Creedal Compromise on the Holy Spirit

A Biblical Review of John 14:26; 16:7

According to Scripture, the doctrine of the person and ministry of the Holy Ghost is a sublime gospel truth. Concerning this doctrine, contentious disputes have historically arisen over the procession of the Holy Ghost. Notably, this is understood as the "Filioque clause."  

The word filioque is a Latin term that means “and from the Son.” It was not included in the Nicene Creed in either the first version of A.D. 325 or the second version of A.D. 381. Those versions simply said that the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father.” But in A.D. 589, at a regional church council in Toledo (in what is now Spain), the phrase “and the Son” was added, so that the creed then said that the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father and the Son (filioque).” (Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, 1994, p. 246).

In response to the East-West division over the Filioque clause ("and from the Son"), Trinitarians who affirm a fully coequal Trinity should not side with either view. Instead, their allegiance is to Scripture alone. Regarding whether the Spirit proceeds solely from the Father or from both the Father and the Son, both the Eastern Orthodox (EO) and Roman Catholic (RC) views hold that the Spirit proceeds within the eternal ad intra-Triune-Godhead. This means that both positions refer to eternal origins. Therefore, both traditions posit that the Person of the Son and the Person of the Holy Spirit owe their origin to the Father. This is the teaching of the Creeds but not of the Holy Bible.

To further explain, both EO and RC false teachers affirm a hierarchical Trinity. As proof, they speak of the Father as the fountain of divinity, the “sole arche,” or the source or principle of the Godhead, from which the Son and the Spirit originate. Holding this view, without a doubt, means both traditions affirm that the Son eternally originates from the Father (eternal generation). In addition, while they think the Father is the source of the Son, they also believe that the Spirit eternally derives from the Father. Again, this is the creedal claim. Yet, true Bible believers know that a [g]od deriving from another in eternity is no [g]od at all!

Scripture is patently clear concerning the sending of the Spirit in John 14:26 and John 16:7. In the former, the Spirit proceeds from the "Father," while the latter claims that the Spirit is from the Son. These texts do not refer to the Spirit deriving from the monarchy of the Godhead—the Father or Father and Son—in eternity. Instead, they are economic or incarnational passages. They highlight aspects of the ministry of the Holy Spirit after the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ.

Although EO and RC wolves support a hierarchical understanding of the Three Persons, God's word presents a fully coequal Trinity. So, the Bible does not support concepts of eternal subordination, derivation, or generation. Consequently, God's people understand that Scripture alone provides a more precise explanation of the Trinity than any creed or confession can present.

Remember, cultists will seek to depersonalize the Spirit, conflate the Trinity of persons in the Godhead, or attempt to divide the one divine Being, shared by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. However, referring to the Spirit as eternally deriving from the Father is also an attack on the Holy Ghost’s personal aseity or self-existence.

Disclaimer - I cited an excerpt from a notable theologian in this short article. However, I do not endorse this scholar and do not agree with all of his theological convictions.