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Holy Spirit in the Church Age

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God is a Trinity

The Bible reveals to us that while we have only one God, our God is a ‘trinity’. That means He exists in three separate parts in the one being. God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We see the reality of the trinity in several places. Note what happened at Jesus’ baptism. Jesus, the Son of God, was baptized. The Holy Spirit came down upon Him like a dove. At the same time God the Father spoke from heaven and said “This is my beloved Son”.

“And the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him (Jesus), and a voice came from heaven, which said, You are my beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” Luke 3:22

The Trinity at Work in History

A look at Bible history reveals a pattern of involvement by different parts of the Godhead at different times.

We know that Father, Son and Holy Spirit were all present at creation.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 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.” Genesis 1:1,2

“In the beginning was the Word (Jesus the Son of God), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:1-3

From Creation to Christ was the time of the Father’s main role on earth. He walked in the garden of Eden (Gen 3:8), met Abraham (Gen 18:1), showed Himself to Moses (Ex 33:17-22), and spoke to David (2Chron 3:1), Solomon (1Kings 3:5) and Elijah (1Kings 19:11,12).

But even during this time both the Son and the Holy Spirit were present. Joshua met a man that we know had to be Christ (Josh 5:13-15). The Holy Spirit also came on Samson (Judges 15:14), Saul (1Sam 10:10, 11) and David (lSam 16:13). So in Old Testament times it was God the Father at work on earth, with the assistance of God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Then when Christ (God the Son) came He told us that the Father was in heaven (Matt 6:9). This was the time of the Son’s main role on earth and the gospels document some of the miraculous works He did. Historically this was a short time, but it was pivotal in all history. So in the time of the Son’s main role the Father was in Heaven, but we know that God the Holy Spirit was also on earth. At Jesus’ baptism the Spirit descended on Him (Luke 3:21,22).

The Holy Spirit’s Time

During Jesus’ life He taught that the Holy Spirit was yet to have His day. Jesus spoke of sending the Spirit, baptising people with the Holy Spirit and people receiving power from the Holy Spirit  John 14:16, 17, 26, 16:7-14, Luke 24:49).

On the day of Pentecost a new age was born. The Father had done His work upon the earth and the Son had finished His. Now it was time for the third part of the trinity to work on earth. Scholars have said that the book called Acts should be renamed Acts of The Holy Spirit, because all the early church accomplished was through the Spirit’s outpouring and power.

The Last Days are the Holy Spirit’s Time

On the Day of Pentecost Peter declared that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was in fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy that in the “last days” the Holy Spirit would be poured out.

“But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams” Acts 2:16,17.

Now, let me ask you a question. What comes after the “last” days? If the Holy Spirit was given for the “last days” and the end has not yet come, then we must still be in the ‘last days’! The Holy Spirit outpouring on the Day of Pentecost, at Samaria and on Cornelius’ household, upon Saul of Tarsus and at Ephesus is something that is part of the Church Age. The Church Age is the Age of the Holy Spirit.

We Live in the Time of the Holy Spirit

We are living in the age of the Holy Spirit. The gifts and fruit of the Spirit, the convicting work of the Spirit, the teaching and pointing to Jesus done by the Holy Spirit are all key expressions of God on earth during this age. Without the Spirit of God we are out of touch with the Godhead. With the Holy Spirit we are exploring the very purpose of the age in which we live.

That does not mean that the place of God the Father and God the Son is not vitally important. We are to worship God, place our faith in Jesus the Son of God, make Jesus our Lord, pray to the Father in Heaven in the name of Jesus the Son, obey the will of God and live by faith in God’s Son. At the same time we are baptized into Jesus’ body by the work of the Holy Spirit; baptized in the Holy Spirit; filled with the Spirit; led by the Spirit; quickened by the Spirit; given supernatural gifts by the Holy Spirit; growing spiritual fruit by the Spirit; putting the flesh to death with the Holy Spirit’s help; comforted by the Holy Spirit; given ability to pray more effectively by the Holy Spirit and healed by the presence of the Holy Spirit in our bodies.

I challenge you to enter into all that God the Father has prepared for you. Be filled with the Spirit and live in the power of the Holy Spirit, so you can effectively witness to the Son and bring others to be children of the Father.

This article first appeared as sermon notes for a message preached on February 15, 1989. The notes have been updated and presented here as a resource to the broader Christian community.

Athanasius Defends the Nature of Christ

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Athanasius was exiled after a riot in Alexandria, which erupted on February 9, 356AD.

Athanasius, hero of the Arian controversy some 20 years before and now Bishop of Alexandria, suddenly found his church surrounded by 5000 soldiers. As doors were being smashed the bishop “calmly turned to his assistant and bade him read Psalm 136”. As the church was desecrated by the mob, Athanasius was “successfully bundled out of the church into a side street”.

The Arians installed their own bishop, but Athanasius, fleeing into the desert, still found ways in which he could minister to his flock. For six years he suffered exile (wearing a worn-out sheepskin coat that once had belonged to the hermit monk St Anthony!) and then came his return to Alexandria to a jubilant community.

Born around 298AD, Athanasius lived in Alexandria, Egypt, which is on the Mediterranean coast and was the chief centre of learning in the Roman Empire. When Athanasius was in his teens Emperor Constantine’s Edict of Milan transformed Christianity from a persecuted religion to one with official sanction.

At the same time Athanasius was taken under the patronage of Alexander, Bishop of Alexandria, thus becoming engaged in Christian ministry. He was most likely schooled in the famous “catechetical school” of Alexandria, which boasted such illustrious teachers as Clement and Origen. He also became an acquaintance of the famous hermit, St Antony.

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While Athanasius was to become the Bishop of Alexandria he is most famous for his dogged resistance to the Arian heresy.

At about 319AD an Alexandrian priest, Arius, began to teach that Christ did not exist until God begat him. As a newly appointed Deacon and as secretary to Bishop Alexander of Alexandria, Athanasius refuted Arius, pointing out that the begetting of Christ speaks of an eternal relationship, not a temporal event.

Arius was condemned by the Egyptian bishops and relocated to Nicomedia. From there he promoted his position to bishops throughout the world. The controversy raged for years, prompting Emperor Constantine to call the Council of Nicea (325AD) to resolve the matter.

At that council Athanasius, although not a bishop, had the strongest voice in upholding the fundamentalist position. However it was important to formulate a non-ambiguous creed, so the phrase “of one substance with the Father” became the defining distinction. This was one of the early formulations of the doctrine of the Trinity.

While the council was a victory for Athanasius the tensions were far from over, as the Arian supporters won favour with successive Emperors. So it was that Athanasius, who soon became Bishop of Alexandria, endured continued opposition. We owe our hold on this key truth of the Trinity today to Athanasius’ determination to resist all compromise.

Thus Athanasius has been called “the Father of Orthodoxy” because of his staunch adherence to the doctrine of Christ being of ‘the same essence’ as the Father. Arians denied this.

The Dictionary of the Christian Church says “almost single-handedly Athanasius saved the church from pagan intellectualism”. He was hounded through five exiles (the incident mentioned above being his third!) over a period of 17 years.

After his fifth exile he continued in Alexandria, refuting heretics, building churches, rebuking rapacious governors, comforting faithful bishops, and strengthening the orthodox everywhere, till at length, in the spring of 373, “in a good old age” (his late seventies) he ceased from all his work.

Find hundreds of succinct Church History posts at: http://chrisfieldblog.com/topics/ministry/church-history

This post is based on notes by my late friend Donald Prout. I have updated these historical posts with information gleaned from other sources. I am indebted to Don for awakening in me an interest in Church History. Don’s notes can be found at: www.donaldprout.com

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