The Spirit and salvation?

Abstract

To answer the question of the relation between the Spirit and salvation, this article explores Michael Welker’s theology of the Trinity. I argue that Welker’s Trinitarian theology, with its focus on the activity of the triune God, is built on his theology of the Spirit. The Spirit, I argue, allows him to understand the salvific activity of the triune God realistically. The first three parts of the article will focus on Welker’s Trinitarian understanding of salvation, by looking at the sacraments, particularly at holy communion as a mirror of the salvific activity of the triune God. The fourth and final part will analyse Welker’s theology of the triune God in light of Dirk J. Smit’s analysis of the Trinity, thereby shedding light on Welker’s understanding of the activity of the triune God, on the one hand, and on the relation between the Spirit and salvation, on the other.