3 Minute Theology 1.8: Who is the Holy Spirit?
Summary
TLDRThe video script explores the profound symbolism of a child's painting, which accidentally reads 'I live god' instead of 'I love god,' serving as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit's role as the 'lord and giver of life.' It delves into the biblical languages where 'spirit,' 'wind,' and 'breath' share the same root, illustrating God's creative power and life-giving breath. The narrative connects the Holy Spirit to the essence of life, suggesting that true life comes from being spiritually reborn through the Holy Spirit's touch, which aligns with Jesus' teachings on the necessity of spiritual rebirth.
Takeaways
- 🎨 The daughter's painting of a red flower garden with a misspelled 'I live god' becomes a profound symbol of the essence of life being in loving God.
- 🌬️ The Holy Spirit is referred to as the 'lord and giver of life', paralleling Jesus as 'lord' and the Father as 'maker of heaven and earth'.
- 🔤 The play on words in the Bible, where 'spirit', 'wind', and 'breath' are all represented by the same word in the original languages, highlights the Holy Spirit's role in creation and life.
- 🌐 In the creation story, God's 'ru' (spirit/wind/breath) hovers over the waters, signifying the beginning of creation through the Holy Spirit.
- 🌊 In the Noah story, God sends 'ru' (wind/spirit) over the waters to recreate life, showing the Holy Spirit's role in renewal and new beginnings.
- 💭 The first human is given life when God breathes 'nes' (breath of life) into him, indicating that human life is sustained by God's divine spirit.
- 🌱 The Holy Spirit's breath is essential for life, as stated in the Book of Job, where it's said that God's 'ru' made humans and 'n' gives life.
- 🌿 The Holy Spirit is not just about physical breath but also about spiritual life, as Jesus explained the need to be 'born of the spirit' to truly live.
- 🙏 The Holy Spirit brings us to life in the love of God and opens our spirits to the life of Jesus, making us fully alive as God's children.
- ✝️ The painting, though unintentional, captures the theological truth that all life and breath come from God's spirit, making Him the ultimate Lord and giver of life.
Q & A
What is the significance of the misspelled word 'i live god' in the daughter's painting?
-The misspelled word 'i live god' is significant because it unintentionally conveys a profound message that loving God is the essence of life, which is a central theme in the script.
How does the Holy Spirit relate to the concept of life according to the ancient creeds?
-The ancient creeds refer to the Holy Spirit as the 'lord and giver of life,' suggesting that the Holy Spirit is the source of life and vitality in Christian theology.
What is the connection between the Holy Spirit and the creation stories in the Bible?
-In the creation stories, the Holy Spirit is depicted as God's ru, which can mean spirit, wind, or breath. It is through the Holy Spirit's ru that God creates and brings life to the world.
Why is the word 'ru' significant in understanding the Holy Spirit's role in creation?
-The word 'ru' signifies the Holy Spirit's role in creation because it represents both spirit and breath, highlighting that God's creative power is associated with the breath of life.
How does the concept of 'nes' in the creation story relate to human life?
-The 'nes' or breath of life that God breathed into the first human signifies that human life is not just physical but also spiritual, being connected to the divine breath of God.
What does the phrase 'born of the spirit' mean in the context of the script?
-The phrase 'born of the spirit' refers to the spiritual rebirth that Jesus spoke about, where the Holy Spirit brings individuals to life in a spiritual sense, connecting them to the love of God.
How does the script suggest that the Holy Spirit is involved in the process of spiritual rebirth?
-The script suggests that the Holy Spirit is involved in spiritual rebirth by breathing life into individuals, opening their spirits to the life of Jesus and the love of God.
What is the deeper meaning behind the daughter's painting according to the script?
-The deeper meaning behind the daughter's painting is that it unknowingly represents the Holy Spirit's role in giving life, both physically and spiritually, aligning with the biblical concept of God's ru.
How does the script use the play on words with 'spirit,' 'wind,' and 'breath' to explain the Holy Spirit's work?
-The script uses the play on words to illustrate that the Holy Spirit, as God's ru, is involved in both the creation and the spiritual life of individuals, emphasizing the Holy Spirit's role as the giver of life.
What does the script imply about the necessity of being spiritually alive according to Jesus' teachings?
-The script implies that Jesus taught that being physically alive is not enough; individuals also need to be spiritually alive, which is achieved through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Why does the painting hold a special place in the family's home as described in the script?
-The painting holds a special place because it serves as a reminder of the profound truth that loving God is the essence of life, and it symbolizes the Holy Spirit's work in creation and spiritual rebirth.
Outlines
🌺 The Essence of Life: Loving God
The paragraph narrates a personal story where the daughter brings home a painting of a red flower garden with a misspelled message 'I live god' instead of 'I love god'. This accidental misspelling is seen as profound, symbolizing that loving God is the essence of life. The story transitions into a theological discussion about the Holy Spirit, the third person of the trinity, who is described as the 'Lord and giver of life' in ancient creeds. The narrative explores the Hebrew words 'ru' and 'neshamah', which can mean spirit, wind, or breath, and how they relate to the Holy Spirit's role in creation and life. The paragraph concludes by connecting the divine breath to the spiritual life, suggesting that the Holy Spirit is essential for true life, not just physical existence.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Holy Spirit
💡Life
💡Spirit
💡Wind
💡Breath
💡Creation
💡Trinity
💡Misspelling
💡Theology
💡Essence of Life
Highlights
A child's painting with a misspelling 'I live God' instead of 'I love God' becomes a profound symbol for the essence of life.
The painting serves as a reminder that loving God is fundamental to life itself.
The Holy Spirit is described as the 'Lord and giver of life,' aligning with the Father as the 'maker of heaven and earth' and Jesus as 'Lord.'
In the Bible, the word for spirit is the same as the word for wind and breath in Hebrew, highlighting the multiple meanings of 'ruach.'
The creation story mentions God's spirit ('ruach') hovering over the waters before creation began, emphasizing the Holy Spirit's role in creation.
In the story of Noah, God's wind ('ruach') was sent over the water to recreate the earth, further illustrating the Spirit's role in renewal.
Whenever God creates, He does so by sending His Spirit ('ruach').
The breath of life ('neshamah') from God gave life to the first human, reinforcing the idea that the Spirit is vital for life.
Humans need both physical breath ('neshamah') and the divine breath of God to be truly alive.
The Book of Job mentions that the Spirit of God ('ruach') has made humans and given them life.
God's Spirit ('ruach') not only creates but also sustains life; when He withdraws it, life ceases, but when He sends it, life is renewed.
The child's painting insightfully connects with the idea that everything alive and breathing does so by God's Spirit ('ruach').
Jesus taught that being alive physically is not enough; one must be brought to life spiritually as well.
To be 'born of the Spirit' is necessary to be alive to the love of God, according to Jesus' teachings.
The Holy Spirit brings individuals alive to the love of God and opens their spirits to the life of Jesus, reinforcing the idea of spiritual rebirth.
Transcripts
when our daughter was in kindergarten
she brought home a painting she had done
one day and proudly showed it off a
bright red flower garden with a single
rose towering over all the rest and next
to that she had printed i live god look
she said it says i love god it was only
an accidental misspell but we've always
felt there was something profound about
that mistaken letter i and to this day
it hangs on our wall as a reminder that
loving god is in fact the essence of
life our daughter wasn't intentionally
doing theology that day but her painting
is a helpful way in for thinking about
the unique work of the third person of
the trinity the holy spirit one of the
ancient creeds calls the holy spirit the
lord and giver of life but the very same
creed says that jesus is lord and that
the father is the maker of heaven and
earth so in what way should we
understand the holy spirit as both the
lord ander of life well just like my
daughter's painting created an
interesting play on words there is a
fascinating play on words in bible help
us get to the heart of on here because
in the original languages of the bible
the word for spirit is the same as the
word for wind and the word for breath in
hebrew the words are either ru or n and
they can means spirit or wind or breath
depending on the context like in the
creation story it says that in the
beginning god created the heavens and
the earth and then it says before
anything came into existence god's
spirit his ru was hovering over the
water and so the creation began but
later on in the noar story after water
has swept away all life from the earth
and god wants to recreate everything
fresh and new it says he sent a wind his
ru over the water and the point is
whenever god creates he does it by
sending his ru his spirit but there are
even deeper layers here because in the
same creation story it explains how god
created the first human and it says
that god breathed into him the breath of
life his nes and he became a living
being humans of course need to breathe
without nash we die but it's not just
our breathing that keeps us alive it's
actually the very breath of god himself
his divine spirit like it says in the
book of job the spirit of god his ru has
made me and the breath of the almighty
his n has given me life and
place all things and it says when god
takes their breath r they die but when
he sends his spirit his ru they spring
to life it turns out our daughter was
painting tr than she knew because
anything that's alive and breathing if
it is alive and breathing it's only
because the spirit has breath life that
all god breath we take of there more to
being alive than simply taking breaths
so maybe that's why jesus explained that
it wasn't enough for us just to be alive
in the physical breath sense of the word
we needed to be brought to life
spiritually too we have to be born of
the spirit is how he said it and he was
talking about the way the holy spirit
brings us alive to the love of god and
opens our spirits to the life of jesus
because when god breathes into us like
that that's when we discover he is the
lord and giver of life in every sense of
the word c
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