Keep in Step with the Spirit (J. I. Packer)

Description

“If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” —Galatians 5:25

Many Christians throughout the years have struggled to understand the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Seeing the potential for learning—as well as for confusion—theologian J. I. Packer wrote this comprehensive guide celebrating an often-misunderstood person of the Trinity. In Keep in Step with the Spirit, he explains how the Holy Spirit acted powerfully throughout creation and history, and continues to move in the lives of believers today, influencing our sanctification, spiritual gifts, and witness. Packer shares examples of the Spirit in the Old and New Testaments, and thoughtfully analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of charismatic theology.

This updated, expanded edition includes an additional essay from Packer on Paul’s words in Romans, which emphasize the certainty of hope imparted to believers through the Holy Spirit.

Table of Contents

A Preface to the Preface (2005)

Preface (1984)

Getting the Spirit in Focus

The Holy Spirit in the Bible

Mapping the Spirit’s Path: The Way of Holiness

Mapping the Spirit’s Path: Versions of Holiness

Mapping the Spirit’s Path: The Charismatic Life

Mapping the Spirit’s Path: Interpreting the Charismatic Life

Come, Holy Spirit

Heaven on Earth: A Pentecost Exposition

Appendix: The “Wretched Man” in Romans 7

Notes

Scripture Index

Topical Index

Endorsement

“Packer’s book Keep in Step with the Spirit is polemically irenic. Seeking to promote peace in the church, Packer also desired purity. In this book, he offers an argument against certain opinions on the Spirit with a greater goal in mind: the peace of God’s people as they share a unified understanding of the Holy Spirit’s work. If his irenicism is the end, his polemics are the means. This is the hallmark of classically Reformed treatments on key theological doctrines, and I am thrilled to see this book republished by Crossway.”

— Mark Jones, Senior Pastor, Faith Reformed Presbyterian Church (PCA), Vancouver, British Columbia

“Typically biblical and balanced, the late J. I. Packer gives us a Christian’s field guide to life with the Holy Spirit. In an age marked by confusion and deception, this book helps point us clearly to the Bible’s truth about the Christian life.”

— Mark Dever, Pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, DC

“When we face a debated theological topic, we need a guide who has no ax to grind, who is fair, honest, reasonable and—above all—carefully biblical. We Christians do debate the ministries of the Holy Spirit. But we have a reliable guide in J. I. Packer and Keep in Step with the Spirit. Reading this book, we feel understood, respected, instructed, and more open to the true powers of the blessed Spirit of God.”

— Ray Ortlund, President, Renewal Ministries

Product Details 

Author: J. I. Packer

Format: Hardcover w/ Jacket

Page Count: 368

Size: 14.5 cm x 21.7 cm 

Weight: 0.5 kg

ISBN: 9781433572807

Published: July 27, 2021