Reading through Paul’s letters I’m struck by how little he talks about the Holy Spirit, in comparison to the regularity with which the Spirit is spoken of and to in our present time in some circles, as though the object of our worship should be the Spirit above all else. To those of us who pay attention to the New Testament over “what God is saying to us today” there’s a clear picture and a clear message in it for us all.
My current study is in Paul’s letter to the Colossians. It’s a short letter admittedly – being four chapters long. However, considering the current obsession with things attributed to the Spirit of God in our time, you’d think that Paul, the man who “turned the world upside down”; the man who sometimes healed the sick; who wrote much of our New Testament and who claimed to speak with tongues more often even than the Corinthians, would have focused far more on the Spirit of God, were today’s standards to be applied. Paul mentioned the Holy Spirit once in his letter to the Colossians:
“… and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit” (1:8).
This may not even be a reference to the Holy Spirit of God. Paul may instead be speaking of an attitude of genuine love which the Colossians have in their own spirits and among themselves, because the Greek word used here for “spirit” is the same as the one Paul uses to speak of human spirit to the Corinthians:
“So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding” (1 Corinthians 14:15).
However, translators have given the word a capital “S” in verse 8, so we will assume Paul is indeed saying that the Colossians have a love for one another fuelled and indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
WHAT’S THERE AND WHAT ISN’T
I’ve noticed that one common feature of Paul’s letters is his lack of reference to the Holy Spirit in his opening comments, and the Colossians letter is no exception. While we do have the likely reference to the Spirit noted above, Paul’s greetings speak of the Father and the Son – Jesus Christ – but make no mention of the Spirit. Here’s a selection:
“To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints” (1:2-4).
In these two verses, which are the core of Paul’s greeting, we see “Christ” once, “Jesus Christ” once, and “God the Father” twice. Where is the Holy Spirit? Where is Paul’s obsession with the Spirit in this letter, in comparison to the supremacy of focus on the Spirit in a large portion of charismatic churches today, and among charismatic believers?
PAUL’S VIEW OF BALANCE
I’ve counted twenty-seven times in Colossians that Paul penned the name, “Christ”; seven times he used the name “Jesus” and twenty-three times he spoke of “God”. By incredible contrast, the Holy Spirit is mentioned once throughout the letter, if indeed it is a reference to the Holy Spirit and not human spirit.
I’m not attempting to belittle the Holy Spirit here. Without the Spirit we’re lost and unregenerated. Without the Spirit we can’t live out godly lives or worship the Lord in a way acceptable to Him. However, it’s clear to me that Paul had all things in proper perspective. I say “proper” because he knew, no doubt, who his ministry was really all about, and he likely also knew that Jesus Christ had spoken these words to the disciples about the Spirit who was yet to come as an indwelling Person:
“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come” (John 16:13).
The priority of the Holy Spirit is to do the work given Him by the Father and the Son: not to bring glory to Himself. The Spirit is the “oil” keeping the engine going. He is the “air” which fills and permeates every word of Paul’s letter and every work of God, but He is not and should never be the focus of our attention: that’s reserved for our savour Jesus Christ.
Fuel for Faith, Food for Thought 