Jesus' Church
an address for
CHURCH UNITY DAY, 23 JANUARY 1992
AT IMMANUEL COLLEGEToday we are gathered to celebrate the unity we enjoy in Christ, in spite of some significant denominational differences. What does Jesus have to do with the Church? How is it his Church? What is the role of the Holy Spirit in the Church? And what is the role of the Apostles and their successors in ordained ministry? These are some questions I want to meditate on this evening.
Jesus sent the Apostles and the Holy Spirit
When Jesus finished the work his Father gave him to do, he returned to the Father (Jn 17:4,11), until he comes again for the "universal restoration" (Acts 3:21). In the meantime, he carries on his work through others sent by himself. Who are these others? They are the Apostles and the Holy Spirit.
As for the Apostles, Jesus said "As you have sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world" (Jn 17:18). They had been his companions and witnesses throughout his public life and received from him special instruction and powers to enable them to minister to the flock of believers. An Apostle fully represents the one who sends him: "Whoever welcomes the one I send, welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me" (Jn 13:20; cf. Lk 10:16; Mt 10:40). As Jesus was persecuted, so are those he sends (Jn 15:20).
Jesus sent the Apostles while he was living among us in the flesh, but he sent the Holy Spirit only after he returned to the Father in glory (Jn 7:39, 16:7). The Holy Spirit is not, like the Apostles, simply a representative of Jesus, but also proceeds directly from the Father: "When the Paraclete comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who issues from the Father, he will be my witness" (Jn 15:16). The Holy Spirit reminds us of what Jesus said (Jn 14:26; 16:12) and testifies on his behalf, having identical aims and intentions as Jesus. Here we touch on the mystery of the Trinity, three distinct persons in one substance. Jesus is Lord, Kyrios, Yahweh. The same "Lord is the Spirit" (2 Cor 3:17,18). All that God does in the world, in the Church, and in our individual lives is done by all three persons in one action.
Nonetheless, there are two moments: Jesus' earthly life, and the Spirit completing it. Jesus won our salvation on the cross; the Holy Spirit makes it our own interior reality. Jesus brought humanity to the level of divine sonship in his own person; the Spirit extends adoptive sonship throughout the world and makes us live as sons. Jesus announced the good news; the Spirit moves our hearts to understand and embrace it. Jesus built the house; the Holy Spirit dwells in it (Eph 2:22).
The Spirit is sent by the Father, but at the request of the Son (Jn 14:16,26). The Spirit is likewise sent by the Son himself (Jn 15:26, 16:7, Lk 24:49, Acts 2:33), so that Paul speaks equally of the "Spirit of Christ" (Phil 1:19, Gal 4:6; cf. Acts 16:7, 1 Pet 1:11) and the "Spirit of God" (Rom 8:9,15). The eternal procession of the Son from the Father and the Spirit from the Father and the Son is reflected in the respective missions of the Son and the Spirit into the world.
Those who deny that the Spirit proceeds from the Son likewise tend to detach the Church from the historical Jesus and link it to Pentecost. They see the Church as a spiritual fellowship without the flesh and blood of a human institution. But, just as we hear Jesus speak of his Spirit, so we hear him speak of his sheep (Jn 10:1-16, 21:15-17) and his Church (Mt 16:18), which is his body (Eph 1:23), and his disciples and Apostles. The interior life of the Spirit which we enjoy comes from Jesus' open side on the cross, from which flowed water and blood, the symbols of the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist (1 Jn 5:6, Jn 19:34ff., Rev 22:1ff.). Pentecost itself is Jesus' gift of the Spirit upon the accomplishment of his earthly life.
The Apostles represent Jesus
The Apostles and their successors represent Jesus in the Church and the world today, but as simple physical instruments. When they finish their lives' work their intermediary role is no longer sacramental, but is confined to intercession and guidance by spiritual inspiration. On the contrary, the Holy Spirit represents Jesus by giving life to the Church and all its actions, and continues forever to be the "water of life" (Rev 7:16, 22:1, Jn 4:14), just as Jesus continues forever to be our high priest (Heb 7).
If the mission of the Apostles began in the lifetime of Jesus, it flourished only with the coming of the Spirit on Pentecost. Just as Jesus chose the Apostles "through the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:2), so those who transmitted the apostolic mission by the laying on of hands did so by the Holy Spirit. That is what the prophets and teachers in Antioch did to Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:2-4), and Paul did in all the churches he founded (Acts 14:23). To the ordained leaders of the Ephesians Paul said: "Be on you guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you the overseers, to feed the Church of God which he bought with the blood of his own Son" (Acts 20:28). When Ananias and Sapphira tried to deceive Peter, he told them they were lying not to men, but to the Holy Spirit and God (Acts 5:3-4). The Council of Jerusalem made the famous bold statement: "It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by ourselves" (Acts 15:28).
The Spirit works in the Apostles
The purpose of the Holy Spirit's action in the Apostles is to build up the body of Christ, to enrich it with every spiritual gift, "to form the perfect Man fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself" (Eph 4:12).
The Spirit operates through the Apostles by assisting their preaching (2 Thes 2:14, Rom 10:14 ff.) and by directly touching the hearts of those he chose from eternity (2 Thes 2:13, Rom 8:30, Acts 16:14 - Lydia). The Spirit enables us to confess our faith in Jesus as Lord (1 Cor 12:3); he anoints us to think according to his mind (1 Jn 2:20,27, 4:2-3, 1 Cor 2:11-15, Eph 1:17-18 etc.) and moves us to pray (Rom 8:26-27).
The Spirit is likewise active in the sacrament of Baptism (Mt 3:11, Mk 1:8, Lk 3:16, Jn 3:5, Acts 19:6, 1 Cor 12:13 - baptism with the Spirit by Jesus; Jn 1:32-33, Mk 1:10 - the dove in Jesus' own baptism), in absolving from sin (Jn 20:22-23), in ordination (Acts 13:2-4, 1 Tim 4:14, 2 Tim 1:6), and in the Eucharist (Jn 6:62-63 - where "spirit" necessitates "the Spirit"; 1 Cor 10:17, 12:13, Eph 4:4 - the Eucharist and the Spirit effect the same unity of the body of Christ), and in the anointing of the sick (Jam 5:14 - where there is an "epiklesis").
The Spirit works in the whole Church
The Holy Spirit came upon Jesus and the Father called him his Son on three occasions. The first was at his conception (Lk 1:32-35), when he took a human nature. The second time was at his baptism (Lk 3:21-22), when he took the Church as his bride and his body and began his ministry to it. The third time was when he passed from this world by his death, resurrection and ascension (Acts 13:33); at that time he gave the Spirit to dwell in the Church and bring it to full maturity.
What is the relationship between the Spirit and the Church? Many Fathers of the Church called the Holy Spirit the "soul" of the Church, because he gives it life and movement. But the Spirit did not become flesh as the Word became flesh, and the Spirit and the Church do not make one being. Rather, the Spirit is given to the Church (ibid.) and accepted (Jn 14:16-17); "he is with you; he is in you" (ibid.). He lives in the Church as his temple (1 Cor 3:16, 6:19) Working within the Church, the Spirit gives an unfailing guarantee of efficacy and validity to some of its actions, like the sacraments, provided they are received with faith, and the Church's official teaching.
The Spirit, however, does not restrict himself to official actions of the Church. Like the rain, he falls everywhere, inside and outside the Church, and everyone gets wet. The work of the Spirit among Muslims, Traditionalists and other non-Christians is important, but I want to focus on the charisms the Spirit distributes to the Christian laity.
Charisms
We have to be careful where particular charisms are mentioned in the New Testament, because the same word can sometimes refer to the special function of an ordained minister and other times to a gift given indiscriminately, as the Spirit chooses. Such are the gifts of teaching (by ordination: Acts 13:1, 1 Cor 12:28, Eph 4:11, 1 Tim 4:13, 2 Tim 1:11; by free gift: Rom 12:7), prophecy (by ordination: Acts 13:1, 15:32,22, 1 Cor 12:28, Eph 4:11; by free gift: Rom 12:6, 1 Cor 12:10, 13:2, 14:1ff, 29ff), evangelizing (by ordination: Acts 21:8, Eph 4:11, 2 Tim 1:11; by free gift: Acts 8:4, 11:19), speaking in tongues (by ordination: Acts 2:4, 1 Cor 14:18; by free gift: 1 Cor 12:10) and exhorting (by ordination: 1 Tim 4:13 etc.; by free gift: Rom 12:8).
The fact that the Spirit breaths freely where he wills (Jn 3:8) is one of the most remarkable features of the Church, and the strongest reason for hope when things look bleak.
Summary We may summarize the roles of the Holy Spirit and of the Apostles and their successors by saying that the Holy Spirit animates the Church by his own divine power dwelling in the Church without being part of it. Apostles and their successors animate the Church as divinely empowered instruments who are a part of the Church. As parts of it, they also give organizational and juridical order to the Church. The Holy Spirit gives efficacy to the preaching and the sacraments of ordained ministers, and at the same time gives all Christians a greater or lesser share in the core gifts of faith, hope and love. He likewise surprises everyone at every turn by raising up people with a great variety of gifts, some spectacular, some humble. They are recognizable as genuine when they contribute to building up the body of Christ and contribute to its unity and peace.
We pray for these gifts today. International Anglican, Methodist and Catholic theological commissions have ironed out most of the theological problems that separate us. What is needed is to iron these out on the local level through education and practical moves. On this level the obstacles are many. Who will make the right moves that will bring about the full unity we seek? Only the Holy Spirit can surprise us with a solution. We must pray, and the Father will not refuse us this gift (Lk 11:13).