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Holy Spirit
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ho'-li spir'-it: ((ruach) breath, wind, breeze)
RELATED: Blasphemy, God, Jesus |
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Easton's Bible Dictionary
(no entry)
Hitchcock's Dictionary of Bible Names
(no entry)
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(no entry)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
ho'-li spir'-it:
The expression Spirit, or Spirit of God, or Holy Spirit, is found in the great
majority of the books of the Bible. In the Old Testament the Hebrew word uniformly
employed for the Spirit as referring to God's Spirit is ruach meaning "breath,"
"wind" or "breeze." The verb form of the word is ruach, or riach used only in
the Hiphil and meaning "to breathe," "to blow." A kindred verb is rawach, meaning
"to breathe" "having breathing room," "to be spacious," etc. The word always used
in the New Testament for the Spirit is the Greek neuter noun pneuma, with or without
the article, and for Holy Spirit, pneuma hagion, or to pneuma to hagion. In the
New Testament we find also the expressions, "the Spirit of God," "the Spirit of
the Lord," "the Spirit of the Father," "the Spirit of Jesus," "of Christ." The
word for Spirit in the Greek is from the verb pneo, "to breathe," "to blow." The
corresponding word in the Latin is spiritus, meaning "spirit."
I. OLD TESTAMENT TEACHINGS AS TO THE SPIRIT
1. Meaning of the Word
At the outset we note the significance of the term itself. From the primary meaning
of the word which is "wind," as referring to Nature, arises the idea of breath
in man and thence the breath, wind or Spirit of God. We have no way of tracing
exactly how the minds of the Biblical writers connected the earlier literal meaning
of the word with the Divine Spirit. Nearly all shades of meaning from the lowest
to the highest appear in the Old Testament, and it is not difficult to conceive
how the original narrower meaning was gradually expanded into the larger and wider.
The following are some of the shades of Old Testament usage. From the notion of
wind or breath, ruach came to signify:
(1) the principle of life itself; spirit in this sense indicated
the degree of vitality: "My spirit is consumed, my days are extinct" (Job 17:1
; also Judges 15:19 ; 1 Samuel 30:12);
(2) human feelings of various kinds, as anger (Judges 8:3 ; Proverbs 29:11), desire
(Isaiah 26:9), courage (Joshua 2:11);
(3) intelligence (Exodus 28:3 ; Isaiah 29:24);
(4) general disposition (Psalm 34:18; 51:17 ; Proverbs 14:29 ; 16:18 ; 29:23).
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No doubt the Biblical writers thought of man as made in the image of God (Genesis
1:27), and it was easy for them to think of God as being like man. It is remarkable
that their anthropomorphism did not go farther. They preserve, however, a highly
spiritual conception of God as compared with that of surrounding nations. But
as the human breath was an invisible part of man, and as it represented his vitality,
his life and energy, it was easy to transfer the conception to God in the effort
to represent His energetic and transitive action upon man and Nature. The Spirit
of God, therefore, as based upon the idea of the ruach or breath of man, originally
stood for the energy or power of God (Isaiah 31:3; compare A. B. Davidson, Theology
of the Old Testament, 117-18), as contrasted with the weakness of the flesh.
2. The Spirit in Relation to the Godhead
We consider next the Spirit of God in relation to God Himself in the Old Testament.
Here there are several points to be noted. The first is that there is no indication
of a belief that the Spirit of God was a material particle or emanation from God.
The point of view of Biblical writers is nearly always practical rather than speculative.
They did not philosophize about the Divine nature. Nevertheless, they retained
a very clear distinction between spirit and flesh or other material forms. Again
we observe in the Old Testament both an identification of God and the Spirit of
God, and also a clear distinction between them. The identification is seen in
Psalms 139:7 where the omni-presence of the Spirit is declared, and in Isaiah
63:10 ; Jeremiah 31:33 ; Ezekiel 36:27. In a great number of passages, however,
God and the Spirit of God are not thought of as identical, as in Genesis 1:2 ;
6:3; Nehemiah 9:20 ; Psalms 51:11 ; 104:29 f. Of course this does not mean that
God and the Spirit of God were two distinct beings in the thought of Old Testament
writers, but only that the Spirit had functions of His own in distinction from
God. The Spirit was God in action, particularly when the action was specific,
with a view to accomplishing some particular end or purpose of God. The Spirit
came upon individuals for special purposes. The Spirit was thus God immanent in
man and in the world. As the angel of the Lord, or angel of the Covenant in certain
passages, represents both Yahweh Himself and one sent by Yahweh, so in like manner
the Spirit of Yahweh was both Yahweh within or upon man, and at the same time
one sent by Yahweh to man.
Do the Old Testament teachings indicate that in the view of the writers the Spirit
of Yahweh was a distinct person in the Divine nature? The passage in Genesis 1:26
is scarcely conclusive. The idea and importance of personality were but slowly
developed in Israelite thought. Not until some of the later prophets did it receive
great emphasis, and even then scarcely in the fully developed form. The statement
in Genesis 1:26 may be taken as the plural of majesty or as referring to the Divine
council, and on this account is not conclusive for the Trinitarian view. Indeed,
there are no Old Testament passages which compel us to understand the complete
New Testament doctrine of the Trinity and the distinct personality of the Spirit
in the New Testament sense. There are, however, numerous Old Testament passages
which are in harmony with the Trinitarian conception and prepare the way for it,
such as Psalms 139:7 ; Isaiah 63:10 ; 48:16 ; Haggai 2:5 ; Zechariah 4:6. The
Spirit is grieved, vexed, etc., and in other ways is conceived of personally,
but as He is God in action, God exerting power, this was the natural way for the
Old Testament writers to think of the Spirit.
The question has been raised as to how the Biblical writers were able to hold
the conception of the Spirit of God without violence to their monotheism. A suggested
reply is that the idea of the Spirit came gradually and indirectly from the conception
of subordinate gods which prevailed among some of the surrounding nations (I.F.
Wood, The Spirit of God in Biblical Literature, 30). But the best Israelite thought
developed in opposition to, rather than in analogy with, polytheism. A more natural
explanation seems to be that their simple anthropomorphism led them to conceive
the Spirit of God as the breath of God parallel with the conception of man's breath
as being part of man and yet going forth from him.
3. The Spirit in External Nature
We consider next the Spirit of God in external Nature. "And the Spirit of God
moved (was brooding or hovering) upon the face of the waters" (Genesis 1:2). The
figure is that of a brooding or hovering bird (compare Deuteronomy 32:11). Here
the Spirit brings order and beauty out of the primeval chaos and conducts the
cosmic forces toward the goal of an ordered universe. Again in Psalms 104:28 -
30, God sends forth His Spirit, and visible things are called into being: "Thou
sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; and thou renewest the face of the
ground." In Job 26:13 the beauty of the heavens is ascribed to the Spirit: "By
his Spirit the heavens are garnished." In Isaiah 32:15 the wilderness becomes
a fruitful field as the result of the outpouring of the Spirit. The Biblical writers
scarcely took into their thinking the idea of second causes, certainly not in
the modern scientific sense. They regarded the phenomena of Nature as the result
of God's direct action through His Spirit. At every point their conception of
the Spirit saved them from pantheism on the one hand and polytheism on the other.
4. The Spirit of God In Man
The Spirit may next be considered in imparting natural powers both physical and
intellectual. In Genesis 2:7 God originates man's personal and intellectual life
by breathing into his nostrils "the breath of life." In Numbers 16:22 God is "the
God of the spirits of all flesh." In Exodus 28:3 ; 31:3 ; 35:31 , wisdom for all
kinds of workmanship is declared to be the gift of God. So also physical life
is due to the presence of the Spirit of God (Job 27:3);. and Elihu declares (Job
33:4) that the Spirit of God made him. See also Ezekiel 37:14 and 39:29. Thus
man is regarded by the Old Testament writers, in all the parts of his being, body,
mind and spirit, as the direct result of the action of the Spirit of God. In Genesis
6:3 the Spirit of God "strives" with or "rules" in or is "humbled" in man in the
antediluvian world. Here reference is not made to the Spirit's activity over and
above, but within the moral nature of man.
5. Imparting Powers for Service
The greater part of the Old Testament passages which refer to the Spirit of God
deal with the subject from the point of view of the covenant relations between
Yahweh and Israel. And the greater portion of these, in turn, have to do with
gifts and powers conferred by the Spirit for service in the ongoing of the kingdom
of God. We fail to grasp the full meaning of very many statements of the Old Testament
unless we keep constantly in mind the fundamental assumption of all the Old Testament,
namely, the covenant relations between God and Israel. Extraordinary powers exhibited
by Israelites of whatever kind were usually attributed to the Spirit. These are
so numerous that our limits of space forbid an exhaustive presentation. The chief
points we may notice.
(1) Judges and Warriors
The children of Israel cried unto Yahweh and He raised up a savior for them, Othniel,
the son of Kenaz: "And the Spirit of Yahweh came upon him, and he judged Israel"
(Judges 3:10). So also Gideon (Judges 6:34): "The Spirit of Yahweh came upon (literally,
clothed itself with) Gideon." In Judges 11:29 "the spirit of Yahweh came upon
Jephthah"; and in 13:25 "the Spirit of Yahweh began to move" Samson. In 14:6 "the
Spirit of Yahweh came mightily upon him." In 1 Samuel 16:14 we read "the Spirit
of Yahweh departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Yahweh troubled him." In
all this class of passages, the Spirit imparts special endowments of power without
necessary reference to the moral character of the recipient. The end in view is
not personal, merely to the agent, but concerns theocratic kingdom and implies
the covenant between God and Israel. In some cases the Spirit exerts physical
energy in a more direct way (2 Kings 2:16 ; Ezekiel 2:1 ; 3:12).
(2) Wisdom for Various Purposes
Bezalel is filled with the Spirit of God in wisdom and in understanding to work
in gold, and silver and brass, etc., in the building of the tabernacle (Exodus
31:2 - 4 ; 35:31); and the Spirit of wisdom is given to others in making Aaron's
garments (Exodus 28:3). So also of one of the builders of Solomon's temple (1
Kings 7:14 ; 2 Chronicles 2:14). In these cases there seems to be a combination
of the thought of natural talents and skill to which is superadded a special endowment
of the Spirit. Pharaoh refers to Joseph as one in whom the Spirit of God is, as
fitting him for administration and government (Genesis 41:38). Joshua is qualified
for leadership by the Spirit (Numbers 27:18). In this and in Deuteronomy 34:9,
Joshua is represented as possessing the Spirit through the laying on of the hands
of Moses. This is an interesting Old Testament parallel to the bestowment of the
Spirit by laying on of hands in the New Testament (Acts 8:17 ; 19:6). Daniel is
represented as having wisdom to interpret dreams through the Spirit, and afterward
because of the Spirit he is exalted to a position of authority and power (Daniel
4:8 ; 5:11 - 14 ; 6:3). The Spirit qualifies Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple
(Zechariah 4:6). The Spirit was given to the people for instruction and strengthening
during the wilderness wanderings (Nehemiah 9:20), and to the elders along with
Moses (Numbers 11:17 , 25). It thus appears how very widespread were the activities
of the redemptive Spirit, or the Spirit in the covenant. All these forms of the
Spirit's action bore in some way upon the national life of the people, and were
directed in one way or another toward theocratic ends.
(3) In Prophecy
The most distinctive and important manifestation of the Spirit's activity in the
Old Testament was in the sphere of prophecy. In the earlier period the prophet
was called seer (ro'eh), and later he was called prophet (nabhi'). The word "prophet"
(prophetes) means one who speaks for God. The prophets were very early differentiated
from the masses of the people into a prophetic class or order, although Abraham
himself was called a prophet, as were Moses and other leaders (Genesis 20:7; Deuteronomy
18:15). The prophet was especially distinguished from others as the man who possessed
the Spirit of God (Hosea 9:7). The prophets ordinarily began their messages with
the phrase, "thus saith Yahweh," or its equivalent. But they ascribed their messages
directly also to the Spirit of God (Ezekiel 2:2 ; 8:3 ; 11:1 , 24 ; 13:3). The
case of Balaam presents some difficulties (Numbers 24:2). He does not seem to
have been a genuine prophet, but rather a diviner, although it is declared that
the Spirit of God came upon him. Balaam serves, however, to illustrate the Old
Testament point of view. The chief interest was the national or theocratic or
covenant ideal, not that of the individual. The Spirit was bestowed at times upon
unworthy men for the achievement of these ends. Saul presents a similar example.
The prophet was God's messenger speaking God's message by the Spirit. His message
was not his own. It came directly from God, and at times overpowered the prophet
with its urgency, as in the case of Jeremiah (1:4).
There are quite perceptible stages in the development of the Old Testament prophecy.
In the earlier period the prophet was sometimes moved, not so much to intelligible
speech, as by a sort of enthusiasm or prophetic ecstasy. In 1 Samuel 10 we have
an example of this earlier form of prophecy, where a company with musical instruments
prophesied together. To what extent this form of prophetic enthusiasm was attended
by warnings and exhortations, if so attended at all, we do not know. There was
more in it than in the excitement of the diviners and devotees of the surrounding
nations. For the Spirit of Yahweh was its source.
In the later period we have prophecy in its highest forms in the Old Testament.
The differences between earlier and later prophecy are probably due in part to
the conditions. The early period required action, the later required teaching.
The judges on whom the Spirit came were deliverers in a turbulent age. There was
not need for, nor could the people have borne, the higher ethical and spiritual
truths which came in later revelations through the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and
others. See 2 Samuel 23:2 ; Ezekiel 2:2 ; 8:3 ; 11:24 ; 13:3 ;. Micah 3:8 ; Hosea
9:7.
A difficulty arises from statements such as the following: A lying spirit was
sometimes present in the prophet (1 Kings 22:21); Yahweh puts a spirit in the
king of Assyria and turns him back to his destruction (Isaiah 37:7); because of
sin, a lying prophet should serve the people (Micah 2:11); in Micaiah's vision
Yahweh sends a spirit to entice Ahab through lying prophets (1 Kings 22:19); an
evil spirit from Yahweh comes upon Saul (1 Samuel 16:14 ; 18:10 ; 19:9). The following
considerations may be of value in explaining these passages. Yahweh was the source
of things generally in Old Testament thought. Its pronounced monotheism appears
in this as in so many other ways. Besides this, Old Testament writers usually
spoke phenomenally. Prophecy was a particular form of manifestation with certain
outward marks and signs. Whatever presented these outward marks was called prophecy,
whether the message conveyed was true or false. The standard of discrimination
here was not the outward signs of the prophet, but the truth or right of the message
as shown by the event. As to the evil spirit from Yahweh, it may be explained
in either of two ways. First, it may have referred to the evil disposition of
the man upon whom God's Spirit was acting, in which case he would resist the Spirit
and his own spirit would be the evil spirit. Or the "evil spirit from Yahweh"
may have referred, in the prophet's mind, to an actual spirit of evil which Yahweh
sent or permitted to enter the man. The latter is the more probable explanation,
in accordance with which the prophet would conceive that Yahweh's higher will
was accomplished, even through the action of the evil spirit upon man's spirit.
Yahweh's judicial anger against transgression would, to the prophet's mind, justify
the sending of an evil spirit by Yahweh. |
6. Imparting Moral Character
The activity of the Spirit in the Old Testament is not limited to gifts for service.
Moral and spiritual character is traced to the Spirit's operations as well. "Thy
holy Spirit" (Psalms 51:11); "his holy spirit" (Isaiah 63:10); "thy good Spirit"
(Nehemiah 9:20); "Thy Spirit is good" (Psalms 143:10) are expressions pointing
to the ethical quality of the Spirit's action. "Holy" is from the verb form (qadhash),
whose root meaning is doubtful, but which probably meant "to be separated" from
which it comes to mean to be exalted, and this led to the conception to be Divine.
And as Yahweh is morally good, the conception of "the holy (= Divine) one" came
to signify the holy one in the moral sense. Thence the word was applied to the
Spirit of Yahweh. Yahweh gives His good Spirit for instruction (Nehemiah 9:20);
the Spirit is called good because it teaches to do God's will (Psalms 143:10);
the Spirit gives the fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2-5); judgment and righteousness
(Isaiah 32:15); devotion to the Lord (Isaiah 44:3-5); hearty obedience and a new
heart (Ezekiel 36:26); penitence and prayer (Zechariah 12:10). In Psalms 51:11
there is an intense sense of guilt and sin coupled with the prayer, "Take not
thy holy Spirit from me." Thus, we see that the Old Testament in numerous ways
recognizes the Holy Spirit as the source of inward moral purity, although the
thought is not so developed as in the New Testament.
7. The Spirit in in the Messiah
In both the first and the second sections of Isaiah, there are distinct references
to the Spirit in connection with the Messiah, although the Messiah is conceived
as the ideal King who springs from the root of David in some instances, and in
others as the Suffering Servant of Yahweh. This is not the place to discuss the
Messianic import of the latter group of passages which has given rise to much
difference of opinion. As in the case of the ideal Davidic King which, in the
prophet's mind, passes from the lower to the higher and Messianic conception,
so, under the form of the Suffering Servant, the "remnant" of Israel becomes the
basis for an ideal which transcends in the Messianic sense the original nucleus
of the conception derived from the historic events in the history of Israel. The
prophet rises in the employment of both conceptions to the thought of the Messiah
who is the "anointed" of Yahweh as endued especially with the power and wisdom
of the Spirit. In Isaiah 11:1-5 a glowing picture is given of the "shoot out of
the stock of Jesse." The Spirit imparts "wisdom and understanding" and endows
him with manifold gifts through the exercise of which he shall bring in the kingdom
of righteousness and peace. In Isaiah 42:1, the "servant" is in like manner endowed
most richly with the gifts of the Spirit by virtue of which he shall bring forth
"justice to the Gentiles." In Isaiah 61:1 occur the notable words cited by Jesus
in Luke 4:18, beginning, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me" etc. In these passages
the prophet describes elaborately and minutely the Messiah's endowment with a
wide range of powers, all of which are traced to the action of God's Spirit.
8. Predictions of Future Outpouring of the Spirit
In the later history of Israel, when the sufferings of the exile pressed heavily,
there arose a tendency to idealize a past age as the era of the special blessing
of the Spirit, coupled with a very marked optimism as to a future outpouring of
the Spirit. In Haggai 2:5 reference is made to the Mosaic period as the age of
the Spirit, "when ye came out of Egypt, and my Spirit abode among you." In Isaiah
44:3 the Spirit is to be poured out on Jacob and his seed; and in Isaiah 59:20
a Redeemer is to come to Zion under the covenant of Yahweh, and the Spirit is
to abide upon the people. The passage, however, which especially indicates the
transition from Old Testament to New Testament times is that in Joel 2:28,32 which
is cited by Peter in Acts 2:17-21. In this prophecy the bestowal of the Spirit
is extended to all classes, is attended by marvelous signs and is accompanied
by the gift of salvation. Looking back from the later to the earlier period of
Old Testament history, we observe a twofold tendency of teaching in relation to
the Spirit. The first is from the outward gift of the Spirit for various uses
toward a deepening sense of inner need of the Spirit for moral purity, and consequent
emphasis upon the ethical energy of the Spirit. The second tendency is toward
a sense of the futility of the merely human or theocratic national organization
in and of itself to achieve the ends of Yahweh, along with a sense of the need
for the Spirit of God upon the people generally, and a prediction of the universal
diffusion of the Spirit.
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II. THE SPIRIT IN THE NON-CANONICAL LITERATURE
In the Palestinian and Alexandrian literature of the Jews there are comparatively
few references to the Spirit of God. The two books in which the teachings as to
the Spirit are most explicit and most fully developed are of Alexandrian origin,
namely, The Wisdom of Solomon and the writings of Philo.
In the Old Testament Apocrypha and in Josephus the references to the Spirit are
nearly always merely echoes of a long-past age when the Spirit was active among
men. In no particular is the contrast between the canonical and noncanonical literature
more striking than in the teaching as to the Spirit of God.
1. The Spirit in Josephus
Josephus has a number of references to the Holy Spirit, but nearly always they
have to do with the long-past history of Israel. He refers to 22 books of the
Old Testament which are of the utmost reliability. There are other books, but
none "of like authority," because there has "not been an exact succession of prophets"
(Josephus, Against Apion I, 8). Samuel is described as having a large place in
the affairs of the kingdom because he is a prophet (Ant., VI, v, 6). God appears
to Solomon in sleep and teaches him wisdom (ibid., VIII, ii); Balaam prophesies
through the Spirit's power (ibid., IV, v, 6); and Moses was such a prophet that
his words were God's words (ibid., IV, viii, 49). In Josephus we have then simply
a testimony to the inspiration and power of the prophets and the books written
by them, in so far as we have in him teachings regarding the Spirit of God. Even
here the action of the Spirit is usually implied rather than expressed.
2. The Spirit in the Pseudepigrapha
In the pseudepigraphic writings the Spirit of God is usually referred to as acting
in the long-past history of Israel or in the future Messianic age. In the apocalyptic
books, the past age of power, when the Spirit wrought mightily, becomes the ground
of the hopes of the future. The past is glorified, and out of it arises the hope
of a future kingdom of glory and power. Enoch says to Methuselah: "The word calls
me and the Spirit is poured out upon me" (Enoch 91:1). In 49:1 - 4 the Messiah
has the Spirit of wisdom, understanding and might. Enoch is represented as describing
his own translation. "He was carried aloft in the chariots of the Spirit" (Enoch
70:2). In Jubilees 31:16 Isaac is represented as prophesying, and in 25:13 it
is said of Rebekah that the" Holy Spirit descended into her mouth." Sometimes
the action of the Spirit is closely connected with the moral life, although this
is rare. "The Spirit of God rests" on the man of pure and loving heart (XII the
Priestly Code (P), Benj. 8). In Simeon 4 it is declared that Joseph was a good
man and that the Spirit of God rested on him. There appears at times a lament
for the departed age of prophecy (1 Maccabees 9:27 ; 14:41). The future is depicted
in glowing colors. The Spirit is to come in a future judgment (XII the Priestly
Code (P), Levi 18); and the spirit of holiness shall rest upon the redeemed in
Paradise (Levi 18); and in Levi 2 the spirit of insight is given, and the vision
of the sinful world and its salvation follows. Generally speaking, this literature
is far below that of the Old Testament, both in moral tone and religious insight.
Much of it seems childish, although at times we encounter noble passages. There
is lacking in it the prevailing Old Testament mood which is best described as
prophetic, in which the writer feels constrained by the power of God's Spirit
to speak or write. The Old Testament literature thus possesses a vitality and
power which accounts for the strength of its appeal to our religious consciousness.
3. The Spirit in the Wisdom of Solomon
We note in the next place a few teachings as to the Spirit of God in Wisd. Here
the ethical element in character is a condition of the Spirit's indwelling. "Into
a malicious soul wisdom shall not enter: nor dwell in the body that is subject
unto sin. For the holy spirit of discipline will flee deceit, and will not abide
when unrighteousness cometh in" (The Wisdom of Solomon 1:4 f). This "holy spirit
of discipline" is evidently God's Holy Spirit, for in The Wisdom of Solomon 1:7
the writer proceeds to assert, "For the Spirit of the Lord filleth the world,"
and in The Wisdom of Solomon 1:8 , 9 there is a return to the conception of unrighteousness
as a hindrance to right speaking. In The Wisdom of Solomon 7:7 the Spirit of Wisdom
comes in response to prayer. In The Wisdom of Solomon 7:22 - 30 is an elaborate
and very beautiful description of wisdom: "In her is an understanding spirit,
holy, one only, manifold, subtle, lively, clear, undefiled, plain, not subject
to hurt, loving the thing that is good, quick, which cannot be letted, ready to
do good, kind to man, steadfast, sure," etc. "She is the brightness of the everlasting
light, the unspotted mirror of the power of God, and the image of his goodness,"
etc. No one can know God's counsel except by the Holy Spirit (The Wisdom of Solomon
9:17). The writer of The Wisdom of Solomon was deeply possessed of the sense of
the omnipresence of the Spirit of God, as seen in The Wisdom of Solomon 1:7 and
in 12:1. In the latter passage we read: "For thine incorruptible spirit is in
all things."
4. The Spirit in Philo
In Philo we have what is almost wholly wanting in other Jewish literature, namely,
analytic and reflective thought upon the work of the Spirit of God. The interest
in Philo is primarily philosophic, and his teachings on the Spirit possess special
interest on this account in contrast with Biblical and other extra-Biblical literature.
In his Questions and Solutions, 27, 28, he explains the expression in Genesis
8:1: "He brought a breath over the earth and the wind ceased." He argues that
water is not diminished by wind, but only agitated and disturbed. Hence, there
must be a reference to God's Spirit or breath by which the whole universe obtains
security. He has a similar discussion of the point why the word "Spirit" is not
used instead of "breath" in Ge in the account of man's creation, and concludes
that "to breathe into" here means to "inspire," and that God by His Spirit imparted
to man mental and moral life and capacity for Divine things (Allegories, xiii).
In several passages Philo discusses prophecy and the prophetic office. One of
the most interesting relates to the prophetic office of Moses (Life of Moses,
xxiii). He also describes a false prophet who claims to be "inspired and possessed
by the Holy Spirit" (On Those Who Offer Sacrifice, xi). In a very notable passage,
Philo describes in detail his own subjective experiences under the influence of
the Holy Spirit, and his language is that of the intellectual mystic. He says
that at times he found himself devoid of impulse or capacity for mental activity,
when suddenly by the coming of the Spirit of God, his intellect was rendered very
fruitful: "and sometimes when I have come to my work empty I have suddenly become
full, ideas being, in an invisible manner, showered upon me and implanted in me
from on high; so that through the influence of Divine inspiration I have become
greatly excited and have known neither the place in which I was, nor those who
were present, nor myself, nor what I was saying, nor what I was writing," etc.
(Migrations of Abraham, vii).
In Philo, as in the non-canonical literature generally, we find little metaphysical
teaching as to the Spirit and His relations to the Godhead. On this point there
is no material advance over the Old Testament teaching. The agency of the Holy
Spirit in shaping and maintaining the physical universe and as the source of man's
capacities and powers is clearly recognized in Philo. In Philo, as in Josephus,
the conception of inspiration as the complete occupation and domination of the
prophet's mind by the Spirit of God, even to the extent of suspending the operation
of the natural powers, comes clearly into view. This is rather in contrast with,
than in conformity to, the Old Testament and New Testament conception of inspiration,
in which the personality of the prophet remains intensely active while under the
influence of the Spirit, except possibly in cases of vision and trance. |
III. THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
In the New Testament there is unusual symmetry and completeness of teaching as
to the work of the Spirit of God in relation to the Messiah Himself, and to the
founding of the Messianic kingdom. The simplest mode of presentation will be to
trace the course of the progressive activities of the Spirit, or teachings regarding
these activities, as these are presented to us in the New Testament literature
as we now have it, so far as the nature of the subject will permit. This will,
of course, disturb to some extent the chronological order in which the New Testament
books were written, since in some cases, as in John's Gospel, a very late book
contains early teachings as to the Spirit.
1. In Relation to the Person and Work of Christ
(1) Birth of Jesus
In Matthew 1:18 Mary is found with child "of the Holy Spirit" (ek pneumatos hagiou);
an angel tells Joseph that that "which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit"
(Matthew 1:20), all of which is declared to be in fulfillment of the prophecy
that a virgin shall bring forth a son whose name shall be called Immanuel (Isaiah
7:14). In Luke 1:35 the angel says to Mary that the Holy Spirit (pneuma hagion)
shall come upon her, and the power of the Most High (dunamis Hupsistou) shall
overshadow her. Here "Holy Spirit" and "power of the Most High" are parallel expressions
meaning the same thing; in the one case emphasizing the Divine source and in the
other the holiness of "the holy thing which is begotten" (Luke 1:35). In connection
with the presentation of the babe in the temple, Simeon is described as one upon
whom the Holy Spirit rested, to whom revelation was made through the Spirit and
who came into the temple in the Spirit (Luke 2:25 - 28). So also Anna the prophetess
speaks concerning the babe, evidently in Luke's thought, under the influence of
the Holy Spirit (Luke 2:36).
It is clear from the foregoing that the passages in Matthew and Luke mean to set
forth, first, the supernatural origin, and secondly, the sinlessness of the babe
born of Mary. The act of the Holy Spirit is regarded as creative, although the
words employed signify "begotten" or "born" (gennethen, Matthew 1:20; and gennomenon,
Luke 1:35). There is no hint in the stories of the nativity concerning the pretemporal
existence of Christ. This doctrine was developed later. Nor is there any suggestion
of the immaculate conception or sinlessness of Mary, the mother of our Lord. Dr.
C.A. Briggs has set forth a theory of the sinlessness of Mary somewhat different
from the Roman Catholic view, to the effect that the Old Testament prophecies
foretell the purification of the Davidic line, and that Mary was the culminating
point in the purifying process, who thereby became sinless (Incarnation of the
Lord, 230-34). This, however, is speculative and without substantial Biblical
warrant. The sinlessness of Jesus was not due to the sinlessness of His mother,
but to the Divine origin of His human nature, the Spirit of God.
In Hebrews 10:5 the writer makes reference to the sinless body of Christ as affording
a perfect offering for sins. No direct reference is made to the birth of Jesus,
but the origin of His body is ascribed to God (Hebrews 10:5), though not specifically
to the Holy Spirit.
(2) Baptism of Jesus
The New Testament records give us very little information regarding the growth
of Jesus to manhood. In Luke 2:40 a picture is given of the boyhood, exceedingly
brief, but full of significance. The "child grew, and waxed strong, filled with
wisdom (m "becoming full of wisdom"): and the grace of God was upon him." Then
follows the account of the visit to the temple. Evidently in all these experiences,
the boy is under the influence and guidance of the Spirit. This alone would supply
an adequate explanation, although Luke does not expressly name the Spirit as the
source of these particular experiences. The Spirit's action is rather assumed.
Great emphasis, however, is given to the descent of the Spirit upon Jesus at His
baptism. Matthew 3:16 declares that after His baptism "the heavens were opened
unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him."
Mark 1:10 repeats the statement in substantially equivalent terms. Luke 3:22 declares
that the Spirit descended in "bodily form, as a dove" (somatiko eidei hos peristeran).
In John 1:32 , 33 the Baptist testifies that he saw the Spirit descending upon
Jesus as a dove out of heaven, and that it abode upon Him, and, further, that
this descent of the Spirit was the mark by which he was to recognize Jesus as
"he that baptizeth in the Holy Spirit."
We gather from these passages that at the baptism there was a new communication
of the Spirit to Jesus in great fullness, as a special anointing for His Messianic
vocation. The account declares that the dovelike appearance was seen by Jesus
as well as John, which is scarcely compatible with a subjective experience merely.
Of course, the dove here is to be taken as a symbol, and not as an assertion that
God's Spirit assumed the form of a dove actually. Various meanings have been assigned
to the symbol. One connects it with the creative power, according to a Gentileusage;
others with the speculative philosophy of Alexandrian Judaism, according to which
the dove symbolized the Divine wisdom or reason. But the most natural explanation
connects the symbolism of the dove with the brooding or hovering of the Spirit
in Genesis 13. In this new spiritual creation of humanity, as in the first physical
creation, the Spirit of God is the energy through which the work is carried on.
Possibly the dove, as a living organism, complete in itself, may suggest the totality
and fullness of the gift of the Spirit to Jesus. At Pentecost, on the contrary,
the Spirit is bestowed distributively and partially at least to individuals as
such, as suggested by the cloven tongues as of fire which "sat upon each one of
them" (Acts 2:3). John 3:34 emphasizes the fullness of the bestowal upon Jesus:
"For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for he giveth not the Spirit
by measure." In the witness of the Baptist the permanence of the anointing of
Jesus is declared: "Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and
abiding" (John 1:33).
It is probable that the connection of the bestowal of the Spirit with water baptism,
as seen later in the Book of Acts, is traceable to the reception of the Spirit
by Jesus at His own baptism. Baptism in the Spirit did not supersede water baptism.
The gift of the Spirit in fullness to Jesus at His baptism was no doubt His formal
and public anointing for His Messianic work (Acts 10:38). The baptism of Jesus
could not have the same significance with that of sinful men. For the symbolic
cleansing from sin had no meaning for the sinless one. Yet as an act of formal
public consecration it was appropriate to the Messiah. It brought to a close His
private life and introduced Him to His public Messianic career. The conception
of an anointing for public service was a familiar one in the Old Testament writings
and applied to the priest (Exodus 28:41 ; 40:13 ; Leviticus 4:3 , 5 , 16 ; 6:20
, 22); to kings (1 Samuel 9:16 ; 10:1 ; 15:1 ; 16:3 , 13); sometimes to prophets
(1 Kings 19:16 ; compare Isaiah 61:1 ; Psalms 2:2 ; 20:6). These anointings were
with oil, and the oil came to be regarded as a symbol of the Spirit of God.
The anointing of Jesus with the Holy Spirit qualified Him in two particulars for
His Messianic office.
(a) It was the source of His own endowments of power for
the endurance of temptation, for teaching, for casting out demons, and healing
the sick, for His sufferings and death, for His resurrection and ascension. The
question is often raised, why Jesus, the Divine one, should have needed the Holy
Spirit for His Messianic vocation. The reply is that His human nature, which was
real, required the Spirit's presence. Man, made in God's image, is constituted
in dependence upon the Spirit of God. Apart from God's Spirit man fails of his
true destiny, simply because our nature is constituted as dependent upon the indwelling
Spirit of God for the performance of our true functions. Jesus as human, therefore,
required the presence of God's Spirit, notwithstanding His Divine-human consciousness.
(b) The Holy Spirit's coming upon Jesus in fullness also qualified Him to bestow
the Holy Spirit upon His disciples. John the Baptist especially predicts that
it is He who shall baptize in the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11; Mark 18 ; Luke 3:16
; see also John 20:22 ; Matthew 4:1 we are told that Jesus was led by the Spirit
into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Mark 1:12 declares in his graphic
way that after the baptism "straightway the Spirit driveth (ekballei) him forth
into the wilderness." Luke 4:1 more fully declares that Jesus was "full of the
Holy Spirit," and that He was "led in the Spirit in the wilderness during 40 days."
The impression which the narratives of the temptation give is of energetic spiritual
conflict. As the Messiah confronted His life task He was subject to the ordinary
conditions of other men in an evil world. Not by sheer divinity and acting from
without as God, but as human also and a part of the world, He must overcome, so
that while He was sinless, it was nevertheless true that the righteousness of
Jesus was also an achieved righteousness. The temptations were no doubt such as
were peculiar to His Messianic vocation, the misuse of power, the presumption
of faith and the appeal of temporal splendor. To these He opposes the restraint
of power, the poise of faith and the conception of a kingdom wholly spiritual
in its origin, means and ends. Jesus is hurled, as it were, by the Spirit into
this terrific conflict with the powers of evil, and His conquest, like the temptations
themselves, was not final, but typical and representative. It is a mistake to
suppose that the temptations of Jesus ended at the close of the forty days. Later
in His ministry, He refers to the disciples as those who had been with Him in
His temptations (Luke 22:28). The temptations continued throughout His life, though,
of course, the wilderness temptations were the severest test of all, and the victory
there contained in principle and by anticipation later victories. Comment has
been made upon the absence of reference to the Holy Spirit's influence upon Jesus
in certain remarkable experiences, which in the case of others would ordinarily
have been traced directly to the Spirit, as in Luke 11:14, etc. (compare the article
by James Denney in DCG, I, 732, 734). Is it not true, however, that the point
of view of the writers of the Gospels is that Jesus is always under the power
of the Spirit? At His baptism, in the temptation, and at the beginning of His
public ministry (Luke 4:14) very special stress is placed upon the fact. Thenceforward
the Spirit's presence and action are assumed. From time to time, reference is
made to the Spirit for special reasons, but the action of the Spirit in and through
Jesus is always assumed. |
(3) Temptation of Jesus
The facts as to the temptation are as follows: In Matthew 4:1 we are told that
Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Mark
1:12 declares in his graphic way that after the baptism "straightway the Spirit
driveth (ekballei) him forth into the wilderness." Luke 4:1 more fully declares
that Jesus was "full of the Holy Spirit," and that He was "led in the Spirit in
the wilderness during 40 days." The impression which the narratives of the temptation
give is of energetic spiritual conflict. As the Messiah confronted His life task
He was subject to the ordinary conditions of other men in an evil world. Not by
sheer divinity and acting from without as God, but as human also and a part of
the world, He must overcome, so that while He was sinless, it was nevertheless
true that the righteousness of Jesus was also an achieved righteousness. The temptations
were no doubt such as were peculiar to His Messianic vocation, the misuse of power,
the presumption of faith and the appeal of temporal splendor. To these He opposes
the restraint of power, the poise of faith and the conception of a kingdom wholly
spiritual in its origin, means and ends. Jesus is hurled, as it were, by the Spirit
into this terrific conflict with the powers of evil, and His conquest, like the
temptations themselves, was not final, but typical and representative. It is a
mistake to suppose that the temptations of Jesus ended at the close of the forty
days. Later in His ministry, He refers to the disciples as those who had been
with Him in His temptations (Luke 22:28). The temptations continued throughout
His life, though, of course, the wilderness temptations were the severest test
of all, and the victory there contained in principle and by anticipation later
victories. Comment has been made upon the absence of reference to the Holy Spirit's
influence upon Jesus in certain remarkable experiences, which in the case of others
would ordinarily have been traced directly to the Spirit, as in Luke 11:14 ff,
etc. (compare the article by James Denney in DCG, I, 732, 734). Is it not true,
however, that the point of view of the writers of the Gospels is that Jesus is
always under the power of the Spirit? At His baptism, in the temptation, and at
the beginning of His public ministry (Luke 4:14) very special stress is placed
upon the fact. Thenceforward the Spirit's presence and action are assumed. From
time to time, reference is made to the Spirit for special reasons, but the action
of the Spirit in and through Jesus is always assumed.
(4) Public Ministry of Jesus
Here we can select only a few points to illustrate a much larger truth. The writers
of the Gospels, and especially Luke, conceived of the entire ministry of Jesus
as under the power of the Holy Spirit. After declaring that Jesus was "full of
the Holy Spirit" and that He was led about by the Spirit in the wilderness forty
days in 4:1, he declares, in 4:14, that Jesus "returned in the power of the Spirit
into Galilee." This is followed in the next verse by a general summary of His
activities: "And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all." Then,
as if to complete his teaching as to the relation of the Spirit to Jesus, he narrates
the visit to Nazareth and the citation by Jesus in the synagogue there of Isaiah's
words beginning, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me," with the detailed description
of His Messianic activity, namely, preaching to the poor, announcement of release
to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, and to proclaim the acceptable
year of the Lord (Isaiah 61:1). Jesus proclaims the fulfillment of this prophecy
in Himself (Luke 4:21). In Matthew 12:18 a citation from Isaiah 42:1 - 3 is given
in connection with the miraculous healing work of Jesus. It is a passage of exquisite
beauty and describes the Messiah as a quiet and unobtrusive and tender minister
to human needs, possessed of irresistible power and infinite patience. Thus the
highest Old Testament ideals as to the operations of the Spirit of God come to
realization, especially in the public ministry of Jesus. The comprehensive terms
of the description make it incontestably clear that the New Testament writers
thought of the entire public life of Jesus as directed by the Spirit of God. We
need only to read the evangelic records in order to fill in the details.
The miracles of Jesus were wrought through the power of the Holy Spirit. Occasionally
He is seized as it were by a sense of the urgency of His work in some such way
as to impress beholders with the presence of a strange power working in Him. In
one case men think He is beside Himself (Mark 3:21); in another they are impressed
with the authoritativeness of His teaching (Mark 1:22); in another His intense
devotion to His task makes Him forget bodily needs (John 4:31); again men think
He has a demon (John 8:48); at one time He is seized with a rapturous joy when
the 70 return from their successful evangelistic tour, and Luke declares that
at that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit (Luke 10:21; compare Matthew 11:25).
This whole passage is a remarkable one, containing elements which point to the
Johannine conception of Jesus, on which account Harnack is disposed to discredit
it at certain points (Sayings of Jesus, 302). One of the most impressive aspects
of this activity of Jesus in the Spirit is its suppressed intensity. Nowhere is
there lack of self-control. Nowhere is there evidence of a coldly didactic attitude,
on the one hand, or of a loose rein upon the will, on the other. Jesus is always
an intensely human Master wrapped in Divine power. The miracles contrast strikingly
with the miracles of the apocryphal gospels. In the latter all sorts of capricious
deeds of power are ascribed to Jesus as a boy. In our Gospels, on the contrary,
no miracle is wrought until after His anointing with the Spirit at baptism.
A topic of especial interest is that of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Jesus
cast out demons by the power of God's Spirit. In Matthew 12:31; Mark 3:28; Luke
12:10, we have the declaration that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is an unpardonable
sin. Mark particularizes the offense of the accusers of Jesus by saying that they
said of Jesus, "He hath an unclean spirit." The blasphemy against the Spirit seems
to have been not merely rejection of Jesus and His words, which might be due to
various causes. It was rather the sin of ascribing works of Divine mercy and power-works
which had all the marks of their origin in the goodness of God--to a diabolic
source. The charge was that He cast out devils by Beelzebub the prince of devils.
We are not to suppose that the unpardonable nature of the sin against the Holy
Spirit was due to anything arbitrary in God's arrangements regarding sin. The
moral and spiritual attitude involved in the charge against Jesus was simply a
hopeless one. It presupposed a warping or wrenching of the moral nature from the
truth in such degree, a deep-seated malignity and insusceptibility to Divine influences
so complete, that no moral nucleus remained on which the forgiving love of God
might work.
See BLASPHEMY.
(5) Death and Resurrection and Pentecostal Gift
It is not possible to give here a complete outline of the activities of Jesus
in the Holy Spirit. We observe one or two additional points as to the relations
of the Holy Spirit to Him. In Hebrews 9:14 it is declared that Christ "through
the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish unto God," and in Romans 1:4,
Paul says He was "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit
of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (compare also Romans 8:11).
As already noted, John the Baptist gave as a particular designation of Jesus that
it was He who should baptize with the Holy Spirit, in contrast with his own baptism
in water. In John 20:22, after the resurrection and before the ascension, Jesus
breathed on the disciples and said "Receive ye the Holy Spirit." There was probably
a real communication of the Spirit in this act of Jesus in anticipation of the
outpouring in fullness on the day of Pentecost. In Acts 1:2 it is declared that
He gave commandment through the Holy Spirit, and in Acts 1:5 it is predicted by
Him that the disciples should "be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days hence";
and in Acts 1:8 it is declared, "Ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit
is come upon you."
It is clear from the preceding that in the thought of the New Testament writers
Jesus is completely endued with the power of the. Holy Spirit. It is in large
measure the Old Testament view of the Spirit; that is to say, the operation of
the Spirit in and through Jesus is chiefly with a view to His official Messianic
work, the charismatic Spirit imparting power rather than the Spirit for holy living
merely. Yet there is a difference between the Old Testament and New Testament
representations here. In the Old Testament the agency of the Spirit is made very
prominent when mighty works are performed by His power. In the Gospels the view
is concentrated less upon the Spirit than upon Jesus Himself, though it is always
assumed that He is acting in the power of the Spirit. In the case of Jesus also,
the moral quality of His words and deeds is always assumed. |
2. The Holy Spirit in the Kingdom of God
Our next topic in setting forth the New Testament teaching is the Holy Spirit
in relation to the kingdom of God. Quite in harmony with the plenary endowment
of Jesus, the founder of the kingdom, with the power of the Spirit, is the communication
of the Spirit to the agents employed by Providence in the conduct of the affairs
of the kingdom. We need, at all points, in considering the subject in the New
Testament to keep in view the Old Testament background. The covenant relations
between God and Israel were the presupposition of all the blessings of the Old
Testament. In the New Testament there is not an identical but an analogous point
of view. God is continuing His work among men. Indeed in a real sense He has begun
a new work, but this new work is the fulfillment of the old. The new differs from
the old in some very important respects, chiefly indeed in this, that now the
national and theocratic life is wholly out of sight. Prophecy no longer deals
with political questions. The power of the Spirit no longer anoints kings and
judges for their duties. The action of the Spirit upon the cosmos now ceases to
receive attention. In short, the kingdom of God is intensely spiritualized, and
the relation of the Spirit to the individual or the church is nearly always that
which is dealt with.
(1) Synoptic Teachings
We consider briefly the synoptic teachings as to the Holy Spirit in relation to
the kingdom of God. The forerunner of Jesus goes before His face in the Spirit
and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17). Of Him it had been predicted that He should be
filled with the Holy Spirit from His mother's womb (Luke 1:15). The Master expressly
predicts that the Holy Spirit will give the needed wisdom when the disciples are
delivered up. "It is not ye that speak, but the Holy Spirit" (Mark 13:11). In
Luke 12:12 it is also declared that "The Holy Spirit shall teach you in that very
hour what ye ought to say." Likewise in Matthew 10:20, "It is not ye that speak,
but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you." In Luke 11:13 is a beautiful
saying: If we who are evil give good gifts to our children, how much more shall
the "heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him." This is a variation
from the parallel passage in Matthew (7:11), and illustrates Luke's marked emphasis
upon the operations of the Spirit. In Matthew 28:19, the disciples are commanded
to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This passage
has been called in question, but there is not sufficient ground for its rejection.
Hitherto there has been almost no hint directly of the personality of the Spirit
or the Trinitarian implications in the teaching as to the Spirit. Here, however,
we have a very suggestive hint toward a doctrine of the Spirit which attains more
complete development later.
(2) In the Writings of John
In the Gospel of John there is a more elaborate presentation of the office and
work of the Holy Spirit, particularly in John 14-17. Several earlier passages,
however, must be noticed. The passage on the new birth in John 3:5 we notice first.
The expression, "except one be born of water and the Spirit," seems to contain
a reference to baptism along with the action of the Spirit of God directly on
the soul. In the light of other New Testament teachings, however, we are not warranted
in ascribing saving efficacy to baptism here. The "birth," in so far as it relates
to baptism, is symbolic simply, not actual. The outward act is the fitting symbolic
accompaniment of the spiritual regeneration by the Spirit. Symbolism and spiritual
fact move on parallel lines. The entrance into the kingdom is symbolically effected
by means of baptism, just as the "new birth" takes place symbolically by the same
means.
In John 6:51 we have the very difficult words attributed to Jesus concerning the
eating of His flesh and the drinking of His blood. The disciples were greatly
distressed by these words, and in 6:63 Jesus insists that "it is the spirit that
giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing." One's view of the meaning of this much-discussed
passage will turn largely on his point of view in interpreting it. If he adopts
the view that John is reading back into the record much that came later in the
history, the inference will probably follow that Jesus is here referring to the
Lord's Supper. If on the other hand it is held that John is seeking to reproduce
substantially what was said, and to convey an impression of the actual situation,
the reference to the Supper will not be inferred. Certainly the language fits
the later teaching in the establishment of the Supper, although John omits a detailed
account of the Supper. But Jesus was meeting a very real situation in the carnal
spirit of the multitude which followed Him for the loaves and fishes. His deeply
mystical words seem to have been intended to accomplish the result which followed,
namely, the separation of the true from the false disciples. There is no necessary
reference to the Lord's Supper specifically, therefore, in His words. Spiritual
meat and drink, not carnal, are the true food of man. He Himself was that food,
but only the spiritually susceptible would grasp His meaning. It is difficult
to assign any sufficient reason why Jesus should have here referred to the Supper,
or why John should have desired to introduce such reference into the story at
this stage.
In John 7:37 we have a saying of Jesus and its interpretation by John which accords
with the synoptic reference to a future baptism in the Holy Spirit to be bestowed
by Jesus: "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, from within him
shall flow rivers of living water." John adds: "But this spake he of the Spirit,
which they that believed on him were to receive: for the Spirit was not yet given;
because Jesus was not yet glorified." No doubt John's Gospel is largely a reproduction
of the facts and teachings of Jesus in the evangelist's own words. This passage
indicates, however, that John discriminated between his own constructions of Christ's
teachings and the teachings themselves, and warns us against the custom of many
exegetes who broadly assume that John employed his material with slight regard
for careful and correct statement, passing it through his own consciousness in
such manner as to leave us his own subjective Gospel, rather than a truly historical
record. The ethical implications of such a process on John's part would scarcely
harmonize with his general tone and especially the teachings of his Epistles.
No doubt John's Gospel contains much meaning which he could not have put into
it prior to the coming of the Spirit. But what John seeks to give is the teaching
of Jesus and not his own theory of Jesus.
We give next an outline of the teachings in the great John 14 to 17, the farewell
discourse of Jesus. In John 14:16 Jesus says, "I will pray the Father, and he
shall give you another Comforter" (parakletos; see PARACLETE). Next Jesus describes
this Comforter as one whom the world cannot receive. Disciples know Him because
He abides in them. The truth of Christianity is spiritually discerned, i.e. it
is discerned by the power and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In the name of "reality,"
science sometimes repudiates these inner experiences as "mystical." But Christians
cling to them as most real, data of experience as true and reliable as any other
forms of human experience. To repudiate them would be for them to repudiate reality
itself. The Father and Son shall make their abode in Christians (John 14:23).
This is probably another form of assertion of the Spirit's presence, and not a
distinct line of mystical teaching. (Compare Woods, The Spirit of God in Biblical
Literature, 243.) For in John 14:26 the promise of the Spirit is repeated. The
Father is to send the Spirit in the name of Christ, and He is to teach the disciples
all things, quickening also their memories. In the New Testament generally, and
especially in John's and Paul's writings, there is no sense of conflict between
Father, Son and Spirit in their work in the Christian. All proceeds from the Father,
through the Son, and is accomplished in the Christian by the Holy Spirit. As will
appear, Christ in the believer is represented as being practically all that the
Spirit does without identifying Christ with the Spirit. So far there are several
notes suggesting the personality of the Holy Spirit. The designation "another
Comforter," taken in connection with the description of his work, is one. The
fact that He is sent or given is another. And another is seen in the specific
work which the Spirit is to do. Another is the masculine pronoun employed here
(ekeinos). In John 14:26 the function of the Spirit is indicated. He is to bring
to "remembrance all that I said unto you." In John 15:26 this is made even more
comprehensive: "He shall bear witness of me," and yet more emphatically in John
16:14, "He shall glorify me: for he shall take of mine, and shall declare it unto
you." The sphere of the Spirit's activity is the heart of the individual believer
and of the church. His chief function is to illumine the teaching and glorify
the person of Jesus. John 15:26 is the passage which has been used in support
of the doctrine of the procession of the Spirit. Jesus says, "I will send" (pempso),
future tense, referring to the "Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father"
(ekporeuetai); present tense. The present tense here suggests timeless action
and has been taken to indicate an essential relation of the Spirit to God the
Father (compare Godet, Commentary on John, in the place cited.). The hazard of
such an interpretation lies chiefly in the absence of other corroborative Scriptures
and in the possibility of another and simpler meaning of the word. However, the
language is unusual, and the change of tense in the course of the sentence is
suggestive. Perhaps it is one of the many instances where we must admit we do
not know the precise import of the language of Scripture.
In John 16:7 - 15 we have a very important passage. Jesus declares to the anxious
disciples that it is expedient for Him to go away, because otherwise the Spirit
will not come. "He, when he is come, will convict the world in respect of sin,
and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8). The term translated "convict"
(elegksei) involves a cognitive along with a moral process. The Spirit who deals
in truth, and makes His appeal through the truth, shall convict, shall bring the
mind on which He is working into a sense of self-condemnation on account of sin.
The word means more than reprove, or refute, or convince. It signifies up to a
certain point a moral conquest of the mind: "of sin, because they believe not
on me" (John 16:9). Unbelief is the root sin. The revelation of God in Christ
is, broadly speaking, His condemnation of all sin. The Spirit may convict of particular
sins, but they will all be shown to consist essentially in the rejection of God's
love and righteousness in Christ, i.e. in unbelief. "Of righteousness, because
I go to the Father, and ye behold me no more" (John 16:10). What does this mean?
Does Jesus mean that His going to the Father will be the proof of His righteousness
to those who put Him to death, or that this going to the Father will be the consummating
or crowning act of His righteousness which the Spirit is to carry home to the
hearts of men? Or does He mean that because He goes away the Spirit will take
His place in convicting men of righteousness? The latter meaning seems implied
in the words, "and ye behold me no more." Probably, however, the meanings are
not mutually exclusive. "Of judgment because the prince of this world hath been
judged" (John 16:11). In His incarnation and death the prince of this world, the
usurper, is conquered and cast out.
We may sum up the teachings as to the Spirit in these four chapters as follows:
He is the Spirit of truth; He guides into all truth; He brings to memory Christ's
teachings; He shows things to come; He glorifies Christ; He speaks not of Himself
but of Christ; He, like believers, bears witness to Christ; He enables Christians
to do greater works than those of Christ; He convicts the world of sin, of righteousness,
and of judgment; He comes because Christ goes away; He is "another Comforter";
He is to abide with disciples forever.
These teachings cover a very wide range of needs. The Holy Spirit is the subject
of the entire discourse. In a sense it is the counterpart of the Sermon on the
Mount. There the laws of the kingdom are expounded. Here the means of realization
of all the ends of that kingdom are presented. The kingdom now becomes the kingdom
of the Spirit. The historical revelation of truth in the life, death, resurrection
and glorification of Jesus being completed, the Spirit of truth comes in fullness.
The gospel as history is now to become the gospel as experience. The Messiah as
a fact is now to become the Messiah as a life through the Spirit's action. All
the elements of the Spirit's action are embraced: the charismatic for mighty works;
the intellectual for guidance into truth; the moral and spiritual for producing
holy lives. This discourse transfers the kingdom, so to speak, from the shoulders
of the Master to those of the disciples, but the latter are empowered for their
tasks by the might of the indwelling and abiding Spirit. The method of the kingdom's
growth and advance is clearly indicated as spiritual, conviction of sin, righteousness
and judgment, and obedient and holy lives of Christ's disciples.
Before passing to the next topic, one remark should be made as to the Trinitarian
suggestions of these chapters in John. The personality of the Spirit is clearly
implied in much of the language here. It is true we have no formal teaching on
the metaphysical side, no ontology in the strict sense of the word. This fact
is made much of by writers who are slow to recognize the personality of the Holy
Spirit in the light of the teachings of John and Paul. These writers have no difficulty,
however, in asserting that the New Testament writers hold that God is a personal
being (see I. F. Woods, The Spirit of God in Biblical Literature, 256, 268). It
must be insisted, however, that in the New Testament, as in the Old Testament,
there is little metaphysics, little ontological teaching as to God. His personality
is deduced from the same kind of sayings as those relating to the Spirit. From
the ontological point of view, therefore, we should also have to reject the personality
of God on the basis of the Biblical teachings. The Trinitarian formulations may
not be correct at all points, but the New Testament warrants the Trinitarian doctrine,
just as it warrants belief in the personality of God. We are not insisting on
finding metaphysics in Scripture where it is absent, but we do insist upon consistency
in construing the popular and practical language of Scripture as to the second
and third as well as the first Person of the Trinity.
We add a few lines as to John's teachings in the Epistles and Revelation. In general
they are in close harmony with the teachings in his Gospel and do not require
extended treatment. The Spirit imparts assurance (1 John 3:24); incites to confession
of Christ (1 John 4:2); bears witness to Christ (1 John 5:6). In Revelation 1:4
the "seven Spirits" is an expression for the completeness of the Spirit. The Spirit
speaks to the churches (1 John 2:7 , 11 ; 3:6). The seer is "in the Spirit" (1
John 4:2). The Spirit joins the church in the invitation of the gospel (1 John
2:17).
(3) In Acts
The Book of Acts contains the record of the beginning of the Dispensation of the
Holy Spirit. There is at the outset the closest connection with the recorded predictions
of the Holy Spirit in the Gospels. Particularly does Luke make clear the continuity
of his own thought regarding the Spirit in his earlier and later writing. Jesus
in the first chapter of Ac gives commandment through the Holy Spirit and predicts
the reception of power as the result of the baptism in the Holy Spirit which the
disciples are soon to receive.
The form of the Spirit's activities in Acts is chiefly charismatic, that is, the
miraculous endowment of disciples with power or wisdom for their work in extending
the Messianic kingdom. As yet the work of the Spirit within disciples as the chief
sanctifying agency is not fully developed, and is later described with great fullness
in Paul's writings. Some recent writers have overemphasized the contrast between
the earlier and the more developed view of the Spirit with regard to the moral
life. In Acts the ethical import of the Spirit's action appears at several points
(see Acts 5:3 , 9 ; 7:51 ; 8:18 ; 13:9 ; 15:28). The chief interest in Acts is
naturally the Spirit's agency in founding the Messianic kingdom, since here is
recorded the early history of the expansion of that kingdom. The phenomenal rather
than the inner moral aspects of that great movement naturally come chiefly into
view. But everywhere the ethical implications are present. Gunkel is no doubt
correct in the statement that Paul's conception of the Spirit as inward and moral
and acting in the daily life of the Christian opens the way for the activity of
the Spirit as a historical principle in subsequent ages. After all, this is the
fundamental and universal import of the Spirit (see Gunkel, Die Wirkungen des
heiligen Geistes, etc., 76; compare Pfleiderer, Paulinismus, 200).
We now proceed to give a brief summary of the Holy Spirit's activities as recorded
in Acts, and follow this with a discussion of one or two special points. The great
event is of course the outpouring or baptism of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost followed
by the completion of the baptism in the Holy Spirit by the baptism of the household
of Cornelius (Acts 2:1 ; 10:17 - 48). Speaking with tongues, and other striking
manifestations attended this baptism, as also witnessing to the gospel with power
by the apostles. See BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. This outpouring is declared to
be in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, and the assertion is also made that
it is the gift of the exalted Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:17 , 33). Following this
baptism of the Holy Spirit the disciples are endued with miraculous power for
their work. Miracles are wrought (Acts 2:43), and all necessary gifts of wisdom
and Divine guidance are bestowed. A frequent form of expression describing the
actors in the history is, "filled with the Holy Spirit." It is applied to Peter
(Acts 4:8); to disciples (Acts 4:31); to the seven deacons (Acts 6:3); to Stephen
(Acts 6:5 ; 7:55); to Saul who becomes Paul (Acts 13:9).
The presence of the Spirit and His immediate and direct superintendence of affairs
are seen in the fact that Ananias and Sapphira are represented as lying to the
Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3 , 9); the Jews are charged by Stephen with resisting the
Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51); and Simon Magus is rebuked for attempting to purchase
the Spirit with money (Acts 8:18).
The Holy Spirit is connected with the act of baptism, but there does not seem
to be any fixed order as between the two. In Acts 9:17 the Spirit comes before
baptism; and after baptism in Acts 8:17 and 19:6. In these cases the coming of
the Spirit was in connection with the laying on of hands also. But in Acts 10:44
the Holy Spirit falls upon the hearers while Peter is speaking prior to baptism
and with no laying on of hands. These instances in which the order of baptism,
the laying on of hands and the gift of the Spirit seem to be a matter of indifference,
are a striking indication of the non-sacramentarian character of the teaching
of the Book of Acts, and indeed in the New Testament generally. Certainly no particular
efficacy seems to be attached to the laying on of hands or baptism except as symbolic
representations of spiritual facts. Gunkel, in his excellent work on the Holy
Spirit, claims Acts 2:38 as an instance when the Spirit is bestowed during baptism
(Die Wirkungen des heiligen Geistes, etc., 7). The words of Peter, however, may
refer to a reception of the Spirit subsequent to baptism, although evidently in
immediate connection with it. The baptism of the Holy Spirit clearly then was
not meant to supplant water baptism. Moreover, in the strict sense the baptism
of the Holy Spirit was a historical event or events completed at the outset when
the extension of the kingdom of God, beginning at Pentecost, began to reach out
to the Gentile world.
See BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
In Acts the entire historical movement is represented by Luke as being under the
direction of the Spirit. He guides Philip to the Ethiopian and then "catches away"
Philip (Acts 8:29 , 39). He guides Peter at Joppa through the vision and then
leads him to Cornelius at Caesarea (Acts 10:19 ; 11:12 f). The Spirit commands
the church at Antioch to separate Saul and Barnabas for missionary work (Acts
13:2). He guides the church at Jerusalem (Acts 15:28). He forbids the apostle
to go to Asia (Acts 16:6 f). The Spirit enables Agabus to prophesy that Paul will
be bound by the Jews at Jerusalem (Acts 21:11; compare also 20:23). The Spirit
appointed the elders at Ephesus (Acts 20:28).
One or two points require notice before passing from Acts. The impression we get
of the Spirit's action here very strongly suggests a Divine purpose moving on
the stage of history in a large and comprehensive way. In Jesus that purpose was
individualized. Here the supplementary thought of a vast historic movement is
powerfully suggested. Gunkel asserts that usually the Spirit's action is not conceived
by the subjects of it in terms of means (Mittel) and end (Zweck), but rather as
cause (Ursache) and activity (Wirkung) (see Die Wirkungen des heiligen Geistes,
etc., 20). There is an element of truth in this, but the idea of purpose is by
no means confined to the historian who later recorded the Spirit's action. The
actors in the spiritual drama were everywhere conscious of the great movement
of which they as individuals were a part. In some passages the existence of purpose
in the Spirit's action is clearly recognized, as in His restraining of Paul at
certain points and in the appointment of Saul and Barnabas as missionaries. Divine
purpose is indeed implied at all points, and while the particular end in view
was not always clear in a given instance, the subjects of the Spirit's working
were scarcely so naive in their apprehension of the matter as to think of their
experiences merely as so many extraordinary phenomena caused in a particular way.
We note next the glossolalia, or speaking with tongues, recorded in Acts 2, as
well as in later chapters and in Paul's Epistles. The prevailing view at present
is that "speaking with tongues" does not mean speaking actual intelligible words
in a foreign language, but rather the utterance of meaningless sounds, as was
customary among the heathen and as is sometimes witnessed today where religious
life becomes highly emotional in its manifestation. To support this view the account
in Acts 2 is questioned, and Paul's instructions in 1 Corinthians 14 are cited.
Of course a man's world-view will be likely to influence his interpretation in
this as in other matters. Philosophically an antisupernatural world-view makes
it easy to question the glossolalia of the New Testament. Candid exegesis, however,
rather requires the recognition of the presence in the apostolic church of a speaking
in foreign tongues, even if alongside of it there existed (which is open to serious
doubt) the other phenomenon mentioned above. Acts 2:3 is absolutely conclusive
taken by itself, and no valid critical grounds have been found for rejecting the
passage. 1 Corinthians 14 confirms this view when its most natural meaning is
sought. Paul is here insisting upon the orderly conduct of worship and upon edification
as the important thing. To this end he insists that they who speak with tongues
pray that they may also interpret (1 Corinthians 14:5; chapter 13). It is difficult
to conceive what he means by "interpret" if the speaking with tongues was a meaningless
jargon of sounds uttered under emotional excitement, and nothing more. Paul's
whole exposition in this chapter implies that "tongues" may be used for edification.
He ranks it below prophecy simply because without an interpreter "tongues" would
not edify the hearer. Paul himself spoke with tongues more than they all (1 Corinthians
14:18). It seems scarcely in keeping with Paul's character to suppose that he
refers here to a merely emotional volubility in meaningless and disconnected sounds.
See TONGUES, GIFT OF.
(4) In Paul's Writings
The teachings of Paul on the Holy Spirit are so rich and abundant that space forbids
an exhaustive presentation. In his writings the Biblical representations reach
their climax. Mr. Wood says correctly that Paul grasped the idea of the unity
of the Christian life. All the parts exist in a living whole and the Holy Spirit
constitutes and maintains it (Wood, The Spirit of God in Biblical Literature,
268). In fact a careful study of Paul's teachings discloses three parallel lines,
one relating to faith, another to Christ, and the third to the Holy Spirit. That
is to say, his teachings coalesce, as it were, point by point, in reference to
these three subjects. Faith is the human side of the Divine activity carried on
by the Holy Spirit. Faith is therefore implied in the Spirit's action and is the
result of or response to it in its various forms. But faith is primarily and essentially
faith in Jesus Christ. Hence, we find in Paul that Christ is represented as doing
substantially everything that the Spirit does. Now we are not to see in this any
conflicting conceptions as to Christ and the Spirit, but rather Paul's intense
feeling of the unity of the work of Christ and the Spirit. The "law" of the Spirit's
action is the revelation and glorification of Christ. In his Gospel, which came
later, John, as we have seen, defined the Spirit's function in precisely these
terms. Whether or not John was influenced by Paul in the matter we need not here
consider.
(a) The Spirit and Jesus
We begin with a brief reference to the connection in Paul's thought between the
Spirit and Jesus. The Holy Spirit is described as the Spirit of God's Son (Romans
8:14; Galatians 4:6), as the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9). He who confesses Jesus
does so by the Holy Spirit, and no one can say that Jesus is anathema in the Holy
Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). Christ is called a life-giving Spirit (1 Corinthians
15:45); and in 2 Corinthians 3:17 the statement appears, "Now the Lord is the
Spirit." All of this shows how completely one Paul regarded the work of Christ
and the Spirit, not because they were identical in the sense in which Beyschlag
has contended, but because their task and aim being identical, there was no sense
of discord in Paul's mind in explaining their activities in similar terms.
(b) In Bestowing Charismatic Gifts
The Spirit appears in Paul as in Ac imparting all kinds of charismatic gifts for
the ends of the Messianic kingdom. He enumerates a long list of spiritual gifts
which cannot receive separate treatment here, such as prophecy (1 Thessalonians
5:19) ; tongues (1 Corinthians 12-14); wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:6); knowledge (1
Corinthians 12:8); power to work miracles (1 Corinthians 12:9); discerning of
spirits (1 Corinthians 12:10); interpretation of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:10);
faith (1 Corinthians 12:9); boldness in Christian testimony (2 Corinthians 3:17);
charismata generally (1 Thessalonians 1:5; 4:8, etc.). See SPIRITUAL GIFTS. In
addition to the above list, Paul especially emphasizes the Spirit's action in
revealing to himself and to Christians the mind of God (1 Corinthians 2:10-12;
Ephesians 3:5). He speaks in words taught by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:13).
He preaches in demonstration of the Spirit and of power (1 Corinthians 2:4 ; 1
Thessalonians 1:5).
In the above manifestations of the Spirit, as enumerated in Paul's writings, we
have presented in very large measure what we have already seen in Acts, but with
some additions. In 1 Corinthians 14 and elsewhere Paul gives a new view as to
the charismatic gifts which was greatly needed in view of the tendency to extravagant
and intemperate indulgence in emotional excitement, due to the mighty action of
God's Spirit in the Corinthian church. He insists that all things be done unto
edification, that spiritual growth is the true aim of all spiritual endowments.
This may be regarded as the connecting link between the earlier and later New
Testament teaching as to the Holy Spirit, between the charismatic and moral-religious
significance of the Spirit. To the latter we now direct attention.
(c) In the Beginnings of the Christian Life
We note the Spirit in the beginnings of the Christian life. From beginning to
end the Christian life is regarded by Paul as under the power of the Holy Spirit,
in its inner moral and religious aspects as well as in its charismatic forms.
It is a singular fact that Paul does not anywhere expressly declare that the Holy
Spirit originates the Christian life. Gunkel is correct in this so far as specific
and direct teaching is concerned. But Wood who asserts the contrary is also right,
if regard is had to clear implications and legitimate inferences from Paul's statements
(op. cit., 202). Romans 8:2 does not perhaps refer to the act of regeneration,
and yet it is hard to conceive of the Christian life as thus constituted by the
"law of the Spirit of life" apart from its origin through the Spirit. There are
other passages which seem to imply very clearly, if they do not directly assert,
that the Christian life is originated by the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 1:6
; Romans 5:5 ; 8:9 ; 1 Corinthians 2:4 ; 6:11 ; Titus 3:5).
The Holy Spirit in the beginnings of the Christian life itself is set forth in
many forms of statement. They who have the Spirit belong to Christ (Romans 8:9).
We received not the Spirit of bondage but of adoption, "whereby we cry, Abba,
Father" (Romans 8:15). "The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that
we are children of God" (Romans 8:16). The Spirit is received by the hearing of
faith (Galatians 3:2). See also Romans 5:5 ; 8:2 ; 1 Corinthians 16:11 ; Galatians
3:3 , 14 ; Ephesians 2:18. There are two or three expressions employed by Paul
which express some particular aspect of the Spirit's work in believers. One of
these is "first-fruits" (Romans 8:23, aparche), which means that the present possession
of the Spirit by the believer is the guarantee of the full redemption which is
to come, as the first-fruits were the guarantee of the full harvest. Another of
these words is "earnest" (2 Corinthians 1:22 ; 5:5, arrabon), which also means
a pledge or guarantee. Paul also speaks of the "sealing" of the Christians with
the Holy Spirit of promise, as in Ephesians 1:13 (esphragisthete, "ye were sealed").
This refers to the seal by which a king stamped his mark of authorization or ownership
upon a document.
(d) In the Religious and Moral Life
Paul gives a great variety of expressions indicating the presence and activity
of the Holy Spirit in the religious and moral life of the Christian. In fact at
every point that life is under the guidance and sustaining energy of the Spirit.
If we live after the flesh, we die; if after the Spirit, we live (Romans 8:6).
The Spirit helps the Christian to pray (Romans 8:26). The kingdom of God is righteousness
and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). Christians are to abound
in hope through the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13). "The fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control"
(Galatians 5:22). Christians are warned to grieve not the Holy Spirit (Ephesians
4:30), and are urged to take the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). The flesh
is contrasted with the Spirit at a number of points in Paul's writings (e.g. Romans
8:5; Galatians 5:17). The Spirit in these passages probably means either the Spirit
of God or man's spirit as under the influence of the Spirit of God. Flesh is a
difficult word to define, as it seems to be used in several somewhat different
senses. When the flesh is represented as lusting against the Spirit, however,
it seems equivalent to the "carnal mind," i.e. the mind of the sinful natural
man as distinct from the mind of the spiritual man. This carnal or fleshly mind
is thus described because the flesh is thought of as the sphere in which the sinful
impulses in large part, though not altogether (Galatians 5:19), take their rise.
Paul contrasts the Spirit with the letter (2 Corinthians 3:6) and puts strong
emphasis on the Spirit as the source of Christian liberty. As Gunkel points out,
spirit and freedom with Paul are correlatives, like spirit and life. Freedom must
needs come of the Spirit's presence because He is superior to all other authorities
and powers (Die Wirkungen des heiligen Geistes, etc., 95). See also an excellent
passage on the freedom of the Christian from statutory religious requirements
in DCG, article "Holy Spirit" by Dr. James Denney, I, 739.
(e) In the Church
Toward the end of his ministry and in his later group of epistles, Paul devoted
much thought to the subject of the church, and one of his favorite figures was
of the church as the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit is represented as animating
this body, as communicating to it life, and directing all its affairs. As in the
case of the individual believer, so also in the body of believers the Spirit is
the sovereign energy which rules completely. By one Spirit all are baptized into
one body and made to drink of one Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13). All the gifts
of the church, charismatic and otherwise, are from the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4
, 8 - 11). All spiritual gifts in the church are for edification (1 Corinthians
14:12). Prayer is to be in the Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:15). The church is to
preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3). Love (Colossians
1:8); fellowship (Philippians 2:1); worship (Philippians 3:3) are in the Spirit.
The church is the habitation of the Spirit (Ephesians 2:22). The church is an
epistle of Christ written by the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:3). Thus the whole life
of the church falls under the operation of the Holy Spirit.
(f) In the Resurrection of Believers
The Spirit also carries on His work in believers in raising the body from the
dead. In Romans 8:11 Paul asserts that the present indwelling in believers of
the Spirit that raised up Jesus from the dead is the guarantee of the quickening
of their mortal bodies by the power of the same Spirit. See also 1 Corinthians
15:44 ; Galatians 5:5.
We have thus exhibited Paul's teachings as to the Holy Spirit in some detail in
order to make clear their scope and comprehensiveness. And we have not exhausted
the material supplied by his writings. It will be observed that Paul nowhere elaborates
a doctrine of the Spirit, as he does in a number of instances his doctrine of
the person of Christ. The references to the Spirit are in connection with other
subjects usually. This, however, only serves to indicate how very fundamental
the work of the Spirit was in Paul's assumptions as to the Christian life. The
Spirit is the Christian life, just as Christ is that life.
The personality of the Spirit appears in Paul as in John. The benediction in 2
Corinthians 13:14 distinguishes clearly Father, Son and Spirit (compare also Ephesians
4:4). In many connections the Spirit is distinguished from the Son and Father,
and the work of the Spirit is set forth in personal terms. It is true, references
are often made to the Holy Spirit by Paul as if the Spirit were an impersonal
influence, or at least without clearly personal attributes. This distinguishes
his usage as to the Spirit from that as to Christ and God, who are always personal.
It is a natural explanation of this fact if we hold that in the case of the impersonal
references we have a survival of the current Old Testament conception of the Spirit,
while in those which are personal we have the developed conception as found in
both Paul and John. Personal attributes are ascribed to the Spirit in so many
instances, it would seem unwarranted in us to make the earlier and lower conception
determinative of the later and higher.
In Paul's writings we have the crowning factor in the Biblical doctrine of the
Holy Spirit. He gathers up most of the preceding elements, and adds to them his
own distinctive teaching or emphasis. Some of the earlier Old Testament elements
are lacking, but all those which came earlier in the New Testament are found in
Paul. The three points which Paul especially brought into full expression were
first, the law of edification in the use of spiritual gifts, second, the Holy
Spirit in the moral life of the believer, and third, the Holy Spirit in the church.
Thus Paul enables us to make an important distinction as to the work of the Spirit
in founding the kingdom of God, namely, the distinction between means and ends.
Charismatic gifts of the Spirit were, after all, means to ethical ends. God's
kingdom is moral in its purpose, "righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy
Spirit." Christianity is, according to Paul, inherently and essentially supernatural.
But its permanent and abiding significance is to be found, not in extraordinary
phenomena in the form of "mighty works," "wonders," "tongues" and other miracles
in the ordinary sense, but in the creation of a new moral order in time and eternity.
The supernatural is to become normal and "natural" in human history, therefore,
in the building up of this ethical kingdom on the basis of a redemption that is
in and through Jesus Christ, and wrought out in all its details by the power of
the Holy Spirit. |
(5) The Holy Spirit in Other New Testament Writings
There is little to add to the New Testament teaching as to the Holy Spirit. Paul
and John practically cover all the aspects of His work which are presented. There
are a few passages, however, we may note in concluding Our general survey. In
He the Holy Spirit is referred to a number of times as inspiring the Old Testament
Scriptures (Hebrews 3:7 ; 9:8 ; 10:15). We have already referred to the remarkable
statement in Hebrews 9:14 to the effect that the blood of Christ was offered through
the eternal Spirit. In Hebrews 10:29 doing "despite unto the Spirit of grace"
seems to be closely akin to the sin against the Holy Spirit in the Gospels. In
Hebrews 4:12 there is a very remarkable description of the "word of God" in personal
terms, as having all the energy and activity of an actual personal presence of
the Spirit, and recalls Paul's language in Ephesians 6:17. In 1 Peter we need
only refer to 1 Peter 1:11 in which Peter declares that the "Spirit of Christ"
was in the Old Testament prophets, pointing forward to the sufferings and glories
of Christ. |
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LITERATURE
I. F. Wood, The Spirit of God in Biblical Literature; article "Spiritual Gifts"
in EB; Gunkel, Die Wirkungen des heiligen Gelstea; Gloel, Der heilige Geist in
der Heilsverkundigung des Paulus; Wendt, Die Begriffe Fleisch und Geist im biblischen
Sprachgebrauch; Weinel, Die Wirkungen des Geistes und der Geister; Dickson, Paul's
Use of the Terms Flesh and Spirit; Smeaton, Doctrine of the Holy Spirit; Walker,
The Spirit and the Incarnation; Denio, The Supreme Leader; Moberly, Administration
of the Holy Spirit in the Body of Christ; Hutchings, Person and Work of the Holy
Spirit; Owen, Pneumatologia; Webb, Person and Office of the Holy Spirit; Hare,
The Mission of the Comforter; Candlish, The Work of the Holy Spirit; Wirgman,
The Sevenfold Gifts; Heber, Personality and Offices of the Holy Spirit; Swete,
The Holy Spirit in the New Testament; Moule, Veni Creator; Johnson, The Holy Spirit
Then and Now; Kuyper, The Work of the Holy Spirit; Biblical Theologies of Schultz,
Davidson, Weiss, Beyschlag, Stevens; list appended to the article on "Holy Spirit"
in HDB and DCG; extensive bibliography in Denio's The Supreme Leader, 239.
E. Y. Mullins
Tags:
bible commentary, bible history, bible reference, bible study, define, father the son and the holy spirit, god's spirit, holy spirit, pneuma hagion, ruach, trinity, wind
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