The Lord Is the Spirit. John A. Studebaker

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The Lord Is the Spirit - John A. Studebaker


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Umwelt

      ST Studia Theologica

      TJ Trinity Journal

      TNTC Tyndale New Testament Commentaries

      TS Theological Studies

      TTo Theology Today

      VC Vigiliae christianae

      WBC Word Biblical Commentary

      WTJ Westminster Theological Journal

      1

      Introduction

      The very idea of “the authority of the Holy Spirit” probably sounds new to many Christians. Some may be skeptical that this relatively unknown concept could be our “main source of weakness.” Others may wonder why such a crucial topic has been so neglected.

      Another postmodern theologian, Peter Hodgson, presents an even more radical assessment of the Western marginalization of the Holy Spirit.

      Such theologians usually want to promote a re-emphasis of the Spirit with respect to several doctrines of systematic theology, particularly the Trinity and ecclesiology. Such a re-emphasis sounds very appealing to the Church today, as witnessed by the many churches that are promoting an experience of the Spirit as well as the many evangelical theologians who are sympathetic with postmodern cries of marginalization and are writing on pneumatology as well. In that more theologians are taking up biblical pneumatology as a way of revitalizing the Church, the postmodern project is to be commended.

      Evangelicals hold that Scripture lays out specific identifying characteristics regarding the Spirit’s nature and work. Since the Spirit is clearly referred to in Scripture as “God” (i.e., Acts 5:3–5), he must possess “divine authority” in some sense. Indeed a “divine authority” proper to the Spirit seems to have explicit backing in Scripture (i.e., John 3:3–8; 14–16; 1 Cor 2:10–14; 2 Pet 1:20–21). “Authority” is certainly implied when the Spirit is referred to as “Lord” in Scripture (i.e., 2 Cor 3:17–18) and in the Nicene Creed. Because of this abundant evidence, evangelicals proclaim that theologians are not to define the Spirit, nor his “authority,” in any way they desire.

      At the same time, evangelicals must also admit that a general confusion reigns today regarding the precise nature of “the authority of the Holy Spirit.” It seems there are several nagging yet critical theological questions that have never been adequately answered, such as: (1) What is the biblical data regarding the Spirit’s authority? (2) How is the Spirit’s authority related to the authority of Jesus Christ and to the authority of Scripture? (3) How might a biblical understanding of the Spirit’s authority expose and correct deficiencies in postmodern pneumatology?

      Such a study also intersects the sort of practical issues and questions local churches continually wrestle with—questions regarding hermeneutics (i.e., how do we interpret Scripture “through” the Spirit?), church government (i.e., how does the Spirit structure and guide a church?), and Christian spirituality (i.e., what does it mean to “respond” to the Spirit?)

      Lloyd-Jones asserts that the Spirit’s authority is indeed practical in nature. After investigating the authority of Christ and the authority of Scripture, he exhorts:

      A theological understanding of the Holy Spirit’s authority must therefore be reconstructed for today’s Church as it wrestles with postmodern and contemporary theology on both a theoretical and a practical level. This reconstruction certainly does not require a reversion to modern “authoritarianism,” but a fresh, biblical examination and articulation of the authoritative character and work of God the Holy Spirit in the Church today. With the doctrine of the Holy Spirit receiving such attention today, is it not time in the historical development of Church doctrine to develop biblical and yet practical clarity regarding “the authority of the Holy Spirit?”

      Purpose


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