What Presbyterians Believe About
The Holy Spirit
"God the Holy Spirit fulfills the work of reconciliation in us. The Holy Spirit creates and renews the church
as the community in which we are reconciled to God and to one another. The Spirit enables us to receive forgiveness
as we forgive one another and to enjoy the peace of God as we make peace among ourselves. In spite of our sin, the Spirit
gives us power to become representatives of Jesus Christ and his gospel of reconciliation..." (from the Presbyterian
Confession of 1967)
"God the Holy Spirit fulfills the work of reconciliation
in us. The Holy Spirit creates and renews the church as the community in which we are reconciled to God and to one another.
The Spirit enables us to receive forgiveness as we forgive one another and to enjoy the peace of God as we make peace among
ourselves. In spite of our sin, the Spirit gives us power to become representatives of Jesus Christ and his gospel of
reconciliation..." (from the Presbyterian Confession of 1967)
The early church believed that the
Holy Spirit was given to the community of believers for the building up of the work of Christ. Individuals received
the power of the Holy Spirit, but it was always ratified by the community and did not operate for individual gain or glory.
Even the Apostle Paul, who had an encounter with the risen Christ, received the power of the Spirit when he was being cared
for by a community of believers.
The Holy Spirit makes new understanding possible. When "tongues as
of fire" were distributed over the disciples on Pentecost, they were given the ability to be heard and understood by
everyone around them, in every language and in every condition of life. Differences were resolved and the community
of faith shared everything in common, devoting themselves to the work of Christ without worrying about rank or credentials.
We are told that miraculous healings and casting out of demons took place.
So it's fair to ask, in the 21st
century, if the Holy Spirit is still at work. At least in the Presbyterian church, we don't have the ecstatic gifts
showing up in worship, with people speaking in tongues or being slain in the Spirit. Miraculous healings occur out of
the sight of the believing community, and demons seem better suited to popular movies than confrontation by people of faith.
But I believe the answer is yes-the Holy Spirit is still at work. Our community in the South Bergen Larger Parish
is "tuned" to hear and see its work, not in ecstatic gifts, but in the fellowship what we share, and in the lives
that are touched by our ministries, and in the power of prayer. Every time we take a bag of food to the food pantry,
every time we offer a community meal to someone who is hungry, in body or in Spirit, ever time we find a new opportunity and
people light up with the possibilities for glorifying God, the Spirit is at work.
And the Spirit is never under
our control: God's creative, redeeming work brings new life and new possibilities where we least expect them. The
Spirit calls us out of our
