The Holy Spirit

“How do we think about someone who is not merely ‘out there’ but also in, with, and through us? Fred Sanders has set out to do just such thinking. The result is a study on the Holy Spirit that comes like a breath of fresh air where familiar terms and images take on new and unexpected significances.”

Simon Chan

“The Holy Spirit: An Introduction comes with all the hallmarks we anticipate enjoying in a book by Fred Sanders: Trinitarian foundations without obfuscation; appreciation of rigorous theology without ignoring biblically informed experience; reading from the ancient fathers that does not bypass more recent Americans, Dutch, French—and even Scottish—authors; a willingness to correct error without developing a harsh spirit; a desire to seek rapprochement where possible without compromising important convictions; and reverence for great theologians without losing an engaging playfulness. This is an introduction in the root sense of the word. Here we are led into the living reality of the ‘three person’d God’ who makes himself known through the Holy Spirit. There is theological treasure here, beautifully coupled with theological pleasure! What could be better?”

Sinclair B. Ferguson

“There are many good books on the Holy Spirit, but Fred Sanders has made a most welcome addition to the literature with an approach that is both fresh and faithful. Introducing the theology of the Holy Spirit as part of Trinitarian theology, he shows how the doctrine of the Trinity shapes and informs our understanding of the Holy Spirit. The result is superbly rich, precise, and wonder-inducing, yet at the same time eminently clear and accessible.”

Michael Reeves

“In his customarily clear, creative, and compelling way, Fred Sanders invites us to consider the Holy Spirit, first, as the divine Trinitarian person whom we already know, and, second, as the subject of theological study. This book covers all its essential aspects, with several unique emphases: an appeal to pneumatology as the doctrine that connects all other doctrines; the proposal that we encounter the Spirit as ‘the Holy Presupposition’ and appropriate him as the consummating person; the question of what alternatives we have created as substitutes for the Spirit; and twenty-seven ‘rules for thinking well about the Holy Spirit.’ Vintage Sanders and, thus, a must-read!”

Gregg R. Allison

“Fred Sanders is a world-class theologian of the Trinity. In this book, he introduces us to the Holy Spirit—the member of the Godhead whom Christians already know yet often neglect or misunderstand. Accessibly written, rich in historical and theological insight, and unwaveringly faithful to Scripture and orthodoxy, The Holy Spirit: An Introduction is the best book of its kind. It distills a great depth of learning into a clear, friendly, pastoral text. The twenty-seven rules of the appendix alone would make a wonderful primer for every Christian.”

Gavin Ortlund