The Role of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament - Assignment Example

Give some examples of the role of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament There are a lot of accounts verifying and attesting the role of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. For Christians, indicator of spiritual maturity as well as turning back from old self is the possession of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 5:22-23 it says "22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law (New International Version). Also, Wikipedia (2007) states that "In Christianity, following the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is the One who guides a person to correctly interpret the word of God and He helps each person reach new levels of understanding. Since He knows each person perfectly and it is understood that people think differently, He can transfer information to people in ways that they would comprehend it (Acts of the Apostles 2:7)." In this case, the Holy Spirit plays a significant role in transformation and teaching believers on what to do as Christian as well as fellowship among Christians through His presence. Also, the Holy Spirit is included when baptizing believers as Matthew 28:19-20 states that "19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." "Without the Holy Spirit there would be no Jesus story to tell." Explain If we are to deal with the origin of Christ when He entered here on erath in Human form, He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Matthew 1:20-21 says "But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[c] because he will save his people from their sins." Also, when Jesus was Baptized, the spirit of God appeared. In Matthew 3:16-17 it was stated that "16As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased" The communication of Jesus with his Father is the Holy Spirit. A passage in Luke 10:21 says "21At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure." How can we today understand this gift of Jesus: The Holy Spirit Jesus during His time here on earth uttered that if He will not leave then the Holy Spirit not come furthermore, In John 14:26 it is stated that "26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." T The goal of life is to know fully who I am In 2 Timothy 1:9, in Paul's letter to Timothy, it was stated that "9who has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time," We are created for God's purpose. How can we recover the lost contemplative dimension of life We lost our lives due to sin and in this case, we lost everything in life including our souls. However, when Christ died for us, he freely gave us everything including our access with God. It would be once again possible if we accept the Lord Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior ( and admit that we are sinners (Repentance) the common passage for this is found on John 3:16. Also, 1 John 1:9 states " 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." The only moment when we can meet God is now, the only place is here It is established in the Christian faith that God is omnipresent or God is everywhere. We can meet and communicate and meet God in His own special ways. . To know Him we must know the truth of our selves. We must worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth. Also, we must be true to ourselves because God is a God of truth and the whole passage in John 4:23 says "23Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." Also it is stated that "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:32), the key here is to know the truth and God is our only truth. It is also established that God knows everything about us and we must enter to Him boldly. For many cradle Christians entering the second stage of relationship with Jesus is like (247) After confessing our sins with Jesus, we must live a Holy life and work for our salvation. In Philippians 2:12 it is written "12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling." Therefore one must live a Holy life and must work out the salvation that was given by the Lord to live a Holy life. The Cross is a saving symbol of what is undergone in the deepest part of each person. Before, cross is a sign of death and shame. Those who die on the cross are those who are criminals and the outlaws in the society. However, cross was the instrument that was used for the salvation of man as Christ died here. The bible illustrates several interpretations regarding the cross and how it is significant to every person. Cross could be illustrated as a form of following Christ as Luke 9:23 stated that "23Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." IN 1 Corinthians 2:18 the cross has two messages which states that "18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.".Furthermore Hebrews 12:2 stated "2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." How did his disciples make sense of his death At first, the disciples deemed that Christ's death means natural sleep. John 11:13 says "13Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep." The death of Christ and His resurrection signifies His triumph over death ang paved the way for eternal life. In Timothy 1:8-10 it is written "8So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, 9who has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." How did Jesus understand his death Jesus has a clear perspective of what He will go through. This was illustrated on how he predicted his death a number of times. Matthew 6:21 states "21From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." Mark 8:31 also states that " 31He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again." In this case, He also knows that His resurrection would mean abolition of death which was supported by 2 Timothy 1:10 revealed that "but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." The Resurrection: neither purely objective nor purely subjective. What then There are a lot of accounts that resurrection indeed happened, some accounts are seen on several texts. Matthew 28:1-10 states "1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." 8So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." 1 Corinthians 5:12 says "But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead" The issue here must not be limited to whether it is subjective or objective but on the context of faith. If one believes in the Lord, then he will also be resurrected and would bring hope to the believers. 1 Peter 1:3 states "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," Jesus'& my Resurrection: "Sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body The passage would be found on Mark 16:1-19 1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb" 4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' " 8Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. 9When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. 10She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. 11When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. 12Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. 13These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either. 14Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. 15He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." 19After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it." Reference: 1) Wikipedia 2007. Holy Spirit. 14 May 2006 < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Spirit> Read More