HOLY SPIRIT: Attorney at Law

...if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you. And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go the Father and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. (John 16:7-11)

We are all familiar with the gifts of the Holy Spirit that St. Paul enumerates in his First Letter to the Corinthians. (1 Cor. 12:1-11) The Holy Spirit empowers the members of the Church with peculiar gifts for the sake of serving the Head, Jesus Christ. We are familiar with the fruits of the Spirit outlined in Paul’s Letter to the Galatians (Gal. 5:16-24) The type of fruit we bear, whether it is of the flesh or of the Spirit, indicates what kind of tree we are. (Mt. 3:8, Mt. 7:15-20). But we often forget that the Holy Spirit has a role independent of our spiritual growth. He is our Helper!

The Greek word for Helper is parakletos. It is sometimes translated as advocate, counselor, consoler, intercessor or Paraclete. No one singular word really describes the role of the Paraclete. The Greek word itself describes someone who stands beside you to make a right call. A more accurate term to describe the Paraclete is a legal advocate speaking on your behalf. Imagine that you are in a courtroom standing before a judge. Beside you is your lawyer speaking for you. You have been counseled by your attorney and know what to say and when to say it. You have an understanding of the charges against you as well as knowledge of your transgressions against the law. This is the work of the Holy Spirit!

Jesus has ascended to our Father in Heaven, not leaving us as orphans.  We are aided by the Helper. It is the Holy Spirit that convicts us of our sins. It is the Holy Spirit that leads us to true repentance. It is the Holy Spirit that defends us against Satan’s accusations. The Elect in God’s Kingdom do not stand condemned as Jesus has paid our debt to the Law. The Holy Spirit comforts us in this knowledge. It is by the help of the Holy Spirit that we know ourselves in the light of the Gospel and know our need for Jesus as Lord and Savior. (1 Cor. 12:3)

This is why we can boldly say with St. Paul, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1) and for all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” On this earth we have a Helper, the Holy Spirit and He “intercedes for the saints according to the will of God!” (Rom. 8:26-30)

Speaking in tongues

Many people find speaking in tongues to not be real. Let's look at Scripture and science. In Scripture St. Paul says that when he prays in tongues his mind is useless. What does science say?

What Gifts has God Given You?

When I ask people what gifts people have to offer to God, I get various replies from ‘hearing complaints’ to ‘gardening’ to ‘making jams‘. These are all nice things to do. But what concerns me is that Holy Scripture tells us what gifts we can have to offer to God for His service. The first list is found in Romans chapter 12:6-8: “God has also given each of us different gifts to use. If we can prophesy, we should do it according to the amount of faith we have. If we can serve others, we should serve. If we can teach, we should teach. If we can encourage others, we should encourage them. If we can give, we should be generous. If we are leaders, we should do our best. If we are good to others, we should do it cheerfully.” The second list appears in I Corinthians 12:7-11: “The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others. Some of us can speak with wisdom, while others can speak with knowledge, but these gifts come from the same Spirit. To others the Spirit has given great faith or the power to heal the sick or the power to work mighty miracles. Some of us are prophets, and some of us recognize when God's Spirit is present. Others can speak different kinds of languages, and still others can tell what these languages mean. But it is the Spirit who does all this and decides which gifts to give to each of us.” In summary, the gifts that come from God are serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, kindness, prophesying, words of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles and the discernment between spirits.

This is a lot. But St. Paul reminds us that not everyone has all of these gifts. They are divvied up among the members of the body. It is important to note that these gifts come from God. It is what He wants us to have for us to serve Him. So why can’t we just garden or make jams? That question is best answered by what is the greatest gift God has given us? Hopefully, you will say salvation. Can we save ourselves from death? No! Likewise, can we serve God with our own gifts? No! God gives us what we need to serve Him! Our life on earth is about serving God! He knows what the world needs and has given us the tools to serve Him in the world.

Every Christian needs to pray that each and everyone of us asks that God shows us what gifts He has given us. And then we must pray that we use holy boldness to serve God by being selfless in the sharing of our gifts. Easter we received the salvation of God by Christ’s death and resurrection. Lest us receive the Holy Spirit and all the gifts he has to offer!
Fr. Allen