Inseparable Operations, Trinitarian Missions, and the Necessity of a Christological Pneumatology

Abstract

Abstract A pneumatology that is Christological in emphasis (Christological pneumatology) provides a valuable foil to a Christology that is pneumatological in emphasis (Spirit Christology). Furthermore, a Trinitarian Christological pneumatology offers a robust conception of the person and work of the Holy Spirit that at once acknowledges the centrality of Christ in redemptive history, aligns with orthodox Trinitarianism, and protects against common Trinitarian concerns. The framework of this model lies in a theological complex involving the doctrines of inseparable operations and distinct personal appropriations, the Trinitarian taxis (or order), and the Trinitarian missions. This article provides one step in constructing a theologically viable Christological pneumatology that contributes to the contemporary enrichment of evangelical theology concerning the Holy Spirit.