Doing Theology with the Holy Spirit

R216 Third Article Theology, 2021
Laidlaw College
Dr Myk Habets and Dr Greg Liston;
26-27 February, 6-9 April 2021
One of the most exciting areas of research in theology today concerns the Holy Spirit. At the cutting-edge of research on the Holy Spirit is what is called Third Article Theology or TAT. In the Creed, the Holy Spirit is the Third Article - hence the name! But in the Creed, the Holy Spirit is not simply concerned with himself, but with the Trinity, with salvation, with the church, with ministry, and with the future. So TAT looks at theology from the perspective of the Spirit. That is what is so interesting, so useful, and so important about TAT. In this course, we will look at key doctrines such as the Trinity, Christology, salvation, the church, and the future, and we will apply this theology to ministry, mission, and our everyday lives. We will also interact directly with a number of scholars from around the world who are contributing to TAT. Join us as we explore theology in a deeply Spiritual way in this course on Third Article Theology.

[@claudiozanella256]

The Holy Spirit is no "third God", God doesn't need any Helper. "Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Well, if the Father is the Father and the Son is the Son, the Holy Spirit MUST BE A "THIRD GOD"! This is what the fathers of the Church thought. Unfortunately this is not correct. Who is the Holy Spirit? Jesus tell us that "God is a spirit". Well, that God can be called "the Spirit of God" AKA "Holy Spirit". But the almighty God is the Father, this means that the FATHER IS A SPIRIT AND IS CALLED THE HOLY SPIRIT. What happens with the "Comforter"? In a very smart manner we can skip the whole difficult "Comforter Chapter" to REALLY SEE who will be inside the apostles: "the Spirit of your Father". This means that the Holy Spirit inside the apostles is the "Father who is a spirit", as expected. Jesus also directly confirms that the HOLY SPIRIT inside Him IS THE FATHER: “The words I say to you, I say not on my own but from the FATHER who DWELLS IN ME.” What happened when Jesus was baptized ? Simply the Holy Spirit - who is the Father in form of a spirit - SAID "...you are my beloved Son...". Just Father and Son there. But of course, they are just TWO, this is clearly stated by Jesus " I am not alone because the Father is with me". You can also see that in heaven there is NO PLACE for "the Lord who gives life" (an omnipotent God absolutely unknown in the scriptures). In fact many christians still believe that the Holy Spirit is a kind of magical dust falling down the sky which gives them awesome powers. Well, if the Holy Spirit IS THE FATHER IN FORM OF A SPIRIT, who is "THE FATHER" in the baptismal formula? Jesus tells us who is "THAT FATHER" too: "the world has not known you". That is different from the present tense "the world does not know you". Since the verse is in the past instead, it indicates for the world a MISSED PAST OPPORTUNITY. The reason is a LACK of TEMPORAL OVERLAP: He only existed "BEFORE the foundation of the world". Jesus does have that temporal overlap instead. John 17:24-25 " ...for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; ". We thus see that the Father - in the form of a spirit - who is HERE : "My Father works now, so I work." is DIFFERENT from the Father mentioned before that we NEVER KNEW. This means that the "Father" in the baptismal formula is simply THE "NORMAL" FATHER, who is NOT a spirit. He is the SOURCE of the Holy Spirit: the Holy Spirit - the Father who is a spirit - DERIVES FROM HIM.
Only the Father in the form of a spirit - the Holy Spirit - and the Son are thus here ("I am not alone because the Father is with me"). No "third God" exists.