Who's Afraid of the Holy Spirit? (pt. 3)
In The Witness of the Spirit in Romans 8:16, Daniel Wallace discusses two possible ways of translating Romans 8:16 and its impact on our lives:
Option #1:
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are sons of God.
Option #2:
The Spirit himself testifies to our spirit that we are sons of God.
At the forefront of these two interpretations are two key questions. Who is doing the witnessing? And who is being witnessed to? In option #1 we join with the Holy Spirit as a witness to our own salvation. In this framework, the object of the witnessing is a little unclear--the witnessing could be to God, other people, or even ourselves. In option #2 it is the Holy Spirit witnessing to us.
Wallace is a master of exegesis, and this article is well worth reading just to observe the skill with which he handles the text. It gives me a renewed appreciation for the complexity involved in Bible translation, and how it is important to turn a text over to gain insight both from the language and context. The article is easier to follow if you have had some sort of Greek background, but the essence is this:
1. There is good precedent for the verb to be translated "witness to", and the standard Greek-English lexicon takes this as the primary force of the verb.
2. What would it mean for our spirit and the Holy Spirit to testify to God regarding our salvation? In other words, what authority do we have in the matter?
3. What would it mean for our spirit and the Holy Spirit to testify to ourself? What good does it do us to convince ourselves? One of the very things Paul is counteracting in this chapter is our own doubts.
4. The context of Romans 8 is all about the Spirit's work in our lives. He is the one who sets us free from the law of sin and death, produces fruit in our life, and intercedes for us with groanings that words cannot express. Surely He is also the one who gives us assurance in the midst of our doubt.
At the end of the article, I am left persuaded by Wallace's argument. One of the works of the Spirit is to bear testimony to our heart that we belong to God. It is a great comfort to know that we do not have a God who stands aloof from us. Our Father does not leave us merely to cold hard rationalism, as if we must deduce our own salvation from a set of clues. Yes, Scripture testifies to the truthfulness of what has happened in our lives. But God has also given us his Spirit, who speaks to our hearts with assurance and comfort and reminds us that we can cry out "Abba, Father".
Option #1:
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are sons of God.
Option #2:
The Spirit himself testifies to our spirit that we are sons of God.
At the forefront of these two interpretations are two key questions. Who is doing the witnessing? And who is being witnessed to? In option #1 we join with the Holy Spirit as a witness to our own salvation. In this framework, the object of the witnessing is a little unclear--the witnessing could be to God, other people, or even ourselves. In option #2 it is the Holy Spirit witnessing to us.
Wallace is a master of exegesis, and this article is well worth reading just to observe the skill with which he handles the text. It gives me a renewed appreciation for the complexity involved in Bible translation, and how it is important to turn a text over to gain insight both from the language and context. The article is easier to follow if you have had some sort of Greek background, but the essence is this:
1. There is good precedent for the verb to be translated "witness to", and the standard Greek-English lexicon takes this as the primary force of the verb.
2. What would it mean for our spirit and the Holy Spirit to testify to God regarding our salvation? In other words, what authority do we have in the matter?
3. What would it mean for our spirit and the Holy Spirit to testify to ourself? What good does it do us to convince ourselves? One of the very things Paul is counteracting in this chapter is our own doubts.
4. The context of Romans 8 is all about the Spirit's work in our lives. He is the one who sets us free from the law of sin and death, produces fruit in our life, and intercedes for us with groanings that words cannot express. Surely He is also the one who gives us assurance in the midst of our doubt.
At the end of the article, I am left persuaded by Wallace's argument. One of the works of the Spirit is to bear testimony to our heart that we belong to God. It is a great comfort to know that we do not have a God who stands aloof from us. Our Father does not leave us merely to cold hard rationalism, as if we must deduce our own salvation from a set of clues. Yes, Scripture testifies to the truthfulness of what has happened in our lives. But God has also given us his Spirit, who speaks to our hearts with assurance and comfort and reminds us that we can cry out "Abba, Father".
posted by Alan at 4:56 AM
4 Comments:
A new day has dawned for Suppository Preaching. Let all the earth rejoice! Or at least two or three people.
By the way, if you haven't checked out that Purgatorio site click on the link in my blog. Its well worth your time and his archives are hilarious as well. Good post. Who needs the book.
I have checked out the Purgatorio site. Pretty funny, but it doesn't look like he's posting anymore.
Do you have Wallace's book yet? I'm a little surprised that so far every one of the essays is already online. Are you covering some of the stuff in youth group? Curious to hear what your thoughts are.
The purgatorio site moved to www.purgatorio1.com You should read his recent post on worship leaders. maybe send it to stu. I didn't end up getting the book but i have read a couple of the essays online. good stuff. maybe i'l post some of my thoughts later.
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