As we continue following the contours of the Apostles' Creed in this unit, we will spend some time exploring what we believe about the Holy Spirit. As you have noticed, the shape of the Creed is trinitarian---it expresses our faith in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. There is also a progression in which God moves closer to his people. God the Father, the Creator, is above and beyond us; God the Son is God with us; and God the Holy Spirit is God in us.

Q&A 33 says that the Holy Spirit, who is eternal God, is "given to me personally, unites me with Jesus Christ, comforts me, and stays with me forever." It's the truth that Jesus taught his disciples in John 14. He told them that he would soon be leaving them on earth, and returning to his Father, but the Father would send "another advocate . . . the Spirit of Truth" (vv. 16-17). The Greek word translated advocate is hard to translate, but means something like "one who comes alongside." It's been translated as comforter or as paraclete.

The Spirit brings the living presence of God into our hearts: "[He] lives with you and will be in you" (v. 17). And the Spirit will not only bring the presence of God, but will bring us into real fellowship with God. "On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you" (v. 20). The Spirit is the intimate face and power of God who can penetrate the human heart and mind.

The Holy Spirit is also intimately involved in our understanding of the Word of God. Jesus says the Spirit will "teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you" (v. 26). The Holy Spirit is the one who inspires the Scriptures to be God's truth, and that same Spirit makes sure that the truth of God's Word penetrates our hearts and minds.

Someone once said that the Holy Spirit is the "shy" person of the Trinity. Of course the Spirit is not shy in the sense of being easily embarrassed or keeping to himself; it's a way of saying that the Spirit's role is not to point to himself but to glorify the Father and the Son.

Here are a few things to clarify common mistakes in thinking about the Holy Spirit.

• The Spirit is not some impersonal, divine force, but the living, personal presence of the living God.

• The Spirit should not be identified only with the feeling or emotional side of faith. The Spirit is the Spirit of Truth who guides our thinking and understanding about God.

• Even though the Q&A speaks of the Spirit being given to "me personally," the Spirit always draws individuals into community, just as the Spirit is part of the original community of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

In Acts 2, we discover exactly how the Spirit was given to the church. It does not mean that the Spirit was absent before (in the Old Testament there are many instances of the Holy Spirit moving and working in people). It means that from this point on the Holy Spirit comes in a new and powerful way in and through the church. The immediate effect of the Spirit's coming was faith and baptism, as three thousand were baptized that very day. The Holy Spirit builds Christ's church. We live in a new age, the age of the Spirit, an age of wonders and signs, of visions and prophecy, a day when "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (vv. 17-21).