Pneumatology

Definition and Meaning

Pneumatology is the field of Christian doctrine concerned with who the Holy Spirit is and what the Spirit does. The Korean term seongnyeong (聖靈) means "holy spirit." The English name pneumatology derives from the Greek pneuma, meaning "spirit" or "breath."

The principal topics of pneumatology include the following:

• The personhood and deity of the Holy Spirit
• The place of the Holy Spirit within the Trinity
• The Spirit's work of giving believers new birth (regeneration) and making them holy (sanctification)
• The gifts given to the church (abilities bestowed by the Holy Spirit)

Biblical and Historical Background

The Old Testament speaks of the Spirit of God who moved upon the face of the waters at creation (Genesis 1:2) and of God's promise to pour out his Spirit (Joel 2:28). The New Testament records the Comforter promised by Jesus (John 14:16) and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2).

The Nicene Creed of 325 made only a brief reference to the Holy Spirit. The Council of Constantinople in 381 expanded this statement, confessing the Holy Spirit as "the Lord and Giver of Life." The Western church later added to the creed the phrase stating that the Spirit proceeds "from the Father and the Son" (the Filioque), and this addition became one of the causes of the East–West Schism.

During the Reformation, John Calvin emphasized the "internal testimony" of the Holy Spirit, by which the Spirit enables people to believe Scripture as the Word of God. John Wesley emphasized the sanctification accomplished by the Holy Spirit. Pentecostalism, which began with the Azusa Street Revival in the early twentieth century, and the later Charismatic movement placed gifts such as speaking in tongues and divine healing at the forefront of faith.

Practice in the Korean Church

Since the Pyongyang Great Revival (1907), the Korean church has placed great importance on experiences of the Holy Spirit through revival meetings and concerted audible prayer (tongseong gido). Denominations differ, however, in their understanding of when baptism in the Holy Spirit is received and whether the gifts of the early church continue today.

• Presbyterian: Presbyterians in the Reformed tradition tend to regard Spirit baptism as something all believers receive at conversion. Views on whether the gifts continue today range from cautious to open (cessationism and continuationism).
• Methodist: Following Wesleyan theology, Methodists emphasize the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.
• Holiness: The Holiness Church emphasizes entire sanctification as a "second blessing" received after regeneration and proclaims the Fourfold Gospel of regeneration, sanctification, divine healing, and the Second Coming.
• Full Gospel: The Full Gospel (Assemblies of God) denomination regards Spirit baptism as an experience subsequent to regeneration and tends to treat speaking in tongues as its initial sign. Through Yoido Full Gospel Church, founded by David Yonggi Cho, it has influenced the Korean church as a whole.

Among movements that emphasize experiences of the Holy Spirit, the New Apostolic Reformation and similar movements remain the subject of ongoing debate among denominations.