Previous Posts in this Series:
A Gospel Presentation: Part 1 (Two-Age Worldview)
A Gospel Presentation: Part 2 (Creation/Curse)
A Gospel Presentation: Part 3 (Covenant/Commitment)
A Gospel Presentation: Part 4 (Confirmation)
“By all reason and logic, there is no
reason that Christianity should have gone forward. It was a marginal Jewish
sect that proclaimed a crucified Messiah and everything about it is contrary to
the ways of the World; it has no power, no power base, it contradicts having a
lot of money and storing up wealth…it contradicts all of the things that make a
movement happen, historically speaking. The cross itself contradicts it all.
And so it should have faded into oblivion long, long ago, rather quickly. Yet,
it’s the Holy Spirit that continues to bring it forth and bring it to the
forefront, in the midst of every way in which the spirit of the world
contradicts it.” – John Harrigan
"We gave you very strict
orders not to continue teaching in this name," he said. "But look!
You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are set on making us
responsible for this man's blood!" "It is God whom we must obey,
rather than mere men," Peter and the other apostles replied. "The God
of our ancestors 'raised up' Jesus, whom you murdered by having him 'hanged on
a tree.' This man God has exalted to his own right hand as Ruler, yes, and
Savior, to give Israel opportunity to repent and receive forgiveness for her
sins. We are witnesses to
these things, as is the Holy Spirit, who is God's gift to those who obey
him." (Acts 5:28-32, BHT)
The Spirit Present at Creation
In many ways, the Holy Spirit is
the glue that holds everything in this Gospel presentation together. If you
read Christian theology, you will get a lot of different takes on the Holy
Spirit, but what I present here is fairly simple. At the beginning of the
Gospel of John, there is the famous passage, “In the Beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. The Word was with God in
the beginning. All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing
was created that has been created.” Looking back at Genesis, we see that
this is true. Genesis 1:2, “Now the earth was without shape and empty, and
darkness was over the surface of the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was
moving over the surface of the water.” Job 26:13 and Isaiah 32:15 also
speak of the Holy Spirit’s presence and activity at Creation.
‘Spirit’ in Hebrew is ‘ruach’
which could be translated as ‘breath’, ‘wind’ or even ‘mind of’. In my mind, a
straight-forward understanding of the Holy Spirit is that of the ‘voice’ or ‘proclaimed
will’ of God. I’ll leave it to the theologians to debate the essence of that
voice and will.
