GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT (3 OF 15)
Scripture: II CORINTHIANS 13:14
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The Faith Once Delievered (3 of 15)
God the Holy Spirit
Clarence E. Macartney
2 Corinthians 13:14
In the house of a Christian disciple at Philippi in
Macedonia, probably that of Lydia, a purple seller of
Thyatira who was Paul's first convert in Europe, the
apostle is writing a letter to the Christians in the
church at Corinth, far to the south. He has given them
his warnings, exhortations, appeals, told them of his
visions and revelations, and now comes to the end of
the letter. For a moment he pauses in his dictation as
he looks through the open door across the city of
Philippi and toward the great mountains that rise
beyond the plain to the south. Then, turning to his
amanuensis, he concludes with this beautiful threefold
prayer: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the
love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be
with you all. Amen." Little, we suppose, could Paul
have foreseen or imagined that that prayer with which
he concluded his letter to the Corinthians would
become the prayer with which the Christian church has
brought its services of worship to a close through the
ages. All the music, worship, preaching, singing, and
praying of the church is summed up in this final
benediction.
"The communion of the Holy Spirit." That is the last
thing you hear in the church service. In a certain
sense it is the most important thing that you hear,
for without the communion of the Holy Spirit the
doctrines which we believe have no power over our
life, and without the help and presence of the Holy
Spirit we cannot grow in the Christian life and bring
forth those fruits of the Spirit which make the true
Christian different from other men, and which are
named by the apostle as love, joy, peace, long-
suffering, gentleness, goodness, and faith.
The Holy Spirit Is a Person
It is easy to fall into the error of thinking and
speaking of the Holy Spirit as just an "influence"
sent by God an ...
God the Holy Spirit
Clarence E. Macartney
2 Corinthians 13:14
In the house of a Christian disciple at Philippi in
Macedonia, probably that of Lydia, a purple seller of
Thyatira who was Paul's first convert in Europe, the
apostle is writing a letter to the Christians in the
church at Corinth, far to the south. He has given them
his warnings, exhortations, appeals, told them of his
visions and revelations, and now comes to the end of
the letter. For a moment he pauses in his dictation as
he looks through the open door across the city of
Philippi and toward the great mountains that rise
beyond the plain to the south. Then, turning to his
amanuensis, he concludes with this beautiful threefold
prayer: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the
love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be
with you all. Amen." Little, we suppose, could Paul
have foreseen or imagined that that prayer with which
he concluded his letter to the Corinthians would
become the prayer with which the Christian church has
brought its services of worship to a close through the
ages. All the music, worship, preaching, singing, and
praying of the church is summed up in this final
benediction.
"The communion of the Holy Spirit." That is the last
thing you hear in the church service. In a certain
sense it is the most important thing that you hear,
for without the communion of the Holy Spirit the
doctrines which we believe have no power over our
life, and without the help and presence of the Holy
Spirit we cannot grow in the Christian life and bring
forth those fruits of the Spirit which make the true
Christian different from other men, and which are
named by the apostle as love, joy, peace, long-
suffering, gentleness, goodness, and faith.
The Holy Spirit Is a Person
It is easy to fall into the error of thinking and
speaking of the Holy Spirit as just an "influence"
sent by God an ...
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