Pneumatology: The Study of the Holy Spirit

What is the Holy Spirit? Is the Spirit a ghost, force, or some type of consciousness inside people? Is this Spirit actually God as the Christian proclaims? What importance does this Holy Spirit have in people’s lives today? These are just some of the questions a person may have when undertaking the study of pneumatology. Pneumatology is the theological term used to describe the study of the Holy Spirit (“Lecture 3,” 2016). The Holy Spirit is the third member of the Christian Trinity, He is a person within the Godhead, and is not just some work or effect of God; He is God (“Lecture 3,” 2016). As the Westminster Confession of Faith (1996) says, the Holy Spirit is one person, “of one substance, power, and eternity” (Ch. 2, 3.3). Sadly, the Holy Spirit has taken a back seat in the pulpit in evangelical preaching due to the rise of Pentecostalism and has created a pneumaphobia in some Churches today (Bird, 2013). Moving forward, one will be presented with the importance of the Holy Spirit’s role regarding Jesus’s resurrection and ascension, showing the relationships between them and also how the Holy Spirit is active in both. Furthermore, one will understand how the Holy Spirit is active in the church today, and how He unites believers with Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit and the Resurrection

When one looks over the relationship of the Holy Spirit and Jesus in regard to His resurrection, one can clearly see how active The Spirit is in this monumental event. When Jesus spoke about His resurrection, Jesus would often proclaim that after His death, He would rise again on the third day (John 2:19-22; 16:16; Luke 24:46; Matt. 12:40; 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; 26:32). What some people may not notice though is as scripture unfolds, one ascertains that it is by the power of the Holy Spirit by which Jesus is raised from the dead (Romans 1:4; 8:11). Furthermore, throughout the grand metanarrative of scripture, not only is the Holy Spirit attributed to raising Christ from the dead but also the Father and Jesus Himself is attributed to the resurrection of Christ (2 Cor. 4:14; Acts 2:24; John 2:19; 10:18; Rom. 8:11). Each member in the Trinity plays a unique role in Jesus’s resurrection, and it is through this event that one discovers a special relationship within the Godhead. This special relationship is active in creation, salvation, and the resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor. 8:6; Gen. 1:1-2; Grenz, Guretzki, & Nordling, 1999; John 3:6, 16).

The Holy Spirit and the ascension

Not only was the Spirit active and related in Jesus’s resurrection, but He is also involved in Jesus’s ascension. The New Testament associates that the Holy Spirit is unable to come in this New Covenant relationship until Jesus has been glorified (John 7:39; 14:6-9, 25-26).In the Gospel of John, Jesus emphatically says, “nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7). After Jesus’s ascension, this event ushered in a new relationship between believers and God. Jesus highlights this new relationship in which the Holy Spirit brings when He speaks about the coming of the Spirit after He departs and says, “you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:17). Bird (2013), highlights the work and relationship of the Spirit beautifully when he says, “Jesus was full of the Spirit, led by the Spirit, empowered by the Spirit, and anointed with the Spirit (p. 625). This special relationship that was shared amongst the Godhead has now been given to believers to partake.

The Holy Spirit and believers

Now that a new relationship has been established in believers, the Holy Spirit works and is active in the lives of believers in several ways. (1) The Holy Spirit plays the primary role in regeneration or the new birth of believers (Bird, 2013; Grudem, 2004). The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament and the New Testament is the one attributed to bringing life (Berkhof, 1938, Gen. 2:7; Job 33:4; Ps. 33:6). Jesus makes it abundantly clear that no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless they are born again, and this is precisely what the Spirit does: The Spirit convicts’ people of their sins, He opens their heart to the Gospel message, and regenerates/quickens their heart (Acts 16:14; Bird, 2013; Grudem, 2004; John 16:8, 13). (2) The Holy Spirit empowers the Church to authenticate the work of Christ and bring Glory to God (Bird, 2013, Grudem, 2004; Keener, 2016). Throughout the entire book of Acts, every time the words filled with the Spirit are used, one can expect amazing events are about to be revealed due to the power of the Holy Spirit (Bird, 2013). Whether it is through Pentecost, John the Baptist, Stephen, Saul of Tarsus, Barnabas, or the spiritual gifts that the Spirit bestows on believers, this all comes by the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:11; Acts 1:8 2:4; 7:55; 9:17-18; 11:24; Bird, 2013; Heb. 2:4; Keener, 2016; Luke 1:15-16; 24:49; Rom. 12:6-8). 

(3) The Holy Spirit plays the primary role in a believer’s sanctification (Bird, 2013). Scripture teaches that the Holy Spirit prunes, purifies, and cleanses the people of God (Bird, 2013). It has been said that Christians living in this fallen Earth will never be sinless, but most certainly by the power of the Spirit, they will be sinning less. Christians will begin to produce fruit, bear fruit, grow in holiness, and be more conformed into the image of Christ each day (2 Cor. 3:18; Bird, 2013; Gal. 5:22-23; Grudem, 2004; Rom. 8:13). (4) The Holy Spirit reveals the great mysteries of God (Bird, 2013). Whether it is the illumination of the Word of God, the insight the prophets of God give, or the guiding of God’s people; it is the Holy Spirit who brings about all of these things (Bird, 2013; Grudem, 2004). Lastly, it is the Holy Spirit that unifies believers with Christ (Bird, 2013; Grudem, 2004). It does not matter if you are male or female, slave or free, rich or poor, American or Chinese; the Spirit will unify all believers in Christ. This is perhaps the most beautiful work that the Spirit does in a believer’s life apart from regeneration. Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” It is the unity of believers that kick-started the Church prompting them to sell all they had and use all the proceeds to care for and build Christ’s Church and now through prayer, teaching, worship, fellowship, and communion we can experience this unification with Christ (Acts 2:42-47; Grudem, 2004). 

Pictures of the Holy Spirit

God said He was a Mountain, a shield and a King. Jesus said he was the Vine, Door, and the Bread of life. The Holy Spirit says He is:

  1. Dove: represents purity, it was a conformation of His purity

  2. Fire: represents that He is a purifier, it brings purity to others

  3. Oil: favor and fullness and blessing

  4. Wind: Powerful

  5. Water: to fill you, control us, and to satisfy you

  • John 7:37 – If anyone thirst let him come to me. He who believes in me, as the scripture said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.

Check out the names of the Holy Spirit... http://www.gotquestions.org/names-Holy-Spirit.html

Why should I live in the Spirit?

  1. The Need to change since we can’t do it ourselves we need the Holy Spirit to help us. (John 14:6, 1 Corinthians 3:16, John 6:33, Romans 8:11, Titus 3:4-7)

  2. Because I need leadership, direction, purpose, and counsel. (John 14:26; 16:13 & 1 Corinthians 2:12-14)

  3. He gives me the assurance of Salvation. (Romans 8:16 & 1 John 5:7, 10-11)

  4. So I can obey God. (Ezekiel 36:27)

  5. Because He helps me to pray. (Romans 8:26-27)

  6. To empower me and be bold in my witness. (Acts 1:8, 1 Corinthians 2:4, Ephesians 3:16)

  7. Because He makes me spiritually alive. ( John 3:5, 6:63)

  8. His presence enables me to have victory over sin! (Romans 6:14, 8:11)

  9. He seals me with His promise (Ephesians 1:13-14)

  10. So I can know the things given to me by God. (1 Corinthians 2:12)

What Hinders the Holy Spirit

Sometimes we may think of the Holy Spirit as some magical force or mystical spirit, but we must remember that the Holy Spirit is a person. He is personal and has a mind, will, and emotions. How do we know this? We can lie to the Holy Spirit, resist the Spirit, desire against the Spirit, grieve the Spirit, quench the Spirit, insult the Spirit, and blasphemy the Holy Spirit.

  • Acts 5:3 - But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?

  • Acts 7:51 – Stephen says that they resisted the Holy Spirit; they forfeited the filling of the Spirit.

  • Galatians 5:16 – The Flesh wants us to desire against the Spirit

  • 1 Thessalonians 5:19 –Quenching the Holy Spirit. Means to extinguish his voice, when God is speaking to your heart about something and you say no.

  • Hebrews 10:29 - How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?

  • Matthew 12:31 - Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.

  • Ephesians 4:30 – And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Grieving the Holy Spirit is means to make sad or sorrowful. It means to cause sorrow, pain, or distress. Mostly things we say in the Flesh with our mouth).

Attributes of the Holy Spirit

Creator: The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the almighty gives me life (Job 33:4; cf. Genesis 1:2).

Omniscient: Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:11; cf. Isaiah 40:13-14).

Omnipresence: Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence (Psalm 139:7)?

Omnipotent: In the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ (Romans 15:18; cf. Luke 1:35).

Eternal: How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God (Hebrews 9:14).

Conclusion

The Holy Spirit is paramount to the Christian life. He is the third person of the Godhead and has been active in God’s creation since the beginning of time. He moved the hearts of men in the Old Testament paving the way for Jesus Christ. He empowered Jesus to fulfill the work of the Father and accomplish atonement for many. The Spirit played a vital role in the resurrection of Jesus by raising Jesus up from the dead on the third day. The Spirit also was the critical movement that Jesus made present after His ascension as He created a new special relationship with the Spirit and humankind. This new relationship gave the Church explosive power, boldness, revelation, unity, sanctification, and regeneration. Without the Spirit, there can be no life, no power, and there would not be a Church! Berkhof (1938) elegantly put it this way, “the withdrawal of the Spirit means death” (p. 425). The Holy Spirit is here to stay and is an essential component of Christian doctrine.

References

Berkhof, L. (1938). Systematic theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans publishing co.

Bird, M. F. (2013). Evangelical theology: A Biblical and systematic introduction. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Grenz, S., Guretzki, D., & Nordling, C. F. (1999). In Pocket dictionary of theological terms. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Grudem, W. A. (2004). Systematic theology: An introduction to Biblical doctrine. Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House.

Keener, C. (2016). Holy Spirit. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Lecture 3. (2016). HTH-202: Christian Theology II. Phoenix, AZ: Grand Canyon University.

The Westminster confession of faith. (1996). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.