JOURNAL ARTICLE CRITIQUE
of
Woodcock, Eldon. “The Filling of
the Holy Spirit.” Bibliotheca Sacra 157, no. 625 (Jan. 2000): 69-87. http://www.galaxie.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/article/bsac157-625-06.
THEO 510 LUO (Spring 2013)
Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary
Nathan C. Merrill (ID# 01189706)
February 24, 2013
Introduction
The
doctrine of the Pneumatology has been rather neglected throughout most of
church history,
especially when juxtaposed to other theological disciplines like, Christology, Soteriology, Hamartiology, etc… In fact, it has only been since the last century that the doctrine has been systematized.[1] With the rise Pentecostalism and Charismaticism at the turn of the twentieth century, there has been an upsurge in interest in the Holy Spirit. Though this newfound attention in Pneumatology has been a boon for the church, it has also caused a lot of confusion - being pervaded with much theological error. Consequently, theologians have been forced to explicate and refine their work in Pneumatology. One such work, by Eldon Woodcock from the Bibliotheca Sacra (Jan 2000) called the, “The Filling of the Holy Spirit” makes an effort to expound the proper biblical view of man’s relationship to the Holy Spirit. This short critique will examine the above mentioned article by Woodcock, in an attempt to elucidate his thoughts on being filled by the Holy Spirit. Woodcock endeavors to answer such questions as: What did the believer’s of the Apostolic Church Age do when they were filled with Holy Spirit? How did this filling happen? What did the filling involve? How does the modern day believer experience the filling of the Holy Spirit? .
especially when juxtaposed to other theological disciplines like, Christology, Soteriology, Hamartiology, etc… In fact, it has only been since the last century that the doctrine has been systematized.[1] With the rise Pentecostalism and Charismaticism at the turn of the twentieth century, there has been an upsurge in interest in the Holy Spirit. Though this newfound attention in Pneumatology has been a boon for the church, it has also caused a lot of confusion - being pervaded with much theological error. Consequently, theologians have been forced to explicate and refine their work in Pneumatology. One such work, by Eldon Woodcock from the Bibliotheca Sacra (Jan 2000) called the, “The Filling of the Holy Spirit” makes an effort to expound the proper biblical view of man’s relationship to the Holy Spirit. This short critique will examine the above mentioned article by Woodcock, in an attempt to elucidate his thoughts on being filled by the Holy Spirit. Woodcock endeavors to answer such questions as: What did the believer’s of the Apostolic Church Age do when they were filled with Holy Spirit? How did this filling happen? What did the filling involve? How does the modern day believer experience the filling of the Holy Spirit? .
Brief Summary
Throughout
his article, Woodcock argues that the filling of the Holy Spirit constitutes an
all enveloping influence of the Holy Spirit over the believer. He begins by explaining that the two Greek
verbs (πληρόω and πιμ́πλημι) for filling
of Holy Spirit hold virtually identical meanings - “to finish, fulfill, or complete.” They indicate a constant surrendering of the
believer unto the Holy Spirit’s pervasive domination. The results of being filled, according to Woodcock, are manifest in the believer’s
character, worship, and ministry.[2] The believer’s character will display: the
fruits of the Spirit; a yearning for a more intimate relationship with God; a
submissive heart; and a preoccupation with spiritual things.[3] Their
worship will constitute a heartfelt joy and sense of gratitude towards God for
everything. Moreover, this attitude of thanksgiving and joy will persist even
during times of non-corporate worship, continually permeating the believer’s
spirit. Lastly, Woodcock argues that effective ministry, especially evangelism,
can only be wrought through the filling of the Holy Spirit.
Critical Interaction
Woodcock opens his paper with a short word
study on the two Greek verbs for filling
(πληρόω
and πιμ́πλημι). He states that the underlying
idea has to do with filling, fulfilling, or completing.[4] He uses
a host of biblical verses to support his study.
For example: Luke 7:1 describes Jesus as completing his message;
Colossians 1:25 speaks of Paul proclaiming the Word of God in its fullness; Matthew 13:48 depicts nets
being filled with fish; Romans 8:4
addresses fulfilling the righteous
requirements of the law; and Philippians 1:11 portrays Christians filled with the fruits of
righteousness. Woodcock concludes that a
Spirit-filled believer is one who is wholly dominated by the Holy Spirit; so
completely that he/she becomes characterized by many of Holy Spirit’s qualities.[5] His view
is corroborated by other leading Protestant conservative theologians, such as
Charles Ryrie and Paul Enns. Ryrie and
Enns both agree that being Spirit-filled is an experiential process
characterized by an extensive control of the Spirit over the believer’s life.[6] In
addition, Woodcock has provided abundant Scriptural support for his position on
being Spirit-filled.
After establishing what it means to be
filled by the Spirit, Woodcock outlines the results of being
Spirit-filled. He suggests that the
filling of the Holy Spirit manifests in three major ways, namely: in the
believer’s character, worship, and ministry.[7] The believer’s character will exhibit the
fruits of the Spirit; a yearning for a more intimate relationship with God; a
submissive spirit; and a zealous heart for spiritual things. He cites Romans
8:5 and Galatians 5:16, 22-23 to show that the Spirit-filled believer will live
by the Spirit, bear fruit by the Spirit, and be like-minded with the
Spirit. These character manifestations,
as indicated by Woodcock, become conspicuous when the Holy Spirit controls a
believer’s life.[8] His position concurs with mainstream
evangelical Christianity. For example,
Tim LaHaye, a well-known Christian author, speaker, and pastor, notes that the
Spirit-filled Christian, being influenced by the Holy Spirit, will display the
Holy Spirit’s qualities.[9]
As the Christ-like characteristics,
worship and ministry are also part of being Spirit-filled. Worship by a Spirit-filled believer, as per
Woodcock, is a constant state of being, characterized by a sincere attitude of
joy and thankfulness to God for all things.[10] He points to Ephesians 5:19, 20 where it
states that Spirit-filled Christians are continually giving thanks to the
Father for everything. Ministry, the
last of Woodcock’s important manifestation of being Spirit-filled, becomes
effective when it is guided by the Holy Spirit.[11] According to Woodcock, only a Spirit-filled
believer can effectively perform Christian service, especially regarding
evangelism. Most of the Holy Spirit’s
interaction with New Testament believers concerned filling them for the purpose
of ministry.[12] For instance, believers spoke in tongues,
healed people, saw visions, prophesied etc… through the filling of the Holy
Spirit. Each of these instances were for
the purpose of evangelism. Thus,
evangelism is major a manifestation of being Spirit-filled.[13] Many well-respected Protestant conservative
theologians concur with Woodcock. For
example, Charles Ryrie, in Basic Theology,
highlights the importance of evangelism via Spirit-filled believers. He notes
that the day of Pentecost alone resulted in the conversion of 3000 believers,
because the Apostles were filled with the Spirit.[14]
Conclusion
According to Woodcock,
to be Spirit-filled engenders an idea of being wholly permeated by the Holy
Spirit, thus the believer becomes Christ-like in his disposition. The Christians, character, worship, and
ministry all reflect the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The character exudes Christ-likeness, the
worship exhibits a continual attitude of overflowing thanksgiving to God, and
ministry becomes effective, especially regarding evangelism. Woodcock has attempted to outline what it
means to be Spirit-filled. He has supported his work with an abundance of
Scripture and his views are also shared with other imminent authorities in the
field like Charles Ryrie and Paul Enns. He has brought to the forefront the
vital importance of being a Spirit-filled believer. A Spirit-filled believer will not only be the
cause for effective ministry, but will approach nearer to the Christ-likeness
for which he was designed.
[1] Charles C. Ryrie, Basic
Theology (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1986), 386.
[2] Eldon Woodcock, “The Filling of
the Holy Spirit,” Bibliotheca Sacra 157, no. 625 (Jan. 2000), 79-83.
[3] Ibid., 80,81.
[4] Ibid., 69.
[5] Ibid., 74.
[6]
Paul Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology,
Rev. and expanded. ed. (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2008), 289; Charles C.
Ryrie, Basic Theology (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1986), 386.
[7]
Eldon Woodcock, “The
Filling of the Holy Spirit,” Bibliotheca Sacra 157, no. 625 (Jan. 2000),
80.
[8]
Ibid., 79-81.
[9]
Tim LaHaye, Spirit-Controlled
Temperament, New updated and expanded ed. (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc., 1994), 58.
[10]
Eldon Woodcock, “The
Filling of the Holy Spirit,” Bibliotheca Sacra 157, no. 625 (Jan. 2000),
81.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Charles C. Ryrie, Basic
Theology (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1986), 378.
Bibliography
LaHaye, Tim. Spirit-Controlled Temperament. New
updated and expanded ed. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1994.
Enns, Paul. The Moody Handbook
of Theology. Rev. and expanded. ed. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2008.
Ryrie, Charles C. Basic Theology.
Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1986.
No comments:
Post a Comment