| dc.description.abstract | This study constructs a Reformed pneumatological ecclesiology by examining the person and work of the Holy Spirit within the biblical and classical Trinitarian framework. Without according priority to the Spirit over the Father and the Son, this dissertation demonstrates that the Spirit—coeternal and consubstantial with the Father and the Son—plays an indispensable role in the economy of salvation and in the creation and life of the church. As “Love” and “Gift,” the Spirit is the principle of the church’s origin and abiding life, uniting Christ the head with his body, regenerating and baptizing believers into union with Christ, and joining them to one another through his indwelling presence and diverse gifts. Given at Pentecost as the Gift of the Father and the Son, the Spirit constitutes the church as one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, sustains it throughout history, and directs it toward the consummation of these attributes at Christ’s return. Thus, the Spirit is not only the bond of union between Christ and his people but also the one who actualizes in the church the very life of the Triune God until the eschaton. Chapter 1 introduces the study. Chapter 2 surveys contemporary developments in pneumatological ecclesiology, particularly Third Article Theology and other related approaches. Chapter 3 establishes the Trinitarian foundation for a Reformed pneumatological ecclesiology by situating the Spirit’s active and distinctive work within the unity of the divine essence and the personal distinctions of the Triune God. Chapter 4 expounds the Spirit’s particular work as “Love” and “Gift,” by which he establishes communion between God and believers and among believers, thereby constituting the church as the new covenant community and the dwelling place of God. Chapter 5 explores the Spirit’s work in the creation of the church, with attention to how his hypostatic property as the bond of love and communion between the Father and the Son is reflected in his formation of communion between God and his people and in the unity of believers. Chapter 6 examines the Spirit’s role in shaping the nature of the church by actualizing its unity, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity as revealed in Christ and by sustaining these attributes until their eschatological consummation. | en_US |
