Analytic Response to New Testament Witness to the Holy Spirit

Analytic Response to New Testament Witness to the Holy Spirit

Introduction

Any religion is a combination of a number of entities, concepts, theories, rules and codes. However, there are also several entities in every religion, regarding which the concepts takes years to develop. Christianity is one such religion. There were a number of legends and myths in the Christianity faith that remained mysteries for many years. However, as the years passed by, the researches and discussions amongst the religious scholars played an essential role in shaping the realities regarding these concepts. One of such important concepts is the “Holy Spirit”. Discussed elaborately in the Old Testament and explained many times in the New Testament, the concept of Holy Spirit is one of the most significant fundamentals of the Christian Faith. However, it is essential to note that the concept is discussed in distinguishable ways in both the testament.

Discussion

The theology that involves the study of the Holy Spirit is known as pneumatology. A wide majority of the Christian community considers the Holy Spirit as the third divine entity of what is commonly called the Holy Trinity, where the "Triunine God" is highlighted as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit provided that each individual itself being the God or possessing his traits. The Holy Spirit is also known by the term “Holy Ghost” or “spirit”.

There are approximately 90 occasions in the New Testament that discusses the Holy Spirit. All the three Synoptic Gospels affirms and acknowledges the sacredness of the entity of the Holy Spirit, where the gospels simply declare the blasphemy against the entity of Holy Spirit as the sins that cannot be forgiven. In addition, the concept of the Holy Spirit is also mentioned and discussed in epistles of Pauline. The writings by Johannine also mention all the three distinctive terms that include Paraclete, Spirit of Truth and Holy Spirit are used.

The New Testament establishes a relationship between Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The testament explained the events during his earthly life and also the ministry of Jesus. It is openly declared in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke and also the Nicene Creed that Jesus Christ was given birth by the Virgin Mary and conceived by Holy Spirit. Moreover, it is mentioned in the New Testament that it was during Jesus' Baptism when the Holy Spirit, in the form of a form of a Dove descended up on him. There are also other proves of the Holy Spirit that includes the incident when Jesus, during his Farewell Discourse and after Last Supper, promised that he would send to his disciples the Holy Spirit after his departure.

Representation of Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts

Although The Book of Acts composes 13 percent only of the scriptures of New Testament, however it consists of approximately 23 % of the usage of the term “Spirit.” In addition, the Spirit is represented as an active entity in the ...