The Relationship between the Holy Spirit and the Foundation of Christianity - Essay Example

Religion and Theology The Relationship between the Holy Spirit and the Foundation (And Development) Of Christianity in the First Six Centuries The relationship between the Holy Spirit and the foundation of the Church has attracted a lot of debate amongst many scholars. My paper seeks to address how the Holy Spirit influenced both the foundation and development of the Church within the first six centuries. It will focus on how it influenced the early Christians to spread the gospel of Christ. It will also focus on how the Holy Spirit made non-Christians attracted to Christianity. In addition, it will focus on how the Holy Spirit strengthened the Christians’ belief in life after death. The early Christians had a strong belief in the crucified and risen Christ, which consequently planted a firm belief in water baptism and the “Outpouring of the Holy Spirit,” symbolized by placing of hands. These two meant, as they do today, a full initiation into the church (Hastings, 261). Therefore, the Holy Spirit was very important in not only the foundation but also in the development of the church within the first six centuries. Before ascending to heaven, Jesus Christ “commissioned” all his disciples to be witnesses to his Word to all corners of the world (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit then came down on the day of Pentecost, and fell upon the disciples and Apostles who were in the Upper Room (Acts 2:1-4). This gave the Apostles the required strength to courageously spread the word of Christ. This strength made them work even in some very dangerous environments (Historical Foundation of Christianity, 1). This courage could be seen in how they responded to the various persecutions that were being carried on against those who subscribed to Christianity. For instance, when Peter and John were arrested for healing a sick person and they were taken before the high priest and asked, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” We learn that Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, and courageously told them that Jesus whom they had crucified had given them (John and himself) the powers to heal the sick. He also reminded them that no name on earth was greater than Jesus. He did not care what danger he was putting himself in by having such a stand (Acts 4:7-8). And when they were released, they were ordered not to tell anyone about what they had discussed, but the two declared that nothing would stop them from preaching about Christ and what they had seen and heard (Acts 4:20). It is such a stand that eventually led to the persecution of most of the Christians of this time. There was a strong conviction among the Christians, most of whom eventually became martyrs. For instance, Vettius Epagathus was seen as “fervent in spirit” when he bravely faced his persecution for being a Christian (Morgan-Wynne, 195). The day of Pentecost had marked the fulfillment of Prophet Joel’s prophecy. As such, the coming of the Holy Spirit only strengthened the Christian’s faith in life after death. For one to see the life after death they had to accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior. Accepting Jesus Christ meant that one had to be ready for something as heavy as persecution. Therefore, they feared no persecution, since they knew that by being persecuted for Christ only confirmed their faith in Christ. As such, most of the Christians did face persecution without any fear. For example, during his horrible execution, Alexander put up a brave face and never showed any sign of pain, but only prayed to God. We are also told that some others, despite going through too much, still had the strength to preach to their fellow prisoners in the prison cells. Theirs was to inherit a better life in heaven, where they would stay with Christ. It was such a conviction that led to the rapid spread of Christianity in Lyons and Gaul, and even many other parts of the world where persecution of Christians was the in-thing (Morgan-Wynne, 197). The martyrs’ faith before their persecution was simply unrivalled. They stood firm for Christ, even when doing so would mean an inevitable persecution. These people had a strong faith in Christ. However, some, faced with persecution, denied any connection with Christianity. These were generally seen as cowards to whom the Kingdom of God would just be a dream. While they faced persecution with both guilt and fear, those with stronger faith went for martyrdom gladly, and “great glory and grace were mingled on their faces, so that they wore their chains like ornaments.” The latter, on the other hand, felt that they had lost the “all-honorable life-giving Name” that was earned through the power of Holy Spirit (Morgan-Wynne, 194). Irenaeus argued that even the Old Testament prophets had had the same conviction that is to inherit the Kingdom of God (Morgan-Wynne, 197). For some Christians, the Holy Spirit in itself signified the presence of the Church. It is what made the Church to stand the various challenges that faced it. According to Irenaeus, the Holy Spirit and the Church could not exist independent of each other. The lives of the people were also closely attached to the Holy Spirit. For Irenaeus, the Holy Spirit was very important for the continuity of the Church; its absence meant the absence of both the Church and the Christian individual. He also argued that the Holy Spirit had cemented the relationship between God and his people, and as such, no individual would stop the expansion of the Church. This relationship had made a new kind of Christianity to emerge; one which was fervent and, therefore, strongly endeavored to “spread the faith and win others for Christ.” This kind of Christianity strongly embraced martyrdom “for Christ,” a form of commitment to endure all atrocities courageously. They strongly believed that the Holy Spirit was there to support them. This resulted in a rapid spread of Christianity (Morgan-Wynne, 196-197, 202, 218). As noted above, most martyrs approached martyrdom due to the courage that they had earned fro the Holy Spirit. One such individual was Stephen (Acts 7:54-60). It was the persecution of Stephen that marked a new beginning of Christianity as regards the Gentiles. Stephen had sympathizers who saw a burning need to continue with the job he had started, that is spreading the word of Christ. This actually made some of Stephen’s contemporaries, and Christians in general, to see no need in living any people without the gospel. Therefore, the Christians made a resolution to reach out to the Gentiles. Moreover, the coming of the Holy Spirit made them review their understanding the understanding of Christ’s life but also work. Jesus had shown them that to God all cultures were equal before God. On the day of Pentecost people spoke in many tongues. This was a clear confirmation of Christ’s teaching that God accepted all cultures, especially when it came to salvation, and therefore Jews and Gentiles were actually equal before God (Sanneh, 54). According to Kim and Kim (5), the spread of a religion majorly depends on the nature of that religion. With the coming of the Holy Spirit, the early Christians had been given the duty to spread the Word to everyone. The salvation Christians had received with the crucifixion of Christ had to be proclaimed by all Christians, and this Christianity was available for all people. It therefore united different ethnic groups, social statuses, as well as gender. By the simple fact that some Gentiles had been baptized, an act done by the help of the Holy Spirit, they had members of the church, just like the Jews as baptism had helped them acquire Holy Spirit. The inclusion of the Gentiles in the list of potential converts led to the increase in the number of Christians (Kim and Kim, 7). Moreover, it was because of the Holy Spirit that Christians received the power to perform miracles. For instance, Peter and John healed a sick person (Acts 4:8). Peter also raised a lady called Tabitha in Joppa (Acts 10:40). It is also because of the power to perform wonders that many people who had, for a long time, believed in magic and held a magician called Simon, became converted to Christianity. Even the magician himself was converted and baptized. The ability to perform wonders not only made the Apostles to be “held in high esteem” but also to convince very many people that Christianity was the best religion and its god the most supreme. Therefore, there was a great increase in the number of churches and Christian believers (Acts 7:12-55; Acts 8:12-13; Acts 9:1-32). The Holy Spirit indeed contributed to the foundation and development of the Church in the first six centuries. It gave the Apostles the courage to spread the word, even at a time when many Christians were persecuted for their religious affiliations. It also made Christians to accept Gentiles as one with them in Christ. In addition, it reassured the Christians that God was very faithful in fulfilling his promises for the mankind. And through the ability to perform miracles Christians found it easier to win non-Christians to the Church. Works Cited Acts 1:8; 2:1-4; 4:7,8,20; 7:12-60; 8:12-13; 9:1-32; and 10:40. Hastings, Adrian. A World History of Christianity. Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2000. Print. Hastings, James. Encyclopedia of Religion, Part 11. London: Whitefish, Montana, 2003. Print. “Historical Foundation of Christianity.” . Kim, Sebastian, and Kim, Kirsteen. Christianity as a World Religion. London: Continuum, 2008. Print. Morgan-Wynne, John E. Holy Spirit and Religious Experience in Christian Literature ca. AD 90-200. Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2006. Print. Sanneh, Lamin. Translating the Message: The Missionary Impact on Culture (2nd Ed.). Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2008. Print. Read More