It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail.
The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.
On our own we are left with hard sayings that we cannot accept. The Spirit does more than simply helping us to accept sayings. The Spirit really does give life. He plants the truth within our hearts in a way that allows us to live it rather than simply understand it. A precise theologically correct understanding of the Eucharist, or a perfect grasp of transubstantiation, ultimately counts for nothing if these truths don't affect our lives. This life changing power of the Spirit is visible in the early Church.
She was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord,
and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit she grew in numbers.
These disciples do care about truth. They do meet to discuss the teachings of the apostles. But they come together in a community that lives that truth and experiences all the blessings that it entails. We see that for them the truth has power.
Peter said to him,
"Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed."
He got up at once.
We hear this and retreat. We don't see anything of this magnitude going on around us. We try to content ourselves with a merely intellectual approach. But what if the Holy Spirit really desires more from his people? What if he really does want to renew his wonders in our day as by a new Pentecost? And if he does, what limits on his power can there possibly be?
Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed.
Then he turned to her body and said, "Tabitha, rise up."
She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up.
There are no limits. It is a sign that our faith is more in our heads than in our lives if we find ourselves placing limits on what God can do or making assumptions about what he wants to do. We hear this and find it a hard saying. It is, after all, by definition, letting our intellect take second place. But we do not leave, even when we are challenged. We are convinced that this is truth.
Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe
and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."
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