I wrote last week about the question, “How do you know if you have the Holy Spirit?” One day as I thought about this question, I re-read the Confirmation service. After all, confirmation is supposed to have something to do with the Holy Spirit.

The pastor laid his hand on my head and said, “The Father in Heaven, for Jesus’ sake, renew and increase in thee the gift of the Holy Ghost, to thy strengthening in faith, to thy growth in grace, to thy patience in suffering, and to the blessed hope of everlasting life.”

The blessing identifies four works of the Spirit the first of which is the strengthening of faith. That reminds me of Luther’s teaching: “I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ . . . but the Holy Spirit . . . kept me in the true faith.”  To be able to believe in Jesus Christ is a gift of the Spirit. That reflects Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 12:3: “no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.”

To be able to believe in Jesus Christ is a gift of the Spirit so, if you have faith in Jesus, you have the Holy Spirit. Period. That’s a pretty simple answer to the question. And it also means that the Spirit is at work in us with additional gifts, like growing in grace, being patient in suffering, and having hope in eternal life.

That’s great news and not complicated at all. I wonder why we don’t make that clear to people?

Wayne

Read Corinthians 12:4-11