Describing the outworking of the Spirit in the general life of humans, in order to get at the outworking of the Spirit in terms of affections and emotions.
Two approaches to knowledge:
In the red corner, the romantics. The reconciliation of opposites is a central idea for them.
In the blue corner, the sceptics. Preferring to suspend judgement entirely should insufficient evidence be available. Their default position is to doubt everything. Strict use of Aristotelian logic over metaphor.
Both are deeply devoted to freedom for the individual conscience.
Charismatics tend towards the romantic perspective on reality.
Evangelicals have a bias towards scepticism. (Evidentialist vs presuppositionalist apologetics) We are the sceptics with street-wise readings of Genesis, loosely held views on Revelation.
Jesus challenges both views.
God shows limits to the human imagination in Jesus. God addresses us only in Him.
God himself in Jesus demonstrates a lack of reliance upon the Aristotelian law of non-contradiction.
Interaction between the divine life and creaturely experience
Basil describes the Spirit as working as perfecting/completing the works of God. It inherently holds in it an idea of eschatology. A goal towards which things are being moved.
Calvin, on the other hand, describes the Spirit in a more static, sustaining role. Calvin saw that the power of the Spirit was necessary to sustain the world. Yet there is some evidence of a more nuanced description. 3 things: sustaining providentially, a particular aspect of that for humans and this is most clearly seen in the elect. (The Spirit is the one who affects the ordered disposition of things.)
Does it by the Spirit, but through the son. What does that mean?
Calvin felt free to say that any/all wisdom we need is found in God's spirit.
Some observations:
There is a distinction between God the Spirit and the 'livingness' of things that is mediated to them by the Spirit. Neoplatonist.
The Spirit is not the best of creation. A division has been removed between creation and the Spirit.
Calvin observes that there is a distinction between receiving a gift of the Spirit and using that gift in the service of Him who gave it.
Summary: Calvin says that the Spirit is the agent by which God providentially cares for creation, Basil adds its eschatalogical movement towards completion and Owen said that the Spirit is the one by which the humanity of Jesus is perfected.
Colossians 1:15-25. In Jesus, God meets creation in a way that nothing else does.
The gospel sees Jesus as the spirit-empowered servant.