Category: Recommendations and Reviews
[Book Review: God's Indwelling Presence by James M. Hamilton, Jr.]
Did the Holy Spirit work in the hearts and lives of people under the Old Covenant in the same way as He does in the New Covenant? Were they regenerated by the Holy Spirit? Were they filled with the Holy Spirit? What, if anything, changed after the resurrection of Christ with respect to the Holy Spirit? Those are the questions this book seeks to answer.
Maybe it has never occurred to you to make this inquiry, but its answer has been debated in the academic community for some time and more strenuously since the advent of the domination of Dispensational theology in the last century. Anyone who understands the differing assumptions between dispensationalists and covenant theologians will recognize how disparate their conclusions are regarding this question. Unfortunately, in both camps their conclusions too often arise from their presuppositions rather than from their exegesis because their understanding of the Israel/Church relationship and the Old Covenant/New Covenant relationship require a certain answer to the question. So far (through chapter 3) Hamiliton has not argued for either presupposition, but has endeavored to explore the pertinent biblical passages. I like that.
Brief Summary of Chapters 1 & 2:
The first chapter is basically a statement of the question, a description of the approach that the author will be taking, and a preview of what the following chapters will cover. The second chapter reviews and summarizes the six positions held by various Christian thinkers with regard to the question. At the end of the chapter, Hamilton includes a helpful chart with the positions, a description, and major players throughout Church history, including the modern day, who have held each.
Chapter 3
This is where the book begins to pick up steam. The chapter title discloses Hamilton's position--Not In But With In the Old Testament (emphasis mine). The two prepositions in and with make all the difference. Hamilton argues that under the Old Covenant, the Scripture speaks of the Holy Spirit as being with individuals for particular purposes as God desires, but that He does not take up permanent residence in them.
"The burden of this chapter is to show that the Old Testament does not indicate that each individual member of the old covenant remnant was indwelt by the Holy Spirit" (p. 25).
The distinction Hamilton is going to make is that there is a difference between the Holy Spirit's work of regeneration and indwelling; the former is true of all believers at all times, but the latter is restricted to, and withheld until, the New Covenant. Put simply, the believers of the Old Covenant were granted new birth (and, consequently, faith) by the Holy Spirit, but they were not granted His ongoing, internal sanctifying presence. Rather, they were sanctified as the Holy Spirit dwelt among them in the temple (for example). God's presence "with His people had a sanctifying effect on them" (p.25).
He goes on to argue that it was the kingly and prophet types who were individually indwelt by the Spirit (as opposed to all Jews being indwelt individually), and that even for them the indwelling was not necessarily permanent. Several examples of the "Spirit's extraordinary relationship to certain Old Testament saints" (p. 26) are given: Joseph (Gen. 41:28), Moses (Num. 11:14f.), Joshua (Num. 27:18), Othniel (Judg. 3:10), Gideon (Judg. 6:34), and Samson (Judg. 13:25; 14:6,19; 15:14).
King Saul makes for an important example because he is empowered personally by the Spirit on more than one occasion (1 Sam. 10:6; 11:6), implying that the initial occasion was not permanent. Furthermore, we find an evil spirit from God indwelling Saul (1 Sam. 18:10) and the assertion of the prophet Samuel that God's Spirit had left Saul (1 Sam. 16:14). This coming and going of the Spirit would seem to indicate that no perpetual indwelling was occurring.
David was empowered by the Spirit of God (1 Sam. 16:13) and later prayed "Do not take your Holy Spirit from me" (Ps. 51:11). This request implies that David realized that a vacancy such as Saul experienced was possible (maybe even probable given his overt sin).
Various prophets are given as examples of those in whom the Spirit was working internally, and then a comparison is drawn between them and Joel's prediction of "a future outpouring of the Spirit in terms of a universal gift of prophecy" (p. 34) on all believers. The contrast between the OT selective indwelling of prophets/leaders with the NT universal experience of prophecy seems to argue for Hamilton's point. Only key players were indwelt under the Old Covenant, but under the New Covenant all players are His dwelling place.
This point is further made when comparing the Old Covenant temple with the promises of the New Covenant. God dwelled among His people in the tabernacle/temple. The tabernacle/temple was the center of all Jewish worship and polity because the presence of God was manifest there, as was His Law--the Ten Commandments. But the prophets foretold of a time when God's Law would be written, not on stone tablets, but on the hearts of His people (Jer. 31:31f., implying that they were not currently written on hearts). And instruction in the knowledge of Yahweh would no longer be necessary, thus rendering the unique priesthood obsolete. And, iniquity would be forgiven, thus eliminating the repeated sacrifices. This all would take place under the New Covenant that God would make with Israel.
Parallel to these promises is the prophecy of Ezekiel 36, where God promises a "new heart" and a "new spirit" to His people (v. 26). Hamilton argues that this is not indwelling, but new birth.
"The 'new spirit' is not Yahweh's Spirit being placed in each individual restored Israelite [sic]. Rather, God will grant a new heart and a new attitude to the people . . . we are not far from the circumcision of the heart, which can be likened to regeneration" (p. 53).
It is the next verse (v. 27) that speaks of indwelling, where God declares that
He will put His Spirit "within you." Thus the dwelling of God moves from the tabernacle/temple of the Old Covenant to the individual believer under the New Covenant.
One last quote from Hamilton in which he makes an important clarification.
"Those who agree that all people are dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1) will agree that anyone who exercises faith in God must have been lifted by God out of that dead and unresponsive condition. The Gospel of John treats this enabling as a new birth from above. I will argue below that this ministry is not limited to the new covenant . . . [b]y contrast, John limits the reception of the Spirit to the age after Jesus is glorified" (p. 54).
So, the author is establishing that 1) Neither the OT nor the NT describe the Spirit of God as indwelling every individual under the Old Covenant, 2) the OT specifically mentions the Spirit's coming upon, and leaving of, individuals under the Old Covenant, 3) the Spirit is only described as indwelling leaders and prophets under the Old Covenant (rather than all people), 4) the prophets foretold of a time when the Spirit would be poured out upon and indwell all of God's people, and 5) the NT presents the indwelling of the Spirit upon all believers as a new, and New Covenant, blessing (which will be explained further in the coming chapters). Thus far, Dr. Hamilton's case is pretty convincing.
