Spiritual Formation: Ruach Ha’ Kodesh – The Holy Spirit

Pallie E. Covington

Grand Canyon University: MIN. 350 – Spiritual Formation

March 5, 2013
 Spiritual Formation: Ruach Ha’ Kodesh – The Holy Spirit

The discipline of Holy Spirit led Spiritual Formation according to Ellen T. Charry,

“From a Christian perspective, spiritual formation is necessary. God is its proper agent,

and love, a deep attachment to God, is its proper method” (Charry, 1997, pg. 367-380).

The statement just quoted, reinforces the belief that, when addressing Spiritual

Formation, we are also addressing the Godhead – the Blessed Trinity. The two are

synonymous, without the Trinity there is no Spiritual Formation. God is determined to

have His children flourish and live the lives He designed for them to live. The only way

this can and will be done is by abiding in the Word of God, and allowing the Holy Spirit

to lead and to guide us into all truth (John 16:13, KJV). Before Yeshuah Messiah

ascended into heaven, He promised to send a comforter, God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the

third person of the God-head, also known as Ruach Ha’ Kodesh. In this essay I will

define the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Trinity, and discuss the importance of the

work of the Holy Spirit in assisting us in our journey of development and growth in the

discipline of Spiritual Formation.

When one becomes a believer in Yeshua Messiah, he or she is usually baptized

into the family of God and this is done by way of the Trinity – the Father, the Son, and

the Holy Spirit. Baptism into the triune life (the Trinity) is the foundation of Christian

theological identity. The Trinity is the spiritual guidance made available to all believers

through the doctrine of the oneness of God and His three separate identities (Charry,

1997, pg. 367-380). Many new believers and restored believers, who seek baptism, do so

mainly because they have been led by the Holy Spirit to see that God is love and more
than worthy of all their adoration. Charry tells us, “The very fact that God gives God's

self to believers in faith and baptism, as well as in the Eucharist, elicits the love that is the

beginning of Christian formation” (Charry, 1997, p. 367-380). It is very important for

every believer to know and understand that God chose us, we did not choose Him (John

15:16, 19, NIV); therefore due to His simple loving act of choosing us, He initiated us

into our new lifelong journey of transformation, with the Holy Spirit as our guide

teaching us in the ways of Spiritual Formation. The Holy Spirit being the third person of

the Trinity, like E`chad and Yeshuah, is expressed in hypostases, meaning the one and

only one.

God's being is expressed in hypostases (Any of the persons of the Trinity – or the

essential person of Yeshuah Messiah, in which His human and divine natures are united.),

as the three persons of the Trinity or Yeshuah, human and Divine. The identity of the

hypostases refers to God as the Father of Jesus Christ, Jesus as the Son of the Father, and

the Holy Spirit, which is literally the Spirit of Y-H-V-H and His agent who is active in

pointing all to the Godhead. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit is referred to as the

Angel of the Lord, and the Spirit of God; in the New Testament He is referred to as the

Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit, or the Spirit of the Lord. The Holy Trinity offers a

perspective of cohesive love and goodness. The working together of the Godhead is for

our benefit and well-being; the various offices that the Trinity performs, directs our lives

towards the discipline of Spiritual Formation. Our understanding and the ‘doing’ of the

established practice of Spiritual Formation is only as good as our extrapolations of the

theology of the Holy Spirit. There seems to be a consistent thread of thought that morphs
into a common shortcoming that implies that the theology and the work of the Holy Spirit

is inadequate in changing a person into the likeness of Yeshuah Messiah. As T. David

Beck observes, “Theology of the Holy Spirit… is a direct agent in transformative

suffering” (Beck, 2009, p. 199-218). The majority of the Holy Spirit’s work is to move

us out of our comfort zones – thus creating within us much dis-ease (discomfort), the type

of discomfort that can literally make one feel physically ill, especially if resisting the

promptings of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s major concern for our well-being is to

aid us in transforming into the image of Christ; this duty demands a lot of growth

discomfort (growing pains) on the part of the believer. Beck said it best, “Let us

understand transformative suffering to be physical, emotional, relational, or spiritual

discomfort that God (a) allows to happen and does not quickly remedy, (b) deepens or

makes more acute, or (c) directly causes—all for the greater purpose of carrying out

transformational work in an individual or a community” (Beck, 2009, p. 199-218).

James 1:2-4 bears witness that suffering is indispensable for growth in Christian maturity.

It is a common view among Christians that due to the brokenness of this world, "suffering

happens." That is, suffering is inevitable and largely impersonal. If (rhetorical) the Holy

Spirit is an agent of transformative suffering, it is because the Spirit engages us with love

that is all-consuming. This all consuming love drove Moses to live on the “backside” of

the desert for 40 yrs., it had the nation of Israel sojourn in the wilderness for 40 years, He

primed John the Baptist for ministry out in the wilderness, and of course we know, right

after Yeshuah was baptized by his cousin John, He started His ministry in the wilderness

for a duration of 40 days and 40 nights. Suffering, Transformation, and Spiritual Growth,

the indelible infinite workings of the Holy Spirit on the human heart, this is the epitome
of Spiritual Formation. Beck also states in his article that Klaus Issler argues “…that by

virtue of living a full human life, Jesus underwent a process of personal maturation in

which his testing in the wilderness was a poignant episode. If Jesus was divine, he could

not sin; but in order for his temptations to be real, he must have believed it was possible

for him to sin. Overcoming temptation was therefore no casual exercise for Jesus” (Beck,

2009, p. 199-218). Therefore, the studying and understanding of the theology of the Holy

Spirit is an absolute must for the proper application of Spiritual Formation.

To openly discuss the theology and workings of the Holy Spirit in mixed

denominational company is many times like an open declaration of war! Yet, all who call

themselves followers in The Way know that the Holy Spirit is the literal Spirit of God.

The Holy Spirit is our guide, our teacher, our ‘Parakletos,’ He walks along side of us

with His arm around us, He is the third person of the Trinity, so why the problem? It is

the Holy Spirit who anoints us with the blessings of God, the mercy and grace of God,

the judgment of God, the truth of God; He is our supernatural divine “BFF!” Yet some

denominations will not teach on the Third Person of the Trinity and His supernatural

ways, giving an impression to the members of these denominations that the workings of

the Holy Spirit are to be feared. Yet we see in Acts1:7-8, 2:1-4, that the arrival of the

Holy Spirit transformed the minds of, strengthened the resolve of, and encouraged the

hearts of the disciples in the upper room; and He caused more people to believe on

Yeshuah Messiah and to dedicate their lives to living in The Way. Only the Holy Spirit

could do this; the supernatural, unexplainable third person of the God-head, our

‘Parakletos.’ So again, I reiterate, just before Yeshuah Messiah ascended into heaven,
He told His disciples to return to the upper room and to wait (tarry), that they would

receive power and then the Holy Ghost would fall on them (Acts 1:8, NIV); on the day of

Pentecost the Holy Ghost came and filled everyone in the upper room (Acts 2: 3-4, NIV).

From these two scriptures alone the power of the Holy Spirit is made evident, He enables

believers in The Way to stand and to stand firm in the power of God’s might. The Holy

Spirit rejoices when we take on the image of Christ, because He has invested Himself in

our Spiritual Formation. Though difficult, He would rather see us suffer (tried in the fire)

for a season, so that He can revel in the joy of seeing us emerge on the other side looking

like our Yeshuah Messiah (becoming more like Christ). Anything in us that is not like

God, the Holy Spirit is on a mission to remove it from our lives, to direct us in what we

must do; the best thing we can do is to embrace all of what God has for us – even the

suffering, for He promised, “he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it

until the day of Jesus Christ…” (Philippians 1:6, KJV).

The effects of Spiritual Formation on my life and ministry is what makes

everything possible, gives my life meaning, and pulls all my loose ends together. I must

admit, I unfortunately can be a slow learner or a ‘resistant’ learner. I have learned that

slow learning might keep one in a situation a bit longer than one would desire, but it is

not, always, gruesomely uncomfortable; but, when it comes to being a resistant learner,

not only do the circumstances last longer, but it is extremely painful. So for Pallie’s life,

Spiritual Formation is teaching me to embrace the promptings of the Holy Spirit and not

to resist His urgings. Fasting, meditating, reading the Bible, journaling, and praying

(particularly conversational prayer) are the means by which I form a close intimate
relationship with the Holy Spirit. He ministers to me in a specific way, it is difficult to

put into words, but I, personally, know the difference as to whether I am communicating

with Yahweh or Ruach Ha’ Kodesh (I also now when I am being dealt with by all 3!).

Because of my close interaction with the Holy Spirit, I am acutely aware of my actions,

thoughts, and spoken words; sometimes it is as though I am standing outside of myself

watching and critiquing myself with myself (and the Holy Spirit). Sometimes I am

horrified at what I hear and see, and then other times I am sweetly surprised and grateful

that I got a glimpse of God working in and through me! Even in my salvation, if I did not

know the Holy Spirit and have a relationship with Him, I would be lost and undone. The

Holy Spirit makes everything real, He gives me comfort, and when I feel totally alone or

like I am about to lose my mind, He makes is presence known, tangibly. As for my

ministry, I honestly do not know what that is. My desire is to provide direction,

counseling, or facilitating to struggling adults (of various ages) in the midst of their life

issues. My relationship with the Holy Spirit and my continued growth in all things of the

Spirit, will allow me to minister Words of Wisdom, Words of Knowledge, and the

‘knowing’ of the Discerning of spirits in order to assist others in their Spiritual Formation

journey.

The Holy Spirit is my ‘Parakletos’ and my personal desire is to see all believers in

The Way, know the Holy Spirit as their ‘Parakletos’ as well. The Holy Spirit is the third

person of the God-head, and is to be loved and respected just as much as Yahweh and

Yeshuah Messiah; and what Ruach Ha’ Kodesh brings to the table of eternity completes
the God-head and the full and complete picture of Spiritual Formation can be seen and

understood.
 Reference:

Beck T. THE DIVINE DIS-COMFORTER: THE HOLY SPIRIT'S ROLE IN

TRANSFORMATIVE SUFFERING. Journal Of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care [serial
online]. Fall2009 2009;2(2):199-218. Available from: Academic Search Complete,
Ipswich, MA. Accessed March 5, 2013.

Beck, T. (2009). THE DIVINE DIS-COMFORTER: THE HOLY SPIRIT'S ROLE IN

TRANSFORMATIVE SUFFERING. Journal Of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care, 2(2),
199-218.

Charry, E. T. (1997). Spiritual Formation by the Doctrine of the Trinity. Theology Today,
54(3), 367-380.

Charry, E. T. (1997). Spiritual Formation by the Doctrine of the Trinity. Theology Today,
54(3), 367-380.

Life application study Bible-NIV. (2005). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.