JavaScript is disabled in your web browser or browser is too old to support JavaScript. Today almost all web pages contain JavaScript, a scripting programming language that runs on visitor's web browser. It makes web pages functional for specific purposes and if disabled for some reason, the content or the functionality of the web page can be limited or unavailable.
Vieraskieliset / In-english

Christ’s work continues as the work of the Holy Spirit

Siionin Lähetyslehti
Vieraskieliset / In-english
15.11.2017 9.43

Juttua muokattu:

1.1. 11:20
2020010111203320171115094300

On the first Pen­te­cost the Holy Spi­rit came down from he­a­ven and res­ted upon the apost­les in a vi­sib­le form. Pen­te­cost is one of the three great holy days on the church ca­len­dar. These holy days di­vi­de the church ye­ar in­to the Christ­mas, Eas­ter, and Pen­te­cost pe­ri­ods. Du­ring the last de­ca­des, ho­we­ver, Pen­te­cost has lost its sig­ni­fi­can­ce and the me­a­ning of this holy day has be­co­me unc­le­ar to many pe­op­le.

The Holy Spi­rit joins be­lie­vers to­get­her

Alt­hough we can­not see the Holy Spi­rit, the third per­son of the dei­ty is as real and func­ti­o­nal yet to­day as it was in the time of the apost­les. Ac­cor­ding to Lut­he­ran Chris­ti­an doct­ri­ne, Christ’s work in this world con­ti­nu­es as the work of the Holy Spi­rit in His cong­re­ga­ti­on. The Holy Spi­rit forms the cong­re­ga­ti­on of be­lie­vers when it joins them to Christ and to one anot­her. The cong­re­ga­ti­on is the body of Christ, which the Spi­rit ma­kes ali­ve.

Ac­cor­ding to the te­ac­hing of Je­sus, the Holy Spi­rit is the Spi­rit of Truth, which co­mes from the Fat­her and tes­ti­fies of Christ. The Holy Spi­rit de­fends the fol­lo­wers of Christ, te­ac­hes them to know the truth, and re­ve­als to them what is to come. The pe­op­le of this world do not have this Spi­rit. Ac­cor­ding to Je­sus, the Holy Spi­rit re­ve­als that the world is in er­ror. It al­so in­di­ca­tes what sin is, what righ­te­ous­ness is, and what jud­ge­ment is. The Holy Spi­rit does not speak in a dif­fe­rent way than the Fat­her and the Son; it re­cei­ves its mes­sa­ge from them.

God’s for­gi­ve­ness

The Holy Spi­rit gui­des the work of God’s cong­re­ga­ti­on on earth. Ho­we­ver, this does not mean that the mem­bers of the cong­re­ga­ti­on, even to­get­her, could not make in­cor­rect de­ci­si­ons. That is why it is im­por­tant to al­wa­ys lis­ten to what the Spi­rit says to the cong­re­ga­ti­ons, as Je­sus Him­self taught. The Bib­le con­tains many examp­les of how in un­cer­tain si­tu­a­ti­ons the apost­les ca­re­ful­ly exa­mi­ned which so­lu­ti­on would be in ac­cor­dan­ce with the mind of the Holy Spi­rit.

The most im­por­tant task of the Holy Spi­rit on earth is con­nec­ted to the for­gi­ve­ness of sins. When Je­sus gave the Holy Spi­rit to His dis­cip­les, he al­so gave them the task and aut­ho­ri­ty to for­gi­ve sins. Je­sus did not give this task to His dis­cip­les on­ly; he gave it to all who be­lie­ve in Him and fol­low Him. When a be­lie­ving per­son proc­laims the for­gi­ve­ness of sins, it is fun­da­men­tal­ly not man’s for­gi­ve­ness, but rat­her God’s for­gi­ve­ness. God works through man, through His Holy Spi­rit.

The Holy Spi­rit al­so works to­day in God’s cong­re­ga­ti­on. It ef­fects in pe­op­le a de­si­re to bring God’s word on­ward and it al­so gi­ves them the po­wer and strength to do so.

Text: Pek­ka Ait­ta­kum­pu

Sour­ce: Päi­vä­mies 19/2016

Trans­la­ti­on: K.K.

Jul­kais­tu eng­lan­nin­kie­li­ses­sä nu­me­ros­sa 15.11.2017

28.3.2024

Jeesus otti leivän, siunasi, mursi ja antoi sen opetuslapsilleen sanoen: ”Tämä on minun ruumiini, joka annetaan teidän puolestanne. Tehkää tämä minun muistokseni.” Luuk. 22:19

Viikon kysymys