St. Paul’s Doctrine Of The Holy Spirit 2

One may ask how men can said to be saved by the renewing of the Spirit when the salvation is in Christ.  The answer is obvious.  There is a chain, or series of events, of which no link may be lacking. 

      We are saved by divine purpose. God has so decreed and chosen us to salvation before the foundation of the world. 

      We are saved by the atonement as the meritorious basis of all. 

      We are saved by faith as the bond of union to Christ. We are saved by grace as contrasted to works we have done. 

      We are saved by the truth that conveys God’s testimony. 

      And we are saved, as it expressed here, “by the renewing of the Holy Ghost,” as producing faith in the heart. So we find the Spirit called the Spirit of faith,[i] that is, the Author or producing cause of faith. 

Therefore we may unhesitatingly affirm that the commencement of the Christian life must be attributed to the Holy Spirit absolutely and completely.

Of all Paul’s epistles, it is perhaps to the Galatians that his doctrine on the economy of the Spirit is most full.  This was, of course, due to the circumstances which necessitated the letter in the first place.  We are all perhaps conversant with the history of the Galatian church.  They had no sooner been founded than they were subjected to the test of counterfeit teachers.  Representatives from the Pharisaical party of the Jews insisted that an adherence to certain Jewish rites was necessary for justification before God.  Paul replied to this error by stating that they had not received the Spirit through works of the Law, but by the preaching of faith.  The ordinary saving gifts of regeneration and holiness, as well as other supernatural gifts, were not received by any performance of the ceremonial and moral law.

The next thing Paul demonstrates is that the promised Spirit was procured by the vicarious death of Christ.  This proves the assertion made earlier about Paul’s view of the joint mission of Son and Spirit.  The giving of the Spirit is connected with the atonement.  Paul says, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”[ii]  The meaning of this passage is that the death of Christ was the purchase of this gift – the promised Spirit.  The final article (i9na) leans on the words that describe Christ’s sacrifice.

Next Paul describes the Spirit of adoption as given only to those who are sons by faith.[iii]  This is to further show that works are excluded and that the reception of the promised Spirit is exclusively due to the merits of Christ.  This is why he says, “That we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”[iv]

The last part of the Epistle displays the Spirit’s work in another light.  The last two chapters set forth the graces of the Spirit and the Christian’s fruitfulness.  The same Apostle who, in the first part of the Epistle was anxious to assert the Christian’s freedom and bid that we stand fast in it, is not less anxious to set forth the Spirit’s renewing and sanctifying influence.  As the believer’s being led by the Spirit, Paul adduces their liberty from the curse of the law as a proof.[v]  Then after cataloging the works of the flesh, he specifies as the fruit of the Spirit “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and temperance.”[vi]  He calls these fruit, as if they grew on a living tree.  George Smeaton asserts that Paul means that against such people there is no law, arguing that tw~n toiounton is an allusion to people.[vii]  Thus from living by the Spirit Paul argues the duty of walking by the Spirit[viii] and concludes by referring to the duty of sowing to the Spirit.[ix]

In short, we may say that in Paul’s theology, the Spirit is the Source of the saving faith of believers, the Renewer of their natures and the Sanctifier of their lives.  All these operations of the Spirit are connected to the work of the Son.  Never do we find in Paul the work of the Spirit mentioned without a direct link to the work of the Son.  This is, to my mind, the one distinctive feature of Paul’s theology of the Holy Spirit.  This is exactly as it should be, for Christ Himself said, “He will glorify me.”[x]

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[i] 2 Corinthians 4:13

[ii] Galatians 3:13-14

[iii] Galatians 4:6

[iv] italics mine

[v] Galatians 5:18

[vi] Galatians 5:22

[vii] George Smeaton, The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit

[viii] Galatians 5:25

[ix] Galatians 6:8

[x] John 16:14

St. Paul’s Doctrine Of The Holy Spirit 1

The apostolic testimony to the Holy Spirit is given by Paul, James, Peter, John, Jude and the author of Hebrews.  One thing must be stated at the outset regarding the apostolic theology of the Spirit.  They all, with full consent, take for granted the corruption of man’s nature.  Thus, they refer to the Spirit as the Originator and Source all the saving, sanctifying and comforting influences that Christians experience.[i]  They do not stop to inquire how the renewing of the Holy Spirit is to be harmonized with the freedom of the will – as if these questions were not part of their concern.  Nevertheless, the fact of men’s responsibility along with the proclamation of converting grace and the renewing of the Spirit is set forth with a gravity and exigency to which the solution of these questions could add no further weight – if it were possible to solve them.

We do not find in any of the apostles the sheer volume of allusions to the Holy Spirit’s work in saving and sanctifying as we find in the Epistles of St. Paul.  This is most accurately, besides other reasons, to be ascribed to the fact that Paul had not know Christ after the flesh[ii] but had received his revelations more through an inward communication of the Spirit than by direct discourse with the Lord.  Paul has this distinguishing feature, quite different from the other apostles.

Paul most emphatically affirms that Christ is never to be conceived of apart from the Spirit, and, conversely, that the Spirit is never to be conceived of apart from Christ.  The memorable passage where he says, “Now the Lord is that Spirit,”[iii] shows the close connection in which Paul places Christ and the Spirit and how fully he understands their joint mission.  We will look at several features of Paul’s theology of the Spirit, but the above point should be constantly borne in mind as the groundwork and underpinning for all of Paul’s understanding of the Holy Spirit.

The Apostle gives us quite an ample testimony to the dignity of the Spirit.  In Acts we find him saying that the Spirit spoke by the prophet Isaiah[iv] and that the Spirit testified from city to city that bonds and imprisonment awaited him.[v]  In his own Epistles, Paul declares that the Holy Spirit sustained him in his ministry.[vi]  Paul appeals to the Spirit and calls Him to witness.[vii]  But in demonstration of the aforementioned connection in Paul’s theology of the work of the Son and the Spirit, we advert to the fact that Paul uses the same expression, sent forth (e1cape2steilen), to describe the Spirit’s mission as he used to describe the Son’s mission[viii]

The titles Paul uses for the Holy Spirit are quite numerous, and revealing of his understanding as well.  For instance, he calls Him the Spirit of God,[ix] the Spirit of His Son,[x] the Spirit of Christ[xi] and the Spirit of Him that raised Christ from the dead.[xii]  If we look at the economy in which the Spirit is sent, He is said to be shed on us abundantly.[xiii]  If we examine the titles He is given by Paul in view of the blessings and benefits derived from Him, He is called the Spirit of grace,[xiv] the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus,[xv] the Spirit of adoption,[xvi] the Spirit of life,[xvii] the Spirit of meekness[xviii] and the Spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.[xix]

Paul invariably attributes to the Spirit the instigation of the Christian life.  Thus we find him saying, “No man can say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.”[xx] And in another place he says, “He saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”[xxi]  Whether or not we interpret the phrase “washing (laver) of regeneration,” as referring to baptism, the last phrase (renewing of the Holy Ghost) must be construed as referring to the active operation of the Spirit at the commencement of the Christian life.  Since it is to this shedding or pouring out of the Spirit to which salvation is traced, this cannot be referred to mere doctrine.  The personal Spirit is mentioned as the producing cause.

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[i] See Ephesians 3:16; Romans 15:13

[ii] 2 Corinthians 5:16

[iii] 2 Corinthians 3:17

[iv] Acts 28:25

[v] Acts 20:23

[vi] Romans 15:19

[vii] Romans 9:1

[viii] Galatians 4:4-6

[ix] Romans 8:9

[x] Galatians 4:6

[xi] Romans 8:9

[xii] Romans 8:11

[xiii] Titus 3:6

[xiv] Hebrews 10:29

[xv] Ephesians 1:17

[xvi] Romans 8:15

[xvii] Romans 8:2

[xviii] Galatians 6:1

[xix] 2 Timothy 1:7

[xx] 1 Corinthians 12:3

[xxi] Titus 3:5

Put This In Your Dispensationalist Pipe And Smoke It.

There is probably no more Israelite-ish book in the Bible than Leviticus. Most Christians admittedly bog down in their “read through the Bible in a year” plans when they hit Leviticus. They wonder if the book has any relevance for New Testament believers. The cause of this sensation is no doubt the lack of clarity most people possess concerning the relationship of Old Testament Israel to the New Testament Church.

To help clarify this, let’s look at Leviticus 26:11-12. “I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” (ESV)

These verses are at the end of a segment (26:1-13) that contains the blessings of covenant keeping. The covenant in question is the Covenant of Grace. We know that this is so because it contains God’s promise to Abraham from Genesis 17:7-8

And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.” (ESV)

Many people mistakenly believe that the Law given at Sinai was a return to the Covenant of Works, but this is not true. The Sinai Law was part of the Covenant of Grace. This can be seen from the fact that in Exodus 19, before the Decalogue was given, God re-confirmed with Israel the Covenant of Grace He had made with their forefather Abraham. Not only that, but the prologue to the Decalogue is pure, unadulterated grace. 

One can compare Ezekiel 37:26-28 with the Leviticus 26 passage to see a confirmation that this is a special promise of God relating to the Covenant of Grace.

I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore. (ESV)

Fastforward several centuries to the day of Pentecost and the time immediately after it. Pentecost, whatever else may be said about it, is the beginning of the New Testament Church. It is the point at which the worship of God moves from a physical temple to a spiritual one. I said all that to say this: anything which occurs here can no longer be said to be a part of the Old Testament Israel-centered religion. In a fully New Testament context, Peter confirms that the promise to Abraham relates to the Church (Acts 2:39 cf. Acts 3:25).

Later, speaking to a church comprised largely of ethnic Gentiles, Paul quotes this promise (“I will be your God and you will be My people) in reference to the Church. Indeed Paul acts as if he understood the original promise to be finally fulfilled in the New Testament Church. Here is what he says: What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,

and I will be their God,

and they shall be my people. (ESV)

Notice that Paul actually says that the New Testament Church IS the Temple spoken of throughout Scripture.If this weren’t clear enough, two times in Romans 4 (verses 1 and 9-12 - again addressed to Gentiles), Paul refers to Abraham as “our father.” And in verses 9-12, Paul argues conclusively that the promises of the Covenant of Grace were made to Abraham before there were such people as Jews. That the New Testament Church is the fulfillment of God’s covenant to Abraham is even clearer in Galatians, because this is precisely what Paul argues in Galatians 3.The reasoning of Galatians 3:6-9 absolutely demolishes the phony dichotomy between Israel and the Church which Dispensationalism creates. Look back at Leviticus 26:11-12. The covenant promise of God is this: I will be your God and will dwell with you. Ezekiel 37:26-28 reaffirms this promise to Israel. Paul then interprets the promise to “dwell among you” to mean that the Church IS the temple of God and the promise therefore is ultimately for the New Testament Church (2 Cor. 6:16). Romans 4 and Galatians 3 argue conclusively that the New Testament Church is the continuation and fulfillment of the Old Testament church, Israel.

Confirming that we have not read into Scripture something that is not there, the Bible itself ends on this very note. Revelation 21:3 reiterates this promise to the Church:And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” (ESV)

The Covenant of Grace is Identical in the Old and New Testaments

1. Immediately after the Fall, God established this covenant (Genesis 3:15; Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 3:8).

2. The Gospel, which is the offer of this covenant, is proclaimed in the Old Testament as well as in the New (Genesis 3:8, 16; Genesis 15:6 {IN the Lord, not just "the Lord."}; James 2:23).

3. The Surety of the Covenant was as equally efficacious in the Old Testament as He is in the New Testament (Hebrews 13:8; Revelation 13:8).

4 Believers in the Old Testament had all the benefits of the Covenant that believers in the New Testament have.

            A. God as Father - Exodus 20:2; Isaiah 40:10; 64:8; Jeremiah 3:4

            B. Forgiveness of sins - Psalm 65:3; 32:5

            C. The spirit of adoption unto children - Romans 8:4; 2 Corinthians 4:13; Psalm 143:10

            D. Peace of conscience with God - Psalm 4:7; 62:1

            E. Childlike communion with God - Psalm 139:18; 73:28

            F. Partaking in sanctification - Psalm 119:97

The "What about this verse" Objections:

1. Old Testament believers didn't 'receive the promises.' - Hebrews 11:13.

Answer: The "promises" refer to the Incarnation. They had the substance of the promises in faith though the things had not yet actually occurred in time.

2. The Law made none perfect - Hebrews 7:19

Answer: The ceremonial laws did indeed lack sufficiency. The repetition of the sacrifices indicate that they knew this. Though the ceremonies were insufficient, they did point to Christ. Colossians 2:13 

3. The way into the holiest place way not yet been manifested. - Hebrews 9:8

Answer: Christ is the way (John 14:6, cf. Hebrews 10:19-20). While Christ had not yet actually paid the ransom the ceremonies were still in effect. This is not the same as saying that prior to Christ's death no one went to heaven. The ceremonies were promises that the substance they typified would come, and God dealt with the people accordingly.

4. Light and life weren't present before Christ - 2 Timothy 1:10

Answer: Before Christ does not mean before His Incarnation. The text refers to the measure of revelation and the revelation to the Gentiles, which prior to the Incarnation only occurred in Israel.

5. Hebrews 11:39-40 and 1 Peter 1:12 seem to indicate that the Old Testament believers did not partake in these benefits.

Answer: The texts refer to the Incarnation. The promises weren't received during these saints' lifetimes and they knew it. They believed in a Christ that would come. They lived by the same faith - only they lived by a faith of anticipation, while we live in a faith of fulfillment. But the object of the faith is and was the same. It is not that the blood of goats and lambs actually atoned for sin. But God acted as if it did because these sacrifices served to tide the people over till the true sacrifice was made. God treated the Old Testament elect as if Christ had actually already come and died for their sins. They offered sheep in faith that the real sacrifice would someday come. From God's side though, Christ is the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world.

A Brief History of the Medieval Church 7

A most important part of the Reformation was a vernacular translation of the Bible. Luther’s New Testament (1522) was reprinted at Basel with a glossary. In Zurich it was adapted to the Swiss dialect in 1524, and revised and improved in subsequent editions.

The characteristic difference between the two Reformers is in the general theory of the sacraments, and especially the Lord’s Supper. Zwingli regarded the sacraments as signs and seals of a grace already received rather than as means of a grace to be received. Yet both were equally earnest in their devotion to the Scriptures as the Word of God and the supreme rule of faith and practice.

The pioneer of Protestantism in Western Switzerland is William Farel. He was a traveling evangelist, a man of faith and fire, as bold and fearless as Luther. He is called the Elijah of the French Reformation. He had once been a devoted papist, but after he became a Protestant he only saw the prevailing corruptions and abuses of Romanism. He hated the pope as the veritable Antichrist, the mass as idolatry, pictures and relics as heathen idols that must be destroyed like the idols of the Canaanites.  He never used violence himself, except in language. Persecution only motivated him to greater action.

Calvin arrived at Geneva in the summer of 1536 and was urged by Farel to assume the great task of building a new Church on the ruins of the old. He labored for a while as Calvin’s colleague, and with him was banished from Geneva because they demanded submission to a confession of faith and a rigorous discipline. Calvin went to Strasburg. Farel accepted a call as pastor to Neuchâtel in July of 1538, the city where he had labored before. For the remaining twenty-seven years of his life, Farel remained chief pastor at Neuchâtel, and built up the Protestant Church. He died peacefully, Sept. 13, 1565, seventy-six years old.

Farel was aided in his evangelistic efforts chiefly by Viret and Froment, who agreed with his views, but differed from his violent method. Peter Viret, the Reformer of Lausanne, was the only native Swiss among the pioneers of Protestantism in Western Switzerland; all others were fugitive Frenchmen. He shared the labors and trials of Farel and Froment in Geneva. An attempt was made to poison them; he alone ate of the poisoned dish, but recovered, yet with a permanent injury to his health. His chief work was done at Lausanne, where he labored as pastor, teacher and author for twenty-two years.

We now come to the life and work of John Calvin, who labored more than Farel, Viret and Froment. He was the chief founder and consolidator of the Reformed Church of France and French Switzerland. Revolution is followed by reconstruction and consolidation. For this task Calvin was providentially ordained.

Calvin was, first of all, a theologian. He was the ablest exegete among the Reformers, and his commentaries rank among the very best of ancient and modern times. His theology, therefore, is biblical rather than scholastic, and has all the freshness of enthusiastic devotion to the truths of God’s Word. He had a rare power of clear, strong, convincing statement. He built up a body of doctrines which is called after him, and which obtained symbolical authority through some of the leading Reformed Confessions of Faith. Calvinism is one of the great dogmatic systems of the Church. The Calvinistic system is popularly identified with the Augustinian system, and shares its merit as a profound exposition of the Pauline doctrines of sin and grace. Calvin did not grow before the public, like Luther and Melanchthon, who passed through many doctrinal changes and contradictions. He adhered to the religious views of his youth unto the end of his life.  Calvin’s literary output is unsurpassed by any ecclesiastical writer, ancient or modern. It is amazing when we take into consideration the shortness of his life, the frailty of his health, and the multitude of his other labors as a teacher, preacher, church leader and correspondent.

The Reformation was carried to England and Scotland mainly as a result of John Knox. He has often been wrongly accused of being a mere “recording” of Calvin. He thought for himself and when his views differed from others, he did not hesitate to disagree openly – even with Tyndale or Calvin. His courage is unrivaled by any, except perhaps Farel. His power as a preacher is just simply unrivaled. On more than one occasion was the whole course of English history changed as a result of one sermon by John Knox.

His influence continued even into the next century. John Milton’s treatise justifying the putting to death of Charles I, leaned heavily on Knox. In 1683, when Charles II began to show that he was a Roman Catholic, commanded the works of Knox to be burned in public in Oxford. This accompanied a prohibition of the reading of Knox’s works. This was in 1683 – Knox died in 1572!  Knox is behind the whole attitude of the Pilgrim Fathers toward the state. Thomas Carlyle is correct when he claims that Knox is the founder of American Puritanism. The Pilgrims, armed with Knox’s attitude toward the state and Calvin’s theology, headed to North America and built a society based upon these principles.