DESCRIPTION:
For many years the person and work of the Holy Spirit was a neglected study, which is why he is sometimes called “The Forgotten God” (Chan). As a result, the study of the Holy Spirit has become associated with controversy and marred by confusion.
Nevertheless, the Christian life is a spiritual life, because the Holy Spirit should be at the heart of our daily Christian experience. There is no Christian life apart from the presence, power and resources of the Holy Spirit. This course will seek to teach clearly the biblical truths about the person and work of the Holy Spirit, while also dealing with the areas of controversy and confusion.
OBJECTIVES:
As a result of the student’s successful completion of this module, s/he will:
Head:
- Understand who the Holy Spirit is, and what is His role in redemptive history and the Christian life
Heart:
- Develop a greater appreciation for the daily presence, relationship, resources of the Holy Spirit in the Christian life
Hand:
- Be able to explain the biblical teachings about the Holy Spirit (especially the hard passages and controversial issues) to a non-Christian or young Christian
READING:
Required: Wayne Grudem: Systematic Theology, ch.30
Recommended:
- Ferguson, S B The Holy Spirit
- Stott, J R W Baptism and Fulness
- Lloyd-Jones, D M God the Holy Spirit
- Packer, J I Keep in Step with the Spirit
- Chan, F The Forgotten God
- Beynon, G Experiencing the Spirit
- DeYoung, K The Holy Spirit (free pdf available at
http://tgc-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/booklets/The_Holy_Spirit.pdf)
- Grudem, W & Gundry, S Are Miraculous Gifts For Today? 4 Views
(Available as an ebook at https://play.google.com/store/books)
ASSIGNMENT:
Students are required to submit a 1500 word assignment on ONE of the following subjects
- Write a simple commentary on the teachings of Jesus about the Holy Spirit in John 14-17, which draws out both the explanation and applications from the text.
- The revelatory gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased at the time of the closure of the biblical canon. Defend or refute this statement.
Schedule:
Unit 1 The Holy Spirit: Personality and Deity
Unit 2 The Holy Spirit: In the Old Testament
Units 3-4 The Holy Spirit: In the Life of Christ
Unit 5 The Holy Spirit: In the work of Salvation
Unit 6 The Ordo Salutis (Order of Salvation)
Units 7-8 The Holy Spirit: In the Christian
Units 9-10 The Holy Spirit: In the Church
Units 11-12 The Holy Spirit: Church History; Prophecy
Units 13-14 The Holy Spirit: His Gifts – Continuing or Ceased?
Units 15-16 The Baptism In / Of / By / With the Holy Spirit