40 Bicycles

I am not accustomed to buying books when I have only read one unfavorable review of them. I made an exception in the case of The Holy Spirit by Sinclair Ferguson. In the September 1999 edition of the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society I came across a review of the book by Mark Karlberg (author of the book The Changing of the Guard, which I read and disliked and am therefore not linking to!). The review was very negative:—

In many respects this study incorporates much that is standard fare in Reformed dogmatics, while at the same time staking out a number of highly significant departures from that tradition.... Whether all facets of this theological exposition can be deemed “Christian” (i.e., evangelical and Reformed) is the pressing question.... In the hands of the present writer, however, the final product is a modification—at times radical modification—of the system of doctrine. Chiefly, there is the shift of emphasis from the traditional ordo salutis ... to the doctrine of union with Christ as that is articulated in these pages.

Prominent throughout the book is an exposition of covenant theology, at least a variety that is rapidly becoming dominant in contemporary theology. Most startling of all is Ferguson’s scant treatment of the doctrine of justification....

Generally speaking, Ferguson’s covenant theology embodies some of the distinctive elements found in dispensational theology.... From the author’s point of view, the covenant between God and humankind is a dynamic encounter reflecting the historical ambiguities of human experience in this present world-age. Ferguson’s formulation of the “tension” between covenant and election stands in contrast to the proper balance struck by Reformed orthodoxy. The same problem resurfaces in Ferguson’s exposition of the doctrine of union with Christ.... What is new in the present discussion is the inordinate stress given to the eschatological tension between the “already” and “not yet” of the Christian’s life in the Spirit.

Ferguson’s model, which is by no means original with him, relativizes the definitive aspect of soteric justification, despite efforts to affirm the decisive, once-for-all act of God reckoning sinners righteous in his sight by means of the imputation of Christ’s righteousness. In precisely what sense does justification ... await future consummation? Clearly, Ferguson is saying something different from traditional Reformed theology. The crux of the new theology lies in its repudiation of the classic Protestant law/gospel distinction. There is no place in Ferguson’s theology of the covenants for this antithetical contrast with reference to the history of God’s covenant dealings with humankind. Ferguson knows of only one covenant of grace in creation and redemption.... Rather the relationship is always one of complementarity; it is law in grace, or grace in law....

Over and against the modern view, Reformed orthodoxy has always maintained the clear distinction between justification and sanctification in the ordo salutis (as well as all the other benefits accruing to the elect of God).... Unlike Ferguson and the new school, historic Reformed theology held unanimously to the twofold doctrine of the covenants—the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace—the very doctrine ... hailed as the distinguishing achievement of Reformed thought.... What we find here is an attempt to place side by side two disparate and irreconcilable theologies. It has the effect of cloaking Gaffin’s interpretation to appear as something other than it really is—an adaptation of neo-orthodox teaching.... The reader is advised to peruse The Holy Spirit with caution and discernment, making careful comparison with the teaching of Scripture itself and that of historic Reformed orthodoxy.

After reading this review I bought the book. It sat on my shelf for quite a while before I got down to reading it. It was well worth the effort. Although Ferguson does not quite go far enough on some issues (e.g. baptism), the book makes a refreshing change to many of the works that fail to take redemptive history into account. I would recommend this book as probably the best work that I have read on this particular subject. Ferguson brings out the fact that the work of the Spirit is to be understood within the context of redemptive history, not primarily a mechanistic form of the ordo salutis. Reading Ferguson's statements about the nature of 'covenant mutuality' I was not surprised that Karlberg disliked the book—he saw far too much of Norman Shepherd in it.