PA little somethin' somethin' from my seminary assignment, just a tip of the iceberg too...
J. I. Packer wrote an excellent book about the work and focus of the Holy Spirit.
\This is my quick recap of his main points that have helped me understand the what the Holy Spirit does in my life a little more distinctively. 20/15 vision is always better than a blurrier vision.
For Packer, there are five P's that he focuses on when considering what the Holy Spirit does.
1. Power
2. Performance
3. Purity
4. Presentation
5. Presence
But they are not all equal in emphasis. Here are his main points.
Packer’s survey of the work of the Holy Spirit
begins with power, supported by the descriptions in scripture that lead us to
the pleasures of experiencing the power of God in our lives to strengthen,
enable, and empower us to do something we otherwise could not have done on our
own, albeit having a desire to. Power,
in Packer’s words, “speaks to an obvious and universal human need”, which he warns that if placed centrally can cause an egoistic and
introverted indifference to the concerns of others, or place an inner focus or passivity
in one’s heart much like that which is practiced in yoga self meditation.
Secondly, performance is most aptly described
as the gifts in each individual being used, and in this context regarding the
work of the Spirit Packer is referring to our spiritual gifts. Packer emphasizes the purpose of gifts in
that they are all under one headship, for the benefit of believers, but most
definitely that every member contributes to one another by displays of servitude
that show honor to God, which are their spiritual gifts’ purpose. An emphasis outside of the Christ-like
character development will lead to incorrect usage of our spiritual gifts and
understanding of the person and work of the Holy Spirit.
Thirdly, purity is the focus of one’s experience
of sin and the gradual understanding of its underlying constancy in everything
we do, making us more and more aware of our need and desire to be cleansed. Being purified is biblical but not central to
the work of the Holy Spirit, and such wrong emphasis can lead again to an egoism
of various sorts that dishonors the sanctifying person of the Holy Spirit. Packer identifies this type of egoism as somber
spirituality. Somebody who sees how wretched their sin is, or how imperfect they are as believers, and remains unhealthily there.
Fourthly, presentation is
an awareness of things that utilize our experiences in concert with our
rationality and emotions that then shape our responses. These moments of understanding or clarity within
individuals can often produce rich meaning and contentedness, whether by an
(obsessive) sensation or affirmation of our respective flawed communities. Some call this the "high" of the Spirit working in them. However, the danger of an emphasis on the
Holy Spirit’s work of illumination, without proper understanding of the process
for examination, can open the doors for false notions to dilute one’s right awareness
of Christ, and in the worst case scenario make the gospel message relative
according to these unexamined presentations of the Holy Spirit.
Packer brings us to the final and most
important aspect of the work of the Holy Spirit: presence. Simply put, presence is the Holy Spirit’s
work of emphasizing Christ’s presence in us.
This embodies our intimacy in relationship with Jesus (presentation and
right response), our transformation of character into His likeness (power, performance,
and purity), and the intensifying certainty of our assurance that Jesus is our
Lord and Savior. All the other aspects
of the work of the Spirit find their resolution in Jesus’s presence. “…Lo, I am with you always…” (Matt.
28:20). In summary, the Spirit works is
to ultimately bring Jesus into one’s heart through genuine awareness; God is
real, and God is in me.
That is the work of the Holy Spirit, my friends.
I agree with Packer, and I will come back to this post and expand a bit on each aspect because I find it really fascinating!
Jmegrey.
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