Bible mentions “Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs.” We don’t have time to go into the specific geography that is covered in that series, but it essentially covers all of the Roman Empire at that time.

VK: And the fact that God was beginning a phase of redemption when the gospel would be taken throughout the world is emphasized because all the visitors were hearing the messages being proclaimed in their own language. Acts, chapter 2, verse 8 says the people hearing the message were amazed and said, “…how is it that each of us hears … them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”

RD: Right. So, at Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended on each of the believers that were present. That would have been amazing enough. But the Holy Spirit didn’t just settle for inspiring those individual believers. The Holy Spirit immediately inspired the believers to carry the message that salvation was available to everyone to people from around the world. The territory covered in that list includes what today we would call Europe, Asia, and Africa. Furthermore, it’s important to note that Holy Spirit’s appearance at Pentecost wasn’t as a dove but as flames or tongues of fire. 

VK: Well, just as the dove is a symbol of peace fire is often a symbol of the glory of God and of judgment. For instance, after the Israelites have left Egypt, in Exodus, chapter 24, verses 17 and 18 the Bible says, “To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the LORD appeared at the summit like a consuming fire. Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights.”

RD: Right. This was the point in the exodus when God gave Moses the law. And while Moses was on the mountain the Israelites got restless and made the golden calf. Then when Moses came down from the mountain God pronounced judgement on the idolatry and it resulted in the death of 3,000 people.   So, at Jesus’ baptism the Holy Spirit arrived to demonstrate that Jesus was about to make peace possible between God and man. At Pentecost the Holy Spirit arrived to say that everything necessary for that peace had been accomplished. That’s the good news. The bad news is that there would be judgment for those who did not accept the offer.

VK: And even Jesus gave that message to Nicodemus. In John, chapter 3, verses 16 through 19 Jesus said, “…God … gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.”

RD: Yes. During His ministry Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit would come and He told the disciples to remain in Jerusalem until it happened. The Holy Spirit arrived at Pentecost just as Jesus had promised and immediately began His work of applying the gospel of salvation to the lives of individual believers. That made the Spirit’s appearance as tongues of fire appropriate – because, just as Jesus said, anyone who does not believe has been “judged for not believing in God’s one and only son.” But fire is not just a symbol of judgement. It is also a symbol of illumination, passion, and purification.

VK: An example of the Holy Spirit’s role in purification and sanctification is Galatians, chapter 5, verses 22 and 23. Those verses say, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Said another way as we progress through the Christian life we should see more and more of these attributes in our lives. 

RD: Yes. Fire as an agent of purification is very common throughout scripture as is the recognition that such purification is necessary for God’s children. For instance, Psalm 66:10 says, “You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver.” And fire is an obviously an appropriate symbol of illumination because fire was the only way people in the ancient world had to see at night or in the dark. The Holy Spirit’s role in illuminating our minds is illustrated by 1 Corinthians, chapter 2, verses 13 and 14 which say, “When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.” 

VK: The fact that the Holy Spirit is present in all believers is reinforced by Galatians, chapter 4, verse 6. This verse says, “And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, ‘Abba, Father.’” As is frequently noted the term “Abba Father” is essentially the way a child calls out to “Daddy.” It’s a very personal expression. And we can be sure that every believer has the Spirit because that verse says God sent the Spirit into our hearts. We can be very sure that if God sent the Spirit, the Spirit arrived. God is not going to fail when he does something.

RD: And, of course, fire is a common symbol of passion even in our own day and language. People will talk about a passionate person as having “fire in the belly” or being “on fire for the Lord.” But it is important to note that the passion that Holy Spirit brings to the life of a believer is a passion for God and for the things of God.

VK: That calls to mind the famous incident from the Gospels when Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers in the temple. The Gospel of John says in chapter 2, verse 17 that when the disciples saw Jesus doing that they “remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: ‘Passion for God’s house will consume me.’”

RD: Right. So, we can see from the Holy Spirit’s appearance as dove settling on Jesus at the time of Jesus’ baptism that God was signaling that Jesus’ arrival was introducing the possibility of peace between God and men. Just as Noah used a dove to verify that the flood had indeed ended and that the earth was being restored, the Holy Spirit as the dove helps us see that through Jesus’ life and ministry we can find peace and restoration. But the Holy Spirit’s appearance as “tongues of fire” at Pentecost, signal that this peace and restoration is not universal. Peace and restoration are universally available but as Jesus told Nicodemus they are only available for those who believe in the Son. Jesus said judgment has come to those who don’t believe in the one and only Son of God because those people “loved the darkness more than the light.”

VK: Well, we’ve mentioned a couple of times that without a good understanding of the Holy Spirit it is difficult, if not impossible, to have a coherent Christian faith – or a coherent world view for that matter. That’s a subject we want to explore in greater depth on our next episode of Anchored by Truth. But in the little time we have remaining can you give us a glimpse of what you’re thinking about?

RD:  Sure. I know that sometimes the Holy Spirit can be a bit of a mysterious figure to many people. But if God was not an eternal Trinity it would be much harder to understand certain attributes of God such as love and harmony. Love is possible among the three persons of the Trinity because they are separate and distinct from one another when it comes to relationship. It’s hard to see how a God who is not triune could truly express love, especially the kind of love that is willing to sacrifice itself for another. This is the kind of love Jesus showed to men but it is also the kind of love the Persons of the Trinity have for one another. It is possible for them to have a loving relationship because they are separate and distinct from one another. So, the Father can truly love the Son and the Son can truly love the Father so much that He was willing to adopt a human nature to demonstrate the Father’s love for us. The Spirit loves the Father and the Son and so is willing to come to rebellious and sinful people to change their hearts so those people can also begin to participate in this eternal love. If the Spirit were not a person He could not love in such a way that makes His mission understandable. Impersonal forces do not love. But an perfect and holy Spirit who is concerned for the being God created in His image can express that love. This can be difficult to understand on our first hearing about it. We need to meditate about it and pray for the Spirit’s wisdom to see its applicability. But this is a necessary discipline but if we don’t undertake it we will miss out the deepest possible relationship with God.  If we try to limit scripture to merely human ideas or concepts, it’s much harder for us to learn and it would be impossible for us to have a coherent faith.

VK: Well, as we mentioned, next time we’ll turn our attention to some additional elements about the Holy Spirit. We especially want to study how understanding the role of 3rd Person of the Trinity is consistent with, and essential to, the remarkable unity of scripture. This sounds like a good time for a prayer. Since there is a desperate need in every nation for the wisdom of God to light a path to truth and freedom, today let’s pray a prayer for all Christian missionaries – whether they’re sent to foreign lands or their next door neighbor. 

---- PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES.

We hope you’ll be with us next time and we hope you’ll take some time to encourage some friends to tune in too, or listen to the podcast version of this show.

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 (Bible Quote from the New Living Translation)

Revelation, chapter 1, verses 4 and 5 New Living Translation

Topical Bible: Pentecost (biblehub.com)