The Old Testament Witness of The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is very active in the Old Testament. He is involved in creation (Genesis 1:1-2), gives gifts to men and equips them for service (Exodus 31:2), speaks to and through his servants (2 Samuel 23:2) and chooses and elects who will serve (1 Samuel 10:5-10). One key characteristic of the Spirit in the Old Testament is, “that the accent is on what He does, not on what He is. There is no emphasis on His personhood or deity. It is the work, rather than the nature, of the Spirit that the Old Testament emphasizes” (Palma). We see many Old Testament themes of the Spirit being used by the New Testament writers. For example, the Spirit is a giver of gifts and enabler (Exodus 31:2, Act 4.7-3), the Spirit is involved in giving new life (Genesis 2:7, John 3.3-8, 12-18), the Spirit elects whom He wills (1 Samuel 10:5-10, John 3:8) and the Spirit is the Spirit of prophecy (1 Sam. 19.20-24, 1 Corinthians 12:10). It is not surprising that the New Testament writers used many of the same themes as those of the Old Testament, after all, the New Testament was just a continuation and fulfillment of the Old Testament. The Old Testament lays out for us the works of the Spirit, and the New Testament illuminates the Holy Spirit for us to understand who He is as a vibrant person of the Trinity. We get a full picture with both Testaments.
The New Testament Witness of The Holy Spirit
Each writer in the New Testament emphasizes a different aspect of the Holy Spirit. Luke seems to emphasize, “that the Spirit brings enabling power to assist Christians, and that he is the promise of the father, sent to bear witness to Jesus and help the believers finish their race.” (J.R. Michaels). We see this primarily throughout the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit comes in power enabling Christians to bear witness to Jesus and to do their work assigned to them.
John emphasizes the life giving nature of the Spirit in his writings. The Christian is said to be “born of the Spirit” (John 3:6-8). The Holy Spirit is the one that initiates this “new birth” experience. Jesus said, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). Luke talks about being “filled with the Spirit” (Luke 1:15, Acts 2:4) and John talks about being “born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). Are these the same experiences? J.R. Michaels says, “Being ‘filled with the Spirit’ is by no means to be equated with the Johannine experience of being ‘born of the Spirit,’ or ‘born again,’ as a metaphor for Christian salvation”. I tend to agree with that assessment. “If we contrast John with Luke-Acts, it becomes clear that John has stressed the life-giving function of the Spirit over against its charismatic-prophetic function” (George T. Montague).
Paul on the other hand seems to emphasize a more eschatological view of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our guarantee and seals our hope (2 Corinthians 1:21-2, Ephesians. 1:13-14) and He completes the good work in us on the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). Gordon Fee writes, “In Paul, salvation is ‘eschatological’ in the sense that final salvation, which still awaits the believer, is already a present reality through Christ and the Spirit. It is ‘in Christ’, in the sense that what originated in God was effected historically by the death and resurrection of Christ, to be appropriated experientially through the Holy Spirit, who also empowers Christian living until the final consummation at Christ’s parousia”. Also in Paul, we see an emphasis on the Spirit’s involvement in the Churches life. He gives gifts (1 Corinthians 12:10), fills the believer and builds up the Church (Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 12 – 14). The question has been asked, “Which Holy Spirit is correct? Surely if there is but one Spirit as Paul asserts (1 Corinthians 12:9) then all the explanations of the Spirit throughout the New Testament should be the same?” In order to integrate the several emphases of the Spirit in Luke, John and Paul, we must first understand a vital rule of biblical interpretation. Each piece of biblical literature was written to specific people in specific locations at specific times in history. We must understand to the best of our ability the cultural and historical context of each writing. I do not think there is a need to “integrate” or somehow reconcile the different teachings of the Spirit. None of them contradict. The Spirit is the enabler of the believer and the one who helps the Christian run the race, as in Luke. The Spirit is also the life giver, and initiates the believers “new birth” experience as in John. And the Spirit is also the eschatological Spirit that guarantee’s, seals the believer and builds up the Church as in Paul.
The Holy Spirit Is God
This should go without saying, but many people dispute this vital truth. The Holy Spirit is God, the third person of the Trinity. He is not an active force with no personality. The Spirit has a will, He speaks and has emotions. The Spirit can be grieved and pleased.
Sources
Palma, Anthony D., and Stanley M. Horton. The Holy Spirit: a Pentecostal Perspective. Springfield, MO: Logion, 2001. Print.
J.R. Michaels. “Luke-Acts” in Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements. Eds. Stanley M. Burgess and Gary B. Mcgee. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998
George T. Montague. The Holy Spirit: Growth of a Biblical Tradition. Toronto: Paulist Press, 1976
Gordon D. Fee. “Pauline Literature” in Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements. Eds. Stanley M. Burgess and Gary B. Mcgee. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998