Welcome to The Shaun Tabatt Show! Today I speak with Michael Horton about his brand new book Rediscovering the Holy Spirit: God’s Perfecting Presence in Creation, Redemption, and Everyday Life (Zondervan, 2017).
Here's the ground we cover in this conversation:
I know you’re going to be new to a number of my listeners, so let’s give them a chance to get to know you a bit better. If one of us bumped into you in line at a coffee shop and asked you to tell us a bit about yourself and what you do, how would you respond? (00:38 - 01:29) Next let’s get into the story behind the book. Tell us about the lecture series that Rediscovering the Holy Spirit grew out of. (01:30 - 02:50) The title of the book seems to suggest that we’ve lost touch with or have somehow been neglecting the Holy Spirit. What happened, how did we move towards depersonalizing or marginalizing the Spirit? (02:51 - 07:39) Going back to where it all begins in the book of Genesis, what can we learn about the Spirit from the creation account? (07:40 - 10:38) What do we learn about the Spirit during the incarnation, the time when Jesus walked the earth? (10:39 - 15:15) What about the work of the Holy Spirit from Pentecost forward? (15:16 - 19:16) Talk to us about the work of the Spirit in the midst of the sacraments such as baptism and communion. (19:17 - 20:55) What are some practical steps the listeners can take to grow in their awareness of and dependence on the Holy Spirit? (20:56 - 23:20) When you think of readers getting to the the last page of Rediscovering the Holy Spirit, what challenge or parting word of encouragement would you want to share with each of them? (23:21 - 24:05) Michael, if the listeners want to connect with you and find out more about your books, where should they go on the web? (24:06 - 25:04)About the Book: For the Spirit, being somewhat forgotten is an occupational hazard. The Holy Spirit is so actively involved in our lives that we can take his presence for granted. As they say, familiarity breeds contempt. Just as we take breathing for granted, we can take the Holy Spirit for granted simply because we constantly depend on him. Like the cane that soon feels like an extension of the blind man’s own body, we too easily begin to think of the Holy Spirit as an extension of ourselves.
Yet the Spirit is at the center of the action in the divine drama from Genesis 1:2 all the way to Revelation 22:17. The Spirit’s work is as essential as the Father’s and the Son’s, yet the Spirit’s work is always directed to the person and work of Christ. In fact, the efficacy of the Holy Spirit’s mission is measured by the extent to which we are focused on Christ. The Holy Spirit is the person of the Trinity who brings the work of the Father, in the Son, to completion. In everything that the Triune God performs, this perfecting work is characteristic of the Spirit.
In Rediscovering the Holy Spirit, author, pastor, and theologian Mike Horton introduces readers to the neglected person of the Holy Spirit, showing that the work of God’s Spirit is far more ordinary and common than we realize. Horton argues that we need to take a step back every now and again to focus on the Spirit himself—his person and work—in order to recognize him as someone other than Jesus or ourselves, much less something in creation. Through this contemplation we can gain a fresh dependence on the Holy Spirit in every area of our lives.
About the Author: Michael Horton (PhD, DD) is Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary California. Author of many books, including The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way, he also hosts the White Horse Inn radio program. He lives with his wife, Lisa, and four children in Escondido, California.
Connect with Michael:
WhiteHorseInn.org Modern Reformation Facebook Twitter (@MichaelHorton_)For additional show notes, visit ShaunTabatt.com/150.
