The Holy Spirit has been called the forgotten God. But He is also, according to Scripture, at the heart of the Christian life. “I believe in the Holy Spirit,” says the Nicene Creed, “The Lord and Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father and the Son, Who with the Father and the Son is both worshiped and glorified, Who has spoken to us by the prophets.” 

There is a longstanding debate between Eastern and Western churches about whether the Spirit proceeds from the Father alone or from the Son as well. What Christians agree on, however, is that the Spirit is God. He’s a person, not a force. 

The Holy Spirit inspired the Scriptures. He raised Jesus Christ from the dead. He is the comforter sent by Jesus, the One who gives us ears to hear the Gospel and who intercedes for us when we pray, indwelling us to this day. We are His temples, and He is the pledge of our inheritance. He guarantees that the faith we now confess in the Triune God will one day be sight. 

This Point was previously published on 12.28.18.