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.

The Holy Spirit’s Grace to all Mankind

Amongst the gracious acts that the Holy Spirit manifests on earth is the giving of life to them. An early reference of this action is seen where God breathed His Spirit into Adam to bring him to life (Gen 2:7). Later in Genesis 6:3 He was grieved that He had made man at a time when man’s sin was multiplying upon the earth (Genesis 6:5-6). In that context, the Spirit of God is that aspect of His presence that bestows life, since He councils with Himself to reduce man’s years from the multiple centuries that he had hitherto enjoyed. So in this verse it is evident that the Holy Spirit gives life to every man; not just Adam. But what is also evident is that it is the Spirit who keeps people alive after they are born. This is evident where He says that He will no longer contend with sinful men and their lives are shortened by the removal of His Spirit. Thus, the very fact that men are living despite their wickedness is evidence of the grace of God to them.

The Holy Spirit’s grace towards all mankind can be encapsulated in the words of Jesus where He says, “…for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Mat 5:45). This sort of grace, which is given to everyone, goes by the term “general providence.” It is called “general” in that it is distinct from “special providence” which is reserved for believers and entails salvation, sanctification, and security.This is due to their drawing together towards a final culmination of the temporal world and all things are mediated from God through Christ (cf. Jn 17:2; Col 1:16-17; Heb 1:3). Dr Robert L. Reymond goes so far as to say that the reason that common grace exists is as a platform upon which special grace is built with Romans 8:28 in view, where all things work together (i.e. common grace) for those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose (i.e. His special providence). A state of common grace is from whence every believer has sprung, and gone into a state of special, and saving grace.

One other way in which the Spirit blesses mankind is in the skills which men possess. It is not in vain that we speak of talented people as being “gifted.” Clement of Alexandria in reflecting upon Exodus 31:2-5 saw the connection between artistic talent and the Holy Spirit. Clement claimed that artistic talent and invention was from God, but he did not go so far as to say that men have the diving prerogative of creation. He believed that the best kind of beauty was spiritual beauty as brought about by the Holy Spirit as compared to transitory temporal beauty.

Jonathan Edwards went further in seeing the beauty of the Holy Spirit in the world wherever there is order and harmony. Edwards was operating within the 18th century concept of harmony and order as an expression of beauty. The love that God has for His creation and for His creatures is the bond of the Holy Spirit for Edwards. Building from St. Augustan’s bond of love concept of the Holy Spirit between the Father and the Son, Edwards saw that same bond of love God has for His creatures being the Spirit also. For Edwards, wherever God sets His affection on believers, there too is the Holy Spirit as their connection with Him. The Holy Spirit touches men so as to “quicken, enliven, and to beautify things.” Edwards saw the ultimate expression of the Spirit’s beautification in the sanctification of men, and our greatest apprehension of that beauty in our participation in holiness. Thus it may follow that wherever man sees beauty and order the hand of the Holy Spirit can be contemplated as having wrought it.

The Holy Spirit in the world.

Among the members of the Trinity, each Person engages in a specific work with regards to the world. Each member however is involved in the work of the other. In other words, the works of the three members of the Trinity are not done autonomously. In the Incarnation for example, the Holy Spirit was involved in communicating the Father’s will, words, and empowering God the Son in the person of Jesus. So it follows that whatever God the Father or the Son does in creation is also acomplished by the Spirit. Wayne Grudem succinctly defines the specific mission of the Holy Spirit as, “The work of the Holy Spirit is to manifest the active presence of God in the world and especially in the Church.” So form the outset of this discussion, the Holy Spirit needs to be seen as the presence of God’s activity in the entire history of creation. There is no aspect where He was, or is, or will not be active in creation.

From the very beginning of creation He is present and active. In Genesis 1:2 His first work was to “move” or to “brood” over the waters while the earth’s material was not yet organized. The creation account goes on to describe the six days of organization of the material of the universe and to set in into motion. Although we know from other verses that it was through Christ that all things are made and sustains them (cf. John 1:3; Col 1:16-17), the role that the Holy Spirit has in creation is to be the agent of organization and to give life. He can be attributed with providing all of the useful materials in the earth which are employed by mankind; the rich vegetation is for our happiness, and the glorious arrangement of the stars as a testimony to God.

The Holy Spirit has a good intention towards that which He has created, even after the curse came upon it through Adam’s sin (cf. Gen 3). “The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works. (Ps. 145:9; [cp.vv. 13, 15-17]). Being God’s active agent in the creation, it is through the Holy Spirit that God established order and laws of nature in the universe, and who continues to do so (cf. Ps. 104:30; Job 32:8). This good intention towards creation looks towards a future restoration, where in the Millennial Kingdom He will renew His creation. Isaiah writes under the Spirit’s inspiration, “Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field is considered as a forest.” (Isa 32:15). God is not in overt hostility to the cursed creation. There is a tension in that it does reside under His curse on account of man, yet there is still a intention on the part of God to bless it utterly in the restoration of all things (cf. Rom 8:19-21). Until that time the creation is held in a kind of stasis of curse and blessing in Gods Providence.

Posted by MKB

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