尼西亚信经第三部分讲道
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我信赐生命的圣灵，
从父，子而出；
与父、子同样受尊敬，受荣耀。
祂曾藉着众先知说话。
我信使徒所立的独一圣基督教会。
我承认为赦罪所立的独一圣洗；
我望死人复活，
和来世的☩永生。阿们。
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圣灵虽然放在信经的最后，但不意味着圣灵是可有可无的，“我信赐生命的圣灵，从父、子而出；与父、子同样受尊敬，受荣耀。”毕竟我们知道，耶稣基督降世，也是“因圣灵从童女马利亚成了肉身而为人。”不像有些人错误地认为圣灵只是一种上帝的能量或者影响，圣灵乃是完全的上帝，拥有完全的神性，是圣三一上帝的第三个位格。
圣灵是赐生命的，起初世界万物以及人被造的时候，我们知道圣灵就在那里，与圣父、圣子一同做工。创世记1-2章有几节经文我们都比较熟悉。“起初，神创造天地。地是空虚混沌，渊面黑暗；神的灵运行在水面上。”（创1:1-2）“耶和华神用地上的尘土造人，将生气吹在他鼻孔里，他就成了有灵的活人，名叫亚当。”（创2:7）
当耶和华神将自己的气息吹进亚当鼻孔里的时候，这个气息不是说我们生理上呼吸的空气，动物被造的时候不需要上帝吹气就是活的。上帝吹的气息乃是耶和华的灵，圣灵进到人里面，恩赐生命，给了亚当灵魂。亚当的灵被造时就天然地被圣灵扶持和内住，亚当也因此成了有灵的活人。古代教会教师有拿先斯的贵格利说：“灵魂就是上帝的生气……上帝用不朽的双手拿起新造的一把泥土，造出一个形像，把自己的一些生命力掺在里面。上帝差遣了祂的灵，是从那不可见的神性来的一束光。”特土良也说：“灵魂是从上帝的气息来的，不是从物质产生的。”
这里面我们可以学到至少两点：1.人如果没有圣灵，耶和华的灵，就是死的。2.今天人所谓要灵性而不要基督宗教信仰，乃是离开赐生命的圣灵寻找灵性，都是死的，没有灵性。我们也可以从挪亚时代大洪水来临前上帝宣告的审判信息知道这一点。“人既属乎血气，我的灵就不永远住在他里面；然而他的日子还可以到一百二十年。”
人若想要生命，人若想要灵性，不是去自然风光、深山老林里面寻找，而是要来教会听神的道，就是圣灵气息所默示、所呼出的话语，领受了圣灵就是领受生命和真正的灵性。灵性离不开基督宗教信仰。自然风光美景、祥和宁静等等可以让我们身体、甚至心情愉悦，但也仅此而已，唯有教会所信所宣扬的圣灵才能让我们拥有灵性，通往永恒不朽的灵性。
圣灵并非直接临到我们人身上，而总是藉着道成肉身的那一位耶稣基督赐给我们。我们前面说过，耶稣降世为人就是藉着马利亚因圣灵感孕；耶稣的长大成人也是，路加福音2:40，50“孩子渐渐长大，强健起来，充满智慧，又有神的恩在他身上。耶稣的智慧和身量，并神和人喜爱他的心，都一齐增长。”这赐智慧和恩典的就是圣灵。再往前看，耶稣主显节在约旦河受洗，被膏抹，也是受了圣灵的膏抹，被圣灵充满，开始了祂在地上的事工（可1，太3，路3）。
再往前看，耶稣钉十字架，为世人赎罪，不仅有圣灵的见证，约翰一书5:8“作见证的原来有三：就是圣灵、水，与血。”耶稣肋旁被枪刺透，有血和水流出来（约翰福音19:34），而且圣灵也是藉着十字架的赎罪工作恩赐给世人的——“耶稣尝了那醋，就说：成了，便低下头，将灵魂交付神了。”这里“将灵魂交付神，”原文其实其实是说：“将灵给出了。”这里有双关的意思，一个是指耶稣断了气，身体和灵魂要暂时分开，另一个就是圣灵要暂时离开祂，也是圣灵被交给世人，重新归回人身上的唯一途径，成就了。
然后，耶稣的死里复活也是圣灵的大能作为。保罗在罗马书1章说：“耶稣基督按着肉体上说，是从大卫后裔生的；按圣善的灵说，因从死里复活，以大能显明是神的儿子。”（罗1:3-4）耶稣死里复活后，他见到门徒们的第一件事是，“向他们吹一口气，说：你们受圣灵！你们赦免谁的罪，谁的罪就赦免了；你们留下谁的罪，谁的罪就留下了。”由此，我们看到，恩赐生命的圣灵重新归回人的路径已经被耶稣基督打开铺垫好了。
我们再看圣灵如何临到我们身上，仍然是藉着媒介，而不是凭空直接临到我们。尼西亚信经接着说：“圣灵曾藉着众先知说话，我信使徒所立的独一圣基督教会，”你要听圣灵的声音，就要来信徒聚集的地方，就是教会，要听先知和使徒的话语，因为圣灵已经藉着他们启示出来，我们所宣读的经文就是圣灵的话语。并且我们看到，耶稣吹气，并不是对着单个人，而是对着门徒们，就是对着教会整个群体说的。所以，不要以为你可以单独作基督徒，只需要自己在家读经祷告就可以作基督徒了。这吹气和圣灵的恩赐工作都是在教会中，就是信徒的聚集中给我们的，就像五旬节圣灵降临所表明的那样。
再进一步说，圣灵将自己与圣洗礼“绑定”在一起，“我承认为赦罪所立的独一圣洗。”提多书3:5-6“他便救了我们……乃是照祂的怜悯，藉着重生的洗和圣灵的更新。圣灵就是神藉着耶稣基督——我们救主厚厚浇灌在我们身上的。”有些基督徒错误地认为，水洗是一个，圣灵的洗是另一个，你要寻找更高级的属灵的洗礼，就是圣灵的洗礼，这个需要自己去经验和体会。这些都是错误的方向。我们所信“为赦罪所立的圣洗礼”是独一的，是不可分割的。圣灵上帝喜悦藉着道和水来使人洁净，这也是我们所施行的洗礼真正的本质，路德在小问答中解释说：“洗礼不只是寻常的水，而是水包含在上帝的命令中，与上帝的话语联合。”
既然我们藉着洗礼领受了罪得赦免和圣灵，也就是与神和好，“圣父、圣子、圣灵”的名就印记在我们身上，我们归属于圣三一上帝，将来我们也要靠着圣灵的大能从死里复活，并且享受神本来就要赐给人的永恒生命。神造亚当时的本意就是要让人永远活在神面前，享受祂的生命。如今，我们藉着耶稣基督我们的救主和呼召我们的圣灵，在圣洗礼中，成为基督教会的一份子，我们就永远与众圣徒一起继续蒙受圣灵的引领，在信心中同被建造。我们以以弗所书2:19-22来结束今天的信息：
19这样，你们不再作外人和客旅，是与圣徒同国，是 神家里的人了；
20并且被建造在使徒和先知的根基上，有基督耶稣自己为房角石，
21各房靠他联络得合式，渐渐成为主的圣殿。
22你们也靠他同被建造，成为 神借着圣灵居住的所在。
奉圣父、圣子、圣灵的名。阿们。
🕊️ Sermon on The Third Article of the Nicene Creed
The last is not the least. God the Holy Spirit is placed last in the Creed, but this does not mean the Spirit is in addition or less. We confess: “And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified.” After all, we know that when Jesus Christ came into the world, it happened this way, he was “incarnate by the Holy Spirit, of the Virgin Mary.”
Unlike some people mistakenly believe the Holy Spirit is merely an energy or influence of God, the Holy Spirit is fully God, possessing complete divinity, and is the third person of the Triune God.
The Holy Spirit is the Giver of Life. At the creation of the world and of humanity, the Holy Spirit was there, working together with the Father and the Son. We are familiar with several verses in Genesis chapters 1 and 2:
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:1-2, ESV) “then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” (Genesis 2:7, ESV)
When the Lord God breathed His breath into Adam’s nostrils, this breath was not merely the air we breathe physically, as animals were alive without God breathing into them. This breath God blew upon Adam was the Spirit of the Lord, the Holy Spirit, who entered Adam, granted life, and gave Adam a soul or spirit. Adam’s spirit, when created, was naturally sustained and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and Adam thus became a living spiritual being.
Ancient church fathers confirm this. Gregory of Nazianzus said, “The soul is the breath of God… He [God] spoke, and taking some of the newly minted earth, his immortal hands made an image into which he imparted some of his own life. He sent his spirit, a beam from the invisible divinity.” (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Genesis 2:7) Tertullian also said, “The soul has its origin in the breath of God and did not come from matter.” (ibid.)
From this, we can learn at least two things:
1. A person without the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Lord, is spiritually dead.
2. Today, when people seek “spirituality” apart from the Christian faith or Christian religion, they are seeking life apart from the Giver of Life, the Holy Spirit—and this is spiritually death, without true life. Such is that "I want to be spiritual, but not religious."
We also learned this truth from God's judgment declared before the Great Flood in Noah’s time: “Then the Lord said, ‘My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.’” (Genesis 6:3, ESV)
If a person desires life and true spirituality, they should not seek it in nature: deep valleys, high mountains, or mysterious forests despite that nature, as God's creation, is sometimes gorgeous and refreshing. Instead, they must come to Christ's church to hear God's Word, which is the very Word inspired and breathed out by the Holy Spirit.
To receive the Holy Spirit is to receive life and true spirituality. Spirituality cannot be separated from the Christian faith. Beautiful scenery, natural calmness and tranquility can please our bodies and even our emotions, but that is all. Only the Holy Spirit, whom the Church believes and proclaims, can grant us spirituality that leads to eternal and incorruptible life.
The Holy Spirit does not come to us directly, but is always given to us through the Incarnate One, Jesus Christ. As we said before, Jesus' birth was through Mary being conceived by the Holy Spirit. Jesus' growth was also guided by the Spirit. Luke 2:40 (ESV) says, “And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.” And later, Luke 2:52 (ESV) says, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” This giving of wisdom and grace is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Furthermore, at the Epiphany, Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River, He was anointed and filled with the Holy Spirit as He began His earthly ministry (Mark 1, Matthew 3, Luke 3).
Fast forward, Jesus' crucifixion to atone for the sins of the world was testified by the Holy Spirit. 1 John 5:8 (ESV) says, “For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree.” When Jesus' side was pierced, blood and water flowed out (John 19:34).
Not only so, the Holy Spirit was granted to the world through the atoning work of the cross. “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:30, ESV). The phrase, "gave up his spirit," is significant. It has a double meaning: one is that Jesus breathed His last, and His body and soul were temporarily separated; the second is that the Holy Spirit was given out in time and space. This Crucifixion of the Son, our Redeemer, was the only way for the Holy Spirit to be handed over to the world and return to dwell in humanity. After all, the cleansing of our heart, our conscience, is by the blood of Jesus.
Then, Jesus' resurrection from the dead was also the mighty work of the Holy Spirit. Paul says in Romans 1:3-4 (ESV):
“...concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 8:11 (ESV)
11If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
After Jesus rose from the dead, the very first thing He did when He met His disciples was to “breathe on them and say to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.’” (John 20:22-23, ESV). Thus, we see that the path for the life-giving Holy Spirit to return to humanity has been opened and established by Jesus Christ.
How does the Holy Spirit come to us now? Still through means, not coming directly. The Nicene Creed continues: “...who spoke by the prophets; and I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church.” If you want to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, you must come to the place where believers gather—the Church—to hear the words of the prophets and apostles. The Holy Spirit has revealed Himself through them, and the Scriptures we read are the very words of the Holy Spirit.
Furthermore, we noticed that when Jesus breathed, it was not directed towards a single person, but at the disciples collectively—that is, the whole body of Christ, the Church. Therefore, do not imagine that you can be a Christian by yourself, by merely reading the Bible and praying at home, or listening to faith music radios or podcasts in your car. Don't get me wrong. Those things are very helpful. This breathing and the work of granting the Holy Spirit are given to us in the Church, in the gathering of believers, as demonstrated by the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.
Furthermore, the Holy Spirit "binds" Himself to Holy Baptism. The Creed continues: “I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins.”
Titus 3:5-6 (ESV): “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.”
Some Christians wrongly believe that water baptism is one thing and Spirit baptism is another, and that they must seek a higher spiritual baptism, or the baptism of the Spirit, which of course requires personal experience—you must feel his presence or else.
Pr. Bryan Wolfmueller reflected on his experience from Evangelicals or non-denominations to Lutheranism in his book Has American Christianity Failed?by CPH:
"I remember a time before I was a Lutheran when, after attending a liturgical church service for the first time since I was a child, I walked out the door, saying, “I just didn’t feel the Holy Spirit there.” The Scriptures were read, the Gospel was preached, the faith was confessed in creed and hymns, but still I wasn’t moved. I had been worshiping with American Christians, so I had been trained to feel the Spirit, the wind blowing through my heart, the sensation that something is happening in the spiritual world around me, and I certainly didn’t feel it in the Lutheran liturgy-that is worship service in a Lutheran church."
These trends we observe among Evangelicals or non-denominations are all wrong directions. Don't be deceived. You don't need to feel His presence. His presence is to be trusted by faith through His promise in His gracious Word. The “one [not two] baptism for the remission of sins," we confess in the Nicene Creed, is unique and indivisible. God the Holy Spirit is pleased to use the Word and water to cleanse people. This is the true essence of the Baptism we administer. Luther, in the Small Catechism, explains that Baptism “is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God’s command and combined with God’s Word.”
Since we receive the forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit through Baptism, we are reconciled with God. The Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is sealed and imprinted upon us. We belong to the Triune God. When that day comes, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we shall also be raised from the dead and enjoy the eternal life that God originally intended for humanity and more so in Christ. God’s original purpose in creating Adam was for man to live forever in His presence and enjoy His life.
Now, through Jesus Christ our Savior and the Holy Spirit who calls us, we become a part of the Church through Holy Baptism. We continue to be led by the Holy Spirit forever with all the saints, being built up together in the faith.
We conclude today’s message with Ephesians 2:19-22 (ESV):
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.