Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 32:3 (Sep 1989)
Article: Luke And Paul: A Theology Of One Spirit From Two Perspectives
Author: Don Jackson

JETS 32:3 (September 1989) p. 335

Luke And Paul: A Theology Of
One Spirit From Two Perspectives

Don Jackson*

Raymond Brown calls the doctrine of the Holy Spirit “the most divisive feature in the history of Christianity.”1 How can the Spirit from whom our spirituality originates be so divisive? In recent scholarship men such as Lampe,2 Schweizer,3 Dunn,4 Bruner5 and Ervin6 have produced major works on the Holy Spirit in the NT, while Bruce,7 Brown,8 Guthrie9 and Ellis10 have also contributed to the literature on the subject. The work of such men with unquestioned qualifications, although in some cases the validity of their presuppositions might be questioned, has led them to many varied conclusions, some directly in opposition to one another. One might begin to wonder if the doctrine of the Spirit is so inherently divisive that consensus is impossible.

The approach of this study is to reconsider the basic doctrine of the Holy Spirit underlying the work of Luke and Paul, whose writings include the most uses of the term pneuma in the NT and the most references of it to the Holy Spirit. The method is to survey the presentation of the Holy Spirit in their writings, drawing from the literature only for comparison to the conclusions reached in the textual study.11 I assume a unity of

* Don Jackson is associate professor of New Testament at Magnolia Bible College in Kosciusko, Mississippi.

JETS 32:3 (September 1989) p. 336

doctrine and authority of Luke and Paul as inspired writers.12 But I also recognize that this is a unity-in-diversity, a unity of underlying doctrine but difference in perspective due to the differing purposes, styles, and types of literature.13 The concepts of the Spirit found therein draw from an underlying doctrine of the Spirit in which the two agree.

This article will argue that the basic assumptions underlying Luke’s and Paul’s concept of the Spirit are that (1) the presence of the Spirit is evidence of God’s approval, (2) all Christians receive the Spirit at conversion, (3) evidence of the Spirit�...