Who is the Holy Spirit?
Many people alive today consider the Holy Spirit to be the most obscure person of the Holy Trinity. They create myths that He is a force, a ghost or a second-class God or His substitute. Often the Holy Spirit is confused or even represented as a random figure who appears only for a short moment.
But all this is quite far from the truth. In the Church it is very important to know the Holy Spirit and learn to communicate with Him. It is important to understand how He manifests Himself. The Holy Spirit helps people in their weaknesses, He intercedes for us with his wordless groans, lamenting for the people of God.
The Holy Spirit was in every part of the life of Jesus Christ. An angel who appeared to the Virgin Mary proclaimed to her that the Holy Spirit would descend on her, and the power of the Lord God would overshadow her. Therefore, the Saint born by her will be called the Son of God. Time passed, and at the baptism of Jesus, which marked the beginning of His ministry to people, the Holy Spirit again appeared in material form. As soon as the Son of God rose from the water, the heavens opened for Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descend in the form of a dove and descend upon Him. Jesus always taught about the Holy Spirit by having a relationship with Him. He encouraged his disciples to accept Him into their lives.
Christ paid great attention to the Holy Spirit, mentioning Him in His prayers to the Father. He is the Spirit of truth. But there are those who do not accept Him because they do not see and do not know Him. However, the Holy Spirit has always been real; He is going to come. The Holy Spirit always accompanied the disciples of Jesus, in whose life He was very important. It should also be important in the lives of Christians. The Holy Spirit is an important figure in the Bible as well.
In it you can find episodes when He moves on the surface of the waters. From the beginning, the Holy Spirit has always been active. He created and then cared for believers, comforting the suffering, helping and guiding them. The Holy Spirit teaches us, walks beside us, advises, asks and protects us. All areas of life need His help.
The Gospel also contains mention of the Holy Spirit. When there were moments of manifestation of God, those present there felt the overflow of the Holy Spirit. Many saints, such as John the Baptist and his father Zechariah, experienced this condition.
Jesus was also pierced by the Holy Spirit as he walked through the desert. The Holy Spirit also visited His disciples. And Stephen, when he was stoned, also felt His presence, seeing the glory of God. In the church, living a life filled with the Holy Spirit is considered the norm. The same requirements are imposed on clergy. In Christianity, it is believed that it is impossible to build the body of Christ without a life filled with the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit brings conviction of sin. He opens his eyes to wrongdoing, showing the stupidity of sin. He points out the consequences, convinces of guilt and leads the sinner to repentance. The Holy Spirit is the Church's primary ally in assisting in evangelization. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, the task of evangelism will not be accomplished.
The emphasis on the Holy Spirit does not come from any religious organization. This comes from Jesus Christ Himself. He always told his disciples that they should not know the times and periods established by the Lord Himself. But they will understand when the power of the Holy Spirit comes upon them.
The disciples will become His witnesses in Jerusalem and throughout Judea and Samaria when the Holy Spirit comes upon them.
Finding the power of God does not require a religious formula, but requires a relationship with a person. Jesus' disciples desired the fruit of the Holy Spirit, but to do this they had to treat Him as a person. Believers must first learn to love, serve, worship, and respect the Holy Spirit. They must wait on Him and build a relationship with Him. Love is the hallmark of disciples.
The Holy Spirit took up residence in true followers of Christ when He rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven. But He is not a vague, unearthly shadow or a faceless force. The Holy Spirit is equal to God the Father and God the Son. He is the third component of the Holy Trinity. Everything that is attributed to God the Father and God the Son applies equally to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings the truth of Jesus Christ to human hearts. He is the Christian's teacher, revealing to him the will of God.
The Holy Spirit was given to people to be within those who truly believe in Jesus. It helps accomplish what a person cannot do alone. It gives strength to perform duties that promote spiritual growth. The Holy Spirit is also important for non-Christians. He persuades their hearts to accept God's truth, repent of sin, and receive forgiveness. Jesus died for our sins, so the Holy Spirit pushes us to repent and turn to God. The Holy Spirit is a beautiful and powerful part of who we call God. People need him as a guide in all situations. Without Him people are powerless.
During baptism, the Holy Spirit gives a person the power to live a holy life, to become more like Jesus. When a person feels drained, he can ask the Holy Spirit to fill him with strength. The Holy Trinity works in harmony with each other. When a believer thinks about God, he remembers Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit helps us to be who God created us to be. The Holy Spirit is a force that charges with energy and supports us on the path of life. God created people free from sin for a righteous life. And the Holy Spirit helps people in this.
Spirit and soul in Orthodoxy
Saint Theophan lived in the 19th century. He graduated from the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, was its rector, and then served in a number of regions. He was a good shepherd, a virtuous man, and a caring boss. Towards the end of his life, following the example of many ancient holy fathers of the Church, Saint Theophan shut himself up in a cell. Let us note that for Russia in the 19th century this was a completely unprecedented case. At that time, wide circles of society regarded Orthodoxy as a religion for poor people with limited horizons. At this time, only the elders of the Optina Hermitage, Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), shone forth - and even then the official Church itself was amazed at their exploits.
Saint Theophan continued the tradition of the feat of silence and seclusion, coming from ancient monasteries and continuing precisely in the Kiev-Pechersk laser, of which he was a student.
The saint locked himself in a cell building, in a separate room of three small rooms: an office, a chapel, a bedroom - and only went out to the gallery to get some air. He set up a tiny house church, where he celebrated the Liturgy alone every day. Here the saint received almost no one, especially idle guests, but prayed, wrote theological and spiritual works, letters of instruction to spiritual children, and also played musical instruments and sang spiritual chants. The saint also worked physically, rightly saying that the body is the temple of God and it needs to be worked hard in order to keep it in shape and force it to serve God and people. Bishop Theophan carved wood, painted icons, sewed his own clothes, dressing more than modestly.
So the saint lived for more than 28 years and departed to the Lord on January 6 (19) - on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Epiphany (it is important that the very name Theophan was translated from Greek as Epiphany!) Saint Theophan the Recluse left behind truly great works. They concern both theological and spiritual topics; he made the heritage of the Holy Fathers of the Church accessible to all Orthodox Christians and showed the simplicity of spiritual life.
The book “Thoughts for Every Day” by Theophan the Recluse is very famous. For each day, they wrote a short reflection note, mainly on the topic of the passage in the New or Old Testament read that day according to the Church Charter. Today the book is not only published, but also distributed in mobile applications along with calendars.
Other works of the saint are the books “What is spiritual life, and how to tune in to it?”, “How does Christian life begin in us?”, spiritual letters, interpretations of the Apostolic Epistles, teachings. An important work of the saint was “The Philokalia Selected for the Laity” - the teachings of the ancient saints, translated into Russian (surprisingly, the words of the saints were translated by a modern saint). This work is used to this day by students of theological educational institutions and all Orthodox Christians.
Spirit that revives to new life
God speaks through the Old Testament prophet: And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; And I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh, and give you a heart of flesh. “I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My commandments and keep My statutes and do them (Eze 36:26,27). Genuine faith, which the Holy Spirit creates in us, means not just a change of belief, but a change of heart. Here we need to consider the question that many ask - if it is claimed that our correction is the work of God, then should we work on it ourselves? This opposition - either we or God - arises when we imagine God and man as two people sharing a “front of work.” But this idea is wrong; God the Holy Spirit does not work in our place, but in us - as the apostle says, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for God is at work in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Phil 2:12,13). We are called to reverently strive for a righteous life, understanding that this very desire is God's gift.
Imagine a boy and a girl in love. On the one hand, they perceive love as something given to them - and all love lyrics of all times and peoples mention precisely this feeling of gift; on the other hand, they themselves (and not someone for them) become closer, get married and learn to live together. As the poet said:
“But you can’t turn back the madmen, They already agree to pay at any cost and would risk their lives, In order not to let it break, in order to preserve the Magical invisible thread that was stretched between them.”
It was not they who stretched the thread between the lovers, it is a gift, but more than anything else they want to preserve this gift. Likewise, the grace of God, which creates faith, hope and love in us, does this not outside, but inside our heart - so that we, precisely we, of our own free will, with joyful trepidation, rush towards eternal salvation.
A new life has been revealed to us - and we are faced with a choice between what belongs to our old nature, “the flesh,” as the apostle designates it, and what the Spirit leads us to: “I say: walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill lusts of the flesh, for the flesh desires what is contrary to the spirit, and the spirit what is contrary to the flesh: they oppose each other, so that you do not do what you would like. If you are led by the spirit, then you are not under the law. The works of the flesh are known; they are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, quarrels, envy, anger, strife, disagreements, [temptations], heresies, hatred, murder, drunkenness, disorderly conduct, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do this will not inherit the Kingdom of God. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control (Gal 5:16-23).
We do not create the fruits of the Spirit within ourselves - and we could not - but we choose between accepting and rejecting these gifts. We can follow the Spirit - or the flesh, grow in the supernatural life given to us - or quench it.
The apostle speaks amazing words: “Let no corrupt word come out of your mouth, but only what is good for edifying in the faith, so that it may bring grace to those who hear. And do not offend the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all irritation and rage and anger and shouting and slander along with all malice be removed from you; But be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph 4:29-32). We all - baptized Orthodox people - are sealed by the Holy Spirit, and He abides with us, as someone close and loving, whom we offend (in another translation, “grief”) when we allow ourselves some rotten and evil words.
The human spirit is the incorporeal part of a person. The Bible says that the human spirit is nothing other than the breath of Almighty God, which He breathed into man at his creation: “The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man lived” (Genesis 2:7 ; hereinafter – translation of the Russian Bible Society). The human spirit allows us to be aware of our own existence and to possess other exceptional, albeit limited, “divine” qualities. The human spirit includes intellect, emotions, fears, passions and creativity. It is the spirit that gives us the unique ability to comprehend and understand (Job 32:8, 18).
The words "spirit" and "breath" are translations of the Hebrew word "neshama" and the Greek "pneuma", meaning "a strong wind, impulse or inspiration." Neshama is the source of life that gives life to man (Job 33:4). It is the intangible, invisible human spirit that controls the mental and emotional state of a person. The Apostle Paul said: “Who among men can know the thoughts of a man? They are known only by the human spirit, which is within man” (1 Corinthians 2:11). After death, “the spirit will return to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7; Psalm 103:29-30).
There is a spirit within every person, and it is different from the “spirit” of animals. God created humans differently from animals, creating us in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). Thus, a person gained the ability to think, feel, love, choose, create, enjoy music, humor and art. It is thanks to the spirit that we have “free will”, which no other creature on earth has.
The spirit suffered during the Fall. When Adam sinned, his ability to communicate with God was broken; he did not die physically that day, but he died spiritually. Since then, the human spirit has suffered the consequences of the fall. Before salvation, people are spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1-5; Colossians 2:13). But a relationship with Christ quickens our spirit and renews us day by day (Corinthians 4:16).
Interestingly, just as God breathed spirit into the first man, so Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to His disciples: “And with these words He (Jesus) breathed on them and said: Receive the Holy Spirit!” (John 20:22; see also Acts 2:38). Adam was quickened by the breath of God, and we, as “new creations” united to Christ, are spiritually alive through God’s breath—the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:17; John 3:3; Romans 6:4). After we accept Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit of God in an incomprehensible way unites with our own spirit. The Apostle John said, “We can know whether we live in Him and He in us by His Spirit, which He has given us” (1 John 4:13).
When we allow God's Spirit into our lives, “He himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). As children of God, we are no longer led by our own spirit, but by the Spirit of God who leads us to eternal life.
