AN “IT”? REALLY?
We know a couple who, the minute they knew they were expecting, gave the new life for whom they realized they were going to be responsible a name. They never referred to this child as an it.
Not knowing the gender of the child, they picked out a boy name and a girl name. Until they knew the gender, the name they gave this new life was Mira” which was short for “Miracle”.
In the Biblical narrative about the conception and births of John the Baptist or of Jesus, I found no evidence for either being referred to as an it, always the child or the Babe.
Words matter! There are certain nominative words, the use of which are no longer deemed acceptable in our culture.
However, there is one word which, for the sake of all conceived yet unborn children should be ruled unacceptable.
The word is it.
Just imagine the impact this could have on what has to be the abomination of our time. (I don’t even like to come close to using the word.)
You can kill an it, e.g. an Amendment, and (unless you are a member of ASPCA), a roach, a wild animal, a snake, or a rat without incurring a guilty conscience or the wrath of God or society.
But once a life is given a name, that life is no longer an it, even if that life is a pet pig.
There is a wonderful narrative in Chapter 10, of the Gospel of John. It is the Parable of the Good Shepherd. Even there, we are told that Jesus gave each sheep a “name”.
“I am the good shepherd. The sheep hear my voice. I call my sheep by their name and I lead them out and they follow me. (John 10:11,3)
There is another use of the it word which has resulted in inestimable damage to millions. Inestimable in the sense of where those millions who either don’t know this “person” or refuse to know him will spend eternity.
In the Gospel of John, chapter 14 we have these words from Jesus:
If you love Me, keep My commandments and I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Paraclete) that HE may abide with you forever the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees HIM nor knows HIM; but you know HIM, for HE dwells with you and will be in you.“
The Holy Spirit is a full fledged member of the Trinity.
While the most common word for “Spirit” in the Old Testament is feminine, the basic Greek word is neuter and in early manuscripts the pronoun “it” is sometimes used. But John uses the word ‘Paraclete’ which is masculine and consequently most all references to the Holy Spirit in the Bible use the masculine pronoun.
Other than where the Spirit is referred to as a ‘wind’, or ‘fire” in which case the Spirit would be ‘supra-personal’, the Holy Spirit is referenced as He” or Him.
There are millions of believing Christians whose lives have been completely transformed by an understanding and acceptance of this TRUTH.
The Holy Spirit is not an inanimate, impersonal it.
Wherever you are on your journey, if you have decided you want to live the life you were created to live, HE is there to guide you and assist you. That is, if you will allow HIM to do so.
For, in truth, that is the only way any of us will accomplish this.
We have no record of ANYONE, doing it ON THEIR OWN.
That’s NO ONE!
OH! REALLY? Hmm
P.S. And YES, this Blog is Pro-Life!