“I have much more to tell you, but now it is too hard for you to understand. But when the Spirit of truth comes, He will lead you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own, but He will tell you what He hears and will speak of things to come”. Jn 16, 12-13
“Men can be forgiven any sin and any evil thing they say: but whoever says evil things against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who says something about the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever says something against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, now or ever” Mt 12,31-32
Jesus could be recognized by his contemporaries as a person speaking and acting on behalf of God. The working of the Holy Spirit was manifest in Him. “You know about Jesus of Nazareth, how God poured out on Him the Holy Spirit and power. He went everywhere, doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, for God was Him” (Acts 10,38). All Jesus’ preaching and miracles were a manifestation of the Spirit, “The Spirit of God is upon Me. He has anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives” (Lk 4,18). Jesus was a charismatic person whose ecstacy in the Holy Spirit could be seen by others (Lk 10,21).
When Jesus drove the merchants out of the temple, He did it in a storm of holy anger aroused by the Spirit. “My devotion for your house, O God, burns in Me like a fire” (Jn 2,17). When the chief priests questioned Jesus about this later on, “What authority do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?” (Mt 21,23), Jesus did not answer by pointing to his divine Sonship. Jesus’ deed was a charismatic act which in its manner and effect could be recognized as the work of the Holy Spirit. His deed was of the same nature as the work of John the Baptist which also could be recognized as the work of the Holy Spirit, by those willing to receive Him. That is why Jesus says, “I will ask you just one question, and if you give me an answer I will tell you on what authority I do these things. Where did John’s authority to baptise come from: from God or from man?” (Mt 21,24-25). Neither John nor Jesus had any official authority by Jewish standards. What they did should be recognised as having the authority of the Spirit, by the seal of truth.
The pharises were not prepared to accept Jesus, whatever He might do. Even when He did such an obviously salvific miracle as driving out the devil, the pharisees said, “He drives out devils only because their ruler Beelzebul gives Him power to do so” (Mt 12,24). Jesus replied to this with indignation. Any well-intentioned person could know that it was the Holy Spirit who worked through Him. “It is God’s Spirit who gives Me the power to drive out devils” (Mt 12,28). Jesus then issued a stern warning. Going against an obvious manifestation of the Spirit is the worst sin one can commit. By refusing to listen to the Spirit of truth, a person denies himself the possibility of being forgiven. “Whoever says evil things against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven” (Mt 12,31).
It is an important element of the New Testament doctrine that the Spirit manifests himself in many ways and through many persons in the church. Paul distinguishes different ministries in the church according to individual charism. “In the first place, apostles: in the second place, prophets: and in the third place, teachers; then those who perform miracles, followed by those who are given the power to heal, or to help others, or to direct them, or to speak with strange sounds” (1 Cor 12,28). Paul stresses again and again that all charisms derive from the Spirit, “There are different kinds of Spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them” (1 Cor 12,4). “It is one and the same Spirit who does all this. He gives different gifts to man, as He wishes” (1 Cor 12,11). The Holy Spirit does not work only through ordained ministers, but through the ordinary faithful as well.
The apostles and their successors are guided by the Holy Spirit in a special work. When Jesus commissioned his apostles He said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn 20,22). Paul said to the elders of the church at Miletus: “Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock which the Holy Spirit has placed in your charge” (Acts 20,28). Peter experienced the prompting of the Holy Spirit when he decided to accept Cornelius into the church without demanding circumcision (Acts 10,19: 11,12). Jesus’ promise of the Spirit of truth (Jn 14, 16-17) has continuous and special relevance to those delegated by Him to proclaim his message.
Yet the Spirit of truth also speaks through other persons. Paul was aware of having the Spirit (1 Cor 2, 12), but he often allowed himself to be guided by what the Holy Spirit told him through the mouth of prophets. Paul’s missionary career began through a prophecy spoken at Antioch. “The Holy Spirit said to them, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul’ ”(Acts 13,2). It was at the instigation of a prophecy that Paul decided to refer the question on Mosaic law to the church at Jerusalem (Gal 2, 2). It was on the advice of a prophet that Paul decided not to continue his preaching in Asia Minor (Acts 16, 6-7). After his third missionary journey Paul was warned by prophets that he would be arrested at Jerusalem (Acts 20, 23; 21, 4). Paul lived the advice he gave his converts christians: “Do not restrain the Holy Spirit. Do not despise inspired messages” (1 Thes 5, 20).
In the present-day church there is some confusion about the “authority” to be conceded to so called charismatic persons. The question is all the more acute on account of the real or imagined clashes between institutional ministers and those acting on a personal gift. To a great extent the problem is due to legalistic thinking of the past few centuries with its exaggerated stress on definable jurisdiction. In a true christian fellowship of unity and brotherhood it will be understood that the official minister of Christ will have the final word while at the same time some real “authority” must be granted to the charismatic person. “Anyone who supposes he is God’s messenger or has a spiritual gift, must realize that what I Paul am writing to you is the Lord’s command” (1 Cor 14, 37). The question will not be solved by intricate definitions but by openness to the Spirit.
Paul’s parable of the different organs in the body was formulated by him precisely to meet this situation. In the church some are the official ministers (“apostles”: 1 Cor 12, 28). Others are older priests who may have “a message of wisdom”, or young outspoken students with “the prophetic gift of speaking God’s message”. There are the theologians with a “message of knowledge”, while many zealous laymen manifest the “gift of faith” (1 Cor 12,28). Yet it is useless to argue as to who is more important for the body. “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ Nor can the head say to the feet, ‘Well, I don’t need you!’. In the contrary, we cannot get along without the parts of the body that seem to be weaker” (1 Cor 12, 21-22). St Paul teaches that all parts are equally necessary for the health of the body and that no organ should be neglected.
If we believe that all gifts in the body are manifestations of the Spirit, it follows logically that all have their own kind of “authority”. No one can ignore the authority of the Holy Spirit with impunity, even if it manifests itself only in a child, or a youth, or one of the ordinary faithful. We should have an enormous respect for the truth. We should be ready to bow to the Spirit of truth even if He speaks through children (Mt 21, 16). The charismatic expression of truth needs to be tested (1 Thes 5, 21), but this should happen with a good measure of humility and willingness to learn. We are, after all, dealing with the spirit. “The man who does not have the Spirit cannot receive the gift that comes from God’s Spirit. He really does not understand his words. They are nonsense to him, because their value can be judged only on a spiritual basis. The man who has the Spirit is able to judge the value of everything, but no one is able to judge him” (1 Cor 2, 14-15). “I will ask the Father and He will give you another helper, the Spirit of truth to remain with you forever. The world did not receive Him, because it cannot see Him and know Him. But you know Him, for He remains with you and lives in you” (Jn 14, 16-17).