The Holy Spirit has been called the “forgotten God,” but according to Scripture, the Spirit is central to the Christian life.  

“I believe in the Holy Spirit,” Christians have proclaimed, repeating 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 through the prophets.” 

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

His work includes inspiring the Scriptures and being used by the Father to raise Jesus Christ from the dead. He’s the comforter sent by Jesus, the One who gives us ears to hear what is true and who intercedes for us when we pray. 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 originally published on December 31, 2019.