The Holy Spirit in Society

Just as man can see the hand of God in the creation, so too is He involved in society. This area is trickier, since all that man lays his hands to is marred by sin from his very nature (cf. Romans 3:9f). Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit does not only work amongst men within the Church, on the other hand not every spirit working in the world among men is the Holy Spirit (cf. Eph 6:12).[1]  The conclusion as to where the Holy Spirit has been operating amongst men can be tested be the resulting fruits (Gal 5:22), by which believers can also test the spirits (1 Jn 4:1).[2]

To what degree is the Holy Spirit graciously operating amongst the society and governments of the world is the next question. Karl Barth refused to relate God and man too intimately since he thought that doing so would mean that the power of God’s sovereign acts of grace would be nullified.[3] Contrary to the kind of intimate presence of God that Bath feared with sinners, there has been a trend to think that the Holy Spirit (being omnipresent and the influence of men wherever there is good and positive forces at work within them) can be known by them.[4] One sticky outcome of this view is to see the Holy Spirit at work in the positive aspects of other religions.[5] These views seem to place the center of God’s operations in the world in the realm of liberating men from oppressive systems of society for the betterment of mankind. To those who hold this view the Holy Spirit in its operations through men is to have a fullness of life.[6] The work of the Holy Spirit is seen where there is a struggle for justice, fullness of life, and the building of a loving community.[7] This kind of thinking aims the work of the Spirit at men and stops there. Rather, His goal is to testify to the Son for the spiritual redemption of men.

This begs the question whether the Holy Spirit can be recognized by unbelievers in the world by His works. Paul, in addressing the Areopagus in Acts 17, quotes some of the pagan Greek poets as being in alliance with the truth in God’s providence for mankind.[8] So there seems to be a glimmer of recognition from the natural man of God’s providence in the world apart from special revelation from Him. Those within the Church certainly can, in every Christ centered action in the world, as the Holy Spirit bears witness to Christ (Jn 15:26), but this is not true of those who are of the world. Jesus says about them, “The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.” (Jn 14:16b-17a).[9] Despite any just cause that man may engage in or joy he might experience, the full presence of the Spirit or His purpose cannot be apprehended by them.

Conclusion

In closing, the grace of God is not without a limit to those who are wicked, which is the closing statement of Psalm 145, “The Lord keeps all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.” (v 20). The Spirit is abounding in grace to all of His creation. All of the fruits that mankind enjoys, from his very existence to whatever order and harmony can be experienced in human institutions are all from Him. It is clear from the joys in life that God does have a concern for creation and even for unredeemed man, but it is not an all encompassing love enjoyed by believers, nor will it be enjoyed by unbelievers in the world to come. Even though all of God’s creatures participate in God through the Spirit by virtue of the fact that they are alive at all,[10] it is not the kind of participation that is in the slightest bit redemptive, unless He should choose to grant to them His special providence in salvation.

Posted by: MkB

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[1] Michael J. Oleksa. “The Holy Spirit’s action in Human Society: an Orthodox Perspective,” International Review of Mission 79 (Jl 1990): 332.

[2] Ibid, 332. Of course John here is referring to the content of the Gospel message delivered by all ministers.

[3] This is only possible if you see God as imminent with sinful man. Jerome L. Ficek. “The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit in Contemporary Thought,” Bulletin of the Evangelical Theological Society 3.3 (Summer 1960): 70.

[4] Ibid, Ficke do a good job of tracing this trend throughout his article.

[5] Ibid, 72. Ficke recognizes in Van Dusen’s theology that the Holy Spirit can be a bond between “every living religion.” coming from the simplistic understanding that God has revealed Himself at all times to all peoples.

[6] See John P Brown. “The Holy Spirit in the Struggles of People for liberation and Fullness of Life,” International Review of Mission 79. (1 990): 273. He places the identification with the Spirit filled Servant in the struggle for liberation as the working of the same Spirit in people,

[7] ibid, 274. This line of thinking leads easily into Liberation Theology, where the purpose of God is political justice, not in the saving of souls to His own glory. To the contrary, very human institution that governs men is established by God, and bears of power for His purposes (cf. 1 Pet 2:13-14). Jesus did not start a politically revolutionary movement.

[8] Acts 17:28  'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' From this verse John Calvin recognized the Holy Spirit as maintaining life and continuing the administration of creation. But this is coming from a Christian standpoint.  Jane Dempsey Douglas, “The Lively Work of the Spirit in the Reformation,” 130.

[9] Ibid, 335-336. Oleksa, coming from an Orthodox background, believes for this reason the Church is to be over the World either approving or disapproving its developments in society, but not to allow the world to subject the Church to it’s progressive standards.

[10] Veli-Marti Karkkainen, “The Working of the Holy Spirit in Creation and in the People of God: The Pneumatology of Wolfhart Pannenberg,” Pneuma 26/1 (Sp 2004): 25.