The Reformed tradition claims it is "always being reformed by the Word of God." Yet, the Spirit, the animating force of such transformation, is often estranged and relegated to the third person (and position) of the Trinity. There is much more focus on the doctrine of God and Christology than on pneumatology. Discussions of pneumatology are often tied to notions of piety or Christian vocation. Ted Jennings calls this theological trend the "decomposition of Trinitarian doctrine" (1985). Perhaps this is a symptom of the slippage that occurs in our Trinitarian formulations, leading to indeterminacy. In this paper, I suggest that returning to the participatory and operative pneumatology in Paul's thought could benefit contemporary conversations and practices within Reformed theology.
Section one considers the work of scholars whose work is consonant with an interchange or transference between Christ and humankind (Sanders, 1977; Hooker, 1990; Martyn, 2006; Tannehill, 1997 et al.). In Galatians 6:1, Paul calls mature believers pneumatikoi, or "spirit-people." In the ancient Greco-Roman world, the Greek pneuma had many meanings and uses: wind or the breath of humans and animals; the animating power of life; the source of divination that produces ecstatic experiences; and an embodied entity to guide one's thoughts and actions. (Gupta, 2020). Reading Paul this way reveals his understanding that this new identity is inaugurated in Christ and sustained in/by/through the Spirit. Whether in Romans, Galatians, or his letters to the Corinthians, Paul's understanding of being "in Christ" is a core theological conviction that shifts and shapes one's identity. New Testament scholar John T. Carroll writes: "The Spirit is God-present, residing within the body (both individual and corporate); united to the Lord, one becomes 'one spirit with him,' and the human body (individual and corporate) is a temple of the Holy Spirit" (2018). Do we not know that our bodies are temples of the Spirit?
Section two explores how the Spirit is operational in John Calvin's theology. Quoting Paul, Calvin notes the Spirit's presence as a "guide" of the apostle's life and actions. The Spirit, thus, is a lifelong, endowed, and abiding presence, bringing about regeneration and bestowing the gift of faith. The Spirit reveals the Word, uniting and illuminating the living Word––revealed, written, and proclaimed. Much of the contemporary conversations around Calvin's work neglect his almost-mystic understanding of the Spirit. Calvin's pneumatology is consonant with Paul's insofar as the Spirit is the embodied, enfleshed, and empowering presence. Moreover, the same Spirit in Jesus incarnates others. Jesus becomes a sort of archetype, "the firstborn among many" (Romans 8:29).
In the final section, I ponder recent scholarship on the parousia as Christ's "third manifestation" or Second Coming (Eyl, 2019; Bazzana, 2020; Fredriksen, 2021). Bazzana, in particular, suggests that Paul's pneumatology, i.e., a constant in-dwelling of Christ's spirit, is a form of spirit possession (2019). In On the Incarnation of the Word, Athanasius famously wrote: "He [God], indeed, assumed humanity that we may become God [theopoiethomen]" (54:3). A more precise translation of "become God" would be "participation in God." I suggest returning to the radical pneumatology of Paul and reclaiming the in-dwelling pneuma to let her reform and regenerate the church so that we may (re)discover "Christ in us, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
I conclude by considering the implications of Paul's radical pneumatology for Reformed theology. For example, how do we understand the "function" of the Spirit in Christian worship and life? What new avenues of theological thought and practice does a participatory pneumatology open? If the Spirit's in-dwelling is indeed the Second Coming, how does that impact Reformed eschatology and ecclesiology?
The Reformed tradition claims it is "always being reformed by the Word of God." Yet, the Spirit, the animating force of such transformation, is (too) often estranged and relegated to the Trinity's third person and last position. There is much more focus on the doctrine of God and Christology than pneumatology. In this paper, I explore how returning to the participatory and operative pneumatology in Paul's thought can inform and contribute to ongoing contemporary conversations and practices within Reformed theology.