The Giver of Life

J. V. Fesko

Reviewed by: Nicholas J. Thompson

The Giver of Life: The Biblical Doctrine of the Holy Spirit and Salvation, by J. V. Fesko. Lexham, 2024. Hardcover, 360 pages, $36.99. Reviewed by OP pastor Nicholas J. Thompson.

I vividly remember the first time I read John Murray’s chapter on union with Christ in his classic Redemption Accomplished and Applied. My heart was so stirred that I literally shouted at the top of my lungs, waking up my napping baby in the process! The application of our salvation through the Spirit’s work of uniting us to the crucified and risen Christ is reason for our hearts to sing.

I found my heart similarly filled with joy at various points throughout my reading of J. V. Fesko’s The Giver of Life. Expounding upon the church’s universal confession of the Holy Spirit as “the Lord, the giver of life” in the Nicene Creed, Fesko provides a comprehensive and concise guide to the doctrine of the Spirit in his person and work, with a particular eye to his role in applying the salvation accomplished by the Son and arranged by the Father.

Part 1 (chs. 1–3) traces key biblical-theological themes related to God’s covenant and salvation from creation to consummation. Fesko shows how the heart of the covenant is God’s intimate presence with his people by the Spirit (ch. 1), the promises of the covenant (post-fall) are his saving blessings applied by the Spirit (ch. 2), and the life of the covenant is one of Spirit-wrought faith, hope, and love that leads to the enjoyment and spread of God’s saving blessings through Spirit-empowered worship, prayer, and witness (ch. 3). Particularly helpful is the way Fesko explains soteriology in relation to protology and eschatology throughout.

Part 2 (chs. 4-11) develops the application of salvation in a systematic manner with careful attention given to exegetical, biblical, and historical theology. Since “the first stone in the cathedral of soteriology is the doctrine of the Holy Spirit” (109), Fesko begins with a chapter on Trinitarian theology, explaining how the Spirit’s eternal proceeding from the Father and the Son is reflected in the temporal sending of the Spirit from the Father and the Son for us and our salvation (ch. 4). He then expounds the main contours of the ordo salutis, all of which are brought about through the Spirit’s gracious work of uniting us to Christ. These blessings include effectual calling (ch. 5), justification (ch. 6), adoption (ch. 7), and sanctification (ch. 8). Each of these chapters traces the pertinent texts and words from Old to New Testament, develops the doctrine systematically and historically, and combats errors and aberrations (for example, a helpful refutation of the New Perspective on Paul in the chapter on justification). The final three chapters in this section (chs. 9–11) explain the nature of life in the Spirit, following a similar format.

Part 3 (chs. 12–14) focuses on the practical application of these doctrines, demonstrating how our theology ought to lead to a transformed life unto the glory of God. Fesko explains the nature of Spirit-wrought faith (ch. 12), spiritual maturity (ch. 13), and Spirit-empowered mission (ch. 14). He then offers a brief conclusion with “twelve theses on soteriology,” which are worth the price of the book in themselves! Readers would do well to ponder these twelve points that serve as a fitting summary of everything Fesko argues throughout.

The Giver of Life is a faithful guide through the precious terrain of the Spirit’s application of our salvation as it was progressively revealed throughout covenant history and progressively developed throughout church history. While the truths in this book are deep, Fesko has written with remarkable simplicity and clarity, so that the theological novice should be able to profit much from a careful reading of it, while also providing recommendations in each chapter for further reading if you wish to go deeper.

I warmly commend this book to you, but I do so with one warning—it just might make you shout at the top of your lungs. For what could be more soul-stirring and joy-inducing than the reality of God the Holy Spirit eternally wedding us to God the Son, clothed in all his saving benefits?