Reformed Dogmatics, vol. 4: Holy Spirit, Church and New Creation is the concluding volume of Herman Bavinck's magisterial walk through Christian theology from a Reformed perspective. As done in the first three volumes Bavinck is thoughtful, careful and thorough. It is as if he has gone along as a detective with a close eye to the trail, and not a stone is left unturned.

The broad topics in this volume are: The Spirit Give New Life to Believers; The Spirit Creates Community; and The Spirit Makes All Things New. Within these topics lie comprehensive treatments of things such as the church, including its essence, government and power; the sacraments; and a Reformed discussion of eschatology, that while written 100 years ago remains relevant today.

As in the previous volumes, Bavinck displays mastery of both the Bible and the work of theologians of varying perspectives and from throughout the history of the church. He explains the differences in understanding a given topic, such as the theology of the Lord's Supper, and generally ends the topic with the Reformed view, a view he consistently demonstrates as being primarily biblical, and very often the most logical. Something refreshing about reading Bavinck is that he generally points out the weaknesses in viewpoints that differ from the Reformed in ways that are fair and irenic. He seeks to ground his readers in a solidly biblical understanding without personally attacking those holding differing views.

I highly commend Bavinck's Reformed Dogmatics, both this volume and the entire set, for any pastor, theologian or interested lay person who would like to understand a theological topic from a biblical and Reformed point-of-view. Bavinck's treatment is thorough, fair, and best of all from a Reformed vantage point, continually seeks to show the glory of God. ( )

Systematic Theology