The Father Gives the Spirit

Before the 20th century, in some ways the Holy Spirit was sort of the forgotten member of Trinity. But with the birth of Pentecostalism, the rapid growth of charismatic practices and what I would argue is often an over-emphasis on the Holy Spirit, this is certainly no longer the case.

Today, the Father is the forgotten member of the Trinity. Part of this is a sad cultural influence. Outside of biblical Christianity, father, maleness, authority, headship, yea, all things patriarchal are anathema in our PC society. In sitcoms and commercials, if a father is present, he’s often a buffoon of a bumbling idiot.

But even among Bible believing people, with our healthy focus on Christ, we might forget about the Father. This is tragic and unbiblical and ironically, not Christ like at all!

It was the Son who taught us to pray: “Our Father who is in heaven …” Jesus prayed in John 17: “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You … I glorified You on the earth … I manifested Your name …I gave them Your words …I came forth from You.”

Jesus said of Himself: “the Son does nothing of Himself …I can do nothing on My own initiative … I always please the Father … My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.”

To help remember and honor the Father, we are considering ten of His loving acts done on behalf of all His children. Today we come to number eight – our Father gave us the Holy Spirit.

In Luke 11:9-13 we are encouraged to pray with persistence. “Keep asking, keep seeking and keep knocking” Jesus implores. As an extra incentive, we are to consider to whom we pray. To help us do that, we need to consider the common occurrence of v. 11, that goes something like this around my house: “Daddy, I’m hungry. Can I have crispy Chicken sandwich off the .99 menu from Wendy’s? And some fries and a Dr. Pepper?” Or, “Mom, When is lunch? What’s for supper? Someone needs to go to the store!”

They are always hungry! This is right and natural, though painfully costly. It takes a lot of energy to grow a body to adult-hood and a lot of cash to purchase that energy.

So this child you produced or adopted, whom you love beyond words and may even look like you, comes to you, with sad eyes, and says, “I’m hungry.” “NO” just isn’t an option.

Neither is, “here, eat this cock roach.” What kind of sick-o, super evil father would you have to be to mock your child’s hunger and offer them something dangerous or disgusting? In Jesus’ illustration, it’s a snake or scorpion in place of fish or an egg.

The punch line comes in v. 13. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

We give fish and eggs to sustain physical life; He gives the Holy Spirit to start and sustain spiritual life! The gift that keeps on giving is God the Holy Spirit, who brings to us God’s own power and presence to our daily lives.

He didn’t just birth us and leave us to grow up on our own. He didn’t just adopt us into one huge, diverse family and say, “OK, try to get along.” Both would be a cruel joke along the lines of the snake or scorpion.

He went one giant step further by giving us what would produce the family likeness in us and bind us together. The Holy Spirit is the spiritual chromosome who carries the spiritual genes that brings about a family resemblance! He’s our perpetual power supply and constant source of comfort.

So, the brand new baby in Christ gets the greatest of all birthday gifts, One who satisfies deep longings, heals painful wounds, teaches simple and ignorant minds and comforts the afflicted.

This gift of the Spirit is a distinct act of the Father from regeneration, justification, adoption, sealing of the Spirit, and the repetitive filling of the Spirit. It is best described as the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father to take up His abode in us. He can be grieved, but He can’t leave. We are now the temple of God as He dwells in us and among us just as He promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

He is the only Person we know who is always with us. He is the divine wind that keeps our spiritual life sailing along despite lulls, storms and darkness of the night. He is the holy oil that keeps the fire for God burning in our hearts. And He was a gift from the Father, who always gives the very best.