THE
FORGOTTEN GOD: NEGLECT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
God
exists as triune: three persons yet one God. We often speak of the Trinity in
mere passing terms; God, however, has revealed himself in Scripture and in his
work through threefold persons: the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Sadly, the
most neglected and misunderstood person of the godhead is the Holy Spirit
including in charismatic contexts where the Holy Spirit might seemingly be
given an overemphasis. The neglect of the Holy Spirit has caused false teaching
while the misunderstanding of the Holy Spirit has fostered improper thoughts of
his work and personhood, e.g. the Holy Spirit is not an it or a force but is
rather a he and a person who works and speaks. The Holy Spirit is effectively
the forgotten God. Even such a statement likely perplexes some people, as some
believers might forget that he is God, co-equal and co-eternal with both the
Father and the Son. I intend to discuss both the neglect and the work of the
Holy Spirit so that we might develop and have a correct understanding of him and
worship him rightly. Three thoughts I have are devoted to this topic of the
Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit Is a He, Not an It or a Force
Christians
should cease to think of the Holy Spirit in terms of a force or a ghost, for
the Holy Spirit is a person: a he rather than an it. He is a singular person of
the godhead with a unique function: namely to call, convict, encourage, and
help. The παράκλητος (paraklétos) is usually used in the context of a legal
advocate. The Holy Spirit is out advocate here in earth. He submits to both the
Son and the Father. He is not less than the Son or the Father but submits to
the Father as does Jesus. Rather than thinking of the Holy Spirit as a force, a
wind, or a ghost, it is more appropriate to consider him as a personal
advocate. Consider the advocation of an attorney. Such a person provides
counsel, help, and guidance in legal situations. The Holy Spirit does the same
but does so in all areas of life. He is not merely a force we can feel and
experience but a personal God with whom we may have a relationship.
The Holy Spirit Is Co-Equal and Co-Eternal with the Father
and the Son, Not Less Than
Recent
studies on the state of theology among current evangelicals reveals a startling
statistic: Christians continue in a trajectory of false understanding and
baseless theology to the point of professing that Jesus is the “first and greatest
being created by God.”[1] Trinitarian theology is
not the only area which Christians misunderstand or about which they are ignorant.
Ignorance, however, is inexcusable. Furthermore, I suggest that it is not the
job of the church to make sure believers possess a right and biblical
foundation; it is the job of each individual Christian.
We
should understand the Holy Spirit is not created but rather as co-equal and
co-eternal with both the Father and the Son and certainly not less than either.
Tertullian was the first Latin
writer known to use to term, Trinity,
although his Trinity “is not a triune God, but rather a triad or group of
three, with God as a founding member.”[2] Although Tertullian lived in
the 2nd and 3rd centuries, a time when perhaps trinitarian
theology was still being developed by the church, his teaching here had a foot
in heresy. To contain a proper theology of the Holy Spirit, we cannot consider him
to be merely inferior to the Father or the Son but rather equal to both. He is
worthy to be worshiped in the threefold godhead. The subliminal
thought of the Holy Spirit being substandard to the Father and the Son implies
that we do not consider him to be God; yet, he absolutely is God, just as the
Father and Son are, for he is one with the Father and the Son, albeit
functioning in a disparate role. Continuing to consider the Holy Spirit to be
less than the Father and Son is to continue to neglect his leadership and
authority among the people of God.
We Do Not Invite the Holy Spirit into Our Worship
Gatherings; He Invites Us
My
final thought regarding the neglect of the Holy Spirit involves a common
malpractice in many local churches. Countless times I have observed believers
invite the Holy Spirit into their worship gatherings. The truth, however, is
that God invites us; we do not invite him. Additionally, the Holy Spirit
indwells the people of God; thus, he is already present when the church gathers
to worship him, which is why we should not sing songs and pray prayers which
invite the Holy Spirit. It is not necessarily wrong or heretical; it is, nonetheless,
not right. One could have good intentions by inviting the Holy Spirit.
Nevertheless, the people of God are the ones who are welcome and invited. By thinking
in terms of inviting God the Spirit, we wrongly and feebly put ourselves in a
place of authority over him. Neglect of the Holy Spirit has surely contributed
to this inverted theology. To correct our trinitarian errors, we must realize
not only that the Holy Spirit is God but also that he has equal authority over
his people as does both the Father and Son for he is one with the Father and
Son; he is equally God and equally worthy of worship.
From the Forgotten God to the Equal God
Trinitarian
theology in the church must shift to the point of worshiping God the Spirit equally
with the Father and the Son. Worship is triune in nature. Therefore, we must
not place an overemphasis on the Holy Spirit but must also not neglect him.
There must be a balance. Equal emphasis must be given to all three persons of
the godhead. In this way then, the Holy Spirit must change in the church from
the forgotten God to the equal God and indeed the equally worshiped God.
[1] “The State of Theology,” thestateoftheology.com,
accessed November 10, 2018, https://thestateoftheology.com/.
[2]
Dale and Zalta Tuggy, N. Edward,
eds., “History
of Trinitarian Doctrines,” The Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy, Stanford
University, 2016, accessed January 30, 2017,
https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2016/entries/trinity/trinity-history.html#Tertul.
