Discovering The Holy Spirit In The New Testament

by Keith Warrington

The role of the Holy Spirit in the development of the early Church was absolutely crucial as the New Testament documents were being written and circulated. However many first-century believers, often unacquainted with the Old Testament, had little knowledge of the work of God’s Spirit. Therefore the New Testament writers sought to explain his character and mission in the events they recorded and through the letters they penned. Nevertheless, many Christians today have only a vague understanding of the Holy Spirit—the comfort he offers, the gifts he imparts—but few could articulate his vital role in the life of every believer. Taking a "text-driven" approach, Warrington moves beyond the controversy and sensationalism associated with charismatic phenomena, to examine the third person of the Trinity himself. Progressing from Matthew to Revelation, this in-depth study allows the scriptures to speak out of their original contextual situations and into our lives today. Readers will gain an appreciation of the Spirit as a complex, wise, creative, powerful, and personal member of the Godhead who is sent to equip, empower, affirm, inspire, gift, and ultimately transform the people of God. Each chapter concludes with helpful study questions and a useful bibliography.

230 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2005

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This recently published work is a great introductory survey of the Holy Spirit in the NT. The author systematically moves through each book citing every reference to the Spirit. He exposits it, gives the significance for the original audience and offers questions of significance for contemporary readers. This isn’t an exciting book to read, although there were times when I was moved by reading about the ministry of the Holy Spirit and its significance in my life. There are two common occurrences in the book that I wished would have been more carefully written: 1) throughout the book the author regularly chooses to interpret texts that say “spirit” as the Holy Spirit. While in many cases, I agreed with his interpretation, it would have be helpful to have more evidence for his position, 2) In the survey of Pauline books, he tends to make faulty contrasts between the Law and the Spirit which contribute to a continuation of a negative view of the Law, instead of a negative view of how it was being used at the time of Christ and the early church.