THE MYSTERY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
By R.C. Sproul
Christian Focus. 160 pages. £7.99
ISBN 978-1-84550-481-6
Having first read and enjoyed this book almost 20 years ago (1991), I was a little disappointed that its latest outing is as a reprint not a revision. The book is still good, but now feels a little dated, especially in its focus on the Pentecostal doctrine of the baptism of the Spirit as its main critique.
Sproul opens with some words from Dutch Reformed theologian Abraham Kuyper: ‘The Holy Spirit leaves no footprints in the sand’ — unlike the incarnate Son of God. Therefore, he is ‘mysterious’ and ‘we are vulnerable to superstitions and distortions of his work’. Hence the book.