The Spirit from God

God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit (2 Thessalonians 2:13).

The Holy Spirit has a unique relationship with God the Father and God the Son, a relationship unlike anything we have experienced in our lives.  We understand the relationship of Father and Son, but the Spirit proceeds from them both.  All we really know is that when Jesus returned to heaven after He rose from the dead, He and the Father together sent the Spirit to bless our lives with His company. 

The Holy Spirit represents God in our lives.  He gave Jesus life in Mary’s womb, and He gave each of us the breath of life as well—He is the Lord and giver of life.  We praise Him for His work along with the Father and the Son; we worship all three together as the God of heaven and earth. 

We are privileged to know God thanks to the Spirit, who spoke God’s words to us through the prophets and apostles of long ago.  His words were recorded by them in the pages of Holy Scripture and serve as the foundation for the holy Christian Church.  The Church is not holy in itself; all of its members are sinners through and through.  But sinners are washed clean of their guilt by the power of Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross.  The Church belongs to Him, and it is He who makes it holy through forgiveness. 

Although fractured into many denominations, there is only one Church—a worldwide assembly of men, women and children who share in the fellowship of Christ through trust in His love.  That faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit, planted within us and nurtured by the Word of God.  That Word gives simple water the power to wash away our guilt in holy baptism.  That Word makes us saints, believers who share the blessing of sins removed.  That Word unites us as a family, sons and daughters of God through faith in His Son.

Death frequently touches our lives, taking away people who are precious to us.  At these times of grief, the Spirit gives us comfort and hope.  We know that the dead in Christ have the blessings of joy and peace.  We look forward to the day when all the dead will rise at Jesus’ command, and we will take our first steps in a perfect new world where life will be great and never come to an end.  Life is a journey towards paradise, and the Holy Spirit is our guide along the way.