This post is taken from C.J.’s chapter in the new book For the Fame of God’s Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper. C.J.’s chapter is titled “The Pastor and the Trinity,” and we’ve posted it in 11 parts.
As we examine what Scripture teaches us about the Holy Spirit, we see that his work in the church is multifaceted. As is evident in Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, the Spirit’s work is diverse and broad. I think Gordon Fee got it right in his summary of Paul’s understanding of the person and work of the Spirit. He writes, “In Paul, power is not to be thought of merely in terms of the miraculous, the extraordinary. . . . Paul understood the Spirit’s power in the broadest possible way.”[1]
This is a perspective on the spiritual gifts that the Corinthians failed to grasp. It appears they exaggerated the importance of the gift of tongues and saw all the other gifts as secondary. For them, the gift of tongues was exciting, spectacular, the mark of true spirituality. The other gifts were good, but not truly spectacular.
So Paul sought to expand their understanding. To illustrate the diversity of the Spirit’s work, Paul gave the Corinthians two lists of gifts, neither of them exhaustive (1 Corinthians 12:4–11, 27–31). In each list, Paul intentionally placed tongues last, not because tongues were the least of the gifts, but because the Corinthians exaggerated the importance of this gift. In a few brilliant chapters Paul adjusted their perspective, broadened their understanding, and taught them to perceive the breadth of the Spirit’s work.
Like the Corinthians, we are sometimes inclined to see the Holy Spirit’s work only in gifts or events that appear spectacular. Like them, we sometimes emphasize only one gift of the Spirit, or only one kind of gift. Make no mistake: I am convinced that the Holy Spirit does give spectacular gifts, including prophecy, healing, and miracles. I thank God for the spectacular, wherever and whenever it genuinely occurs. But Scripture teaches us that God is at work in countless ways, whether it appears spectacular to us or not.
So let us understand the Spirit’s work in the broadest possible way. Let us cultivate our appreciation for, and celebration of, the diverse work of the Spirit as defined in Scripture. If you understand the multifaceted work of the Holy Spirit, your eyes will be opened to discover his work. He is at work all around you. Do not confine his work to what appears to be spectacular. And do not dismiss his work because of your particular views on the spiritual gifts.
In fact, Scripture gives us two very easy ways to identify the Holy Spirit’s work in our churches. Here’s your “starter kit” for recognizing his work: study the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23) and the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4–11, 27–31; Ephesians 4:11–16; 1 Peter 4:10–11). Read these lists carefully. Then look up, and look at your church. You will see the Holy Spirit at work everywhere you look. I’d recommend you teach your church to do the same.
The Spirit is at work in you, and in the lives of those you care for. It may be easy to recognize his work when you witness the spectacular (and let’s be clear: it doesn’t get any more spectacular than the miracle of regeneration[2]). But it requires a different kind of discernment to recognize his work in daily life. When the elderly lady serves consistently and faithfully in your church year after year; when parents endure the loss of a child and continue to trust in God; when a single man gives away his time and energy to serve in a small group; when the businessman’s portfolio takes a hit but he keeps giving joyfully and generously—there is only one explanation for these. It is the presence and the work of the Holy Spirit that brings the fruit and the gifts of the Spirit in your church. And that is truly spectacular.
This blog post is part of an 11-part series, The Pastor and the Trinity, a reprint of C.J. Mahaney’s chapter “The Pastor and the Trinity” in For the Fame of God's Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper, edited by Sam Storms and Justin Taylor, ©2010. Used by permission of Crossway. For other posts in this series, see the index here.
[1] Fee, God’s Empowering Presence, 8.
[2] See John Piper, Finally Alive: What Happens When We Are Born Again (Fearn, Ross-shire: Christian Focus, 2009).
This post is taken from C.J.’s chapter in the new book For the Fame of God’s Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper. C.J.’s chapter is titled “The Pastor and the Trinity,” and we’ve posted it in 11 parts.
As Paul closes his letter to the Corinthians, his final prayer is that they will experience “the fellowship of the Holy Spirit” (2 Corinthians 13:14). He wants nothing less than that they experience the Holy Spirit’s presence, participate in his work, and partake of his fellowship—that they grow in relationship with the third person of the Trinity.[1] Pastors, as we follow Paul’s model for ministry, this must be our burden as well.
We must remain dependent upon the Holy Spirit, pursue his presence and power for sanctification and service, and grow in eagerness to experience his gifts as described in Scripture. Scripture does not permit us merely to affirm the existence of the Holy Spirit. Scripture calls us to grow in our relationship with him and our experience of his presence and work.
I know what some of you are thinking at this point: “Wait, this guy’s charismatic! You mention the third person of the Trinity, and bingo! suddenly this chapter becomes an apologetic for the charismatic view.” I can already feel the nervousness of my cessationist friends—just when you thought this was a safe volume, the charismatic guy shows up!
It’s true, I represent an odd combination: I am Reformed and charismatic. Some would say that’s an oxymoron, like being a Presbyterian televangelist or a humble Duke basketball fan. But although being Reformed and charismatic may sound historically odd, there is nothing theologically strange about it. Believing in God’s sovereignty over all things and seeing God’s glory as the end of all things provide motivation for the pursuit of the gifts, guidance for the exercise of the gifts, and evaluation for the practice of the gifts.
As a Reformed and charismatic pastor, I am aware of the many theological and practical deficiencies of the charismatic movement. When some Christians hear the word charismatic, they think of the nutty things they have seen on television, or stories of large healing meetings that resemble a WWF Ultimate Challenge on pay-per-view. I sympathize with all who are troubled by the theological deficiencies and goofy practices present in the charismatic movement. This stuff disturbs me as well. One reason it disturbs me is that it reflects a disregard for the authority and sufficiency of Scripture.
So let there be no misunderstanding: as we lead our churches in their experience of the Holy Spirit, we must always uphold the unique authority of Scripture.
Scripture Is Our Final Authority
Scripture alone is our final authority in all matters of life and doctrine. And Scripture is our only basis for helping our churches to grow in their appreciation and pursuit of the Holy Spirit’s work. It is the Bible that calls us to grow in our relationship with the Spirit, to eagerly desire and practice the gifts, and to experience his power and presence. We must study Scripture carefully, and lead our churches to do the same.
A weakness to which charismatics can be prone is the tendency to put more confidence in subjective impressions and feelings than in the Bible. And you don’t have to be a charismatic to have this weakness. All of us tend to assign more authority to subjective thoughts and feelings than we should.
I am grateful for Dr. Piper’s wise teaching in this area. I still remember the first time I read his provocatively titled article, “The Morning I Heard the Voice of God.” He begins:
Let me tell you about a most wonderful experience I had early Monday morning, March 19, 2007, a little after six o’clock. God actually spoke to me. There is no doubt that it was God. I heard the words in my head just as clearly as when a memory of a conversation passes across your consciousness. The words were in English, but they had about them an absolutely self-authenticating ring of truth. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God still speaks today.
As soon as I read that paragraph I wondered what had taken place in the life of my good friend. Apparently something unprecedented! John does not usually write this openly about his personal experiences (for which he has my respect).
So I kept reading until I came upon this explanation:
It was through the Bible that I heard these divine words, and through the Bible I have experiences like this almost every day. . . . If you would like to hear the very same words I heard on the couch in northern Minnesota, read Psalm 66:5–7. That is where I heard them. O how precious is the Bible. . . . This is the very voice of God.
John concludes, “Something is incredibly wrong when the words we hear outside Scripture are more powerful and more affecting to us than the inspired word of God.”[2]
Pastors, we must not build churches in which the words we hear outside of Scripture are more powerful and more affecting to our members than the words of Scripture. The words of Scripture must always speak to us most powerfully and move us most deeply. Let us study the Bible, celebrate it, honor its unique authority, and teach our churches to understand and treasure and obey it as their final authority.
Only when we uphold the authority of Scripture can we grow in our experience and pursuit of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit speaks to us primarily through Scripture, and never in contradiction of Scripture. And we lead our churches to grow in their relationship with the Spirit by leading them to understand, treasure, and obey the Scriptures.
This blog post is part of an 11-part series, The Pastor and the Trinity, a reprint of C.J. Mahaney’s chapter “The Pastor and the Trinity” in For the Fame of God's Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper, edited by Sam Storms and Justin Taylor, ©2010. Used by permission of Crossway. For other posts in this series, see the index here.
[1] Although it is possible that the phrase “fellowship of the Spirit” refers to fellowship among the Corinthians created by the Spirit (a genitive of source), the evidence seems to favor the interpretation chosen here. See Murray J. Harris, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005), 939–41.
[2] John Piper, “The Morning I Heard the Voice of God,” blog posted March 21, 2007.
I am reformed and charismatic. I hold both a Reformed view of soteriology (the doctrines of grace) and a charismatic/continuationist position and practice.
For many this can be perplexing (I completely understand). For some this simply cannot be (I completely understand).
So I’m often approached by pastors who either were raised in the cessationist position or simply assume the cessationist position, and who desire to study the charismatic/continuationist position.
Yesterday, on the blog I answered the question I’m most frequently asked (on recommended cross-centered books). Today, here is the second most common question I’m asked:
“As a charismatic/continuationist, what books would you recommend on the person and work of the Holy Spirit?”
Whether you are a pastor or a Christian interested in studying this topic, here are the books I recommend for further consideration of what Scripture teaches. I’ll begin with a book for pastors, then provide a list of books for a general audience, and close with the two books I’ve most recently read on the topic.
(1) For pastors:
Showing the Spirit: A Theological Exposition of 1 Corinthians, 12-14 by D.A. Carson
If asked by a pastor where to begin a study of the charismatic/continuationist position, I would recommend this book. Be it favorable or unfavorable, often our thinking on these topics is shaped by personal experience. But we must always begin by examining Scripture.
Dr. Carson’s masterful exposition of 1 Corinthians 12–14 provides both theological discernment and wise counsel about the Spirit’s work, all grounded upon the text of Scripture. He is not advocating a position per se. He addresses charismatic and non-charismatic positions throughout and commends and corrects when appropriate. This book is simply a must-read for pastors that gets to the questions a pastor must grapple with as he leads a church in this direction.
I was struck in my most recent reading of my copy of this book (now worn to the point of detached pages). In the introduction, as Dr. Carson describes the contemporary scene in evangelicalism, I looked back and saw that this is copyright 1993. Now, 15 years later, I read this book and am immediately affected by the continuing relevance of this book.
For example, Carson writes,
When God graciously manifests himself in abnormal and even spectacular ways, the wisest step that the leaders participating in such a movement may take is to curb the excesses, focus attention on the center—on Christ, on loving discipleship, on self-sacrificing service and obedience, on God himself—and not on the phenomena themselves, and still less on a theology or course that attempts to institutionalize the phenomena. (p. 179)
How I wish I had been introduced to this book at the outset of my journey and charismatic experience! An early study of
Showing the Spirit would have made a difference in my life. Too often in the charismatic movement, experiences are pursued and exalted but not carefully considered or evaluated from the clear teaching of Scripture. Those who criticized the experience were viewed skeptically.
Dr. Carson’s careful and thorough study of 1 Corinthians 12–14 will protect from error and excess. It will also preserve and promote a genuine understanding of the ongoing, broad work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian and a local church.
Bottom line: Carson reflects upon Scripture and in doing so he provides theological discernment and wise direction. Highly recommended and especially for pastors.
(2) General List:
Here is a brief list of books I recommend for a pastor or or general Christian readers desiring a thorough study on the person and work of the Holy Spirit.
1. The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Gifts by Max Turner
2. Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem (especially pages 1,016–1,090)
3. Are Miraculous Gifts for Today? Four Views edited by Wayne Grudem
4. Perspectives on Spirit Baptism: Five Views edited by Chad Owen Brand
5. God’s Empowering Presence by Gordon Fee
6. The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today by Wayne Grudem
7. The Beginner’s Guide to Spiritual Gifts by Sam Storms.
(3) Most recently read:
Engaging with the Holy Spirit: Six Crucial Questions by Graham A. Cole
Though Graham Cole is not a familiar name at present to many, he is professor of biblical and systematic theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Deerfield, IL) and was previously the principal of Ridley College (University of Melbourne).
I recommend
Engaging with the Holy Spirit for its content but I also enjoyed the overall structure of the book, too. I think pastors should consider the structure as a series of sermons to teach this topic to a church (not necessary all of these topics or in this order).
Here are the chapters:
1: What Is Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?
2: How May We Resist the Holy Spirit?
3: Ought We to Pray to the Holy Spirit?
4: How Do We Quench the Holy Spirit?
5: How Do We Grieve the Holy Spirit?
6: How Does the Holy Spirit Fill Us?
This book helpfully addresses questions that pastors and other people have about the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Most helpful, Dr. Cole isolates a number of passages that at times people can find confusing or perplexing as to how these passages apply to their daily life and their present, immediate experience of the Holy Spirit and relationship to the Holy Spirit.
He Who Gives Life: The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit by Graham A. Cole
Another title from Dr. Cole I recently completed. And I really liked this book.
Though I don’t think he is a charismatic/continuationist, I really appreciated his tone and attitude. I found Dr. Cole to be not only careful in his treatment of Scripture, but humble and gracious as well.
He carefully balances his approach toward those in the charismatic/continuationist position—both appropriately commending and at times appropriately critiquing:
Positively speaking, great expectations of God is a defining characteristic of the charismatic movement in mainline churches and of Pentecostal and Third Wave churches. In the light of this, the open but discerning position means a certain generosity toward those who are enthusiastic for Christ and who believe in a living God who acts in history today, but whose theological skill in articulating the nature of their experiences, ministries, and gifting may be lacking. For example, someone may speak of how the Holy Spirit has given them the gift of prophecy, whereas to my mind when I hear them speak, it sees more like an expression of Christian wisdom. Genuine gifts from God and experiences of the Lord may simply be misdescribed. It is all too easy to dismiss the experience rather than to explain the way of the Lord more accurately as Priscilla and Aquila did with Apollos (Acts 18:26). (pp. 257–258)
I love the humility present here. He is arguing for “a certain generosity toward those who are enthusiastic for Christ and who believe in a living God who acts in history today.” I think this is a man who has humbly observed and interacted with charismatics/continuationists, and he does not doubt either the genuineness of their conversion or the genuineness of their ongoing relationship with and experience of the Holy Spirit.
He does carry a concern—and I think appropriately—that theological skill may be lacking or appears to be lacking at times, in articulating the nature of experiences, ministries, and gifting.
If I were interacting with the author, he would likely disagree with my positions on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but he wouldn’t dismiss either my position or my experiences. That attitude and approach is present throughout this work and has made me a fan of Dr. Cole.
And I appreciate his discernment. Later in the book he writes a section on “Discerning the Spirit” (pp. 273–276). He opens this subsection by writing, “Discerning what is a genuine work of God’s Spirit in today’s world is a tricky matter.” He then sets out three criteria for discernment: (1) the scriptural test, (2) the Christological test, and (3) the moral test. Within the Christological test, Dr. Cole writes,
He [the Holy Spirit] has not come, as we have seen in previous chapters, to thematize himself but Christ (John 14–16). Christology is at the center, not pneumatology.
A great Christian leader of an earlier century, Bishop J.C. Ryle, suggested that the gospel may be spoiled in a number of ways.…We can spoil the gospel when the NT sense of proportion is lost and pneumatology becomes our primary emphasis rather than Christology. The idea in some charismatic circles, for example, that “the major compass point for moving ahead in active ministry” is not “the cross” but “charisma” is extremely troubling. (pp. 274–275)
I recall reading this thinking, “Dr. Cole, you are more kind and generous and patient than I am.” I find that final phrase, “is extremely troubling,” to be very tactful. Had I been interacting with the author as he fashioned and finished this sentence, I would have said, “It’s not only
troubling, but
bogus and
emphatically unacceptable.” But I admire Cole for his gentleness and humility. I hope one day to be like him.
Cole concludes the book with these excellent words,
The magnificence of the Spirit lies in this self-effacement or divine selflessness. For this reason believers are rightly called “Christians” not “Pneumians.” (p. 284)
I come away from this book with a fresh awareness of the present, active, broad work of the Holy Spirit.
Conclusion
After reading all the books I’ve recommend (or even some of the books—or even just one of the books!), I believe your awareness of the person and work of the Holy Spirit and your response to the Holy Spirit will more closely align with the teaching of Scripture for your joy, the edification of the church, and the glory of God.
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[PS: Tomorrow (Sat.) C.J. addresses the third most common question. The answer includes some Super Bowl predictions. Stay tuned!]