Then, taking a deep breath, [Jesus] blew on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.  John 20:22

When we look at a topic like the Holy Spirit there are at least four ways to look at it: academic, historical, spiritual, and practical. All are theological, and most people only look at the Holy Spirit one or two of these ways, which accounts for why the topic of the Holy Spirit can get so clouded. 

So today I want to consider HOW we look at the Spirit…

Academic theology (including systematic, biblical, exegetical, and lexical) explores the “What?” questions. It’s based on logic, philosophical questions and cognitive understanding. If we were to look at water from this viewpoint, we’d see a combination of hydrogen and oxygen, and consider the qualities of water (liquid, solid, gas), its erosive nature, etc. Of course, Academic theology begins looking at the Spirit from the texts of the Bible, and quickly breaks down those texts in an orderly and logical way, reaching conclusions based on that orderly scholarship.

Historical theology explores the development of doctrine over time. It asks the “When?” questions. It uncovers and presents the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in evangelical tradition or other traditions and how it has evolved from the time of the Bible writes and church fathers to arrive at the state it is today. Using our water analogy, we’d see the historical: what did people used to think about water, how has that changed? Where is the latest thinking leading? Of course, historical theology begins with the texts of the Bible and quickly moves on to how those texts were interpreted in the early church, the church of the Middle Ages, the reformation, various renewal and revivals since then.

Spiritual theology asks the “So what?” questions. What are the implications of the Holy Spirit in our lives? How does this work out in our every-day lives. This is a more challenging way to look at the Spirit because has less built-in boundaries. Yet it’s imperative to consider what the Spirit is doing or what the Bible texts tell us about the Spirit will be irrelevant to us. In the water analogy, we’d be looking at people’s experience with water… one person irrigates crops with it, another water-skis on it, another mixes it with power and drinks it as lemonade, etc. To not consider the implications of “so what?” we become dogmatic and unbiblically narrow.

Practical theology asks the “What now?” questions. What exactly does it look like to be an equipped and empowered Christian, filled with the Spirit, led by the Spirit, in communion with the Spirit? How do we personally apply what we know in a hands-on way? How do I teach about the Holy Spirit in a way that will introduce people I’m discipling to a tangible and authentic relationship with the Spirit that affects every area of their being? (A tangible relationship with the Spirit of God is the biblical norm, after all, and it’s noticeably there or missing because it affects everything else.) Using our water analogy again, we’d be looking at thirsty people, deserts, floods, oceans, streams, power generators, etc. Biblically speaking, it’s becoming a doer of the Word and not a hearer only. It’s application. It’s power.