The Mystery of the Holy Spirit [Paperback]

R. C. Sproul (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 21, 1994

Drawing on the witness of Scripture and the testimony of the church's greatest thinkers, Sproul looks at God the Holy Spirit and his roles. This second volume in his trilogy on the Trinity covers this perplexing doctrine as well as the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. R. C. Sproul is chairman and president of Ligonier Ministries, an organization that provides biblical and theological training for laypeople. He is the Minister of Preaching and Teaching at Saint Andrews Chapel in Sanford, Florida and has served as a professor at Reformed Theological Seminary, Knox Seminary, Westminster Seminary California, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. The author of many books on the Bible and Christian doctrine, including the award-winning The Holiness of God, he also hosts the international radio program "Renewing Your Mind," heard in over 120 countries.

Product Details

• Paperback: 191 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (September 21, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0842343784
• ISBN-13: 978-0842343787
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,125,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. R.C. Sproul is the founder, chairman and president of Ligonier Ministries, an international Christian education ministry located near Orlando, Florida. His teaching can be heard on the program Renewing Your Mind, which is broadcast on hundreds of radio outlets in the United States and in 40 countries worldwide. He is the executive editor of Tabletalk magazine and general editor of The Reformation Study Bible, and the author of more than seventy books and scores of articles for national evangelical publications. Dr. Sproul also serves as president of Ligonier Academy of Biblical and Theological Studies and Reformation Bible College. He currently serves as senior minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's in Sanford, FL.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ignorance dismissed..., January 10, 2003

By 

Daniel W (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mystery of the Holy Spirit (Paperback)

I read this book because I felt totally ignorant of the Holy Spirit. I know of the Holy Spirit's power and influence in today's world, but I couldn't say I understood it. I have read chapters on it from Systematic Theology books by Erickson and Grudem, but those books hardly touched on the subject. They both left so many questions unanswered. So here comes this little book, barely less than 200 pages in length and I give it a try. The very first chapter addressed my ignorance of it... saying that the Holy Spirit is part of the triune God, but we know nothing of it. We study Jesus the Son and God the Father, but our knowledge of the Holy Spirit is pititful in comparison. RC Sproul is dead on. The book goes head on in explaining the Spirit's role in the trinity, and logically explains how the trinity can exist. He goes into an entire chapter about the sentence "Three in person, one in being" with an emphasis on the Holy Spirit's role. Sproul addresses the trinity in his other books, but it was interesting to see it from this perspective.

But my favorite chapter in this book is his analysis of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, aka the second baptism, which implies two tiers of Christians. I have personally been exposed to this phenomena, and have seen it positively affect people and negatively destroy people... so I felt very uncertain when discussions came about on this matter. This chapter completely answered my questions and went further. Epiphanies upon epiphanies rained down. I love Sproul because he DOES take a stance and doesn't cower upon these issues, but gives his opinions on his stance. And his explanations are always Biblically thought out. His Biblical analysis isn't just throwing in some verses and letting the verses explain for themselves. I read so many Christian books today where the author just throws in some verses and does hardly any analysis of it, and in doing so, endangers the purpose of the verse by isolating it and taking it out of context. I'll end it here b/c you'll do much better by reading this enlightening book.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction to the person and work of the Holy Spirit, August 28, 2007

By 

The Actor (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mystery of the Holy Spirit (Paperback)

The rise of Pentecostalism and the charismatic movement has brought the doctrine of the Holy Spirit into the forefront of Christian thought. I strongly disagree with the charismatic movement, but I think that this has been one of its more positive effects. This new attention has been a very good thing; I think the doctrine of the Holy Spirit has historically been genuinely neglected throughout church history. Unfortunately, many of the treatments of the Holy Spirit, especially those coming from the Pentecostal and charismatic traditions (please note that I do have many charismatic friends and respect them a great deal; I consider many of them to be excellent Christians, probably better than myself, so this isn't meant as a slam against anyone), has lead to a great deal of confusion about the work of the Holy Spirit.

R. C. Sproul has written a wonderful book on the topic that helps clarify the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Although you won't find a resolution of the controversies over the spiritual gifts here (he has a very helpful discussion of the baptism of the Holy Spirit though), you will find an excellent treatment of the Holy Spirit that clears up many common misconceptions about Him and covers the most important things about His nature and purpose.

He also has some excellent discussions of the Trinity, which is a topic that confuses many people; with the rise of Islam, understanding how to explain and defend the doctrine of the Trinity will become more and more important, and this book will help you do that. This topic is important both in terms of theology and apologetics and has immense importance for the Christian life and evangelism. He addresses common misconceptions about that too, such as the idea that the Trinity is self-contradictory and incoherent; this will help you both in your personal life and in witnessing to Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, and others.

If you've always been confused about issues like the Trinity, baptism and indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Who the Holy Spirit is and what He does, the fruit of the Spirit, or many more topics related to the Trinity, this is the book for you. This book is concise and clearly written in language that the layman can understand. He does a good job avoiding being too technical or using too much jargon, so don't assume that you won't be able to understand it, even if you don't have much training in theology.

This book is a superb introduction that I would recommend to new believers and older ones alike.

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mystery Of The Holy Spirit By RC Sproul, March 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mystery of the Holy Spirit (Paperback)

This book is for every believer who wants to know more about God's Spirit. Sproul shows how the Holy Spirit was present in creation to being active in our prayers. A bit heady at times but you can get through it. This book is a must for the time we live in where counterfeits are masquerading blessings as The Holy Spirit's work.