Christian School Essay
PNEUMATOLOGY
~The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, though
containing the name of the Holy Spirit in its title, knows very little about the
third person of the trinity. Rev. Moon believes that other disincarnate spirits
may substitute for the Holy Spirit. Moon has been quoted as saying:
“Spirit men pour out spiritual fire…. They enable earthly men to see many facts
in the spirit world in a state of trance, give them the gift of prophecy, and
inspire them spiritually. Through such activities, substituting for the Holy
Spirit, they cooperate with earthly men to fulfill the will of God.”
The Unification Church continues to assert its belief that the Holy Spirit is
not an actual “spirit” at all, rather it is a form of divine energy – a magnetic
field of sorts, like God. They believe that the Holy Spirit is the negative,
feminine aspect of God. In other words, the Holy Spirit is supposedly Christ’s
spiritual wife, creating a parallel between Adam and Eve. Christ, as talked
about before, is viewed as the second “Adam”, and the Holy Spirit, being his
bride, is the supposed second “Eve.” This same theory continues with the third
“Adam,” Sun Myung Moon, as he marries the perfect woman – the third “Eve.”
~There is a problem with this belief, however. Adam and Eve are said to be the
original True Parents, equating them with the Messiah and the Holy Spirit. This
equation creates the first trinity: God the Father, Adam the Messiah, and Eve
the Holy Spirit. When Christ came, he was the Messiah and his “spiritual wife,”
according to the Unification Church, was the Holy Spirit. Now a new trinity has
been created: God the Father, Jesus the Messiah, and the Holy Spirit. Sun Myung
Moon insinuates that he is the new Messiah, making his wife the new Holy Spirit;
hence yet another trinity is formed: God the Father, Rev. Sun Myung Moon the
Messiah, and Mrs. Moon the Holy Spirit. The question is what happened to the
other previous trinities? Were they dissolved? Were the Messiah and the Holy
Spirit reborn twice, thus not really creating a new trinity? These are
questions that are not answered by the Unification Church.
~The truth is that Eve was not the original Holy Spirit, and neither is Mrs.
Moon. Jesus Christ was, is, and always will be the only Messiah. The Holy
Spirit was neither embodied in Eve nor Mrs. Moon. There is no scripture
supporting the Unification Church’s idea of the Holy Spirit existing as the
spiritual bride of Christ. As a matter of fact, the Holy Spirit is typically
referred to in scripture in the masculine gender:
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He
will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell
you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine
and making it known to you” (John 16:13-14).
The Holy Spirit is not a form of energy, either, as the Unification Church
insists. The Holy Spirit has the three characteristics of a person:
intelligence (I Corinthians 2:10–11; Romans 8:27), emotion (Ephesians 4:30), and
will (I Corinthians 12:11). Romans 8:26 reveals that the Holy Spirit is a
person in his actions – praying, namely. He also performs miracles, as seen in
Acts 8:39: “When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly
took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way
rejoicing.” The Holy Spirit is associated with the other two persons of the
God-head (the Father and the Son) in Matthew 28:19, “Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit….” As one can see, the Holy Spirit is not a form of
energy, as in a magnetic field of some sort, but rather he is a person.
The importance of the Holy Spirit is found throughout the Bible, prophesying
about his works that he will perform. John 14:26 states, “But the Counselor,
the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things
and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 15:26 adds, “When
the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of
truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.” John 16:5–15
further stresses this point:
“Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you
going?’ Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I
tell you the truth: It is for your own good that I am going away. Unless I go
away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and
righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me;
in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see
me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now
stands condemned.”
These verses show the necessity for the Holy Spirit, for he completes tasks that
only he can do with the power of God. He cannot be substituted, for
disincarnate spirits cannot accomplish these tasks. Finally, I Corinthians
6:19–20 drives home the fact that the Holy Spirit is truly a part of us:
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you,
whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a
price. Therefore honor God with your body.”
As one can see, other spirits cannot replace the Holy Spirit. He is unique, and
a necessary agent of the trinity. His duties cannot be accomplished by anyone
but him, and he cannot be separated from the believer, for our bodies are his
temple. The Holy Spirit is not a form of energy, but rather a person – a member
of the Godhead. The Unification Church cannot support their claims of a
spiritual marriage between the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ, nor can they
justify the relationship between the Holy Spirit and Eve. Therefore, the
Unification Church holds an inaccurate view of the Holy Spirit.
EMAIL THE AUTHOR:
longreach13@hotmail.com
Christian School Essay
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