When looking at the Holy Spirit’s role in the Church, this first means knowing why the Holy Spirit has a role in the first place: Beginning with the Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – the triune God, as Christians understand it, bestowed upon humanity a divine revelation: This divine revelation includes an eternal, family relationship with God, while also understanding the fall that broke this relationship; the covenants that God formed to keep his unending promise to the relationship; and the final covenant of salvation from human brokenness, through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.
Not that anyone in this class needs a refresher on the kerygma, but divine revelation’s role in salvation through Christ cannot be understated. As Dulles explains, the Church and divine revelation go hand-in-hand. Without revelation, there is obviously no reason to understand anything that connects to it, including the Holy Spirit’s role in keeping revelation alive and necessary (167).
After Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Apostles soon find out, in an epic way, why the Holy Spirit is crucial to evangelizing the Gospel and forming the Church: The Holy Spirit is the “Advocate” who guides the Apostles and other disciples on their missionary journey (John 14:26), teaches them how to share the Gospel (Luke 12:12), and promises to be a constant source of wisdom and other gifts meant to grow the Church and live according to God’s will (1 Cor. 14: 12; McBrien 54).
Because the Holy Spirit is so intimately connected with divine revelation and building the Church, the Holy Spirit was also involved with delivering revelation to the Apostles. For instance, during the discussion about circumcision and Jewish dietary laws at the Council of Jerusalem, James explains that it was the Holy Spirit who made the final decision on these matters (Acts 15:28; McBrien 54). Further, in Ephesians 3:5-6, the Holy Spirit reveals that the Gentiles are “co-heirs of Christ (McBrien 37).
That above statement about the Gentiles is also key to understanding the Holy Spirit’s role in animating the Church. That is, because the Apostles were already missionaries during Jesus’ ministry, his statement “to go out and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) was only temporarily limited to Jews. Therefore, when Jesus gives the power of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles, they collectively understand that they are to witness to the Gentiles as well – and to the “ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8; McBrien 37).
Works Cited:
Dulles, S.J., Avery. Models of the Church, expanded edition. New York: Doubleday, 2002.
McBrien, Richard P. The Church. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2008.