************ Sermon on Belgic Confession Article 11 ************
Doctrine: The Deity of the Holy Spirit
By: Rev. Adrian Dieleman
This sermon was preached on June 21, 1998
B.C. 11
John 16:5-16
"The Deity of the Holy Spirit"
I Proceeds from the Father and the Son
A Every week, millions of Christians around the world recite from the Nicene Creed, "He proceeds from the Father and the Son." They confess this about the Holy Spirit. That phrase, "and the Son," is expressed by a single word in the original Latin: "filioque." However, you will not hear the filioque phrase ever being confessed in any of the branches of the Eastern Orthodox Church – even though they too hold to the Nicene Creed. You see, the Orthodox churches do not believe that the Spirit proceeds from the Father AND THE SON. So, in their version of the Nicene Creed the phrase is left out. The Greek East locates trinitarian unity in the Father Who, they say, not only begets the Son but also generates the Spirit.
B In its original version of A.D. 325 and 381, the Nicene Creed did not contain the filioque phrase. However, by 380 the filioque phrase was already being confessed in Spain and taught by St. Augustine. It was the Synod of Toledo in A.D. 589 which had the phrase inserted into the Nicene Creed. And, this became official in 1014, when Pope Benedict VIII had the phrase added to the Roman liturgy. The Greek East denounced the Roman West as being heretical. This led in 1054 to the first great split in Christendom – a split which remains unhealed to this day, a split between the Greek East and Roman West, a split over the procession of the Spirit.
C In agreement with the Roman West, the churches of the Reformation confess the filioque phrase. According to Guido de Brés,
We believe and confess also
that the Holy Spirit proceeds eternally
from the Father and the Son--
neither made,
nor created,
nor begotten,
but only proceeding
from the two of them.
As with everything else we believe, we confess this because it is the clear teaching of the Scriptures. We note, for instance, that the Spirit is called both the Spirit of the Father (Matt 10:20) and the Spirit of the Son (Gal 4:6; Phil 1:19). Furthermore, in our Scripture reading from John, Jesus affirms "All that belongs to the Father is mine" (vs 15).
Scripture makes clear that Christ is the bearer of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament already we see this connection:
(Is 11:1-2) A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. (2) The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD ...
(Is 42:1) "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him ...
As you know, Christ did not start His earthly ministry until He was baptized with the Spirit (Lk 3:22) and it was only in the power of the Spirit that Jesus did His earthly ministry. Quoting from Isaiah, Jesus said in His home town of Nazareth:
(Lk 4:18-19) "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, (19) to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Cf Isaiah 61:1-2)
But Jesus is not only the bearer of the Holy Spirit; He is also the giver of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Peter makes this point in his Pentecost day speech to the crowds of people:
(Acts 2:33) Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
According to John the Baptist,
(Jn 1:33) 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'
And, in explaining to His disciples why He must leave them and ascend into heaven, Jesus said,
(Jn 16:7) But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. (cf John 15:26)
The Apostle Paul said that Jesus, by His resurrection, became "a life-giving spirit" (1 Cor 15:45).
Lastly, we can mention that the Spirit is Christ's personal presence with us and in us. Remember what Jesus said in the Upper Room? He said, "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" (John 14:18). Imagine that: in and through the Spirit, Christ is with us even as He promised; in and through the Spirit, Christ is not absent from us for even a moment; in and through the Spirit, Christ watches over us in such a way that not even a hair can fall from our head without the will of our heavenly Father; in and through the Spirit, Christ comforts us and gives us security and strength.
Because of these and similar teachings of Scripture, then, we believe and confess the filioque phrase: that the Spirit proceeds eternally from the Father AND THE SON.
D Is the filioque phrase important? Does it make any real difference? Or, it is just another case of theological hair-splitting?
At heart is the question of how the Spirit works in man. Does the Spirit work directly, immediately or does He work through Christ and His body the church? Or, to put it another way, can we separate the work of the Spirit from the atoning work of Christ?
Scripture tells us that the Spirit never works the saving grace of God apart from Christ. The Spirit is Christ's Spirit. He proceeds from the Father and the Son. It is only when one believes in Jesus that he or she is given the Spirit. We think of Cornelius and his household as an example: they hear and believe the message of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit comes upon them (Acts 10:44).
The Spirit always points away from Himself and to Christ, as is evident already at Pentecost. On that day, filled with the poured-out Spirit, Peter and the other disciples did not explain Who the Spirit is, but Who Jesus is. When a person is born of the Spirit, he or she does not shout out, "I have the Spirit," but "I know Jesus." When a person is born of the Spirit, that person speaks not of the Spirit but of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
It also is clear from Scripture that there is the most intimate connection between Christ and the Spirit. We see, for instance, that the Spirit is to Jesus as Jesus is to the Father. Just as Jesus is the Father's gift to mankind, so the Spirit is Jesus' gift (John 3:16; 15:26). Just as Jesus represents the Father, so the Spirit is sent in Jesus' name (John 5:43; 14:26). Just as Jesus remained with and guided the disciples, so will the Spirit (John 14:16-18). Just as Jesus taught them the truth because He was Truth, so the Spirit of Truth would lead them into all the truth about Jesus (John 14:6,17; 15:26; 16:13). Just as Jesus did not draw attention to Himself but set out to glorify the Father, so the Spirit glorifies the name of Christ. Jesus bore witness to the Father (John 8:14) and the Spirit would bear witness to Jesus (John 15:26,27).
The Spirit, then, proceeds from the Father and the Son. And, it is only through the Son that He does His great work of rebirth, conversion, and faith in the lives of God's children. It is only through the Son that He sanctifies us and glorifies us.
II Third Person of the Trinity
A According to the Confession of faith, we also profess that the Spirit "is the third person of the Trinity." Like the Father and the Son, we are to think of the Spirit as a distinct person. Certain heretics persist in regarding the Spirit as an impersonal influence. To this day some still speak of Him as "it" rather than as "He." The Jehovah's Witnesses, for instance, say the Spirit is not a distinct person, a "somebody." Just as my own spirit is not somebody but a power within me, so God's Spirit, they say, is just a way of speaking of God's power.
It is true that in the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, the word translated as "Spirit" literally means "wind" or "breath." God's breath is God's Spirit. When Scripture says, "God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life" (Gen 2:7), it is telling us about the life-giving work of God's Spirit. The song we sing, "Breathe on Me, Breath of God," is a request for the power of God's Spirit to be at work in our life. Yet, it is wrong to conclude from this that the Spirit is an impersonal energy, force, or power.
In many places the Bible recognizes the distinct personhood of the Spirit. He does, feels, and experiences things that only persons can do, feel, and experience. For instance, "He gives" and "He determines" (1 Cor 12:11). We can "grieve" Him (Eph 4:30), which means to cause Him personal pain. We can lie against the Spirit, which is lying against God (Acts 5:3,4). It is possible for people to commit "sin and blasphemy" against the Spirit (Mt 12:31). The Bible also tells us that the Spirit creates (Gen 1:2); strives with the spirit of man (Gen 6:3); teaches Christ's disciples what they ought to say (Lk 12:12); brings to mind the Savior's words (Jn 14:26); convicts the world in regards to sin, righteousness, and judgment (Jn 16:8); gives commands (Acts 8:29); and intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express (Rom 8:26). All of these great and gracious activities of the Spirit require personhood.
B We not only believe and confess that the Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, but also that He is
of one and the same essence,
and majesty,
and glory,
with the Father and the Son.
The last time we looked at the Belgic Confession of Faith we talked about the deity of the Son; at that time we used the word "homoousios." This means Jesus is not of similar substance but of the exact same substance as the Father; it is not a case of Jesus being just like God but, rather, He is God. Today we have to say that the Spirit is homoousios with the Father and the Son. This means the Spirit is not of similar substance but of the exact same substance as the Father and the Son; it is not the case of the Spirit being like God but, rather, He is God.
The Spirit is homoousios with the Father and the Son. That's why the Bible does not hesitate to identify Him as God (Acts 5:3-4) or to ascribe divine perfection to Him. Thus David speaks of Him as being everywhere present (Ps 139:7-10), while Isaiah and Paul tells us that He knows and sees all things (Is 40:13-14; 1 Cor 2:11). All power belongs to Him to perform signs and wonders (Rom 15:19). He is called eternal (Heb 9:14) and holy (1 Thess 1:6). He is said to be involved in creation (Gen 1:2), the renewal of the earth (Ps 104:30), spiritual rebirth (Jn 3:5-6), and the resurrection from the grave (Rom 8:11). All in all, as the third person of the triune Godhead, He is homoousios with the Father and the Son.
III True and Eternal God
A It shouldn't surprise us that those who deny or question the deity of the Son also reject the godhead of the Holy Spirit. Arius, for instance, maintained that the Son was created by the Father and the Spirit was created by the Son. And, in line with him, the Jehovah's Witnesses deny the deity of both the Son and the Spirit.
In opposition to Arius, the Jehovah's Witnesses, and other heretics, the Reformed faith declares that the Holy Spirit "is true and eternal God."
B What does this mean in our life today? It means that if anyone claims to know God, that person should also know the Holy Spirit. You see, we know, or should know, God in a three-fold fullness. First, we should know Him as the God-above-us: the Creator, the Sovereign Lord, the Law-giver, the Father. Second, we should know Him as the God-for-us: the Mediator, the Messiah, the Redeemer, the Son. And third, we should know Him as the God-in-us: the Sanctifier, the Renewer, the Spirit.
Topic: Holy Spirit
Subtopic: Dwells in Believers
Index: 1602
Date: 3/1986.26
Title: Vacuum or Victory
The evangelist Moody had a great illustration of the Spirit's work within us. "Tell me," he said to his audience, "How can I get the air out of this glass?" One man said, "Suck it out with a pump." Moody replied, "That would create a vacuum and shatter the glass." After many impossible suggestions, Moody smiled, picked up a pitcher of water, and filled the glass. "There," he said, "all the air is now removed."
He then went on to show that the only way the Christian can overcome sin is by being filled with the Spirit.
To know God is to know Him as the Spirit living within us. To know God is to know Him in all His fullness as the creating Father, the saving Son, and the sanctifying Holy Spirit.
Within Reformed circles, Christians too often forget or neglect this. We talk so readily about the Father and our creation, the Son and our redemption, but we don't have much to say about the Spirit and our sanctification. In our prayers we can say "Father," and "Jesus," but rarely, if ever, do we say "Spirit." But to know God is to also know Him as Spirit.
C We confess that the Holy Spirit "is true and eternal God." What does this mean in our life today? The highest goal in life is to know, worship, love, and adore God. This means that the heart's desire of each one of us is (or should be) to also worship the Spirit. About the Spirit, the Nicene Creed says, "He ... with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified." So we say and we sing, "Father, Jesus, Spirit, we love you, we worship you, we adore you, glorify your name in all the earth."
Conclusion
With the church of all ages we say, "I believe in the Holy Spirit." I believe in the Spirit Who proceeds from the Father AND THE SON, filioque. I believe in the Spirit Who is the same substance, homoousios, with the Father and the Son. I believe in the Spirit Who is true and eternal God.
This Spirit I should know as God in me, filling me, sanctifying me.