The Holy Spirit: An Introduction (Short Studies in Systematic Theology) Paperback – 3 Oct. 2023

Are you looking for a summary book on the Holy Spirit under two hundred pages? This is a book I recommend. This is from the Short Studies in Systematic Theology series from Crossway and it’s the first volume I read from this series. I was interested to see if it would be as good as the Short Studies in Biblical Theology Series that I have immensely enjoyed reading for years from the publisher.After the series preface and introduction there is five chapters. The first chapter is “Meeting the Holy Spirit” and the next one is on the Holy Spirit in the Trinity. With the Holy Spirit situated in the Trinitarian context chapter three and four is on the Holy Spirit’s relationship with the Father and Son respectively. Chapter five is “The Holy Spirit Himself” and there’s an appendix on rules for thinking well about the Holy Spirit. I also think the Further Reading is helpful to know about other books of the Holy Spirit with the author Fred Sanders giving a short summary of the book’s contribution to the scholarship on the Holy Spirit.There are good things I learn from this book. In particular I thought the book’s approach of the need for a Trinitarian background before talking about the Spirit was extremely helpful. Sanders did a good job explaining inseparable operation in which any activity of One Member of the Trinity involves the other Members of the Trinity. The order of “from the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit” can be remember with the three preposition of “from, through, in” (50). The other discussion that I thought was interesting was how the author acknowledges and handled passages of the Holy Spirit that seems personal and impersonal. What I mean by impersonal is description of the Spirit as water, fire, oil (129). I don’t want to give too much of the book away but I think Sanders gave a great response to the view that takes the Spirit impersonally.This is a good book and those wanting to go deeper on a historic and biblical view of the Holy Spirit will benefit from reading this.

With clear prose, an easy-to-follow outline, and a charitable tone, Sanders offers an accessible, intelligent, and devotional introduction to the Holy Spirit.

I do enjoy books on doctrine and have studied this, but this one was a bit tough for me to complete. I would have liked to give a review about how Biblically accurate the book was, but I didn't finish it. Like some other reviews, I am not saying that it was a bad read, it was just a little too deep for me for the time and concentration I have for reading in this stage of my life. I had hoped it would help me in my understanding of the Holy Spirit, but it complicated it for me. If you absolutely love a deep read, diving into deep concepts, this might be the book for you.

The aforementioned book is an overview and educational resource to a top-line topic in Short Studies in Systematic Theology, a series designed to explain and apply core principles of Christian faith. I decided to give this book a serious read, not as a theological scholar, but as an interested layman.Since the Holy Spirit (to evangelical Christians, most Catholics, many other Christian denominations, even some Jews) is one part of a triumvirate aspect of God called the Holy Trinity, it deserves careful consideration by virtue of its placement, co-existent with Jesus Christ and God the Father.Sometimes the name or label provides an indication of what it stands for. There are a variety of references to the Holy Spirit, or, as called in the Old and New Testament, the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, Eternal Spirit, Spirit of God, and several others.This book emphasizes doctrine. By defining the Holy Spirit instead of ignoring it, suggests author Fred Sanders, will anyone begin to understand the importance of this mystery about the Trinity.The author, in his introduction, proposes an indirect approach, leading the reader on a journey to understand the Holy Spirit through individual in-depth discussion of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Trinity. He encourages the reader to consider the role of the Holy Spirit as the glue establishing the connecting link between the three parts of the Trinity.After making an analogy of pulmonology, the science of the lungs, to pneumatology, the study of the Holy Spirit, Mr Sanders noted that it is the kind of topic which is only understood through its relationships to other doctrine. It should be pointed out that the prefix "pneumato-" is from the Greek, meaning air, breath, or spirit.Language is imperfect. Labels are laden with subjective meaning. For this reason, documentation goes only so far to enable one to recognize the Holy Spirit. Where it leaves off is best understood as the expression of the Holy Spirit.The Holy Spirit, as part of the Trinity, is ineffable, not an intellectual concept that can be captured in language, but like a delicate dove fluttering in the heart, beyond conscious thought, emotion, or sensation. The common Biblical references such as "taken up in the Spirit", and "the Spirit came upon me", show how the Holy Spirit is expressed internally. The characteristics of the Holy Spirit become known only through the heart, some believe.By any measure, in "The Holy Spirit: An Introduction, Mr. Sanders has crafted a thoughtful, well-reasoned book expressing different aspects of the Holy Trinity, like a fine tapestry which changes its display depending upon the light and the angle. For the seminary student, or any other reader, he skillfully compiles diverse history and doctrine into a most challenging theological topic.

While this volume by Fred Sanders on the Holy Spirit is from the “Short” Studies in Systematic Theology series, don’t let short fool you into thinking shallow or overly simplistic. This is a very, very solid introduction to the person and work of the Holy Spirit. The book opens with a chapter on “Meeting the Holy Spirit”, which deals with our experience with the Holy Spirit and how we receive him. The bulk of the book then focuses on the Trinity and the Spirit’s place within the Trinity. There are chapters focusing on each of the persons of the Trinity, and how they relate to and interact with the Holy Spirit (including one on the Holy Spirit himself). Overall, this is an excellent overview which will serve the broader church very well as we gaze in greater wonder at who God is, and what he has done.