God on the Inside

The first Christians knew it was by the Spirit that they first believed and experienced God's love poured into their hearts. Since then, the third person of the Trinity has often been overlooked, even neglected. Yet in the last 30 years there has been an explosion of interest in the Holy Spirit. God on the Inside takes a fresh look at the Spirit in the Old and New Testaments, considering his role in the life of individual believers and the future of the worldwide church.

Dr Nigel G. Wright is the principal of Spurgeon's College, London and a former president of the Baptist Union of Great Britain. He has also worked in two churches in the north of England, and written extensively on issues of church renewal. He co-authored (with Tom Smail and Andrew Walker) Charismatic Renewal: The Search for a Theology (SPCK 1993, new ed. 1995), and most recently wrote Free Church, Free State: The Positive Baptist Vision (Paternoster, 2005)

From: Evangelicals Now - June 07

The giver of Jesus

This is a readable and helpful overview of the person and the work of the Holy Spirit. It covers the Spirit's work in creation and revelation, the relationship between the Spirit and Jesus, the work of the Spirit in the church and the individual believer, and finally the Spirit and the future.

The approach in each chapter is a mixture of systematic theological argument and exegesis of relevant passages. While theological terminology is used, it is well explained and so it operates at an introductory level without being simplistic. Particularly helpful are the sections on the relationship between the Spirit and Jesus, especially in the Spirit as the 'giver' of Jesus.

The author follows a traditional Augustinian view of the Spirit as the bond of fellowship between the Father and Son and so refers to him as 'the go-between God'. This position has been critiqued for its reduction of the personality of the Spirit - a weakness the author acknowledges, although to my mind never quite refutes.

There are moments where I felt conclusions were left rather open and some of the biblical data wasn't fully dealt with. This was particularly so on some of the contentious issues of the Spirit's work. But, overall, this is a well written and well balanced book. Perhaps its main strength is in helping us understand his work in us in relationship to his place within the life of Trinity - in terms of the book's title, understanding God on his inside and so understanding God inside us.

Reviewed by Graham Beynon

Minister, Avenue Community Church, Leicester

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