Walking in the Spirit E-Book

Kenneth Berding

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 157

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

Walking in the Spirit is a journey into what the Bible teaches about life in the Holy Spirit. Author Kenneth Berding uses the apostle Paul and his words in Romans 8 to model what it looks like to live both empowered and set free by the Spirit. Written at an accessible level, Berding speaks to a wide audience as he seeks to connect readers to the life of the Spirit. His practical guide covers a variety of topics, showing readers how to set their minds on the things of the Spirit, put to death the deeds of the body, be led by the Spirit, know the fatherhood of God, and hope and pray in the Spirit. Berding applies the Bible to life through many of his own personal experiences, helping readers make connections to their own spiritual journeys. Discussion questions for each chapter facilitate personal reflection and small-group study.

Leseprobe

“It’s easy to talk the spiritual talk. But how do we walk the Spirit-ual walk? In this book, Ken Berding offers a practical, biblical, wise guide to life in the Holy Spirit, as outlined in Romans 8. Filled with real-life examples and engaging personal stories, Walking in the Spirit is as much a spiritual autobiography as it is an instructional Bible study. Straightforward, humble, and easy-to-read, Berding’s book is nevertheless a strikingly deep, important study—the sort of solid spiritual food an increasingly anemic generation should hunger for. Walking in the Spirit recalibrates our understanding of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, providing an invaluable corrective to many of us who have either ignored, forgotten, or misunderstood the role of the Spirit in the Christian life.”

Brett McCracken,author, Hipster Christianity: When Church & Cool Collide

“At last, a book that I can recommend to the average Christian about holiness, intimacy with God, and the power of the Holy Spirit! In more than twenty years of pastoral ministry I have learned that there is almost universal discouragement—at least at times—in our battle with sin. So many resources offer strategies of accountability or behavior change, but aren’t grounded in the deep truth that God alone has the power to transform us. Others seem to take a simplistic ‘let go, let God’ approach that may sound good, but leaves us disheartened when we struggle to live it out. Still others are written at a level that is not readily accessible to all readers. Berding has given us a great gift in Walking in the Spirit in that his book is engaging, eminently practical, and most of all, profoundly biblical. If you want to grow deep in your walk with God and experience real power to be like Jesus, you need to read this book.”

Robert Bishop, Senior Pastor, Whittier Hills Baptist Church

“Berding captures profound spiritual truths and shares them in a comfortable, down-home fashion that will make you smile, nod, and ponder. When you apply the principles of Walking in the Spirit, you will live life differently; you will experience more of the Spirit of God and be able to say with confidence as you approach the end of your life, ‘I know Him and am eager to meet Him!’”

Dan LaGasse, missionary, Operation Mobilization

“There is so much confusion among Christians about the Holy Spirit, and I am thankful that Berding has written a much-needed book in layman’s language. It is at once biblical, irenic, and charitable. I recommend it to pastors with the hope that they will give copies to their congregations.”

Lyle Dorsett, Billy Graham Professor of Evangelism, Beeson Divinity School

“How do I move from a place of confessing belief in the Holy Spirit to experiencing the Holy Spirit’s transforming presence in a more profound way? Walking in the Spirit offers us an array of practical insights that will help new believers as well as those who have been Christians for many years.”

Clinton E. Arnold, professor and chairman, Department of New Testament, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University; general editor, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary series

“Ken Berding is a man who walks with God in the power of the Spirit. This walk is grounded in Scripture, and through this book we are blessed by the insights of this godly man and first-rate scholar. Those wanting to know more of the Spirit’s work in their lives will be helped greatly by what this book offers.”

Erik Thoennes, professor of biblical studies and theology, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University; pastor, Grace Evangelical Free Church, La Mirada, California

Walking in the Spirit

Copyright © 2011 by Kenneth Berding

Published by Crossway

                    1300 Crescent Street

                    Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law.

Interior design and typesetting: Lakeside Design Plus

Cover design: Studio Gearbox

Cover photo: Veer, iStock

First printing 2011

Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked at are the author’s translation.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are from The New American Standard Bible®. Copyright © The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Scripture references marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture references marked NLT are from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Ill., 60189. All rights reserved.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-2410-3

PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-2421-9

Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-2422-6

ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-2423-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Berding, Kenneth.

Walking in the Spirit / Kenneth Berding.

               p.  cm.

    Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.

    ISBN 978-1-4335-2410-3 (tp)

    1. Holy Spirit. 2. Christian life. 3. Holy Spirit—Biblical teaching. 4. Christian

life—Biblical teaching. 5. Bible. N.T. Romans VIII—Theology. I. Title.

BT121.3.B47 2011

234'.13—dc22

2011010733

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

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CONTENTS

Preface

9

1. Walk in the Spirit

15

2. Set Your Mind on the Things of the Spirit

29

3. Put to Death the Deeds of the Body by the Spirit

41

4. Be Led by the Spirit

55

5. Know the Fatherhood of God by the Spirit

69

6. Hope in the Spirit

83

7. Pray in the Spirit

97

Appendix 1: Three Undercurrents in Romans 8

113

Appendix 2: How to Remember What You’ve Learned

119

Notes

123

Scripture Index

125

PREFACE

This book is an invitation to a journey and a road map to lead you along it. I invite you to join me on an expedition into what the Bible teaches about life in the Holy Spirit. Precious few in our generation seem willing to travel this path. They are too distracted by the cares of life and the noise of our age to even know that something is missing! Won’t you come along with me on this journey? My prayer as we travel through this study together is that God will profoundly transform your thinking and reform your affections so that you become passionate about the things of the Spirit and knowledgeable about how to live a life directed by him. Our tour guide is the apostle Paul, a man who had been miraculously set free by the Spirit. Our outline is taken from his words about the Holy Spirit in Romans 8. Romans 8 is sacred ground for Christians who want to walk the Spirit-ual walk. We may have to spiritually take off our sandals at the beginning of the journey and bow our hearts before a sovereign Lord who gave us his travel guide and his Spirit to lead us forward.

Some things will be useful for you to know about Romans 8 that are not discussed in the following seven chapters. The reason they are not included is that my goal is to help you learn how to walk in the Spirit; it isn’t to write a commentary on Romans 8. Therefore there is an appendix at the back of the book entitled “Three Undercurrents in Romans 8.” You can choose to read that section before you begin reading about life in the Spirit, or you can read it later. The appendix lays out three things that you should keep in mind if (and hopefully when) you decide to embark on a deeper study of Romans 8 for yourself.

This book doesn’t discuss spiritual gifts. It is unfortunate that the topic of spiritual gifts has overtaken discussions about the Holy Spirit in the past couple of generations. Classes on the Holy Spirit often are dominated by discussions of spiritual gifts. The gravitational center of Paul’s teaching about the Holy Spirit is not the so-called spiritual gifts; the center is the constellation of ideas discussed in the pages ahead that is best summarized as walking in the Spirit. Because I have already written a book in which I present a biblical challenge to the conventional view of spiritual gifts that is so popular right now among both charismatics and noncharismatics, and because the topic does not play a part in Romans 8, I have chosen to ignore it completely in this book.1 I expect that both noncharismatics and charismatics will discover help in their journeys in the Holy Spirit as a result of what they read in the pages ahead.

This book is somewhat autobiographical. When I started writing, I determined that I should provide a window into my own spiritual journey related to the work of the Holy Spirit to help you know how to apply what is found in the Bible. So I have peppered these pages with real-life examples. This doesn’t mean that I have fully experienced the depths of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in my own life! I sometimes feel that I have barely understood it at all. But from one traveler to another, I want to encourage you in your own journey with the Holy Spirit by looking through the window into my own walk.

In appendix 2 you will find a creative and fun way to remember what you have learned. It will help you memorize the seven main points of this book so they can be a constant reminder of how to step out in the Spirit. It is also a creative way to teach this material if you are a teacher.

I want to thank a few people for their help on this book. Robert and Davette Bishop read earlier drafts and offered many helpful bits of encouragement and critique. My father, Drew Berding, once again has lent his keen editing skills to help me think and communicate more clearly. My colleague, Jon Lunde, often dialogued with me both about exegetical issues and about practical aspects of life in the Spirit. Special thanks are due the women of the Entirely His Bible studies at Whittier Hills Baptist Church who read an earlier draft during their Christmas break from studying through the book of Romans. I also want to thank the students from two semesters of my Biblical Interpretation & Spiritual Formation class at Biola University, who were required to read earlier drafts as a class assignment. I so appreciate the deans at Talbot School of Theology, Dennis Dirks and Mike Wilkins, who granted me a sabbatical leave, during which I was able to devote time to this project along with a couple other projects. I am deeply grateful to all the editors and staff at Crossway who caught the vision for a book on walking in the Holy Spirit that was rooted in Romans 8. They have so graciously and expertly shepherded this book all the way from acquisition to distribution. Finally, and especially, I want to thank my wife and life partner, Trudi. We celebrated our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary at the scheduled date for this book’s release. She has been my traveling companion during most of the experiences I have shared with you. It is to Trudi that I dedicate this book with joyful gratitude for the incredible gift she has been to me.

I often write music for times of personal prayer and occasionally share them with others when I lead worship. I would like to share the lyrics of one of my songs for you to use as a prayer for receptivity to what the Holy Spirit may want to do in you as you read the pages ahead. Read the song aloud and pray in your heart the words to the Lord.

Spirit of the Living Lord

Softer than a gentle wind, ushering your mercy in

Meet me here . . . Spirit of the Lord

Purer than a burning fire, be my sanctifier

Draw me near . . . Spirit of the Lord

Holy Comforter, gentle breezes blow

Cleansing stream . . . come, my soul restore

Holy fire burn, shining light shine bright

Rushing wind . . . Spirit of the Living Lord

Cleaner than a rushing stream,

ev’ry wayward thought redeem

River flow . . . Spirit of the Lord

Holy Spirit pure and bright,

light the way with holy light,

Jesus show . . . Spirit of the Lord

Holy Comforter, gentle breezes blow

Cleansing stream . . . come, my soul restore

Holy fire burn, shining light shine bright

Rushing wind . . . Spirit of the Living Lord

one

WALK IN THE SPIRIT

Iwalk a lot. Compared to most people in Southern California I walk a lot. My “commute” to work is a fifteen-minute walk. I teach at a medium-sized university where classes are scheduled in rooms all over campus—five to ten minutes to class, five to ten minutes from class—for every period I teach. I love to take walks with my wife and daughters in the evenings. And for prayer, I know of no better way to pray than by prayer-walking. Others kneel, sit, raise their hands, or journal their prayers. I walk. Walking keeps me awake. It keeps me focused. And it reminds me of something that is profoundly biblical.

I have walked the streets of the great cities in which I have lived over the years: in my home town in California’s Bay Area, in the Great Northwest where I went to college, and in Berlin just before the dismantling of the Berlin wall. I walked during the seven years my wife Trudi and I lived in two different Middle Eastern cities. I walked in Philadelphia and in a suburb of New York City while my family lived on the East Coast during my doctoral studies and early years of teaching. And I walk in the place that God has put me now—in the Los Angeles area of Southern California. Walking is one thing I do habitually in my physical life. And it is foundational for my spiritual life as well.

Life in the Spirit is a journey. It isn’t sitting in a comfortable deck chair on the veranda of a cruise ship. Neither is it a sprint toward a finish line you can see just ahead. Granted, your journey in the Spirit will sometimes include periods of sitting, and sometimes you will have to sprint. And there are many other good analogies for Christian living. But for the apostle Paul, life in the Spirit is best compared to walking. He launches into his discussion of the ministry of the Holy Spirit with the words at the end of Romans 8:1–4:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Learning to Walk according to the Spirit

If you want to be someone who brings glory to God (and I pray that there is nothing you desire more!), you must learn what it means to walk according to the Spirit. There are no shortcuts on this journey; the only way from here to there is to walk.

In appendix 1 I discuss how Romans 8 is not just about you and me, though it is certainly about that. Paul’s discussion about walking according to the Spirit in Romans 8 is part of a larger theme in which Paul contrasts life then with life now. The then was the period dominated by the Law, the period before Christ’s death, resurrection, ascension, and sending of the Holy Spirit. But even then, the prophets longed for a new age when the Spirit would not simply come upon certain individuals to empower them in special instances. They anticipated and predicted an age when the consummate cleansing for sin would take place and where walking in God’s statutes would result from the presence of God’s indwelling Spirit in all his people. Here is one example of what the Old Testament prophets hoped and longed for:

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. (Ezek. 36:25–27)

Ezekiel and the other prophets looked ahead to the day when God would put his Spirit within us. Paul said that this day is now! Paul declared that the requirements of the Law are already fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. That is, the requirements of the Law have been fully taken care of by the death of Jesus Christ on our behalf so that we don’t have to live in dependence upon the Law to move us forward in our spiritual lives. Instead, we depend on the Spirit; we walk in the Spirit.

Walking is the apostle Paul’s favorite metaphor for the Christian life. That’s probably because Paul walked a lot. He walked a lot even compared to me! I don’t mean that he walked a mile each day for exercise or that he took the stairs instead of the elevator. It has been estimated that Paul traveled around twelve thousand miles during his known missionary journeys, much of it on foot!1Perhaps that’s why he was always comparing our Christian lives to walking. He uses the word we sometimes translate “walk” thirty-two times in his letters! Here are a few examples:2

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. (Eph. 4:1)

Walk in love, as Christ loved us. . . . (Eph. 5:2)

We walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Cor. 5:7)

Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Gal. 5:16)

If we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also walk. (Gal. 5:25, NASB)