May ‘Witness’ asks, ‘Who is the Holy Spirit?’

“I believe in the Holy Spirit.” 

Although millions of Lutherans confess these words each week during the Divine Service, many may have occasionally felt a mix of curiosity and confusion as they did so, wondering: 

  • Who exactly is the Third Person of the Holy Trinity? 
  • How does He work?

To help answer questions like these — which come to the forefront each year as the feasts of Pentecost (June 9) and Trinity (June 16) approach — the May issue of The Lutheran Witness offers readers an in-depth look at what Scripture and Lutheran theology say about the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

Readers will dig into texts from the book of Acts (with the Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Oschwald) and the Gospel of John (with the Rev. Dr. Charles Gieschen); discover (with the Rev. Dr. Curtis P. Giese) what’s so distinctive about a Lutheran theology of the Spirit; and marvel (with the Rev. Tom Eggebrecht) to see the Spirit’s hand at work in the Church today.

Other notable highlights include a Bible study by the Rev. Dr. Matt Richard and an original Pentecost hymn text by the Rev. Mark Preus.

“Great blessings come to us,” Giese helpfully points out, “when we fully embrace a Lutheran understanding of who the Spirit is, how He works and where He can be found.”

Find out more at witness.lcms.org and subscribe today at cph.org/witness.

Posted May 21, 2019