The Holy Spirit

By W. H. Griffith Thomas

Notes

 

The subject of the Holy Spirit includes a large number of subsidiary topics, and some of the most important of these call for special attention. The following notes are intended as suggestions for study, and references are given to books in which the questions are more fully considered.

NOTE A. THE DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN SEPARATE NEW TESTAMENT BOOKS.

In order to obtain the fullest impression of the teaching of the New Testament on the Holy Spirit, it is essential to study the subject in each book by itself. The teaching of the Fourth Gospel has already been outlined, and also that of the Acts. It is of primary importance to give attention to the first eleven chapters of the Acts, where the presence and operation of the Spirit are so prominent. By way of further illustration, the following suggestions are given.

The Holy Spirit in Romans.

I. Salvation (ch. v. 5).

II. Sanctification (ch. viii.). Life (ver. 2); conduct (ver. 4); mind (vv. 5, 6); soul (ver. 9); body (vv. 11, 13); obedience (ver. 14); sonship (vv. 15, 16); pledge (ver. 23); power (ver. 26). See Elder Gumming, After the Spirit, ch. v.

III. Service (chs. ix., xiv., xv.). Sincerity (ch. ix. i); love (ch. xiv. 17); hope (ch. xv. 13); consecration (ch. xv. 16); power (ch. xv. 19); prayer (ch. xv. 30).

The Holy Spirit in Galatians.

I. The Spirit Received (ch. iii.). For commencement (ver. 2); for continuance (ver. 5); for completion (ver. 14).

II. The Spirit Realised (chs. iv., v.). As to the past (ch. iv. 6, 29); as to the future (ch. v. 5); as to the present (ch. V. 16, 17, 18, 25).

III. The Spirit Reproduced (chs. v., vi.). Character (ch. v. 22); conduct (ch. v. 25); consecration (ch. vi. 8).

The Holy Spirit in Ephesians.

I. Facts. Sealing (ch. i. 13; iv. 30); introduction (ch. ii. 18); indwelling (ch. ii. 22); revelation (ch. iii. 5).

II. Consequences. Strength (ch. iii. 16); unity (ch. iv. 3); sensitiveness (ch. iv. 30); fulness (ch. v. 18).

III. Conditions. The Word (ch. vi. 17); prayer (ch. vi. 18). See also Elder Cumming on i Cor. ii. (After the Spirit, ch. vi.).

NOTE B. THE GIFT OF TONGUES.

This important subject can best be studied in the following works:

Scroggie, The Baptism of the Spirit and the Gift of Tongues.

Dawson Walker, The Gift of Tongues.

Swete, The Holy Spirit in the New Testament, pp. 73, 379.

Elder Cumming, After the Spirit, p. 10.

Denney, Article ' The Holy Spirit,' Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. i. p. 737.

Wood, The Spirit of God in Biblical Literature, p. 161.

Denio, The Supreme Leader, p. 33.

Humphries, The Holy Spirit in Faith and Experience, p. 205.

Davison, The Indwelling Spirit, pp. 81, 87.

Kuyper, The Work of the Holy Spirit, p. 133.

Swete, Article ' Holy Spirit,' Hastings' Bible Dictionary, vol. ii. p. 409.

Bartlet, The Apostolic Age, p. 13.

NOTE C. THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE LAYING ON OF HANDS.

The references to the laying on of hands in the Acts of the Apostles in connection with the gift of the Holy Spirit call for special attention. The first case is that of the Samaritans (ch. viii. 15), who did not receive the Holy Spirit independently of the Apostles at Jerusalem. Perhaps this was intended to prevent any rupture in the early Church, and any rivalry of  Samaria with Jerusalem. The second instance is that of Paul (ch. ix. 17), and the gift of the Spirit in this case was by the laying on of hands of one who was a layman, not an Apostle. The third is that of the disciples of the Baptist (ch. xix. 2-6), who did not know that the Holy Spirit had been given at Pentecost. The Apostle makes known to them the truth in Christ and also lays his hands upon them. It would seem from these that in each there was an intention to link the disciples with the existing Church in order that the truth of I Cor. xii. 13 might be seen: ' By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles.' The case of Cornelius and his company (Acts x. 44) shows that the Holy Spirit was given not by the laying on of hands, but while Peter was speaking. It is essential to study all the instances, and it will then be seen that the Holy Spirit was not restricted to the laying on of the hands of the Apostles, or to the laying on of hands at all. There was variety of method in this one definite gift. See Denney, Article ' The Holy Spirit,' Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. i. p. 737.

NOTE D. THE BAPTISM OF THE SPIRIT.

The phrase, ' the Baptism of the Holy Ghost,' is so frequently used as to call for careful notice. As it stands, it is not found in Holy Scripture, though there are seven passages which speak of being baptised in (or with) the Holy Spirit. The first four of these are associated with the words of John the Baptist in stating the difference between his own baptism and that of the coming Messiah (Matt. iii. 11; Mark i. 8; Luke iii. 16; John i. 26, 33). Two others refer to the same distinction (Acts i. 5; xi. 16). The seventh is 1 Cor. xii. 13. In one passage (Mark i. 8) the preposition ἐν is omitted. But even the preposition may be fairly translated ' with ' according to a well known Hebraism, which makes ἐν stand forB'0>

Then again, the reference to baptism in, or with, the Holy --^ Spirit is plainly stated as the actual experience of every \ Christian without exception, and not at all as the special ' privilege of the certain number. This is absolutely clear in I Cor. xii. 13, and is implied in other passages. As the term ' baptism,' when applied to water, refers to an initial act which is never repeated, and is used of designation for, and introduction to a new sphere of relationship, it is perhaps best to interpret the phrase, ' baptised in (or with) the Holy Ghost ' as referring to the initial work of the Holy Spirit in uniting believers to Christ and to one another in Him (Acts ii. 33; Gal. iv. 6). If this is the true meaning, then the view that the baptism of the Holy Ghost is a second distinct work of grace after conversion is without any warrant in Holy Scripture, especially as the phrase, ' the baptism of the Holy Ghost,' is not found in the New Testament. But while believing that a Spirit-filled life is the privilege and duty of every believer, and that as a matter of personal experience A it is often realised by means of a distinct crisis after conversion, yet much modern phraseology about ' the Baptism of the Spirit ' does not seem to be justified by the New Testament, which teaches that all who are born again have been baptized by the Spirit into the one body of Christ. Instead of seeking some exceptional and transcendental experience, it is rather the true duty of the believer to accept and yield quietly each day to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit for the purpose of Christian living.

See also Note E, ' The Fulness of the Spirit.'

Scroggie, The Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

McConkey, The Three-fold Secret of the Holy Spirit.

Biederwolf, A Help to the Study of the Holy Spirit, ch. ix. (Important for its statement of various views.)

Robson, The Holy Ghost the Paraclete, p. 149.

A. J. Gordon, The Ministry of the Spirit, p. 75.

Elder Gumming, Through the Eternal Spirit, p. 149.

Torrey, The Baptism with the Holy Ghost.

Moule, Veni Creator, p. 12.

Humphries, The Holy Spirit in Faith and Experience, p. 194.

Denney, Article ' Holy Spirit,' vol. i. Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels.

Wolston, Another Comforter, p. 221.

NOTE E. THE FULNESS OF THE SPIRIT.

The word ' full ' and its cognates are frequently found in connection with the Holy Spirit, and a careful study of the usages on and after the Day of Pentecost is particularly important. Thus, the gift of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost is described by the Aorist tense (Acts ii. 4). Then for the special work of testimony the Aorist is again used (Acts iv. 8). Similar usages are also found elsewhere (Acts iv. 31; ix. 17; xiii. 9). The Imperfect is also employed (Acts xiii. 52). From these passages it is apparently taught that the filling of the Spirit refers to special enduements for special needs and emergencies. To put it in familiar words, ' One baptism, many fillings.'

The passage in Ephes. v. 18 calls for two remarks: (1) The use of the Dative and ἐν, not the Genitive, indicates that the Spirit is the Sphere in which, or the Agent by Whom, not the Person or Matter of Whom, we are filled. (See Bullinger, The Giver and His Gifts, p. 157.) (2) The context shows by the four following participles that verses 19-21 give the fourfold proof or result of the Spirit filling us: 'Be filled by the Spirit, by speaking... by singing... by giving thanks... by submitting.'

The supreme test and proof of the fulness of the Spirit is the Presence and Preciousness of Christ. The Spirit glorifies Christ, and the answer to the question. What is Christ to me now?, is the infallible criterion of the fulness of the Holy Spirit.

Biederwolf, A Help to the Study of the Holy Spirit, ch. x.

A. J. Gordon, The Ministry of the Spirit, p. 89.

Elder Cumming, Through the Eternal Spirit, p. 22; After the Spirit, p. 12.

NOTE F. RECEIVING THE SPIRIT.

It is significant that the Holy Spirit in the New Testament is associated with the words ' giving ' on the part of God, and ' receiving ' on the part of men. But these are not the only expressions found. We read not only that God gives (Acts V. 32; XV. 8; i Thess. iv. 8; 2 Cor. i. 22); but of expressions such as ' came upon ' (Acts xix. 6), ' anointed with ' (Acts X. 38), ' poured out ' (Acts x. 45), ' fell on ' (Acts x. 44; xi. 15), ' baptized with ' (Acts xi. 16), ' received ' (Acts ii. 38; viii. 15, 17; X. 47; xix. 2). It would seem best to understand all these expressions as so many different ways of regarding the features of the same experience of the Spirit entering the believer.

Elder Cumming, Through the Eternal Spirit, p. 157.

NOTE G. SIN AND SINS AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST.

A careful study of Matt. xii. 22-32 and Mark iii. 21-30 shows that our Lord was referring to a persistent and continuous  attitude of deliberate and wilful sin against light, maintained in the face of all God's efforts to bring about a change. As the dispensation of the Spirit is the final and supreme provision of God for man, there remains nothing more to be done if anyone deliberately closes the eyes to the fullest provision made by God. ' The sin against the Holy Ghost is the full personal rejection of all the moral demand which the Holy Ghost makes through conscience.... It is the culmination of personal sin into a fixed attitude of wilful unrighteousness, and so it is the complete exhaustion of the pressure of the Holy Spirit. — And so it is unforgivable — it is everlasting moral ruin ' (Curtis, The Christian Faith, p. 343).

Biederwolf, A Help to the Study of the Holy Spirit, ch. xiii.

Smeaton, The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit, p. 183.

Elder Gumming, Through the Eternal Spirit, ch. xxv.

Robson, The Holy Spirit the Paraclete, p. 197.

Moule, Veni Creator, p. 19.

NOTE H. THE HOLY GHOST AND FIRE.

Although the reference by the Baptist to the Messiah baptizing ' with the Holy Ghost, and fire ' (Matt. iii. 11) is often used to express the spiritual symbol of fire, as illustrated on the Day of Pentecost (Acts ii. 3), yet it is in every way better to regard the fire in this passage as expressive of future judgment, as indeed the context itself clearly suggests (Matt. iii. 10, 12). But see Elder Gumming, Through the Eternal Spirit, p. 162.

NOTE I. THE TWO PARACLETES.

The use of the same word ' Paraclete ' to describe both the relation of our Lord and of the Holy Spirit to the believer (i John ii. 2; John xiv. 6) is particularly significant. The best treatment of the various aspects of the truth will be found in Clemance, The Scripture Doctrine of the Holy Spirit, ch. ii. The subject is also discussed by Swete, The Holy Spirit in the New Testament, p. 372; R. C. Morgan, The Outpoured Spirit and Pentecost; Robson, The Holy Spirit the Paraclete, ch. i.

NOTE J. THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT.

It is noteworthy that the term is singular, not plural (Gal. v. 22, 23), indicating that each part mentioned is included in the generic term ' fruit,' like a cluster of separate grapes. All the aspects refer to character rather than to conduct; what we are, not what we do. The nine elements are divisible into three sections of three each, (i) In relation to God; ' love, joy, peace.' (2) In relation to our fellows; ' long-sufiering, gentleness, goodness.' (3) In relation to ourselves; ' faithfulness (not faith), meekness, self-control.' The contrast between the ' works ' (plural) of the flesh is particularly significant.

Elder Gumming, Through the Eternal Spirit, ch. xv.

NOTE K. HOLINESS.

As the title of the Spirit most frequently used in the New Testament is the Holy Spirit, it is natural that holiness should be considered in close and intimate connection with the Spirit of God. Among other works the following call for special notice:

Davison, The Indwelling Spirit, ch. viii.

Elder Gumming, Through the Eternal Spirit, ch. xiv.

Walter Marshall, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification.

Beet, Holiness: Symbolic and Real.

Andrew Murray, Holy in Christ and The Spirit of Christ.

NOTE L. THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE SACRAMENTS.

In relation to Christian Baptism the book of Acts records three different aspects of teaching, (1) The Holy Spirit as coincident with baptism with water (ch. ii. 38; cf. ix. 17). (2) Baptism apparently without any gift of grace or the Spirit (ch. viii. 14-17). (3) The gift of the Holy Spirit before baptism with water (ch. x. 45-48). Any true view of the Holy Spirit in relation to the Sacrament of Baptism must include and explain all these three aspects. The other question in this connection is the meaning of 'water' in John iii. 5. (i) In any case it is surely not possible to interpret it of Christian Baptism, which was only instituted nearly three years afterwards. (2) The analogy of chs. iv. and vii. must be observed where water is used as a symbol of spiritual blessing, the latter connected with the Holy Spirit. (3) The repetition by our Lord of ' born of the Spirit ' twice, without mention of water, seems to suggest the predominance of the Holy Spirit in the passage. (4) The phrase in the original has one preposition, not two, indicating a complete idea, and not two separate thoughts or sources. (5) The analogy of Ezek. xxxvi. 25 and Psa. li. 7 may perhaps have been in our Lord's mind in recalling Nicodemus to his assumed knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures, and if ' water ' meant baptism Nicodemus might well have been surprised. (6) If water means baptism, it can only refer to John's baptism with its outward expression of inward repentance towards God.

Denney, Article ' Holy Spirit,' Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. i. p. 737.

Swete, The Holy Spirit in the New Testament.

Elder Gumming, After the Spirit, p. 37.

It is impossible to avoid noticing that the Holy Spirit is never once found in the New Testament connected with the Holy Communion, and although in the early Liturgies an Epiclesis is found, there are clear indications that its primitive form was a prayer for the Holy Spirit to come upon the communicant rather than upon the elements.

Woolley, Liturgy of the Primitive Church, pp. 93-120.

Upton, Outlines of Prayer Book History, pp. 12-21.

NOTE M. TEMPLES OF THE HOLY GHOST.

The relation of the Holy Spirit to Christians under the figure of the temple is found in 1 Cor. iii. 16, 17; vi. 19; and Eph. ii. 20-22. See also John ii. 21. The presence of the Holy Spirit in this sense seems to be at once individual and corporate.

Elder Gumming, Through the Eternal Spirit, ch. xxiii.

NOTE N. THE LIBERTY OF THE SPIRIT.

This subject is one of great importance and great difficulty, and calls for careful, balanced teaching.

Davison, The Indwelling Spirit, ch. vi.

Hopkins, The Law of Liberty in the Spiritual Life.

NOTE O. THE DISPENSATIONS.

It is important to study the revelation of God along the lines laid down by Holy Scripture, when it will be found that from the Creation to the Coming of Christ the Father is preeminently in view. From the Coming of Christ to the Day of Pentecost the Son comes into prominence. Then from Pentecost onwards we have the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, with the individual and the Christian community under His guidance and control.

A. J. Gordon, The Ministry of the Spirit, ch. i.

Andrew Murray, The Spirit of Christ, p. 15.

NOTE P. THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT.

The subject of spiritual gifts is fully discussed in i Cor. xii., on which leading Commentaries, like those of Ellicott, Edwards, Godet, Evans, and Robertson and Plummer should be consulted. Three things are to be distinguished, (i) The gifts which are to be regarded as special equipments for service. (2) Ministries which are to be regarded as opportunities for exercising gifts. (3) The operations which would seem to refer to the inner experiences of the Holy Spirit in the heart corresponding to the outward ministry and the Divine equipment (vv. 4-6). See also Wolston, Another Comforter, p. 251.

NOTE Q. SPIRIT AND THE SPIRIT.

The question whether the presence or absence of the definite article in the Greek implies a distinction of meaning is variously interpreted. It is hardly possible to doubt that some difference is intended, though, as Dr. Swete says, the exact meaning must be gathered from the context. Perhaps the best, or at any rate the most general view, is to regard the presence of the article as referring to the Person, and the absence of the article to the specific gifts or operations of the Spirit. This appears to be the view favoured by Dr. Swete.

Swete, The Holy Spirit in the New Testament, p. 395.

Elder Cumming, Through the Eternal Spirit, p. 353.

Bullinger, The Giver and His Gifts.

NOTE R. PRAYER AND THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Three different subjects need attention:

(1) Praying to the Holy Spirit. No instance of this can be found in the New Testament, and perhaps it is due to the fact that the Holy Spirit is regarded as having already been given to the believer as the indwelling presence of God, and that therefore prayer to One Who dwells within may not have been considered suitable. It is probably best to direct our prayers to God without distinguishing particularly between the Persons of the Trinity.

(2) Praying for the Holy Spirit. It is certainly striking that after the Day of Pentecost no instance is found of prayer for the Holy Spirit. As Swete significantly says: ' The attitude of the primitive Church towards the Spirit was rather one of joyful welcome than of invocation; the cry Veni, Creator Spiritus belongs to a later age, when the Spirit was sought and perhaps expected, but not regarded as a Guest Who had already come, and come to abide ' (The Holy Spirit in the New Testament, p. 96, note). It is in harmony with this idea that the New Testament teaches that the entire spiritual life of the believer is due to the Holy Spirit. The only passage that tends to warrant prayer for the Spirit is Luke xi. 13. But it may be questioned whether this text is properly interpreted of a time after the experience of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.

(3) Praying in the Holy Ghost. The New Testament clearly teaches that the Holy Spirit is at once the sphere and the atmosphere of prayer (Eph. vi. 18; Jude 20). When the Spirit takes possession of the soul. He becomes essentially the Spirit of intercession, and the heart is drawn out in earnest prayer, the Spirit helping our many infirmities (Rom. viii. 26).

Davison, The Indwelling Spirit, ch. vii.

Biederwolf, A Help to the Study of the Holy Spirit, ch. xi.

A. J. Gordon, The Ministry of the Spirit, p. 151.

Walker, The Holy Spirit, p. 196.

Andrew Murray, The Spirit of Christ, p. 195.

Mullins, ' The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament,' Review and Expositor, p. 252 (April, 1912).

NOTE S. EMBLEMS OF THE SPIRIT.

Very much in the New Testament on the subject of the Holy Spirit is found in connection with metaphors and symbols of His presence and work. Among these are the Seal, the Oil, the Dove, the Wind, the Fire and the Water.

Biederwolf, A Help to the Study of the Holy Spirit, chs. v., vi., xii.

Elder Gumming, Through the Eternal Spirit, p. 241; ch. xx. After the Spirit, p. 4.

Swete, The Holy Spirit in the New Testament, p. 365.

F. E. Marsh, Emblems of the Holy Ghost.

A. J. Gordon, The Ministry of the Spirit, pp. 84, 94.

NOTE T. CONSCIENCE AND THE HOLY SPIRIT.

The relation of Conscience to the Holy Spirit is at once important and difficult. St. Paul in Rom. ix. 1 implies that the conscience lives in the sphere of the Holy Spirit.

Elder Cumming, After the Spirit, ch. ix.; p. 238.

Andrew Murray, The Spirit of Christ, p. 369.

NOTE U. PERSONAL GUIDANCE AND THE SPIRIT.

Much important teaching is found in the New Testament in connection with the Holy Spirit as the Leader and Guide of the believer (Rom. viii. 14).

Elder Cumming, Through the Eternal Spirit, ch. xviii.

NOTE V. PROPHECY.

As one of the Gifts of the Spirit, Prophecy is particularly important. See Denney, Article ' Holy Spirit,' Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. i. p. 737.

NOTE W. THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE MYSTERIES.

Recent scholarship has endeavoured to prove that Christianity is largely dependent on some ancient Mystery Religions for its ideas and practices. The subject has not yet been given much attention in English, but the following works will enable the student to study the subject on general lines for himself. A series of articles in the Expositor, ' St. Paul and the Mystery Religions by Professor H. A. A. Kennedy, April, May, July, September, October, November, December, 1912, and January and February, 1913; an article on ' St. Paul and the Mysteries,' by Sir William M. Ramsay, in the Contemporary Review for August, 1913. See also Primitive Christianity and Its Known Jewish Sources, by Clemen, Index, s.v. ' Spirit.' All the indications at present go to support the view maintained above that the New Testament doctrine of the Holy Spirit is unique as a Divine revelation, and cannot be attributed to any earthly and historical source.

NOTE X. THE HOLY SPIRIT AND EVIL SPIRITS.

The fact that the same word ' spirit ' is used to describe the Holy Spirit of God and also unclean spirits of evil arrests attention. The subject though difficult and mysterious demands careful study. The present writer expresses the opinion after reading very much to the contrary that the prima facie view of the New Testament is that our Lord and His Apostles believed in the reality of demoniacal possession. It is also very difficult to doubt that various manifestations of evil during the ages of the Christian centuries imply and demand some force or forces beyond what is merely human. Spiritualism alone is a phenomenon that cannot be entirely explained by chicanery. The subject will naturally be studied first of all in connection with the New Testament passages dealing with demoniacal possession. Among the works on Spiritualism may be mentioned The Dangers of Spiritualism, by Raupert. Reference should also be made to Demoniacal Possession, by Nevius, and War on the Saints, by Mrs. Penn Lewis. In studying this most difficult problem attention will necessarily be directed first of all to the thorough exegesis of the New Testament, and then to the various phenomena of history, but it may not be altogether unnecessary to say that while giving the matter all possible care, the student should rigidly keep an independent mind in considering the various deductions and implications found in works on the subject.

NOTE Y. THE HOLY SPIRIT AND MISSIONS.

Christian Missions should be studied first of all from the standpoint of Holy Scripture in order that the Divine purpose may be realised, and the subject viewed from the standpoint of the Divine perspective taught by the Holy Spirit in the Word. Then will come the consideration of the missionary work actually accomplished through the centuries. Among many other works the following may be commended for study:

A. J. Gordon, The Holy Spirit in Missions.

Tait, Christ and the Nations.

Pierson, The Divine Enterprise of Missions; The Acts of the Holy Spirit; The New Acts of the Apostles; The Modern Missionary Century.

Davis, Christ the Desire of Nations.

Macdonald, The Redeemer' s Reign.

Baron, The Ancient Scriptures and the Modern Jew.

Carus Wilson, Redemptor Mundi; St. Peter and St. John; First Missionaries of the Gospel; St. Paul; Missionary to the Nations.


For other topics connected with the Holy Spirit, reference may be made to the Notes in Andrew Murray's Spirit of Christ, and to additional chapters in the two works by Elder Gumming already mentioned.