"A recent book calls the Holy Spirit the shy member of the Trinity. His ministry is to point away from himself to the wonder of God the Son and God the Father... When Jesus promised the Spirit (in John 16:14), he said, "He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you." The Spirit is ... self-effacing. When we look toward him, he steps back and pushes forward Jesus Christ.
Therefore, in seeking to be filled and empowered by the Spirit we must pursue him indirectly - we must look to the wonder of Christ. If we look away from Jesus and seek the Spirit and his power directly, we will end up in the mire of our own subjective emotions. The Spirit does not reveal himself. The Spirit reveals Christ... Christian spiritual experience is not a vague religious emotion. It is an emotion with objective content, and the content is Jesus Christ."
[from sermon: "Christ Conceived by the Holy Spirit", by John Piper, 3/11/84]
No comments:
Post a Comment