06d_HolySpirit

Throughout the history of the church, there has been little disagreement about the Holy Spirit. However, there have been debates about the Spirit's role in miraculous works and the procession of the Spirit from the Father and the Son. The Early Church rejected heretical movements like Montanism and Arianism, affirming the deity of the Holy Spirit. The Council of Constantinople affirmed the procession of the Spirit from the Father alone. Augustine argued for the double procession of the Spirit from both the Father and the Son. This led to a division between the Western and Eastern Church. During the Middle Ages, the division deepened, with the East rejecting the double procession. The Reformation and post-Reformation theologians like Luther, Calvin, and Wesley emphasized the Spirit's work through the Word of God. Pentecostalism, the Charismatic movement, and Third Wave Evangelicalism emerged in the 20th century, each with their own beliefs about the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts. Alright, chapter 20, the Holy Spirit, key terms, paraclete, montanism, didache, elimination, dynamic, monarchianism, modalistic monarchianism, Arianism, Council of Alexandria, Council of Constantinople, filioque, Pentecostalism, the charismatic movement, third wave, evangelicalism, many people, montanists, Athanasius, Cappadocian fathers, Thodius, Anselm, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Owen, John Wesley, Karl Barth, Charles Fox Parham, J. Rodman Williams, key points. Throughout the history of the church, little disagreement has existed among Christians concerning the person and work of the Holy Spirit. The role of the Spirit in miraculous works became a subject of debate in the early church. An earlier church movement called Montanism, named after its founder Montanus, incited controversy as its leaders claimed it to be the mouthpiece of the Holy Spirit. Their teachings were denounced when it became clear that their words were contrary to truth. To show that the Spirit is not the Son, Augustine affirmed the generation of the Son from the Father and the double procession of the Spirit from both the Father and the Son. Only the Western Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Protestant churches affirmed this double procession. This affirmation resulted in the assertion of one word, filioque, which means and the Son, into the Latin version of the Nicene Creed. Difference of opinion over this matter would cause a deep division between the Western and the Eastern Church. This division continues to this day. In 1854, the East rejected the notion of the Spirit proceeding from two principles or authors. However, the West responded with Augustine saying that the Father and the Son are not two principles but one. Augustine further argued that the Father and the Son are one in everything and thus together the one source of the Holy Spirit. During the Reformation, Martin Luther taught that the Holy Spirit carries out his ministry and believers through the Word of God. Indeed, the Spirit was necessary for understanding God's Word. John Calvin agreed with Luther concerning the relation of the Spirit and God's Word and criticized the Catholic Church for teaching things contrary to God's Word and thus contrary to the Spirit. Charles Fox Parham taught that baptism in the Holy Spirit is always accompanied by speaking in tongues. Parham, along with William J. Seymour of the Azusa Street Revival, served to birth Pentecostalism. Chapter Summary The Church has historically believed that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. Christians have considered the Spirit to be co-equal with God, the Father, and God the Son. Furthermore, the Church has also embraced the various ministries of the Holy Spirit. Little disagreement has existed among Christians concerning the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Areas of debate include the relationship of the Spirit to the Father and the Son. The West believes that the Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son while the East believes him to proceed from the Father only. Differences also exist in how Christians have believed the Spirit works in the ordinances. Furthermore, since the Pentecostal movement, differences of opinion have existed concerning one's belief about the nature of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the sign, gifts of prophecy and miracles, and the role of speaking in tongues. One, the Early Church The Early Church writers were dependent on Old Testament writings and the teaching of Jesus for their understanding of the New Covenant ministry of the Holy Spirit. While Jesus' life had been characterized by the influence of the Spirit, Jesus also looked forward to a time when the Spirit would be poured out after Jesus' death and resurrection and fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. Because the Early Church had been empowered by the Spirit, it began to disperse and multiply all over the world. The Spirit, known also as the Paraclete, served to bring comfort and consolation to God's people. The role of the Spirit in miraculous works became a subject of debate in the Early Church. An Early Church movement called Montanism, named after its founder Montanus, incited controversy as its leaders claimed to be the mouthpiece of the Holy Spirit. Their teachings were denounced when it became clear that their words were contrary to the truth. The Early Church emphasized that the Holy Spirit of the New Covenant was no different than the one from previous times. He was the same person, though his ministry had changed. The Early Church closely related the work of the Spirit with the Father and the Son. From the beginning of the Church, baptism was done in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Didache prescribed the threefold baptism formula the Church's earliest theology took on a Trinitarian format, which is evidence as Churchillians spoke each person of the Trinity as God. Two heretical movements challenged the traditional view of the Spirit, dynamic monarchianism and modalistic monarchianism. The former view, originated by Theodotus and championed by Paul Semus Sata, viewed the Spirit as being nothing more than a divine influence. This perspective exerted very little influence on the Church. The latter view has had a much greater impact on the Early Church. Modalistic monarchianism was founded by Proxius in Rome, carried on by Noatus of Smyrna and his followers Zephyrinus and Callistus, and popularized by Sivalius. This view held that there is one God who can be designated by three different names at different times, that these are not three different persons, they are instead different modes of one God. The Early Church rejected this heresy, claiming that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three distinct persons. The heresy overemphasized God's oneness while failing to emphasize the distinctions in persons. Another heresy within the Early Church that concerned the Holy Spirit was Arianism. The error in this heretical movement had primarily to do with the denial of the deity of Christ, however Arius also denied the deity of the Holy Spirit. While the Church did not focus on defending the deity of the Holy Spirit to the degree that it defended the deity of Christ, it nevertheless did affirm the deity of the Holy Spirit in the Creed of Nicaea. After the Council was completed, those who were influenced by Arianism continued to deny the deity of the Spirit. Eusebius of Caesarea, for example, believed the Spirit came into existence through the Son. Cyril of Jerusalem, along with Athanasius, argued for the traditional view of the Spirit's deity. Athanasius argued that Christians could not be partakers of God if the Spirit were a created being. Athanasius further argued that both the Son and the Spirit are homoousius, of the same substance, with the Father. At the Council of Alexandria, the Church agreed to anathematize those who say the Holy Spirit is a creature. The Cappadocian Fathers, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Basil the Great denounced the view that the Spirit is a created being and insisted on identifying the Spirit's essence with that of the Father and the Son. In order to differentiate between the Son and the Spirit, the Fathers spoke of the Son as the one who is generated and begotten by the Father, and the Spirit as the one who proceeds. The Cappadocian Fathers further emphasized the one essence of the entire Godhead, while also affirming the distinction between the three Persons. He has not said spiration. The development of pneumatology in the early Church led to a formal statement at the Council of Constantinople which affirmed the deity of the Holy Spirit, Nysine. Importantly, the Nysine Creed affirmed belief in the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father alone. I think he just means that it only talked about procession from the Father in the Nysine Creed, not that it excluded the possibility of the Son. To show that the Spirit is not the Son, Augustine affirmed the generation of the Son from the Father and the double procession of the Spirit from both the Father and the Son. Only the Western Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Protestant Fathers affirmed this double procession. This affirmation resulted in the insertion of one word, psyllioque, and the Son, into the Latin version of the Nysine Creed. Difference of opinion over this motto would cause a deep division between the Western and the Eastern Church. This division continues to this day. The Middle Ages The division between the West and East took time to develop. Much of the Church during the Middle Ages was greatly influenced by Augustine's insistence on double procession. Nevertheless, the Eastern Church would come to make its disagreement known. Photius, Bishop of Constantinople, was responsible for excommunicating Pope Nicholas I for his endorsement of the psyllioque. Photius argued from Scripture, saying that the Bible did not support a double procession of the Spirit, and that it only spoke of the procession of the Spirit from the Father. The East rejected the notion of the Spirit proceeding from two principles or authors. We need to pull in the Scripture verse when we teach this. However, the West responded with Augustine saying that the Father and the Son are not two principles but one. Aquinas further argued that the Father and the Son are one in everything, and thus together one principle of the Holy Spirit. Anselm mounted an attack against the East, arguing that the Spirit is referred to as both the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. He further pointed out that the Father would send the Spirit in Jesus' name, and that Jesus would send the Spirit from the Father. While some just thought it all to be a misunderstanding of terms, many in the West believed the East to be committing the unpardonable sin for rejecting the double procession of the Spirit. Key to the problem was the issue of authority. As the East rejected the supreme authority of the Roman Pope, Church authority became important also in the Roman Catholic Church's identification of the justifying and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit with the Church's sacrament of baptism. Thus, the Roman Catholic Church considered itself to be the sole source of salvation for the world. The Reformation and Post-Reformation During the Reformation, Martin Luther taught that the Holy Spirit carries out his ministry in believers through the Word of God. Indeed, the Spirit was necessary for understanding God's Word. To Luther, the Spirit plays an integral part in man's salvation, drawing, calling, gathering, enlightening, sanctifying, and preserving him to the end. John Calvin agreed with Luther concerning the relation of the Spirit and God's Word, and criticized the Catholic Church for teaching things contrary to God's Word and thus contrary to the Spirit. Calvin charged them with the error of emphasizing the Spirit over the Word. Instead, he believed the two to be closely linked. Calvin further spoke of the witness of the Spirit that serves to assure believers of the absolute authority of Scripture. He rejected the idea that the Church could ascribe authority to the Bible. Instead, he believed the authority of the Scripture to be provided by the secret testimony of the Spirit, since His secret testimony is more excellent than all reason. This is true since God alone is a witness of Himself in His Word. Thus, the Word will not find acceptance in the hearts of men until it is sealed by the inward testimony of the Spirit. Some people took Calvin's ideas to an extreme and emphasized the Spirit to the point that they disregarded the Word of God altogether. In their mind, they believed that they did not need the Bible since they had the Spirit. However, Calvin pointed out that the Spirit is the author of the Bible and that he cannot differ from the words that he has already spoken in them. The Protestant churches that would follow after Luther and Calvin would continue to teach the traditional doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Yet, they would make an important addition, the ministry of the Spirit's illumination. John Owen spoke of how the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit is necessary if Christians are to understand Scripture. He further distinguished between the Spirit's work of inspiration and illumination. Whereas the Spirit inspired the writers of Scripture to write, He illumines the minds of the readers of Scripture to understand. In the modern era, John Wesley spoke of the Spirit's work in assuring believers of their salvation. In response to those who objected to the idea that one's assurance is verifiable, Wesley argued that this assurance is intuitively sensed and that the testimony of the Spirit is attested to by the fruit of a different life. Karl Barth spoke of the importance of the testimony of the Spirit for knowing divine revelation. Barth further encouraged caution in giving too much attention to the Spirit since to focus too much on him would detract from the Spirit's goal, the witness he renders to Jesus Christ. The most important modern development regarding the doctrine of the Holy Spirit originated at the beginning of the 20th century and led to three movements, Pentecostalism, the Charismatic movement, and Third Wave Evangelicalism. Charles Fox Parham taught that baptism in the Holy Spirit is always accompanied by speaking in tongues. Parham, along with William J. Seymour of the Azusa Street Revival, served to birth Pentecostalism. While Pentecostal theology was instrumental in launching new denominations, it also had an impact on existing denominations. J. Robin Williams provided a systematic formulation for the Pentecostal Charismatic doctrine in his Renewal Theology. He taught the reality of two distinguishable experiences of the Holy Spirit, the last being a powerful second blessing and outpouring of the Holy Spirit that comes after a believer's salvation. Accompanying this second blessing, according to Williams, is the phenomenon of speaking in tongues. Third Wave Evangelicalism, named by C. Peter Wagner and popularized by people such as Wayne Gredem, John Wimber, and Sam Storms, believes that the Charismatic gifts are in use today, but that they are given to believers at their conversion rather than during a subsequent experience.