15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” – John 14:15-17
Simon Magus
What comes to your mind when you think of the Holy Spirit? I believe that too often for most it is perhaps a thought that parallels that of Simon Magus. If you are not familiar with him he is infamously recorded in Acts chapter eight.
Simon Magus was a man from Samaria. But he was no “ordinary” man, however we might define that. He said of himself that he was “somebody great” (Acts 8:9). Simon practiced magic and seemed to have quite a large gathering who was greatly impressed by him.
10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic” (Acts 810-11).
But in the midst of Simon’s admirers, God’s true power, the Gospel, showed up. Philip came to Samaria proclaiming the Gospel and many believed him as he taught about the “kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” (v. 12). Among those who professed belief and were baptized was none other than Simon Magus.
Simon Exposed
After his baptism, we are told that Simon “continued with Philip” (v. 13). As Simon continued to spend time with Philip, he had the privilege of seeing Philip perform signs and miracles and he was amazed. Being a magician Simon undoubtedly recognized a great difference between Philip’s miracles and his own slight of hand magic, but what was Philip’s secret?
When the news of what was happening in Samaria reached the Apostles in Jerusalem, they decided to send down Peter and John. Upon arrival, Peter and John prayed for the new converts and laid their hands on them. When they did so the new converts “received the Holy Spirit” (v. 17). At which time Simon was exposed.
18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” – vs. 18-19
To Simon Magus, the Holy Spirit and the ability to disseminate Him represented power. With such power imagine the fame and wealth that someone like Simon could obtain! For Simon, the Holy Spirit was something he evaluated on a commercial basis that would be subject to his will.
Peter, in very strong language, reprimands Simon for his worship of money, which is ultimately where Simon’s devotion lay. Certainly, while Simon was being rebuked, the Holy Spirit was grieved.
Him
Look closely at the passage quoted above from the Gospel of John. When Jesus promises His disciples the Holy Spirit He uses the pronouns whom, him, and he. When Jesus departed to go back to the Father, He wasn’t simply going to replace himself with a power, but rather with a person. A member of the Trinity who is as much a person as the Father and the Son are.
It is of utmost importance that we recognize the fact that the Holy Spirit is a person. Without the intimate knowledge of the personhood of the Holy Spirit, any study of His works or appeals for His power is meaningless. If we want to have a “fair” and “balanced” understanding of the Holy Spirit, we must begin with the fact that HE is a person.
When we refer to the personhood of the Holy Spirit, we are not referring to bodily substance, but rather we mean that the Holy Spirit has personality characteristics. Although the Holy Spirit may not have arms, legs, hands, etc., the Bible does ascribe to the Holy Spirit such things as knowledge, will, love, etc.
It is the person of the Holy Spirit that is our Paraclete. The Person called alongside us. The Person who lives inside us.
Heaven Help Us
As we looked at in our last study, mankind is in need of help. We looked at the creation of Adam from the dust and the fact that Eve was formed from a rib from his side. Eve was made to complete Adam, but as we saw, there are spiritual needs that only God can meet. We need a Paraclete from Heaven.
Adam and Eve could walk side by side down the streets of New York City. Despite being surrounded by millions of people in a short vicinity, Adam could be the “loneliest” man alive. The strange faces around him and even the familiar face of his wife at his side may be desperately insufficient to remove his loneliness. But Adam’s despair may have company.
As she walks by Adam’s side, Eve may be battling the demons of depression. Rather than being an escape from her torment, the busyness of her environment may only serve as a fuel for her internal torment. Why, she might ask, with all of the resources such a populated city might possess, can she not find any relief from her suffering?
Jesus foresaw such suffering. Jesus foresaw such sorrow. Jesus did not leave us as orphans. He sent us another helper. He did not send us “just” a power. He did not send us simply an illuminating agent. Nor did He send us an impersonal enlightenment or divine influence.
When we were given the Holy Spirit we were given a person just as divine as Jesus. One who daily walks by our side. One who dwells “in the innermost depths of our beings” and knows our needs even better than we know them ourselves.
Comfort
There are many functions that the Holy Spirit performs as our Paraclete, but for now, I only want to broach one, the fact that the Holy Spirit brings us comfort. I don’t want to imply that as Christians we will never experience such things as loneliness or depression, but I am convinced that our greatest source of comfort is the indwelling Holy Spirit and without a foundational understanding of His personhood we miss His blessings.
As Jesus’ words quoted above imply, the Holy Spirit is to us what Jesus was to His disciples. When He walked the earth with His disciples, Jesus was their teacher. For three years, these men, many of which were deemed ignorant “unlearned”, gleaned from the most intelligent “man” ever to live. In time they would change the world with the truths Jesus taught them.
Not only did Jesus serve as their teacher, He was also their shepherd and leader. When they were vulnerable, He protected them, and when they were wayward He directed them. Although they may not have completely understood His ways at the time, they knew in Jesus they had a “guide, counselor, and friend”.
In the midst of a world dominated by Roman power and religious hypocrisy, Jesus was more than a moral “keel” to keep the ship upright. To His disciples, He was an intimate friend who loved them with a perfect love. Christ was their “all in all”. And such is the person of the Holy Spirit to the church.
Glory
I don’t want to exhaust your patience. We will have to resume this study later. For now, let me simply remind you that in the person of the Holy Spirit we have a Comforter who is ever present, at our sides and in our hearts. He is able to act on our behalf in any situation that may come our way. While it is my hope to impress upon you the personhood of the Holy Spirit, I don’t want to be accused of making this study about us. My intention is to make it “personal” without losing focus.
We don’t want to make the mistake that Simon Magus did. We don’t want to confuse the Holy Spirit with a power or treat Him as an object. It is imperative we understand that He is a divine person, worthy of our worship. Just as we adore the Father and the Son we must adore the Holy Spirit. He is worthy of our love. He is worthy of our faith. If we want to live victoriously in our Christian faith we need to recognize that He deserves our complete surrender.
It is the Simon’s of the world who misunderstand the Holy Spirit and think of Him as a “tool”. Their quest in life is to get more of the Holy Spirit. Often they advertise themselves as “Spirit-filled”. They feed their spiritual pride and display self-sufficiency and self-exaltation.
In contrast to Simon Magus, may we always be cognizant of the personhood of the Holy Spirit. When we do, we are not concerned with having more of the Holy Spirit, but rather interest ourselves in surrendering more of self to the Holy Spirit. When we truly understand the person of the Holy Spirit indwelling us, forever, we are humbled. Recognizing that the triune God resides in us has a way of keeping our pride in check.
You will never be alone. You will never be just another face in the crowd. In the Person of the Holy Spirit, you are indwelt with divinity. God, in His infinite wisdom and strength, has taken up residence in you and is carrying out His perfect will through you. May we give the Holy Spirit the glory He deserves by seeing Him for who He is!