God is one
God is two
God is three in one…a package deal! Now, I ask you, who can pass up a Good deal? The Trinity, the Triune, made up of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost/Spirit. Three separate names, three separate purposes, and three separate action packed persons making up one Glorious entity – the Godhead.
Apparently this idea of three in one is difficult for some to reason. But perhaps that is because reason alone is being used. As Science cannot be scientific unless it can be refuted, so God cannot be God unless He is irrefutable and viewed with faith. So for those not believing, this can seem nonsensical, but to us believers, it is the crux of our belief.
Rarely is there an issue with God the Father. God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is where the fallout lies within the Church and within other religions. Here are a few of the various views:
Jesus is not REALLY Deity. He was a good man – perfect in every way. However, that statement refutes him being only man, because man is certainly NOT perfect! If, man can be perfect or perfected on his own, why would we need Jesus as savior? We wouldn’t. We could do it ourselves if we wanted to.
An alternative proposal believes that Jesus is not just man, but a little bit man and a little bit God, though not fully either of them. Now how frustrating would that be? Stuck in the middle as WHO.
Propping Jesus up a step higher on the celestial ladder, he is considered a Deity but subservient to the Father…always and forever. He will always be the lesser or incomplete God. But, you can’t have a whole without complete parts; for if the sum of the whole is greater than its parts, then the parts have to make a whole. Or, if someone cut a sliver off a piece of pie and ate it, then it would no longer be a whole pie no matter how it was sliced.
But it’s the Holy Spirit I want to focus on. Of the three persons, the Holy Spirit interacts with us believers here on earth. Interestingly, the only sin that is unforgivable has to do with denying the Holy Spirit’s existence and power (Matthew 12:31).
Why would that be? Because He does God’s work, when God breathes, the Holy Spirit makes it all happen (Gen 1:2). He lives within each of us believers (John 14:16), He teaches us all things (John 14:26), and He makes God personal (John 14:23). If the Holy Spirit is denied then God is denied power and dwelling; thus making Him null and void.
If, however, the Holy Spirit indwells us, then what can we expect? Ah…back again to the Charismatic controversy within the Church where fruits of the Spirit are a must (Galatians 5:22-23) but gifts of the Spirit – to speak in tongues (or other languages not known to the speaker), to heal, to prophesy, to be an apostle, to perform miracles…these are all out according to those who don’t adhere to the continuing of certain gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12). And yet, the gift of preaching, teaching, discernment, wisdom, knowledge, faith, helping (although this one is becoming controversial, too) are acceptable and necessary. I don’t understand how only some can be dismissed but not all; or why some are kept but not others.
What I can say and what I do know is that the Holy Spirit lives in me and guides me to the extent that I allow Him to.
I don’t speak in other languages (known or unknown). I never have and probably never will. I have been down to the altar a few times to receive the ‘baptism’ but no utterings came forth from my mouth. I hardly speak English properly let alone a baptismal of utterings.
Do others speak in tongues? I believe they can and do. Scripture says that some will have this gift…but not all. I’ve had a friend pray in tongues “over” me and I have felt the peace of God come upon me.
Are these utterings always from the Holy Spirit? No, not always, because not all those who profess to know God, do. Or not all those receiving utterings are asking to receive them from God – the Father.
I feel the prompting of the Spirit in my heart (another big issue in the Church…feelings in relation to God). He has, and does, reveal Truth to me through the reading of Scripture (no issue with this). He also gives me insights into happenings going on around me (taboo). I have had prayers answered instantaneously, being given thoughts that curtailed a situation (taboo too). I’ve also been given thoughts that would have prevented an event from happening (terrible taboo). When, for whatever reason, I have not acted on these prompts, I have experienced the results, oftentimes, most unpleasant and even fatal. Those are hard to endure.
Jesus said that he would send the Holy Spirit [to live in us] from which we would learn all Truth. That is what I believe. It is so….
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Gen 1:2
More posts:
How I met God
Living In the Corner of a Vortex 
I don’t speak in tongues myself. But then public speaking has never been my strong suit…so if I don’t normally make much of a commotion in English…not so likely I am going to want to speak up in another language. I’ve never asked for it…but then, yeah…would be out of my comfort zone. My husband Andrew does speak in tongues though. Actually the first time I ever heard it was many years into our marriage. And he only did so because I asked him to. It was very cool to me…and quite unreal. I could not even imitate the sound of it, if I wanted to.
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Before i was married I had a boyfriend who was Jewish (he was no longer practicing) and one day he began reciting his Hebrew Bar mitzvah speech. I was like, hey, that sounds like the people speaking in tongues at my church.
Your comment made me laugh. I’m with you, i barely pronounce English correctly 🙂
Tks for reading!
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