The Revealer

The Revealer

A common question I get is, "Does our church believe in the Holy Spirit?"  In short, the answer is a resounding "Yes!"  However, I often trace a sense of doubt or skepticism because there's something they expected from the church service that didn't happen.  Depending on church backgrounds, experiences, or the teachings they have previously sat under, the expectation is often for the ecstatic:  prophecies, speaking in tongues, healings, miracles, etc.  Although the New Testament does describe these things in conjunction with the Holy Spirit, they are secondary attendants to the Spirit's primary work.

The primary work of the Spirit is to reveal the truth and will of the Father.  Genesis 1, the Spirit hovers over the deep, attending to the will of the Father who speaks creation (truth) into being (will).  The apostle John later describes this act as revealing the Son of God, who was present as the co-creator with the Father, having the perfect and essential nature of the Father but distinct from the Holy Spirit.  Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the incarnate truth and will of the Father that the Spirit reveals.

The primary or 'special' revelation of God's truth and will is found in the Scriptures.  The New Testament authors believed this just as the writer of Hebrews understood the text of the Old Testament to be the Holy Spirit speaking(Hebrews 3:7, 10:15).  Even so, the Holy Spirit attends the writing and preaching of the gospel by the apostles throughout the New Testament.  In every case, the purpose is clear: to reveal.  As John Calvin would argue that the Holy Spirit reveals our union with the Son (Institutes, Book 3, Chapter 1)

The Spirit reveals to us our sinful state before the righteous Father and our need for the forgiveness that we have in Jesus.  Otherwise, we are blind to our sin and our need for a Savior.  The Spirit unites us to Christ so that we who are sinners can enjoy the love of the Father through the righteousness of Christ given us by faith.  Yes, the Spirit reveals through the Word of God and the gift of faith unto the repentance of sinners.

Our church, therefore seeks the primary work of the Spirit by preaching the Word, singing the Word, praying the Word, trusting the Spirit to bring new life through his primary work of revealing.  In this way, he gives sight to the blind, heals the wounded sinner, and brings the dead to life.  We endeavor to let the Word of Christ dwell richly in us, trusting that the Spirit is at work revealing the will and truth of the Father.

With you in Word and Spirit,
Loren