The Thomistic Institute I Believe in the Holy Spirit | Fr. Thomas Joseph White, OP
Apr 21, 2024
Fr. Thomas Joseph White, OP, a Dominican priest, discusses the significance of the Holy Spirit as love and a personal companion in one's spiritual life, exploring historical controversies like the Aryan controversy, the roles of the Holy Spirit and Jesus in salvation, and the differences between the procession of love and generation in the Trinity.
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Transcript
New Testament Portrays Spirit As Divine Actor
- Paul and John present Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as distinct, co-active personal agents in salvation and church life.
- Examples: Paul pairs 'Lord Jesus Christ' with 'participation in the Holy Spirit' and John calls the Spirit the 'Paraclete' sent to teach and witness to Christ.
Spirit Acts As Advocate And Savior
- The Holy Spirit functions as advocate, sanctifier, and enabler of righteous standing before God.
- John describes the Spirit as the Paraclete who teaches, convicts, and bears witness to Christ; Paul says sanctification by the Spirit saves us.
Fourth Century Reasoning Made Spirit's Divinity Necessary
- Fourth-century controversies (Arianism) led the Cappadocians to affirm the Spirit's divinity as necessary for salvation.
- Gregory of Nyssa argues all divine operations proceed from Father through Son and in the Spirit, so the Spirit must be God for sanctification to be divine.