THE BAPTIST COLLEGE OF FLORIDA

REVIEW OF BILLY GRAHAMS THE HOLY SPIRIT: ACTIVATING GODS POWER IN YOUR LIFE

A BOOK REVIEW SUBMITTED TO DR. RICHARD ELLIGSON DEPARTMENT OF THEOLOGY

BY LAUREN FORREST

GRACEVILL, FLORIDA 23 OCTOBER 2010

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Graham, Billy. The Holy Spirit: Activating GODs Power in Your Life. Texas: World Books Publisher, 1978. Biography The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association website, www.billygraham.org, provides an intensive biography of Billy Grahams life and work. According to this source, Graham is a world renowned evangelist, author, and public figure for the gospel. Interestingly enough, Graham himself received Christ in 1934 at age 16 by the message of a traveling evangelist. He attended what is now known as Trinity College in Florida, and was ordained by a Southern Baptist church in 1939. He continued his education at Wheaton College, of which he graduated in 1943. He was a part of an organization called youth for Christ, preached for many crusades that took him all over the world and allowed him to share the gospel with many, advised several presidents, aired in his own radio show, authored newspaper columns and other literary works in different languages with lengthy tenures, and even had a film production company. Many of his 27 books have been top sellers and he has received many awards for his works. Much more information can be found at his organizations website listed above. Summary The title of this book is a very candid clue as to the width and depth of the subject matter that is at hand; The Holy Spirit. In a mere 220 pages the person and work of the Holy Spirit is dissected and Grahams conclusions are presented about the identity of this person of the trinity. Also inspected are aspects of the Christian life that are not to be confused with the direct empowerment of the Holy Spirit. An important reminder is given as the reader is lead into such a great discussion: Attempting to write a book on so vast a subject as the Holy Spirit is like trying

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to capture the ocean in a quart jar. The subject is so infiniteand our minds are so finite (Graham, 7). Before really delving into the meat of the purpose of the book, Graham made important conclusions of the identity of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not only a person, but a divine person who dwells equally in the unity of the trinity. This unity does not stop at the consideration of three separate but equal parts, but rather all the separate and equal parts make one (Graham, 22). There is an emphasis on the deity of Holy Spirit not being short-changed. The Holy Spirit is also the seal, pledge, and witness within the covenant between believers and God. Through each of these roles, our salvation and security are assured (Graham, 80). Giving testimony of who the Holy Spirit is lays a foundation for understanding conclusions of the work of the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit is infinite and broad. Being in unity with God, the Holy Spirit has worked in different ways since the beginning of time. Biblically, in the context of human history, this is seen as working upon, with or in the people of God (Graham, 38). The Holy Spirit has worked in specific ways at different periods of biblical history, and continues to work in people today. Emphasis is added to the topics of the Holy Spirits role in the Bible and in salvation. In relation to the Bible, the Holy Spirit was the inspiration to the living Word of God that is active even today (Graham, 42-43). In relation to salvation: When a person is born again, the process is uncomplicated from the divine perspective. The Spirit of God takes the Word of God and makes the child of God. We are born again through the operation of the Holy Spirit, who in turn uses the divinely inspired Word of God. Gods

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Spirit gives life to men. At this point the Holy Spirit indwells a person for life. He receives eternal life (Graham, 56). Salvation is one of many examples that express the specific working of the Holy Spirit. Also included in the Spirits work is His role in the life of the believer. Of this role the book touches not only on salvation, but on the workings ensuing salvation. Spiritual gifts and fruits of the Spirit are also considered. It is important to note that Spiritual gifts and fruits of the Spirit, here, are not meant as synonymous terms. The conclusion is made that at the point salvation occurs, the believer is baptized in the Holy Spirit (Graham, 62). Spirit baptism is the automatic free gift of conversion with no other necessary requirements (Graham, 67). Once received, it is stressed that the Holy Spirit acts, among many roles, to guide, comfort, and convict, the believer. The Holy Spirit is continually working within believers until their death to further their sanctification unto glorification. However, this indwelling of the Holy Spirit does not eliminate the power of temptation but aids in the mortification of the old nature and the vivification of the new (Graham, 86-88). Within the chapters of Spiritual gifts and being filled with the spirit the same theme of thriving through obedience is carried over. All believers are gifted in some way that is solely fulfilled through the power of the Holy Spirit for a specific task (Graham, 135). The few gifts that are explained are prefaced with the understanding that they will thrive for Gods glory only through obedience and that they are something of which we are held accountable (Graham, 133). Of being filled with the Spirit, Graham accentuates obedience through submission. When we are filled with the Spirit, it is not a question of there being more of Him, as though His work is quantitative. It is not how much of the Spirit we have, but how much the Spirit has of us (Graham, 100). The overarching conclusion with these two concepts is the Spirits work through

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our submission and obedience. The fruits of the spirit are also mentioned and explained as evidence of submission and obedience in the believer. Since they are something every believer should exemplify, they are not to be confused with Spiritual gifts of which, Grahams thoughts have previously been explained (Graham, 133). Critical Evaluation This book, in all facets, seemed to rise to Grahams stated purpose of revealing what the Bible has to say about the Holy Spirit (Graham, 8), who the Holy Spirit is, what He can do and how we experience His power in our lives (Graham, 15). Each of the 18 chapters are related to this purpose and are saturated with scripture references, illustrations, and explanations. Graham makes good use of personal anecdotes and experiences to bolster his points and the readers understanding. In such a short book, Graham really packs a punch! In regard to the purpose I believe there is a specific value of the book. While it was personally challenging as a spiritual reminder, I was not confronted with much of that I was theologically unaware. This book may not be well suited for a brand new Christian, but I feel it would have great value for one that has really started to grow, or for one such as myself who is in a position of need for a good reminding. There would also be great benefit in this book as a teaching aid, perhaps to a pastor, Sunday school teacher, or small group leader. I think with how the book is broken down, a small group setting would be a perfect fit to explore the truths Graham presents. The chapters of this book would be superb context for biblical discussion and study in a group because, as I quoted from Graham earlier, it is such an infinite topic! It is a touchy ordeal to consider the downfalls of a book on such a topic as the Holy Spirit! There is one area of the book that I initially felt was a distraction. More than once, Graham interjected an invitation to accept Christ, repent and become saved. Obviously there is

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nothing wrong with sharing the gospel in hopes of saving lives. From a strictly critical perspective however, this seemed to always cut off Grahams flow of ideas and distract attention from what the chapter was about. It may also be because of my personal circumstances, but it seems that for the purpose and intended audience there shouldnt be an immediate need for conversion, but consistent, focused teachings of the matter at hand. I repeatedly emphasize, I am not against Graham calling for repentance within his written works. He is gifted by the Spirit as an evangelist, and Im sure that there is a godly reason for these episodes being on the exact pages they reside. My argument is strictly from criticism of the flow of the text. With that being said, the strengths of this book greatly outweigh the bad. As I said earlier, the use of personal anecdotes and experience coupled with a good amount of scripture greatly boosts Grahams conclusions and statements. This not only helps the reader relate to Graham on a personal level, but also helps them relate real-life to the bible. In understanding something as mysterious as the Holy Spirit this is saying a lot. I find it a strong suit that Graham underlies his views with the implication that hes done his research about what our other fellow Christians, of different denominations, believe. In the preface he thanks many from different denominations for aiding in the writing of the book, and also shares some differing opinions throughout the book. This proves, to me, that research has been done to grasp a fuller understanding of the Holy Spirit. Although Graham is southern Baptist, I do not consider the view points of this book to be bias because he urges for unification and warns against divisiveness throughout the text. I have not faced many situations where I have had to deal with opposing viewpoints but, God has recently sent many reminders of this fact. Something I appreciated about the book was Grahams breakdown of spiritual gifts and fruits of the Spirit. Reading about these two subjects in this way really clarifies the Spirits role.

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While the spirit plays an active role in both situations, the end result is different; knowing this is a helpful way to explain this to others in the future. The fruits of the Spirit are evidence of a believers obedience to the working of the Holy Spirit, something every Christian should have, while a Spiritual gift is something only feasible in a believers life through the power of the Holy Spirit. While a spiritual gift too only thrives in an obedient Christian, it is something completely worked by the power of the Spirit, and not just a trait of a believers new nature. Grahams specific explanation of these two areas of Christianity brought to me a new depth of understanding, specifically in my ability to explain and share these truths with others. I dont feel as if one could read this text without being changed in some way whether by means of the presentation of new information or of a deeper understanding of our interactions with the Spirit. Id like to conclude in my own opinion that God is definitely restoring us to his image and is doing so by the work of the Spirit. To neglect this knowledge either by pure apathy or out of ignorance is to miss out on part of our intimacy with the Lord. This book has been a phenomenal reminder of this as well as the importance of discipling and teaching those around me who lack the knowledge or drive for closeness with God. Maybe they do not have the drive because they truly do not know the eternal working and purpose of the Spirit!