Before discussing the presence, power, and fruits of the Spirit, several things ought to be made plain. I believe that we also face a very real danger in a discussion as this in placing erroneous emphasis upon the work of the Spirit.
Many churches have been facing the fact of inroads of neo-Pentecostalism in their midst. These who have been infected by this error, have emphasized strongly that now they feel the full power and effect of the Spirit in them. There is a minimizing of past work of the Spirit, but now they have more: the fullness of the Spirit. These remind us too that now we live in the “age of the Spirit”; the church in the past lived first in an age of the Father, then the age of the Son. Yet many who oppose this Pentecostalism, have fallen into what I am convinced is a related error. I have heard it said: the churches do not place sufficient emphasis upon the work of the Spirit. There must be, it is said, a re-evaluation concerning what we believe the work and guidance of the Spirit is. And we too must beware, lest in our study we fall into this same error. We do need a proper understanding of the working of the Spirit in the church; but I would also suggest that that church and preacher who properly presents Christ and Him crucified (I Cor. 2:2), will at the same time be placing Scriptural emphasis upon the work of the Spirit. The preacher does not engage himself in presenting merely the fruit and work of the Spirit, but the work and fruit of the cross in his preaching.
This fact I would like to emphasize first. In discussing the Spirit, we cannot in this paper become involved in all of the questions concerning the Spirit which have been raised-and particularly questions concerning His position within the Trinity. I would limit this paper to the question of the church’s awareness of the working of the Spirit as Scripture teaches this.
I would suggest that Scripture presents the Spirit principally as the Spirit of Christ or the Spirit of the Son. It is striking that Scripture, though it often mentions the Spirit does not treat extensively the work of the Spirit—certainly not with that detail which the gospel accounts treat the work of Christ. There are chapters in Scripture which do touch somewhat upon His work, as John 14; Rom. 8; Gal. 3 and 5; Eph. 4 and 5; but even in these passages, a great deal is not presented about the Spirit. The same is true with our confessions. There is mention made of the Spirit in the Heidelberg Catechism (L.D. 8 and 20) and in the Netherlands Confession (especially articles 8 and 11), but again, only brief reference to Him and His work is presented. I would suggest that all of this fits in with the idea that the Spirit is revealed not simply as Spirit, but as the Spirit of Christ.
His relationship to Christ is evident in Christ’s sojourn on this earth, Christ’s conception is through the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost (Luke 1:35). The Spirit descends upon Jesus in the form of a dove after His baptism (Matt. 3:16). He is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil (Luke 4:1). Christ was directed and led by the Spirit in His ministry (Luke 4:14, “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee…”) He has the Spirit given Him without measure (John 3:34). In Christ’s exaltation, He receives the “promise of the Holy Ghost” which, Peter explains, accounts for what is seen and heard at Pentecost-for Jesus pours out of that Spirit upon the church (Acts 2:33).
But also Christ in His teaching and in directing the writing of the apostles, identifies the Spirit as HIS Spirit. His function is, centrally, to reveal God through Christ: to apply His work, to guide in His Word, to protect the whole of the church of Jesus Christ. Though Scripture does speak of the Spirit simply by that name “Holy Spirit” (cf. Rom. 8:4) or the “Spirit of God” (cf. Rom. 15:19), it appears evident that the Holy Spirit in the church functions always as the Spirit of Christ.
That is evident already at Pentecost. Peter calls the attention of the audience to the prophecy of Joel 2:28, 29. The outpouring of the Spirit is the fulfillment of prophecy. But to explain this wonder of the outpoured Spirit, Peter sets forth the wonder of Christ’s suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. He insists that, not the Spirit sheds Himself upon the people, but Christ “sheds forth this which ye now see and hear” (Acts 2:36). Pentecost, therefore, reveals the outpoured Spirit as the Spirit of Christ. This too is suggested in that the Holy Ghost comes as a “gift” upon the child of God—a gift of Christ (Acts 2:38).
Further, that Holy Spirit bears witness of Christ. His testimony is not about Himself or His work first of all, but a testimony about the Son in the flesh. Jesus calls the Spirit the “Spirit of truth” (John 14:17). The truth which He expresses, is the truth concerning Christ (John 15:26, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.”) More explicitly yet, we read in John 16:13, 15, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.”
It is by the power of that Spirit of Christ that the child of God recognizes and confesses Christ. Here too, the Spirit does not work to gain recognition for Himself, but for the Christ. Paul declares in I Cor. 12:3, “Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.” And again, I John 4:2, 3, “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God; and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God…”
In addition, the Spirit Who inspires the writers of Scripture infallibly, inspires them as the Spirit of Christ. Jesus had promised also that in John 16:13, “Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth…” Striking, in this connection is the passage of I Peter 1:11, “Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” Peter speaks here of the writers of the Old Testament Scripture. These wrote by the Spirit of Christ. It is true that we read in John 7:39, “But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet (given); because that Jesus was not yet glorified.” This points to the difference between the old and new dispensation with respect to the working of the Spirit-something into which I can not enter here. Yet it must be noted that in a sense, the Spirit of Christ worked also in the old dispensation as He guided holy men of old to write the Old Testament Scripture concerning the Christ. In all of this, it is the Spirit Who testifies of the Christ.
The Spirit, as the Spirit of Christ, both adopts and gives new birth. Again, in this, He functions clearly as the Spirit of Christ. He is called the Spirit of adoption (Rom. 8:15), an adoption which means the redemption of the body (Rom. 8:23). All of this is the work of the Spirit of Christ and is equated with “Christ being in you” (Rom. 8:9, 10). Rebirth or regeneration is by that same Spirit of Christ (John 3:5). Concerning that life, Jesus says in John 10:28, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”
Related to all the above is also the (for want of a better term) self-effacing character of the Holy Spirit presented in Scripture. This factor, too, is ignored, I believe, in Pentecostalism, neo-Pentecostalism, or whenever improper emphasis is placed upon the Spirit. I do not wish to minimize the work of the Spirit. Yet it appears that Scripture reveals that the very function of the Spirit is to reveal and magnify Father and Son. The Spirit functions not in order to reveal who and what is the Spirit, but Who and what is God. Again, I remind you that though there are many references to the Spirit in Scripture, these are brief and serve not so much to emphasize the Person of the Spirit, as to reveal the wonder of God’s work in Christ. Perhaps the Netherlands’ Confession has this in mind when it speaks of the “operations of the Holy Ghost are hidden and incomprehensible” (Art. 35).
The Netherlands’ Confession, article 11, states concerning the Spirit, “We believe and confess also, that the Holy Ghost, from eternity, proceeds from the Father and Son; and therefore neither is made, created, nor begotten, but only proceedeth from both; who in order is the third person of the Holy Trinity; of one and the same essence, majesty and glory with the Father, and the Son: and therefore, is the true and eternal God, as the Holy Scriptures teach us.”
That idea of procession, which is also Scriptural (John 15:26, “…which proceedeth from the Father…”), suggests this “self-effacement” of the Spirit. He eternally will reveal the Father to the Son and the Son to the Father. He proceeds from both; and through Him there is fellowship and communion within the Trinity.
This same “self-effacement”, if you will, is seen in His work in the Church. That already follows from the Scriptural truth that He is repeatedly called the “Spirit of Christ” and the “Comforter whom I will send unto you”. Again, Jesus declares in John 16:13, “…For he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.”
I would conclude, therefore, that in consideration of the work of the Holy Spirit, we first bear in mind always that His work in the church and its individual members is work as the Spirit of Christ. His work is to apply that which Christ has merited so that the full benefits of the cross may be fully ours. In doing this, His task is, on the basis of Christ’s work, to gather the members of the body of Christ to the glory of God—not to His own glory as Third Person. Secondly, bearing in mind what I have called this “self-effacing” character of the Spirit, we will not place the wrong emphasis upon His work within the church-an emphasis which would serve to magnify the Spirit in distinction from Father or Son.