網路城邦
上一篇 回創作列表 下一篇   字體:
The Holy Spirit
2008/03/03 06:14:07瀏覽1127|回應0|推薦2

     In some movies, there are scenes in which a person dies and a transparent being, looking similar to that person in shape, is separated from the body. The being floats around for a while and soon flies away. Only the corpse remains. This image is our mental picture about a transcendental world of spiritual existence. Some ideas of this type exist in Christianity, a religion still practiced in the world after the Scientific Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and the Information Revolution.
     Christianity asserts that every human being has a soul. It also says there is a spiritual world beyond the physical world. The discipline of Christianity even emphasizes that an entity, the Holy Spirit, similar to the status of God and Jesus Christ, has the power to influence the physical world. Moreover, God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are one God of three persons.
     The knowledge about the Holy Spirit in the Bible is not as extensive as the knowledge about God and Jesus Christ. However, it is common language among Christians to mention the Holy Spirit. For example, a woman had been deeply hurt. After having prayed for a long time, she said, “The Holy Spirit comforted me and I am feeling better now.” A man visited a friend who, coincidentally, was in trouble and said, “I came to your place because the Holy Spirit told me to do so.” Christians believe that many psychological issues or mental impulses are related to the Holy Spirit.
     Also, according to the Bible, the Holy Spirit has the power to perform supernatural events. Jesus Christ did many wondrous things when he was in the world, such as healing the sick or driving out evil spirits from people. The Holy Spirit works the same way today. Christianity claims that the laws of the physical world will fail and miraculous events will happen if the Holy Spirit intervenes.
     The most important work of the Holy Spirit is that all believers come to Jesus as a result of the influence of the Holy Spirit. A person accepting the word of Christianity must have faith. He or she needs a driving force to worship Jesus Christ, as we mentioned before. The Bible says that all people become Christians because the Holy Spirit works in their souls. Christians can take no credit for being saved.
     Here are some imaginary pictures about the work of the Holy Spirit. A man came to a prayer meeting with an illness. A pastor put his hand on him and a round-shaped light came unto him with power and the man felt completely recovered. In an evangelical meeting, the speaker asked people who wanted to accept Jesus Christ to raise their hands. At this moment, a light beam shined from the sky, striking a man on the seat, causing him to raise his hand. However, nobody can physically see these lights, or else people would be in great panic and the world would be severely disturbed. (Of course, this paragraph is partly or all untrue. We just tried to convey some ideas of how it is possible that a power beyond our physical world could influence us through some made-up scenarios.)
     Some people are very uncomfortable with these ideas. However, they form a necessary and inseparable part of Christianity. The knowledge of the Holy Spirit in the Bible is vague, but it really sheds a light on a transcendental world. Science reveals knowledge about the physical world. Christianity, if it is true, reveals knowledge about the physical world and the spiritual world.
     It should be fine to accept Christianity with these doctrines. Anyway, if you really have a soul, you have lived with it without any problem for decades. The Bible often mentions that the purpose of the Holy Spirit is to bring joy and peace to the world, in contrast to the evil spirits, also mentioned in the Bible, who bring harm and fears.
     At this point, a question arises. Christianity claims there is only one God, but we have already mentioned three: God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Our answer to this question is the Trinity of Christianity: God is one in three persons.
     God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are all Gods, and the relationship between them is so close that they are one; therefore, Christians can still say they worship the one and only God. We have similar ideas in our world: We call many members in a house as a family. All employees in a company are considered an entity in law. Many organs form one body and work together. The above examples don’t explain the Trinity at all; they just make it a little more understandable. According to Christianity, the Trinity is the reality of God.
     The idea of the Trinity is a difficult concept in Christianity, and I have to confess that I am unable to explain it more clearly. Instead, it may be easier to present the roles of the three persons in the Bible so that you will not be confused if you are interested in reading the Bible after finishing this book:
     God:
     1. He is the creator of the world.
     2. He is the ruler of the world.
     3. He established the law.
     4. He performed miracles in the history of Israel.
     5. He is the judge of the world.
     6. We pray to him.
     Jesus Christ:
     1. He is the Messiah who came to the world as a human being.
     2. He lived and preached in our world and died for our sins.
     3. He was resurrected and now he is sitting beside God.
     4. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
     The Holy Spirit:
     1. During Jesus’ lifetime on earth, the Holy Spirit accompanied him and guided him.
     2. After Jesus died and was resurrected, the Holy Spirit became the helper of believers.
     3. The Holy Spirit performs miracles affecting the physical world.
     4. The Holy Spirit comes into the hearts of people to lead them to Christ and to change their lives.
     After discussing these abstract issues, it is a good time to turn our attention to Christianity in the real lives of people.

http://swf2007.com/

http://swf2007.com/09.html


 

( 不分類不分類 )
回應 推薦文章 列印 加入我的文摘
上一篇 回創作列表 下一篇

引用
引用網址:https://classic-blog.udn.com/article/trackback.jsp?uid=henryjackson&aid=1662582