Bavinck and the Holy Spirit

I have done some posts in the past on the current need in the Church at large for a fuller pneumatology. I would say that this includes those who simply see manifestations of the Spirit in the context of a meeting as ends unto themselves, as well as those who take a more cessasionist stance. As I mentioned in my recent post on Neocalvinism, this Dutch brand of Reformation thought offers a framework that emphasizes a much more robust understanding of the work of the Spirit in the earth, not simply limited to the soteriological aspects of the His task. It even seems that there is room in the Neocalvinist tradition for the Spirit to be understood in terms of charismatic expressions in worship and in the life of the Christian community. Herman Bavinck's definition of a Trinitarian understanding of reality is very helpful in the attempt to articulate the pervasive nature of the Spirit's work in the earth:

God the Father has reconciled His created but fallen world through the death of His Son, and renews it into a Kingdom of God by His Spirit.

This is not only a wonderful, concise statement of the Christian worldview in general, but it also shows the radical importance of the work of the Spirit in revealing Christ and bringing about renewal in the present age. It emphasizes not only the Spirit's work in regeneration of the individual, but also looks to Him for a renewal of all spheres of the creation order. While the Spirit is the seal of our salvation and does manifest Himself in context of congregational worship, there is a much broader aspect of the Spirit's work to which these things point. As we profess that we are sealed by the Spirit, we are also attesting to the Spirit's activity in sealing the salvation of the world at large. As the He manifests Himself amongst us in worship, we are proclaiming to the world that His presence is here and at work among us and in the whole earth.