THE MESSAGE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
By Keith Warrington
IVP. 260 pages. £ 9.99
ISBN 978-1-84474-397-1
Keith Warrington, Vice-Principal of (the Elim Pentecostal) Regents Theological College, has written this book not primarily as the ‘development of a dogmatic theology of the Spirit’, but as ‘a theological exploration, practical and biblically based, of the person of the Spirit’. He assures us that the Holy Spirit invites us to explore him, and then discusses biblical metaphors for the Spirit — oil, fire, dove, wind.
The Spirit is studied from Genesis and Judges, the Gospels of Luke and John, the Acts and then four epistles — Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians and Ephesians. Especially helpful are the insistence on the compatibility of suffering and the presence of the Spirit; and the emphasis on benefit to others when he discusses spiritual gifts (which he does from a non-cessationist viewpoint which is assumed more than argued). Frequently Warrington speaks of the Spirit as ‘personal mentor’ to the believer as he encourages believers to appreciate their relationship with him.
