Revival and Theology Part 2

Posted on February 20, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

In part one I looked at Apostolic Christianity as the grand example of a revival. I showed then the importance of theology for the early church. In this second part I want to demonstrate the continuing  relationship of theology and revival throughout Church history. Obviously in some ways this article will be superficial but my pain point is that Revival and Theology walk hand in hand.

The Post Apostolic Church; As the Church grew and people entered it all sorts of baggage from either their heathen past or their Jewish background affected how they interpreted the faith. Into this lively discussion we find leaders like Irenaeus bringing clarity and helping to develop the understanding of both Jesus divine and human natures ( see his “Against Heresies).Other early Church Father such as Tertullian and Justin Martyr. All of the early Theological debates took place in the context of a lively growing Church. The Contributions of great theologian such as Athanasius, Augustine and the Cappadocian all demonstrate the same point. These Church Fathers and others made a vital contribution to the doctrine of the Trinity and to Christology.(for an excellent introduction to the Church Fathers see”Learning Theology With the Church Fathers” by Christopher A Hall).

The Reformation: I know that we could look at examples from the medieval Church, but there is not room in this posting. The Reformation is often seen as the period of doctrinal clarification and seen as an intellectual movement. But this is to miss the point as the Reformation was a time when because Luther’s discovery of a gracious God who justifies the guilty through faith in the finished work of Christ, caused thousand to press into the kingdom of God.
Luther proclaimed the message of salvation by grace not as a doctrinal system but as the way to eternal life, to read his Commentary on Galatians or his Larger Catechism demonstrates this clearly.
As the Reformation spread other leaders took up the challenge to take up the challenge to return to the Theology of the Bible among the greatest was John Calvin.
John Calvin has suffered a bad press down the ages but one has only to read his letters to see this was a man with a pastoral heart. The same can be said of his “Institutes of The Christian Religion” The intention of his writing this work was to equip believers in their discipleship. He did not think of this as an academic volume of Systematic Theology but as a volume to be used in conjunction with his commentaries on Holy Scripture. Calvin did help other Pastors like John Knox to  develop his theology but this was all aimed at the proclamation of the Gospel The reformation period saw many people come to saving faith and must also be therefore classified as a revival.

The Eighteenth Century Revival: When we think of the eighteenth century revival we tend to think of thousands coming into the kingdom and the manifestations that accompanied this but this is only part of the story. All of the Revival Leaders wanted to see people become disciples and they realised that for this believers needed to be rooted in Biblical doctrine. Wesley developed his class meetings
for believers and also published A Christian Library for believers to be able to read abridged and edited versions of Christian Classics. Wesley was well equipped theologically and this can be sen in his writings on Christian Perfection and his notes on the New Testament. One does not have to agree with Wesley to be able to appreciate his use of theology to disciple people. His colleague John Fletcher was also an able theologian but again he used theology to establish believers in their faith. He also used this to defend the distinctive doctrines of the Methodist Movement but again he was concerned with the spiritual development of believers, his work is has distinct pastoral flavour to it.

Jonathan Edwards is remembered for his sermon “Sinners in the hands of an angry God” but this great pastor also preached on the love of God and for our love for one another, his sermons “charity and its Fruits” show both the pastoral heart and the theological expertise of Jonathan Edwards. Als his work “The Religious Affections” is an amazing combination of pastoral discernment and theological knowledge enabling helping to discern the hand of God in revival and seeing also how the flesh could be manifested in times of renewal. Edwards was able to write at depth as History of Redemption demonstrates or his discussions of free will and divine sovereignty but again his purpose is not to be academic but rather to show that the doctrine was profitable for the believer and for the pastor for their ongoing discipleship.

When we look at these examples it is interesting to note that Wesley and Fletcher were Arminian in their Theology whereas Edwards was Reformed in his theology but despite the differences they were united in emphasising the need for good doctrinal for the health of the church.

The Nineteenth Century Revivals: There were various Revival Movements in the Nineteenth Century and it can be said of all of them that theology was important to them. Even very experiential emphases like that of Pheobe Palmer’s take on holiness teaching is rooted in biblical teaching. Palmer saw herself as one who was teaching Wesleyan theology, a careful reading of her works will establis this.
Charles Finney is often used as an example of a revivalist who is technique orientated but this is a shallow interpretation of the mature Finney. In any case he tried to develop his thinking from Scripture and expound them. but he also published his Systematic Theology again this is not a book aimed at academics but rather a volume designed to equip pastors and believers.

C.H Spurgeon, is a great example of a Revival preacher who brought solid doctrinal teaching to his congregation Sunday after Sunday but this was truth on fire. Spurgeon took his stand on the Reformed articulation of doctrine. This can be seen in the fact that he used A.AHodge’s  “Outlines of Theology” as his textbook at his Preachers College. He also realised the need for unity in the light of the dangers of Liberal Theology and he was involved in the early developments of The Evangelical Alliance. He was also willing to take a strong stand against liberal theology as his Sermon “A Dirge for the Downgrade” shows. Spurgeon was one who would stand for truth because he was concerned for the health of the church. His program of Church planting also shows his concern for doctrinal clarity, for example the Trust Deed of Shoreham Baptist Church has a clear doctrinal statement ( I use this as an example because I am an elder of this Church.). The Churches that Spurgeon planted were all Particular (Reformed) Baptist Churches.
The Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements: although the early Pentecostal movement was largely experiential, a Wesleyan Theology was assumed in the early days, as people from other backgrounds came into the movement there were different emphases brought into the movement.
One early clash was on the doctrine of sanctification. The Finished Work controversy with W.H.Durham leading those who were opposed to the Wesleyan view of sanctification. It is at this point that we begin to see the early leaders develop a greater theological awareness.
The next controversy to beset was know as the “New Issue” it is here we see the development of Oneness Pentecostalism,in response to this a greater awareness of the need to articulate the doctrine of the Holy Trinity arose. In both of these controversies it was pastoral concerns that caused Pentecostal leaders to articulate a theology for the Growing movement (for some helpful insights on this development see “The Everlasting Gospel” by D. William Faupel).
In recent years we have seen the growth of Pentecostal and Charismatic Theology as can be evidenced by such volumes as Renewal Theology by Rodman Williams, Truth Aflame by Larry Hart and Baptized in the Spirit by Frank Macchia.

Conclusion: in these two postings I have tried to show that Revival and theology are partners together in God’s purpose for the Church we need the vitality of Revival rooted in the roots of Biblical Truth. My hope is that as we seek the Lord to Revive his church again that we will see that The Word and the The Spirit go together. Let us pray that will God will revive his Church again and at the same time raise up those who can proclaim the Word of God so that the church resets on God’s solid foundation.

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Word and Spirit Part 3

Posted on February 17, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

In part 2 I looked briefly at some of the factors affecting the relationship between Word and Spirit in relationship to the inspiration of Holy Scripture. During the debates of the 1970’s I noticed a tendency by some to turn the doctrine of Scripture into an arid intellectual system, this is a problem that one can easily fall into. It is therefore important to look at the relationship of Word and Spirit as this applies to our daily reading of Scripture. The core text for any discussion of inspiration is 2Timothy 3 but so often there is a failure to move onto what Paul is saying Scripture is there for. We need to look briefly at this passage because Paul’s main intention is not to teach a doctrine of inspiration, but shows us how the inspired Word applies to our lives.

2 Timothy 3  14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Notice first the redemptive purpose of Scripture, the Scriptures are given to make us wise for salvation, if we think about this in the context of New Testament teaching we will affirm that we cannot come to know the Saviour without a prior work of the Holy Spirit. we are at once reminded that the Holy Spirit has inspired the word of God so that he can use them to reveal Christ. Without the Holy spirit opening our eyes we would not come to acknowledge the saving grace of God. So at the very outset we can see that Paul’s teaching about scripture contains a dynamic view with regard to the relationship of Word and Spirit. The Spirit uses the Word he has inspired to lead people to the Saviour.

But the passage does not stop there but rather goes onto to show how the Word of God is to be practically applied but again the inspired Word cannot equip us to lead a righteous life or correct us without the working of the Holy Spirit it is therefore vital that we approach the scripture not as a textbook but as the Word of God in a prayerful manner. We need to grasp the importance of the Holy Spirit’s illumination of the text of Scripture if we are to avoid a sterile intellectualism. We do need to wrestle with the intellectual issues but not because we seek to deal with these as ends in themselves but rather because we acknowledge that a deeper understanding should lead to a deeper discipleship.

Recently there have been some really helpful studies published which deal with the nature of Scripture among the best is Kevin Vanhoozer’s book, “First Theology” also very helpful on this subject is Michael Horton’s ” The Christian Faith” especially his chapters on the doctrine of revelation.

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The Holiness Revival in the Nineteenth Century

Posted on February 16, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

This paper was given at Nazarene Theological College(1996) as part of my Masters degree and led to the request by Dr McGonigle that I write my dissertation on this subject. I did this by looking at the Development of the Doctrine of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in nineteenth century America

The Holiness Revival of the Nineteenth Century.

Introduction: After the death of Wesley the teaching of Christian Perfection stayed the same for a number of years. Fletcher had described entire sanctification as the baptism with the Holy Spirit,and this emphasis was to take prominence in the middle of the nineteenth century. This has led to the charge that there was a move from a Christ centred view of sanctification, to a Spirit centred view. As we shall see, some authors emphasised Pentecost as the beginning of the dispensation of the Spirit. This dispensational approach was in conflict with the covenantal view of Wesley.
Much of the development in doctrine took place in America,where culturally there was an optimistic mood, and this is reflected in the theology of the day. Greathouse comments 11 Another factor in the total milieu was the idealism that saw America’s destiny and goal to be the creation of a new society free from the evils that had been left behind when immigrants set out for the new world. The conviction of the New England pioneers that their colony was ‘the place where the Lord… [would ]create a new Heaven and a new Earth in new churches and a new commonwealth together’ had fixed itself generally within the American mind. In their new land Americans were part of a new Israel. ‘The inherent optimism in this American dream was readily assimilated with the perfectionism in the holiness movement; the two were to be traveling companions throughout the nineteenth century – each undoubtedly helping the other along the way. For holiness advocates it was all part of a grand divine plan to usher in ‘the most glorious and last dispensation’–the dispensation of the Holy Spirit.’  Greathouse then goes on to demonstrate the enthusiasm of those who were witnesses to the wonder of perfect love, and the revolutionary changes it could bring.
The British author William Arthur,seems to have influenced the Oberlin School in their thinking about the baptism with the Holy Spirit. But the influence was not all in one direction, the Americans in turn influenced many British advocates of divine ho1iness.
Dayton, has demonstrated in his essay(The Doctrine of the Baptism
of the Holy Spirit: Its Emergence and Significance) that there were other cultural forces that influenced the development of Holiness teaching. Perhaps one of the profoundest of these was the event of the American civil war. It seems that around this period there was a new awareness of the need of Divine power. The teaching about the baptism with the Holy Spirit and its pentecostal motifs fitted this need precisely. At first the Pentecostal emphasis was seen in terms of sanctification. Mahan’s book written in 1870 has as its main emphasis Christian Perfection but by 1900 the emphasis was on power for service.
Alongside this development the Reformed school offered an alternative picture of sanctification.

The Reformed School emphasised man’s total depravity and the serious effects of the fall, As a consequence of this emphasis the Christian life was seen as one constant struggle with not much hope of victory in this life. Growth in grace was expected but Christian Perfection was seen as naive at best or a terrible delusion at the worst. J.C
Ryle. C.H. Spurgeon and B.B. Warfield were all eminent spokesman for Reformed thought. for a positive statement of the Reformed doctrine of holiness one should read Ryle’s book “Holiness”. For the purpose of this seminar the spokesman for the Reformed School will be Warfield. In this paper remembering the above background, I will be looking at some of the main proponents of Christian Perfection, I will then look briefly at Warfield’s objections. In conclusion, I will try to bring the argument together and pose some questions for further discussion.

William Arthur: Arthur’s book ” The Tongue of Fire” seems largely responsible for the rise of Pentecostal language. His main emphasis is on the moral change brought about in a man by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For example when speaking about Peter, he says “Here we have no working of miracles,no speaking with foreign tongues, but we find the man who, when left to his own strength, denied his master, now filed with a moral power which makes him bold to confess that master’s name before the rulers of his people and with a wisdom to speak according at once to the oracles of God and the exigency of the moment” (p30). He also says “The Spirit,as replenishing the believer with actual virtues and practical holiness is ever kept before us in the Apostolic writings” .Although Arthur sees Pentecost in terms of moral power,as far as I could discover he does not identify it with entire sanctification.

A Mahan: Asa Mahan and others of the Oberlin School emphasised the need for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Mahan encouraged believers to wait upon the Lord until they had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Mahan emphasised that the baptism of the Holy Spirit was to be received after conversion. The baptism then enables the Christian to do things that would have been impossible before. Mahan says “Whenever anyone receives this baptism, a radical change is immediately observed in the forms which his actions assume. Thought is expanded,emotions deepened and activity energized as never before.
2. Especially is there an increase of moral and spiritual power to endure and accomplish all things according to the Divine will. Without this baptism the mind remains in servitude to the natural propensities, faints under chastisements,is overcome when
tempted,and rendered despondent through broken resolutions. Under this baptism we have a sovereign control over our spirit, we endure when tried, overcome when tempted, and when weak in ourselves find everlasting strength in God. Power with God and with man is an invariable result of this anointing.”
The above quotation shows very clearly the link Mahan made between the baptism and sanctification. He believed that there were certain conditions laid down for receiving the baptism, they included,repentance, consecration and claiming the promise of the Father.(see p54f).
He goes on to show the glorious fruit of this baptism ,he says,”The brightest jewel in Christ’s crown of glory in any church,on the other hand,is the individual who holds and advocates that truth and who has received the Holy Ghost since he has believed.In him God dwells and walks, and Christ abides as an all-purifying,quickening,and life imparting presence; and through him Christ and the provisions of his grace are perpetually revealed
to the Church and the world around, as ‘a fountain opened for sin and uncleanness’–the Divinest mission ever fulfilled by men or angels.” Mahan in these word clearly shows that he links the baptism to sanctification.(p203-4}. Furthermore Mahan identifies his teaching with that of Methodism in these words” We may now clearly perceive what will hereafter constitute the glory or the shame of Methodism. The central article of her creed is the great central truth of the Gospel,to wit: full and free redemption in Jesus Christ. In the holding and advocacy of that truth, her ministry and membership glory before the world. In her early founders and favourite memoirs,Christ and the promises of his grace
are fully and distinctly revealed to all her membership and to all the world as •a Fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness’. Now,if this denomination shall remain true to her
heaven-descended mission, by continuing to hold and advocate this great truth,and by a living faith shall exemplify its all-purifying influence both before the church and the world, this will be her wisdom and her understanding, in the judgment of all the
nations,who shall hear of this great salvation.” Mahan could not more clearly state than he does here that his understanding of the doctrine of the baptism with the Holy Ghost is to be equated with the Methodist doctrine of Christian Perfection. At this point it is important to note the distinction that Dayton makes between Finney and Mahan when he says,”Finney and his • colleagues began to move in a more Pelagian direction while Mahan moved closer to Wesleyan Theology as he grew older.” (Asa Mahan p60}.

Daniel Steele: In “Love Enthroned’,Daniel Steele sought to expound the doctrine of entire sanctification. He says “The Holy Ghost transfigures the sinful soul bristling with
antagonisms,transforming depravity to purity by the mighty alchemy of love.” This reminds us of much that Wesley had said earlier. He makes his position clear when he says ” The destructive and the reconstructive processes have gone on side by side. There is an absolute end to the former when there is nothing more to be destroyed: there is no end to the latter. The negative work must of necessity end when sin is dead; the positive work of spiritual adornment,strength, and growth, must go on so long as the soul is capable of advancement.” A few sentences later he says, “The relation of regeneration to entire sanctification is that of a part to a whole.”
Steele like Wesley also taught the need for the witness of the Spirit.
Steele gives a greater emphasis to the continuity of God’s work in the soul of the believer than does Mahan.. Unlike Wesley,Steele did however accept Pentecostal terminology. Greathouse is helpful at this point, when he says “Since Steele fully endorsed the view that
Pentecost ushered in the dispensation of the Holy Spirit with its offer of heart holiness for every believer,it is not necessary to outline his complete position. One quotation is sufficient to show his basic agreement with Mahan and Finney.
‘We understand that the baptism, the anointing, the fullness, the abiding,the indwelling,the constant communion,the sealing the earnest,of the Holy Spirit,are equivalent terms,expressive of the state of Christian Perfection.” So with Steele we find an
interesting combination of Wesleyan theology with the growing pentecostal emphasis.

Wi11iam Booth: Booth in his writing seems very close in emphasis to Wesley even though,at times , he uses pentecostal terminology. His main concern is ‘Purity of Heart’, these letters show a deep pastoral concern for his fellow workers. In his first letter he defines purity of heart in these terms “In short, to be pure in soul,signifies deliverance from all and everything which the Lord shows you to be opposed to His Holy
Will. It means that you not only possess the ability to live the kind of life that He desires, but that you actually do live it.”(p8).
Booth did not contend that the blessing would make life easier,but
he did contend that it would enable one to lead a more useful life. Booth urges his readers to receive the “Purifying Baptism” (see letter 3). According to Chick Yuill “Where Wesley had been content to ‘draw’ they saw the need to drive men on” (We Need Saints p104)”. Yuill is here looking at the Booths practice. There is an urgency in the letters of Booth which one does not find in Wesley. for Booth and many other holiness teachers the blessing was indispensable for a Christ-like life. Booth is absolutely convinced that holiness is possible and that God wants to make all men holy.
Although,Booth has a strong emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit in imparting the blessing, he roots holiness in the work of Christ. In letter 6 Booth says”Jesus Christ came into this world,and lived and suffered and died that you might be made Holy.” Booth tries to keep his teaching Christ centred and urges his people to receive ‘the blessing’ so that Christ might be glorified. In some ways then,Booth is closer to Wesley than to some
of his contemporaries. Booth taught the blessing as available to all Christians, but he did not see this as superior to conversion. For Booth,both Baptism in the Spirit and conversion flow from the work of Christ.

Phoebe Palmer: Phoebe Palmer in her book “the Way of Holiness” sets forth a short cut to holiness. At times her emphasis on the way to become holy,almost amounts to a technique. But the overall concern of her book is to see that Christians are rightly related to God.
There is a very strong experiential emphasis to her book and it seems that her own spiritual experience moulded her teaching to a greater degree than is helpful. Her experience of putting all on the altar,therefore, becomes normative for entering into the life of holiness.
In chapter 6, Palmer documents how she entered the Holy Life through putting all on the altar. Faith is emphasised then comes the witness of the Holy Spirit. The difference between Palmer and Wesley, is that Palmer believed that the blessing had been received
on the basis of naked faith,whereas Wesley believed that the witness of the Spirit was essential at the time the blessing was received. For Palmer the emphasis seem to lie in the act of faith but for Wesley the emphasis is upon the action of the Holy Spirit. For Palmer, once everything has been placed upon the altar the Christian accepts that he has been sanctified by an act of naked faith,whether the person feels anything or not. Greathouse,refers to this problem when he says ” Dr H C Morrison took note of such
spiritual presumption and said ‘I sometimes meet people who when asked if they are sanctified say,’yes I have taken it by faith.well where is the witness? Brother you have no right to stop crying to   God until the baptism falls.’ Syllogistic Holiness is not Scriptural Holiness.” Greathouse p301.

For Wesley the life of holiness is relational,whereas for Palmer the emphasis on meeting conditions leans in a legalistic direction. Furthermore, Wesley taught that repentance is the prerequisite for sanctification,whereas for Palmer consecration is the prerequisite. Wesley view takes sin seriously but the concept of consecration with its idea of giving oneself to God,does not take sin seriously enough.

Oswald Chambers: I have purposely followed the consideration of Palmer with that of Chambers. Chambers is optimistic about the power of God’s grace to sanctify the Christian. He also manifests a deep realism about sin and sinfulness. When Chambers speaks about the baptism of the Spirit, he does so ina God centred manner,a good example of this is the following quotation, “Many of us have had a marvellous experience of
deliverance from sin and of the baptism of the Holy Ghost,not a fictional experience, but a real experience whereby we prove to our amazement everyday that God has delivered us, then comes the danger that we pin our faith to our experience instead of to Jesus
Christ,and if we do, faith becomes distorted. When the baptism of the Holy Ghost came upon the early disciples it made them the written epistles of what they taught, and it is to be the same with us. Our experience is proof that our faith is right. Jesus Christ is always infinitely mightier than our experience, but our experience will be along the line of the faith we have in Him…(p53).
Chambers emphasises the dynamic of sanctification when he says,  “There is no end to the life of faith; sanctification is only the ABC of the Christian life. The life of Jesus from Bethlehem onwards is a picture of the sanctified life, and anything that would make
our souls stagnate is a distortion… (p55)
Chambers expresses the relational aspect of faith well, when he says, ” The peculiar aspect of religious truth is that it is faith in a Person who relates us to himself and commits us to his point of view,not faith in a point of view divorced from relationship to a person. ‘If you would know my doctrine• said Jesus, ‘do my will.’Our Lord never teaches first by principles,but by personal relationship to himself… •
Chambers is always ruthless when he deals with sin but at the same time he also offers the remedy found in Christ. He helpfully tells us .. God never destroys the work of his own hands,he removes what would pervert it that is all… He also says, 11 Holiness is the only sign that a man is repentant in the New Testament sense, and a holy man is not one who has his eyes on his own whiteness but one who is passionately devoted to the Lord who saved him… (p123)

Chambers is God centred,down to earth and clear about the moral imperative. It is clear that he sees the baptism of the Spirit in terms of entire sanctification. He also strongly asserts the need  to work out our own salvation. He sees the baptism more in terms of
sanctification than empowering,and thus is closer to Wesleyan
thinking than pentecostal thinking. Chambers has an important place in his thinking for the work of the Holy Spirit,but generally his thinking is Christo-centric.

–B B Warfield: Warfield was one of the great Princeton Theologians,he worked within the tradition of the Hodge family and the other Reformed Theologians from Princeton. Warfield has left a lasting impression upon Reformed Theology in a number of areas. His deep insights were combined with a personal love for Christ. His love for Christ can be seen clearly in such sermons as 11 Imitating the Incarnation…
For all his strengths Warfield also had his weaknesses,and they seem very evident in his analysis of Oberlin theology and of Mahan in particular. Warfield does not seem to have understood his opponents definition of sanctification. So that we do not make the
same mistake in our analysis of Warfield, I think it is important to see his own positive statement about the doctrine of sanctification. In his ‘A Brief and Untechnical Statement of the Reformed Faith   , Warfield states his views clearly in sections 9 and 11.
I believe that the redemption wrought by the Lord Jesus Christ is effectually applied to all his people by the Holy Spirit,who• works faith in me and thereby unites me to Christ, renews me in the whole man after the image of God,and enables me more and more to
die unto sin and to live unto righteousness;until this gracious work having been completed in me, I shall be received into glory:in which hope abiding,m!ust ever strive to perfect holiness in the fear of God.
11. I believe that, having been pardoned and accepted for Christ’s sake, it is further required of me that I walk in the Spirit whom he has purchased for me,and by whom love is shed abroad in my heart; fulfilling the obedience I owe to Christ my King; faithfully
performing all the duties laid upon me by the holy law of God my heavenly Father;and ever reflecting in my life and conduct, the
perfect example that has been set me by Christ Jesus my Leader, who has died for me and granted to me his Holy Spirit just that I may do the good works which God has afore prepared that I should walk in them… these words help us to understand his theological
position better and they also express his deep devotion to the Lord.
Even, Warfield’s positive statements show that he does not expect to see the triumph of grace in this life. Warfield is typical of Reformed Theology when he has an optimism of grace regarding conversion,but then turns to a more pessimistic view of the power
of God’s grace in sanctification.
Warfield’s main agenda seems to be to fight against Pelagian and Arminian views within the Church, because of this he seems to disregard any alternate views of sanctification. When Mahan uses the word sanctification he believes that in response to faith there
is a divine act of cleansing the soul. Whereas for Warfield sanctification is the outworking of obedience to the divine law ,in the power of the Spirit. But he misses the point that Mahan does expect the Christian to grow in grace (seep 104-106). What is perhaps ironic in this context is that the Reformed man is emphasising man’s responsibility and the one accused of being a Pelagian is emphasizing the grace of God.
Warfield sees any doctrine of a second blessing as dividing up salvation,he says 11 Is it not a more melancholy reflection still that a Christian teacher can so cut up God’s salvation– and then not receive it? According to Mahan this is the condition in which most Christians find themselves. Their salvation has been intermitted after the first step.”. Surely Warfield fails to recognize that the promise of the Holy Spirit was presented as an integral part of the gospel by the Apostles. It can be argued that both Mahan and Warfield make the same mistake, in overlooking this fact,this leads one to say that a second blessing is required after conversion, while the other says “we received all we need at conversion”.
It is very disappointing to me to have to be so critical of one of the truly great men of my own theological tradition. I believe his argument is weak at the best because he has not really grasped what his opponents are saying.

Conclusion; The views outlined above differ greatly in the expectation of what can or cannot be done by God’s grace in the life of believers. The Reformed view of Warfield presents to us the view of an intense struggle within the Christian and throughout his life. On the other hand we are presented with an optimism of grace,which sees the possibility of real cleansing from sin. Mahan’s exposition of the baptism of the Holy Spirit,! found
contained many great insights but he puts too much stress on the secondness of the baptism. Certainly we find here a greater usage of Pentecostal language.
Steele’s thought seems to be more carefully nuanced and whilst he accepts the Pentecostal language, his theology is deeply rooted in the Wesleyan tradition.
Booth expresses the pastoral heart in his concern to see his followers walking in holiness of life. He also used Pentecostal language but the main thrust of his argument is Wesleyan.
Phoebe Palmer’s work is very subjective and seems to offer a technique as to how to enter the life of holiness.
Oswald Chambers combines a robust faith,an optimism of grace with a realistic view of sin and of the holy life.
Questions arising from this study include the following.
Do either side really present th& biblical balance?
Must the baptism of the Spirit have to be a second experience or
may the Spirit be received consciously at conversion?
If the Reformed view is too pessimistic,do the Holiness teachers claim   too much?

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Word and Spirit Part 2

Posted on February 9, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

In my last posting I began to consider some of the implications of the relationship between Word and Spirit, I want to continue with a few insights from the overlap between  the doctrine of the incarnation and that of the inspiration of Scripture. At the outset it should be noted that one can not push this too far as John Webster warns us (Holy Scripture:A Dogmatic Sketch). But on the other hand many authors have drawn on the parallels in a balanced way (see G.C.  Berkouwer: Holy Scripture for example).

From the very beginning of his ministry we see that Jesus the eternal Logos who has taken on human nature is filled with the Holy Spirit. Even in his conception the Holy Spirit is the agent of bringing together of manhood and deity. In all that Jesus is and does as a man he relies on the Holy Spirit to empower him. The question has often been asked how a fallen man can convey God’s word in an infallible way, and this is where the analogy of the incarnation is helpful. The Holy Spirit is able to sanctify his agents in writing Scripture so that the Word that they write is both the word of men and the Word of God. We need to be careful that we do not overdraw the analogy, but because Jesus was a true man  we can see in his life and work an example of how the Holy Spirit works. The Holy Spirit is able therefore to take hold of a man and reveal what God wants said.

The God breathed nature of Holy Scripture demands that we can give some account of the how the Holy Spirit works in humankind.This being so the parallel with how the diverse ways the Holy Spirit works in Jesus becomes important. Jesus was conscious of the empowering of the Holy Spirit and so were the writers of Scripture. Peter says in 2 Peter 1:20-21 “Above all, you must understand that  no prophecy of Scripture came about the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had it origin in the human will, but prophets spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Having said this we must affirm in the strongest possible terms that this is real human writing that reflects the character of the author and his cultural context. Scripture is not a collection of timeless truths but truth revealed through the story of God in space and time. Many attempts have been made to write theology as though it were a rationalistic system rather than seeing the dynamic of God’s relationship with humankind. Therefore to interpret Scripture correctly we need to see what God was saying in the historical context. it as this point that we see the need for a Biblical Theology before we embark on the task of a Systematic Theology.

We need therefore to affirm the close relationship between Word and Spirit both in the life of Jesus and in the biblical text. We need to affirm that the Word of God is brought alive by the Spirit of God because it is the word that he inspired in the first place. The whole tension of Word and Spirit as played out by so many is a false one. Word and Spirit belong together in the life of Christ, the life of the believer and in the pages of Scripture.

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Word and Spirit Part 1

Posted on February 6, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

At the heart of a Trinitarian Theology of revelation is the belief that the Father has supremely revealed himself in Christ Jesus through the power of The Holy Spirit. This means that Holy Scripture is the infallible testimony inspired by the Holy Spirit to this revelation. If this statement is true then the word and spirit relationship not only affects our growth in the Christian Faith,but it also affects our view of the sacraments as the enacted Word of God. Furthermore,the whole question of Revelation also affects our Christology and our view of the relationship between the three persons of the Holy Trinity.

So often the whole of the Word and Spirit tension is reduced to saying like “if you have the Word alone you will dry up, if you have the Spirit alone you will blow up,if you have the Word and Spirit together you will grow up”, this saying is profoundly true, yet it fails to show us how to achieve this.

To grow in the way that the above saying call for is to call for a careful definition of terms, what is the Word of God? or should it be who is the Word of God? We also need to pose questions in the same way about the Holy Spirit.

The Word of God is supremely the  Lord Jesus himself, in John chapter 1 he is called the Logos or Word, it is Jesus who reveals the Father to us through his life and ministry. This is not to ignore the Old Testament but rather to acknowledge that in Christ all Revelation reaches its climax. We only honour the Old testament revelation properly when we see it as part of God’s covenant of Grace with fallen humankind. When we do this and Jesus himself affirms the Divine revelation contained in the Old Testament, we will value the Old Testament highly and see that it has relevance for us today.

We also know that Jesus accomplished his whole mission through the power of the Holy Spirit,here we begin to see that in the person of Jesus there is no tension between Word and Spirit. I know we cannot draw the parallel between Scripture as the Word of God and the Spirit of God ( as the one who inspires and illumines the text) and the incarnation, but there are some interesting areas of overlap.

I want to explore more of this subject in my next blog

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Francis Schaeffer: A Personal Tribute

Posted on February 2, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

In this post I want to talk about how Francis Schaeffer impacted my own life, anyone who has heard me preach will know that Schaeffer is the most influential person in my life. so this is my story.

I became a Christian in 1969 and I had been very involved in the New Left, as a Christian I had many questions about philosophy and politics but no answers. But then one day in 1970 in Luton Library I came across the L’Abri Story by Edith Schaeffer as soon as I read this I knew that I needed to read her husband’s books.  I then discovered on my next visit to the Library “Escape from Reason” and “Death in the City” I read these two books and realized that there were answers to my questions. Later that year I was in a bookshop in London and I purchased “The God Who is There”, I started reading it on the train as I returned home, this book gripped me, I was finding answers to my questions and food for my soul. I still don’t know how I did it but I finished my first read of “The God Who is There” on the day I purchased it. Now a new passion to find answers and develop a Christian worldview became the pressing concern.

As the books came out I read them, I remember going to the Christian Bookshop to collect my copy of “He is there and He Is Not Silent” on the day that it was published, I did the same for “True Spirituality”. In 1972 I made contact with Dick Keyes who was running the non-residential L’Abri in London, here I found a new resource a tape lending library. I began to borrow tapes and listened to Schaeffer expound Romans and teach his Doctrine Series based on the Westminster Confession of Faith. The more I heard the more I wanted to learn, as I talked with Dick and Mardi Keyes they suggested that I visit the residential work of L’Abri at Greatham. I visited Greatham for the first time in  September 1972, Ranald Macaulay and Jerram Barrs were leading the work there at that time, I learnt much from them at that time. In  June 1974 I became a helper at Greatham, at the time I thought I was going to L’Abri for 3 months but this became 9 months at Greatham and then nearly 5 years in France And Switzerland. I first met Schaeffer when he came to the L’Abri Conference at Ashburnham Place in 1974. I soon noticed that he not only had a fine mind but that he was very approachable.

In 1975 I became a worker at Swiss L’Abri, although I actually spent most of my time in the French L’Abri which was not far from Huemoz, we travelled into Switzerland twice a week for Lectures, discussions, workers meetings and worship. During this time I began to realise from Schaeffer’s example what servant leadership was all about. I saw his leadership style as one who was convinced of the direction in which the work was to go but he was able to trust the work to others. Especially during the production of the films he was away a lot but was always supportive of decisions that had been made in his absence.

Prayer was vital to the whole ministry of L’Abri (and still is) this could be seen in Schaeffer in diverse ways whether in the business of L’Abri  or the production of the films and books.

As I watched Francis Schaeffer I was encouraged to follow the Lord and see that my faith was not something for the intellect alone but issued in a true spirituality.

The last time I spoke with Dr Schaeffer was in 1982, although I had left L’Abri my wife and I visited Switzerland to visit with friends, by that time Dr Schaeffer was quite ill and was also busy so we decided not to bother him. However we visited some friends who lived in the basement of his house, we had not been there long when there was a knock at the door and Dr.Schaeffer came in. I will never forget his greeting he said”David and Judy I could not let you be in my house without praying with you” We had a short conversation in which I asked him if I was correct in saying that you can not understand Francis Schaeffer if you don’t understand True Spirituality. He replied that this was correct and he wanted me to promise him that whenever I spoke of his work I would always mention this, I have been aware of this promise ever since and I would ask any reader of this blog if you have not read that book please do so and you will then grasp some of the deep  spiritual principles that made Dr Schaeffer’s ministry so effective

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Reformational Christianity.

Posted on February 1, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

Reformational Christianity is also known as Neo-Calvinism, probably because this whole movement exists within the Calvinistic movement. The roots of Reformational Christianity are to be found in the rediscovery by Abraham Kuyper and his colleagues of the greater vision that Calvin had of The Christ’s Sovereignty over area of life. This led Kuyper and his followers to stress the need for a Christian worldview.

Kuyper’s followers articulated this call for a worldview in various ways as I hope to demonstrate below at the outset I must warn against seeing this movement as one that is united in all of its philosophical and theological articulation.

In Holland Herman Dooyeweerd developed his own philosophical approach which saw creation as goodbut fallen and he tried to demonstrate that the whole of reality is divided into various spheres which should not be dominated by other spheres but rather that there is an interrelationship between these spheres. He used the concept of sphere sovereignty to show the bounds of each area. His main work was “A New Critique of Theoretical Thought” an easier way to understand Dooyeweerd is to read “Contours of a Christian Philosophy” by L Kalsbeek. Dooyeweerd’s thought is complex, but it sheds much light on the created order. It should also be noted here that Dooyeweerd acknowledged that D.H.Th.Vollenhoven was the co-founder of the reformational philosophical trend. Even within the Dutch movement there was a diversity of approaches this can be seen for instance in comparing Klass Schilder’s “Christ and Culture” with the approach of Dooyeweerd.

Kuyper’s thought was first articulated in the USA in his Stone Lectures. These lectures were available in print before Dooyeweerd’s thought had been heard of. This led to differing approaches to a Christian Worldview.  For instance  Van Til articulated a Christian wordldview in a different way than Dooyeweerd did. When one reads Van Til one does not find the same approach to the spheres of created reality as one finds in Dooyeweerd. See the interesting exchange between Dooyeeerd and Van Til in “Jerusalem And Athens”   editedby E.R.Geehan. Some of Van Tils followers became very critical of what they called the Amsterdam Philosophy see for example the writings of John Frame and Vern Poythress

Kuyper’s work was also promoted by Dr Francis Schaeffer and his good friend Dr.Hans Rookmaaker what is interesting here is that Schaeffer never accepted Dooyeweerd’s philosophy, Rookmaaker did accept it. Although I don’t know if they still exist there were some tapes by Schaeffer and Rookmaaker setting out their position regarding Dooyeweerd’s philosophy, I listened to these in 1974 and again at Schaeffer’s request in 1978. There are clear differences here but both were concerned to promote a Christian worldview.

In South Africa the reformatioal philosophy of Hendrik Stoker took the movement in different way and yet enriched the thinking of the whole movement, I came into touch with this school of thought through reading J.A.L Taljaard’s book “Polished Lenses” and also through the essays of B.J.Van der Walt, it seems to me that these scholars add dimensions to a Christian Philosophy that Dooyeweerd has not touched upon. In 1978 0r 1979 having read these books I gave a series of lecturesd at L’Abri on the coherence and complexity of reality.

Reformational Christianity in all its forms proclaims the Lordship of Christ over all of created reality, I believe that further attempts will be made to articulate a Christian Philosophy in the light of the light of the fact that Jesus is Lord we certainly need to see this happen not despisng the past but rather building upon it.

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Revival and Theology Part 1

Posted on January 19, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

We need to ask the question what is the connection between Revival and Theology?  When we talk about revival many people seem to think of revival being on a subjective level and that theology is only for those who are not open to a dynamic relationship with God. On the other hand,many theologians are suspicious of any revival movement because it does not fit it into their neat categories.
It would help if we define Revival, I believe revival is a return to Apostolic Christianity. If that is so then we need to look closely at the book of Acts and the Letters to see what happened. Pentecost is often seen as the example with its signs and wonders but very often the preaching at Pentecost is forgotten. When Peter stands up and preaches he does so to testify to the love and grace of God in Christ. He witnesses to the truth,and as he does so people respond and amazing things happen. Throughout the book of Acts when we look at the preaching of the Gospel we find it filled with theological content. The Apostles proclaimed a gospel which was rooted in the actions of God in history, and as they did so they saw that same God act in amazing and powerful ways.
The Letters of the Apostles bear witness to the same thing they show a desire for the Gospel to spread, but not by manipulation or whipping up of emotions, but rather by careful teaching about who God is and what he has done for his people. Paul in the Book of Romans spells out the awfulness of mans sin before declaring the way of salvation, he then moves onto the implications of his teaching for the Christian life. If this is right true revival needs good theology to keep it rooted in The word of God. Let the Apostle sum it up for us,he says in 1Thessalonians 5: 19-21

Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good. 

When the church has adhered to this guideline it has produced much fruit.In my next post I want to show how Revival and Theology have been linked in Church history

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Posted on January 17, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

I will be using this blog to share insights about two aspects of the Christian Church and its life which sometimes unfortunately get divorced. Reformation is important to the Church as it means that the Church is called constantly back to obedience to the Word of God whereas Revival is needed to bring the empowering of God’s Holy Spirit to the Church. These have been dual concerns of mine for over 30 years. It is this emphasis on Word and Spirit that will cause the Church to grow and its members to mature as disciples of Jesus Christ.
I am available to speak or preach primarily within the UK but I would consider other locations. Please contact me at rollingsdavid@talktalk.net
David P Rollings

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