I’ve seen what happens when people mention the Holy Spirit among a group of Reformed pastors. As long as it’s a general comment like “we need to be trusting God’s Spirit,” everyone will nod in agreement. But if someone veers into some kind of specific remark like “the Spirit’s been leading me,” you’ll see necks stiffen and feet start tapping, bracing for the weirdness.

The Holy Spirit doesn’t get as much press as the other members of the Trinity. He’s more mysterious. That mystery is an amazing part of what it means to be a Christian—living with God’s presence indwelling you. 

But it also means the Holy Spirit becomes a convenient umbrella to smuggle in all kinds of crazy. Are you skeptical about snake-handling, wheelchair-healing, nepotistic, jet-setting pastors? Well, who are you to speak against the Holy Spirit? Or at least that’s what we’re told.

J.V. Fesko’s “The Giver of Life” (Lexham Academic, 2024) aims to demystify the Holy Spirit. Part of a confessional theology series, “The Giver of Life” is a work of systematic theology exploring the Holy Spirit under the supervision of a skilled navigator. Fesko offers clarity without cutting the worship. In fact, many of his chapter conclusions sound like the places in Paul’s letters where he moves from theology to doxology. 

In our enlightened 21st century context, we’ve developed our own Holy Spirit heresies that nicely complement our toothless, me-centered, therapeutic Jesus. Fesko undresses the whole package in one sentence: We like to believe that “sinners are saved and receive the gifts of the Spirit for personal gain, notoriety, and upward mobility in the socio-spiritual caste of the church” (229). What’s the point in taking a spiritual gifts exam if you don’t then speak about it from the stage and put it on a business card?

This is basically where modern American evangelicals have settled into their Holy Spirit comfort zone. It’s less about speaking in tongues, and more about accelerating my ministry platform. There’s a tricky knot forming here. Heresies gain traction not because of their absurdity, but because they’ve latched onto a piece of the truth and then exaggerated it. 

We live in the New Testament age of the Spirit, and the Spirit is a force of creativity. That’s part of the point of Pentecost—the outpouring. The Holy Spirit isn’t confined to one place, like the tabernacle or the temple, where God’s glory is displayed in one way. God’s Spirit is poured out on all flesh (Joel 2:28) and every Christian is a temple. As Fesko says, “we manifest the sanctified wisdom of Christ’s spirit in a sin-dark world” (191).

This is a dangerous gift, however, because it has become easier to sacralize yourself. This isn’t some new invention of the 21st century. The Corinthians were all about stacking up spiritual gifts as grounds for boasting. They loved the cult of personality. “Following the Spirit’s lead” has always been a useful Christianese sleight of hand to puff up yourself. It’s remarkable how often the Spirit leads people to build their own brand. 

This is not entirely illegitimate. God’s Spirit expresses himself uniquely through your person and gifts, and you should lean into that. But we need guardrails, and Fesko provides several. The first is a focus on soteriology. At first, Fesko’s deep dive into the thickets of soteriology feels like a scenic detour. You aren’t sure why he’s going there, but you’re glad he did. If you want to understand what God’s Spirit is up to in your life, you start by looking at how you were and are being saved.

The Holy Spirit is up to a lot of things in your life, but his main job is finishing out your lifelong process of salvation. This means he’s more focused on making you look more like Christ than he is making you look good to others. He wants to make you look more like Jesus, which is to say more virtuous. That means the fruit of the Spirit’s prompting in your life will be disappointingly unmysterious. 

Another guard rail to protect against reckless references to the Holy Spirit is Fesko’s “use vs enjoyment” paradigm. This is effective inasmuch as it comes as a pleasant surprise. As Augustine said, and the Westminster Shorter Catechism implies, “life in the Spirit is enjoying God.” God’s Spirit is a source of gratitude, not a life hack. Are you trying to use God’s Spirit so you can push through that final barrier so that you can reach the top of the hill of your dreams? You’re probably doing it wrong, unless you enjoy God humbling you. 

The final guardrail in following the Giver of Life is his service-oriented practicality. “As much as we must highlight the democratization of the indwelling of the Spirit…an individuated soteriology must never lose sight of its corporality”(99). The Holy Spirit drives you toward love for God and your neighbor. The specifics of this Spirit-filled life take discernment, which we experience in fellowship with God’s people.

Maybe the Holy Spirit does want you to start your own ministry, or look for people you can begin mentoring from your years of failure-fed wisdom so others don’t have to learn the hard way. But maybe the Holy Spirit just wants you to be less angry with your spouse, be less self-pitying, and to spend an extra minute listening to that neighbor who always talks too long. 

The Spirit will lead you on an inward dive towards better self-knowledge, but always with the goal of pulling you out to look up and look around you. Who is this Jesus that you are being made to look like? Who are the people around you, and how can you show them what he’s like? There’s a wealth of joy and confidence that can come from knowing more of what it means to have God living inside of you. Christians should learn more about the Holy Spirit so that we can marvel at the miraculous mystery of how he’s working in us and for us. 

Justin N. Poythress is the pastor of All Saints Church (PCA) in Boise, Idaho. You can read more of his writings at justinpoythress.com.