It is nice to keep learning; to gain a new insight; to grow in understanding. That happened to me at Pastors’ Study Week this past week on a few occasions. The pastors bring their experiences and perspectives, our book study (Jonathan Haidt’s ‘The Anxious Generation’) generated much discussion, and learning about Johann Georg Hamann and his challenge to the Enlightenment was fascinating. Ideas and arguments can be repurposed and repackaged even as the sum total of world knowledge increases. I think we all sense that human beings and the ways we live have fundamental similarities no matter the century or the technology.

With the Enlightenment came humanity’s ‘enlightenment’ (away from God) and reason becomes the way of determining reality. Hamann challenged this perspective by pointing out that if reason defines itself or is self referencing then people are deluding themselves about meaning and purpose. He said that people will only understand the world and themselves when truths are revealed through nature, through Jesus, and through language (words) – and if you can sense here a trinity, that’s good, for people understand themselves and live well when in relationship with God, having received from God their physical life, their salvation, and their faith and discipleship.

And the Christian God has come down to us – condescended to meet us – so that we can be in a relationship with him. Now usually when we talk about God descending we think of Jesus – well, I do – and we can be at the manger at Christmas, by the River Jordan at Jesus’ Baptism, watching Jesus being regarded as wrong and dangerous, ultimately then at the cross – a terrible sight to behold. We talk about Christ ‘emptying himself’ – that though he is God, Jesus didn’t come among us as Superman but as one of us, and even less than for he became sin for us, he died shamefully us, among us he is in his humiliation (Philippians 2:5-11). I’m used to these ideas. I promote Jesus’ cross above all else. I seek to follow the God who serves me in Christ, who forgives me, who blesses and helps me but according to his will and not according to him being my personal genie granting me wishes. I am not a fan of Christians who promote ‘power Jesus’ and who can be entreated to do our bidding by our efforts.

What was new to me – a flashbulb moment – was discovering that all members of the Trinity condescend to meet us. And when it comes to the Holy Spirit who can act as he wishes but he condescends to work through words – he binds himself to the words of Scripture – all of it – even the material that we are horrified or scandalised by – and reveals Jesus when we pause and reflect, ‘see’ the scene before us, and ask what is God saying to me here? To what am I being drawn? What we are ‘seeing’ in the text somehow reveals Jesus and guides us for how we live our life now. By nature we want the Holy Spirit to reveal to us powerful, super Jesus but again and again we will be confronted by people’s sins and God’s responses. The Old Testament points to Jesus. The New Testament flows from Jesus and points us to heaven. But before we ‘get there’ we live, here and now, with Jesus through faith – which guides our behaviour – and the Holy Spirit binds himself, humbles himself to Scripture because language and words are how we encounter God. Self generating words from within us are self defeating! I teach that the Holy Spirit binds himself to Scripture and everything spiritual must be tested by Scripture but I had not thought of this as the Holy Spirit’s humiliation – all so that humanity can know God! And I found that thought amazing. It resonated with the God I know – the God who serves – me – who never deserves it.