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Keep in step with the Spirit
Keep in step with the Spirit
301 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1984
147 people are currently reading
1907 people want to read
About the author
J.I. Packer
214 books911 followersWhat do J. I. Packer, Billy Graham and Richard John Neuhaus have in common? Each was recently named by TIME magazine as among the 25 most influential evangelicals in America.
Dr. Packer, the Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology at Regent College, was hailed by TIME as “a doctrinal Solomon” among Protestants. “Mediating debates on everything from a particular Bible translation to the acceptability of free-flowing Pentecostal spirituality, Packer helps unify a community [evangelicalism] that could easily fall victim to its internal tensions.”
Knowing God, Dr. Packer’s seminal 1973 work, was lauded as a book which articulated shared beliefs for members of diverse denominations; the TIME profile quotes Michael Cromartie of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington as saying, “conservative Methodists and Presbyterians and Baptists could all look to [Knowing God] and say, ‘This sums it all up for us.’”
In a similar tribute to Dr. Packer almost ten years ago, American theologian Mark Noll wrote in Christianity Today that, “Packer’s ability to address immensely important subjects in crisp, succinct sentences is one of the reasons why, both as an author and speaker, he has played such an important role among American evangelicals for four decades.”
For over 25 years Regent College students have been privileged to study under Dr. Packer’s clear and lucid teaching, and our faculty, staff and students celebrate the international recognition he rightly receives as a leading Christian thinker and teacher.
(https://www.regent-college.edu/facult...)
Dr. Packer, the Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology at Regent College, was hailed by TIME as “a doctrinal Solomon” among Protestants. “Mediating debates on everything from a particular Bible translation to the acceptability of free-flowing Pentecostal spirituality, Packer helps unify a community [evangelicalism] that could easily fall victim to its internal tensions.”
Knowing God, Dr. Packer’s seminal 1973 work, was lauded as a book which articulated shared beliefs for members of diverse denominations; the TIME profile quotes Michael Cromartie of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington as saying, “conservative Methodists and Presbyterians and Baptists could all look to [Knowing God] and say, ‘This sums it all up for us.’”
In a similar tribute to Dr. Packer almost ten years ago, American theologian Mark Noll wrote in Christianity Today that, “Packer’s ability to address immensely important subjects in crisp, succinct sentences is one of the reasons why, both as an author and speaker, he has played such an important role among American evangelicals for four decades.”
For over 25 years Regent College students have been privileged to study under Dr. Packer’s clear and lucid teaching, and our faculty, staff and students celebrate the international recognition he rightly receives as a leading Christian thinker and teacher.
(https://www.regent-college.edu/facult...)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
December 9, 2020
One of the main lessons I learned by reading this book was this: just because someone hasn't recommended a particular Packer book to me before doesn't mean I shouldn't read it.
This book was superb.
Great exposition of Scripture's teaching about the Spirit, helpful historical perspective on Protestant views of sanctification, helpful analysis of charismatic movements strengths and weaknesses, worshipful and careful. It's hard to pick one part or line to highlight, but the evaluation of different views of sanctification (Augustinian, Wesleyan, Keswick) was even-handed and very useful.
Helpful in explaining work of the Spirit, and presenting him as a person, not a mere influence or force, as many Christians often fall into perceiving him as. Highly recommend
This book was superb.
Great exposition of Scripture's teaching about the Spirit, helpful historical perspective on Protestant views of sanctification, helpful analysis of charismatic movements strengths and weaknesses, worshipful and careful. It's hard to pick one part or line to highlight, but the evaluation of different views of sanctification (Augustinian, Wesleyan, Keswick) was even-handed and very useful.
Helpful in explaining work of the Spirit, and presenting him as a person, not a mere influence or force, as many Christians often fall into perceiving him as. Highly recommend
June 21, 2025
Delightful work on the Holy Spirit that is very useful. Packer shows graciousness to Wesleyans and Charismatics, praising what's good and right while discerning weaknesses with charity. But he goes further and challenges all readers to desire the enlivening work of the Spirit, who always points us to Jesus!
December 15, 2018
So thankful that Packer wrote Keep in Step with the Spirit. His writing helps to keep my bias in check as it desperately wants to reveal itself as the ugly monster that it is. He is fair. He extends grace. He recognizes his own bias. He presents the information and truth as someone who is not trying to sway the reader, but as someone who has done his job and presented his arguments justly. I truly believe that a charismatic could read this book, see that their theology is presented as it is, and see how Packer refutes the Pentecostal/Charismatic ideologies with well thought out and truthful arguments. And I think a charismatic could read this and not be offended, at worst I think they would read it and agree to disagree with Packer.
May 1, 2024
Keep in Step with the Spirit is another great work of J.I. Packer aimed at reforming and correcting the popular theological trends in Western culture at the time. While in his other popular book, Knowing God, Packer attempts to combat the lack of understanding of who God is, in Keep in Step with the Spirit, Packer pastorally seeks to correct the lack of understanding of the doctrine and work of the Holy Spirit.
The book is very similar in design to Knowing God. Packer begins with why understanding the Holy Spirit and His ministry to us is important. The end of the book includes the summation of points made throughout, as well as the application of the arguments developed in the preceding chapters. The difference lies in the middle of Keep in Step with the Spirit. Packer spends a lot of time combating different doctrines of the Holy Spirit. His analysis is judicious and fair, like a refiner he takes the raw ore of different doctrines and burns away the dross to leave the reader with the polished ore of wisdom from each doctrine.
In this book, Packer exhibits his masterful skills as both a theologian and a pastor. Like a good pastor with his finger on the spiritual pulse of his congregants, he noticed the prevalence of weak theology regarding the Holy Spirit and set about writing a book to improve our understanding of the third Person of the Godhead and to show us evidence of his points logically, theologically, grammatically (with plenty of references to the original languages), and, most importantly, biblically.
The book is very similar in design to Knowing God. Packer begins with why understanding the Holy Spirit and His ministry to us is important. The end of the book includes the summation of points made throughout, as well as the application of the arguments developed in the preceding chapters. The difference lies in the middle of Keep in Step with the Spirit. Packer spends a lot of time combating different doctrines of the Holy Spirit. His analysis is judicious and fair, like a refiner he takes the raw ore of different doctrines and burns away the dross to leave the reader with the polished ore of wisdom from each doctrine.
In this book, Packer exhibits his masterful skills as both a theologian and a pastor. Like a good pastor with his finger on the spiritual pulse of his congregants, he noticed the prevalence of weak theology regarding the Holy Spirit and set about writing a book to improve our understanding of the third Person of the Godhead and to show us evidence of his points logically, theologically, grammatically (with plenty of references to the original languages), and, most importantly, biblically.
October 8, 2018
Quite possibly the best popular-level book on biblical sanctification I have ever read. A necessary tonic for the rampant Keswick quietism that rules the day in evangelicalism.
February 23, 2024
I liked much of this better than 3 stars, but such a long portion of it is about theology that I don't hold to and doesn't directly affect me, that it was a bit of a slog in parts.
The final chapter about the assurance the Holy Spirit gives is a delight and encouragement and the appendix about Romans 7 was clear and very helpful. Most of the beginning chapters were delightful.
I understand the discussion of the Keswick theology pieces and the importance regarding them, but eh. It wasn't something that I was looking for in particular. I did appreciate his generosity and the positives he brought out.
The final chapter about the assurance the Holy Spirit gives is a delight and encouragement and the appendix about Romans 7 was clear and very helpful. Most of the beginning chapters were delightful.
I understand the discussion of the Keswick theology pieces and the importance regarding them, but eh. It wasn't something that I was looking for in particular. I did appreciate his generosity and the positives he brought out.
January 8, 2015
It's hard to rate this because, in my opinion, despite being exceptional in content it is far from Packer's best in terms of form. Added to that, parts of the book are (obviously) a little dated. Let me draw up a list of positives and another of negatives in reviewing this book.
Positively:
- unapologetically biblical, and therefore not only a vital corrective for the common misunderstandings and gross misrepresentations of the Spirit's work in the church, but also gracious in rebuke and generous towards theological opponents
- clearly structured and therefore most useful as a resource on the numerous areas dealt with
- Packer undoubtedly possesses an earnest desire to see renewal in the church, by the work of the Spirit, but partners that passion with a reasoned approach, submissive to how God has said he will bring that about in his Word
- Packer is also unafraid to challenge unbiblical, vague and ultimately unhelpful views prevalent in many churches today regarding the Holy Spirit, his work and our own holiness
Negatively:
- as I said above, the book is too dense and almost unreadable for someone without theological training of some kind. This is a great pity because there is an abundance of practical points to take away in the way of Christian living and godly expectations regarding God's work today
- though the content is near flawless and well rounded I do feel that Packer could've spent more space unpacking the meaning for every day living, immediate application
Positively:
- unapologetically biblical, and therefore not only a vital corrective for the common misunderstandings and gross misrepresentations of the Spirit's work in the church, but also gracious in rebuke and generous towards theological opponents
- clearly structured and therefore most useful as a resource on the numerous areas dealt with
- Packer undoubtedly possesses an earnest desire to see renewal in the church, by the work of the Spirit, but partners that passion with a reasoned approach, submissive to how God has said he will bring that about in his Word
- Packer is also unafraid to challenge unbiblical, vague and ultimately unhelpful views prevalent in many churches today regarding the Holy Spirit, his work and our own holiness
Negatively:
- as I said above, the book is too dense and almost unreadable for someone without theological training of some kind. This is a great pity because there is an abundance of practical points to take away in the way of Christian living and godly expectations regarding God's work today
- though the content is near flawless and well rounded I do feel that Packer could've spent more space unpacking the meaning for every day living, immediate application
April 1, 2025
“If you were accused of honoring the Holy Spirit, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”
[This is a shortened review- the full review can be found HERE]
Lots to glean from these pages as is typical of Packer’s books! Definitely one that would benefit from multiple readings if you can.
Unfortunately, I think that this book may not be as accessible as some of his others like Knowing God. I think many that begin to read might not stick with it. It’s definitely one you can’t read distracted. Even when I was really focused there were parts that I had to reread a few times to grasp.
Hopefully this review can help those who wish to read it— offer some framework and highlight some of his main points you can filter the book through. I also think that a pastoral take and consideration of this book will differ from a lay person’s view because pastors have had to navigate congregations of members with different views that lay people may not even be aware of.
I was really interested in what he said about charismatic practices as I’ve been skeptical of a lot of things. Packer affirmed some of my caution but also offered insights that helped me to think about those things in a different way.
Even though he addresses some highly divisive things, I don’t think this book made him any enemies. He approaches each view in a balanced way, acknowledging the strengths and weaknesses or vulnerabilities of each.
I will also say here that the book is full of Bible references to support all that he says; I didn’t include all of them throughout my review but want readers to know that this is a book written from reading out of the Bible not into the Bible.
The book I read was a re-print of the 2005 revision. The original was written in 1984 as a response to the charismatic ‘tidal wave’ that came across in Britain in the 1960s. There became divisions about what the ‘main role’ of the Spirit was as different groups focused on different aspects of the Spirit’s work and how to understand things like the gifts of the Spirit and speaking in tongues.
Packer said that he wrote this book to do four things:
1) restate the Christ-centered news of the Holy Spirit’s new covenant ministry, to counter the spiritual Spirit-centered news that was spreading
2) reaffirm the biblical call to holiness, in the face of the distortions and neglect from which it had long suffered
3) assess the charismatic movement and its claims even-handedly
4) show that in any case the charismatic vision falls short of the fullness of revival according to the Scriptures, so that however grateful for this movement we may be we must look beyond it.
Part One
“What is the essence, heart, and core of the Spirit’s work today?”
Packer describes several camps of thought, however subtle, that emphasize different aspects of the Spirit’s work. He first shows how these are all founded on a biblical basis of truth and all have importance in terms of how we look at the Spirit, but when we overfocus or take them beyond where they were meant to go it can turn into bad theology.
Power: “giving the ability to do what you know you ought to do and indeed want to do, but feel that you lack the strength for” [Keswick teaching falls here]
the critique: “To start with, it blurs the distinction between manipulating divine power at one’s own will (which is magic) and experiencing it as one obeys God’s will (which is religion).”
Performance: “exercising spiritual gifts… preaching, teaching, prophecy, tongues, healing”
the critique: “any mindset which treats the Spirit’s gifts (ability and willingness to run around and do things) as more important than his fruit (Christlike character in personal life) is spiritually wrongheaded and needs correcting.”
Purification: “cleansing his children from sin’s defilement and pollution by enabling them to resist temptation and do what is right.”
the critique: “Their tendency is to grow legalistic, making tight rules for themselves and others about abstaining from things indifferent, imposing rigid and restrictive behavior patterns as bulwarks against worldliness and attaching great importance to observing these man-made taboos.”
Presentation: “making us aware of things” [Bishop J.V. Taylor]
the critique: “it takes more to constitute real, valid saving knowledge of Jesus than simply being able to mouth his name… knowledge of Christ must be measured, among other texts, by how much of the New Testament teaching about Christ is or is not embraced.”
So while none of these are entirely wrong, imbalances in our thinking creates what he calls a “smudgy” understanding about the Spirit and can thus stifle His ability to work in our lives.
Packer offers a way of looking at the Spirit’s work in a more unified way. He calls it: Presence.
“The distinctive, constant, basic ministry of the Holy Spirit under the new covenant is so to mediate Christ’s presence to believers— that is, to give them such knowledge of his presence with them as their Savior, Lord, and God.”
Then it would follow that we would grow in fellowship with Jesus, be transformed to look more like Christ, and have assurance that we are loved, redeemed, and adopted into his family, encompassing all the other focuses listed above.
Another way to look at it is this:
“It is as if the Spirit stands behind us, throwing light over our shoulder, on Jesus, who stands facing us… The Spirit, we might say, is the matchmaker, the celestial marriage broker, whose role it is to bring us and Christ together and ensure that we stay together.”
Part Two
There are four chapters called ‘Mapping the Spirit’s Path’ that talk about holiness and the charismatic life.
“The pursuit of holiness is… a vital element in Christian mission strategy today. The world’s greatest need is the personal holiness of Christian people.”
He defines holiness as:
“Holiness is in essence obeying God, living to God and for God, imitating God, keeping his law, taking his side against sin, doing righteousness, performing good works, following Christ’s teaching and example, worshiping God in the Spirit, loving and serving God and men out of reverence for Christ.”
He critiques evangelicals for making holiness secondary. Saying we’ve become too busy in activism with little regard for our ‘inner lives’ just like the Pharisees.
He then goes through the principles of holiness (i.e. the nature, the context, the root, the agent, experience, rule, and heart of holiness)
One of the things he talks about that stuck out to me in this part was in regards to repentance: “Repentance means turning from as much as you know of your sin to give as much as you know of yourself to as much as you know of your God, and as our knowledge grows at these three points so our practice of repentance has to be enlarged.”
I also liked how he said that one of the ways by which the Spirit works in our lives is through helping us form holy habits. This is the counter to the ‘let go and let God’ approach and recognizes that the Spirit works through naturally formed habits and it doesn’t always (or usually) have to be a supernatural ‘spiritual experience’ to see the Spirit working.
He spends a chapter here discussing three views of holiness concerning the question- How do we achieve holiness?
I’ll try to make this part brief; it’s obviously more detailed in the book.
The Augustinian view, held by Lutheran and Reformed teachers (Calvin, Owen, Ryle), is based on the principle “that God out of grace (meaning, free, unmerited love to us sinners) and by grace (meaning the Spirit active in our personal lives) must and does work in us all that we ever achieve of the faith, hope, love, worship, and obedience that he requires… God gives what he commands.”
This view emphasizes humility in that we know we are sinful and cannot do anything good on our own, activity in that we must be zealous for good works doing all we can, and change in that we should expect to see transformation even as we acknowledge the daily struggle and failures.
It could be summarized by Phil. 2:12-13 which says- “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
The Wesleyan Perfectionism view holds that there is a second work of grace, post-conversion, in which “all sinful motivation is rooted out of a Christian’s heart.” and comes from teachings of John Wesley— also held by John Fletcher, William Booth, and Oswald Chambers— that actually may have been misinterpreted because of Wesley’s use of the word ‘perfection’. Packer thinks the term ‘total love’ would make more sense for this belief.
This view focuses on love of God and love for others as evidence of this second act of grace where we no longer desire to sin because we are so overcome by the love of God towards us; any sin you commit going forward would be involuntary because you would no longer voluntarily sin because of how much you love God. However, there is no biblical grounds to be confident that God would bestow that kind of transformation this side of heaven, indeed, our own reality and experiences shows us that sin is always creeping at the door. This view also creates uncertainty for Christians who can never seem to be ‘perfect.’
The Keswick teaching is similar to Wesleyan Perfectionism in that they both uphold a belief about attaining sinlessness on Earth. However, Keswick teaching denies human ability to do it. In this view it’s about ‘letting go and letting God’, trusting and having faith that God will keep you from sin. You still remove voluntary sin from your life but through a passive yielding to the Spirit to attain it.
One of the critiques of this view is their use of Paul’s words on ‘surrender.’ [Rom 6:13; 12:1] Packer says surrender here “is not meaning we lapse into inaction but rather that we should report for duty and set no limits to what Christ by his spirit through his Word may direct us to do.” We are not called to be passive, waiting for the Holy Spirit to pop up and change us, but that we are to “resolutely labor by prayer and effort to obey the law of Christ and mortify sin.”
Packer acknowledges that the draw for the Wesleyan and Keswick views is that these views attempt to encourage real hearts that struggle with the ongoing battle of sin and our desire to be free from it and victorious over it. Yet, the reality is that sin still dwells in our hearts and the sanctification process requires an ongoing battle, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to continue to resist temptation and to obey Christ’s teachings, until our promised glorification after this life.
Some might argue that they’ve seen or experienced lives changed by the Wesleyan or Keswick teaching and so doesn’t that mean something? Packer replies that 1) many might not actually get the complete teaching of that particular view but just an understanding of faith in Jesus and his power working in our lives and that 2) “God is very gracious and truly gives himself to all who truly seek him, never mind whether their theology is good or not so good.”
So then does any of this “justify the inaccuracies” of the teachings?
He says: “No. It is not much of a recommendation when all you can say is that this teaching may help you if you do not take its details too seriously… [and] if you do take its details seriously, it will tend not to help you but to destroy you.”
The details of our theology matter. He likens it to car parts being recalled for being faulty. Sure you may be able to drive, but would you want to be driving around in a car with a defective part? Pastorally, defective theology needs to be recalled and corrected.
Charismatic practices/beliefs can often be divisive in churches. What spiritual gifts should we expect to see today? Can/should people speak in tongues? What should worship look like? What should conversion feel like? What should we think about charismatic prophesying?
These are the questions Packer delves into and I can’t go into it all here— especially the speaking in tongues and prophesying parts as I believe his arguments are probably best read within the context of his entire book in detail.
While Packer does have some critiques of the charismatic movement, he spends time listing twelve positive aspects of it including Christ-centeredness, joyfulness, prayerfulness, communal living, and generous giving.
“No type of Christian spirituality is free from dangers, weaknesses, and threats to maturity arising from its very strengths, and it is not as if Christian maturity were overwhelmingly visible in non charismatic circles today.”
He challenges non-charismatic churches to learn from charismatics by being more exuberant and joyful in their worship, not to be passive and relying on their pastors to ‘do everything’ but to be active and fervent in prayer, using our gifts to serve, and being more open to the power of the Spirit at work in their lives. To seek to encourage congregation members to find a role to play in the church instead of being a consumer.
He admonishes any church that feels vindicated that they don’t have the ‘Corinthian’ problem and I agree that a lot of churches should be less orderly if it means the Spirit has risen them up!
“If our reaction as readers is merely to preen ourselves and feel glad because our churches are free from Corinthian disorders, we are fools indeed. The Corinthian disorders were due to an uncontrolled overflow of Holy Spirit life. Many churches today are orderly simply because they are asleep, and with some one fears that it is the sleep of death. It is no great thing to have order in a cemetery!”
He challenges charismatic churches to be more committed to seeking solid theology and a biblical basis for all that they do, to focus less on performance which often creates group pressure to conform in physical and emotional experience, and to be less focused on man-centered or supernatural experiences and more open to God working in the natural.
As for the gifts of tongues, prophesying, and healing, Packer provides biblical arguments for how what is practiced today cannot be convincingly viewed as a ‘restoration’ of what was practiced in Scripture by the apostles. However, he doesn’t necessarily condemn their practice.
For example, of glossolalia (tongues), he says:
“It is often urged that since God’s goal is full integration of the individual under fully self-conscious, rational control, the overall pattern of ongoing sanctification must involve steady recovery of such control as we move deeper into what Scripture calls sincerity simplicity, and single mindedness (Phil 3:13, 2 Cor 11:3, James 1:7-8) In that case, there can be no place for glossolalia, in which rational control of the vocal chords is given up BUT … it does not seem inconceivable that the Spirit might prompt this relaxation of rational control at surface level in order to strengthen control at a deeper level… In this way glossolalia could be a good gift of God for some people at least, on the basis that anything that helps you to concentrate on God, practice his presence, and open yourself to his influence is a good gift.”
You can find his nine conclusions for these things on pg 269-276 (end of Chapter 6).
Generally speaking, Packer applies both a credal and a moral test for the charismatic movement and finds the best practicers of this movement to be aligned with a right theology of the Incarnate Son (credal) and to have a desire to obey God’s commands, avoid sin, and love others (moral).
He reminds us that you don’t have to have perfect theology to experience God in a real way. That is true. Yet, we should be applying these two tests to anything we encounter because not all charismatic churches or experiences fall under ‘best practices.’ We should always be checking beliefs and practices against Scripture in any church we attend and make sure to give God’s Word supremacy over experience because He is our authority in his revealed Word.
Recommendation
I know there was a lot in this review, but I hope it inspires you to give the book a chance. Read it in a group if it will help to put several minds together to grasp what’s going on (I made my dad book club this book with me and it helped a lot!).
It’s true that the inner life is neglected and we’ve been running around with an improper theology of holiness and sinlessness. These things are worth thinking about. We don’t want a smudgy view of Christ or his Spirit, do we?
Packer admonishes that we can’t just say, “Let’s be different!” because “that’s a principle of reaction, and reaction rarely works righteousness.” That’s where the pendulum starts swinging. We need to be thoughtful about what we’re doing and where we’re going, aligning with God’s Word and command.
Let Packer bring some clarity for you. Let him also challenge your church- charismatic or not- to consider how your practices do or do not honor the Spirit. Whether you need to seek more solid theology or to worship with more emotion and heart, be open to the Holy Spirit at work in your life.
Book Review Blog
[This is a shortened review- the full review can be found HERE]
Lots to glean from these pages as is typical of Packer’s books! Definitely one that would benefit from multiple readings if you can.
Unfortunately, I think that this book may not be as accessible as some of his others like Knowing God. I think many that begin to read might not stick with it. It’s definitely one you can’t read distracted. Even when I was really focused there were parts that I had to reread a few times to grasp.
Hopefully this review can help those who wish to read it— offer some framework and highlight some of his main points you can filter the book through. I also think that a pastoral take and consideration of this book will differ from a lay person’s view because pastors have had to navigate congregations of members with different views that lay people may not even be aware of.
I was really interested in what he said about charismatic practices as I’ve been skeptical of a lot of things. Packer affirmed some of my caution but also offered insights that helped me to think about those things in a different way.
Even though he addresses some highly divisive things, I don’t think this book made him any enemies. He approaches each view in a balanced way, acknowledging the strengths and weaknesses or vulnerabilities of each.
I will also say here that the book is full of Bible references to support all that he says; I didn’t include all of them throughout my review but want readers to know that this is a book written from reading out of the Bible not into the Bible.
The book I read was a re-print of the 2005 revision. The original was written in 1984 as a response to the charismatic ‘tidal wave’ that came across in Britain in the 1960s. There became divisions about what the ‘main role’ of the Spirit was as different groups focused on different aspects of the Spirit’s work and how to understand things like the gifts of the Spirit and speaking in tongues.
Packer said that he wrote this book to do four things:
1) restate the Christ-centered news of the Holy Spirit’s new covenant ministry, to counter the spiritual Spirit-centered news that was spreading
2) reaffirm the biblical call to holiness, in the face of the distortions and neglect from which it had long suffered
3) assess the charismatic movement and its claims even-handedly
4) show that in any case the charismatic vision falls short of the fullness of revival according to the Scriptures, so that however grateful for this movement we may be we must look beyond it.
Part One
“What is the essence, heart, and core of the Spirit’s work today?”
Packer describes several camps of thought, however subtle, that emphasize different aspects of the Spirit’s work. He first shows how these are all founded on a biblical basis of truth and all have importance in terms of how we look at the Spirit, but when we overfocus or take them beyond where they were meant to go it can turn into bad theology.
Power: “giving the ability to do what you know you ought to do and indeed want to do, but feel that you lack the strength for” [Keswick teaching falls here]
the critique: “To start with, it blurs the distinction between manipulating divine power at one’s own will (which is magic) and experiencing it as one obeys God’s will (which is religion).”
Performance: “exercising spiritual gifts… preaching, teaching, prophecy, tongues, healing”
the critique: “any mindset which treats the Spirit’s gifts (ability and willingness to run around and do things) as more important than his fruit (Christlike character in personal life) is spiritually wrongheaded and needs correcting.”
Purification: “cleansing his children from sin’s defilement and pollution by enabling them to resist temptation and do what is right.”
the critique: “Their tendency is to grow legalistic, making tight rules for themselves and others about abstaining from things indifferent, imposing rigid and restrictive behavior patterns as bulwarks against worldliness and attaching great importance to observing these man-made taboos.”
Presentation: “making us aware of things” [Bishop J.V. Taylor]
the critique: “it takes more to constitute real, valid saving knowledge of Jesus than simply being able to mouth his name… knowledge of Christ must be measured, among other texts, by how much of the New Testament teaching about Christ is or is not embraced.”
So while none of these are entirely wrong, imbalances in our thinking creates what he calls a “smudgy” understanding about the Spirit and can thus stifle His ability to work in our lives.
Packer offers a way of looking at the Spirit’s work in a more unified way. He calls it: Presence.
“The distinctive, constant, basic ministry of the Holy Spirit under the new covenant is so to mediate Christ’s presence to believers— that is, to give them such knowledge of his presence with them as their Savior, Lord, and God.”
Then it would follow that we would grow in fellowship with Jesus, be transformed to look more like Christ, and have assurance that we are loved, redeemed, and adopted into his family, encompassing all the other focuses listed above.
Another way to look at it is this:
“It is as if the Spirit stands behind us, throwing light over our shoulder, on Jesus, who stands facing us… The Spirit, we might say, is the matchmaker, the celestial marriage broker, whose role it is to bring us and Christ together and ensure that we stay together.”
Part Two
There are four chapters called ‘Mapping the Spirit’s Path’ that talk about holiness and the charismatic life.
“The pursuit of holiness is… a vital element in Christian mission strategy today. The world’s greatest need is the personal holiness of Christian people.”
He defines holiness as:
“Holiness is in essence obeying God, living to God and for God, imitating God, keeping his law, taking his side against sin, doing righteousness, performing good works, following Christ’s teaching and example, worshiping God in the Spirit, loving and serving God and men out of reverence for Christ.”
He critiques evangelicals for making holiness secondary. Saying we’ve become too busy in activism with little regard for our ‘inner lives’ just like the Pharisees.
He then goes through the principles of holiness (i.e. the nature, the context, the root, the agent, experience, rule, and heart of holiness)
One of the things he talks about that stuck out to me in this part was in regards to repentance: “Repentance means turning from as much as you know of your sin to give as much as you know of yourself to as much as you know of your God, and as our knowledge grows at these three points so our practice of repentance has to be enlarged.”
I also liked how he said that one of the ways by which the Spirit works in our lives is through helping us form holy habits. This is the counter to the ‘let go and let God’ approach and recognizes that the Spirit works through naturally formed habits and it doesn’t always (or usually) have to be a supernatural ‘spiritual experience’ to see the Spirit working.
He spends a chapter here discussing three views of holiness concerning the question- How do we achieve holiness?
I’ll try to make this part brief; it’s obviously more detailed in the book.
The Augustinian view, held by Lutheran and Reformed teachers (Calvin, Owen, Ryle), is based on the principle “that God out of grace (meaning, free, unmerited love to us sinners) and by grace (meaning the Spirit active in our personal lives) must and does work in us all that we ever achieve of the faith, hope, love, worship, and obedience that he requires… God gives what he commands.”
This view emphasizes humility in that we know we are sinful and cannot do anything good on our own, activity in that we must be zealous for good works doing all we can, and change in that we should expect to see transformation even as we acknowledge the daily struggle and failures.
It could be summarized by Phil. 2:12-13 which says- “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
The Wesleyan Perfectionism view holds that there is a second work of grace, post-conversion, in which “all sinful motivation is rooted out of a Christian’s heart.” and comes from teachings of John Wesley— also held by John Fletcher, William Booth, and Oswald Chambers— that actually may have been misinterpreted because of Wesley’s use of the word ‘perfection’. Packer thinks the term ‘total love’ would make more sense for this belief.
This view focuses on love of God and love for others as evidence of this second act of grace where we no longer desire to sin because we are so overcome by the love of God towards us; any sin you commit going forward would be involuntary because you would no longer voluntarily sin because of how much you love God. However, there is no biblical grounds to be confident that God would bestow that kind of transformation this side of heaven, indeed, our own reality and experiences shows us that sin is always creeping at the door. This view also creates uncertainty for Christians who can never seem to be ‘perfect.’
The Keswick teaching is similar to Wesleyan Perfectionism in that they both uphold a belief about attaining sinlessness on Earth. However, Keswick teaching denies human ability to do it. In this view it’s about ‘letting go and letting God’, trusting and having faith that God will keep you from sin. You still remove voluntary sin from your life but through a passive yielding to the Spirit to attain it.
One of the critiques of this view is their use of Paul’s words on ‘surrender.’ [Rom 6:13; 12:1] Packer says surrender here “is not meaning we lapse into inaction but rather that we should report for duty and set no limits to what Christ by his spirit through his Word may direct us to do.” We are not called to be passive, waiting for the Holy Spirit to pop up and change us, but that we are to “resolutely labor by prayer and effort to obey the law of Christ and mortify sin.”
Packer acknowledges that the draw for the Wesleyan and Keswick views is that these views attempt to encourage real hearts that struggle with the ongoing battle of sin and our desire to be free from it and victorious over it. Yet, the reality is that sin still dwells in our hearts and the sanctification process requires an ongoing battle, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to continue to resist temptation and to obey Christ’s teachings, until our promised glorification after this life.
Some might argue that they’ve seen or experienced lives changed by the Wesleyan or Keswick teaching and so doesn’t that mean something? Packer replies that 1) many might not actually get the complete teaching of that particular view but just an understanding of faith in Jesus and his power working in our lives and that 2) “God is very gracious and truly gives himself to all who truly seek him, never mind whether their theology is good or not so good.”
So then does any of this “justify the inaccuracies” of the teachings?
He says: “No. It is not much of a recommendation when all you can say is that this teaching may help you if you do not take its details too seriously… [and] if you do take its details seriously, it will tend not to help you but to destroy you.”
The details of our theology matter. He likens it to car parts being recalled for being faulty. Sure you may be able to drive, but would you want to be driving around in a car with a defective part? Pastorally, defective theology needs to be recalled and corrected.
Charismatic practices/beliefs can often be divisive in churches. What spiritual gifts should we expect to see today? Can/should people speak in tongues? What should worship look like? What should conversion feel like? What should we think about charismatic prophesying?
These are the questions Packer delves into and I can’t go into it all here— especially the speaking in tongues and prophesying parts as I believe his arguments are probably best read within the context of his entire book in detail.
While Packer does have some critiques of the charismatic movement, he spends time listing twelve positive aspects of it including Christ-centeredness, joyfulness, prayerfulness, communal living, and generous giving.
“No type of Christian spirituality is free from dangers, weaknesses, and threats to maturity arising from its very strengths, and it is not as if Christian maturity were overwhelmingly visible in non charismatic circles today.”
He challenges non-charismatic churches to learn from charismatics by being more exuberant and joyful in their worship, not to be passive and relying on their pastors to ‘do everything’ but to be active and fervent in prayer, using our gifts to serve, and being more open to the power of the Spirit at work in their lives. To seek to encourage congregation members to find a role to play in the church instead of being a consumer.
He admonishes any church that feels vindicated that they don’t have the ‘Corinthian’ problem and I agree that a lot of churches should be less orderly if it means the Spirit has risen them up!
“If our reaction as readers is merely to preen ourselves and feel glad because our churches are free from Corinthian disorders, we are fools indeed. The Corinthian disorders were due to an uncontrolled overflow of Holy Spirit life. Many churches today are orderly simply because they are asleep, and with some one fears that it is the sleep of death. It is no great thing to have order in a cemetery!”
He challenges charismatic churches to be more committed to seeking solid theology and a biblical basis for all that they do, to focus less on performance which often creates group pressure to conform in physical and emotional experience, and to be less focused on man-centered or supernatural experiences and more open to God working in the natural.
As for the gifts of tongues, prophesying, and healing, Packer provides biblical arguments for how what is practiced today cannot be convincingly viewed as a ‘restoration’ of what was practiced in Scripture by the apostles. However, he doesn’t necessarily condemn their practice.
For example, of glossolalia (tongues), he says:
“It is often urged that since God’s goal is full integration of the individual under fully self-conscious, rational control, the overall pattern of ongoing sanctification must involve steady recovery of such control as we move deeper into what Scripture calls sincerity simplicity, and single mindedness (Phil 3:13, 2 Cor 11:3, James 1:7-8) In that case, there can be no place for glossolalia, in which rational control of the vocal chords is given up BUT … it does not seem inconceivable that the Spirit might prompt this relaxation of rational control at surface level in order to strengthen control at a deeper level… In this way glossolalia could be a good gift of God for some people at least, on the basis that anything that helps you to concentrate on God, practice his presence, and open yourself to his influence is a good gift.”
You can find his nine conclusions for these things on pg 269-276 (end of Chapter 6).
Generally speaking, Packer applies both a credal and a moral test for the charismatic movement and finds the best practicers of this movement to be aligned with a right theology of the Incarnate Son (credal) and to have a desire to obey God’s commands, avoid sin, and love others (moral).
He reminds us that you don’t have to have perfect theology to experience God in a real way. That is true. Yet, we should be applying these two tests to anything we encounter because not all charismatic churches or experiences fall under ‘best practices.’ We should always be checking beliefs and practices against Scripture in any church we attend and make sure to give God’s Word supremacy over experience because He is our authority in his revealed Word.
“In evaluating charismatic phenomena, it needs to be remembered that group beliefs shape group expectations, and group expectations shape individual experiences. A group with its own teachers and literature can mold the thoughts and experiences of its members to a startling degree. Specifically, when it is believed that an enhanced sense of God and his love to you in Christ and his enabling power, accompanied by tongues, on the model of the apostles’ experience in Acts 2, is the norm, this experiences will certainly be both sought and found. Nor will it necessarily be a delusive, Spiritless, self-generated experience just because certain incorrect notions are attached to it; God, as we keep seeing, is very merciful and blesses those who seek him even when their notions are not all true. But such an experience will then have to be tested as an expectation-shaped experience, and the expectations that shaped it will have to be tested separately, to see if they can be justified in terms of God’s revealed truth.”
Recommendation
I know there was a lot in this review, but I hope it inspires you to give the book a chance. Read it in a group if it will help to put several minds together to grasp what’s going on (I made my dad book club this book with me and it helped a lot!).
It’s true that the inner life is neglected and we’ve been running around with an improper theology of holiness and sinlessness. These things are worth thinking about. We don’t want a smudgy view of Christ or his Spirit, do we?
Packer admonishes that we can’t just say, “Let’s be different!” because “that’s a principle of reaction, and reaction rarely works righteousness.” That’s where the pendulum starts swinging. We need to be thoughtful about what we’re doing and where we’re going, aligning with God’s Word and command.
Let Packer bring some clarity for you. Let him also challenge your church- charismatic or not- to consider how your practices do or do not honor the Spirit. Whether you need to seek more solid theology or to worship with more emotion and heart, be open to the Holy Spirit at work in your life.
Book Review Blog
February 16, 2019
Excellent. Super helpful book on thinking through the role of the Holy Spirit in the Christian life. Sections on Augustianian vs. Wesleyan and Keswick understandings of sanctification were great. I buy into a little more of the charismatic movement than Packer (though not by much), but many of his critiques and questions were some of the most thoughtful and reflective that I've come across on this topic. I have no idea how it's taken me so long to get to this book. I definitely plan to return.
July 21, 2024
I really appreciated this theological exposition on the Holy Spirit and His ministry. First, I love J.I. Packer’s writing; he made intelligent and well-reasoned arguments, but with a subtle wit that leads me to believe he wasn’t a man who took himself too seriously or thought too highly of himself. He argued that the Holy Spirit’s central ministry is to point people to Christ. The Holy Spirit shines a spiritual floodlight on Christ, and to the sinner says, “Look upon Christ and be saved!” and to the Christian says, “Keep looking upon Christ, the Author and Perfecter of your faith!” He fosters assurance of our faith as we grow in knowledge of truth, and this in turn spurs us on to desire and pursue holiness. Packer spent a lot of time discussing the charismatic movement (as it was in the 1980s) in what I found to be a very balanced manner, being careful to celebrate its strengths while also strongly warning about its dangers. (My main disagreement with him was regarding his conclusion about glossolalia, i.e., “speaking in tongues” — but, as he himself said, on this issue each Christian will stand before his Master, not his fellow servants.) I was encouraged over and over again by Packer’s commitment to Scripture and his emphasis on the centrality of Christ — in Scripture, in the Christian’s life, and in the Holy Spirit’s ministry.
January 13, 2025
Packer handled theological disagreements with a level of fairness, honesty, and humility that I wasn't expecting. I appreciated his sense of honor for others, even if I didn't agree with his every conclusion. His love and devotion for God seeps through. His passion for God's Word both inspired and challenged me to hold it more closely to my heart, and to handle those I disagree with with care. This book was also extremely helpful for mapping certain theological structures, and seeing what other ones they've influenced. Well appreciated the read.
September 7, 2020
This is a great example of JI Packer at his best. Serious, thoughtful, incisive theology presented in not only a popular level, but warmly evangelical and deeply pastoral. You walk away both clear eyed theologically but also motivated for Christian living and a deeper desire to know the triune God of whom Packer writes, not just know about him. Highly recommended.
February 28, 2017
I found this to be a very helpful book. I read this book for the purpose of learning more about the nature of sanctification, and in this area Packer provided some excellent insights.
He also gave me some food for thought on the whole charismatic movement stuff. I don't agree with all he had to say, but it was a good counter balance to my assumptions about the "baptism in the Holy Spirit" and the sign gifts.
Here is some of the stuff I found helpful:
Certainly God sometimes works wonders of sudden deliverance from this or that weakness at conversion, just as he sometimes does at other times; but every Christian's life is a constant fight against the pressures and pulls of the world, the flesh, and the devil; and his battle for christlikeness (that is , habits of wisdom, devotion, love, and righteousness) is as grueling as it is unending.
Sin, which is in essence an irrational energy of rebellion against God - a lawless habit of self-willed arrogance, moral and spiritual, expressing itself in egoism of all sorts - is something that God hates in all its forms.
That is in fact the fittest language for the purpose, since the love of man and woman really is the closest analogy in creation to the relationship with himself that the heavenly Lover intended for us. Human love was, indeed, always meant to help lovers on into just that. In love experiences, both human and divine, one is intensely self-aware.
Holiness is consecrated closeness to God. Holiness is in essence obeying God, living to God and for God, imitating God, keeping his law, taking his side against sin, doing righteousness, performing good works, following Christ's teaching and example, worshiping God in the Spirit, loving and serving God and men out of reverence for Christ. In relation to God, holiness takes the form of a single-minded passion to please by love and loyalty, devotion and praise. In relation to sin, it takes the form of a resistance movement, a discipline of not gratifying the desires of the flesh, but of putting to death the deeds of the body.
Repentance means turning from as much as you know of your sin to give as much as you know of yourself to as much as you know of your God, and as our knowledge grows at these three points so our practice of repentance has to be enlarged.
The first is that the Spirit works through means - through the objective means of grace, namely, biblical truth, prayer, fellowship, worship, and the Lord's Supper, and with them through the subjective means of grace whereby we open ourselves to change, namely thinking, listening, questioning oneself, examining oneself, admonishing oneself, sharing what is in one's heart with others, an weighing any response they make. The Spirit shows his power in us, not by constantly interrupting our use of these means with visions, impressions, or prophecies, which serve up tous ready-made insights on a plate, so to speak (such communications come only rarely, and to some believers not at all), but rather by making these regular means effective to change us fro the betrter and for the wiser as we go along. Holiness teaching tha skips over disciplined persistence in the well-doing that forms holy habits is thus weak; habit forming is the Spirit's ordinary way of leading us on in holiness. The fruit of the Spirt itself is, from one standpoint, a series of habits of action and reaction: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control are all of them habitual dispositions, that is, accustomed ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Habits are all-important in holy life, particularly those biblically prescribed habits that we find it difficult and even painful to form.
Holiness by habit forming is not self-sanctification by self-effort, but is simply a matter of understanding the Spirit's method and then keeping in step with him.
Legalism means two things: first, supposing that all the law's requirements can be spelled out in a code of standard practice for all situations, a code which says nothing about the motives, purpose, and spirit of the person acting; second, supposing that formal observance of the code operates in some way as a system of salvation by which we earn our passage to glory or at least gain a degree of divine favor that we would not otherwise enjoy.
Twice Paul speaks of being "led" by the Spirit (Rom. 8:14; Gal. 5:18). Both times the reference is to resisting one's own sinful impulses as the flip side of one's practice of righteousness (see the contexts, Rom. 8:12-14 and Gal. 5:16-18). Leads is rightly taken to mean "guides", but the guidance in view here is not a revealing to mind of divine direction hitherto unknown; it is, rather, an impelling of our wills to pursue and practice and hold fast that sanctity whose terms we know already.
The activity Augustinian holiness teaching encourages is intense, as the careers of such prodigiously busy holy men as Augustine himself, Calvin, Whitefield, Spurgeon, and Kuyper show, but it is not in the least self-reliant in spirit. Instead, it follows this four-stage sequence. First, as one who wants to do all the good you can, you observe what tasks, opportunities, and responsibilities face you. Second, you pray for help in these, acknowledging that without Christ you can do nothing - nothing fruitful, that is (John 15:5). Third, you go to work with a good will and a high heart, expecting to be helped as you asked to be. Fourth, you thank God for help given, ask pardon for your own failures en route, and request more help for the next task. Augustinian holiness is hardworking holiness, based on endless repetitions of this sequence.
He also gave me some food for thought on the whole charismatic movement stuff. I don't agree with all he had to say, but it was a good counter balance to my assumptions about the "baptism in the Holy Spirit" and the sign gifts.
Here is some of the stuff I found helpful:
Certainly God sometimes works wonders of sudden deliverance from this or that weakness at conversion, just as he sometimes does at other times; but every Christian's life is a constant fight against the pressures and pulls of the world, the flesh, and the devil; and his battle for christlikeness (that is , habits of wisdom, devotion, love, and righteousness) is as grueling as it is unending.
Sin, which is in essence an irrational energy of rebellion against God - a lawless habit of self-willed arrogance, moral and spiritual, expressing itself in egoism of all sorts - is something that God hates in all its forms.
That is in fact the fittest language for the purpose, since the love of man and woman really is the closest analogy in creation to the relationship with himself that the heavenly Lover intended for us. Human love was, indeed, always meant to help lovers on into just that. In love experiences, both human and divine, one is intensely self-aware.
Holiness is consecrated closeness to God. Holiness is in essence obeying God, living to God and for God, imitating God, keeping his law, taking his side against sin, doing righteousness, performing good works, following Christ's teaching and example, worshiping God in the Spirit, loving and serving God and men out of reverence for Christ. In relation to God, holiness takes the form of a single-minded passion to please by love and loyalty, devotion and praise. In relation to sin, it takes the form of a resistance movement, a discipline of not gratifying the desires of the flesh, but of putting to death the deeds of the body.
Repentance means turning from as much as you know of your sin to give as much as you know of yourself to as much as you know of your God, and as our knowledge grows at these three points so our practice of repentance has to be enlarged.
The first is that the Spirit works through means - through the objective means of grace, namely, biblical truth, prayer, fellowship, worship, and the Lord's Supper, and with them through the subjective means of grace whereby we open ourselves to change, namely thinking, listening, questioning oneself, examining oneself, admonishing oneself, sharing what is in one's heart with others, an weighing any response they make. The Spirit shows his power in us, not by constantly interrupting our use of these means with visions, impressions, or prophecies, which serve up tous ready-made insights on a plate, so to speak (such communications come only rarely, and to some believers not at all), but rather by making these regular means effective to change us fro the betrter and for the wiser as we go along. Holiness teaching tha skips over disciplined persistence in the well-doing that forms holy habits is thus weak; habit forming is the Spirit's ordinary way of leading us on in holiness. The fruit of the Spirt itself is, from one standpoint, a series of habits of action and reaction: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control are all of them habitual dispositions, that is, accustomed ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Habits are all-important in holy life, particularly those biblically prescribed habits that we find it difficult and even painful to form.
Holiness by habit forming is not self-sanctification by self-effort, but is simply a matter of understanding the Spirit's method and then keeping in step with him.
Legalism means two things: first, supposing that all the law's requirements can be spelled out in a code of standard practice for all situations, a code which says nothing about the motives, purpose, and spirit of the person acting; second, supposing that formal observance of the code operates in some way as a system of salvation by which we earn our passage to glory or at least gain a degree of divine favor that we would not otherwise enjoy.
Twice Paul speaks of being "led" by the Spirit (Rom. 8:14; Gal. 5:18). Both times the reference is to resisting one's own sinful impulses as the flip side of one's practice of righteousness (see the contexts, Rom. 8:12-14 and Gal. 5:16-18). Leads is rightly taken to mean "guides", but the guidance in view here is not a revealing to mind of divine direction hitherto unknown; it is, rather, an impelling of our wills to pursue and practice and hold fast that sanctity whose terms we know already.
The activity Augustinian holiness teaching encourages is intense, as the careers of such prodigiously busy holy men as Augustine himself, Calvin, Whitefield, Spurgeon, and Kuyper show, but it is not in the least self-reliant in spirit. Instead, it follows this four-stage sequence. First, as one who wants to do all the good you can, you observe what tasks, opportunities, and responsibilities face you. Second, you pray for help in these, acknowledging that without Christ you can do nothing - nothing fruitful, that is (John 15:5). Third, you go to work with a good will and a high heart, expecting to be helped as you asked to be. Fourth, you thank God for help given, ask pardon for your own failures en route, and request more help for the next task. Augustinian holiness is hardworking holiness, based on endless repetitions of this sequence.
February 25, 2022
Maybe 5 stars. It is written from a particular historical moment, but once that is accepted the textual and theological work is master class. Really helpful and I will forever steal his imagery of the Holy Spirit’s spotlight ministry of illuminating Christ!
November 17, 2020
Extraordinary, inspirational, an actual tour of force, pneumatological, and so fresh...
January 29, 2024
The best exposition on the Holy Spirit I’ve read.
February 17, 2024
Probably the most helpful book I've read on the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. The point: the Person and work of the Holy Spirit is all centered on the Person and work of the Son - the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This was vividly portrayed through exposition of Christ's teachings (especially particular verses from John 13-17). The Spirit doesn't draw attention to Himself, but to the Son, and thus to the Father, and so the Spirit is glorified through glorifying the Father through glorifying the Son.
This truth helps me focus my meditations on the primary thing - the fountain of all blessings - Jesus Christ, His own presence, mediated by the Spirit - and not on secondary workings of the Holy Spirit (power, performance, presentation, and purity). This was my main takeaway (and Packer's main point) from the book.
As the book progressed, it honestly did get rather repetitive and I found myself skimming. I don't fault Packer for that, because honestly, we could use repetition with ideas this important.
This truth helps me focus my meditations on the primary thing - the fountain of all blessings - Jesus Christ, His own presence, mediated by the Spirit - and not on secondary workings of the Holy Spirit (power, performance, presentation, and purity). This was my main takeaway (and Packer's main point) from the book.
As the book progressed, it honestly did get rather repetitive and I found myself skimming. I don't fault Packer for that, because honestly, we could use repetition with ideas this important.
January 4, 2014
As Packer's work always proves to be, Keep in Step With the Spirit is an adeptly evaluated, warmly argued, and incredibly helpful book. Packer's insistence on centering all thoughts concerning the Spirit around the essence of His ministry (as displayed especially in chapters 14-16 of John's gospel) proved remarkably enlightening and served to tie together the various mental threads I had concerning the role of this third Person of the trinity in the New Testament era. Again and again, Packer brings the point home that "the essence of the Holy Spirit's ministry, at this or any time in the Christian era, is to mediate the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ" (49). This truth (summarized by Jesus in the phrase, "He will glorify Me" [Jn. 16:14]) becomes the touchstone for all of Packer's subsequent discussion surrounding the Spirit's path.
Along with bundles of carefully considered and crafted theology (with no lack of challenging and gospel-centered pastoral application), I learned much from simply observing how this godly thinker interacted with viewpoints at variance with his own. Early on, Packer acknowledges the reality that "because God is gracious, He...may deepen our life in the Spirit even when our ideas about this life are nonexistent or quite wrong, provided only that we are truly and wholeheartedly seeking His face and wanting to come closer to Him" (21). The way he sets about arguing his points throughout reflects his commitment to this reality, and his discussions of movements and groups that he clearly thinks are "quite wrong" are nevertheless recognized to contain much good and are dealt with graciously through and through. This is what "speaking the truth in love" looks like, it would seem to me.
This is all to say that I was much blessed by reading this book and would heartily recommend it to anyone who wants to experience more of the Holy Spirit's ministry.
Along with bundles of carefully considered and crafted theology (with no lack of challenging and gospel-centered pastoral application), I learned much from simply observing how this godly thinker interacted with viewpoints at variance with his own. Early on, Packer acknowledges the reality that "because God is gracious, He...may deepen our life in the Spirit even when our ideas about this life are nonexistent or quite wrong, provided only that we are truly and wholeheartedly seeking His face and wanting to come closer to Him" (21). The way he sets about arguing his points throughout reflects his commitment to this reality, and his discussions of movements and groups that he clearly thinks are "quite wrong" are nevertheless recognized to contain much good and are dealt with graciously through and through. This is what "speaking the truth in love" looks like, it would seem to me.
This is all to say that I was much blessed by reading this book and would heartily recommend it to anyone who wants to experience more of the Holy Spirit's ministry.
December 8, 2014
This is one of Packer's best books but also one of his most overlooked. Here he has a sane, thoroughly biblical, and charitable evaluation of the Pentecostal/charismatic (PCs) movement. While he doesn't buy into the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a second work of grace evidenced by speaking in tongues, he does find a way to include PCs within the Evangelical family and fellow laborers in the vineyard. Packer would be totally distanced from MacArthur's Strange Fire conference and his constant disparaging of PCs. Packer simply asserts that the PCs' experience and their explanation of their experience are two different things, and that others can validate their ecstatic worship without accepting the PC theology. I think this is level-headed. Packer has a history of inclusiveness within the Evangelical church family and does his best to give a "best interpretation" of others. Note Packer's efforts in the Evangelicals Catholics Together movement. It has cost him dearly with some of the NeoPuritans, such as RC Sproul. I support Packer in both attempts to keep the Evangelical circle as large as is possible within orthodox boundaries.
For those who seek a thoroughly biblical, practically sensible and generously orthodox handling of the person and work of the Holy Spirit, this is a must read book. I have constantly consulted it and on several occasions read it through to renew my grasp of its basic outlines.
For those who seek a thoroughly biblical, practically sensible and generously orthodox handling of the person and work of the Holy Spirit, this is a must read book. I have constantly consulted it and on several occasions read it through to renew my grasp of its basic outlines.
May 1, 2014
Clear, well-written, precise, honest, bold and even humorous in places. Packer is a tremendous writer, well organized and thought-provoking. The author pulls in scripture after scripture to illuminate not his own points, but rather the doctrines of scripture. I never get the sense that Packer is trying to bolster his own theory or doctrine, but rather that he is genuinely seeking to mine the doctrine directly from the scripture itself.
Packer describes John Wesley as "eclectic to his fingertips" and it seems to me that Packer is in one way the exact opposite and another the same: Packer draws on a staggering amount of material from other authors, but judges everything against what the scripture reveals.
Packer's honesty about his understanding of the scripture is refreshing; he questions what different scriptures might mean and whether people have interpreted them correctly. Where Packer makes an assertion he backs it up with clean scriptural evidence.
Packer describes John Wesley as "eclectic to his fingertips" and it seems to me that Packer is in one way the exact opposite and another the same: Packer draws on a staggering amount of material from other authors, but judges everything against what the scripture reveals.
Packer's honesty about his understanding of the scripture is refreshing; he questions what different scriptures might mean and whether people have interpreted them correctly. Where Packer makes an assertion he backs it up with clean scriptural evidence.
November 15, 2021
Good overview of the charismatic movement from a balanced author who don't take position on many issues at the cessationism, tongues .... But anyway he gives clues to answer the baptism of the Spirit understanding of charismatics. More than just speaking about the charisma debate, he shows us that the main new covenant ministry of the Spirit has to deal with Christ, christcenteredness is the clue ! He succeeds to gives both the strenghts and the weak points of Pentecotalism. Besides, he has a lot of insights on sanctification including biblical principles about it, the different versions of it (the augustinian, the wesleyan and Keswick one). He encourages us to live a pious life to the glory of God.
July 21, 2018
I love all Dr Jim Packer's writing anyway but this book is so very characteristic of him. Describing himself in the 2005 edition preface as a 'pietistic theologian and a theological pietist' sums up his approach. The book was originally written as a response to, and critique of the Charismatic Movement sweeping evangelical churches in the 70's and early 80's.
Jim Packer give a soundly balanced view of the movement but actually is more interested in discussing the vital role of the Holy Spirit in leading and pointing us to Christ and being a key instrument in our progressive sanctification.
Should be read by all who want to know the role of the Holy Spirit but also any who want to reflect on the necessity of holiness and Christlikeness in the Christian life.
Jim Packer give a soundly balanced view of the movement but actually is more interested in discussing the vital role of the Holy Spirit in leading and pointing us to Christ and being a key instrument in our progressive sanctification.
Should be read by all who want to know the role of the Holy Spirit but also any who want to reflect on the necessity of holiness and Christlikeness in the Christian life.
September 8, 2014
This was a good follow up to my reading of D.A. Carson's, Showing the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12-14). Packer is not quite as deep as Carson, but there is plenty of meat to chew on. His main theme is that the Spirit came to glorify Christ, but I'm not sure he sticks to this throughout. His discussion of sanctification seemed especially helpful. He spends much time on the charismatic movement, and seems more skeptical than Carson. He represents a variety of views in his writing and discusses history, strengths and weaknesses. A good supplement when studying the work of the Spirit in the life of the Christian and in His Church.
April 28, 2009
What a great book by Packer. It is considered a classic, however the 2nd edition makes it completely relevant to the church today. As I read this book, I realized I had based my view on the Holy Spirit mostly on experiences, not on biblical truth. Also, as he began to describe the different interpretations of the role of the Holy Spirit in a Christian, I found my understanding of the Holy Spirit beginning to solidify. Awesome read, very challenging, very honest and true to the Word of God.
June 30, 2011
The best single treatise on the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Packer gives an impassioned analysis of the work of the Holy Spirit, evaluated against the Scripture, and without taking a side in the polemical debate between the charismatic vs. the uncharismatic, the power-driven vs. the purity-driven, etc. A memorable analogy was comparing the work of the Holy Spirit to the light that shines on a building at night. If done right, you don't actually see the sources of the light but only the shone building. The building is the Christ, the light is the work of the Spirit.
October 23, 2014
This is a book I describe as being "dense". Certainly not a light read, I had to limit my reading to 3-4 pages at a time. There is a lot of material packed into the book. I found the style of writing to be erudite, but often it got in the way of a straightforward reading of the material.
I got a lot of good information out of the few couple of chapters, but then the book takes a left turn into the world of Charismatic and Pentecostal worship. I'm not sure how exactly this relates to the first half of the book, and I didn't follow his tieback at the end of the book.
I got a lot of good information out of the few couple of chapters, but then the book takes a left turn into the world of Charismatic and Pentecostal worship. I'm not sure how exactly this relates to the first half of the book, and I didn't follow his tieback at the end of the book.
August 8, 2017
Unparalleled depth. Only read the first 3 chapters which deal grapple with life in step with the Holy Spirit. Didn't venture into the following chapters because they deal with the charismatic debate and that is not why I ventured into this book. Packer's emphasis on holiness in the Christian life is a welcome reminder. His basic summary of New Testament teaching on the Trinity is breathtaking and challenging.
September 13, 2012
Classic J.I. Packer: readable, devotional, doxological. Keep In Step With The Spirit is an outstanding study of the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. Packer points to the Christ-centeredness of the Spirit's work and his ministry of sanctifying the people of God. There is also a helpful evaluation of the charismatic movement.
December 20, 2013
At 270+ pages, this is a big beast. It is sometimes hard to manage. But as a big beast, it also provides plenty of good meat to chew on. It's probably one of the most balanced, and Scripturally faithful, treatments of the person and work of the Holy Spirit in print. (It's certainly the most that I've ever read). So it's definitely worth seeking out and digesting (albeit in small doses).
May 27, 2009
Really great.
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