Customer Reviews

Keep in Step with the Spirit: Finding Fullness in Our Walk with God

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I was in the charismatic church back in the 80's. But, because of certain experiences I had while there, I began to have misgivings about the constant emphasis (not bad in itself but it left out many things it should not have) on the Holy Spirit and the way it was being taught. When I tried to speak with people (leadership) about my feelings I found that I started getting the cold shoulder treatment. I would have appreciated even an honest "I don't know". I was starting to think something might be wrong with me.

Then I ran across Packer's Keep In Step With the Spirit. I can't tell you how greatly this book helped me. It let me know there was nothing wrong with me and that I was not the first person to feel the way I did. Packer even related in the book how, because he was a bookworm (as I've always been) God threw him a lifeline in the form of a volume or two of the works of John Owen (Owen wrote about 18 or more books if I remember correctly) which helped free him from the mental shackles of Keswick teaching.

I am here to say that Keep In Step With the Spirit did the same for me with hyperventilating charismatic/pentecostal teaching on the Holy Spirit. I even bought and gave away a copy to anyone who let on that they were going through what I did. And I also went on to read a number of John Owen's books which helped me to totally remake my spiritual and theological outlook into something with a lot more substance to it than I ever had based solely on what I'd gotten from church.
Sad to say but it's the truth.

This book is more systematic than "Knowing God", but it cuts as deep. He addresses two major views of holiness: "Keswick Teaching" and Pentacostalism. He carefully shows the strengths and weaknesses of each movement. He then shows scripturally what is the correct view of the Holy Spirit work in our lives. Packer likes to call himself a "Packer of Theology" and this book takes careful reading. He often lists several scriptural references to make his point and then he is off to the next point. He carefully states his argument and tries to make sure the reader does take his point any further than it should go. The style seems dry at times, but when you read and meditate on what he is writing, the book is an incredible motivator to live in holiness.

Although this book is a harder read than either "Knowing God" or "Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God", the book is more challenging spiritually. Once again he uses the Puritan writers to good effect. Read and enjoy. Drink deeply of the scriptural truths detailed in the pages of this book.

This is a terrific book. If you are puzzled by the Holy Spirit, or by all the different slants in various Christian circles on his ministry, you will find this book enlightening.
Packer writes in a forthright, yet fair way. He does not seek to knock other views for the sake of it, but often shows how they have valuable insights, though they may be emphasising some things too greatly, or omitting other essentials.

His book is not only about the Holy Spirit, and also features important teaching on the trinity, holiness, Christian living and bible reading.

I think this book is every bit as good as Knowing God. I'm sorry that I have only just discovered it.

The new edition includes a 2005 "Preface to the Preface" and a short chapter on assurance, entitled "Heaven on Earth -a Pentecost Exposition." They are worth reading, but maybe not worth the cost of a new book if your copy is still in good nick.



Highly recommended.

This work is a classic, though a little known one. I'm so glad this has been updated and reprinted. It is simply the best and most balanced book on the Holy Spirit I've ever read. Packer's critique of the Charismatic movement is especially balanced and perceptive. And his writing on the role of the Spirit is deep, on target, yet easy to understand. I will pound the table and recommend this book for any serious Christian.

Mark Marshall
author, God Knows What It's Like to be a Teenager

My title says it all. Very in depth and thorough within the parameters of Scripture and sound God-centered theology. I also loved his critique of the modern day pentecostal and charismatic movements. He has much to say about them and provides fair and balanced pros and cons. For the most part he blesses them, however he has much reservation with regards to a lack of sound intellectual analysis of Scripture and experience. He wishes for their adherents to abandon their, although innocent and childlike, naivety and to become more mature in their theology.

On the other hand, he believes both movements are a supernatural work of God and it is about time the Church wakes up and abandons it's idolotrous institutionalism and formalism. They provide life to a dead religion, and if we can combine the dynamic life of the charismatics with sound biblical theology and practice it will not be long until revival comes.

One gripe though. He made some, in my opinion, rather favorable references to modern psychology, more specifically Freudeian and Jungian schools. This is the only drawback which kept me from giving it 5 stars.

I would suggest this along with Martin Lloyd Jone's - Baptism with the Holy Spirit for a well written account of the Spirit's ministry throughout church history.

I tend to hang out with like-minded Bible-believing evangelicals who tell me to watch out for those kooky charismatics. But while I love the study of Scripture and the pursuit of truth, I often think my own relationship with the Lord is dry and intellectual while simultaneously lacking in the life of the Spirit. Could the charismatics be on to something? In discussing this book with some (non-charismatic) pastors, this book was recommended to me. It was just what I needed to pull me out of this slump.

There are many ways I could imagine God using this book in the lives of those who know Him because this book answers a lot of theological questions and raises a number of practical challenges. For me personally, God has used this book (and the many Scriptures referenced) to help me crave holiness in my personal life, and pastorally it has helped me understand the strengths (and there are quite a few of those) and weaknesses of the charismatic movement and what exactly is going during those "second blessing" experiences. Packer has some very biblical and convincing answers to these questions. I have the book all marked up with notes and underlinings, and will keep it on my shelf for future reference. I just hope I can get back into it when the need arises, because it's fairly deep reading. You'll want to study it with your Bible open and your pen handy.

J. I. Packer is a great teacher, as any one who has read 'Knowing God' will have discovered. In this monograph, Packer seeks to unravel the confusion and bewilderment that have dogged the question of the Holy Spirit-particularly in the twentieth century. The work addresses such basics as what the Bible says about the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. He addresses each school of thought, from each of the main denominations and succeeds in providing the reader with a very well balanced and hence fair description of the different positions adopted by these various groups. He carefully highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each position based on his understanding of Scripture.
Packer is not afraid to tackle all the questions I could think of, from speaking in tongues to miraculous healing; from prophecy to guidance.
This work is not a casual read, it is a study in the Word of God. You will be rewarded as you discover the basic premise: the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Jesus Christ in each believers life and in the church.

I suppose there is no-one who is more understood within the Trinity then God the Spirit. It is quite natural for us to understand God the Father since we have earthly fathers (Hebrews 12:3-11) and we can identify with God made flesh in the Person of Jesus Christ (John 1:17-18) yet the Holy Spirit is often misunderstood or worst He is often ignored. Thankfully there are a few books out there that can help the disciple understand the indwelling Person of the Holy Spirit.

Dr. J.I. Packer's book, KEEP IN THE STEP WITH THE SPIRIT, is a classic reading from a Reformed view on the person and work of the Spirit. The book is an easy to read book on the person of the Spirit. The book, while theological by its very subject, is quite easy to understand. Each chapter deals with a unique ministry of the Spirit of God. Each chapter is based on Scripture which is a relief when it comes to books on the Spirit.

One final note about the book. I greatly appreciated Dr. Packer's chapter on "errors" concerning the work of the Spirit. Dr. Packer covers the ideas of Christian perfection, baptism in the Spirit, and other errors of the Spirit's work to show how these beliefs often lead to an unbalanced and sometimes an unbiblical view of the Holy Spirit. This chapter alone makes it worth the price to read.

Truly, a biblical understanding of the Holy Spirit is needed in our day. As we watch the advance of false religions such as Islam or other Eastern religions and as we see the corrision of the modern Church in the West, we need to go back to Acts 1:8 and see that it is the person and work of the Spirit of God that brings us power to be Jesus' witnesses in an age of death. KEEP IN STEP WITH THE SPIRIT is a book that does just that. Great reading!

After owning this book for years, I finally dug down and read it through in 4 days and finished recently.

The main point of the book is to clarify, among so many differing traditions of thought, what the real role of the Holy Spirit is in the Christian's life. The format is a point by point examination of different views of the Holy Spirit that have emerged over time, including Keswick, Pentecostal, charismatic, etc. He also takes time in the book to address a couple of "side" issues, such as the controversy over Romans 7.

His examinations are broken down into pros and cons for each tradition, ending with Packer's own (thoroughly biblical, I believe) thoughts as to the Holy Spirit's role in this world.

Is the Holy Spirit here to empower us? To give us special insight? To simply give us a general awareness? To be our direct line to heaven's guidance? Is baptism in the Holy Spirit a second event after salvation, or does it all come together? Must one speak in tongues upon receiving the Spirit? Packer addresses all of these questions very masterfully, and I think anyone would find his answers helpful.

I didn't find the book technical at all. You just have to take your time and make sure you're understanding what he's saying. Same as any book you read.

I recommend!

Dr. Packer's book is a superb treatment of the attributes and purpose of the Holy Spirit. He writes from the firm foundation of scripture. While treating the opinions of others with great dignity, he successfully discusses the fault of limiting one's understanding of the Holy Spirit to only a single attribute. He asserts that the Holy Spirit's purpose is not found in any single attribute whether that it is power, performance, purity, or presentation. Instead, the main purpose of the Holy Spirit served in following in His steps as He reveals Jesus as the Christ.

An excellent work!