The Spirit and the Church

Christians believe that after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension into heaven, the Holy Spirit descended on Mary and the other disciples and filled them with the power of God. This event is known as Pentecost and is celebrated each year, fifty days after Easter Sunday. The original event is sometimes called ‘the birthday of the Church’. From this point on, the disciples went out and spread the message of the victory God had achieved through Jesus Christ. They felt, as they did so, they were not acting by themselves, but being guided, strengthened, and inspired by the Spirit.

Christians see the work of the Spirit everywhere. We believe that he comes to dwell in us at our Baptism and more especially at Confirmation. We believe that, through his work, the bread and wine offered in the Mass become the Body and Blood of Christ. We believe that we can call on him to give us courage and comfort in proclaiming our faith.

One particular role of the Holy Spirit is in preserving the unity of all believers. As Christians have met through the centuries in councils and synods to help them work out the details of our faith, or to respond to new issues and questions, we believe that the Spirit has guided the Church and keeps it true to the Gospel. Although made up of individuals, with different opinions and personalities, the Holy Spirit supernaturally binds us together as one with each other, with all Christians who have come before us, and with God himself. Ancient peoples believed that their gods dwelt in temples made of stone; Christians believe that God dwells within us as Spirit – a temple made of human bodies.

The early Church began very quickly to record sayings and doings of Christ for use in worship and teaching. Some of the first generation of Christians also wrote letters and sermons for circulation, answering important questions about the Christian faith that had arisen. These writings are known collectively as ‘the New Testament’ and complement ‘the Old Testament’, as we call the Hebrew Bible that Christ and his disciples would have read and treasured from their Jewish faith. Together, both testaments make up the Bible: a collection of 73 books, letters, and collections of poetry. In total, these were written in several languages over a period of more than a thousand years. They are very different in style, genre, and purpose and were extensively edited and re-edited before reaching their final form. Although composed and recorded by human beings, Christians again believe that the Holy Spirit was active in their composition. As Anglicans, we do not believe that they are inerrant but do believe that through them the Spirit speaks to us, recalling the story of our salvation. As such, the Bible plays a central part in our worship. Passages from the Old and New Testaments are read in every service and the words of our prayers and liturgy are usually taken from the biblical texts.