{"id":17040,"date":"2025-06-11T15:09:55","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T06:09:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myuchisoto.org\/en\/?post_type=manga&p=17040"},"modified":"2025-06-12T14:23:47","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T05:23:47","slug":"my-uchi-soto-lesson-8-manga","status":"publish","type":"manga","link":"https:\/\/myuchisoto.org\/en\/manga\/my-uchi-soto-lesson-8-manga\/","title":{"rendered":"Part 8: The Holy Spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Doc:<\/strong> Hey everyone! Today, we\u2019ve got a bit of a tricky question for starters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you think is the most important force for good in our world today?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Iino:<\/strong> A \u201cforce for good\u201d??<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoshiya: <\/strong>Education, perhaps?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d: <\/strong>Philanthropy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Iino: <\/strong>The United Nations. I know it\u2019s got some problems. But they do a lot of good work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoshiya: <\/strong>Economic incentives can motivate people to do good. I know that market economies and capitalism have their drawbacks, of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc:<\/strong> I agree. Thank you all very much. Now, last time we thought about the cross of Jesus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Doc:<\/strong> The Son of God came into the world as a human being, but people mistreated him, didn\u2019t they? Jesus was driven out (soto<\/em>) of the holy city of Jerusalem to his death at the hands of sinful human beings. According to the Bible, it was our sin that led to Jesus\u2019 crucifixion and death. At the same time, Jesus willingly endured his death as a sacrifice for sin, scorning the shame of the cross, in order to bring a people back into uchi<\/em> fellowship with God the Father. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Doc:<\/strong> This was the outworking and overflowing of God\u2019s love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d: <\/strong>Yes, I always find this love so moving. Human beings would never have dreamed up the crucifixion like this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iino: <\/strong>That\u2019s right: God becoming man and being put to death to forgive people\u2019s sins…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc: <\/strong>For sure. If we had more time, I\u2019d really like to read the text of the Bible in detail so that we could appreciate the account of the cross \u2013 and what happens afterwards. In fact, a large part of the Gospels in the Bible is devoted to the cross. But for the sake of brevity, I\u2019ll just tell you the end of the story:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Doc: <\/strong>The Bible tells us that Jesus was raised bodily from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion, by the power of God! For Jesus, as the Lord of life, it was \u201cnot possible for him to be held\u201d by death (New Testament, Acts 2:24). In fact, Jesus defeated death by his own death. Yoshiya, will you read the passage from Timothy, please?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[Jesus] abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. <\/p>\nNew Testament, 2 Timothy 1:10<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Doc: <\/strong>Thanks. Do you guys remember the original meaning of the word \u201cgospel\u201d?: the announcement of a great victory. The risen Jesus and his messengers now proclaim that our sins may all be forgiven if we believe in Jesus, so that we can be restored to the inside (uchi<\/em>) fellowship with God for which we were made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Doc: <\/strong>Through Jesus, we can be welcomed back home (uchi<\/em>). For everyone who followed Adam and Eve into banishment outside (soto<\/em>) the Garden of Eden, this is a dramatic reversal indeed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iino:<\/strong> It makes me think of Aslan the lion from The Chronicles of Narnia.<\/em> I remember reading that back in elementary school. Aslan lets himself be captured and killed instead of the traitor Edmund, who had gone over to the witch\u2019s side. But then by the power of a \u201cdeeper magic\u201d that even the witch didn\u2019t know, Aslan comes back to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Yoshiya:<\/strong> I\u2019m also a big fan of Narnia<\/em>! Did you know that Aslan is meant to be Jesus? The author, C.S. Lewis, was a Christian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iino:<\/strong> Really?? I didn\u2019t know that. So I guess it\u2019s not surprising that I would think of Aslan in connection with our Bible studies. I should read Narnia<\/em> again sometime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do you think it was not possible for Jesus to be held by death?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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G\u014d:<\/strong> Because he\u2019s God, right? The eternal God can\u2019t just stay dead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iino:<\/strong> There\u2019s no \u201cdeeper magic\u201d in the Bible, is there?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc: <\/strong>Haha! To answer this question, it might be helpful to think about what \u201cdeath\u201d is in the Bible\u2019s worldview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoshiya:<\/strong> Death is the wages of sin. If we didn\u2019t sin we wouldn\u2019t have to die.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d:<\/strong> Is it because Jesus never sinned that death couldn\u2019t hold him? So it\u2019s possible that he could die once for the sins of others, but then he didn\u2019t have to stay dead for ever?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Doc: <\/strong>Yup, I think that\u2019s what it means. Here\u2019s what the Bible says: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[Jesus], though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name\u2026 <\/p>\nNew Testament, Philippians 2:6-9<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Doc: <\/strong>Jesus endured death as the wages of sin and his death was \u201caccepted\u201d by God. And then he received the reward for his obedience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does it mean that Jesus has \u201cdefeated\u201d or \u201cabolished\u201d death?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Iino:<\/strong> When we sin, we die. But if you believe in Jesus, you can live. Death as the wages of sin has been cancelled. That\u2019s why death has been defeated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc: <\/strong>Right! Jesus rose from the dead and not only defeated death for himself, but for others too. So, because of Jesus our sins can be forgiven and we can be welcomed back into uchi<\/em> fellowship with God the Father. More wonderful still is the promise made to believers that God himself comes to dwell inside (uchi<\/em>) them, by the Person of his Holy Spirit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Doc: <\/strong>Do you remember the Holy Spirit? The Spirit, with the Father and the Son, is one of the three Persons who are the one God (the Trinity). Before Jesus died, he promised his disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit. Let’s read about this in the Bible. G\u014d, would you? Jesus himself is speaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIf you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. <\/p>\nNew Testament John 14:15-17<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Why would anyone \u201clove\u201d Jesus?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d: <\/strong>Well, just because he loved you like that, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc:<\/strong> So do you love Jesus, G\u014d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d: It\u2019s a bit embarrassing when you put it like that. But yeah, I\u2019m so grateful to him, and moved by what he did for me. Can I put it like that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc: <\/strong>That\u2019s okay. I was just teasing you! But if you stop and think about it, you\u2019ve never actually met Jesus, have you? But you read the Bible and you came to love him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Doc: <\/strong>Don\u2019t you think that\u2019s amazing? This is another demonstration that Jesus is really alive. Because he lives, even we who live today can have a personal relationship with him. This wouldn\u2019t be the case if what the Bible teaches were just a moral code or philosophy. So it\u2019s true what I said just now, that G\u014d has never met Jesus, but we could also say that G\u014d actually did \u201cmeet\u201d Jesus, \u200b\u200bin the Bible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What can we learn here about the Spirit and what he does? (Note that the Spirit is not \u201cit\u201d: he is always described with masculine pronouns.)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Doc:<\/strong> In other words, the Holy Spirit isn\u2019t some kind of impersonal force, but always \u201che\u201d. What is the Spirit called in these Bible verses?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoshiya: <\/strong>Helper. Like he\u2019s always with you. He\u2019s \u201cin you\u201d (uchi<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d:<\/strong> It says he\u2019s \u201canother\u201d Helper. Because Jesus is already our Helper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iino: <\/strong>He\u2019s called \u201cthe Spirit of truth\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Doc:<\/strong> Yes. He leads people into truth, and teaches them the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why can\u2019t the \u201cworld\u201d receive the gift of the Spirit?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Doc: <\/strong>First, what do you think is meant by the \u201cworld\u201d here?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoshiya:<\/strong> The people who rejected Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d: <\/strong>The world has no relationship with Jesus, so it can\u2019t receive the gift of the Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc: <\/strong>It says that the Holy Spirit \u201cwill be in you\u201d. The \u201cyou\u201d is plural, but who do you think it refers to? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iino:<\/strong> Jesus\u2019 disciples. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Doc:<\/strong> Yes, that’s right. And this includes everyone who believes in Jesus in later times. A Christian is someone who originally rejected Jesus and belonged to the \u201cworld\u201d, but was loved by God, believed in Jesus and so belonged to Jesus instead. Now, remember when we read in Genesis that the whole created world is God\u2019s house or God\u2019s temple? God isn\u2019t bound by time or space, but he was pleased to put his dwelling in the world. As the image of God, human creatures are like a microcosm of the whole world, designed for indwelling uchi<\/em> fellowship with God himself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Doc:<\/strong> This fellowship was broken and disrupted by sin, leading to soto <\/em>estrangement. In the gospel, we see how Jesus restores that fellowship by being himself cast out (soto<\/em>), and now God comes to make his home with and in his people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Doc:<\/strong> Amazingly, we believers become God\u2019s house\/temple (uchi<\/em>)! Iino, would you read the next Bible verses, please? These words were addressed to Christians in the 1st century A.D.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.<\/p>\nNew Testament, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

What is the implication drawn in these verses between the indwelling of God\u2019s Spirit and a person\u2019s entire way of life?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d:<\/strong> I used to think that I could live my life however I wanted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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G\u014d:<\/strong> But my life belongs to God, so now I want to live the way God wants me to live. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoshiya:<\/strong> In the previous passage, it said that the Holy Spirit is the \u201cHelper\u201d, didn\u2019t it? I think the Holy Spirit helps us when we want to live God\u2019s way. So I need to think first about what God actually wants me to do. That\u2019s why I read the Bible. Before I believed, I didn\u2019t really understand it, but after I believed, I could understand what it was saying and I felt that it was speaking to me. Basically it started to make sense. I think that\u2019s because the Holy Spirit is in me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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G\u014d:<\/strong> I wasn\u2019t interested in the Bible at all before Yoshiya invited me to church, but now I\u2019m interested in this kind of Bible study. I guess this is also the work of the Holy Spirit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iino: <\/strong>Well, I don\u2019t believe yet, but I also find these Bible studies really interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc: <\/strong>The Holy Spirit doesn\u2019t live in your uchi<\/em> yet, Iino, but I\u2019m sure he\u2019s at work in your life. The Bible says that no one can say \u201cJesus is Lord\u201d except by the Holy Spirit (New Testament, 1 Corinthians 12:3). So we can say that the Holy Spirit is guiding you even before you believe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How does the idea of being a temple of God\u2019s Holy Spirit sound to you?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Iino:<\/strong> It sounds like he would give me strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc: <\/strong>Perhaps the most wonderful thing about the Holy Spirit dwelling in believers is that he gives us the assurance that we are a beloved child of God and that we are welcome in the house of God, not as a servant or slave, but as a child and an heir. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Doc: <\/strong>Yoshiya, would you read the next Bible verses?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, \u201cAbba! Father!\u201d The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs\u2014heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.<\/p>\nNew Testament Romans 8:15-17<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Doc: <\/strong>Abba<\/em> is an Aramaic term of endearment for your father. In Jesus\u2019 day, Aramaic was the language commonly spoken by the Jewish people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In what ways is being a \u201cchild of God\u201d better still than \u201cmerely\u201d having sins forgiven?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Doc: <\/strong>For example, suppose you commit a crime and end up in court. When you\u2019ve served your sentence, you will be forgiven, but that\u2019s the end. Perhaps you go back home. You may be all alone. But with God, after your sins are forgiven, you are welcomed into God\u2019s family. With God, after you are forgiven your sins, your relationship with God begins. And because of this new relationship we have with God as our heavenly Father, everything that is God\u2019s is ours too as his children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Iino: <\/strong>The Bible says, \u201cwe suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him\u201d. I feel like I\u2019m always with Christ, not just in the good times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc: <\/strong>When this letter was written, Christians were suffering persecution. Believing in Jesus came with struggles. But there was also the promise of being glorified with Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Would you like to receive the Gift of God\u2019s indwelling (uchi<\/em>) Spirit through Jesus?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Doc:<\/strong> In other words, this is asking \u201cDo you want to become a Christian?\u201d Iino, you don\u2019t have to answer that now, but it\u2019s a question I\u2019d particularly like you to think about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is your response to the \u201cgospel\u201d announcement about what Jesus did for you?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Doc:<\/strong> As I said earlier, if Christianity were just a \u201cphilosophy\u201d, then it would be fine to study it a bit and be done with it. It doesn\u2019t demand a response. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Doc: <\/strong>But if it is a personal address to you, then it is appropriate to respond<\/em>. How will you respond to Jesus\u2019 address by which he loves you and dies for you? Each one of us must respond, whether by rejecting it or accepting it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
The ESV Bible<\/em>. Crossway, 2001, www.esv.org\/.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"class_list":["post-17040","manga","type-manga","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myuchisoto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manga\/17040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myuchisoto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manga"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myuchisoto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/manga"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myuchisoto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}