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SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY (ORGANIZED BIBLE KNOWLEDGE)
Part XI: Pneumatology (Doctrine Of The Holy Spirit)
A. Accurately Defining The Holy Spirit's Person And Work
  1. Introduction
    1. To study the Holy Spirit is to enter into a contemporary problem: many Christians differ on what the Holy Spirit IS and DOES simply because they differ on how the Holy Spirit reveals Himself! Some think the Holy Spirit gifts people with supernatural abilities to see visions or hear prophetic utterances while others say the Bible alone is the sure guide to defining the Spirit's Person and work (Robert P. Lightner, Speaking In Tongues, p. 7-8).
    2. Thus we need to start our study of the Holy Spirit's Person and work by accurately defining just how we KNOW that Person and His work (as follows):
  2. Accurately Defining The Holy Spirit's Person And Work (I am indebted to Lewis Sperry Chafer's Systematic Theology, vol. VII (Pneumatology) and Charles Ryrie's, The Holy Spirit.)
    1. We know the written Bible is God-inspired in the objective sense from the Greek text of 2 Tim. 3:16-17:
      1. The term "inspired of God" (KJV) is literally "God-breathed" from theopneustos, a special class of adjective called a verbal adjective which is formed by the "-tos" suffix and carries the meaning of the perfect passive participle, cf. Bruce M. Metzger, Lexical Aids for Students of N.T. Grk., 2nd ed., p. 44.
      2. The word is formed from two Greek terms, "theos" meaning "God," and "pneo" meaning "breathe."
      3. Thus, written Scripture has been God-breathed with the result that it perpetually bears the God-breathedness quality in the objective sense (opposite Neo-Orthodoxy which teaches the Bible becomes the Word of God in your mind when you "experience" its influence in your mind!)
    2. Written Scripture is also the sole spiritual authorship of the Holy Spirit, neither the Son nor the Father being attributed with the spiritual dynamics behind its authorship, Op. Cit., Chafer, p. 29; 2 Pet. 1:20-21.
    3. The Holy Spirit through Scripture has THUS made it clear how we as believers are to know all spiritual truth, including spiritual truth about Himself and His works (as follows):
      1. The Holy Spirit commands believers to avoid determining reality even by miracles alone!
        1. Deuteronomy 13:1-4 was authored by the Holy Spirit according to 2 Peter 1:20-21.
        2. Well, Deuteronomy 13:1-4 reveals Moses warning Israel not to heed a prophet or dreamer of dreams who even does a miraculous work if he admonishes a departure from the written commands of the Word of God, Deut. 13:1-3a. Rather, such an experience is a divine TEST to see if God's people will obey written Scripture truth, Deuteronomy 13:3b-4!
      2. Rather, the Holy Spirit via Scripture urges us to lean on written Scripture to discern what is truth:
        1. In 2 Timothy 3:16a, the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul writes that all written Scripture is permanently God-breathed (see "II,A,1-3" above) as though each word permanently is being spoken by God's breathing out from His "lungs" over His "vocal chords" the words of the Bible!
        2. This Scripture truth is fully able to equip every man of God fully for every good work, 2 Tim. 3:17.
        3. In view of the authority of written Scripture, Paul urges pastors to proclaim that Word, applying it in reproofs, rebukes and exhortation with great patience and careful instruction, 2 Tim. 4:1-2 NIV.
        4. Thus, all we are to know about the Person and work of the Holy Spirit is found in written Scripture.
    4. Summary: Since we are not to rely on even miraculous experiences to define reality (Deut. 13:1-4), but look to written Scripture not only to know but to be fully equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17) and to correct and reprove error (2 Tim. 4:1-2), and since the Holy Spirit is the sole divine Author of Scripture (2 Peter 1:20-21 with Chafer, Op. Cit., p. 29), The Holy Spirit wants us to stay with what He has said in written Scripture about His Person and work to define that Person and work in human history!
Lesson: In view of this Scriptural insight, we do NOT use any reference to one's EXPERIENCE to DEFINE the Holy Spirit or His works. RATHER, we subject all such EXPERIENCES to the BIBLE to know such realities. As PROOF that we must rely on Scripture and not even miracles for reality, we recall Jesus' words in Matthew 7:21-23: MANY will stand before Him on the last day and depend on their miraculous works as proof of their salvation when they are really unsaved people headed for Hell!