| Theological Studies: Pneumatology
Core Competency Project Week 1 Pneumatology Alvin D. Shaul 9-22-2006 The Holy Spirit: �The third person of the Christian Trinity.� This is the Webster�s definition of the Holy Spirit. True as it may be, the role of this work will be to expand on what I believe concerning the role and purpose of the Holy Spirit in our lives and within the Godhead. I give this definition because it is ever so simple, when in fact, our theology and doctrine concerning the Holy Spirit is beyond imagination in its magnitude and importance. Thousands of books have been written on the nature of the Holy Spirit. People have devoted their entire lives to �figuring out� just what this Spirit does for us. I hope to be able to touch base with a few of those most important aspects of this third Person of the Trinity. God is love. That is, God the Father, God and Son, and God the Holy Spirit�all conjoined into one being�are love. Within the Godhead is a loving relationship as well. We see this evidenced in Scripture with the immense love shown to Christ by his Father during His ministry. In Relational Holiness the author suggest that it is the Holy Spirit that �makes real to us this great love of the Father for Son�The Holy Spirit brings God�God understood as the Father and the Son loving each other�right down to our level, our experience, our lives, each moment� (Oord and Lodahl, 95). I begin with this statement because understanding the Holy Spirit at the mediator between us and God is crucial. He is the source of our relationship with the Father. Our love for God is defined by our openness to the Spirit. The Spirit is our Guide to God. So what is the goal of this relationship the Spirit provides? In the Wesleyan Holiness tradition the goal is sanctification, baptism of the Spirit, or in a word: holiness. It is the perfect love of God that leads away from the sinful nature and into correct relationship with God. Again, the Spirit is the agent by which we become aware of our sins. Some people believe this to be our conscience, or that which convicts us of ungodly acts. As Dunning states, �There are two realms of existence: life in the Spirit (in Christ) and life in the flesh (in Adam)� (Dunning, 426). An important, yet maybe obvious point to be made is that, although the Spirit convicts us, we are never forced to choose the most loving act or righteous act. This is what differentiates Wesleyan Christianity from many other religions or even other Christian theological traditions. We are always given free choice in our decisions, and instead of being forced to do things, we are encouraged and convicted by the Spirit to do what is righteous. I want to speak briefly of topic of signs of being baptized in or of the Holy Spirit. This is not to be confused with water baptism which is a symbol of our decision to follow Christ. Of the most common signs that people testify to are the supernatural and the natural. The supernatural include primarily the gift of speaking in tongues. This gift is typically practiced by those of Charismatic tradition but has spread throughout a few various traditions. Evidence of this gift being a required sign of being baptized in the Spirit is indeed null in the Bible. The practice has evolved because of Scriptures that speak of people �speaking in tongues and prophesying� upon receiving the Holy Spirit. However, there is no Scripture that says if you do not speak in tongues then you obviously have not received the Spirit. As such I do not believe tongues is a necessary attribute of the holy person nor is it necessary for salvation. The New Testament clearly makes known the more natural results of receiving the Spirit. These results come about because of our conscious decisions to choose to be righteous rather than sinful. They include a deepening of faith and a cleansing of mind and body. For the Wesleyan, this point of being �baptized in the Spirit� is also the point of initial sanctification. It is not saying that we are perfect and no longer capable of sinning, but rather that we have made conscious decision to be righteous before God at all times. Bringing things full circle, it is the Holy Spirit who enables us to practice such righteousness. What is the Spirit�s role in prayer? Just as the Spirit is the helpmate in showing us the love of God, He is also the One who leads and guides us in our prayer life. In Starting Out Together, H. Norman Wright outlines four ways in which the Spirit enables us during prayer. First, �the Spirit intercedes for you when you are oppressed by problems in life or when you feel down on yourself. He brings you to a place where you can pray.� During the last nine months I have endured much trial surrounding my marriage and subsequent divorce. At times it was extremely difficult to find God, but when I turned to the Spirit to help me, I was able to find solace in my prayers. Second, �the Spirit reveals to your mind what you should pray for.� Often times I have failed in my prayer life because I would try to develop it as a steady practice, but would get discouraged because I was always praying for the same things over and over again. It is ok to bring our prayer lists to the Lord, but it is also important to let needs and thanksgivings arise while we are praying that we can in turn lift up in prayer to God. Third, �the Spirit guides you by directing your thoughts to the promises of God�s Word that are best suited to your needs. He helps you realize the truth of God�s promises.� This can be true while studying a passage you had already chosen for study or even one that God simply �turns the page to.� Finally, �the Spirit helps you pray the right way. He helps you sift through your prayers and bring them into conformity with the purpose of prayer.� This involves guarding against being selfish in our prayers or just simply praying for things we should not be praying for (Wright, 31-32). We have already spoken of the relationship between Father, Son and Spirit in terms of love, but now let us turn to their relationship in terms of power. More specifically, I want to speak of what Lodahl calls �Spirit Christology.� It is the study that says that Christ�s power and work while on earth are dynamically influenced by the Holy Spirit (Lodahl-Story of God, 135). Since Christ was fully human and fully God while here on Earth, his humanness required the presence of the Spirit to empower Him. The miracles and wonders as shown by Christ were done through the power of the Holy Spirit. Lodahl also notes, �the title �Christ� in fact means �anointed one� and suggests primarily the anointing of God�s Spirit-breath-wind� (136). For me this is exciting because I am able to be anointed by the very same Spirit that Christ himself was. Since we have been discussing the topic of forgiveness in our postings, let us briefly look at the Spirit�s role in forgiveness. We have already established that Christ�s power came through the Holy Spirit, and John 20:21-23 says: �Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven" (NIV). We come to the conclusion that this forgiveness Jesus is encouraging must come from the power of the Spirit which He has just breathed onto them. And so, forgiveness comes not through our own power, but through that of the Spirit. As I look at these aspects of the Spirit I must be continually conscious of their validity in ministry itself. What I have experienced in my own life should inevitably lead to how I teach and lead in ministry. Much of what I have distinguished as roles of the Spirit could be mistakenly implemented as roles for me or any pastor. I must be careful not to take the place of the Holy Spirit in the lives of my fellowship. I am but the staff of the Shepherd, and just as sheep are guided not by the staff itself but by the shepherd who is controlling the staff, so also I must be but an instrument of God always showing His love and portraying His power. This has been but a mere scan across the top of Pneumatology, but it is hoped that my understanding of the Spirit�s purpose, love, and power has been clearly understood. It is with much reliance upon the Holy Spirit that I look forward to the upcoming days and weeks and I continue to develop a theology which will lead me into ministry. Bibliography: Dunning, H. Ray. Grace, Faith and Holiness. 1988, Beacon Hill Press, Kansas City, MO. Hembree, Charles R. Fruits of the Spirit. 1969, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI. Lodahl, Michael. The Story of God: Wesleyan Theology and Biblical Narrative. 1994, Beacon Hill Press, Kansas City, MO. Oord, Thomas Jay and Michael Lodahl. Relational Holiness: Responding to the Call of Love. 2005, Beacon Hill Press, Kansas City, MO. Wright, H. Norman. Starting Out Together: A Devotional for Dating or Engaged Couples. 1996, Regal Books, Ventura, CA. |