Cornerstone Curriculum, Official Certification Edition

252 / CORNERSTONE CURRICULUM STUDENT WORKBOOK

• The images and symbols used for the Holy Spirit in the Bible reinforce the idea that the Holy Spirit both gives and sustains all life. • The scriptural titles of the Holy Spirit demonstrate the scope of his life-giving ministry and even directly name him as “the Spirit of Life.” • The life-giving mission of the Holy Spirit means that he is the source of hope for individuals, for the Church, and for the world. Now is the time for you to discuss with your fellow students your questions about the material we have covered in this lesson “The Person of the Holy Spirit.” Even the most abstract theology is not intended to be an “academic exercise.” Theological truth is meant to affect our lives. The most important part of asking and answering questions about the Holy Spirit, is discovering how God wants to change us through what we have learned. What particular questions do you have in light of the material you have just studied? Maybe some of the questions below might help you form your own, more specific and critical questions. • One of the most consistent shared characteristics of “cults” is that they teach the wrong thing about who God is. (If someone misrepresents God’s true nature as revealed in Scripture, they cannot help but misrepresent God’s work in the world.) What kind of errors might result from thinking wrongly about the person of the Holy Spirit? • What are the implications of the fact that the Spirit is sent as the Paraclete; the one called alongside us be the living presence of Jesus in our midst? • How does the description of the Holy Spirit as the “bond of love” between the Father and the Son affect our understanding of the Spirit’s role in our own lives and church communities? • What are some of the practical ways in which our churches can “worship and glorify the Spirit” along with the Father and the Son? • Is there any significance to the fact that the Hebrew and Greek words for Spirit also mean “breath” or “wind”? What do these closely related concepts tell us about the Spirit’s work?

Student Application and Implications page 130 & 12

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T heology and E th i c s