John Calvin on the efficacious Holy Spirit of God

Abstract

John Calvin (1509-1564) has been designated as "theologian of the Holy Spirit." Despite this designation, dedicated interactions with his orthodox pneumatology remain few. By utilizing Calvin's writings, with especial attention given to his Institutes and relevant sections of his Biblical commentaries, the study will present aspects of Calvin's pneumatology through his key lens of the Spirit's efficacy. The study first presents his basis for the Spirit's efficacy, since fundamental to the Spirit's efficacy is His divinity as one with, but personally distinct from Father and Son. The study then examines the Spirit's efficacy, especially as it relates to two aspects of the Spirit's mediation: 1. mediation of the knowledge of God; 2. mediation between Jesus Christ and the redeemed. The Spirit's mediation is elucidative of His distinct function as the personal efficacy of God. These are fundamental and correlative aspects of orthodox pneumatology and are important considerations for modern theology.