The eighth of my ten-part series on a basic systematic theology deriving from the Nicene Creed.

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The last two articles in this series dealt with the portions of the Creed on the first two persons of the Trinity. This article deals with the third person, the Holy Spirit, introduced in the third section of the Creed with the confession:


I believe in the Holy Spirit...

The Holy Spirit has been neglected to a large extent by the Western churches. The Eastern Orthodox Church has maintained a much stronger sense of the Holy Spirit. ‘Even more disturbing than the church’s neglect of the Spirit are many instances of official church opposition to movements that have stressed the presence and power of the Spirit.’ (Migliore, p. 166) Of course, there are political and hierarchical reasons for this official distrust. ‘The real issue between those who appeal to the church as institution for the discerning presence of the Spirit and those who appeal directly to the Spirit is that the latter are usually bent on reforming the institution.’ (Jones II, p. 75)

Proclaiming the Holy Spirit as the Lord and Giver of Life affirms that the Spirit is part of the eternal triune substance of God; not something that has come only with Jesus or after Jesus, but present at work in all things that God has done. ‘In the New Testament, the Spirit is intimately related to Jesus and his ministry. More precisely, Jesus and the Spirit are interdependent.’ (Migliore, p. 170) The continuing action of the Holy Spirit, affirmed to be present and at work in the world by the apostles in Acts and throughout the New Testament, and subsequently affirmed in the traditions of the church, should not be ‘restricted to the life of the individual Christian nor to the life of the church.’ (Jones II, p. 78) The danger of the Holy Spirit to the institution of the church is that the Holy Spirit is not under the power or direction of the church.

The Holy Spirit, as God’s continuing self-communication with humanity, is part of the eternal God and the God present with us. However each person of the Trinity is conceived, the language of the Trinity is complex, leading easily to misunderstanding, whether one uses technical constructions (one ousia in three hypostasies, for instance) which stretch the limits of intelligibility simply on language terms, or more user-friendly constructions such as ‘God in three persons’ which leads to a misunderstanding of the use of the word ‘person’. Rahner uses the term subsistences; Barth uses modes of being. Jones states that ‘God is a tri-moded Person-Subject. The essential point is that God has three decisive ways of being God.’ (Jones I, p. 96) Further, Jones states that ‘God actually lives in and not behind these modes of being-in-act.’ (Jones I, p. 97) Each mode is interrelated, interanimated, yet distinct.

Migliore states that the confession of God as triune affirms that ‘the eternal life of God is personal life in relationship’, that ‘God exists in community’, and that ‘the life of God is essentially self-giving love.’ (Migliore, pp. 67-70) These relate closely to analogies of the Trinity (analogies to community, to person, etc.) none of which are bully adequate in explaining God in Trinity. We must admit the limitations of human language and understanding to accept the Trinity, for it remains ‘part of our grammar that God is mystery and incomprehensible.’ (Jones I, p. 100) However, the application of trinitarian thinking as Migliore has described it ‘culminates not in doctrinal definitions’ which would be ultimately inadequate in any case, but rather ‘in doxology, praise, and adoration.’ (Migliore, p. 72) For God’s revealing of Godself to be triune is a self-communication (as indeed is all communication from God of Godself), and this ‘self-communication of God to man must present itself to man as a self-communication of absolute truth and absolute love.’ (Rahner I, p. 94)


The next article deals with aspects of life and worship in this world, reflected in the church.


References for this section:

Book of Common Prayer. 1979. Seabury Press: New York.

Jones, Joe. Manuscript for A Grammar of Christian Faith, Volumes I & II. 1999-2000. Rowman and Littlefield, 2002.

Migliore, Daniel L. Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology. 1991. Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Rahner, Karl. The Trinity. 1997. Crossroad Publishing: New York.

Rahner, Karl. Edited by Geffrey B. Kelly. Karl Rahner. 1992. Augsburg Fortress Press: Minneapolis, Minnesota.