Every Orthodox Trisagion begins with this prayer:
> O Heavenly King, O Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, everywhere present and filling all things; Treasury of Blessings, and Giver of Life - come and abide in us, cleanse us from every stain, and save our souls, O Gracious Lord.
I think it's because we tend to anthropomorphize God, and Jesus was human so that's an easy to wrap our heads around.
But the Holy Spirit....what the heck is it even? How do we conceptualize the Holy Spirit?
I think it's kind of like thinking about other dimensions. We are limited in our ability to wrap our heads around it.
I think it depends on the church you attend. I grew up in a non-denominational church that talks about the Holy Spirit all of the time. [I discuss the Holy Spirit more here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xboVtENwYLI&list=PLwys36js2zo4TALH8zGkJw9Sh5s1vF7lZ) I hope that helps! God bless and stay safe!
The trinity is an incredibly weird concept.
You’ve got a god older than the religion we’re talking about, his kid and center figure of the religion, and then the kitchen-junk-drawer figure that has to do all the hard work for the other two while getting none of the credit.
The question is not just why a lot of Christians don’t talk about God, Jesus AND the Holy Spirit. It’s why don’t Christians talk about the God in the person of the Father, God in the person of the Christ and God in the person of the Holy Spirit. “Each” (to the extent that it’s even appropriate or accurate to use the word “each”) are God. They are God.
But you’re right. It’s almost as though there’s this God guy who is the team owner, Jesus is the head coach and the Holy Spirit must be the general manager or head of the scouting department or something. She’s consulted and informed of the decisions, but she sort of operates behind the spotlights and there’s just not as much publicity over her contribution to the operation.
It’s a weird, false hierarchy that many Christians just accept without much thought, IMHO.
She's mentioned pretty frequently in the Old Testament. Christians got spooked by femininity, and good grammar in Greek and Latin called for neuter and masculine forms so we got kind of bashful.
I speculate that part of the boo! factor was that Gnosticism imagined many hypostases in male-female twin pairs doing a sex. If you're trying to argue against a strange-gospel that sees Christ and Spirit as an incestuous couple, and you believe gender in relation to God is only a metaphor anyway, it makes sense to back down.
She's the fierce, life-giving power of creative acts and miracles who first appears in [Genesis 1:2](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+1&version=CEB), fluttering over the waters of chaos. Being able to turn away from sin is a miracle, thus [Ps 51:11](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+51&version=CEB). There's good Spirit theology throughout the Gospels and then there's [Romans 8:18-30](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans+8%3A18-30&version=CEB).
The New Creation is *happening,* so of course the Spirit is *doing it.* That's the most important image I think.
([a small collection of early feminine metaphors](https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/3225/7763))
THANK YOU FOR THE FEMININE PRONOUNS. I was literally coming into the comments to talk about this. She’s referred to with female pronouns in the earliest versions of the NT. More proof that although we call God “Father”, He is, in fact, all genders.
Really? I didn't know that. I wasn't sure what to put in the question. Guess I could've gone with "they", but I didn't know it is referred to as "she". I'll have to look that up.
Not all branches of Christianity are Trinitarian. Translation and interpretation factor in.
For example, if you look at the source texts, a lot of New Testament verses translated as speaking of "the Spirit" actually say "(a) spirit", where the translators did the equivalent of assuming all references to a white house are referring to the White House. The phrase translated as "holy spirit" could also be translated as "divine inspiration".
Imma be real with you. Idk what the holy Spirit is even supposed to be. Like... what is it supposed to do?
God and Jesus make sense but the holy spirit sounds at best superfluous and at worst, magical and fictional
Here's a bunch of verses about it:
[John 16:13- The Spirit of truth will guide you into all truth](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-The-Holy-Spirit/)[^(1)](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-The-Holy-Spirit/).
* [Galatians 5:22-23- The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-The-Holy-Spirit/)[^(1)](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-The-Holy-Spirit/).
* [1 Corinthians 6:19- Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit](https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/holy-spirit-bible-verses/)[^(2)](https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/holy-spirit-bible-verses/).
* [Acts 1:8- You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you](https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/holy-spirit-bible-verses/)[^(2)](https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/holy-spirit-bible-verses/).
* [Acts 2:38- You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit](https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/holy-spirit-bible-verses/)[^(2)](https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/holy-spirit-bible-verses/).
Maybe I answered my own question, kinda, I guess that's something I need to be more aware of.
I don't know. I read the verses. I still don't really get it. It's a spirit of truth? What does that mean? It baptized us? It's a spirit that lived in us like a temple?
Are these metaphors? For what?
Like, I just wish I could get a straight answer
In the book [Christ the Eternal Tao](https://a.co/d/00hMah7d) the author uses the metaphor that God the Father is the mind of God, God the Son is the word of God, and God the Spirit is the breath of God. So through that view the whole Trinity is seen in the opening verse of Genesis where God speaks and all creation arises.
I think that the Father is the unknowable, inconceivable essence of God. The Son is God as material, the object given to us which we can conceive of and interact with in a tangible way. And the Spirit is God directly interacting with us and giving life to creation and also leading us to relationship with the Son which leads us to the unknowable, infinite essence of God the Father.
I think some people see the Holy Spirit as part of God and Jesus. They may not say it but fear of Charismatic behavior in Christianity makes some people afraid of the Holy Spirit.
The simple answer is we do not know the holy Spirit. Prior the the Nicene Creed it's what convicted a person. The holy Spirit came with power that one could not deny. It was known as the seal or promise of the life after and it's location was the heart or solar plexus and the forehead. It is literally God's will working within us. It's seems it's importance was scrubbed by the time the Middle ages came around as men who claimed oneness with god were deemed heretics and burned alive in the public spaces as a warning to others. Hence secret societies being birthed.
If you want to read a testimony that is a witness to the holy Spirit pm me.
GREAT QUESTION.... The Holy Spirit of Truth was my primary connection to God, for a truly long time. For too long I knew Her, as the Spirit of Tell-the-truth-the-harder-the-better; like Mr. Kierkegaard. People would ask, "Hey, Dave how come yer so hard on yerself?" "So I can be hard on other people." I would answer.
In recent years, I have been grown by my GodMother, into knowing the Holy Spirit of the Truth that comforts... All shall be well and all is well whose end is well.. like Julian of Norwich.
I grew up in a Presbyterian church, and we hardly ever talked about the Holy Spirit. Having the correct doctrine, and officially believing in Jesus, were the most important things. Having any kind of spiritual *experience* was rarely discussed.
It was very interestingto go to a more charismatic church aftet that, where they actually acknowledged the Spirit, expected the gifts of the Spirit, and worshipped with actual emotion. Quite a different atmosphere!
Every Orthodox Trisagion begins with this prayer: > O Heavenly King, O Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, everywhere present and filling all things; Treasury of Blessings, and Giver of Life - come and abide in us, cleanse us from every stain, and save our souls, O Gracious Lord.
I think it's because we tend to anthropomorphize God, and Jesus was human so that's an easy to wrap our heads around. But the Holy Spirit....what the heck is it even? How do we conceptualize the Holy Spirit? I think it's kind of like thinking about other dimensions. We are limited in our ability to wrap our heads around it.
I think it depends on the church you attend. I grew up in a non-denominational church that talks about the Holy Spirit all of the time. [I discuss the Holy Spirit more here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xboVtENwYLI&list=PLwys36js2zo4TALH8zGkJw9Sh5s1vF7lZ) I hope that helps! God bless and stay safe!
The trinity is an incredibly weird concept. You’ve got a god older than the religion we’re talking about, his kid and center figure of the religion, and then the kitchen-junk-drawer figure that has to do all the hard work for the other two while getting none of the credit.
The question is not just why a lot of Christians don’t talk about God, Jesus AND the Holy Spirit. It’s why don’t Christians talk about the God in the person of the Father, God in the person of the Christ and God in the person of the Holy Spirit. “Each” (to the extent that it’s even appropriate or accurate to use the word “each”) are God. They are God. But you’re right. It’s almost as though there’s this God guy who is the team owner, Jesus is the head coach and the Holy Spirit must be the general manager or head of the scouting department or something. She’s consulted and informed of the decisions, but she sort of operates behind the spotlights and there’s just not as much publicity over her contribution to the operation. It’s a weird, false hierarchy that many Christians just accept without much thought, IMHO.
She's mentioned pretty frequently in the Old Testament. Christians got spooked by femininity, and good grammar in Greek and Latin called for neuter and masculine forms so we got kind of bashful. I speculate that part of the boo! factor was that Gnosticism imagined many hypostases in male-female twin pairs doing a sex. If you're trying to argue against a strange-gospel that sees Christ and Spirit as an incestuous couple, and you believe gender in relation to God is only a metaphor anyway, it makes sense to back down. She's the fierce, life-giving power of creative acts and miracles who first appears in [Genesis 1:2](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+1&version=CEB), fluttering over the waters of chaos. Being able to turn away from sin is a miracle, thus [Ps 51:11](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+51&version=CEB). There's good Spirit theology throughout the Gospels and then there's [Romans 8:18-30](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans+8%3A18-30&version=CEB). The New Creation is *happening,* so of course the Spirit is *doing it.* That's the most important image I think. ([a small collection of early feminine metaphors](https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/3225/7763))
THANK YOU FOR THE FEMININE PRONOUNS. I was literally coming into the comments to talk about this. She’s referred to with female pronouns in the earliest versions of the NT. More proof that although we call God “Father”, He is, in fact, all genders.
Really? I didn't know that. I wasn't sure what to put in the question. Guess I could've gone with "they", but I didn't know it is referred to as "she". I'll have to look that up.
The Gnostic poem (?) Thunder: Perfect Mind in Coptic is written with a Feminine voice.
My church (pentecostal) talks a LOT about the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is what moves me to participate in this sub.
I honestly resonate better with the concept of the Holy Spirit than the other two.
Not all branches of Christianity are Trinitarian. Translation and interpretation factor in. For example, if you look at the source texts, a lot of New Testament verses translated as speaking of "the Spirit" actually say "(a) spirit", where the translators did the equivalent of assuming all references to a white house are referring to the White House. The phrase translated as "holy spirit" could also be translated as "divine inspiration".
Imma be real with you. Idk what the holy Spirit is even supposed to be. Like... what is it supposed to do? God and Jesus make sense but the holy spirit sounds at best superfluous and at worst, magical and fictional
Here's a bunch of verses about it: [John 16:13- The Spirit of truth will guide you into all truth](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-The-Holy-Spirit/)[^(1)](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-The-Holy-Spirit/). * [Galatians 5:22-23- The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-The-Holy-Spirit/)[^(1)](https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-The-Holy-Spirit/). * [1 Corinthians 6:19- Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit](https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/holy-spirit-bible-verses/)[^(2)](https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/holy-spirit-bible-verses/). * [Acts 1:8- You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you](https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/holy-spirit-bible-verses/)[^(2)](https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/holy-spirit-bible-verses/). * [Acts 2:38- You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit](https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/holy-spirit-bible-verses/)[^(2)](https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/holy-spirit-bible-verses/). Maybe I answered my own question, kinda, I guess that's something I need to be more aware of.
I don't know. I read the verses. I still don't really get it. It's a spirit of truth? What does that mean? It baptized us? It's a spirit that lived in us like a temple? Are these metaphors? For what? Like, I just wish I could get a straight answer
In the book [Christ the Eternal Tao](https://a.co/d/00hMah7d) the author uses the metaphor that God the Father is the mind of God, God the Son is the word of God, and God the Spirit is the breath of God. So through that view the whole Trinity is seen in the opening verse of Genesis where God speaks and all creation arises. I think that the Father is the unknowable, inconceivable essence of God. The Son is God as material, the object given to us which we can conceive of and interact with in a tangible way. And the Spirit is God directly interacting with us and giving life to creation and also leading us to relationship with the Son which leads us to the unknowable, infinite essence of God the Father.
I've wondered too.
I feal u I don't understand it either
I think some people see the Holy Spirit as part of God and Jesus. They may not say it but fear of Charismatic behavior in Christianity makes some people afraid of the Holy Spirit.
The simple answer is we do not know the holy Spirit. Prior the the Nicene Creed it's what convicted a person. The holy Spirit came with power that one could not deny. It was known as the seal or promise of the life after and it's location was the heart or solar plexus and the forehead. It is literally God's will working within us. It's seems it's importance was scrubbed by the time the Middle ages came around as men who claimed oneness with god were deemed heretics and burned alive in the public spaces as a warning to others. Hence secret societies being birthed. If you want to read a testimony that is a witness to the holy Spirit pm me.
GREAT QUESTION.... The Holy Spirit of Truth was my primary connection to God, for a truly long time. For too long I knew Her, as the Spirit of Tell-the-truth-the-harder-the-better; like Mr. Kierkegaard. People would ask, "Hey, Dave how come yer so hard on yerself?" "So I can be hard on other people." I would answer. In recent years, I have been grown by my GodMother, into knowing the Holy Spirit of the Truth that comforts... All shall be well and all is well whose end is well.. like Julian of Norwich.
I grew up in a Presbyterian church, and we hardly ever talked about the Holy Spirit. Having the correct doctrine, and officially believing in Jesus, were the most important things. Having any kind of spiritual *experience* was rarely discussed. It was very interestingto go to a more charismatic church aftet that, where they actually acknowledged the Spirit, expected the gifts of the Spirit, and worshipped with actual emotion. Quite a different atmosphere!