(Pastors Gonzalo and Andrea Sanabria).
BIBLICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:
1. The study of the person and work of the Holy Spirit must necessarily be, for the devout Christian, a matter of vital importance, for he will know the revelation of his inheritance and victory in Christ.
“And we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that comes from God, so that we know what God has granted us”, 1 Cor. 2:12. Let’s see this interesting study
Doctrine of the Holy Spirit:
two. The active ministry of the Holy Spirit begins the church age as the “Age of the Spirit”, in contrast to the time of the Gospels that it is described as the “Age of the Son”, and the Old Testament that it is called “The Age of the Father”.
3. It can be said that to the extent that the believer has appropriated the Holy Spirit, to that extent he has participated in the power of Christ Jesus (You can read the study: The Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit).
Four. The Holy Spirit in his ministry is especially concerned with transmitting to the believer the fruits of the victory of the finished work of Christ on Calvary, which is why Jesus said:
“But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own account, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will show you things to come. He will glorify me; because he will take what is mine, and he will let you know. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take from what is mine, and he will make it known to you”, Jn. 4:13-15.
b. The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament:
1. the bible is the only source of information divine revelation concerning this truth. There is a reference to the Holy Spirit at the beginning of the Bible in Genesis 1.2 (and the Spirit of God moved over the face of the waters”)and another at the end, in Revelation 22.17 (From beginning to end in the Bible, God wants to highlight this truth, therefore it is extremely important).
two. Two different words are used in the original Hebrew language: “RUACH” AND “NESHAMAH”, the first meaning the Spirit of God or of the human being (determined by the context), and the second meaning the breath of life of the body (We emphasize here that from the etymology of the term its nature is to give life). There is a wide variety of references to the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, a total of eighty-six (86).
3. Among the names used for the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, we find: “The Spirit of the Lord”, “Spirit of God”, “Holy Spirit”, “Spirit of Jehovah” and “Spirit”.
Four. HL Turner states: “Everything revealed about the Holy Spirit in the New Testament has already been found in the Old Testament, with one exception. That is the word ‘Baptize.’
c. The Holy Spirit in the New Testament:
1. There are two hundred and sixty-one (261) references to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament.
two. With the exception of Philemon, II and III John, the Holy Spirit is mentioned in all the books of the New Testament.
3. The Acts quotes him in fifty-seven (57) passages, and it is where we are told the most about HIM (Precisely because of him, we can see the church of the Acts advance as God planned, without him the church is practically ineffective ).
Four. One of the great characteristics of the New Testament passages about the Holy Spirit is the great variety of names by which HE is known (Behind each of these names there is a special meaning and revelation, you can see this study on the Names of Spirit).
d The Holy Spirit in history:
1. It was only with the passage of time that the Church transformed the scriptural legacy of truth concerning the Holy Spirit into a doctrinal and theological formulation.
Many of the Early Church Fathers and most of the early creeds made reference to the Holy Spirit, but the doctrine was generally not made the subject of controversy, and therefore was not developed (remember that the formulation of the early doctrines of the Early Church, were the reaction of the Church to heretical movements and formulations).
(I invite you to read: Sermons written to preach).
Many of the Early Church Fathers and most of the early creeds made reference to the Holy Spirit, but the doctrine was generally not made the subject of controversy, and therefore was not developed (remember that the formulation of the early doctrines of the Early Church, were the reaction of the Church to heretical movements and formulations).
(I invite you to read: Sermons written to preach).
two. It is evident that the Church was committed to the truth of the existence and being of the Holy Spirit in the first decades.
“Then Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and spoke to them, saying: Men of the Jews, and all who live in Jerusalem… this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: And in the last days, says God, I will pour out of my Spirit over all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy; your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams; and verily upon my servants and upon my maidservants in those days will I pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy”, Ac. 2:14-18.
The prophet uses the expression “I will pour out” in reference to one of the symbols of the Holy Spirit: oil (you can see the study “Symbols of the Holy Spirit and their meaning” ).
The prophet uses the expression “I will pour out” in reference to one of the symbols of the Holy Spirit: oil (you can see the study “Symbols of the Holy Spirit and their meaning” ).
3. One of the first authors to mention the Holy Spirit was Clement of Alexandria (155-220 AD). He wrote: “The Holy Spirit is one and the same everywhere.” He taught that the Holy Spirit, descending from heaven upon man, enabled him to behold divine things.
Four. Hippolytus (3rd century) is responsible for presenting the Holy Spirit as a mere force instead of a person.
5. The teaching of Macedonia Prior to the Council of Nicaea (425 AD) denied personality and the Deity of the Spirit.
6. By the 18th and 19th centuries, the Holy Spirit was taught to be an emanation of Christ and merely a power spiritual.
7. With the Protestant Reformation, the doctrinal consolidation of biblical truths begins, gradually including the truth of the Holy Spirit (In fact, Martin Luther, protagonist of the Protestant movement, records the story that he was a man of communion with the Holy Spirit, spoke in tongues and flowed in the gifts of the Spirit). We are in the era of the Holy Spirit, it is the time to get closer and get to know him much more.
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Doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
Doctrine of the Holy Spirit.