The Holy Spirit’s Work in Time

When one traces the golden thread of salvation history, the Holy Spirit is never absent. He is there, veiled or visible, from the dawn of creation to the descent at Pentecost. It was the Spirit who hovered over the deep (Gen. 1:2); the same Spirit who inspired the prophets of Israel (Ezek. 37:1-14); the same Spirit who overshadowed Mary, bringing about the Incarnation (Luke 1:35); and the same Spirit who descended upon Jesus at his baptism, publicly marking him for the messianic mission (Matt. 3:16-17). Likewise, Basil the Great declared that, “through the Holy Spirit comes restoration to paradise, ascension into the kingdom of heaven, and adoption as children of God.” Indeed, this is what he does. The Holy Spirit restores what was lost, elevates what is inherent and natural, and divinizes what is material and earthly.

This Spirit of God, this divine breath, was not content to merely hover over the annals of human history. In fact, he has made his dwelling in a very real, personal, and intimate way within the soul of the baptized who lives in a state of friendship and grace of God. This literally means that the sanctifying fire of God’s own life resides in us: in you, in me, and in all the members of Christ’s Body who live in a state of grace. This is no minor detail of theology, it is a central fact of the entire Christian life and the doctrine of elevation in the life of grace.

The question must be asked by us, however: What does the indwelling of the Holy Spirit look like in our daily lives? It is not, first and foremost, the capacity to perform signs and wonders, nor is it ecstasy or speech in tongues. It is holiness. It is transformation. It is the quiet miracle of a life conformed to Christ.

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