Description

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World-renowned New Testament scholar offers a straightforward examination of what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit.

Who exactly is the Holy Spirit? What does he do in our lives? How can we know him more deeply, and is it possible to tap into his power? Should we pray to the Holy Spirit? Is it possible to be aware of his promptings and speaking into our lives? Dr. Scot McKnight answers these questions and more in this comprehensive examination of what the Bible says about this divinely important, but often confusing member of the Trinity.

This is the third work in a three-part series examining some of the more mysterious components of the Christian faith. Scot's The Heaven Promise examines the afterlife. The Hum of Angels elucidates the Bible's teaching on God's supernatural messengers and protectors. Now, Open to the Spirit examines the most mysterious member of the Trinity.

Scot blogs at Patheos, a large multi-perspective blog format. It serves many influential voices from many faith and non-faith traditions. Scot's blog draws primarily a Christian readership; one that is looking for intellectual engagement and thoughtful analysis of Scripture, Theology, and Culture.

About the Author

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Scot McKnight (PhD, University of Nottingham) is professor of New Testament at Northern Theological Seminary in Lombard, Illinois. He is the author of more than fifty books, including the popular The Jesus Creed and recent releases, The Heaven Promise and The Hum of Angels. McKnight speaks two to four times per month across the country, including at venues such as Catalyst, Q Conference, and Willow Creek Community Church. Scot and his wife, Kris, live in the Chicago suburbs.

Praise For…

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“Frederick Dale Bruner once called the Holy Spirit the ‘shy member of the Trinity.’ Scot McKnight draws on his learning and his life to help us know better the One who ‘transforms and transcends’ mere human abilities.”
—John Ortberg, senior pastor of Menlo Church and author of I’d Like You More If You Were More Like Me

“This biblically rooted, honest, and impressively comprehensive account of the person and work of the Spirit should persuade all Christians everywhere of the need for more of the Spirit in our lives. It is exciting to have a book that brings together the Word and the Spirit, making such a persuasive case for the need of both and rooting it all in real life. It is a gift to the whole church.”
—Lucy Peppiatt, principal of Westminster Theological Centre

“Reading Scot McKnight’s latest book evoked within me a renewed openness to the Holy Spirit. Combining his usual astute biblical and theological wisdom with his accessible and down-to-earth stories and personal anecdotes, he whets our appetites to live more responsively to the Spirit. He reminds us that when we live wide-open lives to the Holy Spirit, we step into God’s world of newness and re-creation. May the Lord who is Spirit use this book to reflect his glory among his people!”
—Trevor Hudson, Methodist minister in South Africa and author of eighteen books, including Holy Spirit Here and Now

“McKnight has done it again—he has provided the church with a rich resource for personal and communal growth. Open to the Spirit provides a guide for exploration into how God communicates, indwells, and empowers Christians for lives of holiness and mission.”
—Dr. Sara Barton, Pepperdine University chaplain

“In Open to the Spirit, the eminent New Testament professor and scholar, Scot McKnight, offers a breathtaking invitation to an interactive life with the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is often the most neglected member of the Trinity (unless you are Pentecostal or charismatic!). This book puts the Spirit front and center. As in all his works, Scot brings a balance of scriptural truth, sound theology, and practical application. I found this book particularly, of all of his, more focused on Christian spiritual formation and experiential transformation, which makes it an important book that should be required for seminarians, pastors, spiritual directors, and Christian educators. But then again, I cannot think of a single type of Christ follower who would not be blessed by this deep dive into life in the Spirit.”
—James Bryan Smith, author of The Good and Beautiful God

"McKnight (The Blue Parakeet), a New Testament professor at Northern Seminary, makes a powerful case that Christians should refocus on the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. He contends that there is a lack of emphasis on the role of the spirit in the lives of many Christians. After using specific examples (for instance, Peter’s first sermon on Pentecost) to demonstrate the centrality of the Holy Spirit in all of scripture, McKnight suggests new ways of celebrating a spirit-filled existence through examples drawn from his own life. He relates personal experiences, such as his conversion during a high school Bible camp after reading the verse, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” He also tells the stories of his students coming to the power of the Holy Spirit through “pursuit of the Spirit’s power to achieve victory.” McKnight calls for Christian readers to receive love through immersion in the spirit, and then to live out that love in everyday life in this heavily scriptural call for deeper spiritual connection."
—Publishers Weekly

"McKnight has created a rich mosaic of personal narrative, scholarly research, and biblical exegesis in Open to the Spirit. This book would be perfect for group studies, especially for those seeking more in-depth reading on the Holy Spirit. McKnight offers prayers and practical ways that readers can engage the Spirit as they go through their lives, encouraging readers to seek after that union with the Spirit that so characterized Jesus. Open to the Spirit is also a book that can be read repeatedly due to the depth of its content on the Holy Spirit. Through Open to the Spirit, McKnight shows us how the Holy Spirit is available to all believers, affirming Jane Kenyon’s words, “God does not leave us comfortless.”
—Englewood Review