A. The doctrine of the Holy Spirit was developed by the early church in conjunction with the doctrines of the trinity and Christ.
1. The strict Arians denied the divinity of the Spirit all together. He was a person, but a creature of a lower order than the Son.
2. The symbol of Nicaea said nothing definite on the whole matter. It only declared “We believe in the Holy Spirit.”
3. The Symbol of Constantinople offered a little more. It declared, “We believe in the Holy Spirit, the lord and giver of life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, Who has spoken through the prophets.” This symbol also expressed nothing definite as to the place of the Spirit in the trinity, and His relation to the Father and Son.
4. The controversy really centered about the question of the word “filioque”, i.e., whether or not the Spirit proceeded from both the Father “and the Son”. This matter was finally decided at the Synod of Toledo in 589, but caused much unrest in the church even after. It was one reason for the split between the East and the West, the Latin and the Greek Church in 1054.
B. With respect to the article, we notice the following:
1. This article teaches that:
a. The Holy Ghost, from eternity proceeds from both the Father and the Son. For that reason it is not made, created, nor begotten.
b. In order, He is therefore the third person. But this does not mean that He is subordinate to the Father and the Son. For,
c. He is of one and the same essence, majesty and glory with the other two persons, Therefore He is true and eternal God.
2. We may add to this:
a. Scripture makes a distinction between the Holy Spirit as the third person of the trinity and the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Christ. (Cf. John 7:39 e.g.) As the third person of the trinity, He proceeds from the Father and the Son; but as the Spirit of Christ, He is given to Christ by the triune God.
b. He is given to Christ when Christ ascends up into heaven. And it is the Spirit of Christ which is poured out upon the church on the day of Pentecost. He is also called the Spirit of Truth and Comforter.
c. This Spirit is now in the church revealing to it the full counsel of God and the fulness of the riches of Christ.
C. This article speaks also of the creation of the angels world and the fall of the evil angels.
1. All the angels were created good, to be God’s messengers and to serve His elect.
a. Scripture dees not speak of the creation of the angel world itself.
b. However we may deduce from Scripture several truths concerning the angels:
1) They were created in ranks of ascending importance. There is mention of cherubim, seraphim, thrones, dominions, powers, etc.; and also mention is made of some individual angels such as Michael and Gabriel.
2) It is quite possible that Satan before the fall stood at the head of the angel world. After his fall, there is a vacancy in heaven until Christ also unites the whole angel world in one to the glory of God.
3) The angels are created to serve the elect. That is why also they are vitally interested in all the affairs of this creation of the church. They are always present when important things take place in the earth’s history. The relation between angels and the elect is compared to the relation between a nursemaid and a child. The nursemaid rules over the child while the child is a baby; but when the child grows up the nursemaid becomes the servant of the mature man.
2. Satan and part of the angel world fell. The article teaches in this connection:
a. They are fallen into everlasting perdition. That is, while election and reprobation is not finished on earth till the end of the world, it is finished in heaven immediately. Notice that the article says here that the elect angels remained standing by the grace of God.
b. These wicked angels are so depraved that “they are enemies of God and every good thing, to the utmost of their power, as murderers, watching to ruin the Church and every member thereof, and by their wicked stratagems to destroy all;”
c. Because of this, they are “by their own wickedness, adjudged to eternal damnation, daily expecting their horrible torments.”
3. The errors rejected by this article are:
a. The error of the Sadducees which the fathers reject and abhor. The Sadducees denied the existence of the whole world of spirits. They denied also, and for the same reason, the resurrection from the dead.
b. The error of Manichaeism. The error of the Manichees is that evil is in matter, or is matter itself. The only escape from evil is therefore an escape from this creation. If man wishes to escape evil, he must separate himself from the whole creation and even from his flesh. He does this by the power of his mind. For this reason, they taught that the devils could not have fallen or been corrupted, but originated by themselves and were wicked by virtue of their nature.
c. Both these errors are rightly condemned, for they are emphatically in conflict with Scripture.
D. This article also spends considerable time in warning against inquiring curiously into the things of God which we cannot understand.
1. This warning is especially directed against inquiring into the mystery of man’s responsibility in relation to God’s sovereignty.
a. It is first of all emphasized that God is neither the author of nor can He be charged with the sins of man.
b. We are admonished “with the greatest humility and reverence (to) adore the righteous judgments of God, which are hid from us, contenting ourselves that we are disciples of Christ, to learn only those things which he has revealed to us in his Word, without transgressing these limits.”
c. This is undoubtedly a timely warning. We ought to understand that God is so great that it is impossible for the human mind to comprehend His greatness. All the works of God are wonders. The fact that the walls of Jericho fell is in itself no greater a wonder than the lofty oak which comes forth from a small acorn. And the birth of a child is as difficult for us to understand as the healing of a leper, and the raising of a dead man.
2. But nevertheless, we ought to bear in mind that this does not give reason to fall back upon the handy idea of “apparent contradiction”. Many use this today to excuse their willful departure from the truth. They claim that their gross inconsistencies are contradictions which the human mind cannot fathom, but which will be resolved in eternity. There are no contradictions in God or in His revelation. And just because we cannot comprehend something does not yet imply that it is contradictory.
3. In this connection also we may mention that providence teaches us to consider all the works of God as wonders or miracles. A miracle is not something out of the ordinary, nor is it something contrary to natural law, but it is instead always that act of God whereby He breaks through this creation to reveal His grace. The central miracle of all ages is therefore the wonder of Jesus Christ. All miracles speak of this. And that wonder embraces the salvation of the elect, the restoration of all things in the new creation, and therefore all things in this creation as they are guided by God to serve that lofty purpose.
E. The article speaks of the fact that this doctrine affords the elect unspeakable comfort. And this is truly the case. We are taught that, “Nothing can befall us by chance, but by the direction of our most gracious and heavenly Father; who watches us with a paternal care…” He sends us prosperity and health, but also poverty, adversity and sickness in wisdom and tender regard. He gives us all that we need as long as we are called to live on this earth. He gives us life, but also death in order that we may be with Him. And we may be confidently assured that all things work together for good; we are lead to Christ’s loving arms in eternal bliss through all the things of this present time.
F. Finally we may note that this article was quoted by the Christian Reformed Synod of 1924 to support the doctrine of the restraint of sin by the Holy Spirit in the unregenerate. But we may note that the entire article speaks of providence from the point of view of the consolation of the elect to whom it is of comfort. Besides, there is no mention whatsoever of the Holy Spirit, which is evident from the fact that God’s power includes especially the work of the devils.