The power of love

Some half-baked musings...

Some people argue that saying the Holy Spirit is the love between the Father and the Son depersonalises the Spirit. Other people argue that saying the Glory of God is the Son personalises God's glory. I don't think you can have it both ways, although I think there is truth to both. It depends whether the controlling definition of 'love' or 'glory' comes from the Triune God revealed in the Christ of the Scriptures. If it is not then the Father, Son and Holy Spirit will be all be depersonalised, but if not then personality will overflow into those terms and out into our lives. Personally I'm all for saying the Spirit is the love of God as Augustine did, arguing from 1 John 4:7-16 and Romans 5:5.

Having said that, in the Bible the Spirit is more closely linked with strength and power than anything else. In which case we should not pit power against love, but find how actually true divine power is loving, and true divine love is powerful.

If there is a more common biblical association with the Spirit than power it must be life. Life is marked by love and power. Desires and actions can be disordered or wrongly directed, but as long as we live we are desiring and acting creatures.