Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God

Citation preview

GORDON D. FEE [fcl HENDRKKSON

® 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. P. O . Box 3473 Peabody, Massachusetts 0 1 9 6 1 - 3 4 7 3 All rights reserved Printed in the United States o f America ISBN 1-56563-170-6 First Printing — June

1996

Portions o f this book are adapted from God's Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul, © 1994 by Hendrickson Pub­ lishers, Inc., Peabody, Massachusetts.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Fee, G o r d o n D . Paul, the Spirit, and the People o f G o d

/

G o r d o n D . Fee.

Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-56563-170-6 1. H o l y Spirit—Biblical teaching. of Paul—Theology. BS2655.H67F45

2. Bible.

N.T.

Epistles

I. Title 1995

231'.3'0-9015—dc20

95-30872 CIP

for M a u d i n e — God's gift o f presence in m y life, in our fortieth year

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

vii

Overture—An Invitation to Read Paul A n e w

xiii

1. A "Theology" o f the Spirit? T h e Spirit in Pauline Theology

1

2. G o d Revisits H i s People— T h e Spirit as the Renewed Presence o f G o d

9

3. T h e H o l y W h o ? The Spirit as Person

24

4. G o d in Three Persons— The Spirit and the Trinity

36

5. The Beginning of the E n d — The Spirit as Evidence of the "Presence o f the Future"

49

6. A People for H i s N a m e — The Spirit and the People o f G o d

63

7. Conversion: Getting In (Part 1)— T h e Spirit and the Hearing o f the Gospel

74

8. Conversion: Getting In (Part 2 ) — The Spirit at the Entry Point

84

v

T A B L E

O F

C O N T E N T S

9. Conversion: Staying In (Part 1)— The Spirit and Pauline Ethics

97

10. Conversion: Staying In (Part 2 ) — The Fruit o f the Spirit

112

11. T h e O n g o i n g Warfare— The Spirit Against the Flesh

126

12. Power in Weakness— The Spirit, Present Weakness, and Prayer

140

13. T o the Praise o f His G l o r y — The Spirit a n d Worship

152

14. Those Controversial Gifts? T h e Spirit and the Charismata 15. Where to from Here? The Spirit for Today and Tomorrow

163

179

Appendix— Spirit Baptism and Water Baptism in Paul Scripture Index

VI

193 204

PREFACE

This b o o k has had a checkered history. It is the b o o k 1 had hoped to write s o m e years ago at the invitation o f Hendrickson Publishers, w h e n they approached m e to "expand slightly" the article o n the H o l y Spirit in the Pauline letters that appeared in the Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988}. To m y great surprise 1 discovered while writing this article that there was n o book available o n this subject. S o 1 set out to write a b o o k that w o u l d fill this gap. But I was also anxious to support the conclusions set forth in the dictionary article. So I decided diat I needed to give full and careful exegesis to every Pauline text that mentioned the Spirit or the Spirit's activity. The result, God's Empowering Presence (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1994; henceforth GEP), was a massive tome, full o f (necessary) detail and careful argumentation. Thus the first g o around resulted in a book targeted primarily for scholars and pastors, and attempted to bring some balance in our presentations o f Pauline theology. Even though broad lip service has been paid to the Spirit's rather significant role in Pauline life and thought, N e w Testament scholarship in general and Pauline scholars in particular have greatly marginalized that role. I wrote GEP in part to address that situation. W h a t led t o this presentation o f the material has been m y fear that Paul's o w n urgencies—as I perceive t h e m — m i g h t have been buried under either the sheer weight o f the first book or the catalogue-like presentation of the theology in the final four chapters. This b o o k attempts to make that material more accessible to a wider audience. It is not simply the "big book" reprinted without

VII

P R E F A C E

the over seven hundred pages o f exegesis. Rather, even t h o u g h most o f the content that appears here is from GEP, I have largely rewritten and reordered it so that m y o w n urgencies are more clearly in focus. For the exegetical basis o f m u c h that appears here, the reader is regularly referred to the appropriate pages of GEP. All o f this has been helped along the way by three people. First, Patrick Alexander o f Hendrickson Publishers, w h o edited the first book, has persistently encouraged m e to take the time to write this one. Second, Chris Armstrong was asked by Hendrickson to d o an initial rewrite o f chapters 1 and 12-16 o f GEP in order to make the material more reader friendly. His suggestive rewriting has served as the basis for m u c h o f this book. Third, W e n d y Z o b a o f Christi­ anity Today pursued the possibility o f my condensing the conclu­ sions o f GEP into a magazine-length article. In attempting to d o so, 1 finally came to terms with my urgencies and priorities for the present volume. To give the reader an idea as to what drives this book, I here spell out those urgencies (slightly modified from the form I first presented to W e n d y ) : a. The bottom line is something that is probably picked up only at the end of CEP, namely, the generally ineffective witness and perceived irrelevancy of the church in Western culture. Mere, it seems to me, is where the real difference between Paul and us emerges, where in a culture similar to ours die early believers seem to have been more effective than we are. I am convinced this is due in large pari to their experience of the reality of the Spirit's presence. b. This is the concern, then, that makes me uncomfortable with the sometimes eidier/or approach to the Spirit (between "gifts" and "fruit") that appears to mark much of contemporary Christianity. The Spirit was an empowering presence for the early church, and power had to do widi fruit, witness, and gifts. c. Crucial to this experience was the early church's understanding of the Spirit as the fulfillment of Jewish hopes of the return of the divine presence (hence the utter importance of the temple imagery in Paul). What this meant for early Christians was that the Spirit was not only the personal presence of God in and among them (both individually and corporately) but that their understanding of God had to be broadened so as to become trinitarian. Although he did not use this kind of

VIII

P R E F A C E

language, Paul's new understanding of existence (as being in Christ) was thus fully trinitarian at its core. d. Equally crucial to the experience of the Spirit was the early church's self-understanding as "thoroughly eschatological," in the "already/not yet" sense. The first believers really believed that the future had begun, being attested by the gift of the outpoured Spirit, who also served as the guarantee of the future consummation. e. At the heart of this new understanding was their perception of themselves as the newly constituted people of God. The goal of salva­ tion in Christ, the core of Pauline theology, was that God should create "a people for his name." And the gift of the eschatological Spirit (the Spirit who served as the evidence that the future had come and the guarantee of its consummation) lies at the heart of such salvation. Central to tiieir new understanding was that one now entered the people of G o d individually—through faith in Christ and especially through die experienced reality of the Spirit. f. Although persons individually became members of the people of God, the goal was not simply to fit individuals for heaven but to create a people who by the power of die Spirit lived out the life of the future (the life of God himself) in the present age. The "fruit of the Spirit," therefore, while effected through individual participation, has primarily to do with die life of the community—as does Paul's ethics in general. g. The "doxological Spirit," who is now the key player in the worship of the newly constituted people of God, also gifts the people so that both in their gifting as such and in the diversity of that gifting, the whole body will be built up to live its new eschatological existence while believers await the final coming of God. This personal, powerful, experience of the eschatological Spirit not only transformed them individually but made them effective in their being the people of the good news in pagan Greco-Roman culture. And this is why I think they had the better of it, and why we would do well to recapture something of that reality. This earlier c o m m u n i c a t i o n o f m y concerns has served as the basic outline for what follows. I need to thank four others w h o read the entire manuscript and offered m a n y helpful suggestions to improve the content and to make it more reader friendly: m y present teaching as­ sistant, D e a n Pinter, w h o also created the Scripture index; m y daughter—and present student at Regent C o l l e g e — C h e r i t h

IX

P R E F A C E

N o r d l i n g ; m y son Mark, w h o read it through the eyes o f a pastor for the sake o f his people; and especially m y wife, M a u d i n e , w h o patiently worked through the w h o l e to remove s o m e o f the "fat" and the "professorial talk," and whose o w n turns o f phrase 1 borrowed from time to time. I gladly dedicate it to her, m y wonderful friend and c o m p a n i o n , in this our fortieth anniver­ sary year. A few further notations about unusual usages, derived from m y work o n C E P , should also help the reader. First, despite some (expected) objections, I continue to base m y theology o f Paul on all thirteen o f the canonical letters attributed to h i m . Those w h o have objected have yet to d o so in a way that convinces m e to d o otherwise. Second, most lists o f references follow what I perceive as the chronological order o f these letters: 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, R o m a n s , Philemon, Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1 T i m o t h y , Titus, 2 Timothy. Third, translations that are not noted (NIV, NRSV, etc.) are m y o w n , a l t h o u g h at times 1 have o n l y slightly altered existing translations. Fourth, in chapter 2 o f GEP I offered a somewhat technical overview o f all uses o f pneuma ("Spirit/spirit") and

pneumatikos

("spiritual") in the Pauline corpus. T w o conclusions that affect translation and usage are noted here for the sake o f the present reader. a. In some places it is extremely difficult to distinguish between Paul's o w n "spirit" and the role o f the Holy Spirit. For example, when he says in 1 Corinthians 14:15, "my pneuma prays," the context makes it certain that Paul intends something like, "the H o l y Spirit prays through m y o w n spirit." 1 have translated such usages with the inelegant "S/spirit," in order to preserve the ambi­ guity as well as to point to the role o f the Spirit in such passages. b. The evidence is overwhelming that Paul, quite in keeping with first-century usage, never intended pneumatikos to refer either to the h u m a n spirit or to some vague idea like "spiritual," which in English serves as an adjective meaning "religious," "nonmaterial," "spooky," "nonsecular," or "godly." In every instance in Paul its primary referent is to the H o l y Spirit, even when contrasted with

P R E F A C E

"material blessings" in 1 Corinthians 9:11. T h u s 1 regularly capital­ ize this adjective (Spiritual; cf. Spirituality) when 1 use it in the Pauline way; "spiritual" occurs w h e n it is used in a more contem­ porary way. Fifth, one o f the shortcomings o f this b o o k is that I have not tried to compare Paul with the other writers o f the N e w Testament. M y aim has been to hear Paul o n his o w n terms. Hopefully, it will stand alongside other books o f its kind: by Gary Burge (for J o h n ) ; lames Shelton (for Luke-Acts); and Gerald Hawthorne (for Jesus). Finally, the writing o f GEP has transformed m y o w n life. I have been gratified—and h u m b l e d — t o learn from a goodly number o f others, by letter, phone, or personal conversation, that reading the exegetical portions o f that b o o k has enriched them. I offer the present version o f this material with the fervent prayer that it may have a similar effect on m a n y w h o read it. Epiphany 1996

XI

OVERTURE— AN INVITATION TO READ PAUL ANEW

One reads Paul poorly who does not recognize that for him the presence of the Spirit, as an experienced and living reality, was the crucial matter for Christian life, from beginning to end. Contemporary Christians have a right to be concerned. In an in­ creasingly secular, individualistic, and relativistic w o r l d — d u b b e d "post-Christian" in the 1960s and n o w called "postmodern"—the church is regularly viewed as irrelevant at best and Neanderthal at worst. Frankly, m u c h o f the fault lies with the church, especially those o f us in the church w h o pride ourselves in being orthodox with regard to the historic faith. For all too often our orthodoxy has been either diluted by an u n h o l y alliance with a given political agenda, or diminished by legalistic or relativistic ethics quite unre­ lated to the character o f G o d , or rendered ineffective by a pervasive rationalism in a n increasingly nonrationalistic world. But there is reason for h o p e as well since contemporary post­ modernism looks m u c h like the culture o f the G r e c o - R o m a n world into w h i c h the gospel first appeared some two thousand years ago. The secret to the success o f the early believers in their culture lay first with their "good news" centered in the life, death, and resur­ rection o f Jesus. I m m a n u e l had come, bringing b o t h revelation o f the character o f G o d ("Have y o u been with me for so l o n g and

XIII

O V E R T U R E

don't k n o w w h o I a m ? T h e o n e w h o has seen m e has seen the Father," J o h n 14:9) and redemption from our tragic fallenness ("You shall call his n a m e Yeshua, for he will save his people from their sins," Matt 1:21). But their success also lay with their experi­ enced life o f the Spirit w h o m a d e the work o f Christ an effective reality in their lives, thus making them a radical alternative within their culture. It often seems otherwise with us. If we have (rightly) kept our central focus o n Christ Jesus, we are less sure about the H o l y Spirit. Despite the affirmations in our creeds and h y m n s and the lip service paid to the Spirit in our occasional conversations, the Spirit has been largely marginalized both in the halls o f learning and in the life o f the church as a c o m m u n i t y o f faith. I d o not m e a n that the H o l y Spirit is not present; he is indeed, or w e are not o f Christ at all. But the primary emphasis regarding the Spirit's activity has been o n his quiescence, based largely o n imagery drawn from Elijah's encounter with G o d o n Sinai, where the Lord was not in the w i n d , earthquake, a n d fire, but c a m e to Elijah "in a still small voice" (1 Kgs 19:11-13 Kjv). Support for this view is then f o u n d in the N e w Testament b y e m p h a s i z i n g Paul's "fruit o f the Spirit" ( G a l 5 : 2 2 - 2 3 ) , w h i l e suggesting that the "gifts o f the Spirit" in 1 C o r i n t h i a n s 1 2 - 1 4 were for the apostolic period only. Quiescence, however, has sometimes fos­ tered a n e m i a , not only in the church corporately b u t also at the individual level, evidenced in part b y the myriad o f ways individ­ ual believers have longed for a greater sense o f God's presence in their lives. This c o m m o n "missing out" o n the Spirit as an experienced, empowering reality has frequently been "corrected" historically through a variety o f Spirit m o v e m e n t s — m o s t recently in this century in the form o f the Pentecostal and charismatic m o v e ­ ments. E m p h a s i s here has been o n the "wind, earthquake, and fire," and the primary texts are from Acts and 1 Corinthians 1 2 - 1 4 . These Spirit m o v e m e n t s have also tended to emphasize individualistic spirituality, so that the reality o f the Spirit is sometimes merely experienced in the experience. S u c h piety has frequently lacked s o u n d exegetical basis or betrayed inadequate theological reflection.

xiv

O V E R T U R E

The net result has tended toward a truncated view o f the Spirit o n both sides, accompanied by an inadequate view o f the role o f the Spirit in Paul's understanding o f things Christian. For h i m life in the Spirit meant embracing both fruit and gifts simultaneously and vigorously—what 1 have c o m e to call life in the radical middle. The Spirit as an experienced and empowering reality was for Paul and his churches the key player in all o f Christian life, from begin­ ning to end. The Spirit covered the w h o l e waterfront: power for life, growth, fruit, gifts, prayer, witness, and everything else. But if the empowering, experienced dimension o f life in the Spirit is often missed o n the o n e side, too often missing o n both sides are two further matters that, for Paul, lie at the very heart o f faith. First, the Spirit as person, the promised return of God's o w n personal presence with his people; second, the Spirit as es­ chatological fulfillment (see ch. 5 below), w h o both reconstitutes God's people anew and empowers us to live the life of the future in our between-the-dmes existence—between the time o f Christ's first and second coming. If the church is g o i n g to be effective in our postmodern world, we need to stop paying mere lip service to the Spirit and to recapture Paul's perspective: the Spirit as the experienced, empower­ ing return o f God's own personal presence in and a m o n g us, w h o enables us to live as a radically eschatological people in the present world while we await the consummation. All the rest, including fruit and gifts (that is, ethical life and charismatic utterances in worship), serve to that end. Hence I offer this "invitation" to read Paul afresh, to recognize the crucial role o f the Spirit in his life and thought, and in that o f his churches. Such a reading, I insist, must be thoroughly exegeti­ cal—hence the frequent references to the exegesis presented in

GEP—

and fully theological, to see how the Spirit fits into the bigger picture o f things Pauline. This fresh reading o f Paul will make clear that for h i m the presence o f the Spirit, as an experienced and living reality, was the crucial matter for Christian life, from beginning to end. Since that is a theological assertion, some preliminary theo­ logical issues must first be addressed in chapter 1. I encourage readers not to get bogged d o w n here. The chapter is necessary in order to establish a reference point for the rest o f the book.

xv

C H A P T E R

1

A "THEOLOGY" OF THE SPIRIT? THE SPIRIT IN PAULINE THEOLOGY

Our theology and experience of the Spirit must be more interwoven if our experienced life of the Spirit is to be more effective. I well remember m y graduate theology professor declaring em­ phatically: "Everyone has a theology [that is, some rudimentary view o f G o d and the world o n the basis o f which they live]; the question is not whether y o u have a theology—you d o — b u t whether y o u have a good one." Without apology, therefore, this is primarily a b o o k o n Paul's theology, that is, h o w Paul understood G o d and his ways, and the role o f the Spirit in that theology. For some, o f course, a "theol­ ogy" book on the Spirit is the kiss o f death; a n d in m a n y ways 1 a m in that c a m p . But we lack a better word; and in the final analysis, the health o f the contemporary church necessitates that its theology o f the Spirit and its experience o f the Spirit correspond m u c h more closely than they have in m u c h o f the past. Ordinarily theology has to d o with a studied, reflective under­ standing o f things divine, dealing with h o w the various matters we believe about G o d and God's ways can be put into a coherent whole. But we d o not find Paul reflecting o n the H o l y Spirit, any m o r e than we find h i m reflecting o n the significance o f the Lord's Table or o n the relationships within the G o d h e a d , which he

i

C H A P T E R

1

presupposes and which tantalizingly p o p out here and there. As often happens widi such foundational matters, we rarely look at them reflectively. They are simply part o f the stuff o f o n g o i n g life; and what we say about them is often offhanded, matter-of-fact, and without argument or explanation. Yet theology is what Paul is d o i n g all the Ume. Rather than the reflective dieology o f the scholar or classroom, his is a "task theology," the theologizing that takes place in the marketplace, where belief and the experience o f G o d run head-on into the thought systems, religions, and everyday life o f people in the Greco-Roman world at die beginning of the second half of the first century. Paul's task theology is the more complex because it takes place in a racially and socially diverse environment. In part, there­ fore, the issues raised for Paul have to d o with what the G o d o f the Jews (the o n e and only G o d ) was doing in history through Christ and the Spirit, which for Paul transpired within a primarily Gentile context. Into this kind o f setting Paul came preaching, experiencing, rediinking, and restating o l d and new truths, as he wrestled with what it meant for Jew and Gentile together to be the o n e people o f G o d . In the process he was constandy "doing" theology, grap­ pling with h o w the gospel works—and works out—in this new context that was so radically different from the more insular Jewish world in which the gospel first appeared in history. O u r present concern in diis reading o f Paul is with what h e says about the Spirit, since his words are our primary w i n d o w into his understanding. But we need to d o more than just gather all die passages and test them against s o m e set o f doctrinal assumptions, for in the case of the Spirit we are dealing with the essential matter o f early Christian experience. The only wordiwhile theology, after all, is one that is translated into life; and Paul's understanding o f the Spirit is ultimately a matter of lived-out faith. The experience of the Spirit was h o w the early believers came to receive the salvation that Christ had brought, and h o w they c a m e to under­ stand themselves as living at the beginning o f the end times. For them, the Spirit was b o t h the evidence that God's great future for his people had already m a d e its way into the present and the guarantee that G o d w o u l d conclude what he had begun in Christ

2

C O N T I N U I T Y

(= Paul's eschatological

A N D

D I S C O N T I N U I T Y

framework).

Thus the Spirit is founda­

tional to their entire experience a n d understanding

o f their present

life in Christ. M y concern is that w e c o m e to terms b o t h with the experienced realities a n d with Paul's understanding o f them, as m u c h as w e can d o that fairly a n d with integrity.

CONTINUITY AND DISCONTINUITY WITH THE PAST

O n e o f the primary issues in Pauline theology is that o f con­ tinuity a n d discontinuity between the o l d covenant a n d the new—that is, between God's word to Israel, c o m m u n i c a t e d by prophet a n d poet, a n d G o d ' s n e w ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ word to his people t h r o u g h Christ Jesus, c o m m u n i c a t e d by apostles a n d teachers. W e read the letters o f Paul as part o f the N e w Testament, the rec­ ord o f God's new covenant with his people, effected through Christ a n d the Spirit. But in fact Paul d i d not

One of the primary issues in Pauline theology is that of continuity and

know h e was contributing to such a "new testament." For h i m the "new

discontinuity between

covenant" was not a written record at all but a historical reality, experienced

the old covenant and

anew at the Table o f the Lord and realized o n an everyday basis through

the new.

the presence o f the Spirit. T h e ques­ tion then is, H o w is the new related t o the old? D o e s it supersede, as a truly new covenant? O r does it fulfill, and in so d o i n g carry with it m u c h o f what was there before? In order to understand Paul properly we must grasp h o w his perspective both continues and modifies the religious tradition in which he was reared, espe­ cially his understanding o f his O l d Testament roots.

3

C H A P T E R

1

First, w e m u s t recognize his o w n sense o f continuity with his heritage. P a u l sees himself and his churches as being in a direct line w i t h t h e p e o p l e o f G o d in the O l d Testament; and despite his deep c o n v i c t i o n s about the radical implications o f the coming o f Christ a n d t h e Spirit, he regularly reaffirms that continuity. H e includes a p r i m a r i l y Gentile church in the events o f the exodus: "all our forefathers were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea" (1 C o r 1 0 : 1 - 2 ) . T o Gentiles w h o were in danger o f sub­ mitting t o c i r c u m c i s i o n he not only appeals t o Abraham and the promises o f t h e o l d covenant, but also asks frankly, 'Tell me, y o u w h o w i s h t o b e u n d e r the law, d o y o u not hear the law?" and then e x p o u n d s t h e "true meaning" o f Sarah and Hagar, Isaac and Ishmael, i n l i g h t o f Christ and the Spirit ( G a l 4:21-31). Paul never speaks o f a "new Israel" or "new people o f G o d " ; his language is "God's Israel" ( G a l 6:16), an Israel in continuation with the past but n o w c o m p o s e d o f Jew and Gentile alike as the one people o f G o d . But just as clearly, there is significant discontinuity. The people o f G o d h a v e n o w been newly formed. Christ is the "goal o f the law" ( R o m 10:4), a n d the Spirit is "the promised H o l y Spirit" ( G a l 3:14; E p h 1:13). Christ's death and resurrection have brought an end to T o r a h observance (living o n the basis o f the O l d Testament law, R o m 7 : 4 - 6 ; 8:2-3); being led by the Spirit has replaced observance as G o d ' s way o f fulfilling Torah ( G a l 5:18); indeed, the righteous requirement o f Torah is n o w fulfilled in those w h o walk in/by the Spirit ( R o m 8:4). The H o l y Spirit w a s an essential part o f Israel's promised future. For Paul t h e gift o f "the H o l y Spirit o f promise" ( E p h 1:13) is the certain e v i d e n c e that the future has already been set in m o t i o n . T o see h o w t h e p r o m i s e has been fulfilled by the Spirit, and h o w that affected t h e early church's self-understanding, is part o f the invita­ tion to t h i s fresh reading o f Paul. Since t h e Spirit plays this integral role in fulfilling the promised new c o v e n a n t , it w o u l d be fitting to include a chapter in this b o o k o n the P a u l i n e antecedents,' that is, o n the role o f the Spirit in the O l d T e s t a m e n t a n d intertestamental Judaism. Rather than d o that, I have c h o s e n t o s h o w throughout the b o o k what their expec­ tations l o o k e d like and h o w Paul understands the Spirit as fulfill­ ing t h e m .

4

T H E

E L U S I V E

C E N T E R

FINDING THE ELUSIVE CENTER A final introductory word concerns the long debate in scholar­ 2

ship as to what constitutes the "heart" o f Paul's theology. T h e traditional view, fostered by the Reformers and perpetuated by generations o f Protestants, is that "justification by faith" is the key to that theology. This view emphasizes Christ's historical saving act on our behalf and our realization o f it through faith. The inade­ quacy o f this view is that it focuses o n o n e metaphor o f salvation, justification, to the exclusion o f others.

3

S u c h a focus fails to

throw the net broadly enough to capture all o f Paul's theological concerns. In response to this, others f o u n d as the center Paul's "mystical 4

experience o f being in Christ."

This view shifted the focus from

Christ's historical work and its appropriation b y the believer to the believer's (especially Paul's) o n g o i n g experience o f Christ. W h i l e in s o m e ways this view served as a corrective to the traditional one, most contemporary Pauline scholars have recognized that both these approaches are somewhat limiting. The frequent result, how­ 5

ever, has been to emphasize the diversity and "contingency" o f Paul's letters to such an extent that m a n y scholars, reflecting con­ temporary postmodernism, despair o f ever finding a genuine cen­ ter to Pauline t h e o l o g y — o r even o f finding coherence in his theology at all. I bring two convictions to these matters regarding Pauline theol­ ogy.

First, I a m convinced that there is a stable core to Paul's

understanding o f Christ and the Spirit, m u c h o f w h i c h he presup­ poses, based o n his sense o f continuity with the old, and all o f which can be found in what he simply calls "the gospel." For h i m there was a fundamental core content to the gospel—a content held in c o m m o n with all other early Christians (see, e.g., 1 C o r 15:1-3, 11). The seeming variations in Paul's theology, as 1 under­ stand them, have to d o with his working through the implications of that c o m m o n content for the Gentile mission, to which he devoted the last two decades o f his life. Second, and in keeping with some o f the present m o o d , I a m convinced that the center is so elusive because the basic core o f

5

C H A P T E R

1

1

Paul's theology covers too m u c h grourid for o n e to simplify it into a single phrase. It w o u l d seem far/better for us to isolate the essential elements o f his theology that lie at the heart o f matters for Paul a n d around which all other Iconcerns cluster. In m y view, at least four elements are essential: —

The church as an eschatological c o m m u n i t y (that is, a c o m ­ munity living in the "beginning o f the end times") made u p o f the new covenant people o f G o d .

—

T h e eschatological framework and thinking.

—

T h e formation o f God's new people b y the eschatological salvation accomplished through the death and resurrection of Christ.

—

T h e focus o f this people o n Jesus as Messiah, Lord, and S o n of G o d .

o f this new people's existence

T o put this another way: —

T h e foundation: A gracious a n d merciful G o d , w h o is hill o f love toward all.

—

The framework: T h e fulfillment o f God's promises as already begun but not yet completed.

—

T h e focus: Jesus, the S o n o f G o d , w h o as G o d ' s suffering servant Messiah accomplished eschatological salvation for humanity through his death and resurrection, and w h o is n o w the exalted Lord a n d c o m i n g King.

—

T h e fruit: The church as an eschatological c o m m u n i t y , w h o , formed as a people by Christ's death and the gift o f the Spirit, and thus restored into God's likeness, becomes G o d ' s new covenant people.

If this is a correct assessment o f Paul's perspective (and indeed that o f the rest o f the N e w Testament), then we might further distill all o f this. O n the o n e h a n d , as will be pointed out in chapter 5, it seems impossible to understand Paul without recog­ nizing eschatology as the essential framework o f all his theological thinking; o n the other h a n d , salvation

6

in Christ is the essential

T H E

E L U S I V E

C E N T E R

concern within that framework. Salvation is "eschatological" in the sense that final salvation, which still awaits the believer, is already a present reality through Christ and the Spirit. It is "in Christ" in the sense that what originated in G o d was effected historically by _

the death and resurrection o f Christ,

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ™

and is received and experienced

It

God's people through the work o f the

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fair to say that

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gredient to each o f these aspects o f the Pauline center. Thus my convic­

tion that the Spirit stands near the center o f things for Paul, as part o f the fundamental core o f his understanding o f the gospel. The experience o f the Spirit is the key to his already/not yet eschato­ logical framework; the Spirit is the essential player in the believers' experiencing and living out the salvation that G o d has brought about in Christ; the Spirit both forms the church into G o d ' s new (eschatological) people and c o n f o r m s t h e m into Christ's image through his fruit in their lives; and the Spirit gifts them in worship to edify and encourage one another in their o n g o i n g life in the world. It is fair to say that "Paul's entire theology widiout the supporting pinion o f the Spirit would crumble into ruins."

6

Finally, I must note that the aim o f all this is not simply informational. I w o u l d be less than honest if 1 did not admit to trying to persuade. But persuasion in this case is not a matter o f being right or wrong. M y ultimate concern, for myself and for the contemporary church, is that we return to our biblical roots o n this matter if the church is going to count for anydiing in the new millennium that lies just around the corner.

7

C H A P T E R

1

NOTES 1. Which is precisely what I did as an append.ix in GEP, 904-15. 2. For a helpful overview of this debate, especially in its more recent expressions, see ). Plevnik, "The Center of Pauline Theology," Catholic Biblical Quarterly 61 (1989) 461-78. 3. "Justification" is a term drawn from the law courts. It is a natural metaphor tc use when the Jewish law is in purview; indeed, it is used almost exclusively in such settings. Elsewhere Paul uses a variety of meta­ phors, drawn from a variety of social settings: for example, redemption (in the context of slavery), adoption (a family metaphor; see ch. 6 below), propitiation (taken from the sacrificial system), washing (also from Jewish religious practices), reconciliation (in the context of enmity between persons). 4. See GEP, 12, n. 13. 5. At issue for many is the relationship of coherence and contingency in trying to reconstruct Pauline theology. That is, can one extrapolate a coherent theological core from Paul's letters to serve as a kind of Pauline "systematic" theology? Or does the ad hoc nature of the letters, which means that the theology is always being expressed in the contingency of that historically specific situation, preclude finding such coherence? 6. C . Pinnock, "The Concept of Spirit in the Rpistles of Paul" (Ph.D. dissertation; Manchester, 1963) 2; cf. S. Neill and N . T. Wright, The Interpretation of the New Testament 1861-1986 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988) 203: "Paul's doctrine of the Spirit is far more central and characteristic than his doctrine of justification by faith."

8

C

H A

P T

E

R

2

GOD REVISITS HIS PEOPLE—THE SPIRIT AS THE RENEWED PRESENCE OF GOD

The outpouring of the Spirit meant for Paul that God had fulfilled his promise to dwell once again in and among his people. Presence is a delicious word—because it points to o n e o f our truly great gifts. N o t h i n g else can take the place o f presence, not gifts, not telephone calls, not pictures, not mementos, nothing. Ask the person w h o has lost a lifelong mate what they miss the most; the answer is invariably "presence." W h e n we are ill, w e don't need soothing words nearly as m u c h as we need loved ones to be present. What makes shared life—games, walks, concerts, outings, and a myriad o f other things—so pleasurable? Presence. G o d has made us this way, in his o w n image, because he himself is a personal, relational being. The great problem with the fall is that we lost not only our vision o f G o d (that is, his true character has been distorted) but also our relationship with G o d , and thus no longer knew his abiding presence. For Paul the c o m i n g o f Christ and the Spirit changed all o f this forever. At the heart o f things Pauline is his understanding o f the out­ poured Spirit as the c o m i n g o f "the promised H o l y Spirit" (Eph 1:13; G a l 3:14). W h i l e this promise especially included the

9

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2

1

renewal o f the prophetic w o r d , for Paul it also meant the arrival o f the new covenant, anticipated by the promised "circumcision o f the heart" in D e u t e r o n o m y 30:6 and prophesied explicitly in Jeremiah 3 1 : 3 1 - 3 4 : "1 will m a k e a new c o v e n a n t . . . and I will write it o n their hearts" (NRSV). This prophecy was shortly there­ after picked u p by Ezekiel, w h o expressly linked it t o the Spirit, w h o m G o d was g o i n g to "put in you" ( 3 6 : 2 6 - 2 7 ; 37:14). A b o v e everything else, as fulfillment o f the new c o v e n a n t

2

the Spirit

marked the return o f the lost presence o f G o d . Here, then, is one o f the more significant areas where the Spirit represents both continuity and discontinuity between the o l d and new covenants. The continuity is to be found in the promised renewal o f God's presence with his people; the discontinuity lies in the radically new way G o d has revisited them—indwelling them individually as well as corporately by his Spirit.

THE PRESENCE OF GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT The theme o f the presence o f G o d is crucial to b o t h the O l d and New

Testaments, serving in fact as bookends to the Christian 3

Bible. It begins in Genesis 2 - 3 with the creator o f heaven and earth being present in the garden with those he has created in his o w n image; it concludes with the marvelous pictures o f the re­ newed heaven and earth and the renewal o f Eden in Revelation 21:1-22:5, in which J o h n says expressly, "I saw n o temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord G o d Almighty a n d the Lamb" (21:22 NRSV). Whatever else, the people o f Israel understood themselves to be the people o f the Presence, the people a m o n g w h o m the eternal G o d had chosen to dwell o n earth.

The Tabernacle a n d Temple The most prominent w a y God's presence is experienced in the O l d Testament is in the tabernacle and the temple. Such a presence motif, culminating in God's glory descending o n the tabernacle, is

10

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O F

G O D

IN

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O T

(he structural key to the b o o k o f Exodus. In the incident o f the burning bush (Exod 3), the living G o d first shows himself present 10 Moses at Sinai. Then he instructs Moses to bring the people there to worship h i m . W h e n Israel arrives at the holy m o u n t in ch. 19, they c o m e to the place o f God's "dwelling," the place they are forbidden even to touch o n penalty o f death. O n l y Moses is allowed into God's presence. But G o d plans to move from the m o u n t and dwell a m o n g his people by means o f a tabernacle. S o after the giving o f the Book o f the C o v e n a n t (Exod 2 0 - 2 4 ) , Moses receives the instructions for the tabernacle's construction (chs. 2 5 - 3 1 ) . But between the in­ structions and the construction (chs. 3 5 - 3 9 ) , the disastrous epi­ sode in the desert occurs (ch. 32), followed by God's a n n o u n c i n g to Moses: "My presence will not g o with you"; an angel will g o instead (ch. 33). Moses recognizes the inadequacy o f this solution and intercedes: "If your Presence does not g o with us, d o not send us u p from here. H o w will anyone know that y o u are pleased with me and with your people unless y o u go with us? What else will distinguish m e and your people from all the other people o n the face o f the earth?" (33:15-16 Niv). This is followed by the further revelation o f God's character ("compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, a b o u n d i n g in love and faithfulness," Exod 34:4-7) and the construction o f the tabernacle, all o f which concludes with the descent o f God's glory, w h i c h "filled the tabernacle" (40:35). With that, they are ready to journey to the place that "die Lord your G o d will choose as a dwelling for his name" ( D e u l 12:11 and passim), led by the presence o f G o d symbolized by the pillar o f cloud and the pillar o f fire. The D e u t e r o n o m y promise was finally fulfilled in the construc­ tion o f S o l o m o n ' s temple, where the same glory as in Exodus 40 descended and "filled his temple" (1 Kgs 8:11). Thus Jerusalem and the temple are regularly described as "the place Yahweh chose for his n a m e to dwell"; and the temple became the focal point o f Israel's existence in the promised land. M o r e even than the law, therefore, or other identity markers such as circumcision, food laws, and Sabbath observance, God's presence with Israel distinguished them as his people. They well understood that the G o d w h o created the heavens and the earth

C H A P T E R

2

could not be contained by an earthly structure (e.g., Isa 66:1-2); nonetheless, because G o d chose to have his presence concentrate there, the tabernacle and the temple became the primary symbols o f God's presence a m o n g his people. Thus, even t h o u g h the temple also served as a place for sacri­ fices, the O l d Testament people o f G o d saw it primarily as a place o f prayer and o f k n o w i n g God's presence was with them. This c o m e s out over and over again in Israel's h y m n book, the Psalter. Take, for example, the great enthronement h y m n in Psalm 68, w h i c h pictures God's presence o n Z i o n as the hope o f his people and the envy o f their neighbors: The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains; rugged are the mountains of Bashan. Why gaze in envy, O rugged mountains, at the mountain where G o d chooses to reign where the Lord himself will dwell forever. (Ps 68:15-16) O f the "enthronement," the psalmist sings: The chariots of God are tens of thousands, and thousands of thousands; The Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary; When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train; you received gifts from people even from the rebellious— that you, O Lord, might dwell there, (w. 17-18 NIV) This same theme is repeatedly picked up by individual Israelites throughout the Psalter, as they reflect o n the glory o f being in God's presence: How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty, My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. (Ps 84:1-2) I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. (Ps 63:2) But Israel's failure caused them to forfeit God's presence. This is what makes the fall o f Jerusalem and the exile so full o f pathos for them. T h e temple in Jerusalem, where G o d h a d chosen to dwell,

12

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O F

G O D

IN

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O T

was destroyed; and not only were the people carried away captive, but the captives and those w h o remained were n o longer a people distinguished by the presence o f the living G o d in their midst. The poignancy o f it all finds its ultimate, symbolic expression in Ezekiel 10, where, just as with the ark o f the covenant in 1 Samuel 4, the "glory o f the Lord" departs from the temple in Jerusalem.

T h e Promise o f the Renewed Presence But all was not lost. Central to the prophetic hope was the promised return o f God's presence. Through Ezekiel, for example, G o d promises, " M y dwelling place will be with them; I will be their G o d and they will be m y people" (37:27); and Malachi

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

prophesies,

Central to the

"Then suddenly the Lord y o u are seeking will c o m e to his temple" (3:1). This hope continues into intertestamental Judaism a m o n g the apocalypdc

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n o longer undergo d e s o l a t i o n , . . . be­ cause the Lord will be in her midst." In keeping with Israel's earlier history, the m o t i f o f the renewed presence is tied directly to the hope o f a restored temple. The m o t i f finds its most powerful metaphorical expression in Ezekiel's grand vision (chs. 4 0 - 4 8 ) but its most memorable m o m e n t in the oracle of Isaiah 2:2-3 (repeated in M i c 4:1-2), where the inclusion o f the 4

Gentiles is also a primary m o t i f (cf. Zech 14:16-19): In the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the C o d of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths."

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The second temple, however, does not live u p to all these expectations. T h u s it evinces mixed feelings a m o n g the people. In light o f S o l o m o n ' s temple and the promised future temple o f Ezekiel, Haggai c o m p l a i n s , "Who o f y o u is left w h o saw this house in its former glory? H o w does it look t o y o u n o w ? D o e s it not seem to y o u like nothing?" (2:3). In m a n y circles, therefore, the h o p e o f a rebuilt, grand temple still awaited the people of G o d .

5

T h e Presence Equated with d i e Spirit For Paul the most crucial matter regarding this m o t i f lies with the fact that in Isaiah 63:9-14 the divine presence in the Exodus narrative was specifically equated with "the H o l y Spirit o f the Lord." In recalling Israel's past, the prophet says: He became their savior in all their distress. It was no messenger or angel but his Presence that saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. Therefore he became their enemy; he himself fought against them. Then they recalled the days of old, of Moses and his people. Where is he who brought them through the sea, with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he who set his Holy Spirit among them, who sent his glorious arm of power to be at Moses' right hand, who divided the waters before them, to make for himself an everlasting name, who led them through the depths? Like a horse in the desert, they did not stumble; like catde that go down to the plain, the Spirit of Yahweh gave them rest. This is how you guided your people to make for yourself a glorious name. 6

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This connection is o n e with which Paul is thoroughly familiar, as is confirmed by his deliberate echo o f the language o f v. 10 in Ephesians 4:30: "And d o not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with w h o m you were sealed for the day o f redemption."

THE SPIRIT AS THE RENEWED PRESENCE IN PAUL W h e n we turn to Paul from these (especially) O l d Testament antecedents, it is clear that he understands the Spirit's c o m i n g as fulfilling three related expectations:

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

(1) the association o f the Spirit with the new covenant; (2) the language o f "indwelling"; and (3) the association o f the Spirit with the imagery o f the temple. By fulfilling b o t h the new r

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7

The temple imagery is especially significant in this regard, since the temple was always understood as the place o f God's dwelling, the place o f his glory. For Paul the Spirit is h o w G o d presendy dwells in his holy temple. Significandy, such dwelling takes place b o d i in the gathered c o m m u n i t y , as one might well expect given the O l d Testament background to this usage, and especially in the heart o f the individual believer.

The Spirit's R o l e in t h e N e w C o v e n a n t In keeping with the rest o f the early church, Paul recognizes the death o f Christ as instituting God's new covenant with his people (see 1 C o r 11:25). H e also sees the Spirit as the w a y that covenant is realized in and a m o n g them. As the result o f his o w n — a n d others'—experience o f the Spirit, Paul understands this role especially in terms o f Ezekiel 36:26-27 and 37:14. Paul

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c o m b i n e s motifs from these t w o passages in such a w a y that in the c o m i n g o f the Spirit into the life o f the believer a n d the believing c o m m u n i t y G o d fulfilled three d i m e n s i o n s o f the promise: 1. G o d w o u l d give his people a "new heart"—Jeremiah's "heart o f flesh" to replace that o f stone (Jer 3 1 : 3 1 - 3 3 ) — m a d e possible because he w o u l d also give them "a new spirit" (Ezek 36:26). In Paul this theme finds expression in 2 C o r i n t h i a n s 3 : 1 - 6 , where the C o r i n t h i a n s are understood to be the recipients o f the new covenant in that they were "inscribed" by "the Spirit o f the living G o d " o n "tablets o f h u m a n - hearts" (v. 3 ) . Paul h i m s e l f is the minister o f this new covenant, w h i c h n o longer has to d o with "letter" but with the Spirit w h o gives life ( w . 5 - 6 ) . This same understanding lies b e h i n d the similar language in R o m a n s 7:5-6, as well as the "circumcision o f the heart by the Spirit" in R o m a n s 2:29, w h i c h echoes D e u t e r o n o m y 30:6 in terms o f fulfillment. 2. This "new spirit" is none other than God's Spirit, w h o will enable God's people to follow his decrees (Ezek 36:27). A s is evident in R o m a n s 8:3-4

and Galatians 5 : 1 6 - 2 5 ,

8

the Spirit's

fulfillment o f this theme is Paul's answer to the question o f what happens to righteousness if one does away with observance o f the Torah (the O l d Testament law). 3. God's Spirit means the presence o f G o d himself, in that b y putting "my Spirit in you . . . y o u will live" (Ezek 37:14). Again, Paul picks up this theme in 2 Corinthians 3:5-6. As the Spirit o f the living G o d , the Spirit provides for God's people the one essen­ tial reality about G o d . "The Spirit," Paul says in the context o f the new covenant, "gives life." Similarly, the language o f 1 Thessalonians 4:8 is expressly that o f Ezekiel 3 6 - 3 7 . A n y rejection o f holiness o n the part o f the Thessalonians is a rejection o f the G o d w h o "gives his H o l y Spirit 9

into y o u . " It is the presence o f the holy G o d himself, by his H o l y Spirit, w h o m they reject if they reject Paul's call to holy living. W e m a y conclude that for Paul, Christ has m a d e the new covenant effective for the people o f G o d through his death and resurrection; but the Spirit is the key to the new covenant as a fulfilled reality in the lives o f God's people.

16

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The Indwelling Spirit Intimately related t o the divine presence theme and the new covenant passages in the O l d Testament are the m a n y texts in Paul that speak o f the Spirit as dwelling in or a m o n g the people o f G o d . This theme is f o u n d first o f all in the texts that locate the Spirit within the be­ liever. T h e Spirit is spoken o f as being "in you/us" (1 Thess 4:8; 1 C o r 6:19; 14:24-25; E p h 5:18 [in the imagery o f "filling"]). T h e location o f "in you/us" is the "heart" (2 C o r 1:22; 3:3; G a l 4:6; R o m 2:29; 5:5). This in turn be­

It is especially with temple imagery that Paul designates the Spirit as the renewed presence of God

comes the language o f "dwelling in" (1 C o r 3:16; 2 C o r 6:16; R o m 8:9-11;

among his people.

Eph 2:22). T w o o f these passages (1 C o r 14:24-25 and 2 C o r 6:16) are especially instructive in that Paul cites O l d Testament texts that speak o f God's dwelling in the midst o f his people, w h i c h Paul now attributes to the presence o f the Spirit. W h e n pagans turn to the living G o d because their hearts have been exposed through the prophetic Spirit, Paul speaks o f this in the language o f Isaiah 45:14: "Surely G o d is a m o n g you." Similarly, in the temple imagery o f 2 Corinthians 6:16, which presupposes the presence o f the Spirit in the life o f the c o m m u n i t y from 1 Corinthians 3:16, Paul understands G o d to be present a m o n g his people. In making that point, he draws o n the language o f the new covenant promise o f Ezekiel 37:27: "I will dwell a m o n g them and they shall be m y people." This latter passage points toward the ultimate expression o f the language o f indwelling—in the imagery o f the temple.

T h e C h u r c h as G o d ' s Temple It is especially with temple imagery that Paul designates the Spirit as the renewed presence o f G o d a m o n g his people. This imagery occurs four times in Paul, three times in keeping with its

17

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O l d Testament precedents (1 C o r 3:16-17; 2 C o r 6:16; Eph 2:22), where G o d dwells in the midst o f the people by means o f taber­ nacle and temple, and once in keeping with the promised new covenant (1 C o r 6:19-20), where the "temple" is n o w the b o d y o f die believer, "who is in you, w h o m you have received from G o d . " First, then, Paul specifically ties the Spirit to temple imagery in the context o f the Spirit's presence in the midst o f the people o f G o d . Here is how the living G o d is now present with his people, expressed most clearly in Ephesians 2:22: the church is being raised up to b e c o m e a holy temple in the 1-ord, built u p together as "a dwelling for G o d by his Spirit." Here lies the significance o f 1 Corinthians 3 : 1 6 - 1 7 .

10

Paul's

introductory, "do y o u not know thai . . . " followed by "you are die temple o f G o d [in Corinth|," plus the argument in context, make clear diat the Spirit as fulfilling the temple/presence o f G o d m o t i f is the rich history that Paul has in m i n d . In context he is arguing with those w h o are in the process o f destroying the church in Corinth by dieir contention over leaders in the n a m e o f (merely h u m a n ) wisdom. In response Paul moves from words about the folly o f their making "lords" o f merely h u m a n servants in w . 5 - 9 , to words o f warning in w . 10-15 toward those currently leading the church in this disastrous direction, and finally to words that address die church itself in terms o f w h o they are as the people o f C o d in C o r i n t h — n a m e l y , God's temple in Corinth. Paul's use o f the temple imagery begins in v. 9 ("you [the church in CorinthJ are God's building"). Their foundation (Christ cruci­ fied) had been laid by the apostle, but at the time o f Paul's letter the superstructure was being erected with materials incompatible with that foundation (wood and straw, referring to their current fascination with w i s d o m and rhetoric). They must build widi enduring materials (gold, silver, costly stones = the gospel o f die Calcified O n e ) , imagery taken from the building o f Solomon's temple (1 C h r o n 29:2; 2 C h r o n 3:6). Then in v. 16 Paul asks rhetorically, "Do you not know what kind o f building y o u are? God's temple in Corinth!" As a gathered c o m m u n i t y , they formed the one temple o f the living G o d , God's alternative to Corinth's countless pagan temples; and what made them his alternative was the presence o f the Spirit in their midst.

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But the Corinthians were in the process o f dismantling God's temple, because their strife and fascination with w i s d o m meant the b a n i s h i n g o f the revealing a n d unifying Spirit f r o m their midst.

11

Hence this strongest o f warnings: the people responsible

for the destruction w o u l d themselves be destroyed by G o d . H e will d o this precisely because his temple, the place o f his presence, is holy; and "you the church in Corinth are that temple." T h e gath­ ered church is the place o f God's o w n personal presence, by the Spirit. This is what marks off God's new people from "all the other people on the face o f the earth" (Exod 33:16). There is not a more important word in all the N e w Testament as to the nature o f the local church than this one! The local church is God's temple in the c o m m u n i t y where it is placed; and it is so by the presence o f the Spirit alone, by w h o m G o d has n o w revisited his people. It is n o wonder, therefore, that Paul sees the expulsion o f the incestuous m a n from their corporate fellowship (they are not even to eat with h i m ) as ultimately leading to his salvation (1 C o r 5:1-13). Being put outside the place o f God's presence will apparently lead to his repentance, so that he m a y be saved, b y being once more a m o n g the people o f the Presence. This emphasis o n the church as God's temple, and therefore God's alternative to the pagan temples o f Corinth, also lies b e h i n d the identical imagery in 2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1. T h o s e in the church must c o m e out from the idolatry o f Corinth (repeating the prohibition o f 1 C o r 8 - 1 0 )

and purify themselves f r o m every

defdement, because they are God's temple, the place o f the eternal God's dwelling in Corinth. In urging his readers in Ephesians 4:30 "not to grieve the H o l y Spirit o f G o d , " Paul uses the language o f Isaiah 63:10, the o n e certain place in the O l d Testament where the concept o f t h e divine presence with Israel in tabernacle a n d temple is specifically equated with "the H o l y Spirit o f Yahweh." This equation is the basis o f Paul's warning. T h e divine presence in the form o f G o d ' s o w n Spirit, not an angel or envoy, journeyed with G o d ' s p e o p l e in the desert. By the H o l y Spirit, God's presence has n o w returned to his people, to indwell them corporately and individually s o that they might walk in his ways. Paul therefore urges the Ephesians not to repeat Israel's failure. They are not, through various sins o f

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discord dial destroy the "unity o f the Spirit" (4:3), to grieve the C o d w h o is present a m o n g them by his H o l y Spirit.

T h e Individual Believer as G o d ' s Temple In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Paul makes the remarkable transfer o f this imagery from the church to the individual believer. Thus G o d not only dwells in the midst o f his people" by the Spirit, but has likewise taken up residence in the lives o f his people individually by the same life-giving Spirit. The significance o f this transfer o f images should not be missed. The context has to d o with sexual immorality. Paul's concern is with the "sanctification" o f the believer. Reflecting an under­ standing o f the time that sharply distinguished between physical, material reality and the immaterial, invisible realm (Hellenistic dualism), s o m e Corinthians were suggesting that the h u m a n spirit was not affected by what happens to one's body, including having sex with prostitutes. But Paul will have n o n e o f that. The G o d w h o created us in his image created the b o d y as well as the spirit, and thus pronounced the material order to be g o o d . In this final m o m e n t o f argument with them, Paul appeals to the presence o f the Spirit in their lives in the context o f the saving work o f Christ. In "purchasing" them for God's glory, Christ also purchased their bodies, as evidenced by the H o l y Spirit, whose temple they are because G o d n o w dwells not in temples m a d e by h u m a n hands, but in temples constructed b y his o w n hands. Thus they are not their o w n , to d o with their bodies as they please. They belong to the G o d w h o purchased them through Christ's sacrifice and n o w indwells them by his S p i r i t .

12

In this text, as well as in 2 Corinthians 2:14-4:6, lies the secret to Paul's personal piety and to his understanding o f the Spirit in his o w n life. In b o t h cases the texts finally point outward; that is, the goal o f this dimension o f Spirit life is not simply contempla­ tion but the ethical life that the Spirit produces. Nonetheless, the personal dimension cannot be set aside. Indeed, the first location o f God's presence in the new covenant is within his people indi­ vidually, sanctifying their present existence and stamping it with his eternity.

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But as is often true o f imagery in Paul, by its flexibility it can take a different turn in another context. Part o f our way into a proper understanding o f 2 C o r i n -

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

thians 2:14-4:6 is again through the c o m b i n e d imagery of tabernacle/ temple and presence.

13

It begins in

2:17 with Paul's arguing regarding the validity o f his ministry—in contrast to the peddlers o f another gospel—that he makes his claim as o n e w h o "lives in the presence o f G o d . " This theme is then picked u p in 3:7

For Paul, the Spirit is not merely an impersonal force or influence or power. The Spirit is none

and carried through to the end by the contrast o f his ministry with that o f

other than the

Moses. This treatment evolves eventu­ ally into a kind o f midrash (that is,

fulfillment of the

a traditional Jewish explanation o f a Bible passage) o n Moses' being veiled when he c a m e from the presence o f G o d , whereas he was unveiled when he entered the tent o f the Presence. Believers are those w h o n o w turn to the Lord, w h o is here equated with

promise that God himself would once again be present with his people.

the Spirit o f the Lord, the key to God's presence in the present age. As with Moses, but n o w by the Spirit, we are unveiled as we enter the sanctuary to behold the glory o f the Lord. It is the play o n veil and Spirit that makes the argument so telling; the Spirit o f the Presence has n o w removed the veil—most likely also alluding to the veil keeping people away from God's presence within the temple. The result is that by the Spirit's c o m ­ ing, the veil is removed, both from our faces and from the Pres­ ence, so that we can behold the glory o f the Lord himself in the face o f God's S o n , our Lord Jesus Christ. Mere Paul enters the holy place. By the Spirit's presence one is n o w behind the veil in the very presence o f G o d , not only behold­ ing God's glory in Christ but also being transformed into God's likeness from one degree o f glory to another. Here the Abba-ay

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2

evolves into praise and adoration. Here too God's children are transformed from the likeness o f their former "father," the g o d o f this world w h o still blinds the hearts o f those w h o d o not believe (4:4), into the likeness o f G o d himself (3:18). W e n o w bear his image in our present "already but not yet" existence.

14

This is not

the only thing Paul believes the Spirit to be doing in our present world, but it is very significant, and we miss-Paul tjy a"wide margin if we d o not pay close attention to it. In sum: For Paul, the Spirit is not merely an impersonal force or influence or power. The Spirit is none other than the fulfillment o f the promise diat G o d himself would once again be present with his people. T h e implications o f this are considerable, not only in terms o f Paul's understanding o f G o d and the Spirit (the concern o f the next two chapters), but in terms o f what it means for us individually and corporately to be the people o f G o d (the concern o f chs. 6 - 1 4 ) . The Spirit is God's o w n personal presence in our lives and in our midst; he leads us into paths o f righteousness for his name's sake, he "is working all diings in all people," he is grieved when his people d o not reflect his character and thus reveal his glory, and he is present in our worship, as we sing "praise and honor and glory and power" to G o d and die Lamb. It is for God's people o f a later time like ours once more to grasp these realities by experiencing them, if we are truly to capture Paul's understanding. Perhaps a beginning point for us w o u l d be to downplay the impersonal images (wind, fire, etc.), as rich as they are in terms o f aspects o f the Spirit's ministry, and to retool our thinking in Paul's o w n terms, where we understand and experience the Spirit as the personal presence o f the eternal G o d . That is where the next two chapters fit in.

NOTES 1. As prophesied by Joel (Joel 2:28-30). Paul viewed this as the primary way the Spirit is present in the gathered community; see 1 Thess 5:19-22; ] Cor 11:4-5; 12:1-14:40; Rom 12:6; 1 Tim 4:14. See also the discussion in ch. 14 below.

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2. O n this matter see especially the discussion of 2 Cor 3:4-6 and Rom 2:29 in GEP; see also the discussion in ch. 9 below (pp. 100-104). 3. O n the theme of the divine presence as the key to biblical theology, see Samuel Terrien, The Elusive Presence: Toward a New Biblical Theology (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1978). 4. O n the significance of this motif for Paul, see the discussion on pp. 59-61 below. 5. For example, see the apocalyptic writer of 1 Enoch ("After this, the Righteous and Elect O n e will reveal the house of his congregation," 53:6; "1 went on seeing until the Lord of the sheep brought about a new house, greater and loftier than the first one," 90:29). 6. This is my own translation, although I have deliberately followed the language of the NIV or NRSV as much as possible. For v. 9 in particular, also following the NRSV, see GEP, 713-14. 7. It should be noted that in the Gospels of Matthew and John, Christ plays this role. In Matthew 1, for example, Zechariah is told that Jesus' name will be "Immanuel," that is, "God with us"; in ch. 12 Jesus, referring to himself, says diat "something greater than the temple is here"; and the Gospel concludes with the Risen lx>rd telling the disciples, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age." In John 1:14 the "Word" is said to "have tabernacled among us," so that "we beheld his glory, the glory of the one and only Son of the Father," who himself was full of the Father's attributes of "grace and truth |faithfulness]." The trinitarian implications of both Christ and the Spirit as fulfilling the renewed presence motif will be spelled out in ch. 4 below. 8. See the exegesis of these various passages in GEP. 9. See the discussion of this passage in GEP, 50-53, where the unusual Greek expression, translated "who gives his Spirit into you," is best under­ stood as coming from the Septuagint reading of Ezek 36:27 and 37:14. 10. For the exegesis supporting the conclusions expressed here, see GEP, 112-18. 11. Paul has just made the point that the Spirit whom they have received is also the one who reveals to us the wisdom in "God's folly," the cross (2:10; cf. 1:18-25); in 12:13 he will state that the Spirit makes the many of them, in all their diversity, one body in 12:13. 12. O n the further theological implications of this passage, see pp. 5859 below. 13. For the full exegesis of the Spirit passages in this larger section, see GEP, 296-321. 14. For this language, see ch. 5 below.

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3

THE HOLY W H O ? THE SPIRIT AS PERSON

As fulfillment of the renewed presence of God with his people, the Spirit was understood by Paul in personal terms. A student once told a colleague o f mine: " G o d the Father makes perfecdy g o o d sense to me; and G o d the S o n I can quite under­ stand; but the H o l y Spirit is a gray, o b l o n g blur." H o w many o f God's people can empathize! M o s t Christians have little trouble relating to the Father and the S o n because o f the personal images involved and the reality o f the incarnation—even though they know that G o d is Spirit (John 4:24). But it is otherwise with the Spirit, where Christian understanding falls considerably short o f personhood. This point was illustrated vividly for m e during the children's time o n Pentecost Sunday a few years ago. A g o o d friend was trying to portray the reality o f "Spirit" by blowing on a piece o f paper and letting it "fly" away. The Spirit is like that, she was 1

saying to the children; it is like the "wind," very real in its visible effects, even though the w i n d itself is invisible. At which point a six-year-old b o y blurted out, "But I want the w i n d to be un-invisible!" "Exactly!" I whispered to m y wife, M a u d i n e . "What a profound moment!" H o w often we all feel this way about G o d as Spirit, as H o l y Spirit. "I want the H o l y Spirit to be un-invisible!" A n d because he is not, because we see the effects but have n o personal

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images, we tend to think o f the Spirit in nonpersonal terms and refer to him as "it." Listen to our images: dove, wind, fire, water, oil. N o wonder m a n y regard the Spirit as a gray, o b l o n g blur and find him so difficult to understand and to relate to. T o paraphrase the creed, "We believe in G o d the Father, Almighty, Maker o f heaven and earth; and we believe in

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

m

Jesus Christ his S o n ; but we are not so sure about the H o l y Spirit."

Listen to our images:

O u r understanding o f G o d is for­

dove, wind, fire,

ever marked by the fact that in Christ he has been "fleshed out" at one point in our h u m a n history. Even if G o d seems distant, transcendent, "from eter­ nity to eternity," we are not in the dark about G o d and his character. As

water, oil. No wonder many regard the Spirit as a gray, oblong blur

Paul put it, the glory o f G o d has been imaged for us in the one true h u m a n

and find him so

w h o bears the divine image, Christ himself; and by beholding his "face"

difficult to understand

we see the glory o f the eternal G o d (2 C o r 3:18; 4:4, 6).

and to relate to.

The concern o f this chapter is that we must recognize the same to be true about the Spirit, not simply theoretically but really and experientially. The Spirit is not lightly called the Spirit o f Jesus Christ. Christ has put a h u m a n face o n the Spirit as well. N o t only has the c o m i n g o f Christ changed every­ thing for Paul, so too has the c o m i n g o f the Spirit. In dealing with the Spirit, we are dealing with n o n e other than the personal pres­ ence o f G o d .

THE HOLY SPIRIT AS PERSON Even t h o u g h Paul does not speak direcdy to the question o f the Spirit's person, several converging pieces o f evidence assure us that he understood the Spirit in personal terms, intimately associated with b o t h the Father and the Son, yet distinct from them.

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First, we must acknowledge that the Spirit is most frequently spoken o f in terms o f agency—diat

is, the Spirit is the agent o f

God's activity. It is also true dial such language does not necessar­ ily presume p e r s o n h o o d . Nonetheless, even a casual glance at the passages where Paul refers to the Spirit (or H o l y Spirit) shows how often agency finds personal expression.

2

For instance.The

Thessalonians' conversion is by the sanctifying work o f the Spirit (2 Thess 2:13; cf. 1 C o r 6:11; R o m 15:16), as is their accompany­ ing joy (1 Thess 1:6; cf. R o m 15:13). Revelation comes through the Spirit (1 C o r 2:10; Eph 3:5); and Paul's preaching is accompa­ nied by the power o f the Spirit (1 Thess 1:5). Prophetic speech and speaking in tongues result directly from speaking by the Spirit (1 C o r 12:3; 14:2, 16). By the Spirit the Romans are to put to death any sinful practices (Rom 8:13). Paul desires the Ephesians to be strengthened by means o f God's Spirit (Eph 3:16). Believers serve by the Spirit (Phil 3:3), love by the Spirit ( C o l 1:8), are sealed by the Spirit (Eph 1:13), and walk and live by the Spirit (Gal 5:16, 25). Finally, believers are "saved through washing by the Spirit, w h o m G o d poured out u p o n them" (Titus 3:5). O n the o n e h a n d , a passage like the last o n e m i g h t suggest agency in quite impersonal terms. T h e concept o f "pouring out" does not bring to m i n d the idea o f personhood; neither does the imagery of "washing" by the Spirit. O n the other h a n d , a careful look at most o f these passages and others indicates that person­ h o o d is either implied or presupposed, and that the language o f "pouring out" is imagery, pure a n d simple. This is especially evident in a passage like 1 Corinthians 6:11, where G o d "washes, justifies, and sanctifies" by the d o u b l e agency o f "the n a m e | authority] o f the Lord Jesus Christ" a n d "by the Spirit o f our G o d . " The point to make is that what Paul says o f the Spirit in terms o f agency parallels what he says in scores o f places about Christ, whose agency can only be personal. By implication, the Spirit's agency can hardly be less personal than that o f Christ. Moreover, one is struck by the scarcity o f impersonal images in Paul's letters. In contrast to Luke, he seldom speaks o f being filled with the Spirit; his primary language has to d o with God's "giving his Spirit 3

4

into you," or o f our "receiving" or "having" the Spirit. N o n e of

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these images implies personhood, but neither d o they imply what is impersonal, as so many other Spirit images d o (wind, fire, etc.). That Paul understands the Spirit as person is confirmed, sec­ ondly, by the fact that the Spirit is the subject o f a large n u m b e r o f verbs that d e m a n d a personal agent: T h e Spirit searches all things (1 C o r 2:10), knows the m i n d o f G o d (1 Cor 2:11),

leaches

the content o f the gospel to believers (1 C o r 2:13), dwells a m o n g or within believers (1 C o r 3:16; R o m 8:11; 2 T i m 1:14), accom­ plishes all things (1 C o r 12:11), gives life to those w h o believe (2 C o r 3:6), cries out from within our hearts ( G a l 4:6), leads us in the ways o f G o d ( G a l 5:18; R o m 8:14), bears witness with our o w n spirits ( R o m 8:16), has desires that are in opposition to the flesh (Gal 5:17), helps us in our weakness ( R o m 8:26), intercedes in our behalf ( R o m 8:26-27), works all things together for our 5

ultimate g o o d ( R o m 8:28), strengthens believers ( E p h 3:16), a n d is grieved by our sinfulness (Eph 4:30). Furthermore, the fruit o f the Spirit's indwelling are the personal attributes o f G o d ( G a l 5:22-23). S o m e o f diese texts seem to clinch the question o f Spirit as person, as for example Romans 8:16. The Spirit w h o gives us "adoption as sons," attested by his p r o m p t i n g within us the "Abba-cry," in turn, and for this reason, becomes the second (nec­ essary) witness

6

along with our o w n spirits to the reality o f our

being God's children. Likewise in R o m a n s 8:26-27, not only does the Spirit intercede in our behalf, thus "knowing us" being im­ plied, but we can be assured o f the effectiveness o f his intercession because " G o d knows the mind o f the Spirit," w h o in turn thus prays "according to God['s will]." Whatever else, this is the lan­ guage o f personhood, not that o f an impersonal influence or power. The term pneuma may have the imagery o f "wind" inherent in it, but Paul never uses it in this manner. Finally, the Spirit is sometimes the subject o f a verb or implied activity that elsewhere is attributed either to the Father or to the Son. For example, in successive passages in 1 Corinthians 12 Paul says o f G o d (the Father is implied) that he "produces" all these activities in all people (panta en pasin, v. 6), while in a similar sentence in v. 11 the Spirit is the subject o f the identical verb with a similar object (panta tauta, "all these things," n o w referring to the

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many Spirit manifestations enumerated in w . 8 - 10). Likewise, in Romans 8:11 the Father "gives life," while in 2 Corinthians 3:6 it is the Spirit; and in Romans 8:34 Christ "intercedes" for us, while a few verses earlier (8:26) this was said o f the Spirit. Similarly^but n o w with the Spirit as the object o f the verb, in consecutive sentences in Galatians 4:5-6 Paul asserts that "God sent forth his Son" and that "God sent forth the Spirit o f his Son" (cf. 1 C o r 6:11). Both the parallel and the fact that the activities o f the Son and o f the Spirit (redemption and crying out from within the heart o f die believer) are personal activities presuppose the Spirit as person. This evidence indicates clearly that for Paul the Spirit is not thought o f as "it," but as "person." But what does this mean in terms o f the nature o f G o d ? W h a t is the relationship between the Spirit and G o d and Christ? Is the language o f the later church, "one with, but distinct from" the other two persons o f the Trinity, a proper way o f expressing Paul's understanding? This last issue, and its implications for the contemporary church, will be taken u p in the next chapter. W e conclude this chapter by noting the rela­ tionship between the Spirit and G o d and Christ, which not only further indicates that the Spirit is personal, but also leads us into the next chapter by pointing us in the direction o f historical orthodoxy (that is, unity o f substance along with distinction o f persons in the Trinity).

THE SPIRIT AND THE GODHEAD O f over 140 occurrences o f pneuma ("S/spirit") in his letters, Paul uses the full name, H o l y Spirit, in seventeen instances. H e desig­ nates the Spirit as "the Spirit o f God"/"his Spirit" sixteen times, and as "the Spirit o f Christ," or its equivalent, three times. S o m e observations about this usage are in order.

The H o l y Spirit This full designation occurs only twice in the O l d Testament (Ps 51:11; Isa 63:10); nonetheless, it was picked u p by Christians as

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the full proper n a m e for the Spirit o f G o d . For all practical pur­ poses, it c a m e to be understood as the Spirit's "Christian" name. Paul uses the full n a m e at about the same ratio as he uses o f his full n a m e for Christ, "the Lord Jesus Christ," where name and title also blend as one reality. This usage in itself, and especially in a passage like 2 Corinthians 13:14 (see ch. 4 below), further indi­ cates that "distinct from" and "one with" is the Pauline presuppo­ sition about the Spirit.

T h e Spirit as t h e Spirit o f G o d Despite the fact that his understanding o f the Spirit has been forever stamped by the c o m i n g o f Christ, Paul nonetheless thinks of the Spirit primarily in terms o f the Spirit's relationship to G o d 7

(the Father). N o t only does he speak more often o f the "Spirit o f G o d " than o f the "Spirit o f Christ," but G o d is invariably the subject o f the verb when Paul speaks o f a person's receiving the Spirit. For example, G o d "sent forth the Spirit o f his S o n into our hearts" ( G a l 4:6), and G o d "gives" us his Spirit (1 Thess 4:8; 2 C o r 1:22; 5:5; G a l 3:5; R o m 5:5; Eph 1:17). This understanding is surely determined by Paul's O l d Testament roots, where C o d "fills with" (Exod 31:3) or "pours out" his Spirit (Joel 2:28), and the Spirit o f G o d comes o n people for all sorts o f extraordinary (charis­ matic) activities (e.g., N u m 24:2; Judg 3:10). T w o passages in particular give insight into Paul's understanding o f this primary, foundational relationship between G o d (the Fa­ ther) and the Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 2:10-12 he uses the analogy o f h u m a n interior consciousness (only one's "spirit" knows one's m i n d ) to insist that the Spirit alone knows the m i n d o f G o d . Paul's concern in this analogy is with the Spirit w h o m the Corinthians have received as the source o f our Christian understanding o f the cross as God's wisdom; nonetheless, the analogy itself draws the closest kind o f relationship between G o d and the Spirit. T h e Spirit alone "searches all things," even "the depths o f G o d " ; and because o f this unique relationship with G o d , the Spirit alone knows and reveals G o d ' s otherwise hidden wisdom (1 C o r 2:7). In R o m a n s 8:26-27 this same idea is expressed in reverse: G o d knows the m i n d o f the Spirit. A m o n g other matters, Paul is here

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c o n c e r n e d to show h o w the Spirit, in the presence o f our weak­ nesses a n d inability to speak for ourselves, is able t o intercede adequately o n our behalf. The effec­ tiveness o f the Spirit's intercession lies

The Spirit is both the interior expression of the unseen God's

precisely in the fact that G o d , w h o searches our hearts, likewise "knows the m i n d o f the Spirit," w h o is inter­ ceding for us. S o m e mystery is involved here, be­

personality and the

cause finally we are dealing with divine

visible manifestation

that Paul sees the Spirit as distinct

mysteries. There can be little question from G o d ; yet at the same d m e the

of God's activity in the

Spirit is b o t h the interior expression of the unseen God's personality and

world.

the visible manifestation o f God's ac­ tivity in the world. T h e Spirit is truly

G o d in action; yet he is neither simply an outworking o f God's personality nor all there is to say about G o d .

T h e Spirit "of G o d / o f Christ" G i v e n the preceding texts, the cause for w o n d e r is that Paul should also refer to the Spirit as "the Spirit o f Christ." That he does so at all says something far more significant about his view o f Christ than about his view o f the Spirit—although the latter is significant as well. Here is evidence for Paul's high Christology (his understanding o f Christ as fully G o d ) : that Paul, steeped in the O l d Testament understanding o f the Spirit o f G o d , should so easily, o n the basis o f his Christian experience, speak o f h i m as the Spirit o f Christ as well. A careful analysis o f all the texts in which Paul identifies the Spirit either as "the Spirit o f G o d " or as "the Spirit o f Christ" suggests that he customarily chose to use the qualifier "of G o d / Christ" w h e n he wanted to emphasize the activity o f either G o d or Christ that is being conveyed to the believer by the Spirit. Thus the church is God's temple because the Spirit "of G o d " dwells in its

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midst (1 C o r 3:16); or G o d gives his H o l y Spirit to those he calls to be holy (1 Thess 4:8). S o also in the three texts in which the Spirit is called the Spirit o f Christ, the emphasis lies on the work o f Christ. In Galatians 4:6 the emphasis is o n the believers' "sonship," evidenced by their having received "the Spirit o f God's Son," through w h o m they use the Son's language to address G o d . In R o m a n s 8:9 Paul seems to be deliberately tying together the work o f Christ in chapter 6 with that o f the Spirit in chapter 8, hence the evidence that they are truly God's people is that they are indwelt by the Spirit o f Christ. A n d in Philippians 1:19 Paul desires a fresh supply o f the Spirit o f Christ Jesus so that when he is on trial, Christ will be magnified, whether by life or by death. All this suggests that Paul uses these "of G o d / C h r i s t " qualifiers to indicate relationship or identification. That is, the Spirit to w h o m Paul is referring is the Spirit w h o is to be understood in terms o f his relationship either with G o d or with Christ. "God" and "Christ" in each case give identity to the Spirit, in terms o f what relationship Paul is referring to. Finally, in R o m a n s 8:9-11 Paul distinctly and absolutely identi­ fies "the Spirit o f G o d " with "the Spirit o f Christ." H e is referring to the o n e H o l y Spirit, w h o elsewhere is the Spirit o f G o d . In this text especially the unity o f Father, S o n , and Spirit is made certain. It remains only to explore briefly die relationship between Christ and the Spirit.

The Spirit as the Spirit o f Christ As noted earlier, in Christian theology in general and Paul's theology in particular, the c o m i n g o f Christ has forever marked our understanding o f G o d . The transcendent G o d o f the universe is henceforth k n o w n as "the father o f our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 C o r 1:3; Eph 1:3; 1 Pet 1:3), w h o "sent his Son" into the world to redeem us ( G a l 4:4-5). Likewise the c o m i n g o f Christ has forever marked our understanding o f the Spirit. T h e Spirit o f G o d is also the Spirit o f Christ (Gal 4:6; R o m 8:9; Phil 1:19), w h o carries o n the work o f Christ following his resurrection and subsequent as­ sumption o f the place o f authority at God's right hand. T o have

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received the Spirit o f G o d (1 C o r 2:12) is to have the m i n d o f Christ (v. 16). For Paul, therefore, Christ gives a fuller definition to the Spirit: Spirit people are G o d ' s children, fellow heirs with G o d ' s S o n ( R o m 8:14-17); they simultaneously k n o w the power o f Christ's resurrection a n d the fellowship o f his sufferings (Phil 3:10); at the same t i m e Christ is the absolute criterion for w h a t is truly Spirit activity (e.g., 1 C o r 12:3). T h u s it is fair t o say with s o m e that Paul's doctrine o f the Spirit is Christ-centered, in the sense that Christ a n d his work help define the Spirit and his work in the Christian life. But s o m e have pressed this relationship further, and in so d o i n g have seemed to miss Paul's o w n perspective. Based chiefly o n three 8

texts (1 C o r 6:17; 15:45; 2 C o r 3 : 1 7 - 1 8 ) , Paul is understood to speak o f the risen Lord in such a way as to identify h i m with the Spirit. T h e m a i n text is 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, where Paul's lan­ guage, "the Lord is the Spirit," seems to imply s o m e sort o f identification. In context, however, Paul is using a well-known form o f Jewish interpretation, in w h i c h the interpreter picks out one word from a biblical citation and gives its "true meaning" for a new context. Thus "the Lord is the Spirit" interprets "the Lord" just mentioned in v. 16, w h i c h is an allusion to Exodus 34:34. The "Lord" to w h o m w e turn, Paul says, has to d o with the Spirit. That is, "the Lord" is n o w to be understood in terms o f the Spirit's activity a m o n g us—the Spirit o f the new covenant, w h o brings freedom and transforms God's people into "the glory o f the Lord." Similarly, in the case o f both 1 Corinthians 6:17 and 15:45 the language has been dictated by their contexts, where contrasts set u p by the argument call forth the usage. Neither o f these passages identifies the Spirit with the risen Lord. That the risen Christ and the Spirit are clearly distinct from o n e another in Paul's thinking is demonstrated from all kinds o f evidence. Besides the passages discussed in the next chapter that i m p l y the Trinity, other texts indicate that the activities o f the risen Christ and the Spirit are kept separate in his understanding. This is true o f passages as diverse as R o m a n s 9:1, where the f o r m u l a "in Christ" a n d "by the Spirit" f u n c t i o n quite dif­ ferently—but characteristically—in o n e sentence,

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and R o m a n s

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T H E

G O D H E A D

15:30 ("through our Lord Jesus Christ a n d t h r o u g h the love o f the Spirit"), where the repeated Greek preposition dia ("through") indicates the twofold basis o f Paul's appeal. First, it is "through our Lord Jesus Christ," m e a n i n g "on the basis o f what Christ has d o n e for u s all as outlined in the argument o f this letter"; second, it is "through the love o f the Spirit," m e a n i n g "on the basis o f the love for all the saints, in c lu d in g myself, that the Spirit engenders." Perhaps the most significant text in this regard, thinking only o f passages where Christ and the Spirit appear in close proximity, is the c o m b i n a t i o n o f R o m a n s 8:26-27 (the Spirit intercedes for us) and 8:34 (Christ intercedes for us). O n the surface one c o u l d argue for identification in function; but what w e really get is the clearest expression o f distinction. The role o f the Spirit is o n earth, indwell­ ing believers in order t o help them in the weakness o f their present "already/not yet" existence and thereby to intercede in their behalf. The risen Christ is "located" in heaven, "at the right h a n d o f G o d , 10

making intercession for u s . " This text in particular, where Paul is not arguing for something but asserting it o n the basis o f a presup­ posed reality, negates altogether the idea that the Spirit in Paul's m i n d is to be identified with the risen Christ, either in essence or in function. Nonetheless, although Paul does not identify the Spirit and Christ, he does assume the same kind o f close relationship be­ tween the two as exists between the Spirit and G o d . Thus at times he moves easily from the mention o f the o n e to the other, espe­ cially w h e n using the language o f indwelling (e.g., R o m 8:9-10, from "have the Spirit o f Christ" to "Christ is in you"; cf. Eph 3:16-17). Accordingly, when Paul in Galatians 2:20 speaks o f Christ as living in h i m , he almost certainly means "Christ lives in m e by his Spirit," referring to the o n g o i n g work o f Christ in his life that is being carried out by the indwelling Spirit. This fluid use o f language most likely results from the fact that Paul's concern with both Christ and the Spirit is not with the nature o f their being G o d , but with their role in salvation and Christian experience. It is in examining this concern o f Paul's that we meet the Trinity in his writings; and to this matter w e turn in chapter 4.

33

C H A P T E R

3

In sum: Whatever else, in Paul's thinking and experience, the H o l y Spirit is not some kind o f "it," an impersonal force that comes from G o d . The Spirit is fully personal, indeed, in the language of a later time, " G o d very G o d . " T h e implications o f this mous. Whereas we pay lip ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

We must not merely cite the creed, hut ,

for the contemporary church are enor­ service to this reality in our trinitarian confessions, in practice the majority o f Christians tend toward believing in the "oblong blur" o f m y y o u n g stu­ dent friend o f m a n y years ago. The result is that the implications o f the

,

believe and experience the presence of God in

renewed S p i r U

fa

t h e

o f G o d by his

p r e c e d i n g

c h a p t e r

S C a r c e , y

i n ^ ^ e l i e v e r s in o n e direction or the other. Surely the reality

J

the person of the Spirit.

presence

n o t e d

t

h

a

t

G

o

d

i s

Personally present in and a m o n g us should encourage us through

the exigencies and weaknesses o f our present life, not to mention revitalize us w h e n our shoulders droop and our hands grow weary. T h e c o m i n g of the H o l y Spirit in and a m o n g us means that the living G o d , in the person of the Spirit, is indeed with us. A n d he is present, as we will point out in later chapters, as an empowering presence. Here, then, is o n e o f the shifts that must take place in our thinking and experience if w e are to be biblical, and dius more effective, in our postmodern world. W e must not merely cite the creed, but believe and experience the presence o f G o d in the person o f the Spirit.

NOTES 1. Both Greek pneuma and Hebrew ruah can mean either "spirit" or "wind," depending on context (cf. the play on this usage in John 3:5). 2. For a list of these passages in their various formulations, see ch. 2 in GEP. 3. See GEP on 1 Thess 4:8; cf. 2 Cor 1:22; 5:5; Rom 5:5; Eph 1:17; 2 Tim 1:7; cf. "the supply of the Spirit" in Gal 3:5 and Phil 1:19.

34

N O T E S

4. For "receive" see GEP on 1 Cor 2:12; 2 Cor 11:4; Cai 3:2, 14; Rom 8:15; for "have" see 1 Cor 2:16; 7:40; Rom 8:9. 5. For this understanding of Rom 8:28, see GEP, 587-90. 6. That is, Paul is reflecting his biblical heritage that everything shall be established by two or three witnesses (Deut 19:15); cf. 2 Cor 13:1. 7. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the word "God" in Paul always refers to G o d the Father. 8. For a full exegesis of these three texts, see the appropriate places in GEP. Some also appeal to Rom 1:3-4 and 8:9-10 (see, e.g., N . Q . Hamil­ ton, The Holy Spirit and Eschatology in Paul [SJTOP 6; Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd, 1957] 10-15); however, these texts do not suggest any identifica­ tion; indeed, they demonstrate the opposite. See the discussions in GEP, ch. 7. 9. See GEP, 833 n. 19. 10. Cf. Arthur W. Wainwright, The Trinity in the New Testament (London: SPCK, 1962) 260.

35

GOD IN THREE PERSONS—THE SPIRIT AND THE TRINITY

Along with their experience of Christ, the experience of the Spirit as the renewed presence of God expanded the earliest Christians' and Paul's understanding of the one God as triune. Rose was a n o m i n a l Christian, w h o in her adult years had basically abandoned any relationship to the Christian faith. O n e day two people came to her door with a new brand o f "Christian­ ity," which in truth was nothing new at all. The Jehovah's Wit­ 1

nesses w h o visited her were self-aware Arians, w h o not only deny the deity o f Christ but have n o knowledge or experience o f the Spirit as the personal presence o f G o d . They offered Rose a simplistic faith, one in which the mystery o f the Trinity was removed; and in her o w n spiritual emptiness she bought it—hook, line, and sinker. In a long afternoon o f conversation with Rose and two o f the leaders from her K i n g d o m Hall, m y son Mark and I carefully went through all the christological texts with them—texts with w h i c h they were familiar, albeit in a superficial and rote way—but con­ tinually reached dead ends. Toward the end o f the afternoon, however, Mark asked them about their experience o f the H o l y Spirit. They drew a total blank. T h e "holy spirit" was for them n o person at all, but only an "influence" from G o d in our behalf. W h e n we began to describe our life in the Spirit, they became

36

G O D

IN

T H R E E

P E R S O N S

noticeably ill at ease, and the conversation came t o a speedy end. N o t only had we begun to enter an area where they had n o trained response; but also the one essential ingredient to their b e c o m i n g believers in Christ was clearly missing—the pouring out o f the Spirit into their lives so as to cry "Abba, Father" t o Jehovah. Through that experience I became convinced that the reason Rose, and so m a n y others like her, get trapped by this present-day Arianism is only in part because the Trinity is a mystery (most people, after all, prefer to reduce G o d to a size that their o w n minds can grasp, a n d thus control); it is also because they have been let d o w n by the church, which continually treats the Spirit as a matter o f creed and doctrine, but not as a vital experienced reality in believers' lives. Indeed, o n this matter, the Jehovah's Witnesses are abetted by a large number o f N e w Testament scholars. S o m e deny that Paul was a trinitarian at all; others, even a m o n g those w h o are very orthodox, are skittish o f using the language o f Trinity" to describe the N e w Testament witness. Part o f the problem here is o n e o f definitions. 'Trinity" is the language o f later thinkers, w h o landed o n this w o r d to express the church's faith in the one G o d , w h o m they knew to be a unity o f three divine Persons.

2

Thus it is

c o m m o n to assert that if the N e w Testament reflects "trinitarianism," it does so in an embryonic way, so that, whatever else, it was 3

not the trinitarianism o f a later day such as C h a l c e d o n . But that seems so self-evident that o n e wonders w h y it needs to have been repeated so often. The problem with such wariness is that its frequent repetition finally comes h o m e t o roost—such protests too often lead to practical denial. W e are led to wonder, then, whether our difficulties with the Trinity d o not stem in part from our o w n experience o f the church and the Spirit, where the Spirit is understood not as person but as divine influence or power. After all, it is a short step from our experience o f the Spirit as a "gray, o b l o n g blur" to our b e c o m i n g 4

practical binitarians. As noted earlier, the practicing creed for many Christians goes something like, "I believe in G o d the Father; 1 believe in Jesus Christ, God's S o n ; but 1 wonder about the H o l y Ghost." The Spirit has become God's specter, if y o u will, an u n ­ seen, less than vibrant influence, hardly " G o d very G o d . "

37

C H A P T E R

4

The concern o f this chapter is that Paul was trinitarian at the core o f his experience a n d theology, and that such a trinitarian under­ standing makes a difference in our o w n relationship to G o d .

PAUL AND THE TRINITY T o be sure, Paul's experience and understanding o f the Spirit as God's personal presence inevitably leads us into some deep theo­ logical waters. At issue for us is how G o d exists in his essential

j^^g/^^^^^^g^^^B Paul was trinitarian ^ ^

r

i .

at the core of his '

experience and theology.

being as triune. H o w can G o d be k n o w n as Father, S o n , and Spirit, o n e b e i n g

y e t

.

e a c h

l p e r s o n

.

d i s t i n c t

f r o m

the other? W e tend to think that a

.

.

.

.

.

person is not a true tnnitanan unless t h a t

e r s o n

h

a

s

a

w

o

r

k

i

n

P 8 formula­ tion in response to this question. T ° put the question this way, how­

ever, is to get ahead o f Paul, not to mention to define trinitarianism by later standards. W h a t makes this an issue for us at all is that Paul, the strictest o f monotheists, w h o never doubted that "the Lord thy G o d is one," wrote letters to his churches that are full o f presuppositions and assertions which reveal that he experienced G o d , and then expressed that experience, in a fundamentally trinitarian way. That he does not deal with the theological issues this trinitarian­ ism w o u l d pose for a monotheistic Jew only points again to Paul's letters as practical rather than theological documents. Paul was writing not to present a study o f G o d , but to build u p churches and address gut issues about their being God's people in a totally pagan environment. H e was too busy being a missionary pastor to have the luxury o f purely reflective theology. Thus Paul affirms, asserts, and presupposes die Trinity in every way; and those af­ firmations—that the one G o d known and experienced as Father, Son, and H o l y Spirit, each distinct from the other, is yet only o n e G o d — a r e precisely the reason the later church took u p the ques­ tion o f how.

38

T H E

S P I R I T

A N D

T H E

T R I N I T Y

The affirmations stem first from his experience o f the risen Christ as "Lord," the O l d Testament language for G o d , about w h o m he spoke as the preexistent S o n o f G o d (e.g., 2 C o r 8:9; G a l 4:6-7) and to w h o m he attributed every imaginable activity that Paul's Judaism reserved for G o d alone. In contrast to pagan poly­ theism, Paul asserts, "for us there is only one G o d , the Father, and only one Lord, Jesus Christ" (1 C o r 8:6); yet at the end o f the ages, when the final victory o f death is w o n through our resurrection, the S o n turns it all over to the Father so that the one G o d "may be all in all" (1 C o r 15:28). Given such affirmations and assertions, there can be little ques­ tion that the early church w o u l d have finally expressed itself in a b/nitarian way had it never d o n e so in a trinitarian way. That die issue is Trinity, not binity, comes directly out o f the church's personal encounter with G o d through die Spirit as put forth in the preceding two chapters. At issue, therefore, and our present concern, is what Paul be­ lieved about the Spirit, since the Trinity expresses the Christian conviction about G o d not only as o n e being in three persons, but as one G o d in three persons, including G o d the H o l y Spirit. The question is, D i d Paul in fact have a trinitarian faith, even if he did not use the language o f a later time to describe G o d ? Analysis o f the Pauline data suggests that he d i d .

5

THE SPIRIT AND THE TRINITY At the heart o f Paul's theology is his gospel, and his gospel is essentially about salvation—God's

saving a people for his n a m e

through the redeeming work o f Christ and the applying work o f the Spirit. Paul's encounter with G o d in salvation, as Father, S o n , and H o l y Spirit, alone accounts for the transformation o f his 6

theological language and o f his understanding o f G o d . In light o f this reality and the great number o f texts that support it—widi trinitarian language—these passages rightly serve as the starting point for any study o f the Trinity in Paul. The evidence here is found in two sets o f texts: several explicitly trinitarian texts (2 C o r 13:14; 1 C o r 12:4-6; Eph 4:4-6) and the

39

C H A P T E R

4

m a n y passages where Paul encapsulates "salvation in Christ" in trinitarian terms, sometimes in semicreedal fashion, but always in nonreflective, presuppositional ways.

T h e Trinitarian Texts The remarkable grace-benediction o f 2 Corinthians 13:14 offers us all kind-, o f theological keys to Paul's understanding o f salva­ 7

tion and o f G o d himself. That the benediction is composed and intended for the occasion rather than as a broadly applicable formula only increases its importance in hearing Paul. Thus what he says here in prayer appears in a thoroughly presuppositional way—not as something he argues for, but as the assumed, experi­ enced reality o f Christian life. First, it summarizes the core elements o f Paul's unique passion: the gospel, with its focus o n salvation in Christ, equally available by faith to Gentile and Jew alike. That the love of God is the foundation o f Paul's view o f salvation is stated with passion and clarity in passages such as R o m a n s 5:1-11, 8:31-39, and Ephe­ sians 1:3-14. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is what gave concrete expression to that love; through Christ's suffering and death o n behalf o f his loved ones, G o d accomplished salvation for them at one m o m e n t in h u m a n history. The participation

in the Holy Spirit continually makes that love

and grace real in the life o f the believer and the believing c o m m u ­ nity. The koindnia ("fellowship/participation") of the Holy

Spirit

(note the full name!) is h o w the living G o d not only brings people into an intimate and abiding relationship with himself, as the G o d o f all grace, but also causes them to participate in all the benefits o f that grace and salvation—that is, by indwelling them in the present with his o w n presence and guaranteeing their final es­ chatological glory. Second, this text also serves as our entree into Paul's under­ standing o f G o d , which had been so radically affected for h i m by the twin realities o f the death and resurrection o f Christ and the gift o f the Spirit. Granted, Paul does not here assert the deity o f Christ and the Spirit. What he does is to equate the activity o f the three divine Persons (to use the language o f a later time) in concert

40

T H E

S P I R I T

A N D

T H E

T R I N I T Y

and in one prayer, with the clause about G o d the Fadier standing in second place. This suggests that Paul was truly trinitarian in any meaningful sense o f that term—that the o n e G o d is Father, S o n , and Spirit, and that w h e n dealing with Christ and the Spirit one is dealing with G o d every bit as m u c h as w h e n one is dealing with die Father. Thus this benediction, while making a fundamental distinction a m o n g G o d , Christ, and Spirit, also expresses in short­ hand form what is found throughout his letters, namely, that "salvation in Christ" is the cooperative work o f G o d , Christ, and the Spirit.

8

The same fully trinitarian implications appear in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 and Ephesians 4:4-6. In the former passage Paul urges the Corinthians to broaden their perspective and to recognize die rich diversity o f the Spirit's manifestations in their midst (over against their apparendy singular interest in speaking in tongues). H e be­ gins in w . 4 - 6 by noting that diversity reflects the nature o f G o d and is therefore the true evidence o f the work o f the one G o d in their midst. Thus the Trinity is presuppositional to the entire argument, and it is die more telling precisely because it is so unstudied, so freely and unconsciously expressed. In Ephesians 4:4-6

o n e finds the same c o m b i n a t i o n as in

2 Corinthians 13:14—a creedal formulation expressed in terms o f the distinguishable activities o f the triune G o d . The basis for Christian unity is the one G o d . The one b o d y is the work o f the one Spirit (cf. 1 C o r 12:13), by w h o m also we live our present eschatological existence in one hope, since the Spirit is the "down payment on our inheritance" (Eph 1:13-14). All o f this has been made possible for us by our one Lord, in w h o m all have o n e faith and to which faith all have given witness through one baptism. The source o f all these realities is the o n e G o d himself, "who is over all and through all and in all." If the last phrase in this passage reemphasizes the unity o f the one G o d , w h o is ultimately responsible for all things—past, pre­ sent, and future—and subsumes the work o f the Spirit and the S o n under that o f G o d , the entire passage at the same time puts into creedal form the affirmation that G o d is experienced as a triune reality. Precisely on the basis o f such experience and language the later church maintained its biblical integrity by expressing all o f

41

C H A P T E R

4

this in explicitly trinitarian language. Paul's formulations, which include the work o f the Spirit, form part o f that basis.

Salvation in C h r i s t as the W o r k o f the Trinity That the work o f the Trinity in salvation is foundational to Paul's understanding o f the gospel is further evidenced by the many texts that formulate salvation in less explicit, but fully presuppositionally trinitarian terms. This is especially true of passages such as R o m a n s 5:1-8; 2 Corinthians 3:1-4:6; Calatians 4:4-6; or Ephe­ sians 1:3-14 (cf. Titus 3:4-7). As an example, we m a y take Romans 5:1-8. As everywhere, the Spirit plays a vital role in Paul's and his churches' experience o f God's saving grace. For Paul the "love o f G o d " was no mere ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

abstraction. God's love, the most es­ sential reality about his character and

For Paul the "love of

the absolute predicate of our exist-

God

ence, has been demonstrated historiexpansive

, ^

was no mere .

abstraction.

c a l l y

i n

i t s

m

o

s

t

l a v i s h

a

n

d

expression through Christ's death for

,.

.

,

°

r

.

. . . .

his enemies ( w . 6-8, thus the basis for "peace with G o d " and "access" to his gracious presence). But such love is not merely an objective historical event. By the presence o f the Spirit, God's love, played out to the full in Christ, is an experienced reality in the heart o f the believer. This is what the Spirit has so richly "shed abroad in our hearts." If we are not thus overtaken by G o d himself at this crucial point, then all else is lost, and we are without peace, groveling before G o d , living with little real hope, and experiencing present sufferings as a cause for complaint and despair rather than for "boasting." W h a t rectifies all o f this for us is not simply the fact o f God's love—although in s o m e ways that w o u l d surely be e n o u g h — b u t that G o d ' s love has been effectively realized in the experience o f the believer. G o d ' s love for us has

been

"poured out" as a prodigal, experienced reality by the presence o f the H o l y Spirit, w h o m G o d has also lavishly poured out into our hearts.

42

9

T H E

S P I R I T

A N D

T H E

T R I N I T Y

But besides these grand, well-known m o m e n t s in Paul, this trinitarian understanding o f salvation is also evident in m a n y other texts that portray salvation as the threefold work o f the triune G o d , as encapsulated in 2 Corinthians 13:14:'° —

First Thessalonians 1:4-5, where the love o f G o d has made election effective t h r o u g h the gospel (the message about Christ) empowered by die H o l y Spirit.

—

Second Thessalonians 2:13, where God's people are "be­ loved by the Lord (through his death)," because G o d elected them for salvation through the sanctifying work o f the Spirit.

—

First Corinthians 1:4-7, where God's grace has been given in Christ Jesus, w h o in turn has enriched the church with every kind o f Spirit gifting.

—

First Corinthians 2:4-5, where Paul's preaching o f Christ crucified (v. 2) is accompanied by the Spirit's power so that the Corinthians' faith might rest in G o d .

—

First Corinthians 2:12, where "we have received the Spirit that comes from G o d , " so that we might k n o w the things given to us ("in the cross" is implied in context) by G o d .

—

First Corinthians 6:11, where G o d is the implied subject o f the "divine passives" (you were washed, justified, sancti­ fied), accomplished in the n a m e o f Christ and by the Spirit.

—

First Corinthians 6:19-20, where the believer has been pur­ chased (by Christ; cf. 7:22-23) so as to b e c o m e a temple for God's presence by the Spirit.

—

Second Corinthians 1:21-22, where G o d is the o n e w h o has "confirmed" believers in a salvation accomplished by Christ, C o d ' s "Yes" ( w . 1 9 - 2 0 ) , proved by his giving the Spirit as "down payment."

—

Galatians 3:1-5, where Christ crucified (v. 1, picking u p o n 2:16-21) is conveyed to believers by the Spirit, w h o m G o d yet "supplies" a m o n g them (v. 5).

—

R o m a n s 8:3-4, where G o d sent his S o n to d o what the law could not d o in terms o f securing salvation, and the Spirit does what the law could not d o in terms o f accomplishing

43

C H A P T E R

4

righteous behavior in the believer's life ("walking" = living in the ways o f G o d ) . —

R o m a n s 8:15-17, where the G o d - g i v e n Spirit serves as evi­ dence o f "adoption" as children, and thus "joint heirs" with Christ, w h o m a d e it all possible.

—

Colossians 3:16, where in worship it is all played in reverse: as the message o f Christ "dwells richly a m o n g them," they worship the G o d from w h o m salvation has c o m e , by means o f Spirit-inspired songs.

—

Ephesians 1:17, where the G o d o f our Lord Jesus Christ gives the Spirit o f wisdom and reveladon so that they may un­ derstand the full measure o f the work o f Christ in their behalf.

—

Ephesians 2:18, where "through [the death of] Christ" ( w . 1 4 - 1 6 ) Jew and Gentile together have access to G o d by the one Spirit, w h o m b o t h alike have received.

—

Ephesians 2:20-22, where Christ is the "cornerstone" for the new temple, the place o f God's dwelling by his Spirit.

—

Philippians 3:3, where believers serve ("God" is implied) by the Spirit o f G o d and thus boast in the effective work o f Christ Jesus.

The point o f all this is that salvation in Christ is not simply a theological truth, predicated o n God's prior action and the histori­ cal work o f Christ. Salvation is an experienced reality, m a d e so by the person o f the Spirit c o m i n g into our lives. O n e simply cannot be a Christian in any Pauline sense without the effective work o f the Trinity. W e will pursue this truth in greater detail in chapter 8 below. For n o w we offer a few concluding words about the Trinity and its further implications for our present life in Christ.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS The upshot o f all this is twofold. First, to return to the preced­ ing chapter for a m o m e n t , Paul w o u l d n o t recognize the lan­ guage or the theological assertions o f those w h o consider h i m t o

44

C O N C L U S I O N S

A N D

I M P L I C A T I O N S

have identified t h e Spirit with the risen Christ. H i s assumptions lay elsewhere, w i t h t h e o n e G o d , n o w bringing salvation through

^g^gggg^^^^g/^

the cooperative w o r k o f the three divine Persons: Father, S o n , a n d Spirit. At points where t h e w o r k o f a n y or

Salvation is an

all overlaps, Paul's l a n g u a g e tends t o be f l e x i b l e - p r e c i s e l y b e c a u s e s a l vation for h i m is t h e activity o f the

,

experienced reality, ^

$

one G o d . Second, o n e m a y grant that Paul's

Q

fo

^

'

f

0

t h e

S p i r i t

c o m

j

n g

trinitarian a s s u m p t i o n s and descrip­ tions, w h i c h form the basis o f the later

into our lives.

formulas, never m o v e toward calling the Spirit " G o d " a n d never wrestle with the philosophical a n d theological i m p l i c a t i o n s o f those assumptions and descriptions. But neither is there evidence that he lacked clarity as to the distinc­ tions between, a n d the specific roles of, the three divine Persons w h o accomplished s o great salvation for us all. Moreover, that the Spirit alone knows the m i n d o f G o d , "the deep things o f G o d , " as Paul puts it, a n d that G o d knows the m i n d o f the Spirit indicate n o t only functional trinitarianism, but some­ thing close to ontological trinitarianism (having to d o with God's very being). S o also with the clear evidence o f the Spirit's unity with C h r i s t — i n receiving a fresh supply o f the Spirit, it is the Spirit o f Jesus Christ w h o m Paul receives—yet the clear distinctions between Christ a n d the Spirit. But w h a t does such trinitarianism mean for us? Several things. First, it means that the Spirit must be reinstated into the Trinity, where he has never been excluded in our creeds and liturgies, but has been practically excluded from the experienced life o f the church. T o b e a Pauline Christian means to take die Spirit with full seriousness as the w a y the eternal G o d is ever present with his people. Second, G o d as Trinity, including the H o l y Spirit, is the ground o f both our unity and our diversity within the believing c o m m u ­ nity. A l t h o u g h we will pursue this point further in chapter 6, suffice it here to say that the Trinity is the ground for the church's much-needed unity. G o d himself—Father, S o n , a n d H o l y Spirit—

45

C H A P T E R

4

is o n e G o d ; and we are all his one people. The effective agent o f our unity, according to Paul in Ephesians 2 and 3 (cf. 1 C o r 12:13), is n o n e other than the H o l y Spirit. But a c c o r d i n g to 1 C o r i n t h i a n s 12:4-6, the Trinity is also the ground

The Spirit must be reinstated into the Trinity, where he has never been excluded

for affirming the church's obvious di­ versity within its unity. The more truly trinitarian we are in our thinking and experience, the m o r e vigorously we should affirm our diversity and pur­ sue our unity. Finally, although Paul does not press

in our creeds and

this point, the triune nature o f G o d

liturgies, but has been

relational being. This reality, especially

makes clear that G o d is essentially a the relationship between the Father

practically excluded

and the S o n , is one o f the special con­ tributions o f J o h n in the N e w Tes­

from the experienced life of the church.

tament. If Paul does not press this reality as explicitly as J o h n does, the offhand mention o f the relationship between the Spirit a n d the Father in

1 Corinthians 2:10-11 and R o m a n s 8:26-27 comes out at the same point. The Spirit, w h o reveals to us the "deep things o f G o d " (that is, the cross as God's w i s d o m ) , does so because he alone knows the m i n d o f G o d ; and the Spirit is our intercessor, w h o prays through us in keeping with God's o w n pleasure, precisely because the Spirit and the Father each knows the m i n d o f the other. This not only gives us confidence in our praying, but s h o u l d constantly remind us that the one G o d lives in eternal relation­ ship within himself as the triune G o d . T h e relational implica­ tions o f this for us, b o t h toward G o d a n d toward o n e another, s h o u l d b e c o m e a primary part o f our paradigm o f life in the Spirit as we live together the life o f the future in our p o s t m o d e r n world.

46

N O T E S

NOTES 1. Anus was a bishop in Alexandria who at the beginning of the fourth century argued that "there was a time when Christ was not," thus positing Christ as a divine being, to be sure, but a created one, who was not fully equal with God. It took the Jehovah's Witnesses many decades to discover that diey were Arians. Since that day diey stopped "witnessing" about "kingdom" issues, as had been their wont, and instead pursued their anti-trinitarian Arianism with full and knowledgeable vigor. 2. And even our term "Person" causes all kinds of difficulties, partly because it stems from a Latin word that does not cany all the baggage that our word does. For example, our word "person" implies self-consciousness, so that "three Persons" should mean three separate and distinct expres­ sions of "self-consciousness," but neither die Greek hypostasis nor the l^tin persona carries such a nuance. 3. The fifth-century ecumenical council at whidi was drafted die ortho­ dox formulation of the Trinity that still stands today in both the Catholic and Protestant traditions. 4. Pinnock ("Concept," 2): "Modern Christians are largely content to be trinitarian in belief, but binitarian in practice"; he notes that much the same had been said by A. M . Hunter (interpreting Paul's Gospel |London: S C M , 1954| 112) and F. C . Synge ('The Holy Spirit and the Sacraments," Scottish Journal of Theology 6 [1953| 65). 5. O n this whole question, and especially on Paul as a trinitarian, see the section entitled "What About the Trinity?" by David Ford, in Frances Young and David Ford, Meaning and Truth in 2 Corinthians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987) 255-60. 6. So also Pinnock, "Concept," 116-18, who likewise notes that the later expression of trinitarian faith grows out of a trinitarian encounter widi die one G o d in his saving work. 7. For a thorough analysis of this text, see GEP, 362-65. 8. To return to an issue raised in ch. 3 above, affirmations like this also shut down all possibilities that Paul could ever identify the risen Christ with the Spirit. 9. See GEP, 777-84, on Titus 3:5-6. O f all my memories of the Pente­ costal tradition in which 1 was reared (which differs in many significant respects from that of today), I suppose this particular expression of "Pen­ tecostal spirituality" has left its most indelible imprint on my conscious­ ness. Here were people—often poor, and sometimes suffering, people— whose experience of the Spirit in "Spirit baptism" had assured them of God's love and of their own future glory. The gospel songs on which I was raised were the most constant reinforcement of this reality. If to the outsider we seemed to be looking for "pie in the sky" and living as

47

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4

escapists (cf. Robert Mapes Anderson, Vision of the Disinherited [1979; reprint, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1992]), in fact we were merely expressing what we believed Paul and his churches also to have experi­ enced—that G o d loves us despite outward appearances to the contrary. And it was our experience of the Holy Spirit, who poured out this love of God into our hearts, that gave us this certainty. 10. For a complete list of relevant texts (all of which are analyzed in CEP), see GEP, 48, n. 39.

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5

THE BEGINNING OF THE END—THE SPIRIT AS EVIDENCE OF THE "PRESENCE OF THE FUTURE"

The visitation of God through the Spirit establishes believers as a thoroughly eschatological people, who live the life of the future in the present as they await the

consummation.

At a recent coffee hour with students in the Regent College atrium, o n e student asked, "If y o u were to return to the pastoral ministry, what w o u l d you d o [meaning, H o w w o u l d y o u g o about it? W h a t w o u l d y o u emphasize?]?" M y answer was immediate: " N o matter h o w l o n g it might take, I w o u l d set about with a single passion to help a local b o d y of believers recapture the N e w Testa­ ment church's understanding o f itself as an eschatological c o m m u ­ nity." I then set about to explain why, and what that might look like in the present day. 1 have n o illusions that it w o u l d be easy, I further explained. T h e o n e feature that probably more than any other distances the N e w Testament church from us is the thoroughgoing eschatological per­ spective from w h i c h believers viewed everything that G o d had wrought through Christ and the Spirit. Eschatology has to d o with the time o f the E n d , and refers first o f all to Jewish expectations that G o d through his Messiah w o u l d

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bring a dramatic end to the "present age." This in turn would be followed by the "coming age," signaled by the resurrection o f the dead and the gift o f the promised H o l y Spirit. These expectations may be diagrammed as in figure 1. THE END

THE PRESENT AGE

TMC COMING AGO (= THE KINGDOM OF GOD)

Satan's time sin sickness death no Spirit

God's time righteousness wholeness resurrection the Spirit

Figure 1. A unique twist to this end-time expectation conditioned the earliest Christians' existence in every way; a n d the outpoured Spirit was essential to this new understanding. T h e first Christians be­ lieved that the fulfillment o f God's O l d Testament covenant prom­ ises h a d begun with the work o f Christ and their experience o f the promised Spirit. In their view they were already living in the beginning o f the end times. Their new perspective, which condi­ tioned everything about them, m a y be sketched as in figure 2. THE END

BEGUN

The Present Age The time of "the flesh"

CONSUMMATED

BETWEEN THE TIMES

Figure 2.

so

'Pie Coming Age The time of the Spirit

P A U L ' S

E N D - T I M E

P E R S P E C T I V E

The first clue to this outlook came from Jesus' o w n proclama­ tion o f the k i n g d o m — a s a present reality in his ministry, al­ though still a future event. But it was the resurrection o f Christ and the gift o f the promised Spirit that completely altered the primitive church's perspective, b o t h about Jesus and about the people o f G o d . In place o f the totally future, still-to-come endtime expectation o f their Jewish roots, with its h o p e o f a c o m i n g Messiah a c c o m p a n i e d by the resurrection o f the dead, the early believers recognized that the future had already been set in m o t i o n . The resurrection o f Christ marked the b e g i n n i n g o f the End, the turning o f the ages. However, the End had only begun; they still awaited the final event, the ( n o w second) c o m i n g o f their Messiah Jesus, at w h i c h time they too would experience the resurrection/transformation o f the body. They lived "between the times"; already the future had begun, not yet had it been completely fulfilled. This already/not yet perspective, in which they believed themselves already to be living in the time o f the E n d , even though it was yet to be consummated, is the eschatological framework that determines everything about t h e m — h o w they lived, h o w they thought, and h o w they under­ stood their o w n place in the present world, which was n o w under­ stood to be o n its w a y out.

PAUL'S END-TIME PERSPECTIVE 1

This new perspective about the end times absolutely determines Paul's theological o u t i o o k — h o w he thinks and talks about Christ, salvation, the church, ethics, the present, the future, everything. This is reflected both in his explicit language and in a w h o l e variety o f presuppositional ways. "We are those," he reminds the Corinthians, "upon w h o m the ends o f the ages have come" (1 C o r 10:11). O n another occasion, he tells them Christ's death and res­ urrection have already passed sentence o n the present age (2 C o r 5:14-15), which is thus "passing away" (1 C o r 7:31). W i t h the c o m i n g o f Christ the new order has begun; all things have b e c o m e new (2 C o r 5:17). It is n o longer an option to view things from the

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perspective o f the "flesh," that is, from the "old order" point o f view. T h e death and resurrection o f Christ and the gift o f the Spirit mean both death to the old and a radical, newly constituted life in the present. For Paul, therefore, salvation in Christ is a fundamentally es­ chatological reality, meaning first o f all that C o d ' s final salvation o f his people has already been accomplished by Christ. In a sort o f divine time warp, the future condemnation that we all richly deserve has been transferred from the future into the past, having been borne by Christ ( R o m 8:1-3). T h u s we "have been saved" (Eph 2:8). Since our final salvation has not yet been fully realized, he can likewise speak o f salvation as something presently in proc­ ess ("we are being saved," 1 C o r 1:18) and as yet to be completed ("we shall be saved," R o m 5:9). "Redemption" is both "already" (Eph 1:7) and "not yet" (Eph 4:30), as is our "adoption" ( R o m 8:15 and 23) and "justification" (= the gift o f righteousness; R o m 5:1 and G a l 5:5). This essential framework likewise causes Paul to see the church as an end-time c o m m u n i t y , whose members live in the present as those stamped with eternity. W e live as strangers on earth; our true citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20). Ethical life, therefore, does not consist o f rides t o live by. Rather, empowered by the Spirit, we n o w live die life o f the future in the present age, the life that characterizes G o d himself. This is why, for example, Paul appeals to end-time realities as the reason believers may not resolve pre­ sent grievances before pagan courts (1 C o r 6:1-4). Their heavenly citizenship trivializes such grievances—and puts believers in the awkward position o f asking for a ruling by the very people that 2

they themselves will eventually j u d g e . Believers have tasted o f the life to come; and the full and final realizadon o f the future is so certain that God's new people b e c o m e heavenly radicals as they live in the "already" but "not yet" o f the present age. Since this eschatological perspective so thoroughly conditions Paul's outlook o n everything, our first task is to look at the crucial role the Spirit plays in "salvation in Christ." W e will then point out h o w this understanding o f the Spirit affects the central passion o f Paul's life, the inclusion o f the Gentiles in the end-time people of God.

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O F

T H E

F U T U R E

THE SPIRIT AS THE EVIDENCE AND GUARANTEE OF THE FUTURE Paul derived his already/not yet eschatological

perspective

from two experiences at the beginning o f his life in Christ: his encounter with the risen Christ o n the Damascus Road ("I have seen the Lord," he tells the Corinthians), and the subsequent gift o f the Spirit. In Paul's pre-Christian understanding, the resurrec­ tion o f the dead and the gift o f the Spirit were the two primary events that marked the end o f the ages. Both o f these have n o w been set in motion. First, from his Jewish roots Paul understood the resurrection o f the dead to be the final event on God's earthly calendar, the unmistakable evidence for the full arrival o f the E n d .

3

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

For Paul the resur-

recdon has already taken place w h e n

Ethical life does not

Christ was raised from the dead, thus initiating the final d o o m o f death and thereby guaranteeing our resurrection. Christ's resurrection makes ours both

consist of rules to ^. ''

inevitable and necessary—inevitable, because his is the firstfruits that sets the whole process in motion; necessary, because death is God's enemy as well as ours, and our resurrection spells the end to die final enemy o f the living G o d , w h o gives life to all w h o live (1 C o r 15:20-28). Believers therefore live between the times with regard to the t w o resurrections. W e have already been "raised with Christ," w h i c h guarantees our future bodily resurrection ( R o m 6:4-5; 8:10-11). S e c o n d , the gift o f the Spirit is the crowning evidence that God's end-time promises are being fulfilled. For Paul, neither his o w n experience o f the Spirit nor his perception o f that experi­ ence makes sense apart from the perspective o f the fulfilled promise and salvation as already but not yet. From his Jewish heritage he well understood that the Spirit was part o f the prom­ ise for the future. A s noted in chapter 2 above, Jeremiah and Ezekiel gave a n eschatological cast to the promises o f the new covenant. This perspective became thoroughgoing in later Jewish

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5

expectations o n the basis o f Joel 2:28-30, that "afterward I will pour out m y Spirit on all people." This is w h y the Spirit is crucial to Paul's understanding o f Chris­ tian existence. The gift o f the outpoured Spirit meant that the messianic age had already arrived. The Spirit is thus the central element in this altered perspective,

4

the key to which is Paul's

firm conviction that the Spirit was b o t h the certain evidence that the future had dawned, and the absolute guarantee o f its final consummation.

T h e Spirit as D o w n Payment, Firstfruits, a n d Seal This twofold role o f the Spirit (as b o t h evidence and guarantee o f the future) emerges in a variety o f ways throughout Paul's letters, but nowhere more prominendy than in three metaphors for the Spirit that are unique to h i m : d o w n payment,

firstfruits,

and seal. All three images are apt; each may emphasize the Spirit either as the present evidence o f future realities or as the assurance of the final glory, or both o f these simultaneously. 1. The metaphor o f "down payment," which occurs three times (2 C o r 1:21-22; 5:5; E p h 1:14), appears exclusively in Paul in the N e w Testament; and he uses it exclusively to refer to the Spirit. The word shows up often in Greek commercial papyri as a technical term for the first installment (hence "down payment") o f a total amount due.

5

As such, it both establishes the contractual obligation and

guarantees its fulfillment. For Paul it thus serves in all three instances to emphasize both the already and the not yet of our present existence.

6

This is especially dear in Ephesians 1:14, where Paul calls the "promised" Holy Spirit the "down payment o n our inheritance." O n e can scarcely miss the "already/not yet" presuppositions o f this language. O n the one hand, the "Holy Spirit o f the promise" and "our inheritance" come directly out o f the future expectations o f Paul's Jewish heritage: the Spirit w h o m we have received is the fulfillment o f the promise. O n the other hand, this "fulfilled prom­ ise" is likewise the guarantee o f our future inheritance. The Spirit, therefore, serves as God's d o w n payment in our present lives, the certain evidence that the future has come into the present, and the sure guarantee that the future will be realized in full measure.

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O F

T H E

F U T U R E

2. The metaphor o f "firstfruits," used o f the Spirit in Romans 8:23, demonstrates equally well the Spirit's role in Paul's changed eschatological perspective. T h i s m e t a p h o r , used previously o f Christ's resurrection as the guarantee o f ours (1 C o r 15:20, 23), reflects in a special way the tension of present existence as already/ not yet and the guarantee of our certain future. The larger context o f Romans 8:14-30 is especially noteworthy. With the Spirit playing the leading role, Paul in w . 15-17

has

struck the dual themes o f our present position as children ( w h o are thus joint heirs with Christ o f the Father's glory) and o f our present existence as one o f weakness and suffering as we await that glory. These are the two themes taken up in w . 18-27. By the Spirit we have already received our adoption as God's children, but what is already is also not yet. Therefore, by the same Spirit w h o functions for us as firstfruits, we await our final adoption, in the form o f the redemption o f our bodies. T h e first sheaf o f grain is God's pledge to us o f the final harvest. Thus, in o n e o f Paul's clearest passages outlining his basic eschatological framework, the Spirit plays the key role in our present existence, as both evidence and guarantee that the future is n o w and yet to be. 3. The third metaphor, "seal," also occurs three times with direct reference to the Spirit (2 C o r 1:21-22; E p h 1:13; 4:30). In literal usage a seal referred to a stamped impression in wax or clay, signaling ownership and authenticity, and carrying with it the protection o f the owner. In Paul, as Ephesians 1:13 and 4:30 make certain, the seal is a metaphor for the Spirit, by w h o m G o d has marked believers and claimed them as his own. In contrast to "down payment," there is nothing

essentially

eschatological in this image; nonetheless, Paul's metaphor plainly carries such overtones, emphasizing either the present or the fu­ ture. In 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, the gift o f the eschatological Spirit in the lives o f the Corinthians serves as the seal that b o t h marks them off as God's possession and authenticates Paul's apostleship a m o n g them. Likewise, in Ephesians 1:13, by sealing them with the H o l y Spirit, G o d stamped the Gentile recipients o f that letter as his o w n possession. A t the same time, the guarantee o f the future in the metaphor is expressly stated in Ephesians 4:30 ("with w h o m y o u were sealed for the day of

redemption").

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C H A P T E R

5

These metaphors serve as starting points for us to penetrate Paul's understanding. The Spirit is the evidence that the eschato­ logical promises o f Paul's Jewish heri­ tage have been fulfilled. At the same

The Spirit is the

time, the Spirit as God's empowering presence enables the people o f G o d

evidence that the eschatological promises of Paul's Jewish

not simply to endure the present as they await the final consummation, but to d o so with verve (with "spirit," if y o u will). A n d that is because the future is as sure as the presence o f the

heritage have been

Spirit is an experienced reality; hence

fulfilled.

experiential nature o f the Spirit's

the significance o f the dynamic and c o m i n g into the life o f the believer and the church.

T h e Spirit a n d Resurrection The most prominent feature o f what is "not yet" in Pauline eschatology is the bodily resurrection o f believers. Here again is a place in Paul's understanding where the Spirit plays a decisive role. But that role is not, as is sometimes asserted, that o f agency;

7

rather the indwelling Spirit serves as the divine pledge o f our future bodily resurrection. That is, the Spirit does not bring about our resurrection, but guarantees it. Moreover, since the final resur­ rection takes place in the sphere characterized above all by the Spirit's presence, Paul sees the closest kind o f connection between the Spirit and the nature o f the resurrection body. A few words about each o f these matters are warranted. First, resurrection, b o t h Christ's a n d ours, is invariably ex­ pressed in terms o f God's activity, attributed at times to God's 8

power. T h e clearest expression o f the Spirit's role in this reality is R o m a n s 8:11. Here Paul does not say, as s o m e have read it, "If the Spirit w h o raised Christ dwells in you." Rather he says, "If the Spirit of him [God] w h o raised Christ dwells in you." Paul's point is that if the Spirit dwells in us, that is, the Spirit o f the very G o d w h o raised Christ, then that says something significant about our

56

E V I D E N C E

O F

T H E

F U T U R E

own future—that the presence in our lives o f the Spirit o f the G o d w h o raised Christ guarantees the "future life" o f our mortal bodies as well, destined for death though they still be (v. 10). T o this clause Paul adds a prepositional phrase, which ended u p in die textual history o f Romans in two different forms. O n e , taken u p by the NIV and others, reads, "through the Spirit w h o dwells in you." A l t h o u g h this reading speaks clearly of agency, it is patently 9

secondary. Both the manuscript evidence and the primary rule o f textual criticism (namely, the reading that best explains h o w the other came about is the original) support the text that reads, "because of the Spirit w h o dwells in you." Paul's point is simply that we can be certain that our bodies, though destined for death, will be given life, precisely because o f the Spirit w h o indwells us. Thus, in this passage, as in all others that speak to the question, the Spirit guarantees o u r future, i n c l u d i n g o u r resurrection.

e

Th Spirit does not

bodily

bring about our

That is also the clear sense of the

.

u

«.

.» • o

.

,

^

resurrection, but

metaphor d o w n payment in 2 C o ­ rinthians 5:5 and the metaphor "firstguarantees it. fruits" in Romans 8:23. In each case the metaphors signal the Spirit's pres­ ence in our lives as the sure guarantee that we shall realize our final "adoption, the redemption o f our bodies." Thus, even though o n e could hardly object to the Spirit's agency with regard to this final realization o f the future, Paul's point is a consistendy dif­ ferent o n e , n a m e l y , that the Spirit is b o t h the evidence and the guarantee o f the future, including the final expression o f the future. That leads, second, to a word about the nature of our redeemed bodies, since in 1 Corinthians 15:44-48 Paul insists o n calling them "spiritual bodies." This expression does not refer to their substance, as t h o u g h Paul intended to compare them with our present bodies composed o f material substance.

10

Rather, he is

contrasting our present existence with our heavenly one; the future body is supernaturally fitted for the final life o f the Spirit, totally unhindered by any o f its present weaknesses.

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C H A P T E R

5

Left to his o w n , and apart from the language dictated by his opponents in C o r i n t h , Paul later speaks o f the two modes o f our bodily existence as "the body o f our [present] humiliation" that G o d will transform into the likeness o f "the body o f Christ's [present] glory" (Phil 3:21). T h e "body o f glory" is his "Spiritual body," the b o d y supernaturally transformed for existence in the final realm o f the Spirit. Thus, the "redemption o f the body" has to d o with the present body's b e c o m i n g a "Spiritual body," in that it will be totally transformed, fully adapted, for the life diat is to be, o f w h i c h the Spirit's presence n o w is the guarantee. W e note finally in this regard that Paul's worldview is not tinged by Greek body/spirit dualism. The Greeks considered the body a second-rate shell for the spirit, despised and subdued in the pre­ sent and finally sloughed off as believers attain true spirituality. This was apparently the Corinthians' position, and Paul attacks it twice in his letters to them. For them the Spirit meant present ecstasy, life above and beyond mere bodily weaknesses, and thus evidence o f being released fi­ nally from bodily existence altogether. For Paul the Spirit meant empowering for life in the midst o f present bodily weaknesses—in a b o d y obviously in the process o f decay. T h u s in 2 Corinthians 5:5 he reaffirms his position from 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 that the presence o f the Spirit means that these "decaying bodies" have also been stamped with eternity; they are destined for resurrection and hence transformation into the likeness o f Christ's n o w glorified body. G o d , Paul argues, "has fashioned us for this." T h e Spirit, w h o m the Corinthians have c o m e to understand in a triumphalistic way (that is, as carrying them s o m e h o w above the trials and troubles o f earthly life), is rather die guarantee, the d o w n payment from G o d , that these bodies are also destined for a "Spiritual" (= glorified) future. The point o f this passage, I should add, needs to be heard again and again over against every encroachment o f Hellenistic dualism that would negate the b o d y in favor o f the soul. G o d m a d e us whole people; and in Christ he has redeemed us wholly. In the Christian view there is no dichotomy between body and spirit that either indulges the body because it is irrelevant or punishes it to purify the spirit.

58

M I S S I O N

T O

T H E

G E N T I L E S

This pagan view o f physical existence insinuates itself into Chris­ tian theology in a number o f subtle ways, including the penchant o n the part o f s o m e to "save souls" while caring little for people's material needs. N o t the immortality o f the soul but the resurrec­ tion o f the body is the Christian creed, based o n N e w Testament revelation. That creed does not lead t o crass materialism; rather it affirms a holistic view o f redemption, w h i c h is predicated in part on the doctrine o f creation—both the physical and spiritual orders are g o o d because G o d created t h e m — a n d in part o n the doctrine o f redemption, including the c o n s u m m a t i o n — t h e w h o l e fallen order, including the body, has been redeemed in Christ and awaits its final redemption. T h e clear evidence that the b o d y is included in final redemption is the presence o f the Spirit, w h i c h does not m o v e us toward a false, Hellenistic spirituality, but toward the biblical view noted here.

THE SPIRIT AND THE MISSION TO THE GENTILES Partly in preparation for the next chapter, we need finally to note the role o f the Spirit in the heart o f Paul's o w n calling and mission—the promised inclusion o f the Gentiles in the end-time people o f G o d . This was the singular passion o f his life; and their inclusion together with Jews as o n e people o f G o d o n the basis o f the work o f Christ and the gift o f the Spirit, and therefore apart from Jewish Torah observance, is what drives the argument o f both Galatians and R o m a b s and is the presupposition o f the argument o f Ephesians. This comes out most clearly in R o m a n s , whose principal concern comes to its climax in 15:5-13, at the conclu­ sion o f the theological argument o f the letter. It is as Jews and Gentiles together "with| o n e m o u t h . . . glorify the G o d and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" that the eschatological promises o f G o d regarding the inclusion o f the Centiles, expressed in the final series o f O l d Testament texts in w . 9 - 1 2 , find their fulfillment. T h e role o f the Spirit in this fulfillment is a staple in the argument o f Romans. It is expressly stated elsewhere in two key passages.

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5

The most significant passage in this regard is Galatians 3:14, since the promise o f the Spirit is equated with the blessing o f A b r a h a m , even though the O l d Testament passage does not men­ tion the Spirit. Since the "blessing o f Abraham" came in the form o f a "promise," this word is the one Paul uses throughout the argument o f Galatians 3 to refer to the blessing o f the Abrahamic covenant. In a statement crucial to this argument, Paul says the fulfillment o f this promised blessing for the Gentiles is in their having experienced the Spirit as a living and d y n a m i c reality. T h e blessing o f A b r a h a m , therefore, is not simply "justification by faith." Rather, it refers to the life o f the future n o w available to Jew and Gentile alike, achieved through the death o f Christ but ap­ plied through the d y n a m i c ministry o f the Spirit—and all o f this by faith. Likewise in Ephesians 1:13-14, addressing his Gentile readers directly, Paul assures them that they, t o o , have been sealed b y G o d as his possession, by giving them "the H o l y Spirit o f the promise" (= the H o l y Spirit promised to Israel). By that same token G o d also guaranteed the final inheritance for Jew and Gentile alike, since the Spirit is God's d o w n payment o f our (Jew and Gentile together) inheritance. Thus, with a subtle shift o f pronouns Paul moves from "our" (= Jews) having obtained the inheritance, to "your" (= Gentiles) having been sealed by the "promised H o l y Spirit," to the Spirit as God's d o w n payment on "our" (= Jew and Gentile together) final inheritance. This is eschatological language. T h e Spirit as the fulfilled prom­ ise confirms that God's future salvation has n o w come. Jew and Gentile togedier have obtained the inheritance, which they also patiently await. "A person is not a Jew 'outwardly,' " Paul says in another place ( R o m 2:29), nor is true circumcision (that which identifies God's people) a matter o f cutting off the foreskin but is rather "by the Spirit, not by the letter." This, too, for Paul has to d o with eschatological fulfillment, this time o f Deuteronomy 30:1-6, with its promise o f a renewed people whose hearts G o d has circumcised. S o also with the language o f hope. In Ephesians 4 : 1 - 3 , Paul's concern is that his readers "maintain the unity | o f Jew and Gentile as o n e people o f G o d ] effected by the Spirit." T h e one body, he

60

M I S S I O N

TO

T H E

G E N T I L E S

adds in v. 4, formed by the o n e Spirit, also lives in o n e h o p e o f their calling, precisely because through the Spirit Gentiles have become fellow heirs with Jews o f the final inheritance (1:13-14). A n d in Ro­ mans 15:13, having noted that Christ The Spirit is the key is the fulfillment o f Isaiah 11:10—he

*° ^

is the o n e in w h o m the Gentiles now hope—Paul concludes by praying that

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his predominantly Gentile readers will "abound in [this] hope by the power

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future £

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orientation of Paul J

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o f the Spirit." T h u s the Spirit for Paul is the key to the present fulfillment

of

Lhe eschatological inclusion o f the Gentiles in the people o f G o d . In light o f all this evidence, including that already given in chapter 2, it is fair to conclude that the Spirit is the key to the future orientation o f Paul and the early church. By the Spirit's presence believers have tasted o f the life to come and are now oriented toward its consummation. "We are saved in hope," Paul tells the Romans (8:24); by the power o f the Spirit we "abound in hope" ( R o m 15:13). A n d for the early Christians "hope" was a content word; that is, it did not mean mere wishfulness but abso­ lute certainty. Despite what is often implied to the contrary, however, Paul's primary emphasis is not o n this certain and eagerly awaited future that the Spirit guarantees. It is rather o n the Spirit as die d e m o n ­ stration that die future has already been set in motion. This is especially taie at the very heart o f matters for h i m , that through Christ and the Spirit, G o d is already calling out a people for his name, w h o will live the life b f the future in their present existence together as they await the consummation.

NOTES 1. O n this question, the classic is G . Vos, The Pauline Eschatology (1930; reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979]), esp. pp. 1-61, a book that was years ahead of its time.

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2. For a full discussion of this text and the eschatological framework that conditions Paul's response, see Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians (NICNT; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987) 228-48. 3. That Paul never lost this perspective is witnessed most vividly in 1 Cor 15:20-28. When Christ raises the believing dead, that spells the death of death itself; thus Christ turns over all things to the Father, who is all and in all. See Fee, I Corinthians, 746-60. 4. F. F. Bruce (The Epistle to the Galatians [NIGTC; Grand Rapids: Kerdmans, 1982] 232) rightiy calls this "the most distinctive feature in Paul's doctrine of the Spirit." 5. See J . H . Moulton and G . Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Creek Testament Illustrated from the Papyri and Other Non-Literary Sources (Lon­ don: Hodder and Stoughton, 1914-30) 79; cf. the discussion on 2 Cor 1:21-22 in GEP, 287-96. 6. So much is this so, diat the NIV translates arrabon in both 2 Corin­ thians passages as "a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." That is an accurate English translation of the idea (as opposed to a merely literal translation), although the phrase "guaranteeing what is to come" is only inherent in the metaphor itself—it does not occur in Paul's own sentence as such. 7. Although there is nothing inherently difficult theologically with this assertion, and indeed it may very well be so, nonetheless one cannot derive such a view from anything Paul says explicitly. For the contrary view, and the arguments against it, see GEP, 553-54 and 808-10. 8. See 1 Thess 1:10; 1 Cor 6:14; 15:15; 2 Cor 4:14; 13:4; Gal 1:1; Rom 4:24; 6:4; 8:11; 10:9; Col 2:12; Eph 1:20; plus the texts where Christ's resurrection is expressed in the "divine passive" (1 Thess 4:14; 1 Cor 15:12, 20; 2 Cor 5:15; Rom 4:25; 6:9; 7:4; 8:34). 9. O n this question see esp. GEP, 543, n. 205, and 552, n. 231, on Rom 8:10-11. 10. For the exegetical support of what is said here, see GEP, 263-71.

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A PEOPLE FOR HIS NAME—THE SPIRIT AND THE PEOPLE OF GOD

Based on the work of Christ, the Spirit calls forth a newly constituted people and makes them "a people for his name." A single person is sitting at h o m e in front o f the TV; a Christian broadcast is o n , a sermon is preached, an invitation is given, and the person responds by "accepting Christ." But the only "church" the person attends is by way o f the T V , with n o connection to a local b o d y o f believers. The question: Is this person saved? I w o u l d answer: O n l y G o d knows; but such salvation lies totally outside the N e w Testament frame o f reference.

1

O n e o f the sure members of the modern world's "trinity," along with relativism and secularism, is individualism. Recapturing the biblical sense o f the significance o f the individual, but revising it to fit a nonbiblical, naturalistic worldview, the Enlightenment led the modern Western world into a totally individualistic under­ standing o f life, which has never been more prevalent than it is today. T h e individual is the be-all and end-all o f everything; sub­ servience o f individual rights to the c o m m o n g o o d has b e c o m e the new "heresy" to be rejected at all costs. The individual is god; narcissistic self-interest and self-centeredness is the chief end o f life. Unfortunately, i n recognizing the biblical emphasis o n the significance o f the individual. N o r t h A m e r i c a n Christianity in

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particular has also tended to b u y into our cultural version o f this emphasis. S o m u c h is this so that a n y hint o f a return to the biblical e m p h a s i s o n the p e o p l e o f G o d as a c o m m u n i t y o f believ­ ers is often seen as a threat t o our significance as individuals. Paul's view is considerably different. W e have already noted that Paul's understanding o f salvation in Christ has b o t h continuity and discontinuity with Paul's Jewish heritage. Continuity, the concern o f this chapter, resides in God's 2

still "saving a people for his name," a people w h o fulfill the covenant with Abraham ( G e n 12:2-3). Discontinuity, the concern o f the next chapter, lies in the fact that the people o f G o d are n o longer so o n the basis o f "nation," but o n the basis o f individual entry through faith in Christ Jesus and the gift o f the Spirit, signaled by b a p t i s m .

3

Paul can hardly help himself: his focus and concern are always o n the people as a whole. T h o u g h entered individually, salvation is seldom if ever thought o f simply as a one-on-one relationship with G o d . W h i l e such a relationship is included, to be sure, "to be saved" means especially to be joined to the people o f G o d . In this sense, the third-century church father Cyprian had it right: there is n o salvation outside the church, because G o d is saving a people for his name, not a miscellaneous, unconnected set o f individuals. Thus our present concern is with the primary goal o f salvation: an eschatological people, w h o together live the life o f the future in the present age as they await the final c o n s u m m a t i o n .

PAUL AND THE PEOPLE OF GOD Paul's most c o m m o n form o f address to the recipients o f his letters is "the saints." This does not mean they are exceptional Christians, either in the sense o f "St. Patrick" or "St. Theresa" or that o f "my Aunt Betty is a real saint." H e is simply referring to all the people o f G o d in a given city or region. By this designation Paul deliberately uses a term for God's people from his Jewish heritage. The term "saints" refers to God's "holy people"—chosen, redeemed, and n o w gathered before G o d at Sinai to fulfill his o w n

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P E O P L E

O F

G O D

purposes in the world (Exod 19:5-6). The term is used again in the eschatological vision o f Daniel 7:18 for "the saints o f the M o s t High" w h o "will receive the k i n g d o m and will possess it forever." This vision Paul sees as fulfilled through Christ and the Spirit. All o f the language Paul uses to refer to the newly formed people o f G o d thus derives from the O l d Testament. They are G o d ' s 4

5

"people," because they are God's "elect." Those w h o live by the rule o f "neither circumcision nor uncircumcision," and o n l y those, are the "Israel o f G o d " ( G a l 6:16). The most c o m m o n designation is "the church" (ekklesia), which Paul borrows from the Septuagint, which regularly uses ekklesia to translate the Hebrew qdhdl, refer­ ring most often to the "congregation o f Israel." This abundant use o f O l d Testament "people" language makes clear that Paul saw the church not only as in continuity with the old covenant people o f G o d , but as in the true succession of that people. O n e of the essential features o f this continuity is the corporate nature o f G o d ' s people. C o d chose, and m a d e a covenant with, not individual Israelites but a people w h o w o u l d bear G o d ' s n a m e a n d be for G o d ' s purposes. A l t h o u g h individual Israelites could forfeit their position in Israel, this never affected G o d ' s design or purposes with the people as his people. This is true even w h e n the majority failed, a n d the people were reduced to a "remnant." That remnant was still Israel—loved, chosen, a n d redeemed b y G o d . This is the consistent viewpoint o f Paul as well. A l t h o u g h en­ tered individually, the church as a w h o l e is the object o f God's saving activity in Christ. G o d is choosing and saving a people for his name. Perhaps nothing illustrates this point as vividly as two passages in 1 Corinthians (5:1-13; 6:1-11), where Paul speaks to rather flagrant sins o f particular individuals. In b o t h cases Paul aims his heaviest artillery not at the individual sinners but at the church for its failure to deal with these matters. In 5:1-13 the-man is not even spoken to—he is simply to be put out—and his partner is not mentioned at all. Everything is directed at the church—for its arrogance o n the one h a n d , and for its failure to act o n the other. S o also in 6:1-11. In this case Paul does finally speak to the plaintiff ( w . 7 - 8 a ) and to the defendant ( w . 8 b - 1 1 ) , but only

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after he has scored the church for allowing such a thing to happen at all a m o n g God's eschatological community and then for failing to act. W h a t is obviously at stake in these cases is the church itself, and its role as God's redeemed and redemptive alternative to Corinth. This concern for God's saving a people for his glory is further demonstrated by the frequency o f one o f the most c o m m o n , but frequently overlooked, words in Paul's ethical exhortations: allelon ("one another/each other"). Everything is d o n e allelon. They are members o f o n e another ( R o m 12:5; E p h 4:25), w h o are to build up one another (1 Thess 5:11; R o m 14:19), to care for one another (1 C o r 12:25), to love o n e another (1 Thess 3:12; 4:9; 2 Thess 1:3; Rom

13:8), to pursue o n e another's g o o d (1 Thess 5:15), to bear

with one another in love (Eph 4:2); to bear one another's burdens (Gal 6:2); to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving o n e another (Eph 4:32; cf. C o l 3:13), t o submit to o n e another (Eph

5:21), to consider one another better than ourselves (Phil

2:3; cf. R o m 12:10), to be devoted to o n e another in love ( R o m 12:10), to live in harmony with one another ( R o m 12:16). God

is not just saving individuals a n d preparing t h e m for

heaven; rather, he is creating a people a m o n g w h o m he can live a n d w h o in their life together will reproduce God's life and character. This view o f salvation is consistent throughout Paul's letters. It is demonstrated most clearly in his references to the Spirit, w h o plays the key role not only in forming the people o f G o d , but also in their life together and in their worship.

THE SPIRIT AND THE BELIEVING COMMUNITY W e will note in the next chapters that the transforming, renew­ ing work o f the Spirit begins the individual's life in Christ; the same is true o f the believing community. T h e c o m m u n i t y o f God's people owe their life together as a b o d y to their c o m m o n , lavish experience o f the Spirit. The question Paul answers in 1 Corin­ thians 12:13 is not h o w people b e c o m e believers—although that is obviously involved—but h o w the m a n y o f t h e m , c o m p o s e d o f

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C O M M U N I T Y

few and Gentile, slave and free, make u p the o n e b o d y o f Christ. Paul's answer: All alike were immersed in the same reality, Spirit, and all alike were caused to drink to the fill o f the same reality, Spirit, so as to form one b o d y in Christ. Likewise, in 2 Corinthians 3:1-3, Paul describes the believing c o m m u n i t y as "his letter o f recommendation," having b e c o m e so because they were "written by the

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Spirit," as it were. Again, although Paul

The community of

uses different imagery, he makes the point that the Spirit is responsible for their having together become God's

God s

'

e o

P P

l e

o w e

t h e i r

people in Corinth. Created and formed by the Spirit, the early communities thus became a fellowship of the Spirit. The concept o f koinonia ("fellowship")

is a broad

to their common, lavish experience of

o n e in Paul. It begins as fellowship with G o d through Christ (1 C o r 1:9),

the Spirit.

w h i c h in turn brings believers into fellowship with o n e another. In the trinitarian benediction o f 2 Corinthians 13:14, Paul chooses koinonia to describe the minis­ try of the Spirit. A l t h o u g h this term refers chiefly to "a participa­ tion in the Spirit himself," such participation is c o m m o n to them all and thus also includes the "fellowship" created and sustained by the Spirit. S o also in Philippians 2:1-4, part o f the basis o f his appeal to unity and harmony in v. 1 is their c o m m o n participation (both Paul's and theirs together) in the Spirit (cf. 1:27, "stand firm in one Spirit"). Likewise, c o m m o n love brought about by the Spirit serves as the basis o f an appeal to the R o m a n believers to support h i m with their prayers ( R o m 15:30; cf. C o l 1:8). For Paul the fact that both Jews and Gentiles are included in God's family is the most remarkable aspect o f this newly formed fellowship. In Christ's death G o d has triumphed over the former prejudices o n b o t h sides (Eph 2:14-18). Paul's sense o f wonder at this shines throughout Ephesians. Thus 1:13-14 is not first o f all about individual conversions; rather, Paul is rejoicing because Gentiles ("you also") have been included in Christ along with Jews as God's inheritance. This has been certified by the remarkable

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reality that they were given the promised H o l y Spirit as seal and d o w n payment o f that inheritance. This Spirit-forged unity is also the point o f Ephesians 2:18. fust as Christ's death made the "one body" a possibility by abolishing what divided Jew and Gentile, so n o w through Christ both "have access to die Father in one Spirit." Jews and Gentiles have been formed by the Spirit into one b o d y (cf. 4:4), and as they dwell together in the o n e Spirit they have c o m m o n access as one people into the presence o f C o d .

PAUL'S IMAGES FOR THE COMMUNITY OF THE SPIRIT The centrality o f the Spirit to Paul's view o f the believing c o m ­ munity emerges especially in his three major images for the church (family, temple, body); the first two o f these also reflect continuity with the O l d Testament.

G o d ' s Family This image, which occurs explicitly only twice (Eph 2:19; 1 T i m 3:15; cf. 2 C o r 6:18), flows naturally out o f Paul's reference to G o d as Father, believers as brothers and sisters, and the apostle as a household manager (see 1 C o r 4:1-2). The imagery itself receives n o elaboration. W h a t is significant is the role o f the Spirit, as b o t h responsible for and evidence o f believers' b e c o m i n g members o f God's family. The imagery first appears in Galatians 4:4-6, where Paul con­ trasts living under law with the life o f faith, life in the Spirit. Living under law is like being a son before he has c o m e o f age; he may technically o w n the whole estate, but he is still n o better off than a slave. S o with believers, w h o are n o longer under slavery (includ­ ing slavery to the "powers"); rather they are "sons"

6

with full

rights, the evidence o f which is their experience o f the Spirit, especially the Spirit's cry from within them o f "Abba, Father."

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O F

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The primary evidence that we are God's "sons" is that the Spirit within us cries out in the very language o f Jesus, the S o n . This emphasis is heightened in the R o m a n s parallel, where our o n g o i n g recognition o f our "sonship" is the result o f "the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirits that w e are the children o f G o d . " T o which Paul adds, "and if children, then heirs; heirs of G o d , and fellow heirs with Christ." The repeated use o f adelphoi

("brothers

and sisters") in Paul and the rest o f the N e w Testament to refer to "the saints" is also best explained o n the basis o f this Spiritinspired cry to G o d in the language o f Jesus.

G o d ' s Temple 8

O n this image, which four times refers to the church, see the discussion in chapter 2 above. It is particularly well suited to the Spirit, since it derives from the sanctuary (naos) in Jerusalem, the earthly dwelling o f the living G o d . The Spirit a m o n g God's newly formed people means that G o d has taken u p his dwelling in the gathered community. The temple is formed by the Spirit; it is thus a habitation of the Spirit. Even though Paul transfers this imagery to the individual believer in 1 Corinthians 6:19, its repeated use for the community of believers indicates Paul's primary emphasis.

Christ's B o d y 9

W i t h this imagery, which occurs several times in his letters, Paul essentially makes two points: the need for unity and for diversity in the believing c o m m u n i t y , both o f which are the work o f "the one and the same Spirit" (1 C o r 12:11). First, the imagery presupposes and argues for the unity of the people o f G o d . That is the clear point o f Ephesians 4. The church, composed of both Jew and Gentile, forms o n e b o d y (Eph 2:16). The urgency o f the appeal that begins with 4:1 and carries through to the end is that they "keep the unity that the Spirit has given them" (4:3). The basis for the appeal is G o d the Trinity as ex­ pressed in w . 4 - 6 , which begin by placing the one body in the closest kind o f association with the one Spirit. Furthermore, all the sins listed in w . 25-31 are sins of discord. By giving in to sin, they

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grieve the H o l y Spirit (v. 30), w h o has formed them into a b o d y and whose continuing presence is intended to bring die b o d y to full maturity. Hence they need to "keep filled with the Spirit" (5:18), to ensure proper worship ( w . 1 9 - 2 0 ) and proper relation­ ships (5:21-6:9). Although

Paul's larger c o n c e r n differs in 1 C o r i n t h i a n s

12:12-26, he still emphasizes the Corinthians' unity in the Spirit. The earlier use o f "body" imagery in 10:16-17 and 11:29, with reference to

Homogeneous

the bread o f the Lord's Table, had fo­

churches lie totally

the imagery recurs in 12:12, unity and

cused on their need for unity. W h e n

outside Paul's frame of reference.

diversity are e q u a l l y stressed. W i t h t w o sentences ( w .

13 and 14) that

begin with the same applicational sig­ nal ("for indeed"), Paul argues first

that the m a n y o f them (Jew, Gentile, slave, free) are o n e b o d y because o f their c o m m o n lavish experience o f Spirit (v. 13). Fol­ l o w i n g v. 14 a n d its application ( w . 1 5 - 2 0 ) , both o f w h i c h stress the diverse nature o f the body, Paul urges in the second applica­ tion ( w . 2 1 - 2 6 ) that there be n o "division" a m o n g them. This especially recalls the various divisions m e n t i o n e d throughout the letter. T h e Spirit has m a d e them one body; true Spirituality will maintain that unity, whatever else. Likewise in Philippi, where s o m e bickering and posturing were g o i n g o n that could lead to disunity, Paul urges his readers, espe­ cially in light o f their struggle against pagan opponents, to "stand firm in the one Spirit" (1:27). This appeal is m a d e o n the basis o f their c o m m o n (his and theirs) participation in the Spirit (2:1). U n i t y in the b o d y means that believers "walk by the Spirit" so as not to "eat and devour o n e another" ( G a l 3:15-16); it also re­ quires heterogeneous people to submit their diversity to the unify­ ing work o f the Spirit. H o m o g e n e o u s churches lie totally outside Paul's frame o f reference. After all, such churches cannot maintain the unity o f the Spirit that either Ephesians 2 and 4 or 1 C o r i n ­ thians 12 call for. G o d b y his Spirit has formed into one b o d y a radically new eschatological fellowship that transcends both race (Jew and Gentile) and socioeconomic status (slave and free).

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Second, the Spirit is also responsible for m a i n t a i n i n g a nec­ essary a n d healthy diversity

in the church. This is the basic

concern o f the argument in 1 Corin-

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

thians 12. The Corinthians' extraor­

The Spirit is also

dinary and imbalanced emphasis on tongues as the evidence of a fully de­

responsible for

veloped spirituality requires theological correction (chs. 12 and 13) before the

.

. .

specific abuse is corrected (ch. 14). Thus every paragraph in chapter 12

° n

e

c

g

s

s

a

r

y

a

n

d

h

e

a

l

t

n

y

except for w . 2 1 - 2 6 has this theme— the need for diversity in order for the c o m m u n i t y to be built up. The triune

diversity in the church.

G o d himself illustrates—and serves as the basis for—this diversityin-unity ( w . 4 - 6 ) ; and the Spirit in particular is responsible for its being shown forth a m o n g them, especially in the m a n y manifesta­ tions o f his presence "given to each one for the c o m m o n good" ( w . 7 - 1 1 ) . A b o d y cannot be only one part (v. 14); that would be a monstrosity ( w . 1 5 - 2 0 ) . T h e Spirit w h o is responsible for their being o n e b o d y is also the basis for the m a n y parts necessary for the b o d y to function at all. Significantly, the b o d y imagery in Ephesians, with its concern for unity, focuses primarily o n relationships within the church. In 1 Corinthians 12, however, the focus is mainly o n the church as a community gathered for worship, which is true also o f the temple imagery in 3:16-17. This difference in focus is due to the respec­ tive errors that were taking place within the gathered community. The early believers did not have buildings called "churches"; they did not "go to church." They were the church, and at appointed limes and places they assembled as the church (1 C o r 11:18). As God's temple, inhabited by his Spirit, they formed a powerful fellowship, marked by works of the Spirit (1 C o r 12:7), including miracles (Gal 3:5) and prophetic utterances (1 Thess 5:19-20; 1 C o r 14:24-25; outsiders exclaim, "surely G o d is among

you").

This emphasis o n the gathered c o m m u n i t y serves as the essential background to Paul's understanding of charismata ("gracious gifts"), especially in 1 Corinthians 12-14. W e will explore these in more detail in chapters 13 and 14 below.

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In sum: "to be saved" in die Pauline view means to become part o f the people o f G o d , w h o by the Spirit are born into God's family and therefore joined to o n e another as one body, whose gatherings in the Spirit form them into God's temple. G o d is not simply saving diverse individuals and preparing them for heaven; rather he is creating a people for his name, a m o n g w h o m G o d can dwell and w h o in their life together will reproduce God's life and character in all its unity and diversity. H o w the people will live togedier and what they will look like is taken up in chapters 9 and 10 below. Before that, w e need to look at h o w "the saints" are n o w formed. W h a t is new for Paul, and for the rest, is that the people o f G o d are newly constituted by Christ and the Spirit; we enter that people o n e at a lime. Such entry is, above everything else, also the work o f the Spirit.

NOTES 1.1 get a lot of flack for this view, especially from some in my "revivalist" heritage, and am quoted such texts as Rom 10:9, "that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved." This text, however, presup­ poses the Christian community as the place where such confession occurs, at the very least at baptism. The earliest Christians would not have under­ stood a believer whose salvation has not been completed by baptism, which includes identification widi both Christ and his people. 2. This specific language does not occur in the OT as such. It is a modification of the common expression for the temple, "a dwelling for his name," based on the recurring motif that Israel are a people identified with, or called by, the name of Yahweh their God. See, e.g., Num 6:27; Deut 28:10; 2 Sam 7:23; 2 Chron 7:14; lsa 43:7; Jer 14:9; Dan 9:19. 3. Cf. D. Ewert, The Holy Spirit in the New Testament (Harrisburg: Herald, 1983) 168, who also shows concern diat by starling with the individual one may skew the data, but that if one does not take the individual into account, one will also skew Paul's overall theology. The failure to come to grips with this is one of the weaknesses of Horton's book What the Bible Says about the Holy Spirit (Springfield, Mo.: Gospel Publishing House, 1976). It is typical of the piedstic tradition of all strands (that is, those movements in the history of the church that have focused strongly on

72

N O T E S

individual spirituality) to read Scripture as if it were primarily written to individual believers. 4. Greek laos; see 2 Cor 6:16-18; Titus 2:14. Although not particularly popular with Greek writers, laos was the word chosen by the Sepiuagint (l.XX) translators to render the Hebrew 'am, the most frequendy used word in the Old Testament (over two thousand times) to express the special relationship Israel had with Yahweh. Their choice of laos was probably because the more common word ethnos was used by Greek writers to refer to themselves as a people in the same way the Hebrews used 'am. Thus for the Jews ethnos had come to mean "Gentile," and was so used by the LXX translators. This meant they needed a different word to distinguish themselves. [The LXX is the Greek translation of the Old Testament made in the third century BCU, and used by believers in Greekspeaking congregations. In fact, so much did the Septuagint become the Christians' Bible that by the end of the first century, lews stopped using it altogether, and at least three other Greek translations were made for Jews in the second century.] 5. Greek eklektos and cognates; see 1 Thess 1:4; 2 Thess 2:13; Col 3:12; Eph 1:4, 11. As in the O l d Testament the term refers not to individual election but to a people who have been chosen by G o d for his purposes. As one has been incorporated into, and thus belongs to, the chosen people of God, one is in that sense also elect. 6. Although "children" is the more appropriate translation into modern English, 1 keep "sons" in quotes because the whole passage is a play on this language. Through the Son we have received adoption as "sons," the evidence of which is our use of the Son's own address to the Father. 7. O n the significance of this cry for the individual believer, see ch. 8 below, pp. 90-91. 8. See 1 Cor 3:16-17; 2 Cor 6:16; Eph 2:19-22; 1 Tim 3:15-16. 9. See 1 Cor 10:16-17; 11:29; 12:12-27; Rom 12:4-5; Col 1:18; 3:15; Eph 1:23; 2:16: 4:3-16; 5:23. For the most recent discussion of the imagery in Paul, see G. L. O . R. Yorke, The Church as the Body of Christ in the Pauline Corpus: A Re-examination (Lanham, Md.: University Press of America, 1991), whose primary conclusion is undoubtedly correct: that Paul knows nothing of a "mystical body of Christ" to which believers are joined; rather, Paul's use of the imagery is figurative in every case and has the human body as its point of reference.

73

CONVERSION: GETTING IN (PART 1 ) — T H E SPIRIT AND THE HEARING OF THE GOSPEL

Although the goal of salvation in Christ is a people for God's name, people enter this community one at a time. Almost every aspect of getting in is the work of the Spirit, beginning with the proclamation and revelation of the gospel.

In the late eighth century, C h a r l e m a g n e , king o f the Franks, became a Christian; through his "persuasion" the whole Frankish nation became "Christians" and were baptized en masse. The question: Were all o f these people saved? Again I w o u l d answer: O n l y G o d knows; but probably not all, for such "salvation" also lies totally outside the N e w Testament frame o f reference. After all, it is not baptism that identifies one as a believer in Christ, but the presence o f the H o l y Spirit in one's life. If the goal o f salvation in Christ is a people for God's name, in continuity with the former covenant, discontinuity lies with h o w the people are n o w constituted, in two significant ways: (1) through the death and resurrection o f Christ and the appropri­ ating work o f the Spirit; and (2) by entering individually, includ­ ing people from every "tribe and nation."

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Christ's saving work begins in the heart o f the individual be­ liever, as the appropriating work o f the Spirit makes clear. After all, this emphasis o n the individual is not the product o f the Renais­ sance and Reformation—although at times these have resulted in an unfortunate and unbiblical focus on the individual. The signifi­ cance o f the individual before G o d is ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ already in place in the O l d Testament, as anyone w h o has lived l o n g with

"Getting saved" has to

the Psalter well knows. In Paul's case, the new place for the individual, as the way o n e "gets in," arises primarily from his altered eschatological perspective that includes Jew and Gentile alike o n the same grounds. W e n o w turn our attention to this individual-

do with faith in Christ that also

y

fllth

^;

nes5

to Christ.

ized aspect o f salvation in Christ, what it means for the believer to enter the people o f G o d ; and here the work o f the Spirit l o o m s large in Paul. W e should also note that for Paul salvation in Christ includes both getting in, the concern o f this chapter and the next, and staying in, the concern o f chapters 9 and 10. That is, getting saved has to d o with faith in Christ that also includes faithfulness

1

to

Christ. One's whole life involves trusting in Christ, w h o by the Spirit continually transforms us into the likeness o f G o d . O n e gets in in order to stay in, and salvation for Paul includes the w h o l e process, not simply the beginning point. Thus these four chapters ( 7 - 1 0 ) belong together as o n e chapter in God's story, which is the reason for the deliberate use o f the word "conversion" in the title o f each. T o o long the church has understood "conversion" as having only to d o with the beginning point. Biblically understood, conversion has to d o with making disciples o f former pagans like ourselves (even if we were born into Christian homes, we need to be "converted" in this sense). O u r Lord did not say, " G o and make converts," but " G o and make disciples." In the long run, only disciples are converts. But conversion has a beginning point, and that is our present concern. In this chapter we look at die role o f the Spirit that is more external to the believer (although nothing is so totally); in

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I ho next chapter we look at the believer's o w n experience o f this beginning point.

THE SPIRIT AND GETTING IN Several c o m p o n e n t s make u p one's experience o f salvation: hear­ ing the gospel, faith, various images o f conversion, the gift o f the Spirit, and baptism in water. T h e Spirit plays the central role in most o f the process—except for baptism, which is understandable, since Paul (apparently) understood baptism as the h u m a n re­ sponse t o the prior divine activity.

Hearing the G o s p e l For Paul Christian life begins with hearing the gospel, which b o t h precedes faith ( R o m 10:14) and is accompanied by faith (1 Thess 2:13; 2 Thess 2:13-14; E p h 1:13). "How," he asks, "can they believe in the one o f w h o m they have not heard? A n d h o w can they hear without s o m e o n e preaching to them? A n d h o w can they preach unless they are sent?" ( R o m 10:14-15 Niv). This view o f hearing the gospel accounts in part for Paul's o w n missionary urgencies. O u r interest is in the role o f the Spirit in this hearing o f God's g o o d news. T w o things are involved here: the gospel as God's very word (1 Thess 2:13) a n d therefore the truth that must be believed/ 2

trusted (2 Thess 2:13; 1 T i m 2:4), revealed as such by the Spirit; and the dual act o f preaching and responding, w h i c h are also the work o f the Spirit.

T h e Spirit a n d Preaching In 2 Corinthians 3:8, Paul contrasts his own ministry with that o f Moses, and indirectly with that o f the "peddlers o f another Jesus." In d o i n g so, he refers to his o w n ministry as "the ministry o f the Spirit," meaning the ministry o f the new covenant, w h i c h is empowered by the Spirit and results in others' receiving the Spirit.

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Such ministry, he insists, despite the earthenware vessel through which it comes, is accompanied by far greater glory than that which accompanied the ministry o f Moses in the former covenant. The far greater glory, it turns out in this context, is the work o f the Spirit, w h o brings us into the presence o f the living G o d . H e does so by removing the veil that keeps people from beholding God's glory in the face o f Christ Jesus and consequently from being transformed into his likeness. Paul refers frequently to his o w n effective ministry as a direct result o f the work o f the Spirit. This work included not only conviction concerning the truth o f the gospel, but also signs and wonders, all o f which resulted in changed lives. Indeed, the first reference to the Spirit in Paul's writings (1 Thess 1:5-6) strikes this note. Paul begins his encouragement o f this n e w — a n d suf­ fering—Christian c o m m u n i t y b y r e m i n d i n g t h e m o f t w o Spiritexperienced realities: his ministry a m o n g t h e m , and the nature o f their conversion. They became followers o f Christ (v. 5) not o n the basis o f Paul's proclamation o f the gospel alone, but because that proclamation was accompanied by the power o f the Spirit, including a deep conviction (probably both in Paul as he preached and in them as they heard). Whether the power o f the Spirit in this instance also included accompanying signs and wonders is m o o t (I think it did; Rom 15:18-19 indicates that such was regularly the case). The Thessalonians' reception o f the gospel was accompanied by m u c h affliction and b y the joy o f the H o l y Spirit (v. 6), that unquench­ able joy the Spirit brings to those w h o have c o m e to k n o w the living and true G o d (v. 9). S o also with 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. In defending his ministry in Corinth against his opponents (cf. 4:1-21; 9:1-2), Paul in this paragraph takes up the matter o f his preaching w h e n he first c a m e to the city. Both the content (1:18-25) and the form (2:1-5) o f his preaching lacked persuasive wisdom and rhetoric; nonetheless, his preaching was far more effective than w i s d o m or rhetoric, Paul argues. It was accompanied by a demonstration o f the Spirit's power, proved by the conversion o f the Corinthians themselves (cf. 2 C o r 3:3). A n d it was so, Paul adds, in order that their faith might rest in "the power o f G o d , " not in merely h u m a n w i s d o m .

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These passages, and the next, make clear that Paul understood Christian conversion to begin with Spirit-empowered proclama­ tion, w h i c h by the same Spirit found its lodging in the heart o f the hearer so as t o bring conviction—of sin (as in 1 C o r 14:24-25), as well as o f the truth o f the gospel. But the Spirit's role in Paul's preaching was not limited to an "anointing" o f Paul's o w n words, thus carrying conviction as to the truth o f the gospel. In R o m a n s 15:18-19 he insists that his preach­ ing ail the way from Jerusalem to Illyricum was an effective c o m ­ bination o f "word and deed," both o f w h i c h were by "the power o f the Spirit." By "word" he refers to his preaching; he explains "deed" as referring to "signs and wonders through the power o f the Spirit." For Paul this double display o f power (empowered words and powerful deeds) forms the foundation for his understanding o f the role o f the promised Spirit. That is, he never argues for such empowering, nor does he allow anyone to authenticate either his ministry or their faith o n that basis (2 C o r 5:13). But neither w o u l d he understand the presence o f the promised Spirit without such a double expression o f power. W e are dealing w i d i the Spirit o f G o d , after all, the present eschatological fulfillment o f God's empowering presence. It w o u l d never occur to h i m that the mi­ raculous w o u l d not a c c o m p a n y the proclamation o f the gospel, or that in another time s o m e w o u l d think o f these two empowerings as "either-or." For Paul, it is simply a matter of, "of course." Thus, speaking o f his ministry as a whole, he can confidently say to the Colossians, "to which end also I labor, contending for the gospel in keeping with God's being at work in m e with power" (1:29), by which he means "by the power o f the Spirit." What is true o f Paul's o w n ministry he also understands to be true o f the effective preaching o f the gospel in general. "And take the sword o f the Spirit," he urges in Ephesians 6:17, meaning, to "speak forth the word o f G o d " (the truth about Christ) in a world where the powers are still at work. Thus he urges them to be involved in a Spirit-empowered proclamation o f Christ. Similarly, this understanding o f the relationship o f the Spirit to ministry lies behind three passages addressed to T i m o t h y (1 T i m 1:18; 4:14; 2 T i m 1:6-7; cf. v. 14), in w h i c h Paul recalls Timothy's

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experience o f "call" to ministry. Because o f context, each text emphasizes a different aspect o f that experience. 1. Timothy's gift (charisma)

refers first to the Spirit (2 T i m

1:6-7), but is also broadened to refer to the gift o f ministry that came b y the Spirit (1 Tim 4:14). T h e experience therefore is some­ thing that happened to (within) Timothy. H e experienced a Spiritdirected, Spirit-given "call," singling h i m out for the ministry o f the gospel. 2. The experience, however, took place in a c o m m u n i t y setting o f s o m e kind, since it also came by way o f prophetic utterances spoken about and to h i m (1 T i m 1:18; 4:14). Indeed, in 1:18 Paul appeals to the content o f these "calling" words from the Lord, which came through others in the c o m m u n i t y , as his means o f bolstering Timothy's courage to d o battle in a very trying situation in Bphesus. 3. The c o m m u n i t y o f elders responded to this work o f the Spirit by the laying o n o f hands (4:14; 2 Tim 1:6; cf. the similar se­ quence in Acts 13:1-3). The gift itself did not c o m e through their laying o n o f hands; rather, their act was o n e o f recognition and affirmation o f the prior work o f the Spirit that had c o m e through prophetic utterances. The Spirit as an experienced

reality is the

obvious key to these appeals.

REVELATION BY THE SPIRIT Part o f Paul's conviction that his message was, and w o u l d be, accompanied by the Spirit's power was his corresponding convic­ tion that the essential content o f the gospel c a m e to h i m by 3

revelation, again as the work o f the Spirit. Both 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 and Ephesians 3:5-7 affirm that his o w n insight into the gospel came by the Spirit's revelation. This revelation involved a twofold unveiling o f God's mystery. First, in 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 the Spirit is understood to have revealed what was formerly hidden—and is still hidden to those without the Spirit. O n l y by the Spirit (v. 10) could he and his con­ verts understand what the h u m a n m i n d could not conceive (v. 9),

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namely, (hat C o d in his o w n wisdom had chosen to redeem our fallen race through the crucifixion o f Christ. T h u s Paul's preaching o f the cross came with "words taught by the Spirit" (v. 13), which included

The gospel at its

"explaining Spiritual things by Spiri­ tual means" (= the things taught by

profoundest point stands in utter contradiction to

the Spirit with language appropriate to the Spirit). T o have the Spirit in this way means not to be subject to merely h u m a n judgments; rather, it m e a n s t o have the m i n d o f Christ

human wisdom: God

( w . 15-16; cf. 7:25, 40).

has redeemed our

this revelation should be the c o m m o n

fallen race by means

the Spirit. Paul's p r o b l e m w i t h the

of the ultimate

themselves to be people o f the Spirit,

Pivotal to Paul's argument is that experience o f all w h o have received Corinthians was that they considered

contradiction in terms, a crucified Messiah.

yet were abandoning the cross for hu­ m a n w i s d o m and rhetoric. Hence the vital role o f the Spirit, w h o reveals to dtose w h o love G o d what was for­

merly hidden (1 C o r 2:9-10), namely, what G o d in Christ has freely given us (v. 12). It is not some obscure secret w i s d o m that has been revealed b y the Spirit, but the content o f the gospel, God's "mystery." The need for revelation by the Spirit at this point is considerable, since it requires an understanding that merely h u m a n w i s d o m could never penetrate. The gospel at its profoundest point stands in utter contradiction to h u m a n wisdom: G o d has redeemed our fallen race by means o f the ultimate contradiction in terms, a crucified Messiah. Without the Spirit, w h o alone knows the m i n d o f G o d , h u m a n beings d o not stand a chance to penetrate this "hidden mystery," w h i c h "eye has not seen nor has it entered into the heart of h u m a n beings." The Corinthians should have recognized this, precisely because they, t o o , had received the Spirit that they might be taught by means o f the Spirit the things o f the Spirit. But they were caught u p in a false "Spirituality" that was leading t h e m in

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"all glory now" directions, thus sidestepping discipleship marked by the cross (see ch. 12 below). S e c o n d , in Ephesians 3 : 2 - 1 3 this mystery, G o d ' s hidden wis­ d o m n o w revealed by the Spirit, includes the fact that "Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, m e m b e r s together o f o n e body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus" (v. 6). Since these words reflect the primary focus o f the argument o f G a l a lians and R o m a n s as well, it is not surprising that Paul here speaks o f these matters in terms o f "revelation" that c a m e "by the Spirit." Therefore for Paul b o d i the revelation o f the inclusion o f Jews a n d Gentiles together in Christ a n d their actual inclusion (1:13-14; 2:18, 22) are the work o f the Spirit. S u c h inclusion in the present time obviously needs the revelation that o n l y the eschatological Spirit can bestow, since most Jews were looking for this fulfillment at the E n d , and in terms o f "nations" rather than "individuals." What required revelation was not that Gentiles were to be in­ cluded in the p r o m i s e d e n d - t i m e blessings o f G o d — t h a t was c o m m o n l y accepted by all—but that they w o u l d be included Torah-free (that is, free from the observances o f the Jewish law) and o n equal grounds with Jews, so that G o d in Christ h a d formed one new humanity o f the two peoples ( E p h 2:14-15). S u c h an understanding could have c o m e only by the Spirit's revelation, both t h r o u g h Jews' a n d Gentiles' c o m m o n experience o f the Spirit (1 C o r 12:13) and through a conscious understanding o f what Christ and the Spirit had d o n e ( E p h 3:5). A further aspect o f revelation connected with the hearing o f the gospel occurs in 1 Corinthians 14:24-25. Here the revelation comes by means o f prophetic utterances within the believing c o m ­ munity when unbelievers are present. W h a t is revealed in this case are the secrets o f the unbelievers' hearts, leading them (apparently) to repentance and conversion. W e should pause here to note that in the present overview o f Paul's theology, focusing as we are o n the role o f the Spirit in that theology, there is n o mention o f the h u m a n predicament that m a d e salvation a necessity. This is because Paul sees not the H o l y Spirit, but the evil spirit, Satan, as at work in those whose m i n d s he "has blinded so that they cannot b e h o l d the light o f the gospel

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in face o f God's glory, Christ h i m s e l f (2 C o r 4:4). Believers can see the glory because the Spirit has removed the veil, in this case the "blindfold." T h e 1 C o r i n t h i a n s passage indicates in part at least h o w

The Spirit appears both

the Spirit removes the veil—by means

as the one who initiates

trates into the unbeliever's heart and

our faith and as the one who is received by that same faith.

o f a prophetic utterance that pene­ lays it bare before all. The "revelation" in this case has probably to d o with the unbeliever's sinfulness, which in turn leads h i m or her to hear the greater revelation that has taken place in Christ. Such revela­ tion by the prophetic Spirit serves

for believers as the sure sign o f God's favor and presence a m o n g them (1 C o r 14:22). All this is the work o f the Spirit. It is clear from all this that the conversion o f the individual believer begins with a sovereign act of G o d , carried out by the H o l y Spirit. As Paul put it, " H o w can they call o n the o n e they have not believed in? A n d h o w can they believe in the o n e of w h o m they have not heard? A n d h o w can hear without s o m e o n e preaching to them? A n d h o w can they preach unless they are sent?" ( R o m 10:14-15 NIV). God's action is clearly the prior one. In the divine mystery o f things our "believing" (or "trusting") is the hinge point between our "calling on G o d " and our "hearing the gospel." O u r trusting, w h i c h is the point at which what is external to us becomes internal, is in some mysterious way the working o f the H o l y Spirit as both cause and effect. That is, the Spirit appears both as the one w h o initiates our faith and as the o n e w h o is received by that same faith; and that is the starting point o f the next chapter.

NOTES 1. The one word, pistis, expresses for Paul both of these ideas: trust, and trusting faithfulness. Thus pistis is listed among the fruit of the Spirit

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(Gal 5:22), as well as serving to denote our proper response to God's saving grace. 2. The Greek word variously translated "faith," "belief," or "trust" is a difficult one to render into English by a single word. Our words tends to be too limiting; "belief," for example, puts the emphasis on what goes on in our heads. The Greek word includes diat, but means to put one's trust in that which one "believes." 3. O n this question, both as to its Jewish background and its Pauline usage, see especially M . Bockmuehl, Revelation and Mystery in Ancient Judaism and Pauline Christianity (WUNT 2/36; Tubingen: J . C . B. Mohr [Paul Siebeck], 1990). My interest at this point is in "revelation" as it refers to Paul's—and his churches'—hearing and understanding the gospel. But in keeping with his view of salvation as all-inclusive, having to do with both getting in and staying in, revelation becomes part of Christian life, as God's people, by the Spirit, come to discern God's will for their ethical life. See the further discussion in chs. 9 and 10 below.

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CONVERSION: GETTING IN (PART 2 ) — T H E SPIRIT AT THE ENTRY POINT

"Gelling in," ivhich begins with the hearing of the gospel, is appropriated by faith and includes an experience of "receiving" the Holy Spirit. "How d o y o u feel?" Trevor was asked, following his response to hearing the gospel and having asked Christ to c o m e into his life. "Wonderful," he responded; "I feel like a new person." "That's great," came the reply. But also with the reply came the first cautionary words he w o u l d learn as a new believer in Christ. "But don't trust your feelings; your salvation is not based o n h o w y o u feel, but on the truth o f what Christ has done for you. Y o u will have to learn t o trust his word, because the feelings m a y not always be there." This is a c o m m o n conversation for us, and full o f truth and wisdom. W h a t is hard t o imagine is Paul ever having such a conversation with his new converts. In Galatians 3:1-5, w h e n he encourages them to stay with "faith in Christ" and not get entan­ gled with "works o f law," he first appeals not to the truth o f the gospel, but to their experience o f the Spirit by w h i c h they started on the path o f Christian discipleship. This is not an appeal to feelings but to something c o m m o n to t h e m all—the experienced reality o f their conversion to Christ through the c o m i n g o f the Spirit.

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A l t h o u g h he w o u l d not have used such language, for Paul Christian conversion has b o t h an objective and a subjective d i m e n s i o n to it. O n the o n e h a n d , Christ's death and resurrec­ tion have secured eternal salvation for those w h o believe. This objective, historical reality is conveyed with various figures o f speech, each o f w h i c h emphasizes a significant aspect o f the believer's new relationship with G o d (redemption, reconciliation, washing, propitiation, justification, a d o p t i o n , birth). At the entry point o f conversion, this objective historical reality becomes an objective personal reality for the believer as well, in terms o f her or his position in G o d through Christ. As Charles Wesley sang (marvel ously): Arise, my soul arise. Shake off thy guilty fears; The bleeding sacrifice In my behalf appears; Before the throne my Surety stands, My name is written on His hands. But for Paul the beginning point o f conversion also involves a clearly subjective, personally experienced dimension that results in s o m e radical changes in the believer; and the Spirit is the abso­ lutely indispensable element for this dimension. As H . B. Swete put it, "Without the mission o f the Spirit the mission o f the S o n would have been fruitless; without the mission o f the S o n the 1

Spirit could not have been sent." That Paul held the Spirit to play such a key role in the subjective side o f conversion can be shown in several ways, beginning with our trust in Christ.

THE SPIRIT AND FAITH T h e relationship o f the Spirit to faith in Paul's letters is not an 2

easy one to sort o u t . O n the one h a n d , in Galatians 3:2-5 Paul states firmly that the gift o f the Spirit c o m e s through "faith in Christ Jesus." According to any systematic presentation, this sug­ gests that faith itself precedes the reception o f the Spirit. O n the other h a n d , in 1 C o r i n t h i a n s 12:8 and 13:2 faith is considered

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o n e o f the evidences o f the Spirit at work. If these passages can be dismissed as referring (correctly so) to that unusual gift o f faith that accompanies the miraculous, the same can scarcely be said o f the faith that is the fruit o f the Spirit ( G a l 5:22). Here faith refers to "saving faith" in its c o n t i n u i n g expression o f "faithfulness." S o also in 2 C o r i n t h i a n s 4:13, Paul refers to "hav­ ing the s a m e Spirit w h o effects faith as the psalmist had," w h o leads us "to believe." This prompts m e to suggest that faith itself, as a work o f the Spirit, leads us to receive and experience the Spirit w h o also comes through that same faith. Although it does not fit our logical schemes well, the Spirit is thus both the cause and the effect o f faith. This same close relationship o f the Spirit to faith is also presupposed in Galatians 5:5, where Paul urges that we, in contrast to them (the Jewish Christian agitators), "by the Spirit, o n the basis o f faith, await the final righteousness for w h i c h we hope." The object o f faith, as always, is Christ; the Spirit is the means whereby such faith is sustained. W h a t all o f this means, then, drawing o n our conclusion from chapter 7, is that for Paul both the understanding o f the gospel and

the event o f preaching, including the hearing that leads to

faith, are the work o f the Spirit. In this sense o n e m a y legitimately argue that faith itself is also a prior work o f the Spirit in the life o f the o n e w h o becomes a believer, since "we have the same Spirit w h o inspires faith" so dtat "we believe" (2 C o r 4:13). It is equally clear from the evidence that "faith" is not all there is to it.

THE CRUCIAL ROLE OF THE SPIRIT IN CONVERSION 3

That something "happens" to the one w h o puts his or her trust in Christ is not simply the presupposition o f revivalist preaching. It is the clear understanding o f Paul, w h o wrote all o f his letters before there was a second generation, those w h o grew up as the children o f believing parents. The first generation, those to w h o m his letters were addressed, were for the most part converts

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lo Christ from paganism. H i s o w n encounter with Christ, even though it meant fulfillment o f his hopes rather than conversion from another religion, had a clearly experiential quality to it. Such an experiential dimension o f entry into Christian life was therefore both his presupposition and what happened to others when he preached.

T h e Spirit at t h e B e g i n n i n g Point "Did you receive the Spirit by Torah observance, or by believing what y o u heard? Are y o u so foolish? H a v i n g begun b y the Spirit, are you n o w trying to c o m e lo completion through the flesh?" This is the question with w h i c h Paul confronts the Galatians (3:2-3), to bring them u p short in their readiness to be persuaded by Jewish Christian agitators to be circumcised. Notice he does not put it our way, "Were y o u saved, or justified, and so on?" H i s quesdon works precisely because o f the experiential nature o f their having received the Spirit, as the present-

For Paul, therefore,

tense question in v. 5 makes certain: "He w h o supplies you with the Spirit and performs miracles a m o n g y o u , is this by faith or by doing the law?" For Paul the Spirit is the crucial element to all o f Christian life; therefore his argument stands or falls on their re­

whatever else happens at Christian conversion, it is the experience of the

calling their o w n experience o f con­ version at the beginning in terms o f

Spirit that is crucial;

the Spirit. The Spirit plays the same vital role

and therefore it is the

in several other passages where Paul describes his readers' turning to Christ in terms o f what has happened to the believer (1 C o r 12:13; E p h 1:13-14; Titus 3:5-7). S o also with all sorts o f texts where, quite in passing, he reminds them o f their beginnings in Christ. For example, G o d gave them his Spirit

Spirit alone who identifies God's people in the present eschatological age.

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(Rom 5:5), anointed them with the Spirit (2 C o r 1:21), poured out his Spirit generously on them (Titus 3:6), and sealed them with the Spirit ( E p h 1:13; 4:30). Believers have received the Spirit (1 C o r 2:12; 2 C o r 11:4), been saved through the sanctifying work o f the Spirit (2 Thess 2:13; R o m 15:16), been circumcised in their hearts by the Spirit ( R o m 2:29), and been joined to Christ so as to b e c o m e one S/spirit with h i m (1 C o r 6:17). As well as "by the n a m e o f Christ," believers have been "washed, sanctified, and justified" by "the Spirit o f our G o d " (1 C o r 6:11). In the analogy o f Ishmael and Isaac in Galatians 4:29, the former is "born o f the flesh," while the latter (= the Galatian believers) was born o f the Spirit. Titus 3:4-7 is significant in yet another way, since Paul here describes conversion in language that sounds m u c h like a creed. W h a t is remarkable is the significant role the Spirit plays in this formulation. Here the Spirit is mentioned even before the work o f Christ, since the emphasis is o n what has happened to the be­ liever: G o d has saved them through the washing and renewing work o f the Spirit, w h o m G o d lavishly poured out on t h e m through Christ the Savior. For Paul, therefore, whatever else happens at Christian conver­ sion, it is the experience o f the Spirit that is crucial; and therefore it is the Spirit alone w h o identifies God's people in the present eschatological age.

T h e Spirit as the Identity Marker o f t h e C o n v e r t e d In the same manner, Paul three times distinguishes

believers

from nonbelievers in terms o f the former having the Spirit, while the latter d o not (1 C o r 2:6-16; 12:3; R o m 8:9). Most significant o f these is 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, where he sets out the basic contrasts between the "natural person" and the "Spiritual person." The natural person is o n e w h o does not have the Spirit and is therefore incapable o f understanding what G o d has d o n e through the cross; whereas the opposite is true o f the believer. Likewise n o o n e can make the basic Christian confession o f Jesus as Lord, except by the H o l y Spirit (1 C o r 12:3). Finally, he says it plainly,

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"If anyone does not have the Spirit, that person does not belong to Christ at all" ( R o m 8:9). In a former time Paul had divided the world between "us" and "them" in terms o f Jews and Gentiles. The new

For Paul, therefore, to "get saved" means first of all to "receive

division is between those w h o belong to Christ and those w h o d o not; and

the Spirit."

what characterizes the former is that they have the Spirit, while the others d o not. Whatever else, the newly formed people o f G o d are Spirit people. They have come to life by the life-giving Spirit ( G a l 5:25; 2 C o r 3:3, 6); they walk by the Spirit, and they are led by the Spirit. For Paul, therefore, to "get saved" means first o f all to "receive the Spirit."

THE SPIRIT AND PAUL'S IMAGES FOR SALVATION H o w Paul perceives this converting work o f the Spirit is best seen by looking at the various images he uses to describe salvation. The more c o m m o n images are seldom used in conjunction with the Spirit. Justification is connected w i d i the Spirit o n l y in 1 Corin­ 4

thians 6: l l ; redemption, propitiation, and reconciliation are not at all. The reason for this is close at hand: these images emphasize the objective aspect o f salvation, dealing with the believer's posi­ tion or relation to G o d , and therefore are used exclusively to refer to Christ's saving work in our behalf, in which we put our trust. But when Paul uses metaphors that emphasize the believer's expe­ rience o f salvation, the Spirit is then frequently mentioned.

Adoption W e have noted above in chapter 6 the use o f this imagery as key to Paul's understanding the church as God's family (Gal 4:5-6). Here we note that w . 5 and 6 together give solid evidence o f the distinctions m a d e a b o u t the objective a n d subjective dimensions

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ill ((inversion.

8

In v. 5 Paul refers to Christ the Son's act o f

redemption on the cross as securing our "adoption as 'sons' "; in v. 6 he individualizes this work in terms o f the Spirit's crying Abba, the special language o f the S o n , from within the heart o f the believer. The difficulties with this text c o m e with the way v. 6 begins. In making his new point (after w . 4 - 5 ) , Paul starts the sentence by saying that because they are "sons," G o d has sent the Spirit o f his S o n into their hearts. That sounds as if the one thing (objective sonship) preceded the other (the gift o f the Spirit). This apparent awkwardness is the result o f our reading the text as t h o u g h Paul were offering a chronology o f individual salvation. Verse 5, how­ ever, does not refer to the individual believer's salvation history at all. Rather, Paul here presents the work o f Christ as an objective, once-for-all, historical reality, by which Christ procured "adop­ tion" for all w h o w o u l d ever trust h i m . The experience o f the individual believer is historically later than, and based u p o n , this prior work o f Christ. Thus the cause-and-effect relationship is that between "sonship" provided for us by Christ's death o n the cross and "sonship" as made real by the Spirit in the life o f the believer. That Paul has little concern foT the "ordering" o f things can be seen from 3:2-5 (noted above), where the Spirit alone is the key to their conversion. The same is true o f the parallel in Romans 8:15-17, where the Spirit, not Christ, is mentioned as responsible for adoption. Paul's intent in both texts is simply to remind believers that their receiving o f the Spirit is what makes them children, as is proved by the cry "Abba." W e should not pass too quickly over the significance o f this cry. Abba was the language o f infancy, and a l o n g with

Imma

("Mother"), the first word an Aramaic-speaking child would learn. But it was also the endearing term that children o f all ages contin­ ued to use, expressing both intimacy and special relatedness. W h a t m a y begin as baby talk is not thereby to be outgrown; o n the contrary, it is to be grown into. That we are the beloved children o f the eternal G o d is knowledge "shed abroad in our hearts by the Spirit" ( R o m 5:5) and by that same Spirit is manifest in our lifelong cry to G o d as our heavenly Abba. Crying Abba to G o d through the Spirit o f God's S o n means that our relationship o f

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utter dependence o n G o d , lost in the fall, has been restored by the Son; we can depend o n h i m for everything. T h e experience o f the Spirit leads the believer not only t o a position o f justification before G o d , but also should lead to an o n g o i n g awareness o f the privileges o f childhood—personal relationship and c o m p a n i o n ­ ship with G o d himself. Being "in the presence o f G o d " through Christ and by the Spirit (2 C o r 2:17; Eph 2:18) was for Paul a cause not for fear but for confidence.

W a s h i n g , Rebirth, Giving l i f e These three images need to be examined together, pardy because in s o m e cases they occur in the same texts and partly because s o m e issues raised by them belong in discussion together. 1. The image o f "washing" as a work o f the Spirit first occurs in 1 Corinthians 6:11. M a n y see here a reference to baptism, espe­ cially because it is followed by the phrase "in the n a m e o f the Lord Jesus Christ," w h i c h is considered a baptismal formula. But this interpretation runs aground both o n Paul's usage elsewhere and o n the structure o f the sentence, where both prepositions modify 5

all three verbs. That is, "in the n a m e o f our Lord Jesus" and "by the Spirit o f our G o d " together modify the three verbs "washed, sanctified, justified." A l t h o u g h this expression may indirectly al­ lude to baptism, in context the emphasis falls o n the image o f "washing away o f sin," especially those sins just mentioned in w . 9-10. O u r point is that the Spirit is specifically singled out as the means o f such cleansing. This image occurs again, along with the images o f "rebirth" and "renewal," in Titus 3:5. A s the central feature o f salvation Paul says (literally), " G o d saved us . . . through washing o f rebirth and renewal o f the H o l y Spirit." A l t h o u g h there are s o m e inherent difficulties with this phrase, the evidence points most strongly to an interpretation that sees this not as referring to two experiences (the washing o f rebirth and the renewal o f the Spirit = baptism and confirmation, or conversion and Spirit baptism), but to o n e (a washing that involves rebirth and renewal, all o f which are put into effect b y the Spirit).

6

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But o p i n i o n is also divided a m o n g those w h o take this position. Does "washing" refer to water baptism or more simply to the "washing away o f sin," and what relationship does the Spirit have to this washing? Again, we need not doubt that it probably alludes to baptism; but that Paul uses a figure o f speech and not the word "baptism" implies that his o w n emphasis is o n the figure, not on the event o f baptism. The final phrase, "of the Spirit," is the key to the whole. Salvation is not received through baptism—that is foreign to Paul—but through the work o f the Spirit, which in this case is represented as a "new birth" (cf. John 3:3) or a "renewal" in the new believer's life. 2. T h e two expressions "new birth" and "renewal" are as close as we get lo the concept o f "regeneration" by the Spirit in Paul's writings. But if this concept is infrequent, the idea behind it is not foreign to Paul. W e begin the Christian walk, having been given life by the Spirit (see below). Such new life is likewise pictured as a renewal (cf. R o m 12:2; C o l 3:10). Absolutely basic to Paul's understanding o f b e c o m i n g a be­ liever in Christ, therefore, is not simply that we are given a new objective standing with G o d — r e d e e m e d , forgiven, cleansed, "justified"—but that we are also "washed . . .

by the Spirit,"

w h i c h includes rebirth and renewal. By the Spirit G o d cleanses people from past sins; b y the Spirit G o d also transforms t h e m i n t o his people, "reborn" and "renewed" to reflect God's likeness in their lives. Paul understands a radical change to have taken place at the beginning point o f conversion; it means a complete reorientation o f our entire lives. This reorientation is directly tied lo the work o f the Spirit. Theologically we may refer to this as a rebirth, even though this image is not central in Paul's view o f things. For h i m , because his primary focus is always o n the work o f Christ, w h a t happens to the believer is "death" and "resurrection" (2 C o r 5:14; Gal 5:24; R o m 6:1-6; C o l 2:20-3:4). A n d this is where conversion as the experience o f the "life-giving Spirit" comes in. 3. Whatever else may be said about G o d in the O l d Testament, the main reality about h i m , which is revealed even in his n a m e , is that Yahweh is the living and life-giving G o d . That G o d lives and gives life to all that lives is foundational to biblical faith. W h a t is

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crucial to Paul's understanding o f Christian conversion is thai the Spirit w h o m believers receive is n o n e other than the "Spirit o f life" ( R o m 8:2, 6), w h o "gives life" to those w h o turn to Christ (2 C o r 3:6). For Paul the o l d (flesh, sin, Torah observance) has been crucified ( C a l 5:24); we have been raised with Christ to live in "the newness o f the Spirit" ( R o m 7:6). "If anyone is in Christ, a new creation," he exclaims (2 C o r 5:17); "the old (life 'according to the flesh') is gone; the new (life 'according to the Spirit') has come." This is w h y from Paul's perspective Christian conversion also includes walking in "newness o f life." Thus, following his state­ ment that the flesh was crucified with Christ, he implores tiiat "if we live (following our crucifixion with Christ) by the Spirit, then let us also behave in keeping with the self-same Spirit" ( G a l 5:25). For Paul there is n o such thing as a believer w h o is not thereby brought to life—life n o w and forever—by the c o m i n g o f the lifegiving Spirit. Such life manifests itself in the radically new life o f G o d given by the Spirit. Paul's understanding o f Christian conversion as essentially the work o f the Spirit, therefore, has n o place in it for die whitewashed sinner, the person w h o is still sinful, but justified before G o d anyway. The only c o m i n g to Christ known to Paul is o n e in which the life o f the believer has been invaded by the life-giving Spirit, w h o both applies the redemptive work o f the cross and also transforms us from within, by the "renewing o f the mind" ( R o m 12:2). All o f Paul's metaphors o f "before" and "after" speak in the same way o f the radical transformation o f life that the Spirit brings (death/life; old anthrdpos

[person]/new person; darkness/light;

etc.), which is brought into focus by the next image as well.

Sanctification Paul's primary use o f the term "sanctification" is also as a figure o f speech for conversion, not a reference to a work o f grace following conversion. This can be seen most clearly in 2 Thessalonians 2:13, where Paul refers to the Thessalonians' experience o f salvation as being brought about "by sanctification o f the Spirit and belief in the truth."

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T h e i m a g e is d r a w n from Jewish religious practices, where the sacred rites a n d utensils have b e c o m e so b y their h a v i n g b e e n sanctified u n t o G o d , that is, set apart solely for G o d ' s h o l y purposes. T h i s s a m e use o f the i m a g e , referring n o w especially to G e n t i l e conversions u n d e r Paul's ministry, occurs in R o m a n s 15:16. T h e J e w i s h C h r i s t i a n s in R o m e m a y not call " c o m m o n or unclean" (because o f failure t o be circumcised) those w h o m G o d has sanctified b y the Spirit. T h e Gentiles' r e c e p t i o n o f the Spirit w a s G o d ' s u l t i m a t e act o f creating for h i m s e l f a sanctified offering c o m p o s e d o f b o t h G e n t i l e a n d Jew. O n the other h a n d , the use o f the same imagery to refer to the Corinthians' conversion (1 C o r 6:11) is intended to emphasize that conversion includes the sanctifying work o f the Spirit which prohibits the kind o f behavior in w h i c h they formerly engaged. "Such were s o m e o f you," he asserts, "but y o u have been . . . sanctified . . . b y the Spirit o f our G o d . " A d d i n g to these the images o f "anointing," "seal," "down pay­ ment," and "firstfruits" (see ch. 5 above), o n e can draw firm conclusions: 1. The wide variety o f images and figures o f speech in itself indicates that n o single one will do. T h e work o f Christ, applied by the Spirit in Christian conversion, simply has too m a n y facets to be captured by a single image. In almost every case the choice o f images is related to the perspective o n the h u m a n condition that is addressed in the context. Thus, propitiation responds to our being under God's wrath; redemption to our being enslaved to sin; justification t o our guilt before God's law; reconciliation to our being God's enemies; sanctification to our being unholy; washing to our being unclean; a n d so on. 2. The images tend to be used in keeping with the emphasis o f the m o m e n t , thus the point in context is what is at issue, not the precise timing or relationships in conversion. 3. There is n o such thing as Christian conversion that does not have the c o m i n g o f the Spirit into the believer's life as the critical ingredient. However variously expressed, the presence o f die Spirit is the o n e constant.

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But all has not been said. D o e s the evidence o f this chapter mean that those w h o , w h e n c o m i n g to faith in Christ, did not have an experiential realization o f the Spirit's presence therefore fall short o f biblical faith? N o t for a minute. All o f

There is no such thing

us w h o trust Christ have received the

as Christian

Spirit, even if the c o m i n g o f the gift was more quiescent. T h e point o f this chapter for today's believer is that the Spirit, and the Spirit alone, not only gets us o n our way in Christ but also is what Christian life is finally all about.

conversion that does not have the coming of the Spirit into the

That the coming o f the Spirit in the Pauline churches was a more experien-

believer's life as the

dal reality than is true for many o f us probably has a lot to d o with their

critical ingredient.

expectations. For some o f us it may also be related to being second-generation Christians. As has often been said, " G o d has n o grandchildren." S o when d o we experience the Spirit? Such an experiential way o f entry is still c o m m o n in many parts o f the world. What we m a y say with confidence is that even though we may not have begun that way, we may still enter into a much more experienced life in the Spirit than is perhaps n o w the case. In this regard the Spirit has not changed. More also needs to be said about the Spirit's role in salvation in Christ, because Paul w o u l d not understand conversion that did not include growing up into Christ. For h i m the Spirit was the essential ingredient to the w h o l e o f life in Christ. S o , what does the converted person looks like? W h a t does it mean to become a Spirit person—one w h o not only begins with the Spirit but walks in the Spirit? That is the subject o f the next two chapters.

NOTES 1. See H . B. Swete, The Holy Spirit in the New Testament (1910; repr. ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1964) 206. 2. See the discussion in GEP on 1 Cor 12:8; 13:2; 2 Cor 4:13; Gal 3:1-5.

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3. The texts here are many and varied; see, e.g., the discussions in GEP on 1 Thess 1:4-6; 2 Thess 2:13; 1 Cor 2:6-3:1; 6:11, 19-20; 2 Cor 1:21-22; 3:1-18; 11:4; 13:13[14); Gal 3:1-5; 4:6; 5:5-6; 5:13-6:10; Rom 5:5; 7:4-6; 8:1-30; 14:16-18; 15:13, 16; Eph 1:3-14; 4:1-6, 30; Phil 3:3; Titus 3:4-7. 4. Most likely in terms of the believer's appropriation. Cf. Rom 14:17, although here the connection is only indirectly made (see GEP, 620-21 and n. 449). 5. See the analysis of this verse in GEP, 127-32. 6. See GEP, 777-84.

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CONVERSION: STAYING IN (PART 1 ) — T H E SPIRIT AND PAULINE ETHICS

The Spirit, in constituting a new people for God's name, fulfills the purpose of the law and stands over against the "flesh" by enabling righteous living. I grew u p in a church where the b u z z phrases "eternal security" and "once saved, always saved" were b a d news. People w h o be­ lieved so, I was told, even if they did not intend it, encouraged "easy-believism" and "cheap grace"; that is, people believed in Christ for salvation but failed to exhibit it in their lives. They were eternally secure, so w h y get uptight about h o w they lived? O n l y later did 1 learn that this language was a popular distortion o f Calvin's perseverance o f the saints. Calvin believed (rightly so) that G o d enables his holy ones, his saints, to persevere t o the end, and in that sense they were secure—eternally. Unfortunately, what was sometimes advocated as Calvinism often did offer false security to unbelievers, people w h o wanted a passport to heaven without b e c o m i n g citizens.

1

N o t h i n g could be further from Paul's perspective. Salvation has t o d o with b o t h getting in and staying in. T o get saved means to be joined to the people o f G o d by the Spirit; and to be saved means to live the life o f the saved person. W e are brought to life b y the Spirit so as to live the life o f heaven o n earth, also b y the Spirit—walking in the Spirit, being led by the Spirit, sowing t o the

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Spirit. The Spirit w h o implants the

HV

iiif

brought to life

by the Spirit so as to live the life of heaven on earth, also by the

faith b y w h i c h we believe

(2 C o r

4:13) is the same Spirit whose fruit in our lives includes faith (Gal 5:22), m e a n i n g n o w "faithful walking in God's ways." Merely optional right­ eousness is unthinkable. W h a t does it m e a n , then, to live in

Spirit—walking in the

the Christian c o m m u n i t y and in the world as the people o f G o d ? That is

Spirit, being led by the

what ethics is all about, which is what this chapter is all about. T o be sure,

Spirit, sowing to the

life in the Spirit means far more than just ethical behavior. The whole o f

Spirit.

life under the new covenant is n o w lived in and by the Spirit, including

worship, one's relationship to G o d , and everyday life itself. But since ethical life is often central in his letters, and since the Spirit is mentioned often in these contexts, Paul's understanding o f Christian ethics as life in the Spirit is the focus o f this chapter.

2

THE SPIRIT AND ETHICAL LIFE For m a n y people Christian behavior is a rather straightforward affair. They read Paul's various imperatives ( c o m m a n d s ) as a new form o f law and try their best to abide by them, giving each c o m m a n d m u c h the same value. Love for neighbor and the wear­ ing o f head coverings, forgiveness and w o m e n keeping silent in church, sexual purity and what y o u eat or drink, all carry the same weight. Even though w e are saved by grace, G o d expects us to live according to his c o m m a n d s in every aspect o f our lives. But such a view is b o t h too easy and too hard, and a poor reading o f Paul. First o f all, it is too easy because it is purely individualistic. It is far easier to be a Christian in isolation than it is to live out one's faith in the context o f all those other imperfect people w h o make u p God's church. It is too easy precisely because it turns Christian ethics

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into easily performed codes o f conduct having to d o not with caring for one another but with penny-ante stuff like food and drink. At the same time it is too hard, because it thinks o f ethics in terms o f law and finds forgiving wrongdoing and loving the unlovely impossible; such ethics totally misses the glorious freedom o f the children o f G o d t o live the life o f the future together, e m ­

The whole of life

powered by the Spirit. T w o issues, therefore, confront us in this chapter. First, that Christian eth­ ics is not primarily an individualistic, o n e - o n - o n e - w i t h - G o d brand o f per­ sonal holiness; rather it has t o d o with living the life o f the Spirit in

under the new covenant is now lived in and by the Spirit, including worship, one's

Christian community and in the world. As with getting in, Paul's accent here

relationship to God,

falls heavily o n the community. H i s concern is with the local church as the

and everyday life itself.

people o f G o d in their city. H e n c e most o f his instructions to them are in the second person plural, with the whole church in mind. But these instructions are ex­ pressed in such a way that they are experienced and obeyed at the individual level. For example, the c o m m a n d to remain filled with the Spirit in Ephesians 5:18 is addressed to a c o m m u n i t y setting in which believers teach one another with various kinds o f songs. By the very nature o f things, it applies first to individual believers, w h o must respond to the exhortation if the c o m m u n i t y is to be filled with the Spirit. The second issue is that ethics has to d o with life in the Spirit, not life disguised as such though really a continuation o f life under law. In saving us through Christ and the Spirit, G o d has created an eschatological people, w h o live the life o f the future in the present, a life reflecting the character o f the G o d w h o became present first in Christ and then by his Spirit. A s the renewed presence o f G o d , the Spirit, having given life to his people, n o w leads them in paths o f righteousness for his name's sake. Part o f this second issue has to d o with the role o f the law in Pauline ethics. For whenever Paul wrestles theologically with

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"works o f law" and "justification by grace," he invariably brings in the Spirit as the key to the question, W h a t happens to righteous­ ness in terms o f behavior, if righteousness is by grace apart from the law? Since s o m e o f what Paul says o n this matter seems a m b i g u o u s to m a n y people, we will begin our look at "Spirit ethics" by first trying to resolve this issue.

T h e Spirit a n d the N e w C o v e n a n t Even though it was God's presence that distinguished Israel as God's o w n people, their identity as that people was b o u n d up with their obedience to die Torah, the law. Itinerant Jewish Christians were forever d o g g i n g Paul's heels, entering his churches and argu­ ing that for believers in Christ to be identified with God's people they must also observe Torah. O n the contrary, Paul argues, the Spirit, and the Spirit alone, identifies the people o f G o d under the new covenant. The failure o f the former covenant, the covenant o f law, was that even t h o u g h the Torah was "Spiritual" in the sense that it c a m e by way o f Spirit-inspiration ( R o m 7:14), and even t h o u g h it c a m e with glory (2 C o r 3:7), it was n o t a c c o m p a n i e d by the empowering Spirit. Indeed, it was written o n stone tablets, w h i c h for Paul represented its deadness, its basic inability to set people free. It h a d b e c o m e a covenant o f letter (a merely written code o f laws requiring obedience)

leading to death ( R o m 2:29;

7:6;

2 C o r 3 : 5 - 6 ) ; a n d a veil like that w h i c h covered Moses' face to hide the fading glory n o w covers the hearts o f all w h o hear it read (2 C o r 3:14). In contrast, the new covenant, by means o f the life-giving Spirit, is written o n "tablets o f h u m a n hearts" (2 C o r 3:3); its rite o f "circumcision" is by the Spirit and "of the heart" ( R o m 2:29). T h e gospel and its ministry are accompanied by a m u c h greater and more enduring glory, the ministry o f the Spirit himself (2 C o r 3:8). The new covenant is life-giving, because its content, Christ, is administered by the Spirit. It is through the Spirit that we b e h o l d — a n d are being transformed into—the glory o f the Lord (2 C o r 3:4-18). T h e promised new covenant has replaced the o l d , and the gift o f the Spirit proves it.

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Essential to this view o f things is Paul's understanding o f the gift o f the Spirit as fulfillment o f the new covenant promise o f Jere­ miah 31:31-34, w h i c h had c o m e to be read in light o f Ezekiel 36:26-37:14. The reason for a new covenant was the failure o f the old to produce a truly meaningful righteous­

The Old Testament

ness, a righteousness c o m i n g from an obedient heart, rather than dutiful o b ­ servances—as t h o u g h G o d ' s p e o p l e c o u l d be identified by circumcision, the observance o f days, and food laws. T h e O l d Testament itself is a b u n ­ dantly clear that G o d ' s intent with

itself is abundantly clear that God's intent with Torah was for his character to be

Torah was for his character t o be revealed in the w a y his people wor­

revealed in the way

3

shipped and lived, hence the crucial role to be played by the Spirit.

his people worshipped

The Spirit, promised as part o f the new covenant, w o u l d produce the righteousness the former covenant called for but failed to produce. The Spirit has n o w been experienced by Jew and Gentile alike, and that quite

and lived, hence the crucial role to be played by the Spirit.

apart from Torah. Thus the Spirit, as the eschatological fulfillment o f the promised new covenant, plays a central role in Paul's argumentation whenever Gentile inclusion, Torah-free, is the issue.

4

T h e Spirit B r i n g s an E n d to T o r a h Observance The gift o f the Spirit as the new covenant replacement o f Torah and the new covenant fulfillment o f Torah's righteous requirement is the key to o n e o f the nagging questions in our reading o f Paul: H o w are we to understand his view o f the l a w ?

5

O u r primary

difficulty here stems from the tension we feel over many o f Paul's o w n statements. H e sometimes speaks o f the law in a negative way, as having had its day; these stand side by side, sometimes in the same contexts, with other statements that affirm Torah as g o o d

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and as being established by faith. Here as m u c h as at any other place we face the complications o f Paul's simultaneous continuity and discontinuity with the O l d Testament. O n the o n e hand, Paul can speak o f the law as bringing knowl­ edge o f sin ( R o m 3:20; 7:7-12) or as "arousing sin" (7:5); indeed, it was "added so that the trespass might increase" (5:20). T o be under the law is to be in prison, to be under slavery ( G a l 3:23; 4:1); it means to be a descendant o f Hagar rather than o f Sarah (Gal 4:21-31). H a v i n g increased the transgression, it led to con­ demnation (2 C o r 3:9); and it was helpless to d o anything about it ( R o m 7:14-25; 8:3). For this reason the law ultimately deals in death, not life (2 C o r 3:6; G a l 2:19; R o m 7:5, 9). Those w h o promote Torah observance therefore belong to "the mutilation" (Phil 3:2); they are enemies o f Christ w h o m Paul wishes w o u l d g o the whole way and castrate themselves ( G a l 5:12). W i t h the c o m ­ ing o f Christ and the Spirit, therefore, the time o f Torah has c o m e to an end ( R o m 10:4; G a l 5:18, 23). All these passages clearly emphasize discontinuity.

6

O n the other hand, Paul sees the law as "holy" and "Spiritual" and its requirements as "holy, righteous, and good" ( R o m 7:12, 14). T h e singular advantage o f the Jews is that they have "been entrusted with the very words o f G o d " (3:2; cf. 9:4); and to these words Paul appeals again and again as still having authority for God's people. Thus faith does not nullify the law; rather it estab­ lishes, or upholds, it (3:31). If circumcision is out, the same cannot be said o f the c o m m a n d m e n t s o f G o d (1 C o r 7:19). H o w , then, shall w e reconcile such diversity? T h e traditional w a y was theological: the law as a means o f achieving right standing with G o d has had its day, to be replaced by faidi in Christ. But this view tends to read the O l d Testament rather poorly, as though keeping the law were a means o f gaining God's favor in the O l d Testament. T h e authors o f Psalms 19 and 119 surely did not think so! T h e solution lies with the role o f the Spirit in Paul's under­ standing. Indeed, the experience o f the promised eschatological Spirit, not righteousness b y faith, forms the core o f Paul's argu­ mentation in the o n e letter (Galatians) devoted primarily to this issue. T h e death o f Christ brought an end to the curse o f the

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law—that o n e had t o live by "doing the law" a n d thus not "by faith" ( G a l 3 : 1 0 - 1 4 ) . T h e gift o f the Spirit makes the law's function o f identifying God's people obsolete. 'Those w h o are led by the Spirit," Paul says, "are not under Torah" (5:18). For those in w h o m the fruit o f the Spirit is growing "there is n o law" (v. 23). For Paul the Spirit thus marks the effective end o f Torah. H o w so? Because the Spirit is sufficient to d o w h a t Torah was not able to d o in terms o f righteousness, namely, to "fulfill in us w h o walk by the Spirit the righteous c o m m a n d m e n t o f Torah" ( R o m 8:4). Herein lies the discontinuity and continuity. In the age o f the Spirit, discontinuity lies in the area o f Torah observance— keeping the law as a way either to identify the people o f G o d or to establish one's relationship with G o d . Paul's break with his Jewish tradition at this point is absolute—and resolute: "Neither c i r c u m c i s i o n n o r u n c i r c u m c i s i o n c o u n t s for a n y t h i n g ; what counts is keeping the c o m m a n d m e n t s o f G o d " (1 C o r 7:19). Even t h o u g h it counts for nothing, Jewish parents m a y continue to circumcise their sons if they wish, as l o n g as they understand that it has n o bearing o n their being counted a m o n g the people of G o d . But also because it counts for nothing, one m a y not impose it o n Gentiles, precisely because that w o u l d give it relig­ ious significance. C o n t i n u i t y lies in the Spirit's "fulfilling" Torah by leading God's people in the paths o f G o d , to live in such a way so as to express the original intent o f Torah: t o create a people for God's n a m e , w h o bear God's likeness in their charac­ ter, as is seen in their behavior. The fruit o f the Spirit is none other than the Spirit's producing in our lives the righteousness o f G o d (the righteousness that characterizes G o d ) . W h e n this is happening Torah is fulfilled in such a way that for all practical purposes it has become obsolete; however, Torah as part o f the O l d Testament story, o f which ours is the continuation, is never obsolete. In this sense it will endure as long as this between-the-times existence endures—not as a means o f righteousness or as a means o f identity, but as a means o f pointing us to the righteousness o f G o d , which the Spirit brings to pass in our lives in the present expression o f the eschatological future.

7

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THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN ETHICS According to 1 Corinthians 7:19, while circumcision counts for nothing, "keeping the c o m m a n d m e n t s o f G o d " does count. Is Paul n o w bringing the law in again through the back door? Hardly. This is simply his w a y o f saying that righteousness as an expression o f God's character in his people's lives is not optional. The reason for this lies with the gift o f the promised Spirit, w h o has both ren­ dered Torah observance obsolete and m a d e possible the fulfillment o f the righteous requirement o f Torah. The goal o f Torah, God's o w n

The Spirit is central in

righteousness reflected in his people, is precisely what the Spirit can do,

Paul's ethics, first,

which Torah could not. Here is the crux o f things regarding Spirit ethics.

because there is no such thing as "salvation in Christ"

O n l y those matters which have to d o with G o d and his character are re­ garded as absolute; all others are adiaphora, nonessentials. Paul's attitude toward these mat­

that does not also

ters is clearly expressed in R o m a n s

include righteousness

lies at the heart o f Paul's response

14:17, the Uieological insertion that to s o m e practical ethical questions.

on the part of God's

H o w d o those w h o follow certain re­

people.

people o f G o d with those w h o d o

ligious practices live together as o n e not, so that "together with

one

voice" they might "glorify the G o d a n d Father o f our Lord Jesus Christ" ( R o m 15:6)? Paul's answer is that the o n e w h o is o b ­ servant must not c o n d e m n the n o n o b s e r v a n t , a n d the n o n observant must not scorn the observant (14:1-6). The reason? "The k i n g d o m o f G o d has n o t h i n g at all to d o with food and drink |utter nonessentials!, but with the righteousness, joy, and p e a c e that the H o l y Spirit e m p o w e r s " ( 1 4 : 1 7 ) . F o o d a n d drink count for nothing; righteousness, joy, and peace count for everything.

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E T I-I I « ->

Thus the Spirit is central in Paul's ethics, first, heiaime

I•*

no such thing as salvation in Christ that does not also iu< ludr righteousness o n the part o f G o d ' s people. They are not saved l>v d o i n g righteousness—that is unthinkable, since righteousness as behavior is the product o f the Spirit's empowering, not a requirement o f obedience in order to get in. But for

Tmly Christian ethics

that very reason ethical life is also c a n

required, because b o t h getting in and slaying in are the work o f the Spirit,

j _

.

....

,

and Paul sees n o division between the two.

o n l

V

b e

h

V

l h e

• •*>

r

Spirits empowering. r

r

°

Second, the Spirit is essential to Paul's ethics because truly Chris­ tian ethics can only be by the Spirit's empowering. That is w h y Torah observance does not work; it m a y make people "religious," but it fails to make them truly "righteous," in the sense o f repro­ ducing the righteousness o f G o d in their lives. Spirit people not only want to please G o d but are empowered to d o so. This is also w h y Spirit ethics starts with a renewed m i n d ( R o m 12:1-2; cf. C o l 1:9; Eph 1:17), because only in this way m a y we determine what G o d ' s will is and thus be pleasing to h i m . T h e m i n d renewed by the Spirit leads us to understand that love must rule over all; and only by such a renewed m i n d m a y we discover h o w best to love. There is a time for speaking and a time for silence, a time for taking another's load on oneself and a time to refrain from that for the sake o f the other's growth. O n l y dependence o n the Spirit can enable us to know what is pleasing to G o d . The passages in Colossians and Ephesians are especially signifi­ cant in this regard. Although the specific nature and form o f the Colossians' heresy to which Paul is responding may be shrouded in mystery for us, there can be little question that it included: (1) an appeal to something heady (wisdom, so-called philosophy, etc.), probably based on visions, and (2) an insistence o n religious righteousness approaching an ascetic ideal ("don't touch, don't taste, don't handle"). Paul's response to this early o n in the letter ( C o l 1:9-11) is to pray for the Colossian believers that they might "be filled with the knowledge o f God's will by means o f the Spirit's

I05

C H A P T E R

9

w i s d o m and insight," and this precisely so that diey might walk worthy o f the Lord in ways that are pleasing to h i m (cf. R o m 12:1-2). ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Thus, rather than give them Chris­ tian rules to live by Paul gives them

Ethics for Paul,

the Spirit. Through the Spirit's wis­ d o m and insight they are to be d o n e

therefore, is ultimately a theological issue

with rules and advance to living the life o f those w h o by the Spirit are being "renewed into the likeness o f

pure and simple—that

the Creator" ( C o l 3:10). The Creator's

is, an issue related to

language reminiscent o f the fruit o f

character is then spelled out (v. 12) in the Spirit in Calatians 5:22-23. This

the known character

is the new form o f revelation, which comes through the Spirit, w h o reveals

of God.

God's will in such a w a y that ethical life is a reflection o f G o d ' s character.

Ethics for Paul, therefore, is ultimately a theological issue pure and simple—that is, an issue related to the known character o f G o d . Everything has to d o with G o d , and what G o d is about in Christ and the Spirit. Thus: (1) the purpose (or basis) o f Christian ethics is the glory o f G o d (1 C o r 10:31); (2) the pattern for such ethics is the S o n of G o d , Christ himself (1 C o r 4:16-17; 11:1; E p h 4:20), into whose likeness we were predestined to be transformed ( R o m 8:29); (3) the principle is love, precisely because love is at the essence o f w h o G o d 8

is; (4) and the power is the Spirit, the Spirit o f G o d . H e n c e the essential role o f the Spirit. Since the Spirit o f G o d is the Spirit o f Christ, and since the first-mentioned fruit o f the Spirit is love, the Spirit not only empowers the believer for ethical behavior, but by indwelling the believer also reproduces the pat­ tern and the principle o f that behavior.

W a l k i n g in/by t h e Spirit

9

The central role o f the Spirit is most clearly spelled out in Galatians 5:13-6:10, where with a series o f verbs modified by the phrase pneumati ("in/by the Spirit"), Paul urges the Galatians to

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"make a completion" (3:3) by means o f the same Spirit by w h o m they had been converted. They are c o m m a n d e d to "walk in the Spirit," and promised that those w h o so walk "will not fulfdl the desire o f the flesh" (v. 16); such people are "led by the Spirit," attested by "the fruit o f the Spirit" ( w . 2 2 - 2 3 ) , and are not under Torah ( w . 18, 23). Since they "live by the Spirit" (= have been brought to life by the life-giving Spirit), they must also "behave in accordance with the Spirit" (v. 25). Finally, only those w h o "sow to the Spirit" in this way "will reap the eternal life" that is also from the Spirit (6:8). T w o things are clear from this passage: that the Spirit is the key t o ethical life, and that Paul expects Spirit people to exhibit changed behavior. The first instruction, "walk by the Spirit," is the basic c o m m a n d in Paul's ethics. The verb "to walk" was c o m m o n l y used in Judaism to refer to a person's w h o l e w a y o f life. Paul adopted it as his most c o m m o n verb for ethical conduct (17 occurrences in all). All other c o m m a n d s proceed from this one. The primary form that such walking takes is "in love" (Eph 5:2; Gal 5:6), hence love is the first-mentioned "fruit o f the Spirit" ( G a l 5:22; cf. 5:14; R o m 13:8-10). There are also s o m e things that Spirit ethics is not in Paul's letters. O n the one h a n d , Spirit ethics is not simply an ideal, to be achieved by those few w h o are truly "spiritual," as over against some w h o are still "carnal" or fleshly. The empowering o f the Spirit belongs to all alike. Paul w o u l d have as little patience with a view that allows for people to be "justified sinners" without appropriate changes in attitudes and conduct (see ch. 7 above), as he w o u l d with an appeal t o helplessness o n the part o f those w h o live in and walk by the Spirit (see ch. 11 below). Paul simply knows nothing about an internal struggle within the h u m a n breast, in which the flesh continually proves to be the greater p o w e r .

10

After all, Spirit ethics is not first o f all a matter o f individual piety, but o f our life together in the world. O n the other hand, Spirit ethics is neither ethical perfectionism (life without sin at all) nor triumphalism (plastic smiles that convey perpetual victory in all circumstances). Life in the Spirit is ethical realism, life lived in the already/not yet by the power o f the Spirit. If s o m e o n e is overtaken in a trespass, the rest o f God's Spirit

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people restore that person through the Spiritual fruit o f gentleness (Gal 6:1-2). O n e w h o has brought grief to Paul and the c o m m u ­ nity by his opposition to Paul is to be forgiven and thus restored (2 C o r 2:5-11). The key for Paul lay with the Spirit as a dynamically experienced reality in the life o f both believers ( G a l 3:2, 4) and c o m m u n i t y (3:5)." Paul's expectation level was high o n this matter because for h i m and his churches the Spirit was not simply believed in but was experienced in tangible, visible ways. If our experience o f the Spirit lies at a lower level, we must resist the temptation to remake Paul into our image and thereby find comfort in a Paul that did not exist. Paul's answer was "walk i n / b y the Spirit," and he as­ sumed that such a walk was available to those w h o had already "experienced so m a n y things" o f the Spirit ( G a l 5:4). H e does not tell us how to d o that because such a dynamic life in the Spirit was presumed by h i m .

T h e Spirit as H o l y

1 2

Although Paul usually uses the term "sanctification" to refeT to Christian conversion (see ch. 7 above), the word tends to appear where his concern is with his converts' improper (sinful) behav­ ior.

13

For example, in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 he takes u p die issue

o f sexual immorality with a group o f former pagans for w h o m sexual irregularity was not considered a moral issue. Paul sees such conduct both as over against G o d and as wronging another be­ liever. The argument begins, "this is God's will for y o u , even your sanctification" (v. 3), and concludes that the person w h o rejects Paul's instruction o n this matter does not reject what a mere m a n has to say, "but rejects the very G o d w h o gives [present tense] y o u his Holy Spirit." This further explains the use o f the word "sanc­ tification" in reminding t h e m o f their conversion in 2 Thessa­ lonians 2:13, as well as the repeated emphasis on sanctification in 1 Corinthians (see 1:2, 30; 6:11). Here we see at least in part die significance o f the early church's referring to the Spirit as the Holy Spirit. T h e early believers under­ stood themselves to be dedicated to G o d , but not in a ritual way, as in the O l d Testament use o f the term "sanctified." Rather, they

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were set apart for G o d , to be his holy people in the w o r l d .

14

Hence

the emphasis in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8. For Paul, "holiness," that is, walking by means o f the Holy Spirit, has two aspects. O n the one hand,

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

it means abstaining from some sins— absolutely. Since in Christ believers

"Holiness" also

have died to b o t h sin (the flesh) and the law, they are to serve G o d "in the newness o f the Spirit" ( R o m

7:6).

They must put to death the former way o f life ( R o m 6:1-18; 8 : 1 2 - 1 3 ; C o l 3 : 5 - 1 1 ) , portrayed in Galatians 5:19-21 as "the works o f the flesh,"

(especially) means the Holy Spirit living in believers, reproducing the life of Christ

which refers to life before and outside Christ. Such a life is n o longer an

within and among

option for the new people o f G o d , w h o indeed have become a people by

them, particularly in

the indwelling o f the Spirit o f G o d . Paul, therefore, understands "putting to death" the works o f the flesh as the empowering work o f the Spirit ( R o m

their communal relationships.

8:12-13). O n the other h a n d , "holiness" also (especially) means the H o l y Spirit living in believers, reproducing the life o f Christ within and a m o n g t h e m , particularly in dieir c o m m u n a l relationships. T o d o otherwise is to "grieve the H o l y Spirit o f G o d " (Eph 4:30), w h o by his presence has given them b o t h unity and mutual growth. For this reason, Paul's most c o m m o n language for the people o f G o d is "the saints" (= God's holy people). They live differendy in their relationships with one another, and are empowered to d o so, because they are Spirit people, whatever else they may be. W h a t remains to be looked at in terms o f Christian conversion is what the converted person looks like, h o w "holiness" is ex­ pressed in the life o f the believing community. The answer to this question is taken u p next; and again the Spirit, the renewed pres­ ence o f G o d , is the key to our being transformed into God's o w n likeness.

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NOTES 1.1 should adit, lo fill out the debate at the popular level, that too much ranting against "eternal security" often led to insecurity. My way of putting it is that a lot of us used to "get saved" every Sunday night because we had sinned during the week! This equally bad theology led to more spiritual neuroses than one cares to remember. 2. O n the question of Paul's ethics, see especially V. P. Furnish, Theology and Ethics in Paul (Nashville: Abingdon, 1968); for the role of the Spirit in Paul's ethics, see especially die perceptive paragraphs in E. Kasemann, Commentary on Romans (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980) 324-25. See also in CEP the discussion on 1 Thess 4:8; 2 Thess 2:13; 1 Cor 6:19-20; Gal 5:5-6, 13-15, 16-18, 19-23, 24-26; 6:1-3; Rom 6:1-8:39; 7:5-6, 14,18; 8:1-2, 3-4, 5-8, 12-13; 13:11-14; 14:16-18; Eph 4:3-4, 30. 3. Among scores of such texts see, e.g., the powerful appeal of Isa 58. 4. See GEP on 2 Cor 3:1-4:6 (cf. 11:4); Gal 3:1-4:7; 4:29; 5:1-6, 13-24; Rom 7:4-6; 8:1-30; Phil 3:2-3. 5. For helpful introductions to the issues and the debate on Paul and the Law, see esp. S. Westerholm, Israel's Law and the Church's Faith: Paul and his Recent Interpreters (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988), and F. Thielman, Paul and the Law: A Contextual Approach (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1994). 6. Indeed, much of the literature on Paul and the law stems from the need to explain how a Jew like Paul could bear such un-Jewish sentiments toward Torah. 7. For the exegesis that leads to these various conclusions, see GEP on 2 Cor 3:1-18; 3:4-6, 7-11; Gal 3:1-5, 14; 4:4-7, 29; 5:5-6, 13-15, 18, 19-23; Rom 2:29; 7:5-6, 14, 18; 8:1-2, 3-4; 12:1-2; Phil 3:3. 8. The passages here are numerous: Gal 5:13-14; 1 Cor 8:2-3; 13:4-7; Rom 13:8-10; Col 3:14; Eph 5:2, 25. 9. See the discussion in GEP on Gal 5:13-6:10; 2 Cor 12:18; Col 1:9-11; Eph 4:1-3. 10. As we will discuss in ch. 11, the whole point of the argument of Gal 5:13-6:10 has to do with the adequacy of the Spirit for our righteousness, as we continue to live as Spirit people in a world where the perspective of the flesh is still the dominant force. The point of the command in Gal 5:16 is promise: "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the desire of the flesh." 11. As noted in the analysis of Gai 5:16 in GEP, 427-34. 12. See the discussion in GEP on such diverse texts as 1 Thess 4:8; 2 Thess 1:11; 2:13; 1 Cor 6:11; Rom 15:16; Eph 4:30. 13. Except for instances where he is making a play on the new and old covenants, as in Rom 15:16. There his point has to do with formerly

t to

N O T E S

unclean Gentiles now sanctified by the Spirit, so that they may not be judged by Jewish Christians for their lack of ritual purity, especially their rejection of circumcision and food laws. 14. Compare A. W. Wainwright, The Trinity in the New Testament (Lon­ don: SPCK 1962) 22-23.

1 11

CONVERSION: STAYING IN (PART 2 ) — T H E FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

The goal of individual conversion is for us to bear the fruit of the Spirit, that is, to be transformed into God's own likeness, the likeness of Christ. "You've c o m e a long way, baby," the cigarette ad announces to those w o m e n it is trying to seduce with its deadly product. T h e implication is that s m o k i n g this brand will bring them "the whole way" into the modern world. T h e ad, o f course, has it all wrong, desperately wrong, not only in its demeaning o f w o m e n but also in its implications about the goal o f the journey. In the real journey into the life o f the future, we c o m e a long w a y only as we walk in the Spirit. T h u s are w e conformed more and more into the likeness o f God's S o n , our Lord Jesus Christ. T o change metaphors: H o w e v e r m u c h w e m a y wish it other­ wise, w h e n w e receive the Spirit at conversion divine perfection does not set in, but divine "infection" does! W e have been invaded by the living G o d himself, in the person o f his Spirit, w h o s e goal is to infect us thoroughly with G o d ' s o w n likeness. Paul's phrase for this infection is the fruit o f the Spirit. T h e c o m i n g o f the Spirit, with the renewing o f our m i n d s , gives us a heavenly appetite for this fruit. The g r o w i n g o f this fruit is the l o n g w a y o n the journey o f Christian conversion, the "long obedience in the same direction," a n d it is altogether the work o f

O T H E R

S P I R I T

A C T I V I T Y

the Spirit in our lives. Life at a lower level is n o advertisement for the future! M y primary purpose in this chapter is t o look more closely at Paul's list o f these "fruit" in Galatians 5 : 2 2 - 2 3 — a list that in effect is a mirror image o f Christ himself, a n d thus also a reflec­ tion o f what Spirit people look like. But before that, w e take a brief look at h o w broad Paul's understanding o f life in the Spirit really is.

OTHER SPIRIT ACTIVITY All sorts o f other activities besides ethical "fruit" are understood by Paul as the work o f the Spirit. M o s t o f these belong to the life of the individual believer. W h a t they reveal is the wide range o f Paul's view o f life in Christ as empowered by the Spirit. For

Paul's view of life in

1

e x a m p l e , o u r experience

of

hope—for the certain future noted in chapter 5 above—is

empowered

by the Spirit ( G a l 5:5; R o m 15:13).

Christ is so thoroughly dominated by the Spirit that the Spirit is

Similarly, in R o m a n s 9:1 Paul indi­ cates that his clear conscience regard­

the one absolutely

ing what he is about to say is the work of the Spirit in his life. If R o m a n s

essential ingredient for

12:11 refers t o the Spirit at work in the believer's spirit, then the Spirit is

that life.

also the source o f zeal for service. In Philippians 1:19 Paul expects the combination o f the Philippians' praying and the "supply o f the Spirit" to make it possible for h i m to experience either deliverance or death without shaming the gos­ pel, and to the glory o f Christ. A n d even though he makes little o f it with regard to apostleship, the Spirit is the key to Paul's "many visions and revelations" (2 C o r 12:1; see further ch. 12 below). These several texts together merely demonstrate further what has already been said—that Paul's view o f life in Christ is so thor­ oughly dominated by the Spirit that the Spirit is the one absolutely

1 1 3

C H A P T E R

l O

essential ingredient for that life. O u r focus in this chapter, how­ ever, is with the ethical dimension o f that life, as illustrated b y the fruit o f the Spirit.

THE SPIRIT AND HIS FRUIT Before we look at the fruit individually, s o m e general observa­ tions about the list o f fruit in its context in Galatians might prove helpful. 1. A l t h o u g h Paul sets out the fruit o f the Spirit in contrast to the preceding works o f the flesh, he does not thereby intend passiveness on the part o f the believer. After all, ethical instruction else­ where comes by way o f c o m m a n d , calling believers to active obedience. W h a t we must not disregard is the element o f the miraculous. In Paul's ethics we walk in the Spirit ( G a l 5:16) as we are led by the Spirit (v. 18). The Spirit produces the fruit as believers continually walk with the Spirit's help. 2. The essential nature o f the fruit is the reproduction o f the life of Christ in the believer. As noted in chapter 3 above, the Spirit is in fact the Spirit o f Christ. W e are not surprised therefore that m a n y o f the words Paul uses to describe tins fruit are used else­ where o f Christ. In Kphesians 4:20 he speaks o f ethical life in terms o f "learning Christ." T h e fruit o f the Spirit is simply another way o f talking about our being "predestined t o be conformed to the likeness o f G o d ' s Son" ( R o m 8:29). 3. It is misleading to refer to this list as the ninefold fruit o f the Spirit. The list is intended to be not exhaustive but representative, just like the preceding list o f vices in Galatians 5:19-21. Paul concludes both lists by referring to "such things," m e a n i n g all other vices and virtues similar to these. All such lists, including the description o f love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and o f

charismata

("gifts o f the Spirit") in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, are written for the occasion and tailored to their contexts. In this case, they have been fashioned to address the conflict in the Galatian congregations (see G a l 5:15 a n d 26). This also means that a full discussion o f the fruit o f the Spirit w o u l d need to spread a wide net to include, for

1 14

T H

S P I R I T

A N D

H I S

F R U I T

e x a m p l e , the further items m e n t i o n e d in C o l o s s i a n s 3 : 1 2 - 1 3 (compassion, humility, forgiveness) as well as specific applications like those in Romans 12:9-21. 4. These fruit cover a broad range, including all manner o f attitudes, virtues, and behavior. Every aspect o f Christian life, across the broadest possible spectrum, is the work o f the Spirit. Fruit include the experiences o f joy and peace within the believing community; attitudes such as gentleness, forbearance, and selfcontrol; and behavior such as love, kindness, goodness, and all others consonant with these. 5. T o reiterate from chapter 9 above, this list o f Spiritual fruit is not intended to regulate Christian behavior by rules o f conduct. Because truly Christian ethics are the product o f walking and living in the Spirit, there can be n o law (Gal 5:23); nor m a y we turn Paul's ethics into a new law. Rather these fruit are pointers; here is what one w h o is being conformed into Christ's image will look like. 6. T o bring this discussion full circle, most o f these items have to d o not with the internal life o f the individual believer but with the corporate life o f the c o m m u n i t y . W h i l e it is true that individu­ als must love, work toward peace, express forbearance, kindness, a n d g o o d n e s s , a n d be characterized by gentleness, in Pauline ethics these virtues characterize God's relationship toward his people. T h e Spirit bears fruit in our individual lives for the same purpose, to be toward one another the way G o d is toward us. This is demonstrated in Galatians 6:1 b y Paul's use o f "the S/spirit o f gentleness" as the motivation behind their restoration o f a brother or sister w h o has sinned. W h e n Paul admonishes in 6:4 that they are to "test" or "examine" themselves, that is not a call to introspection, Christian "navel gazing" as it were, but for t h e m to see whether as individuals the fruit o f the Spirit are at work in each o f them for the sake o f the c o m m o n g o o d . Thus the opening c o m m a n d , "walk by the Spirit" ( G a l 5:16), is directed not so m u c h toward the individual in terms o f his or her o w n personal life in Christ, but toward the Christian c o m m u n i t y , in w h i c h s o m e are "biting and devouring" o n e another, hence using their freedom in Christ as a n "occasion for the flesh." T h e flesh/Spirit contrast in this passage, therefore, has nothing to d o

1 15

C H A P T E R

I

O

with one's introspective conscience. It has everything to d o with "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, and gentleness" within the believing community. They are ethics for believers w h o are learning to live together as God's people in a fallen world.

THE INDIVIDUAL FRUIT It is c o m m o n to make more o f the singular "fruit," in contrast t o the plural "works," than the language will allow. Paul prob­ ably h a d n o such contrast in m i n d , nor does he think o f the works as m a n y and individual but the fruit as o n e cluster with several kinds o n it. The word karpos ("fruit") in Greek functions as a collective singular, m u c h as the word "fruit" does in English. In both languages o n e w o u l d refer to "the fruit in the bowl," whether they are all o f o n e kind or o f several. Here they are o f several kinds.

Love That love should assume pride o f place is n o surprise. Paul has already accorded it such a place in this argument ( G a l 5:6, 1 3 - 1 4 ) , 2

a place it always holds in his ethics, as in all o f Scripture. The reason for this is that in Paul's theology, resulting from his long life in the O l d Testament, this word captures the essence o f the 3

character o f G o d as seen in his relationship to his p e o p l e . T h u s in the trinitarian benediction o f 2 Corinthians 13:14, in which the primary characteristic o f the divine Persons is expressed, Paul prays for the Corinthians to know "the love o f G o d . " God's love for his people is what has been poured out into their hearts by the Spirit (Rom 5:5). For Paul this love has been expressed most powerfully in God's sending his S o n , and in the Son's death o n the cross (Rom 5:6-8). God's love is full o f forbearance and kindness (see below) toward his people, and finally expresses itself to the full in the self-sacrificial death o f Christ o n behalf o f his enemies. But for Paul this is not simply theory or abstract reality; the Spirit had poured this love into his heart. In this same letter he has

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already described the indwelling Christ as the o n e "who loved m e and gave himself for me" (Gal 2:20). This is surely what he intends by the "law o f Christ" in 6:2, which lies behind the imperative by which all o f this began in 5:13 ("through love perform the duties o f a slave for o n e another"). Such love is the direct result o f being loved by the G o d whose love has been lavished o n us in the S o n , w h o likewise loved us and gave himself for us, and by whose indwelling presence we n o w live. Love, therefore, is not something o n e can d o or feel o n one's own; nor is it to be distorted into its current N o r t h American version

of good

feelings

toward

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

someone, so that love is turned o n its

Life in Christ, and

head—instead o f self-sacrificial giving o f myself for others, it has become

therefore life by the

identified with what I d o or feel for another for the sake o f m y o w n selffulfillment. Love heads this list o f virtues over against the works o f the flesh precisely because it stands as the stark opposite o f the self-centeredness

. . S

irit

P '

. i s

a

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above all else, such joy is to characterize the

o f most o f the items o n the former list. As the fruit o f the Spirit, love

Christian community.

spells the e n d to "hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts o f rage, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envies," and the like (see G a l 5:20-21). This can only be lived out in the context o f other people, especially other believers. Thus it is Paul's o w n antidote in w . 13 and 14 to their internal strife men­ tioned in v. 15.

Joy

4

Life in Christ, a n d therefore life by the Spirit, is a life o f joy; above all else, such joy is to characterize the Christian c o m m u ­ nity (1 Thess 5:16). W h a t is remarkable is the appearance o f joy in this list o f virtues tiiat are primarily ethical in character. As with love and peace that stand o n either side o f it, Paul is probably not t h i n k i n g so m u c h o f the personal, i n d i v i d u a l experience o f j o y — a l t h o u g h as with this w h o l e list, that can

t t

7

C H A P T E R

I

O

scarcely be excluded—but of the joy that characterizes a c o m m u ­ nity w h o are walking in the Spirit.

5

G o d has brought us eschatological salvation; the future has already made its appearance in the present; God's people have already tasted the life that is to be. Already they have received full pardon, full forgiveness; by the Spirit they cry out Abba to the G o d w h o has loved t h e m and given his S o n for them. This is cause for joy, unquenchable, uninhibited joy, as "by the Spirit we eagerly await the h o p e o f righteousness" (Gal 5:5). The fruit o f the Spirit is joy, joy in the Lord. W h a t must begin at the individual level must also therefore characterize the believing community, a m o n g w h o m G o d still generously supplies the H o l y Spirit. The presence or absence o f joy is therefore unrelated to one's circumstances, as Paul's letter to the Philippians makes plain. It is related entirely to what G o d has done for us in Christ through the Spirit. The Pauline imperative, stemming from joy as the fruit o f the Spirit, is not simply "rejoice"—although it often comes in that simple form as well—but "rejoice in the Lord." This focus is the key t o our understanding the joy o f the Spirit. A c o m m u n i t y that is "rejoicing in the Lord always" is not a c o m m u n i t y easily given to "eating and devouring o n e another" (Gal 5:15), one in which people think too highly o f themselves (6:4).

Peace As with love, peace is especially associated with G o d and his relationship to his people; and as with love and joy, for Paul it is especially a c o m m u n i t y matter. That is, Paul's first concern with peace is not the well-arranged heart—although again, it is difficult to have peace in a c o m m u n i t y where God's people

themselves

know litde peace individually. But here peace occurs in a list o f virtues that deliberately stand over against the works o f the flesh, eight of which describe the causes or results of h u m a n discord. 6

G o d himself is often described as "the G o d o f peace," the G o d w h o dwells in total shalom (wholeness, well-being) and w h o gives such shalom to his people in their life together. What is striking is that this divine ascription occurs exclusively in contexts where there is strife or unrest close at hand. Thus the antidote to unruly charis-

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F R U I T

mata in the community is the theological note that G o d himself is a "God o f peace" (1 C o r 14:33); or in a c o m m u n i t y where the unruly idle live off the largesse o f others, Paul prays that the G o d o f peace will give them peace at all times (2 Thess 3:16); or in a context where believers are warned against those w h o "cause divisions and put obstacles in your way," he assures them that the G o d o f peace will bruise Satan under their feet shortly ( R o m 16:20). Furthermore, the mention o f peace in Paul's letters (apart from the standard salutation) most often occurs in c o m m u n i t y or rela­ tional settings. Christ is our peace w h o has m a d e jew and Gentile o n e people, o n e b o d y (Eph 2:14-17), w h o are urged to "keep the unity o f the Spirit through the b o n d o f peace" (4:3). Similarly in the argument o f R o m a n s 14:1-15:13, Paul urges Jew a n d Gentile together to "make every effort to d o what leads t o peace" (14:19). In the c o m m u n i t y context o f Colossians 3:12-4:6, Paul urges the Colossians to "let the peace o f Christ rule in your hearts, since as members o f o n e b o d y y o u were called to peace." Peace, there­ fore, has primarily to d o with the cessation o f hostilities. Blessed are the peacemakers! T h e Spirit alone can produce such peace in our midst.

Forbearance It is c o m m o n to translate this word (Greek makrothymia) as "patience." T o be sure, in some cases it m a y well carry that mean­ ing. But in English, patience tends t o be individualistic; that is, o n e is patient about all kinds o f nonpersonal matters pertaining to life in general (e.g., burnt toast). But in Paul makrothymia a n d its corresponding verb are always used in contexts involving one's 7

forbearance toward others. As such it often refers, as it does here, to the passive b u t tenacious side o f love, o f which its c o m p a n i o n "kindness" is the active side. Thus Paul describes God's attitude toward h u m a n arrogance as o n e o f forbearance a n d kindness ( R o m 2:4). These are the first two words that describe (God's) love in 1 Corinthians 13:4; a n d they occur together in Colossians 3:12 as part o f Christian dress when w e "put o n Christ." Thus "longsuffering" (Kjv) has to d o with long forbearance to­ ward those w h o stand over against us in s o m e way. Although Paul

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o

nowhere else attributes such forbearance to the direct working o f the Spirit, its appearance here makes clear that Spirit empowering is not simply for joy and miracles, but also for this much-needed quality of hanging in there with those w h o need long and patient love and kindness (cf. C o l 1:11). This is the antidote to "outbursts of rage" (5:20) or "provoking o n e another" (v. 26).

Kindness Like the forbearance with which it is frequently allied, the key to understanding "kindness" is found in the instances where it de­ scribes God's character or activity toward people. Thus it occurs as a verb in 1 Corinthians 13:4 to express the acdve side o f love, for which longsuffering expresses its passive side. In such a context it surely refers to God's active goodness, lavished u p o n those w h o m he loves. God's kindness is found in his thousandfold acts o f mercy toward people like ourselves w h o deserve his wrath. This is especially borne out by its usage in Ephesians 2:7, where the extravagant expression o f God's grace is demonstrated in his kind­ ness toward us in Christ. In this list, of course, where it occurs again in conjunction with forbearance, it has to d o with genuine acts o f kindness toward others. As such it fits the larger context as another contrast to the works of the flesh, w i t h their self-centered, basically hostiletoward-others way o f life. The Spirit not only empowers us to endure the hostility or unkindness o f others; he also enables us to show kindness to them, actively to pursue their g o o d . If longsuf­ fering means not to "chew someone's head off" (see G a l 5:15), kindness means to find ways o f binding up their wounds.

Goodness As noted above, this word is closely allied with kindness. If there is a difference, "goodness" is the more all-embracing quality, de­ scribing one's character. T h e adjective ("good") from which this noun is formed is a primary word to describe God's character in the Old Testament. Similarly, believers may be described as "full of goodness" (Rom 15:14); when put into practice it takes the

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form o f "doing good." Indeed, goodness does not exist apart from its active, concrete expression. Thus this is the quality o f Christian grace, produced in the life o f the believer by the Spirit, that Paul picks up o n at the end to conclude the present argument: "let us d o g o o d to all people" ( G a l 6:9-10). Again, as with the preceding words, its appearance here presupposes the present context. Those w h o sow to the Spirit are those w h o d o g o o d to all; obviously this stands as yet another antonym t o those works o f the flesh that have found a measure o f existence a m o n g the Galatians.

Faith(fulness) The word here is pislis, Paul's primary word for "faith," having t o d o with one's basic stance toward G o d — o f utter trust in his trust­ worthiness. In the Septuagint it was the basic Greek word used for the concept o f God's faithfulness. This is the sense that Paul picks up in Romans 3:3, that the "unfaithfulness" o f God's people does not call into question God's o w n pislis ("faithfulness"). From a theologi­ cal perspective, one could not object to faith as the meaning o f the word even here—that is, that one o f the fruit o f the Spirit is our trust in G o d . But given the other virtues, especially those that immedi­ ately surround it, Paul is n o doubt referring to faithfulness, that is, our faithful living out our trust in G o d over the long haul. The more difficult question is whether it also carries a nuance o f faithfulness in relationship to others. Since the N e w Testament has no other examples o f such usage, it seems unlikely, despite the context, that Paul has this nuance in m i n d here. More likely the sense is that o f faithful devotion to G o d , which in turn will express itself toward others by means o f the various other fruit in this list. True faith for Paul always includes the element o f faithfulness; thus true faith for him in this sense, as a fruit o f the Spirit, expresses itself in love ( G a l 5:6).

Gentleness This is the word that earlier versions translated "meekness." For Paul it derives its Christian meaning from its relationship with

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1 0

Christ. In Matthew 11:25-30 this is one o f the two words used to describe the character o f Christ, which he, as the only S o n o f the Father, revealed about the character o f the Father. That Paul knew this tradition, or one like it, seems certain from his appeal to the "meekness and gentleness o f Christ" in 2 Corinthians 10:1. As a Christian grace, reflecting the character o f Christ himself, 8

it occurs eight times in P a u l . This fruit is the most difficult to translate adequately by an English word. It conveys at least the sense o f humility toward oneself (that is, a proper estimation o f oneself before G o d ) and considerateness toward others. It is to this fruit that Paul will appeal in Galatians 6:1, w h e n he urges those w h o walk by the Spirit to restore a brother or sister over­ taken in a fault. W e need to d o so in the "S/spirit o f gentleness" b o t h because the life o f the other person is at stake, and because w e thereby remember our o w n frailties and susceptibility to temptation. In this list it stands as the exact a n t o n y m to the work o f the flesh translated "selfish ambition." It is that fruit o f the Spirit at work in those w h o d o not think too highly o f them­ selves (6:3), but w h o "in humility consider others better than themselves" (Phil 2:3)—in the sense that their needs and c o n ­ cerns are to be looked after before one's o w n .

Self-Control The last word o n this list is unique in several ways. First, it is the o n e word on the list that does not appear elsewhere in Scripture with reference to the character o f G o d . Second, the n o u n occurs only here in Paul's letters, although the verb occurs in 1 C o r i n ­ thians 7:9 with reference to sexual continence and in 1 C o r i n ­ 9

thians 9:25 with regard to the self-discipline o f the athlete. Third, it is the one virtue in the list that is clearly aimed at the individual believer. This is not something one does in community; it is a general stance toward excesses o f various kinds. In contrast to the rest o f the terms in the list, w h i c h take aim at those eight works o f the flesh that have to d o with relational breakdowns, this one takes aim at either (or b o t h ) the sexual indulgences that appear as the first three works o f the flesh (sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery) or (and) the excesses

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with which that list concludes (drunkenness, orgies). This, too, is the effective working o f the Spirit in the life o f the believer. In terms o f Pauline ethics, we m a y not turn "self-control" into abstinence as such. Paul denounces anything that even smacks o f abstinence per se as a Christian virtue (see 1 C o r 10:31-33; R o m 14:1-23; 1 T i m 4 : 1 - 5 ) , for ex­ ample, "don't handle, don't taste, don't touch" ( C o l 2:21). Because o f this fruit o f the Spirit, we are free to abstain from anything for the sake o f others;

The need for Torah to "hem in human conduct because of the transgressions" (Gal 3:19, 22) has come to

but we m a y never turn such free giv­ ing u p o f f o o d or drink or whatever

an end with the

into s o m e virtue o n its o w n . These are merely " h u m a n traditions," as

advent of the Spirit,

Paul calls them ( C o l 2:22), the "teach­ ings o f demons" (1 Tim 4:2). O n l y the Spirit can set us free for self-control— life in moderation, but with absten­ tion for the sake o f s o m e o n e else.

God's own way of fulfilling the promised new covenant.

Paul concludes this list b y bringing it back into context: "Against such things as these there is n o law." This means something like, "when these virtues are evident a m o n g us because o f the presence o f the Spirit, Torah is an irrelevancy." There is n o need o f Torah to say to people w h o by the Spirit are loving o n e another, "you shall not kill," nor to say to those w h o are actively pursuing the g o o d o f others out o f kindness, "don't covet." This does not mean that reminders like this list are irrelevant— Paul himself is long o n such—but that the need for Torah to "hem in h u m a n conduct because o f the transgressions" (Gal 3:19, 22) has c o m e to an end with the advent o f the Spirit, God's o w n w a y o f fulfilling the promised new covenant. T h i s is Torah b e i n g etched o n the heart, so that God's people will obey h i m (Jer 31:33; Ezek 36:27). Here also is the clear evidence that for Paul the elimination o f Torah does not mean the end o f righteousness. T o

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the contrary, the Spirit produces the real tiring, the righteousness o f G o d himself, so that his children reflect his likeness. O f equal importance, these are the fruit o f the eschatological Spirit. In us and in our believing communities the Spirit is at work reproducing the very life o f G o d , so that in our present betweenthe-times existence, we might live the life o f the future, toward which we are walking. This is what lies behind Paul's c o m m a n d in Philippians 1:27, where in a wordplay o n the fact that Philippi was a R o m a n colony, whose free people were therefore citizens o f Rome, Paul urges them "to live out their [heavenly] citizenship in Philippi in a manner worthy o f the gospel o f Christ." Picking u p this same imagery again in 3:20 he says that "our citizenship is in heaven." G o d ' s people in Philippi were in effect a "colony o f heaven" in this c o l o n y o f R o m e . Paul's point is that if people are to see what heaven is to be like, they s h o u l d see it n o w in the way the heavenly citizens live their life together. O b v i o u s l y , o n l y the Spirit o f the living G o d can pull that off! But that is what it is all about. W e need, finally, to return to the beginning. Pauline ethics has to d o with walking—putting o n e foot in front o f the other, if y o u will—and d o i n g so in the Spirit, as we are led b y the Spirit. Both Paul's exhortation to the c o m m u n i t y in Ephesians 5:18 ("be filled with the Spirit") and his instruction to T i m o t h y in 2 T i m o t h y 1:6-7 ("fan the gift into flame") imply the need for a continual, o n g o i n g appropriation. T h e Spirit's presence is the crucial matter, but that presence does not automatically ensure a quickened, fervent Spiritual life. B o t h individuals and the church as a w h o l e are exhorted to keep the gift aflame. O n e w a y o f d o i n g this is by m u t u a l encouragement a n d growth in the context o f c o m m u n i t y life, especially in worship (see chapter 13 below). But before that, two further areas o f life in the Spirit call for special attention, the Spirit/flesh and power/weakness contrasts. M o s t Christians see both o f these as belonging to individual Chris­ tian life; but as has already been suggested in this chapter, that is simply not true o f the former, at least not in Paul's view. T o this matter we now turn.

124

N O T E S

NOTES 1. For the exegetical details in support of what is said about the follow­ ing texts, see appropriate sections in GEP. 2. See, e.g., 1 Thess 3:12; 4:9-11; 1 Cor 13:1-13; 16:14; Rom 13:8-10; Col 3:14; Eph 5:2. 3. See, e.g., the key texts in Deut 7:7-8 and 10:15, a theme picked up in the prophets (Hos 3:1; 11:1; Isa 41:8; 43:4; 48:14; 60:10; 63:9), where the translators of the Septuagint used the Greek word agape. As with many such words, this background in the Septuagint, not its classical or Helle­ nistic usage, tends to determine Pauline usage. 4. Beginning with this virtue, our tendency is to read this list as though it were first of all a description of personal piety; thus we most often use it as a kind of checklist to see how we are doing. I would not hereby argue against such a reading of die text; my concern is that in context Paul probably intended all of these as virtues that should characterize the life of the Christian community, as it lives out its corporate life with one another in the world. 5. One wonders whether the general lack of joy that characterizes much of contemporary North American Christianity suggests that the life of the Spirit has been generally downplayed in the interest of a more heady or performance-oriented brand of faith. 6. See 1 Thess 5:23; 2 Thess 3:16; 1 Cor 14:33; 2 Cor 13:11; Rom 15:33; 16:20; Phil 4:9. 7. The KJV translated it "longsuffering." It is still hard to improve on the KJV in 1 Cor 13:4, "Love suffereth long, and is kind." 8. 1 Cor 4:21; Gal 5:23; 6:1; Col 3:12; Eph 4:2; 1 Tim 6:11; 2 Tim 2:25; Titus 3:2. 9. The adjective also occurs in the list of virtues required of an overseer in Titus 1:8.

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THE ONGOING WARFARE—THE SPIRIT AGAINST THE FLESH

The Spirit-flesh

conflict in Paul has to do not with

an internal conflict in one's soul, but with the people of God living the life of the future in a world where the flesh is still very active. A g o o d friend wrote recently, "Christians seem to m e to divide into two groups these days: the first lot don't think that sin matters very m u c h anyway, and the second k n o w perfectly well that it 1

does, but still can't kick the habit." This chapter picks u p the concern of the second lot. Indeed, we n o w c o m e to the real world! Painfully, for m a n y o f God's people the subject o f this chapter tells the story o f their Christian life, a story o f o n g o i n g inner conflict of soul. They take some comfort in believing that Paul was their c o m p a n i o n in this struggle. If Paul, the great apostle o f the faith, could write, "what I want to d o I d o not d o , but what I hate I do" ( R o m 7:15), then what h o p e is there for us? S o they simply resign themselves to the struggle. People come by this comfort by reading Galatians 5:17, the single Pauline text that speaks about a conflict between the Spirit and the flesh, in light o f R o m a n s 7:14-25—although the Spirit is not so m u c h as mentioned in the R o m a n s passage, where Paul describes the conflict that goes o n in the soul o f a person living under law and without the Spirit's help. People accept this unfor-

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T H E

S P I R I T

A G A I N S T

T H E

F L E S H

tunate reading o f Paul at face value, because the text in R o m a n s vividly describes something they know only too well. Sadly, for the vast majority o f those w h o adopt such a view, the flesh usually wins. Thus Paul's passion, namely, the sufficiency o f the Spirit for all o f life in the present age, is brushed aside as unrealistic in favor of one's o w n personal reality. T o be sure, such war does rage in the hearts o f many. Often the warfare—and the sense o f helplessness to live above it—is the direct result o f the intense individualism o f Western culture. Both secular psychology and m u c h Christian teaching focus o n the inner self: H o w am I d o i n g according to some set o f criteria for wholeness? Focused o n the inner struggle, we can scarcely see Christ or walk confidently in the way o f the Spirit. Instead o f living out the fruit o f the Spirit, in constant thankfulness for what the Spirit is doing in our lives and in the lives o f others, our individu­ alistic faith turns sourly narcissistic—aware o f our personal failures before G o d , frustrated at our imperfections, feigning the love, joy, peace, and gentleness we wish were real. O u r turmoil crowds out openness to the Spirit himself. In such spiritual malaise G o d almost always gets the blame. But as real as this is for some, Paul is not addressing this issue when in Galatians 5:17 he speaks o f the Spirit and "flesh" as in utter opposition to each other. Indeed, he w o u l d not even under­ stand it. H i s world is that o f Psalm 19, not that o f "the intro­ 2

spective conscience o f the West." In consecutive verses ( 1 2 - 1 3 ) , the psalmist acknowledges first his "errors" and "hidden faults" and then the possibility o f "willful sins." The former is an ac­ knowledgment o f the depth o f our fallenness; for these "hidden faults" he asks forgiveness. His concern—and it does not take the form o f a struggle—is with the "willful sins." A b o u t these he prays 3

that they will "not rule over me." Paul's view is similar. In Gala­ tians 5:17 he is not addressing a struggle over "hidden faults" but open disobedience to G o d in the form o f "willful sins." At issue for us in this chapter, therefore, is Paul's o w n view o f the conflict between the Spirit and the flesh, between living kala sarka ("according to the flesh") and kata pneuma ("according to the Spirit"). Every occurrence o f these terms in Paul has to d o with our present eschatological existence—what it means for believers to

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C H A P T E R

1 1

live together as a people, defined by the already/not yet fulfillment o f God's promises, in contrast to a former life defined and de^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

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have seen h i m say elsewhere: walking in the Spirit is incompat­ ible with life according to the flesh, because these two are in utter opposition to o n e another. A n d because they are utterly incompatible, those w h o live in the Spirit m a y not d o whatever they please, that is, their new freedom in Christ does not permit them to continue living as they used to, by eating and devouring o n e another. Thus the flesh-Spirit contrast has to d o with those w h o have entered the new way o f life brought about by Christ and the Spirit; Paul is urging t h e m to live this w a y by the power o f die Spirit. H i s point is that the Spirit stands in opposition to the other way o f living, and is fully capable o f e m p o w e r i n g

one

to live so. It is not that Paul does not care about the inner life; he d o e s indeed. But here he cares especially that

the

w a y G o d ' s p e o p l e live p r o v i d e a radical a l t e r n a t i v e t o the world around t h e m . T h o s e w h o so walk by the Spirit will not keep on destroying the Christian c o m m u n i t y through strife and conflict.

1 36

G A L A T I A N S

5 : 1 7

In all the passages where Paul sets the Spirit against the flesh he insists that through the death o f Christ and the gift o f the Spirit, the flesh has b e e n m o r t a l l y ^ ^ ^ — ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ wounded—killed, in his language. It is not possible, dierefore, that from Paul's perspective

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of the present age; but

the c o m i n g o f Christ. T h e Spirit, al­ ready a present possession, will be

we do not walk

fully realized at the same coming. T o the degree that the old age has not yet

according to the flesh.

passed away, w e still must learn to walk by the Spirit, to behave in keeping with the Spirit, and to sow to die Spirit. W e can d o so precisely because the Spirit is sufficient. In Paul's view, we live in the flesh, only in the sense o f living in the present body o f humiliation, subject to the realities o f the present age; but w e d o not walk according to the flesh. Such a way o f life belongs to the past, and those w h o live that way are outside Christ and "shall not inherit the [final eschatological] kingdom o f G o d " (Gal 5:21). Paul is always a realist. T h e "new righteousness" that fulfills Torah, effected by the Spirit, is itself both already and not yet. T o return to the preceding chapter, the c o m i n g o f the Spirit means that "divine infection," not divine perfection, has set in. O u r lives are n o w led by the one responsible for inspiring the law in the first place. But that does not mean that God's people cannot still be "overtaken in a fault" (Gal 6:1). T h e resolution o f such betweenthe-times trespassing o f God's righteous requirement is for the rest o f God's Spirit people to restore such a one through the Spirit's gentleness. It means regularly to experience C o d ' s forgiveness and grace. It does not mean to accept constantly living in willful sin as

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l

inevitable, like a slow leak deflating our lives, as t h o u g h the Spirit were not sufficient for life in the present. If this explanation does not satisfy those o f you w h o live in a constant struggle with some besetting sin, m y word to you is to take heart from the gospel. I d o not minimize the struggle. But you are loved by G o d , and that love has been "shed abroad in your heart by the Spirit." The key to life in the Spirit for some is to spend much more quiet time in thanksgiving and praise for what G o d has done—and is doing, and promises to do—and less time o n intro­ spection, focused o n your failure to match up to the law. Whenever y o u d o feel like getting even for what s o m e o n e has done to y o u rather than forgiving them as Christ has forgiven you, y o u are made to realize once more that y o u d o still live between the times, between the time the infection set in and the perfection will be realized (see above, p. 112). But by the Spirit's leading, neither d o y o u d o whatever y o u wish—tear into s o m e b o d y for what they have done to you—as y o u used to d o without thinking. The Spirit, God's o w n presence—his empowering presence—is within, and will lead y o u into appropriate responses. Finally, to bring this discussion full circle, here is where your being a member o f the b o d y comes in. Since the ultimate goal o f salvation is for us individually to belong as a growing, contribut­ ing, edifying member o f the people o f G o d , others in the body exist for the same purpose, and thus should serve y o u in the same way.

Don't try to be a lone ranger Christian, slugging it out o n

your o w n . Seek out those in the c o m m u n i t y to w h o m you can be accountable and let them join y o u in your desire to grow into Christ's likeness.

NOTES 1. N . T. Wright, Follounng lesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship (Lon­ don: SPCK, 1994), 72. 2. These words come from Krister Stendahl, 'The Apostle Paul and the Introspective Conscience of the West," in Paul Among jews and Gentiles and Other Essays (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1976) 78-96.

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3. See also Ps 51, where David speaks of his "sin as ever before me" (v. 3) and of his having "done what is evil" (v. 4). But he also knows the source of such sin, the evil heart, which he refers to in w . 5-6. 4. See the discussion in GEP of Gal 5:13-15, 16-17, 19-23, 24-26; 6:7-10; Rom 7:4-6; 8:4, 5-8; 13:11-14; Phil 3:3. 5. For further reference to recent scholarship on this question, especially the position of J. D. G . Dunn, to which some of the following is a response, see Fee, GEP, 816-22. 6. But does so inconsistently. It uses "sinful nature" when "flesh" implies a negative moral judgment (e.g., see 1 Cor 5:5; Gal 5:13, 16, 17 [twice], 19, 24; 6:8; Rom 7:5-8:13; Col 2:11, 13; Eph 2:3), but "worldly point of view" in 2 Cor 5:16 (cf. 1:12, 17; 10:2) and "flesh" in Phil 3:3-4! 7. This contrast does not occur nearly as often as we are sometimes led to believe, being found basically in Gal 5:13-6:10 (cf. the analogy in 4:29); Rom 8:3-17; and Phil 3:3—although see also 1 Cor 3:1.

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POWER IN WEAKNESS— THE SPIRIT, PRESENT WEAKNESS, AND PRAYER

Present eschatological existence is lived in the radical middle, in the midst of all kinds of present weaknesses knowing the power of the Spirit, who especially comes to our aid in prayer. T w o true stories. The first took place in the d i m past when I was in college. Stan was in his mid-twenties, married, a vital member o f our local church, but he lay dying from a large tumor o n his spine. I went to visit h i m with fear and trepidation. I was scarcely twenty, knew little about death and dying, and certainly knew that I was too y o u n g to be o f m u c h comfort. But I went because he was also m y friend, and I a m a Pentecostal, w h o believes that G o d heals the sick. I have never forgotten m y experience that day, for what hap­ pened to m e happened to all w h o visited h i m . W e went with due apprehension, not knowing what to say; but Stan's o w n experience o f Christ's presence, what h e was learning about God's love, and his readiness—dare I say a kind o f Pauline eagerness—to be with his Lord was so infectious that w e all left Stan's presence built up in our G o d . W e went to comfort h i m ; w e left having been minis­ tered to by h i m . H e died three m o n t h s later, a Pentecostal w h o also trusted to the very end that G o d might show h i m mercy through healing; but he died without disillusionment, because he was ready to enter his eternal reward.

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The second story happened m a n y years later, w h e n our oldest son was in college, and h o m e for the holidays. It was a Sunday morning, and he had decided to "have church" in front o f the T V , located in the basement family r o o m . H e let out a w h o o p , w h i c h caused M a u d i n e a n d m e to rush pell-mell downstairs. There o n the screen was the wife o f one o f the then well-known televangelists. W h e n we got there, she was pointing her finger at the televi­ sion audience with a britde harshness. "If any o f y o u out there are dying o f cancer," she nearly shouted, "it's your fault, not God's. G o d wants to heal you." Two stories; two followers o f Christ. I prefer the first. At issue in this chapter is the relationship between the Spirit as God's empowering presence and the theme o f weakness in Paul. Here in particular it is easy to miss the radical middle in w h i c h Paul himself walked and to err with un-Pauline emphases on one side or the other. M y point, o n e will not be surprised to read by now, is that our present eschatological existence—our experience of God's k i n g d o m "already but not yet realized" in the life o f the church—is also the key to this final set o f contrasts in Paul. Again, the presence o f the eschatological Spirit plays a major role, al­ t h o u g h in this case also resulting in s o m e tensions for later believers.

THE PRESENT SITUATION There are two more or less clearly defined sides o n die issue o f the Spirit and present weakness. O n the o n e hand stands a view 1

that by default is easily that o f the majority. This view has a subdety t o it that makes it look more Pauline than it actually is; indeed, it leans toward a defeatism that is especially difficult to square with Paul. At issue here is a tendency on the part o f s o m e to confuse the term "weakness," that is, life in the flesh, with life according to the flesh. W h e n Paul says, for example, that "the Spirit assists us in our weakness" ( R o m 8:26), "weakness" is taken to encompass all o f our present existence, including our sinfulness. Paul's glorying in his weaknesses is then seen to embrace the

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alleged Spirit-flesh struggle as well as the various bodily weak­ nesses and sufferings to which Paul actually refers.

2

But Paul never makes that equation, as any careful study o f the term "weakness" in Paul demonstrates.

3

This term does indeed

apply to life in the flesh, that is, our present h u m a n life that is still lived in the context o f suffering and disability. But as noted in the preceding chapter, life in the flesh is not the same as life according t o the flesh, which in Paul means to live in sin. T h e best evidence that Paul does not include an inner Spiritflesh conflict within his understanding of being empowered in weakness is that he can speak positively o f living in weakness, so m u c h so that it is for h i m a cause for "boasting/glorying" and thus for joy. It is unimaginable that he should rejoice over life accord­ ing to the flesh—nor in fact does he d o so. T h e result o f this view is an underrealized eschatological perspective—

That suffering and pain stem from evil is not to be doubted;

with so m u c h emphasis on the not yet that there is little o n the already. Even t h o u g h

there is m u c h talk

about the Spirit o n this side, there is a strong tendency to leave God's

that they are the

people to slug it out in the trenches

direct result of our

s o m e lip service paid t o the Spirit

m o r e or less o n their o w n ,

with

but with little o f Paul's experience o f

own evil—or lack of

the Spirit as the e m p o w e r i n g pres­ ence o f G o d .

faith, as some would have it—is not only to be doubted but to be

O n the other side lie s o m e equally strong tendencies toward triumphalism—an exaggerated, sometimes

ex­

clusive, focus o n the already. T h i s extreme is a special temptation in a

vigorously rejected as

c u l t u r e like

late-twentieth-century

completely foreign to

any kind as a form o f evil and avoids

North America, which rejects pain o f suffering at all costs. Here the dif­

Paul.

ficulty is not b e t w e e n a n internal struggle a n d a h u m a n tendency t o

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sinfulness, but between the p r o m i s e d — a n d experienced—power o f the H o l y Spirit and our culture's view o f suffering and pain as inherently evil. That suffering and pain stem from evil is not to be doubted; that they are the direct result o f our o w n evil—or lack o f faith, as s o m e w o u l d have it—is not only to be d o u b t e d but to be vigorously rejected as completely foreign to Paul. The result o f this view is s o m e t h i n g o f an over-realized eschatological per­ spective, e m p h a s i z i n g the already t o t h e neglect o f the n o t yet, resulting in a n un-Pauline view o f the Spirit as present in power w h i l e negating weakness in the present as dishonoring to G o d . The problem here lies with the tendency to separate s o m e reali­ 4

ties that in Paul gladly coexist. Paul knows nothing o f a gospel that is not at the same rime God's power, power

manifested

through the resurrection o f Christ and n o w evidenced through the presence o f the Spirit. That includes "miracles" in the assembly (Gal 3:5), to w h i c h Paul can appeal in a matter-of-fact way as proof that salvation in Christ is based o n faith, not o n Torah observance ("He w h o supplies y o u with the Spirit and performs miracles a m o n g y o u , is it o n the basis o f works o f law or o f the hearing o f faith?"). It also includes the effective proclamation o f Christ accompanied by the Spirit's manifest power in bringing about conversions (1 Thess 1:5-6; 1 C o r 2:4-5), despite the ob­ vious weakness o f the messenger himself (1 C o r 2:1-3; 2 C o r 12:7-10). For m a n y , especially the C o r i n t h i a n s (and their legion

of

present-day followers), the latter seems a contradiction in terms. H o w can there be miracles, but n o miracle in one's o w n behalf? H o w can o n e glory in the power o f the resurrection and the life o f the Spirit and not have that power applied to one's own physical weaknesses and suffering? "Physician, heal t h y s e l f was not just a word spoken to Christ. It is always the b o t t o m line o f those for w h o m God's power can be manifest only in visible and extraordi­ nary ways, w h o never consider that God's greater glory rests o n the manifestation o f his grace and power through the weakness o f the h u m a n vessel, precisely so that there will never be any confusion as to the source!

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THE SPIRIT, POWER, AND WEAKNESS W e begin by looking at the word "power," since part o f OUT p r o b l e m is again o n e o f definitions. W e cannot always be sure what power might have meant for Paul. It refers frequently t o visible manifestations that reveal the Spirit's presence (e.g., 1 C o r 2 : 4 - 5 ; G a l 3:5; R o m 15:19). T h e evidence from 1 Thessalonians 5 : 1 9 - 2 2 ; 1 C o r i n t h i a n s 12-14; G a l a ­ tians 3:2-5; and R o m a n s 12:6 makes

The Spirit was

certain that the P a u l i n e c h u r c h e s

experienced in Pauls ,

,

were "charismatic" in the sense that d y n a m i c presence o f the Spirit was

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manifested in their gatherings. Even

churches: he was not ' *;~.*u.

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simply part ot a r

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phrase in the creed.

,

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where power m e a n s that believers grasp a n d live out the love o f Christ

r

,

,

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^ „ .

in a greater w a y (Eph 3 : 1 6 - 2 0 ) , Paul recognizes here a miraculous work o f the Spirit w h o s e evidence will be the

w a y renewed people behave toward o n e another. This d y n a m i c , evidential d i m e n s i o n o f life in the Spirit probably m o r e than anything else separates believers in later church history from those in Paul's churches. Whatever else, the Spirit was experienced in Paul's churches; he was not simply part o f a phrase in the creed. Nevertheless, Paul also assumes the closest link between the Spirit's power and present weaknesses. Without explicitly saying so, passages such as R o m a n s 8:17-27 and 2 Corinthians 12:9 indicate that the Spirit is seen as the source o f empowering in the midst o f affliction or weakness. In Paul's view, k n o w i n g Christ means b o t h knowing the power o f his resurrection and participat­ ing in his sufferings (Phil 3:9-10); indeed, one needs to k n o w the former to embrace the latter. God's concern for us in the present is that we live cruciform, "conformed to Christ's likeness in his death" (Phil 3:10), as that has been illustrated in the glorious story of Christ in 2:6-11. Suffering means t o be as the Lord, following his example and thus "filling up what was lacking in his suffer­ ings" ( C o l 1:24). 144

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Nonetheless, Paul also expects God's more visible demonstra­ tion o f power, through the Spirit, to be manifested even in the midst o f weakness, as God's proof that his power resides in the message o f a crucified Messiah. In 1 Corinthians 2:3-5, therefore, Paul can appeal simultaneously to the reality o f his o w n weak­ nesses and the Spirit's manifest power in his preaching and in the Corinthians' conversion; and in 1 Thessalonians 1:5-6, he re­ minds these new believers that they became so by the power o f the Spirit, but in the midst o f suffering that was also accompanied by the joy o f the H o l y Spirit. All o f this reflects Paul's basic eschatological understanding o f Christian existence as already/not yet, a tension that Paul was able to keep together in ways that m a n y later Christians can not. For him it was not simply tension in w h i c h the present was all weak­ ness and the (near) future all glory. The future had truly broken into the present, as verified by the gift o f the Spirit; and since the Spirit meant the presence o f God's power, that dimension o f the future had already arrived in s o m e measure. Thus present suffering is a mark o f discipleship, whose model is our crucified Lord. But the same power that raised the Crucified O n e from the dead is also already at work in our mortal bodies. This paradox in Paul's understanding is what creates so m a n y difficulties for moderns. W e have tended to emphasize one to the neglect o f the other. Paul, and the rest o f the N e w Testament writers, h o l d these expressions o f Spirit and power in happy ten­ sion. After all, for Paul, the preaching o f the Crucified O n e is the working center o f God's power in the world (1 C o r 1:18-25), and Paul's o w n preaching in a context o f weakness and fear and trem­ bling certified that the power w h i c h brought about the C o r i n ­ thians' conversion lay in the work o f the Spirit, not in the wisdom or eloquence o f die preacher. Paul thus steers a path through the radical middle that is often missed by b o t h Evangelicals and Pentecostals, w h o traditionally misplace their emphasis o n one side or the other. Whether or not a (sometime) companion o f Paul, the author o f the epistle to the Hebrews seems to capture this paradox in a slightly different way, through the several examples o f faith (= faithfulness, perseverance) in 11:32-38. S o m e lived "in faith" and

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saw great miracles performed; others also lived "in faith" and were tortured and put to death. But all were c o m m e n d e d for their faith, the author concludes. S o with the Spirit and power in Paul. T h e Spirit

The Spirit means the

means the presence o f great power, power to overflow with h o p e (Rom

presence of great power, power to

15:13), power sometimes attested by signs and wonders and at other times by joy in great affliction. However, pre­

overflow with hope

c i s e l y b e c a u s e the Spirit has

not

(Rom 15:13), power

beginning o f the End, power does not

sometimes attested by

age; rather it leads to maturity in Christ.

signs and wonders

standing o f our present life in the

brought the final End, but only the mean final perfection in the present T h u s the w h o l e o f Paul's under­ Spirit, paradoxical as it m a y seem at

and at other times by joy in great affliction.

times, is put into proper perspective if w e begin, as we should, with chapters 2 and 5 above—by realizing that the Spirit is both the fulfillment o f the

eschatological promises o f G o d and the d o w n payment o n our certain future. W e are both already and not yet. T h e Spirit is the evidence o f the one, the guarantee o f the other. To our great delight we are not left to ourselves, looking for ways merely to cope as we live in the radical middle. N o r is the Spirit present simply to give us a show o f power n o w and then as a reminder that we belong to the future after all. Rather he is present as our constant companion, both to lead and to empower us. At n o point is this empowering more significant than in our life o f prayer.

THE SPIRIT AND PRAYER

6

Throughout this b o o k I have tried to point out that the division often perceived in the church between the corporate people o f G o d and the individual is a false o n e as far as Paul's experience

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and theology are concerned. Those w h o emphasize more the cor­ porate side o f diings also sometimes shy away from, or are u n c o m ­ fortable with, personal piety, including "Spirituality." All pietistic movements (historical movements strongly concerned with indi­ vidual spirituality) c o m e into being in reaction to a tendency for the individual's relationship with G o d to get lost or swallowed u p in s o m e form o f churchiness. N o w h e r e is this more obvious than in the attitude o f some toward prayer. O n e o f the more remarkable inconsistencies in studies o n Paul is that thousands o f books exist that search every aspect o f Paul's thinking, while only a few seek to

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

c o m e to terms with his life o f prayer. Indeed, most people's understanding

What is clear from

o f Paul is limited either to Paul the

„

missionary or to Paul the theologian. But what is clear from Paul's letters is that he was a pray-er before he was a missioner or a thinker. His life was devoted to prayer; and his relation­

P

a

u

V

s

. l e t t e r s

. i s

t

h

a

t

h

e

was a pray-er before

he was a missioner or

ship with his converts was primarily

a thinker.

sustained by w a y o f thanksgiving and prayer. T o eliminate prayer from Paul's personal piety w o u l d be to investigate the workings o f a gas-combustion engine without rec­ ognizing the significance o f oil. Paul did not simply believe in prayer or talk about prayer. H e prayed, regularly and c o n t i n u ­ ously, a n d urged the same o n his churches (1 Thess 5:16-18). A l t h o u g h this is undoubtedly a carryover from his life before Christ, what we need to note here is that for Paul prayer has been radically transformed by the c o m i n g o f the Spirit. Whether set prayers were ever said in Paul's churches cannot be known; in any case, spontaneous prayer by the Spirit is the n o r m .

7

The beginning o f Christian life is marked by the indwelling Spirit's crying out "Abba" to G o d ( G a l 4:6; R o m 8:15). " O n all occasions," Paul urges elsewhere, "pray i n / b y the Spirit"; this injunction ap­ plies to every form o f prayer (Eph 6:18), including prayer for the enabling o f evangelism. W i t h prayer in particular the Spirit helps us in our already/not yet existence. Because in our present weakness w e d o not know

C H A P T E R

1 2

h o w or for what to pray, the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with "inarticulate groanings" ( R o m 8:26-27), an expression that most likely refers to glossolalia (speaking in tongues). Prayer (and praise), therefore, seems the best way to view Paul's understanding o f glossolalia. At n o point in 1 Corinthians 14 does 8

Paul suggest that tongues is speech directed toward people; three times he indicates that it is speech directed toward G o d (14:2, 1 4 - 1 6 , 28). In w . 14-16 he specifically refers to tongues as "pray­ ing with m y S/spirit"; and in v. 2 such prayer is described as "speaking mysteries to G o d , " which is w h y the mind o f the speaker is left unfruitful, and also w h y such prayer without interpretation is not to be part o f the corporate setting. Paul himself engaged in such prayer so frequently that he can say boldly to a congregation w h o treasured this gift that he prayed in tongues more than any o f them (1 C o r 14:18). T o be sure, he will also, he insists, "pray with m y mind." W h a t he will not d o is engage in only one form o f prayer, as most later Christians have tended to do. 9

Further, prayer in the Spirit does not m e a n to be in "ecstasy"; it means the Spirit's praying through his spirit without the burden o f his m i n d and in conversation with G o d . W e can trust the Spirit in such prayer, he argues in R o m a n s 8:26-27, precisely because such prayer is a form o f the Spirit's assisting us in our weaknesses, and G o d knows the m i n d o f the Spirit, that he prays in keeping with God's will. Praying "in the Spirit" (however that is understood) is also God's provision for his people in another area o f weakness—in

the

o n g o i n g struggle "against the principalities and powers." Besides the defensive armor provided by the gospel, Paul urges the believ­ ers to use their two "Spirit weapons" as they engage the enemy: the message o f the gospel (penetrating the enemy's territory and rescu­ ing people w h o are captive to h i m ) and "praying in the Spirit" (Eph 6:18-20). Here in particular the Spirit is our true friend and aid. Precisely because we d o not know h o w to pray as we ought, w e need to lean more heavily on praying in/by the Spirit to carry o n such spiritual warfare more effectively. Prayer, therefore, is not simply our cry o f desperation or our grocery list o f requests that we bring before our heavenly Abba; prayer is an activity inspired b y G o d

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himself, through his H o l y Spirit. It is G o d siding with his people and, by his o w n empowering presence, the Spirit o f G o d himself, bringing forth prayer that is in keeping with his will and his ways. It is probably impossible t o understand Paul as a theologian, if one does not take this dimension o f his "Spirit-uality" with full seriousness. A prayerless life is o n e o f practical atheism. As one w h o lived in and by the Spirit, Paul understood prayer in particu­ lar to be the special prompting o f the Spirit, leading h i m to thanksgiving for others and petition in the Spirit, even w h e n he did not k n o w for what specifically t o pray. Whatever else life in the Spirit meant for Paul, it meant a life devoted to prayer, accompa­ nied by joy and thanksgiving. Prayer, after all, is the ultimate expression o f our life between the times. It is evidence o f our utterly dependent status; as it is also evidence o f our continuing in the pre- ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ sent in recognized weakness. Prayer in the Spirit does not make d e m a n d s

A prayerless life is one

u p o n G o d (though our prayers often d o ) , but h u m b l y waits and listens to

of practical atheism.

G o d — a n d trusts G o d the H o l y Spirit lo intercede for us in keeping with God's o w n will and pleasure. In this context we should perhaps also include o n e o f the di­ mensions o f Paul's Spirituality that is most difficult to evaluate, the place o f visions and revelations. W e know about these only because Paul is stepping over o n t o the Corinthians' turf m o m e n ­ tarily in order to persuade them that it is totally inappropriate to use such experiences to authenticate his—or anyone else's— apostleship (2 C o r 1 2 : 1 - 1 0 ) .

10

W h a t we need to note is that Paul

clearly affirms that he has had such experiences and apparently has had them often; but he disallows that they have any value at all in authenticating ministry. M u c h as with glossolalia, therefore, we learn about such matters in his life in the Spirit only because the Corinthians m a d e too m u c h o f them. O b v i o u s l y for Paul both o f these kinds o f Spirit experiences belonged to his private relationship with G o d ; thus he simply never speaks about them o n his o w n . "Ecstasy" for h i m was a matter between himself and G o d ; before others he will only be "sober-minded" (2 C o r 5:13).

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H o w different from so m u c h o f church history! A parade o f private Spirit experiences has all too often been the first credential brought forward to authenticate ministry or spirituality. Paul could point to plenty o f Spirit activity that had to d o with God's dealings with others, usually from within a context o f personal weakness. Thus such m o m e n t s as those described in the modest terms o f 2 Corinthians 12:1-6 were undoubtedly m o m e n t s highlighting the richness o f his life in the Spirit, life for h i m in the personal presence o f G o d . But these were too private to be either promoted or paraded. That he "knew such a man" w h o had been "trans­ ported to the third heaven" must have been a regular source o f personal encouragement. But he also knew h o w to keep quiet about it, because being conformed to Christ's death through the power o f the resurrection is what life in the present is all about. At the end we need to note again, however, that even Paul's o w n life o f prayer in the Spirit is k n o w n to us because the Corinthians were blowing it in their corporate life. That is what he speaks to in 1 Corinthians 14; w e learn o f his private practice coincidentally as he addresses what for h i m was die larger issue. That brings us to the final matters regarding the Spirit in Paul—the gathered church as a place where the Spirit is manifesdy present, leading the church t o praise G o d and edify o n e anodier.

NOTES 1. The default, it seems to me, stems from a general failure to take the Spirit seriously as God's empowering presence. 2. The chief proponent of this view is J. D . G . Dunn, Jesus and the Spirit (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1975) 326-42, who for all his powerful moments and keen insights nonetheless makes a confusion at this point that is simply foreign to Paul. 3. In this regard see D . A. Black, Paul, Apostle of Weakness: Astheneia and lis Cognates in the Pauline Literature (American University Studies; New York: Peter Lang, 1984). 4.1 say "gladly" not because Paul enjoyed suffering, but because he saw suffering disdnctly in terms of discipleship. That is, he saw suffering as following in the ways of Christ, who suffered before entering into his

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glory, and who through dial suffering redeemed the people of God. Hence Paul's willingness not only to suffer for Christ's, and thus the church's, sake, but to rejoice in suffering, inasmuch as it confirmed for him the reality of his discipleship. 5. O n this matter see chs. 13 and 14 below; cf. Dunn, fesus, 160-65. 6. O n this question see Fee, "Some Reflections on Pauline Spirituality," in Alive to God: Studies in Spirituality Presented to lames Houston (ed. J. I. Packer and L Wilkinson; Downers Grove, 111.: InterVarsity, 1992) 96-107. See also K. Stendahl, "Paul at Prayer," in Meanings: The Bible as Document and as Guide (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1984) 151-61; and more recently, D. A. Carson, A Call lo Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992). 7. It has sometimes been noted, as a word either against the personality of die Spirit or against Paul's trinitarianism, that the Spirit is never in­ voked in prayer, as are the Father and the Son. Precisely, but the conclu­ sion being drawn is incorrect. The role of the Spirit in prayer is a different one; he is our divine "pray-er," the one through whom we pray, not the one to whom prayer is directed. 8. See further die exegesis of 1 Cor 14:5 in GEP, where I argue that the interpretation of a tongue does not thereby turn it into human-directed speech, but interprets the mystery spoken to G o d referred to in 14:2. 9. This term is used here in its more technical sense of having some sort of transcendent, out-of-body experience of God. 10. See the discussion of 2 Cor 5:13 in GEP, 327-30.

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3

To THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORY—THE SPIRIT AND WORSHIP

The Spirit gathers the newly constituted people of God in worship for corporate praise of God and sharing of gifts to build up the community of faith. G r o w i n g u p in a Pentecostal church was a marvelous, and in­ triguing, experience. Because the experiential nature o f our faith appealed especially to m a n y w h o were otherwise marginalized, b o t h in society at large and in the mainline churches, the diversity Paul speaks o f in 1 Corinthians 12 was our c o m m o n lot. W i t h that diversity came m a n y strange things in church, not all o f t h e m edifying to the body, and s o m e o f them downright scary for s o m e o f us. W h e n those o f us from m y generation raised in this tradition get together, we often swap stories and laugh till we hurt, not a hurtful, m o c k i n g laughter, but in joyous remembrance o f the idiosyncrasies o f s o m e o f God's dearest people. There was "ow-ooo Ferris," a dear brother, w h o w h e n he got blessed yelled "ow-ooo," while sort o f dancing in place and out into the aisle. There was brother Lawrence, w h o s e sudden grasp o f the glory o f what was being preached (by m y father in this case) erupted in a shouted "hallelujah" so sudden a n d loud it sent shivers up a n d d o w n the spine. A n d then there was the brother w h o stood u p to prophesy some crazy thing, and started, typically, "Thus saith the Lord." W h e n his prophecy was weighed and f o u n d

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wanting, it was gently suggested that perhaps it was not the Lord w h o had spoken after all. H e j u m p e d to his feet again. "Thus saith the Lord," he shouted, "that was t o o me!" Whatever else, Pentecos­ tal services in our younger days were not dull! But in the midst o f all this there was the other reality, the m u c h greater reality o f the presence o f G o d in our midst. At this point we got it absolutely right. W e knew by instinct, by our reading o f Scripture, and by our experience o f the Spirit that life in Christ was a life o f joy. T o be sure, in contrast with the later charismatic, movement, the first response to God's presence was often weeping and

repentance.

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come

a m o n g us, and we were filled with awe. But repentance was followed by joy, because we knew that o n e o f the primary reasons for our gathering to­ gether was to express our love and praise to G o d with bursting thanks­ giving and joyful singing. W e knew

For Paul the gathered church was first of all a worshipping community; and the

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key to their worship

well as to build us u p as the people o f G o d for life in the world. If not all

was the presence of

that we did was biblical, we were bib­ lical at the heart o f things.

the Holy Spirit.

In this chapter w e explore what Paul says about the Spirit and worship, what biblical worship means. Right u p front we need to be clear about two matters, one by way o f reminder. First, as 1 pointed out in the overture, Paul knows nothing o f the kind o f either/or pattern that has developed in the later church between fruit and gifts, between ethics and Spirit-inspired worship. Indeed, according to Colossians 3:16 and Ephesians 5:19, o n e o f the ways die c o m m u n i t y heeded the c o m m a n d to keep filled with the Spirit was to teach and admonish one another regarding the message o f Christ through psalms, h y m n s , and Spirit songs. These passages suggest a m u c h closer relationship to ethics and worship than is sometimes noted. In any case, just as with ethics, so with worship: Paul understands the Spirit to play a leading role.

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Second, because o f the situational nature o f Paul's letters, they contain nothing close to a systematic presentation o f the worship o f the early church. W h a t we learn is in response to problems and is therefore fragmentary. Nonetheless, for Paul the gathered church was first o f all a worshipping community; and the key to their worship was the presence o f the H o l y Spirit. Thus, in Philippians 3:3, in his strong attack against the "mutilators o f the flesh" (through circumcision), Paul begins by asserting that "we are the circumcision (i.e., 'the people o f G o d ' ) , w h o serve/worship by the Spirit o f G o d . " Their worship is a matter o f a religious rite per­ formed in die flesh; ours is a matter o f Spirit. The Spirit is seen as responsible for worship (see esp. 1 C o r 14:6, 24, 26); moreover, w h e n believers are assembled in this way, Paul understood himself to be present in S/spirit (probably in the reading o f the letter as his prophetic voice a m o n g t h e m ) , along with the "power o f the Lord Jesus" (1 C o r 5:3-5; C o l 2:5). Thus, even t h o u g h he makes n o direct allusion to the presence o f the Spirit at the Lord's Table (1 C o r 10:16-17; 11:17-34), we m a y assume his understanding o f die bread as representing Christ's b o d y the c h u r d i (10:16-17; 11:29), m a d e so by the Spirit, to lead in that direction. Indeed, o n e w o u l d not be far w r o n g to see the Spirit's presence at the Table as Paul's way o f understanding the real presence. The analogy o f Israel's having had "Spiritual food" and "Spiritual drink" in 1 Corinthians 10:3-4 at least allows as m u c h . In any case, the Spirit is specifically noted as responsible for all other expressions o f Christian worship. W h a t Paul says explicitly about worship is what we want to look at here.

SPIRIT-LED WORSHIP Perhaps most noteworthy from the available evidence

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free, spontaneous nature o f worship in Paul's churches, appar­ ently orchestrated by the Spirit himself. W o r s h i p is expressed in a variety o f ways and with the (potential) participation o f every­ o n e (1 C o r 14:26). There is n o hint o f a worship leader, al-

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though that must not be ruled out o n the basis o f silence. But neither is chaos permitted. T h e G o d w h o m they worship is a G o d o f peace (v. 33), w h o s e character is to be reflected in both the m a n n e r and the content o f their worship. Therefore, disorder is out. A l t h o u g h all m a y participate ( w . 23, 24, 26, 3 1 ) , there are s o m e guidelines. Speakers o f inspired utterances must be limited to two or three at a time, and they must be followed by those w h o interpret and discern. They must respect one another: speakers must make way for others, since the "S/spirit o f the prophet is subject to the prophet" (1 C o r 14:32). Thus spontaneity does not mean lack o f order; it means "peace" and "decency and orderliness"—also the work o f the Spirit. In the somewhat puzzling correction in 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, Paul refers to both m e n and w o m e n as "praying and prophesying." The inclusion o f "prophesying" pre-

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prayer (and song and tongues, accord­ ing to 1 C o r 14:2 and 15) is directed toward G o d ; and prophesy­ ing represents the m a n y f o r m s o f speech—especially Spiritinspired speech—that are directed toward the people o f G o d to edify them (1 C o r 14:3, 16) or toward outsiders to influence them to conversion (14:24-25). Several o f the charismata ("gracious giftings") discussed in chap­ ter 14 below also belong to the context o f worship together as a body. This is especially true o f those gifts that involve speech directed toward the c o m m u n i t y , as Paul's words o f correction in 1 C o r i n t h i a n s 14 m a k e clear. These gifts include prophecy,

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teaching, knowledge, and reveladon (v. 6), however we finally define s o m e o f these in relationship to others. In terms o f participation, b o t h m e n a n d w o m e n share equally in the praying a n d prophesying (1 C o r 11:4-5). In the Christian assembly the cry o f M o s e s has been fulfilled: "I wish that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord w o u l d put his Spirit o n them!" ( N u m 11:29

Niv). This is in keeping with

1 C o r i n t h i a n s 14:23, where again s o m e w h a t in passing Paul says that "all m a y prophesy." The

problem in 1 Corinthians 11:5-6, therefore, is not that

w o m e n pray and prophesy in the assembly, but that they are d o i n g so in appearance similar to men, w h i c h Paul considers to be an expression o f shame. That w o m e n are full participants in the worship o f Paul's churches, including the more preferred expres­ sion o f Spirit-inspired speech, prophecy, moves considerably be­ y o n d the n o r m o f Paul's Jewish background and seems to be in keeping with the rest o f the N e w Testament evidence, as little as there is. In terms o f ministry within the worshipping c o m m u n i t y , the H o l y Spirit apparently inspires w o m e n and m e n alike, since in Christ Jesus such distinctions have n o religious value in God's new end-time kingdom (Gal 3:28). Since w e discussed prayer in the preceding chapter and we will look at prophecy in the following one, in this chapter we note the place o f singing in Paul's churches. As with prayer, song h a d become the specialty o f the Spirit (1 C o r 14:14-15, 26; C o l 3:16; Eph 5:19). O u r interest here is primarily in the twin passages in Colossians and Ephesians.

TEACHING WITH SPIRIT-INSPIRED SINGING Colossians 3:16 appears toward the conclusion o f a series o f exhortations ( w . 1 2 - 1 7 ) that indicate what it means for the be­ lievers in Colossae to live as those "raised with Christ" (v. 1). In order for us to catch Paul's emphases, I present the text in a more structured form, indicating h o w the various parts belong to one another:

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S P I R I T - I N S P I R E D

S I N G I N G

Let the word of Christ dwell in your midst richly, by teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom with psalms, hymns fandj Spiritual songs by singing to God from your hearts with gratitude. 2

That this is what Paul was saying is m a d e clear by the twin passage in Ephesians 5:18-19, where the structure is quite certain: but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms and hymns and Spiritual songs, singing and hymning with your hearts to the Lord. Here are passages full o f intriguing information about worship in the Pauline churches.

The O p e n i n g Exhortations W e begin with s o m e observations about the opening clauses ("let the word o f Christ dwell in your midst richly" and "but be filled with the Spirit") that are o f considerable importance. 1. Everything about the contexts, and the language o f b o t h sentences in particular, indicate that Paul is here reflecting o n the Christian c o m m u n i t y . These are not words for the individual believer, but for believers as the people o f G o d in relationship with o n e another. In C o l o s s i a n s that is especially clear. Begin­ n i n g with 3:12, everything has the c o m m u n i t y in sight, since everything is for, or in light of, "one another." T h u s in the immediately preceding exhortation (v. 15), w h i c h sets the pat­ tern for the present o n e , they are to let the peace o f Christ rule in their hearts, since it is to this that they have been called together as o n e b o d y . Colossians 3:16 views these relationships within the context o f the gathered people o f G o d at worship, where they are to teach

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and a d m o n i s h o n e another as o n e way that the word o f Christ will dwell "in them" richly. This means that the prepositional phrase "in/among you," even though it modifies the verb "indwell" and w o u l d ordinarily m e a n "within you," here means "in your midst." T h e indwelling "word o f Christ," therefore, in its two forms o f "teaching and a d m o n i s h i n g one another" and o f "singing to G o d , " has to d o with the church at worship. If the c o m m u n i t y context in Ephesians is less immediately cer­ tain, it is clearly in view, since the w h o l e passage from 4:1 through chapter 6 takes up c o m m u n i t y life, h o w they are to "maintain the unity o f the Spirit in the b o n d o f peace" (4:3). 2. In the same vein, it is significant to note that the c o m p o u n d participles, "teaching and admonishing," are the same two that Paul used in Colossians 1:28 to describe his o w n ministry. Here, then, is clear evidence that Paul did not consider ministry to be the special province o f either apostles or officeholders. As in the earli­ est o f his letters (1 Thess 5:14), these kinds o f activities in the Christian assembly are the responsibility o f all. This is in keeping with the picture that emerges in 1 Corinthians 14:26 as well. Here he admonishes in a presuppositional way that "when y o u c o m e together, each one has a h y m n , [etc.] . . . for the strengthening o f the church." 3. The primary concern o f the exhortation in the Colossians passage is with the "word o f Christ." In Paul this expression invariably means "the message o f the gospel with its central focus o n Christ." This, after all, is what the letter is all about: Christ the e m b o d i m e n t o f G o d , Christ the all-sufficient one, Christ, creator and redeemer. Paul n o w urges that this "word o f Christ," which in part he has already articulated in 1:15-23, "dwell in their midst" in an abundant way. In so doing, they will reflect precisely what we learned about worship from 1 Corinthians 11:4-5. Part o f their activity will be directed toward o n e another ("teaching and a d m o n i s h i n g o n e another"), a n d part toward G o d ("singing t o G o d with y o u r hearts"). Thus the riches o f the gospel are to be present a m o n g them with great richness. The structure o f the sentence as a w h o l e indicates that songs o f all kinds are to play a significant role in that richness.

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4. The parallel passage in Ephesians makes explicit what we would have guessed in any case, that Paul considers all this activity to be the result o f their being filled with the Spirit. Thus, however we are to understand the adjective "Spiritual" in relation to the various expressions o f song, Spirit songs are at least o n e expression o f the Spirit's presence, whose fullness will guide and inspire all o f the worship in its several expressions.

T h e W o r s h i p Itself W h e n we turn from these o p e n i n g clauses to the rest o f the sentences, we learn still more about Paul's understanding o f Spiritinspired worship. 1. W e need to note, first o f all, that where the Spirit o f G o d is, there is also singing. T h e early church was characterized by its singing; so also in every generation

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o n e another, as well as o f our constantly turning to G o d the Father and G o d the S o n and offering praise by inspiration o f the H o l y Spirit. 2. Nonetheless, it is doubtful whether we are finally able t o draw fine lines between the three words used to describe the singing. The "psalms," for example, m a y well include the O l d Testament Psalter, n o w taken over into the worship o f the Christian c o m m u ­ nities; but o n e w o u l d be bold indeed to limit the word only to the Psalter. This same word is used for the (apparently) more sponta­ neous singing o f 1 Corinthians 14:26, and its corresponding verb is likewise used in 1 Corinthians 14:15 to refer to Spirit-inspired "praise to G o d . " Thus, even though N e w Testament usage is un­ doubtedly conditioned by the fact that the h y m n s o f Israel were called "psalms," there is n o g o o d reason to understand it as lim­ ited to those h y m n s . W h a t is suggested by this w o r d is a song that is in praise o f G o d .

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S o also the word "hymn." In the Greek world, this word was used exclusively o f songs sung to deides or heroes, and thus w o u l d never be used, for example, o f the

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("S/spiritual") in Paul ordinarily refers to the Spirit, either directly or indirectly. Here in particular, as most recognize, the ordinary m e a n i n g prevails. W e are dealing with songs that are inspired by the Spirit. This is most likely an indication of a kind o f charismatic h y m n o d y , similar to that alluded to in 1 Corinthians 14:15-16 and 26, in which Spirit-inspired, hence often spontaneous, songs were offered in the context o f congregational worship. Therefore, even though "Spiritual" could well modify all three nouns—the psalms and h y m n s w o u l d also be "of the Spirit"—it is more likely that it is intended to modify "songs" only, referring especially to this one kind o f Spirit-inspired singing. This word, after all, is the one that the recipients o f the letter w o u l d least likely associate with worship, since it covers the whole range o f songs in the Greek world, whereas the other two are usually sung t o a deity. 3. W e probably have fragments o f such psalms, h y m n s , and Spirit songs embedded in our N e w Testament documents. The book o f Revelation, for example, is full o f "new songs" sung t o G o d and to the L a m b . That is almost certainly the case with Ephesians 5:14 and 1 T i m o t h y 3:16 as well. But more significantly for this letter, the considered opinion o f most N e w Testament scholars is that Colossians 1:15-18 also reflects such a h y m n 4

about Christ. If this is so, and there are n o g o o d reasons to doubt it, then that w o u l d also explain w h y Paul thinks o f these various kinds o f h y m n s and Spirit songs as a means o f their "teaching and admonishing o n e another." Such songs are at the same time

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S I N G I N G

creedal, full o f theological grist, and give evidence o f what the early Christians most truly believed about G o d and his Christ. 4. T h e background to such two-dimensional worship, h y m n s that are at once directed toward G o d and a means o f teaching and admonishing o n e another, is to be found in the O l d Testament Psalter. There we find dozens o f examples o f h y m n s addressed to G o d in the second person, which also have sections in the third person, extolling the greatness or faithfulness o f G o d for the sake o f those singing to h i m .

5

The use o f h y m n s in the N e w Testament documents indicates h o w clearly they also function in this two-dimensional way for the early church. Most o f them are about Christ, and as such are b o t h in worship o f h i m and for the con­ tinuing instruction o f God's people. The clear implication o f 1 Corinthians

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14:15-16 and 26 is that "Spirit songs" in the Pauline communities are also to be understood in this way. Singing "with the mind" (singing intelligible words by the Spirit) is understood as praise to G o d , and something to which the rest respond with the A m e n ; and

applied salvation now helps to initiate response through Spirit-inspired songs

the "psalm" in 14:26 is precisely for the "building up" o f the others. U n ­

reflecting the message

fortunately, m a n y contemporary Chris­ tians d o not think o f their singing in

about Christ, and all

these terms, and thus miss out on one o f the significant dimensions o f our

to the praise of God.

reason for singing. 5. Finally—and with this observation we bring the contents o f this b o o k full circle—in its o w n nonreflective way, Colossians 3:16 too is a trinitarian text. But in contrast to the various texts cited in chapter 4 above, where the Father initiates salvation, which the S o n effects and the Spirit applies, here the order is reversed. Christ still plays the central role, hence they must let the "word o f Christ" dwell lavishly in their midst. But the same Spirit w h o applied salvation n o w helps to initiate response through Spirit-inspired songs reflect­ ing the message about Christ, and all to the praise o f G o d .

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C H A P T E R

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3

The G o d w h o created and redeemed is worthy o f all praise. The Spirit, w h o was present at creation and came to bring us to life in redemption, n o w leads us in the worship and praise o f our Re­ deemer and Creator. In Paul, therefore, our worship is as trini­ tarian as our experience and our theology. It is obviously the presence o f the Spirit a m o n g us as we gather in Christ's n a m e that makes it so.

NOTES 1.1 stress the factor of available evidence, because what comes to us does so for the most part in the form of correction. We simply do not know enough to make far-reaching, all-inclusive statements about the nature of worship in Paul's churches. 2. For the argumentation in favor of this structure, see GEP, 648-57. 3. Even though the word "hymn" itself does not occur. See esp. in this regard Rev 4:11, which is addressed to God and introduced with "saying," and Rev 5:9, which picks up the identical language but is introduced, "they sing a new song, saying . . . " See also 5:12, 13. 4. See most recently N . T. Wright, "Poetry and Theology in Colossians 1.15-20," New Testament Studies 36 (1990) 444-68. 5. This happens throughout the Psalter. See, e.g., Ps 30, which offers praise to God in the second person in w . 1-3, then encourages singing on the part of the congregation in w . 4-5, predicated on the fact that "his favor lasts a lifetime," and returns to second person address in w . 6-9. Cf. inter alia Pss 32, 66, 104, 116; so also the many hymns that call on the congregation to praise God in light of his character and wondrous deeds.

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THOSE CONTROVERSIAL GIFTS? THE SPIRIT AND

THE CHARISMATA Because the Spirit was present with his people, for Paul his giftings were as normal as breathing and were intended for the building of the people in the present as they await the

consummation.

O n e o f the fads a m o n g evangelicals in the final decades o f the twentieth century has been that o f finding your spiritual gift. There was hardly a church or youth group that did not have such a conference or seminar. While I appreciate the motivation behind this movement, that each o f us recognize and appreciate our role in the church, nonetheless the N e w Testament scholar in m e winced o n more than o n e occasion. I could not imagine Paul understanding what was g o i n g o n at all! M y problems with this fad are several: taking the texts out o f context, rearranging the gifts under our o w n convenient groupings, thus leveling the various passages in Paul into card-catalogue form, and focusing o n discovering what the Corinthians w o u l d have k n o w n by experience. But the greatest problem for m e is the nearly universal tendency to divorce the list o f "Spirit manifestations" (Paul's o w n term in context) in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 from its clear setting o f Christian worship. W e noted in the preceding chapter that c o m m u n i t y worship includes several extraordinary p h e n o m e n a , which Paul variously

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C H A P T E R

1 4

1

calls charismata ("gracious giftings," 1 C o r 12I4), pneumatika ("things o f the Spirit," 1 C o r 12:1; 14:1), or "manifestations o f the Spirit" (1 C o r 12:7). Such p h e n o m e n a are especially the activity o f the Spirit in the gathered community, as 1 Corinthians 14 makes abun­ dantly clear. This is an area, however, where there is also great diversity in understanding, b o t h a m o n g scholars and within church contexts. The primary reason for this diversity is the basic assumption by most that Paul is intending to give instruction o n the meaning and use o f charismata in the various passages in his letters where this word occurs. What we have in fact is correction aimed at particular problems in particular churches; it is not systematic, nor does it cover all bases. Here our concern is to describe the p h e n o m e n a as best we can in light o f the available evidence. This chapter, therefore, is not intended t o cover the whole water­ front. W e will focus o n the various lists in 1 Corinthians 12-14, although at the outset I will cast the net a bit farther. As with the list o f fruit (ch. 10 above), the lists in 1 Corinthians must first o f all be understood in their context in 1 Corinthians 12-14, before 1 offer more general conclusions as to what each o f the gifts is about.

HOW MANY GIFTS, AND WHAT KINDS? Several things need to be said about the various lists in 1 C o r i n ­ thians 12-14. First, none o f t h e m is intended to be complete, as though Paul were setting forth everything that might legitimately be called a "gift o f the Spirit." This is proved in part by the fact that n o two lists are identical. It goes beyond the evidence—and Paul's o w n concerns—to speak o f "the nine spiritual gifts." Second, the items in 12:8-10 are called "manifestations o f the Spirit," w h i c h in context means, "different ways the Spirit shows himself w h e n the c o m m u n i t y is gathered together." Paul's point here is the community's need for diversity. The list is especially tailored to the situation in Corinth. Paul's grammar and wording suggest a listing in three parts. The first two parts pick up words that held high court in C o r i n t h ("wisdom" and "knowledge") and

1 64

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O F

G I F T S ?

seem to be an attempt by Paul to recapture these realities for the Spirit and the gospel. The next five have in c o m m o n that they are, like speaking in tongues (glossolalia), extraordinary p h e n o m e n a . Finally, after diversity is well heard, he includes the problem child, tongues, along with its necessary c o m p a n i o n — a t least in the c o m ­ munity—the interpretation o f tongues. Third, attempts to categorize the items in the different lists are tentative at best. W h e n those in Romans 12:6-8 and Ephesians 4:11 are included as well, a wide variety o f terminology is used (motiva­ tional, ministerial, etc.) that the apostle w o u l d scarcely recognize and that at best are suspect. The broad spectrum o f phenomena are best grouped under the three natural headings hinted at in 1 Corin­ thians 12:4-6: service, miracles, and inspired utterance. Paul does not refer t o visionary experiences such as one finds in 2 Corinthians 12:1-6 as charismata, although they belong legitimately to a discus­ sion o f Spirit phenomena. N o r does he call people (for example, aposdes, pastors) charismata; to be sure, they are gifts to the church, as Ephesians 4:11 shows, but only their ministries, not the people themselves, are legitimately termed charismata, in Paul's usage.

F o r m s o f Service Items listed here include "helpful deeds" and "acts o f guidance" from 1 Corinthians 12:28; see also "serving," "giving," and "caring for" (in the sense o f leadership) in R o m a n s 12:7-8. These are the least visibly "charismatic" o f the gifts and the least obvious as ex­ pressions o f corporate worship. They belong to Paul's ever-present interest in relationships within the church. Thus they are Spirit activity, not so m u c h in the sense o f Spirit manifestations within the assembly as in the sense o f the broad range o f Spirit activity noted in chapters 9 and 10 above. T o include them in a discussion o f charismata w o u l d legitimize discussing any and all works o f the Spirit as charismata, making the category useless.

T h e Miraculous Included here are three items from 1 C o r i n t h i a n s 12:9-10, "faith," "gifts o f healings," and "workings o f miracles." A s the

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recurrence in 13:2 makes certain, "faith" in this list refers to the supernatural gift o f faith that can "move mountains." "Gifts o f healings" refer to the healing o f the physical b o d y (the healing o f m i n d a n d spirit are for Paul what conversion is a b o u t ) , and "workings o f miracles" to all other such p h e n o m e n a not in­ cluded in healing. The use o f the plurals, "gifts" and "workings," for the last two probably means that these gifts are not permanent, but each occur­ rence is a gift in its o w n right. That such p h e n o m e n a were a regular part

Paul would simply not

o f the apostle's o w n ministry is dem­ onstrated in 2 Corinthians 12:12 and

have understood the presence of the Spirit that did not also include such evidences

R o m a n s 15:18-19. That they were also the regular expectation o f Paul's churches is demonstrated in Galatians 3:5. H e w o u l d simply not have u n ­ derstood the presence o f the Spirit that did not also include such evi­ dences o f the Spirit's working that h e

of the Spirit's working

termed "powers," w h i c h we translate "miracles."

that he termed

W h e t h e r o n e believes s u c h things h a p p e n e d d e p e n d s a l m o s t entirely

"powers," which we translate "miracles."

o n one's w o r l d v i e w . T h e so-called E n l i g h t e n m e n t has h a d its innings, and moderns, helped a l o n g by the

p h e n o m e n a l advances o f m o d e r n scientific, discovery, are prone to unbridled arrogance. That is, Paul and his churches believed in such things, w e are told, because o f their "primitive" worldview, w h i c h moderns casually dismissed as unrealistic. For ex­ a m p l e , R u d o l f B u l t m a n n , speaking for m a n y , caricatured the "three-storeyed universe" o f Paul and his contemporaries. This m o d e r n worldview is widespread. M a n y evangelicals, w h o were incensed at Bultmann's rationalism that so casually dismissed Paul's affirmations o f such works o f die Spirit, adopted their o w n brand o f rationalism to explain the absence o f such p h e n o m e n a in their o w n circles: b y limiting this kind o f Spirit activity to the age of the apostles.

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But in defense o f Paul, t w o matters about his affirmations o f extraordinary Spirit manifestations must be noted. First, all such statements in Paul are sober, matter-of-fact, a n d u s u a l l y off­ handed, events that for h i m w o u l d have been o p e n to investiga­ tion had a n y o n e felt the need to d o so. T h e reason for this is very s i m p l e — a n d theological. H e was born a n d raised w i t h i n a (Jew­ ish) tradition that believed in G o d and c o u l d n o t even have i m a g i n e d G o d as not being all-powerful. W i t h this view o f G o d as o n e w h o took an active interest in his universe and in the affairs o f his people, it w o u l d never have occurred

Those who need an

to Paul that the o n e w h o chose to be present with t h e m in the incarnation and n o w by his Spirit w o u l d d o other­ w i s e t h a n g r a c i o u s l y step in

and

work in his people's lives. T h o s e w h o believe in G o d as creator and sustainer, but w h o balk at the m i r a c u ­ l o u s b o t h past a n d present, created t h e o l o g i c a l

occasional miracle to keep their belief in God alive and those who feed on such

have

positions

for

"faith" by promoting

themselves that are difficult to sus­ tain and quite removed from the bib­

the miraculous as

lical perspective. S e c o n d , Paul's affirmations about miracles are not the statements

of

o n e w h o is trying to prove anything. That is, he does not point to miracles as grounds for accepting either his gospel or his ministry; o n the con­

authenticating their "gospel" also lie outside Paul's perspective.

trary he rejects such criteria as au­ t h e n t i c a t i n g ministry o f any kind. T h e cross, with the sub­ sequent resurrection, and the present gift o f the Spirit are all the authentication he ever appeals to. Those w h o need an occasional miracle to keep their belief in G o d alive a n d those w h o feed o n such "faith" by p r o m o t i n g the miraculous as authenticating their "gospel" also lie outside Paul's perspective. His view expects and accepts, but does not d e m a n d , a n d on this matter refuses to put G o d to the lest.

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Inspired Utterance Included here are "the message o f wisdom," "the message o f knowledge," "prophecy," "the discernments o f S/spirits," "tongues," and "the interpretation o f tongues" from 1 Corinthians 12:8, 10, and "teaching" and "revelation" from 14:6. In light o f Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16, we should probably also include "singing" from 14:26. Attempts to distinguish some o f these items from one another are generally futile, as is any distinction between their charismatic or noncharismatic expression (for example, teaching or singing). The "message o f wisdom" and "knowledge" is language created by the situation in Corinth. For Paul the "message o f wisdom" refers first o f all to the preaching o f the cross (see 1 C o r 1:18-2:16; the terminology occurs nowhere else); whether it means some spontaneous expression o f Spirit wisdom for the sake o f the c o m ­ munity is possible, but can never be known. "Knowledge" is closely related to "mysteries" in 1 Corinthians 13:2, and elsewhere it stands close to the concept o f "revelation" (13:8-9, 12; 14:6). Similarly, prophecy is closely connected to "revelation" in 14:6 and espe­ cially in 14:25, 26, and 30. Are these to be understood as distinc­ tively different gifts? O r , as seems more likely, d o they suggest different emphases for the expression o f the prophetic gift, since that, too, seems to swing between "revealing mysteries" and more straightforward words o f edification, comfort, and exhortation (or encouragement)? In any case, the use o f uninterpreted tongues in the assembly is what brought forth the w h o l e argument, and Paul uses prophecy as representative o f all other intelligible inspired utterances that are t o be preferred to tongues in that setting. Both because Paul himself uses tongues and prophecy in a running contrast between (edifying) intelligibility and (nonedifying) unintelligibility in 1 Corinthians 14, and because o f our in­ herent interest in these two p h e n o m e n a , I offer some further suggestions about these two charismata.

Speaking in T o n g u e s

2

Paul's term for this p h e n o m e n o n is literally "different kinds o f tongues." Enough is said in 1 Corinthians 12-14 to give us a fairly

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g o o d idea as to h o w he understood it. W e have already looked at the role o f tongues in Paul's life o f prayer (at the end o f chapter 12 above). O u r interest here is to summarize what he says about it, especially focusing o n its role in the c o m m u n i t y . 1. Whatever else, it is Spirit-inspired utterance; that is made plain by 1 Corinthians 12:7 and 11 and 14:2. This in itself should cause some to speak more cautiously when trying to "put tongues in their place" (usually meaning eliminate them altogether) in the contemporary church. Paul does not d a m n tongues with faint praise, as s o m e have argued, nor does he stand in awe o f the gift, as the Corinthians had apparently d o n e — a n d some contemporary proponents o f tongues do. As with all Spirit-empowered activity, Paul held it in high regard in its proper place. 2. The regulations for its c o m m u n i t y use in 14:27-28 make clear that the speaker is not ecstatic or out o f control. Q u i t e the o p p o ­ site: the speakers must speak in turn, and they must remain silent if there is n o one to interpret. Therefore the m i n d is not detached; but it is at rest and "unfruitful." 3. It is speech essentially unintelligible both to die speaker (14:14) and to other hearers (14:16), which is w h y it must be interpreted in the assembly. 4. It is speech directed basically toward G o d (14:2, 1 4 - 1 5 , 28); one m a y assume, therefore, that what is interpreted is not speech directed toward others, but the "mysteries" spoken to G o d . 5. As a gift for private prayer, Paul held it in the highest regard (14:4, 5, 15, 17-18; cf. R o m 8:26-27; Eph 6:18), as noted in chapter 12 above. Whether Paul also understood it to be an actual earthly language is a m o o t point, but the overall evidence suggests not. H e certainly does not foresee the likelihood o f someone's being present w h o m i g h t understand without interpretation; a n d the a n a l o g y o f earthly language in 14:10-12 implies that it is not an earthly language (a thing is not usually identical with that to which it is compared). O u r most likely access to Paul's understanding is dirough his description o f the p h e n o m e n o n in 1 Corinthians 13:1 as "the tongues o f angels." The context virtually demands that this phrase refers to glossolalia or "speaking in tongues." The more difficult

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matter is its close association with "the tongues o f people." Most likely this refers to two kinds o f glossolalia: a h u m a n dialect, inspired o f the Spirit but u n k n o w n to the speaker or hearers, and angelic speech, inspired o f the Spirit to speak in the heavenly dialect. The historical context in general suggests that the latter is what the Corinthians understood glossolalia to be, and that there­ fore they considered it one o f the evidences o f their having already achieved something o f their future heavenly status. Paul shows considerable ambivalence toward this gift. O n the o n e h a n d , with regard to its use in the public assembly, although he does not c o n d e m n it, he is obviously not keen o n it. In any case, tongues should not occur at all if there is not an interpreta­ tion. O n the other h a n d , as a gift o f private prayer and utterance, Paul speaks o f tongues quite favorably, obviously a topic that for Paul is very personal and private. The breakdown for h i m has occurred when what is personal and private comes into the public assembly, since it has n o facility for strengthening the others. Here again the central focus o n corporate life comes to the fore. The question as to whether the "speaking in tongues" in contem­ porary Pentecostal and charismatic communities is the same in kind as that in the Pauline churches is m o o t — a n d probably irrele­ vant. There is simply n o way to know. As an experienced p h e n o m e ­ n o n , it is analogous to theirs, meaning that it is understood to be a supernatural activity o f the Spirit that functions in m a n y o f the same ways, and for its practitioners has value similar to that described by Paul.

Prophecy O f all the charismata, this is the one mentioned most often in Paul's letters. It is specifically mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5:20; 1 Corinthians 11:4-5; 12:10-14:40; R o m a n s 12:6; Ephesians 2:20; 3:5; 4:11; 1 Timothy 1:18; 4:14; and probably lies behind "through the Spirit" in 2 Thessalonians 2:2 and "in keeping with a revela­ tion" in Galatians 2:2. This implies a wide range o f occurrence in Paul's churches. Although prophecy was also widespread in the Greek world, Paul's understanding is thoroughly shaped b y his history in Juda-

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ism. The prophet spoke to God's people under the inspiration o f the Spirit. In Paul such speech consists o f spontaneous, under­ standable messages, orally delivered in the gathered assembly, intended for the edification or encouragement o f the people. For the most part these appear to be directed toward the whole c o m ­ munity, although 1 T i m o t h y 1:18 and 4:14 (and probably G a l 2:2) point to words spoken for the sake o f individuals—but still within the context o f the c o m m u n i t y . That the utterances are spontaneous is certain from the evidence in 1 Corindiians 14:29-32, since a "revelation" comes to another while o n e person is still "prophesying." Those w h o prophesy are clearly understood to be "in control" (see 14:29-33). A l t h o u g h s o m e people are called "prophets," the implication o f 1 Corin­ thians 14:24-25 and 30-31

is that the gift is available—at least

potentially—to all. But it is also clear that it does not have independent authority. The c o m b i n e d evidence o f 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 and 1 C o r i n ­ thians 12:10 and 14:29 indicates that all prophesying must be "discerned" by the Spirit-filled c o m m u n i t y . That is almost certainly the first intent o f the gift o f the "discernments o f S/spirits" in 1 Corinthians 12:10, since the verb form o f the n o u n "discern­ ments" appears in 14:29 as the needed response to prophetic utterances, just as interpretation is needed with tongues. T h e actual function o f prophecy in the Pauline churches is more difficult to pin d o w n . If our view o f Galatians 2:2, 1 T i m o t h y 1:18, and 4:14 is correct, then, o n the one hand, the Spirit directs the lives o f his servants in specific ways; sometimes they are singled out for the ministry the Spirit empowers (1 T i m 1:18; 4:14), and sometimes they are directed lo undertake a difficult mission to Jerusalem (Gal 2:2). O n the other hand, the Spirit also reminds the church, probably repeatedly, that the words o f Jesus concern­ ing the increase o f evil in die end (1 T i m 4:1) are being confirmed. A misguided but heeded prophetic utterance that the day o f the Lord h a d already c o m e (2 Thess 2:2) probably led to the distress in Thessalonica. In 1 Corinthians 14 yet another picture emerges o f h o w the c o m m u n i t y regularly experiences the prophetic Spirit: In the case o f believers the Spirit speaks encouragement and edification, and

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in the case o f unbelievers he lays bare their hearts in such a way as t o lead to repentance. All this textual evidence suggests that prophecy was a widely expressed and widely experienced phe­ n o m e n o n , which had as its goal the building u p o f the people o f G o d so as to c o m e to maturity in Christ ( E p h 4 : 1 1 - 1 6 ) .

3

S o m e recent writing o n this issue has been interested in the question o f backgrounds a n d authority. This problem is related to the inspiration and biblical authority o f the O l d Testament proph­ ets and a concern whether N e w Testament prophecy should be understood in the same way. Since Paul saw prophecy as evidence for the fulfillment o f God's eschatological promises, he undoubt­ edly also saw the N e w Testament prophets as in the succession o f the legitimate prophets o f the O l d Testament. This explains in part w h y all such prophecy must be discerned, just as with those in the O l d Testament. But the nature o f the new prophecy was also understood to be o f a different kind, precisely because o f the church's present eschatological existence. A prophet w h o speaks encouragement to the church in its between-the-times

existence

speaks a different word from the predominant word o f judgment o n ancient Israel.

T h e D i s c e r n m e n t o f Prophecy In 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22, Paul exhorts: " D o not quench the Spirit; d o not despise prophesyings; but test all things, and hold fast to the g o o d and abstain from every evil expression." If the tendency in one sector o f the contemporary church is to disobey this injunction by quenching the Spirit through their rejection o f prophecy, the tendency o n the Pentecostal/charismatic side has been to disregard the rest o f the injunctions—which are the main point! Because o f their sense o f awe over God's speaking in this way, spontaneously and often in an authoritative kind o f voice, Pentecostals have traditionally let almost anything g o a m o n g them in the n a m e o f the Lord. W h e n discernment does happen, it is usually to weed out the bad. Paul's concern lies o n b o t h sides, that they discern what the Lord is saying to them so as to hold fast the g o o d , as well as to be d o n e with the bad.

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W h a t lies behind this disobedience o n the part o f die latter traditions is probably a lack o f certainty as to the criteria for discernment, as well as a lack o f clarity as to h o w it is to be done. Paul's o w n criteria emerge in two passages, 2 Thessalonians 2:15 in light o f 2:2 and I Corinthians 14:3. This latter passage is more easily recognized: those w h o prophesy d o so for the "encourage­ ment (or exhortation), comfort, and edification" o f the gathered people o f G o d . A bit more needs t o be said about the 2 Thessalo­ nians passages.

4

The exhortations in 1 Thessalonians are probably given in antici­ pation o f the problem that is spoken to in 2 Thessalonians 2. Although Paul is not sure o f the source (prophetic word, his o w n former teach­ e

Th worship of the

ing, or his earlier letter), someone in the c o m m u n i t y has gone off half-cocked, earl

V

and in Paul's n a m e has prophesied

c h u r c h

that "the day o f die Lord has already

„

„ ,

,. .

come. Paul s response to this is 2 Thes­ salonians 2:3-12, where he reminds them h o w contradictory that utterance is to his actual teaching while a m o n g them. In a summarizing exhortation

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more charismatic t

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m

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true for

t of its subsequent

in v. 15, he then urges them t o hold

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fast to his former teachings, whether they came w h e n he was present a m o n g them or from his previous letter. Noticeably absent from this passage is the mendon o f "Spirit" from v. 2. Paul's point seems clear: they are to weigh all such "Spirit" utterances in light o f his o w n apostolic teaching. I would assume that the same holds true for all believers in all generations.

H o w C o m m o n Were t h e Gifts in Paul's Churches? That Paul can list all these items in such a matter-of-fact way, especially in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, indicates that the worship o f the early church was far more charismatic than has been true for most o f its subsequent history. S o m e indeed have tried to make a virtue o f this lack, arguing that the more extraordinary p h e n o m e n a were relatively limited in the early church—they belong to more

C H A P T E R

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"immature" believers like the Corinthians—but are not needed in our more "mature" congregations! But this argument not only misunderstands the childhood/adulthood imagery in 1 Corinthians 13:10-12, it is also by the very nature o f Paul's letters a totally invalid argument from silence. O n e m a y as well argue that the other churches known to Paul did not celebrate the Lord's Supper, since it is mentioned only in 1 Corinthians (10:16-17; 11:17-34), and as with tongues in 1 Corinthians 12-14 only to correct an abuse. The evidence is considerable that a visible, charismatic dimen­ sion o f life in the Spirit was the normal experience o f Paul's churches. That Paul should speak to it in a direct w a y so few times (esp. 1 Thess 5:19-22; 1 C o r 12-14) is an accident o f history: they were spoken to only where problems o f abuse had arisen. The nature o f the problem in Thessalonica, to be sure, is uncertain; either some o f them are playing d o w n the prophetic Spirit in their gatherings, or Paul is anticipating s o m e problems and tries to bring it under the rule o f "test all things." More likely it is the latter. If so, then it is similar to the problem in Corinth. In any case, Paul's response is never to eliminate such phenomena—they are the manifestations o f the Spirit, after all—but to correct by urging proper use. Even more telling are the offhanded, matter-of-fact ways these p h e n o m e n a are mentioned elsewhere. For example, in 2 Thessalo­ nians 2:2 Paul knows diat someone has falsely informed them as to "the day o f the Lord." What he does not k n o w is the source o f this false information; one possibility is "through the Spirit" (most likely a nondiscerned prophetic utterance). Likewise in 1 C o r i n ­ thians 11:2-16 in the matter o f head coverings, Paul refers to worship as "praying and prophesying," the two primary ways o f addressing G o d and people in the assembly. In Galatians 3:4 he can appeal to their "having experienced so m a n y such things," referring specifically to the experiential dimension o f their c o m i n g to faith in Christ; and in v. 5 a major point o f his argument rests o n their o n g o i n g experience o f "miracles." Finally, in the case o f Timothy's ministry (1 T i m 1:18; 4:14), Timothy's o w n gifting is related to prophetic utterances in the c o m m u n i t y . In n o n e o f these instances is Paul arguing for the gifts; rather, the visible, charis-

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matic expression o f their c o m m o n life in the Spirit is the presup­ position from which he argues for another point. W e may conclude, therefore, that all the evidence points in one direction: for Paul and his churches the Spirit is the key to their understanding o f Christian life, from beginning to end, but above all else the Spirit is experienced, and experienced in ways that are essentially powerful and visible. A l t h o u g h in some cases these Spirit experiences led to triumphalism—of a dualistic type (Spirit against earthly existence)—for Paul these experiences are part o f the package. Paul does not ethicize the Spirit, as s o m e have ar­ 5

g u e d ; for Paul ethical life b y the Spirit is part and parcel o f his understanding o f the Spirit as the fulfilled eschatological promise o f G o d . That is, the ethical life o f the Spirit belonged to the promise and was experienced as such before Paul came to it. Mis concern is with correction, to ensure that his churches follow in the paths he has taught them from the beginning. But triumphalism (a belief in assured, constant success and victory in every area o f life) was not the necessary result o f life in the Spirit, experienced in dynamic and powerfully visible ways, as Paul's o w n life attests. Here is o n e w h o could keep the two to­ gether. H e could experience the Spirit, visibly manifest a m o n g them often and regularly in giftings and empowerings o f an ex­ traordinary kind. But at the same time, his continuing fullness o f the joy of the Spirit was in the midst o f suffering and weaknesses o f all kinds.

T h e Gifts o f the Spirit Between the Times Finally, we need to look at a question that comes from our time, rather than from Paul. M a n y o f the charismata, especially the more extraordinary ones (prophecy, healings, miracles, tongues), fell into a time o f disuse soon after the apostolic period, only to appear spasmodically thereafter in what m a n y refer to as splinter groups. In our century s o m e have made a virtue o f this history, arguing that these gifts belonged to the apostolic period to estab­ lish and verify the gospel, but are not needed after the end o f the first Christian century, w h e n all the N e w Testament documents had finally been written.

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Interestingly, Paul does speak to this question, in 1 Corinthians 13:8-10, but in a manner unrelated to the way it has been raised in our time. It is not surprising that his answer is once again related to his end-time framework and presuppositions. His solution in this case seems directed against the misguided understanding o f charis­ mata, especially tongues, o n the part o f the Corinthians. In this passage Paul is arguing against the Corinthians' overspiritualized view o f the end times. They have apparently emphasized the already in such a w a y as to negate rather thoroughly die not yet. Already they are rich, full, and have begun to reign (1 C o r 4:8). Tongues seem to serve for them as the "sign" (cf. 14:20-22) o f their arrival. For them, speaking the language o f angels (13:1) means that they are already partakers o f the ultimate state o f spiritual existence, leading them to deny a future bodily resurrec­ tion (15:12). As part o f his argument against this wrong emphasis o n tongues, Paul insists that the gifts d o not belong to the (final) future, but only to the present. O n this matter the Corinthians are deluded. T h e irony is that the gifts, to them the evidence o f future existence, will pass away w h e n the true future existence is attained (13:8a): the charismata are "partial" (v. 9); they are like c h i l d h o o d in c o m ­ parison with adulthood (v. 11); they are like looking into a mirror in comparison with seeing s o m e o n e face-to-face (v. 12). But this is not a devaluation o f the gifts; rather, it puts them into proper (already but not yet) eschatological perspective. W e are still in the present, so in 1 Corinthians 14 Paul not only corrects abuse but also urges proper use. In the present we should pursue love (14:1), because that alone is both for n o w and forever (13:13); but that also means diat in the already we should eagerly desire the Spirit to manifest himself a m o n g us by giftings to build u p the c o m m u ­ nity. The final glory (what is complete) awaits. W h a t does not seem possible to extract from this passage is that Paul expected the charismata to cease within his lifetime, or shortly thereafter. This particular answer to the issue is raised today not o n the basis o f reading Scripture, but from the greater concern as to their present legitimacy. But this is a question o f worldview, pure and simple, and one that Paul could not have understood. H i s answer is plain: " O f course they will continue as long as we await

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the final consummation." A n y answer that does not follow in the footsteps o f the apostle at this point m a y hardly appeal to h i m for support.

6

Paul's word to the Philippians is worth our hearing and heeding today: "Join with others in following m y example, brothers and sisters, and take note o f those w h o live according to the pattern we gave you" (3:17). In the context o f Philip­ pians that pattern included both "the power o f Christ's resurrection and the fellowship o f his sufferings" (v. 10). As n o t e d in chapter 10 a b o v e , his example of a Spirit-empowered, Spirit-directed life w a s particularly wide-ranging and included personal

The reason for the gifts in the assembly is to build us up as we live out the life of the future in the

Spirituality as well as the c o m m u n i t y p h e n o m e n a noted inthis chapter. W e

present age.

are already but not yet, and the only way w e can so live is by the power o f the Spirit. The reason for the gifts in the assembly is to build us u p as we live out the life o f the future in the present age. T h e H o l y Spirit, as the renewed presence o f G o d , is with us in our gatherings for this very purpose. Thus our final word is like the first one: the Spirit for Paul was an experi­ enced end-time reality w h o served both as evidence that the future is already at h a n d and as the guarantee o f its final c o n s u m m a t i o n .

NOTES 1. This word does not mean what it is most commonly translated to mean, "gifts of the Spirit." The word has nothing to do with the Spirit on its own; it is a noun formed from the word "grace" and means literally "a concrete expression of grace." It becomes "Spiritual gift" in Rom 1:11 by the addition of the adjecdve "Spiritual." It is die context of 1 Corinthians, plus the fact that this word is associated with the ministries of the Spirit in 1 Cor 12:4, that has led us to call all these Spirit manifestations in 1 Cor 12 "Spiritual gifts"—properly so in this case, but improperly so in most other occurrences in the New Testament.

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2. For bibliography, see GEP, 172, n. 336. 3. O n the probability that Paul understood himself to be a prophet as well as an apostle, see GEP on 1 Cor 14:37 and Eph 3:5. According to 1 Cor 5:3-4 and Col 2:5 he also understood himself to be present by the Spirit in the gathered assembly, presumably at the reading of his letter. Therefore, he probably understood his letters to function in a prophetic way within the churches as they were being read. 4. For the more detailed analysis of these texts see GEP, 71-75, or the full argument in my essay "Pneuma and Eschatology in 2 Thessalonians 2.1-2: A Proposal about Testing the Prophets' and the Purpose of 2 Thes­ salonians," in To Tell the Mystery: Essays on New Testament Eschatology in Honor of Robert H. Gundry (ed. T. E. Schmidt and M . Silva; Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Supplement Series 100; Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1994) 196-215. 5. Especially H . Gunkel, The Influence of the Holy Spirit; Ger. original 1888 (ET; Philadelphia: Fortress, 1979). Nor did he, as R. B. Hoyle suggests (The Holy Spirit in St. Paul [London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1928] 34), "base all the religious and ethical life of Christians on the quieter, constant, inward working of the Spirit." Paul would not recognize such false distincdons. 6. The most textually perceptive of these various attempts is that by R. Gaffin, Perspectives on Pentecost (Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Re­ formed, 1979). This book basically raises and answers questions, using Paul in support, to which Paul does not speak at all. Compare my critique in Gospel and Spirit: Issues in New Testament Hermeneutics (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1991) 75-77.

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WHERE TO FROM HERE?—THE SPIRIT FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW // we are going to count for much in the post-modem

world in which we now live, the

Spirit must remain the key to the church's existence. In light o f the preceding pages, we must candidly admit that the experience and life o f the Spirit were more radically central for Paul and his churches than seems t o be true for most o f us. T h e Spirit was more genuinely experienced as well. That awareness has led to the title o f this final chapter. Proper humility will also acknowledge that the most appropriate answer to the question is "I don't know." Rather t h a n try t o give answers, therefore, I propose t o end (1) by identifying the central features o f Paul's approach to the Spirit, (2) b y pointing out the frequent distance between Paul and ourselves o n these matters, a n d (3) by offering s o m e brief suggestions about bridging that distance. W h a t is said here as­ sumes the truth o f the Reformation principle: the church must be b o t h "reformed and always being reformed." Historically, the m o s t important ingredient o f true reformation and renewal is for the church to b e c o m e more intentionally biblical in its thought and actions.

179

C H A P T E R

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PAUL'S UNDERSTANDING OF THE SPIRIT: A SUMMARY The following are what I see to be at the heart o f Paul's approach to the Spirit, given n o w in slightly different order from the way they appear in the preceding chapters: 1. The Key to Christian

Experience.

The m o s t o b v i o u s point

has been repeated in a number o f ways throughout, namely, the ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

In every aspect of

crucial role the Spirit plays in Paul's Christian experience and therefore in his understanding o f the gospel. In

Paul's theology—at

the final analysis, in every aspect o f his theology—at least what is basic t o

least what is basic to , .

-

,

his theology—the Spirit plays a leadi n g

^

r o l e

T o

b e

s u r e

t h e

S p i r i t

i s

n o t

the center for Paul—Christ is, ever and

his theology—the

.

°'

,

,

_ ..

,

,

always—but the Spirit stands close

Spirit plays a

t

leading role.

n

o

t

n

e

c e n t e r

' making Christ known and empowering all genuinely Chrisa

n

n

e

a n , 76, 88 1:13-14 41,60, 61,67,81,87, 195 1:14 54 1:17 29,34,44, 105 1:20 62 1:23 73 1:28 158 2 46,70 2:3 139 2:7 120 2:8 52 2:14-15 81 2:14-16 44 2:14-17 119 2:14-18 67 2:16 69, 73 2:18 44,68,81, 91 2:19 68 219-22 73 2:20 170 2:20-22 44 2:22 17, 18, 81 3 46 3:2-13 81 3:5 26,81,170, 178 3:5-7 79 3:6 81 3:16 26,27 3:16-17 33 3:16-20 144 4 69,70 4:1 69, 158 4:1-3 60,110 4:1-6 96 4:2 66, 125 4:3 20,69,119, 158 4:3-4 110

207

S C R I P T U R E

4:3-16 73 4:4 61,68 4:4-6 39,41,69, 200 4:5 199 4:11 165,170 4:11-16 172 4:20 106,114 4:22 130 4:24 130 4:25 66 4:25-31 69 4:30 15,19, 27, 52,55, 70, 88, 96, 109, 110, 195 4:32 66 5:2 107,110,125 5:14 160 5:18 17,70,99, 124, 201 5:18-19 157 5:19 153, 156, 168 5:19-20 70 5:21 66 5:21-6:9 70 5:23 73 5:25 110 6:17 78 6:18 147, 169 6:18-20 148 Philippians 1:19 31,34,113, 201 1:27 67,70,124 2:1 70 2:1-4 67 2:3 66, 122 2:6-11 144 3:2 102 3:2-3 110 3:3 26,44,96, 110, 132, 139, 154

208

3:3-4 139 3:9-10 144 3:10 144 3:17 177 3:19 32 3:20 52, 124 3:21 58 4:9 125 Colossians 1:8 67 1:9 105 1:9-11 105,110 1:11 120 1:15-18 160 1:15-23 158 1:18 26,73 1:24 144 1:29 78 2:5 154 2:11 139 2:12 62, 199 2:13 139 2:20-3:4 92 2:21 123 2:22 123 3:1 156 3:5-11 109 3:10 92,106 3:12 73, 106, 119, 125, 157 3:12-13 115 3:12-17 156 3:12-4:6 119 3:13 66 3:14 110,125 3:15 73, 157 3:16 44, 153, 156, 157, 161, 168 1 Thessalonians 1:4 73 1:4-5 43 1:4-6 96, 180 1:5 26,77

I N D E X

1:5-6 77, 143, 145 1:6 26,77 1:9 77 1:10 62 2:13 76 3:12 66, 125 4:3 108 4:3-8 108, 109 4:8 16, 17,29, 31,34, 110, 184,201 4:9 66 4:9-11 125 4:14 62 5:11 66 5:14 158 5:15 66 5:16 117 5:16-18 147 5:19-20 71 5:19-22 22, 144, 172, 174, 180, 188 5:20 170 5:21-22 171 5:23 125 2 Thessalonians 1:3 66 1:11 110 2:2 170, 171, 173,174,180 2:3-12 173 2:13 26, 43, 73, 76,88,93,96, 108,110 2:13-14 76 2:15 173 3:16 119,125 1 Timothy 1:18 78,79, 170, 171,174,181 2:4 76 3:15 68

3:15-16 73 3:16 160 4:1 171 4:1-5 123 4:2 123 4:14 22, 78, 79, 170, 171, 174, 181 6:11 125 2 Timothy 1:6 79 1:6-7 78,79, 124, 181 1:7 34 1:14 27,78 2:25 125 Titus 1:8 125 2:14 73 3:2 125 3:4-7 42,88,96 3:5 26,91,195, 198 3:5-7 87 3:6 88, 183 3:6-7 199 Hebrews 11:32-38 145 1 Peter 1:3 31 Revelation 4:11 162 5:9 162 5:12 162 5:13 162 21:1-22:5 10 21:22 10