Article 05

The Holy Spirit

“The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. He is of one substance, majesty, and glory with the Father and the Son, true and eternal God.”

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It has become commonplace to hear the words, “God is love” or “God loves you.” The Bible says he does, but many of us find we need some evidence. Fortunately, God has not simply told us that he loves us – he has demonstrated his love for us as well.

The most powerful evidence of God’s love for us is that he died for us. Jesus, fully God and fully man, freely chose to take upon himself the punishment we deserved. He died in our place on the cross and thus made it possible for us to know God. This extraordinary display of God’s love should stagger us, but God did not stop there. Not only did he die for us, he will also send his Holy Spirit to live within us.

The 39 Articles tell us that the Holy Spirit “is of one substance, majesty, and glory with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God.” It is this Holy Spirit who is promised to all who put their faith in Jesus. Through his Holy Spirit, God reaches down to embrace us. As the apostle Paul says in a letter to Christians, “God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (Romans 5:5)

Thomas Goodwin, a Puritan who lived 300 years ago, explained it with this illustration. He pictured a man walking along a road, hand in hand with his young son. The little boy knows that this man is his father, and that his father loves him. But suddenly the father stops, picks up the boy, lifts him into his arms, kisses him and hugs him. Then he puts him down and they continue walking. It is a wonderful thing to be walking along holding your father’s hand, knowing that he loves you; it is even better to have his arms enfolded around you, experiencing his love for you.