The Spirit Intercedes for Us
Romans 8:26-27 gives one of the roles the Spirit plays in the life of believers; and, that is in the area of intercession. Intercession can be defined as an act of intervening or mediating between differing parties, particularly the act of praying to God on behalf of another person . There are a number of instances in the Old Testament where the act of intercession is found. Whereas these were literal events, they also pictured the intercessory role that the Holy Spirit would have towards the believers in the New Testament. Below is an analysis of Gen 18 (Abraham interceding for Lot) and how it pictured how the Spirit intercedes for believers.
In Genesis 18:7 the Lord mentions that He shall not hide anything from
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Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? In Gen
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18:25, the Lord mentions that He would not destroy the righteous with the wicked; actually, in Gen 18:26 the Lord assures Abraham that If He was to find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then He would spare all the place for their sakes. In Gen 18:27-33, Abraham goes ahead to plead before the Lord to spare the city whether there be found forty five, forty, thirty, twenty, or ten righteous. The Lord was not angry with Abraham, and, He assured him all through that for the righteous’ sake, He would spare the cities.
In this passage, Abraham represents the Holy Spirit, Lot represents the believers, and the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah represents the wickedness on the earth. Below are primary lessons on the Spirit’s intercession for the believer;
Just like the Lord would not hide anything from Abraham, so does He with the Holy Spirit – the Father does not hide anything from the Holy Spirit. The Spirit searches all things including deep things of God. The reason Abraham was able to intercede for Lot was because the Lord revealed to him what He was going to do. Similarly, the Spirit is able to intercede for believers because the Lord reveals all things to the
If Abraham can find 50 good people within Sodom then he will let it be
(John 15:14-15) 10. (1) Why did God tell Abraham about His plan of destroying Sodom and Gomorrah? (2) What have learned from here about the principles of God's judgement? 11. (1) What was Abraham deepest concern when he heard about the pending destruction of Sodom? (2) God has already told you about His judgement and destruction of this world at the end time?
To start our research, we need to ask a critical question at the very beginning : Who is the Holy Spirit? The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is a person. Jesus never referred to “it” when He was talking about the Holy Spirit. In John 14,15 and 16, for example, He spoke of the Holy Spirit as “He” because He is not a force or thing but a person. The point is especially important at a time when pantheistic tendencies are
The Holy Spirit comforts: John 14:16, And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Helps us in our Weakness. The Holy Spirit intercedes: Romans 8:26, in the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans. The Holy Spirit searches the deep things of God: 1 Corinthians 2:11, The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit sanctifies: Romans 15:16, to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Bears witness or testifies: Romans 8:16, The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.
Turning to 2 Chronicles 7:14, Short read, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
The Holy Spirit of God is the active force or power in one’s life, which most certainly includes spiritual formation (Pettit, 2008, p. 46). When Jesus was speaking with his disciples he made it clear – by using the analogy of a vine and branches – that apart from him they could do nothing (John 15:5). Only if one is connected to Christ will they have the ability to bear fruit and the way Jesus empowers those connected to him is through the Holy Spirt that that father will send in his name (John 14:26). The fact is that the triune God dwells in the Christian in and through the Holy Spirit. One sees this when they place multiple passages together to gain a full understanding of this concept. For example, Jesus made it clear that he and the father would come and make their home with the disciple (John 14:23). In 1 Corinthians 6:19 Paul reminds the Corinthians that their bodies are the very temple of God because the Holy Spirit dwells in them which is similar to what Jesus said would happen when he sent the Holy Spirit after his resurrection and ascension (John 14:17, 16:7).
God came with peace and good news, to Israel, saying “I will cleanse you from your sins, I will bring people into your cities and the ruins will be rebuilt” (Ezekiel, 36:33 NIV). Ezekiel’s oracles of spirituality, thus Israel was spiritual dead with no hope of vitality ( Ezekiel 37:5 NIV). Yet, God will restore life back into those dead bones, if Israel would turn from their sinful ways (Ezekiel 37:14). In chapter 40 of Ezekiel, God showed, the prophet a vision of God’s dwelling place, of those who are faithful thus, they will live with the Lord forever (NIV). Yahweh carried, out judgment on Jerusalem by the Babylonians (Hays, 2010). The “oracles against the nation” in (Ezekiel 28:17) This oracles were against king Tyre, whom were destroyed, the king’s content were evil, whereas it represent the same pattern as Satan. (Hays, 2010). Thus, God delivered, Egypt to Himself ,although Jerusalem were destroyed, God gave hope of restoring His people, the city was renamed,because of Yahweh’s present remain in the city. God will restore life back in the city if His people would repent of their sins, He will judge those who will not repent and save those who would repent (Ezekiel 33:11-21; 24:21; 33:22). God will Shepherd His flock
Throughout Genesis, God describes Noah as righteous. I think Aronofsky’s movie Noah explores this idea. Thomas Aquinas defines righteousness as the balance of justice and mercy. However, I thought that the movie depicts righteousness as Noah’s struggle with obedience of God verses mercy.
The Holy Spirit is perhaps the least understood person of the Holy Trinity. Today, we will discuss how the Catholic Church views the Holy Spirit and maybe debunk some common misconceptions. All too often, I think, many people misconstrue the presence of the Holy Spirit to be a “feeling” – they “have it” when they feel moved by something, and don’t when they feel nothing. This is, however, simply not the case, and the Holy Spirit actually works in a very different way. Regardless of our state of ‘feeling’, it is the Holy Spirit alone that allows the faithful to profess that Jesus is Lord. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, knowledge of the faith is impossible (CCC 683).
By the start of Zechariah 8, the Lord had rebuked and confronted the Jewish people of their sin. Since the people did not have a proper relationship with the Lord, cities like Jerusalem and Judah were judged. These cities were destroyed, dispersing the people in different directions. Nevertheless, God will never leave or forsake his people, for this he has promised them.
“The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the lord said, ‘I will blot out from the earth the human beings I have created-people together with animals and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.’ But Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord.”(Genesis 6:5-8)
Prayer in some schools may or may not be allowed for various reasons depending on where you are. For example, school-sponsored prayer is allowed in some parts of Europe, but not in the schools in the United States, Canada, Turkey or France, Turkey, and France are strong secular states. Some states do allow prayer, but it must be done privately while some prayer is declared by the state. However, one can pray in the schools in the United States, but not openly in state-run or public schools and as long as the prayer is not disruptive to those around the student; prayer is permitted as a private and personal choice.
The Holy Spirit plays a very vital role in the lives of each and every believer; He can strengthen us with a strength that we cannot even begin to muster up in ourselves. He can bring us joy that we cannot even begin to find in the things of this world. He can bring peace to our lives more than anything that we can ever find on this earth. “The Holy Spirit which is primarily an energizing process, is also a revealing, refining, consuming, illuminating process, and one by which we are made to glow with love to God, and love to man, and love to souls.”
The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, and is equal in essence and in power in the Trinity to the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit was originally sent by Jesus after his ascension into heaven, Jesus himself saying that he would send a “helper” after he departed from the earth. This spirit is worshipped just as the Father and the Son are, and also participated in the creation of the world, sustaining and giving life continually to all things, and exhibits the uniqueness and characteristics of the third person in the Trinity. This is the same Holy Spirit that divinely inspired the infallible word of God, and although the canon is now closed, the Holy Spirit still works powerfully and constantly in the life of the church and in believers. The Holy Spirit is the giver of spiritual gifts, which are given at conversion and help the believer become more like their creator. The presence of the Holy Spirit is evident in the life of all true believers, and this Spirit turns cowardly men into mighty warriors for Christ who accomplish actions way beyond their natural ability.
The Holy Spirit also acts in non-believers as well. The Holy Spirit makes people feel guilty about the things that they have done and helps them to ask for God forgiveness on their sin. (John 16:8-11). The Holy Spirit pulls on our hearts and minds asking us to repent and turn to God for forgiveness and a new life. When the Apostle Paul was planting church in his missionary journey, he preached lots about the duty of the Holy Spirit, and the role that he plays in our lives for example in Roman 8:1-8. In view of this scripture, there is a very distinct difference between the human flesh and the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul said that as long we become Christian, the Spirit of Jesus Christ has set us free from the worldly law of sin. Whatever the flesh could not do Jesus Christ has come to paid it all and to set us free from condemnation.