Theological Issues Related to the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit

The development of biblical doctrines has usually taken place over extended periods of
time and at varying rates ol speed. There have been attempts to understand the person and work
of the Holy Spirit throughout the history of the church. These have been marked with challenges
and controversies. At the same time it is interesting that a full study of the doctrine of the Holy
Spirit had gone without extensive attention until the twentieth century.

Theological Development of the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit

During the course of Christian history, the study of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit has
taken second place to discussions of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Although Jesus said of
the Holy Spirit, «He will testify about me ...» (Jn 15:26), the early church said relatively little
about the primary task of the Spirit, which is to continue the work on earth that Jesus began (Jn
16:7-15),

Doctrinal development with respect to the Holy Spirit was left generally to the Eastern
Orthodox Church. When the Holy Spirit did come into doctrinal formulationsit was primarily as
a member of the Trinity and was a by-product of the christological work hammered out in the
fourth and fifth centuries. As late as AD 380, Gregory of Nazianzus reported in a sermon a
variety of beliefs regarding the Holy Spirit. In the fifth of his five Theological Orations, «Of the
Holy Spirit», Gregory argued against those who pled the silence of Scripture for denying the
Godhead of the Holy Spirit or declined to commit themselves to it. He argued that what is
merely implied in the Scriptures may be also rightly affirmed. The full divinity of the Holy Spirit
can be affirmed, for what is said of him in the Scriptures involves his Godhead. Gregory warned
them that zeal for the letter of Scripture is sometimes a cloak for sinful unbelief.

Adherents of Unitarianism and classic liberalism have rejected the claim that the Spirit is
truly the divine Third Person of the Godhead. Liberal theological studies have tended to describe
the Spirit of God in terms of the immanence of God in creation or other pantheistic directions.

The Authority of the Holy Spirit

Where does ultimate authority lie for the believer in the Holy Spirit, the written
Scriptures, or in the church’s traditions passed on through the ages? Oftentimes Christians have
erred in belief or practice by taking certain biblical truths to an unwarranted extreme. In the
second century the Montanists, reacting against lax practices in churches, declared that a new
dispensation, that of the Paraclete had begun and insisted that the Spirit alone is the authority in
the church. In the Western church, during the Middle Ages, the hierarchy insisted that they, as
the leaders of the church, were the highest authority. In the sixteenth century Martin Luther
rejected the prevailing notion of church authority above Scripture when he said, «I cannot choose
but to adhere to the word of God, which has possession of my conscience» (1521). The
Reformers rejected the subjective claim of direct guidance by the Holy Spirit's giving new
revelations independent of Scripture or church structure, following the lead of Paul, the
Reformers taught that the Spirit and the Word work together in salvation, the Christian life and
in the church. Questions of authority have been and continue to be present among differing
groups of Christians.

The Controversy about the Procession of the Holy Spirit

As indicated above, during the period leading up to the Council of Nieea (AD 325) the
church was preoccupied with christological controversies and gave little attention to a doctrine of
the Holy Spirit. The Nicene Creed confessed faith in the Holy Spirit without further development
regarding his divinity or his relationship to the other members of the Trinity.

In the late fourth century at the Council of Constantinople the church added to the
wording of the Nicene Creed and saw fit to speak of the Holy Spirit as «the Lord and Giver of
Life, proceeding from the Father, to be worshiped and glorified together with the Father and the
Son». By the ninth century, the Western church had routinely added that this procession is also
from the Son, using the Latin term filioque, so that the Western creed read «proceeding from the
Father and from the Son». The Eastern or Greek church rejected this addition and, basing their
argument on John 15:26, held firmly to the original statement that the Spirit proceeds only from
the Father. Moreover, it was argued, the addition had never been approved by any ecumenical
councils but only by the local synod of Toledo in AD 589. The justification by the Western
church for extending the phrase was based on Jesus' words elsewhere in the Gospel of John («the
Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name” [14:26; «if I go I will send him [the Holy
Spirit to you» [16:7]). For all intents and purposes, both views were intended to safeguard certain
aspects of the Trinity. Historians often point to this controversy as a major issue contributing to a
split between the Eastern and Western churches which occurred around AD 1054.

Pentecostalism/Charismatic Movement in the Twentieth Century

In the contemporary church, a significant issue concerns the implications of the coming
of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church today. What is clear is that just as Christ’s death,
resurrection, and ascension are not repeatable events, neither is the event of Pentecost. Yet the
contemporary relevance of that initial coming of the Holy Spirit carries with it varying views.
During the course of the twentieth century the church witnessed what has become a global
resurgence of interest in the Holy Spirit. One result of this has been the growth of the charismatic
movement which places emphasis upon special manifestations or gifts, of the Holy Spirit. The
immediate background of the charismatic movement, at least in part, is associated with the
earlier modern Pentecostal movement, out of which developed several Pentecostal
denominations. Its distinctive emphases include the continuing validity of the spiritual gifts
(especially those mentioned in Eph 4:11 and 1 Cor 12:8-10). Closely associated are debates
about the baptism in, or with, the Holy Spirit. Does this experience take place at conversion, or
some time following conversion? Is speaking in tongues a necessary accompaniment of this
experience? The charismatic movement has penetrated virtually all major Protestant
denominations and Roman Catholic churches in North America, Europe, Africa, South America,
and Asia, and other regions around the world.

Understanding the Reading

1. According to the Reformers, where does the ultimate authority lie for the believer?

2. What is the controversy concerning «the procession of the Holy Spirit within the Trinity
which led to the split between the Eastern and Western churches in about 1054?

3. According to the text, what impact has the charismatic movement had on the doctrine of
the Holy Spirit in the contemporary church?

4. Scan the reading. Write the most important thoughts to each of the topics:

- a split in the church.

- a current controversy about the Holy Spirit.
- the authority of the Holy Spirit.