The Holy Spirit of Grace
The Holy Spirit of Grace.
The Holy Spirit: The eternal life-giving Third Person of the Holy Trinity; the intimate bond of divine love and truth shared by God the Father and God the Son; the dynamic power of God offered to every human being on earth; the supernatural Presence in the Community of God who is personal without being material; the invisible creative force with divine intelligence who truly knows the mind of God from the inside; the “ruach” of the Lord, His breath, wind, and divine energy in the world; the Spirit of God who thus has all knowledge and is present everywhere in the universe; the sacred energy streaming forth from the Father and the Son, pouring love into our hearts (Romans 5:5), producing His virtuous qualities in us (Galatians 5:22-23), and gradually transforming each believer into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18); God’s Holy Spirit is the Lord’s change agent in each of us and the Church; The Spirit is the delivery system of grace into our hearts; the Spirit is God’s gift of the ‘Paraclete,’ God’s Helper who is called to come alongside us in order to comfort, teach, encourage, advise, inspire, guide, advocate for us, befriend us, and continually point us to Jesus; the Spirit is the biblical ‘finger of God’ who acts in power on behalf of God, distributing His gifts to believers in the Church and accomplishing God’s will on the earth;
God’s eternal Spirit was present at creation, of course, “brooding like a bird over the watery abyss.” (Gen. 1:1, MSG). No surprise there. All three Persons of God existed together eternally before creation began, and they will be intimate spiritual companions forever after the world’s recreation as well. At creation, the Spirit was like a mother bird hatching an egg, bringing beauty and order out of nothingness and chaos, waiting to take us under His wing.
Because the Triune God is united and inseparable, the Father and the Son is everywhere the Spirit us. If the Spirit dwells in us and alongside us, so does the Father and the Son. If the Father and the Son have promised to make a home in us, the Spirit is right there as well, arm-in-arm in their Trinitarian Presence, establishing a dwelling place in us. Since we are welcomed inside the relationship of the Trinity, the Spirit helps make that happen. Since we are adopted into God’s family as His children, we can be sure the Spirit was a part of that adoption process. We can be assured the Spirit will work to sustain us in the Trinitarian circle and fellowship.
In the mystery of the Incarnation, Jesus was literally conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of His mother Mary. God’s Spirit was the seed of God’s life that impregnated her and introduced the Son of God to the world. When we, through faith, are “in Christ”, or even better said “inside Christ,” we are actually participating in the spiritual life of Jesus. Through the Holy Spirit, we enjoy a mutual indwelling with the Person of God Himself… He in us and we in Him. When the Holy Spirit enters into a believer’s life through that special grace, and we thus enter into the Spirit’s life, whatever influence God has with us comes through the Holy Spirit.
Esteemed Bible scholar Fr. Cantalamessa reports that the terms “Holy Spirit” and “grace” are so closely associated in Scripture that they are often seen as interchangeable, spiritual equivalents (from his book, ‘Come, Creator Spirit’). We see the two terms fused together in Zechariah 12:10 and Hebrews 10:29, for instance, as “The Spirit of Grace.” Many Christians believe that in the Sacraments of the Church, the Holy Spirit brings spiritual life to the physical elements of water and the bread and wine, and providing experiential grace, with the grace “bringing nature into perfection.”
GRACE in the Hebrew Bible: (Hebrew, “chen” “chanan”) The centerpiece of God’s character that has forever initiated divine favor to those who don’t deserve it; the nature of God which prefers to show mercy to those who haven’t earned it; the heart of God which leans toward offering the free gift of love and acceptance to others, free of charge; God’s desire to restore and heal whose who are broken whether or not they deserve it; the lovingkindness provided by God as a free gift for no apparent reason other than sheer compassion.
GRACE in the New Testament: The Greek word here for “grace’ is the tremendously rich word of “charis,” which is usually pronounced “care-iss.” This important biblical word, used over 170 times in the New Testament, was at one point a general term adopted from Greek mythology, and could mean goodwill, loveliness, charm, sweetness, favor, and that which gives delight. But St. Paul especially expanded its meaning to point to God’s undeserved favor on us; His unearned gift of good will; His unmerited kindness; His unexpected spiritual blessings that bring us delight and pleasure; God’s free gift of acceptance with no strings attached. This is the basic concept, but Paul used “grace” as a word that summarizes all the blessings that God offers to us. “Grace and peace” is found in his closing remarks or benediction often enough. This biblical grace is an absolute truth, and so grace exists whether or not we choose to accept it. Grace is intended to be a personal experience that is lived into and fleshed out. Grace is the exhale after the inhale of Jesus into one’s life.
“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of Grace and the Spirit of Prayer; then they will look on me who they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem.” (Zechariah 12:10).
The Spirit of Prayer. Isn’t it wonderful that the Hebrew word here for prayer in Zechariah has the root word for grace tucked into the middle of it? That’s right, chen has a root chanan, which is hidden away and ready to be discovered in “wetahanunim,” the word for earnest prayer, intense supplication, to plead for grace. So the effect of the Spirit of Grace being poured onto us is that we are then strengthened to pray earnestly for more of the favor we have already received, more grace for us and for others through us! The Holy Spirit is portrayed as quite the prayer warrior in Scripture, and what a comfort to know that the Spirit dwelling in us is always ready to intercede for us to God in heaven… “In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” (Romans 8:26). Who better than the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, who can read our hearts and understand us at the deepest levels? There is no one better than the Spirit to lift us up in prayer to the Father and to Jesus.
Praying in the Spirit. The Spirit of Prayer is also right there inside us, encouraging us to “pray in the Spirit” Ephesians 6:18: “Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayers and supplications.” And Jude says much the same thing… “Build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Spirit.” (Jude 20). Remember that praying “in” the Spirit means to pray by means of, with the help of, in spiritual connection to. So praying in the Spirit could be done by praying Scripture, praying in line with God’s will and character, praying for that which is consistent with gospel values, praying in intercession for others, and living our lives prayerfully in the power of the Spirit. To pray in the Spirit is to receive His Spirit of Prayer in such a way as to pray according to the Spirit’s leading. To pray in the Spirit is to talk with God while inside the presence of the Holy Spirit.
One sure sign that the Holy Spirit is moving is that the Spirit of Grace and the Spirit of Prayer will certainly sweep powerfully through our individual lives and our lives at home and at our church. There will be an acute awareness of our brokenness, for God’s grace and our need for it, and the deep desire to show grace to others. And there will be a wave of the ardent desire to pray for others, for oneself, for the needs of the world. The Spirit of Intercession will roll through our own hearts and to our place of worship and our family life at home. God loves to demonstrate unearned favor on us, and He loves when we pray in the Spirit to Him. Building each other up in the most holy faith, then let us help each other as we flesh out the Spirit of Grace and the Spirit of Prayer in our lives together.