Day Forty-Nine

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”—John 16:13 (NRSV)

One aspect of Pentecost that often gets overlooked is the opportunity to think about what the gift of the Holy Spirit means for our understanding of God. When the Spirit comes, the phrase “God with us” takes on a whole new meaning. And as the early church experiences the movement of the Spirit, they understand it to be the very presence of God dwelling and working in their midst. These words from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians are profound in their understanding of who the Spirit is and how the Spirit works:

“The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for,

‘Who has known the mind of the Lord
so as to instruct him?’

But we have the mind of Christ.”—1 Corinthians 2:10b-16 (NIV)

In this passage there is no distinction made between the work of the Spirit and the work of God, because they are one and the same. To know the thoughts of the Spirit is to know the thoughts of God. To speak the words of the Spirit is to speak the words of God. The question that Isaiah asked, “Who has known the mind of the Lord?” now finds an answer in this New Testament reality: the Spirit imparts to us the very mind of Christ.

It’s from this understanding of the Holy Spirit that we develop a deeper and more complete theology of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one in essence, one in purpose…God the three-in-one. It is a mystery, to be sure, but in an attempt to address the mystery we must be careful not to lose the central truth. We do not worship three divine beings, each a different expression of God. We worship one God, Father, Son, and Spirit, co-existing eternally in a mysterious relationship that doesn’t separate them from one another. They share the same essence and the same mind, and as Paul points out, they share the same purpose and work in the world. The ancient church fathers had a phrase for this: “opera Trinitatis ad extra indivisa sunt,” meaning, “the external works of the Trinity are undivided.”

What does this mean for us? I think if we really sit with this truth we gain a much deeper perspective of our mission as followers of Jesus. We often treat the Holy Spirit as an impersonal force, a sort-of “power supply” for the mission that God has set before us. But that’s not what’s going on. The Spirit is not mission-neutral. In that kind of thinking, there can still be all sorts of doubt that we’re fulfilling God’s will, as if we somehow have the ability to wield the power of the Spirit in a way that doesn’t align with God’s purposes.

But when we are surrendered to the Spirit, we have the very mind of Christ. When the Spirit is given true freedom to move in our lives and our churches, he will not accomplish things that are contrary to the will of God. This should give us incredible confidence, not in ourselves, but in the power of God to guide us, transform us, and use us. As Paul says in Romans:

“The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”—Romans 8:11 (NLT)

As we celebrate Pentecost tomorrow, may the Spirit guide us into a fuller understanding of his full divinity, his oneness with the Father and the Son. May we be brought into a deeper appreciation of the mystery of the Trinity, knowing that as we do we then receive a deeper revelation of who we are and how we are empowered for mission.

Glorious, oh glorious,
Glorious the Three
Who co-exist in perfect harmony
Father, Spirit, only Son, Holy Trinity
Exalted for all eternity

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

Questions for Reflection

1) As you contemplate the mystery of the Trinity, what feelings arise within you? Do you sense awe and wonder, or are you perhaps aware discomfort with the idea of mystery? Spend some asking God to open you even more to the beauty that exists in the mystery.

2) What does it mean for you to know that the Spirit gives us “the mind of Christ?” How have you experienced that in your own walk?

3) Here are some other songs that speak to the wonders of the Trinity. Can you think of others that have helped you build this language and understanding in your own life?

“Wonderful Merciful Savior” by Selah

“Praise the Father, Praise the Son” by Chris Tomlin

“One God (Rewritten)” by Ghost Ship, new words by Ron Offringa

4) Spend some time contemplating this quote about the Trinity from Eugene Peterson:

“We cannot live as spectators of the dance of the Trinity. A hand reaches out to pull us into the Trinitarian actions of holy creation, holy salvation, and holy community. There are no nonparticipants in a Trinity-revealed life.”—Eugene Peterson, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places

5) Read and reflect on this passage of Scripture. Let it lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:

“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’”—Matthew 3:16-17(NIV)