As someone who has come out of the Charismatic movement, this question is one that I have asked myself a couple of times. The Holy Spirit is a member of the Holy Trinity, coequal with the Father and the Son. But is it possible to overemphasize the Holy Spirit? Yes. Now that we are in the season of Pentecost, we turn our attention to the Holy Spirit. I am going to take some quotes from the Small Catechism regarding the Holy Spirit to help us understand the office of the Holy Spirit a bit more.
Question 156. What is the special work of the Holy Spirit?
"The Holy Spirit sanctifies me (makes me holy), by bringing me to faith in Christ, so that I might have the blessings of redemption and lead a godly life (sanctification in the wide sense)."
Question 157. Why do you need the Holy Spirit to begin and sustain this faith in you?
"By nature I am spiritually blind, dead, and an enemy of God, as the Scriptures teach; therefore, 'I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him.'"
The Holy Spirit's work is twofold: conversion and sanctification. Conversion in that the Spirit is the one who brings the person to faith in the first place. And sanctification in the sense that the Spirit is the one who sustains that faith.
So for those who accuse Lutherans of not giving enough time to the Spirit, we actually give the Spirit the place that He deserves: Not higher nor lower than any other member of the Holy Trinity.
God bless,
Manny Tovar
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