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Spurgeon on the Holy Spirit
Who can measure the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives? When we are in the dark, He brings the Light. When our minds are perplexed, He gives the Answer. When we need an encouraging promise, He provides the Word. When we are lost, He shows the Way. Charles H. Spurgeon clearly communicates profound truths about the Holy Spirit. Discover the joy of having the Spirit of Christ within you.
Learn how He will... You can experience the Spirit of God living within you, guiding and empower your daily life.
Learn how He will... You can experience the Spirit of God living within you, guiding and empower your daily life.
192 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2000
33 people are currently reading
253 people want to read
About the author
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
5,989 books1,616 followersCharles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) was England's best-known preacher for most of the second half of the nineteenth century. In 1854, just four years after his conversion, Spurgeon, then only 20, became pastor of London's famed New Park Street Church (formerly pastored by the famous Baptist theologian, John Gill). The congregation quickly outgrew their building, moved to Exeter Hall, then to Surrey Music Hall. In these venues, Spurgeon frequently preached to audiences numbering more than 10,000—all in the days before electronic amplification. In 1861, the congregation moved permanently to the newly constructed Metropolitan Tabernacle.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 15, 2013
As Christians we tend to focus more on the Father and the Son and less on the Holy Spirit. Spurgeon explains why this is and argues why the Holy Spirit is just as important as the other two members of the Trinity. I enjoyed every line in this book. It's beautifully written with a profound message.
November 29, 2015
An Endless Waffle on the Holy Ghost
10 May 2013
Initially I though that this was a book that was written by Charles Spurgeon but since it was published in 2000 and no matter how hard I try I cannot find an original publication date I suspect that this is more a collection of his writings on the Holy Spirit than a particular book that he has written. To me this is not surprising because Spurgeon tends to waffle on a lot, and I felt that this book was little more than a very long waffle on the Holy Spirit.
I can't say that I was really all that encouraged by this particular book, I am sure others are or will be, but for me I wasn't, namely because Spurgeon's writing is not succinct nor does it actually move anywhere, and bringing a collection of his writings into a book helps even less because you cannot see where he is heading. Sometimes I even wonder whether Spurgeon actually studied theology, or whether he simply rambled on without even thinking about what he was saying.
Look, I'm not necessarily going to say that it is a bad thing, and Spurgeon did a lot with regards to helping the poor, but when the editor suggests that Spurgeon preached his first sermon at the age of 16 one wonders if there was any real experience behind that. Okay, there are probably a lot of 16 year olds out there that preach sermons, however they do tend to be young and they do tend to not have the understanding or the experience to really know what they are saying. In fact I suspect that most sixteen year olds that are preaching sermons to their friends are probably coming from a very fundamentalist background.
Spurgeon himself was a fundamentalist, though this was before the actual fundamentalist church came into existence (which was around the early 20th century after the publication of a book call, I believe, 'Christian Fundamentals'). However, from reading some of his writings in this book one can see that there is such a streak in him. For instance, in the chapter entitled 'Grieving the Holy Spirit' he talks about how you know that you have upset the Holy Spirit when you have trouble reading the Bible and that you have trouble understanding sermons. Me, that is a normal part of life, and Christians struggle through those periods quite a lot. To think that because you are dozing off in Church or not learning anything from the Bible, or finding it hard to participate in Bible study should not make you think that you have some unrepented sin in your life. We are all sinners, and we all have sins that we try to cover up, and if the Holy Spirit left us because of that then there would be no Christians. If you want to know what happens when the Holy Spirit leaves you, or what causes the Holy Spirit to leave you, then you can look no further than King Saul (and I wonder if Spurgeon properly exegeted his Bible before writing that).
Then there are his comments about the Anglo-Catholic church. Granted, there may problems with that particular denomination, but aren't there problems with all denominations. If you show me a church that has no problems then I will show you a fantasy. All churches have their problems, just like all humans have their problems. The question comes down to whether the church, just like the human, is trying to work those problems out of their system. The same goes with tradition and ritual – there is nothing wrong with tradition or ritual as long as it is used in its right context. If you believe that you get to heaven because of ritual and tradition, then you have another problem because the Bible is clear that there is nothing that you can do to get to heaven, it has more to do with what has already been done for you.
10 May 2013
Initially I though that this was a book that was written by Charles Spurgeon but since it was published in 2000 and no matter how hard I try I cannot find an original publication date I suspect that this is more a collection of his writings on the Holy Spirit than a particular book that he has written. To me this is not surprising because Spurgeon tends to waffle on a lot, and I felt that this book was little more than a very long waffle on the Holy Spirit.
I can't say that I was really all that encouraged by this particular book, I am sure others are or will be, but for me I wasn't, namely because Spurgeon's writing is not succinct nor does it actually move anywhere, and bringing a collection of his writings into a book helps even less because you cannot see where he is heading. Sometimes I even wonder whether Spurgeon actually studied theology, or whether he simply rambled on without even thinking about what he was saying.
Look, I'm not necessarily going to say that it is a bad thing, and Spurgeon did a lot with regards to helping the poor, but when the editor suggests that Spurgeon preached his first sermon at the age of 16 one wonders if there was any real experience behind that. Okay, there are probably a lot of 16 year olds out there that preach sermons, however they do tend to be young and they do tend to not have the understanding or the experience to really know what they are saying. In fact I suspect that most sixteen year olds that are preaching sermons to their friends are probably coming from a very fundamentalist background.
Spurgeon himself was a fundamentalist, though this was before the actual fundamentalist church came into existence (which was around the early 20th century after the publication of a book call, I believe, 'Christian Fundamentals'). However, from reading some of his writings in this book one can see that there is such a streak in him. For instance, in the chapter entitled 'Grieving the Holy Spirit' he talks about how you know that you have upset the Holy Spirit when you have trouble reading the Bible and that you have trouble understanding sermons. Me, that is a normal part of life, and Christians struggle through those periods quite a lot. To think that because you are dozing off in Church or not learning anything from the Bible, or finding it hard to participate in Bible study should not make you think that you have some unrepented sin in your life. We are all sinners, and we all have sins that we try to cover up, and if the Holy Spirit left us because of that then there would be no Christians. If you want to know what happens when the Holy Spirit leaves you, or what causes the Holy Spirit to leave you, then you can look no further than King Saul (and I wonder if Spurgeon properly exegeted his Bible before writing that).
Then there are his comments about the Anglo-Catholic church. Granted, there may problems with that particular denomination, but aren't there problems with all denominations. If you show me a church that has no problems then I will show you a fantasy. All churches have their problems, just like all humans have their problems. The question comes down to whether the church, just like the human, is trying to work those problems out of their system. The same goes with tradition and ritual – there is nothing wrong with tradition or ritual as long as it is used in its right context. If you believe that you get to heaven because of ritual and tradition, then you have another problem because the Bible is clear that there is nothing that you can do to get to heaven, it has more to do with what has already been done for you.
March 14, 2019
This was one of those God-sent coincidences - I happened to go to look for a book for my mom-in-law at my local used bookstore, and this was on the shelf in the same section. I like the author, I had trade credit, so I bought it.
Holy shirt, is this an excellent book! It's a collection of 8 sermons preached/written by Charles Spurgeon, all of them on the theme of the Holy Spirit. I can't even summarize how many topics he covers, but they're all incisive and insightful and passionate and gloriously hope-filled. I know I will read this many times over the years of my life, so I'm definitely keeping it.
As always, support your local library! and your local used bookstore!
Holy shirt, is this an excellent book! It's a collection of 8 sermons preached/written by Charles Spurgeon, all of them on the theme of the Holy Spirit. I can't even summarize how many topics he covers, but they're all incisive and insightful and passionate and gloriously hope-filled. I know I will read this many times over the years of my life, so I'm definitely keeping it.
As always, support your local library! and your local used bookstore!
December 17, 2023
Rating is my recommendation to read it, not a literary review. Audio book would be ideal if a well recorded one exists. It's a sermon that was recorded onto paper, more than a book.
The holy spirit is not often taught in enough detail, which is why I wanted to read it. I was not disappointed, constant reference to scripture.
A fun aside was his point on the church united and different dominions (while he was discussing the indwelling of the spirit vs a soulish person). It was a good reminder of the universal church and its communion with God and each other despite denominational differences (as long as they aren't heretical).
The holy spirit is not often taught in enough detail, which is why I wanted to read it. I was not disappointed, constant reference to scripture.
A fun aside was his point on the church united and different dominions (while he was discussing the indwelling of the spirit vs a soulish person). It was a good reminder of the universal church and its communion with God and each other despite denominational differences (as long as they aren't heretical).
November 22, 2024
This book reads like a collection of sermons, easy to read and understand. It's informative (though not in a scholarly sense), encouraging (as prompts for positive, deliberate change), and uplifting (as reminders of what believers already have). I recommend it and as always I implore you to read widely.
March 11, 2025
Charles Spurgeon was a great preacher and brings things out about the Holy Spirit in a way that you can learn more of Him. I would highly recommend this if you want to get to know the Holy Spirit more and learn more about who and what He does. I'm excited to read more of Charles Spurgeon's works that he wrote.
July 15, 2023
Not an easy read. I think the style is a bit dated. A lot of takes that i was already familiar with in the beginning. Although some great points toward last few sermons that make this a book worth the time
January 20, 2024
The questions needed to be before reading a given chapter or at the end of each chapter.
March 25, 2017
I like to read Spurgeon's works as an act of worship, because they lead me to be more in awe of God.
Within the past year, I have done four studies on the Holy Spirit - "accidentally" perhaps. Our senior pastor did a series on Him, a Sunday school leader did a different series on Him, and I chose to read both this book and Andrew Murray's "The Indwelling Spirit," not because of the topic, but because I like the authors. I prefer this Charles Spurgeon collection to Andrew Murray's "The Indwelling Spirit," which surprises me. Normally, I prefer Murray's writings, although I have enjoyed Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening," "Sermons on Comfort and Assurance," and "Sermons on Crises in the Life of Christ."
There are many good, Biblically based thoughts in this book. I have friends on both sides of the Calvinism-Armenian debate, and Spurgeon is Calvinist. I know that may sadden or deter some of my friends from reading this book. As for my part, I know why I believe what I believe on that issue, and that issue aside, I am more than willing to give God all the glory and praise both for the hard work He did for me on the cross, and for His Spirit drawing me to Himself. Personally, I find both beautiful acts of love.
I liked how Spurgeon combined Romans 8:15, ("You have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, 'Abba, Father,'") with Mark 14: 36, and Jesus' own prayer that He began, "Abba, Father," in the garden of Gethsemene, where He told His Father, "not My will, but Yours, be done."
I had not heard that definition of "sensual" before, that Spurgeon gave for Jude 1:19. (He said are people who act according to their own souls, but not according to the Holy Spirit.)
I have to say that I was disappointed with the chapter, "Grieving the Holy Spirit," after our Sunday School's discussion on the matter. ("And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." - Ephesians 4:30)
First of all, I don't think our human grief "always" has to involve anger, as Spurgeon said, but they are often mingled, especially when the griever has had false or unrealistic expectations, either of God or man. In the case of anger with God, often the person has believed promises God never made, or those taken out of context - a health and wealth or prosperity gospel.
I do think, though, that God's grief has a sense of anger intermingled with it. Spurgeon said, "Instead of wishing me ill as the punishment for my sin, He looks on my sin itself as being the problem." That is true, but, in this case, Spurgeon overlooks the seriousness and gravity of grieving the Spirit of God. It's not just making Him sad. When people, in the days of Noah, "grieved" the Holy Spirit, the flood came and destroyed all but eight. God does not wish us ill, but judgment can occur, and that, I think, is part of His grief. He does not like to judge. (2 Peter 3:9, Ezekiel 18:32) Yet, God is not helpless or mocked in His grief.
Spurgeon also said, "The Holy Spirit of God knows no passion or suffering." I don't agree. I would say that He does suffer, at least grief.
Favorite quotes:
"Sadly, you will not find a Christian who does not have to mourn over his self-righteous tendencies."
"If all the world were hypocrites, that would not exonerate you before your God."
"So much the more why you should have been an honest man. If you say the church was drifting away into quicksand, through the evil conduct and folly of the members thereof, so much the more why you should have helped to make it sound, if you thought you could have done so."
"You might as well expect to raise the dead by whispering in their ears, as to hope to save souls by preaching to them, if it were not for the agency of the Holy Spirit."
"But if you have received something that neither flesh nor blood could reveal to you, if you have been led to do the very thing that you once hated, and to love that thing that you once despised, and to despise that on which your heart and your pride were once set, then, soul, if this is the Spirit's work, rejoice; for where He has begun the good work He will carry it on. (Phil 1:6.)"
"If a comfort that you think you need, and that appears to you to be very sweet, does not glorify Christ, look very suspiciously at it.... If it does not glorify Christ, let it not console or please you."
"The ministries that make much of Christ are of the Holy Spirit, and the ministries that discredit Him, ignore Him, or put Him in the background in any degree are not of the Spirit of God."
"Irreverence to the Son of God soon becomes irreverence to God the Father Himself."
"When He sees a weary soul, He says, 'Come to Jesus; He will give you rest.' When He beholds an eye filled with tears, He wipes away the tears and bids the mourner look for comfort at the Cross. When He sees the tempest-tossed believer, He takes the helm of His soul and speaks words of consolation. He helps the broken in heart and binds up their wounds, and ever on His mission of mercy, ..."
"You cannot explain the wondrous power of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit - how it pulls back the hand of the saint when he would touch a forbidden thing; how it prompts him to make a covenant with his eyes; how it binds his feet, lest they should fall in a slippery way; how it restrains his heart and keeps him from temptation."
"Those who obey His promptings will not walk in darkness."
"In prayer, we would often come to a dead end, but He incites, suggests, inspires and so we go forward. In prayer we might grow weary, but the Comforter encourages and refreshes us with encouraging thoughts."
"I pray that you will never think well of fine prayers, for before the thrice-holy God, it is unbecoming for a sinful suppliant to play the orator.... The peacock feathers of poetical expression are out of place before the throne of God."
"First, adoption gives us the rights of children, and regeneration gives us the nature of children."
"You wear His name, you live in Him, you are saved by Him, and you are altogether His."
"Let us purge our churches of everything that is contrary to His Word and to sound doctrine."
I also liked the Cowper lines I'd not heard before
"What peaceful hours I once enjoyed,
How sweet their memory still!
But they have left an aching void,
The world can never fill.
Return, Thou sacred Dove, return,
Sweet Messenger of rest,
I hate the sins that made Thee mourn
And drove Thee from my breast.
"The dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from its throne
And worship only Thee."
- Cowper
(Whether or not the Holy Spirit actually leaves a wayward Christian is, to me, still under debate, but I won't argue that can feel that way.)
Within the past year, I have done four studies on the Holy Spirit - "accidentally" perhaps. Our senior pastor did a series on Him, a Sunday school leader did a different series on Him, and I chose to read both this book and Andrew Murray's "The Indwelling Spirit," not because of the topic, but because I like the authors. I prefer this Charles Spurgeon collection to Andrew Murray's "The Indwelling Spirit," which surprises me. Normally, I prefer Murray's writings, although I have enjoyed Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening," "Sermons on Comfort and Assurance," and "Sermons on Crises in the Life of Christ."
There are many good, Biblically based thoughts in this book. I have friends on both sides of the Calvinism-Armenian debate, and Spurgeon is Calvinist. I know that may sadden or deter some of my friends from reading this book. As for my part, I know why I believe what I believe on that issue, and that issue aside, I am more than willing to give God all the glory and praise both for the hard work He did for me on the cross, and for His Spirit drawing me to Himself. Personally, I find both beautiful acts of love.
I liked how Spurgeon combined Romans 8:15, ("You have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, 'Abba, Father,'") with Mark 14: 36, and Jesus' own prayer that He began, "Abba, Father," in the garden of Gethsemene, where He told His Father, "not My will, but Yours, be done."
I had not heard that definition of "sensual" before, that Spurgeon gave for Jude 1:19. (He said are people who act according to their own souls, but not according to the Holy Spirit.)
I have to say that I was disappointed with the chapter, "Grieving the Holy Spirit," after our Sunday School's discussion on the matter. ("And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." - Ephesians 4:30)
First of all, I don't think our human grief "always" has to involve anger, as Spurgeon said, but they are often mingled, especially when the griever has had false or unrealistic expectations, either of God or man. In the case of anger with God, often the person has believed promises God never made, or those taken out of context - a health and wealth or prosperity gospel.
I do think, though, that God's grief has a sense of anger intermingled with it. Spurgeon said, "Instead of wishing me ill as the punishment for my sin, He looks on my sin itself as being the problem." That is true, but, in this case, Spurgeon overlooks the seriousness and gravity of grieving the Spirit of God. It's not just making Him sad. When people, in the days of Noah, "grieved" the Holy Spirit, the flood came and destroyed all but eight. God does not wish us ill, but judgment can occur, and that, I think, is part of His grief. He does not like to judge. (2 Peter 3:9, Ezekiel 18:32) Yet, God is not helpless or mocked in His grief.
Spurgeon also said, "The Holy Spirit of God knows no passion or suffering." I don't agree. I would say that He does suffer, at least grief.
Favorite quotes:
"Sadly, you will not find a Christian who does not have to mourn over his self-righteous tendencies."
"If all the world were hypocrites, that would not exonerate you before your God."
"So much the more why you should have been an honest man. If you say the church was drifting away into quicksand, through the evil conduct and folly of the members thereof, so much the more why you should have helped to make it sound, if you thought you could have done so."
"You might as well expect to raise the dead by whispering in their ears, as to hope to save souls by preaching to them, if it were not for the agency of the Holy Spirit."
"But if you have received something that neither flesh nor blood could reveal to you, if you have been led to do the very thing that you once hated, and to love that thing that you once despised, and to despise that on which your heart and your pride were once set, then, soul, if this is the Spirit's work, rejoice; for where He has begun the good work He will carry it on. (Phil 1:6.)"
"If a comfort that you think you need, and that appears to you to be very sweet, does not glorify Christ, look very suspiciously at it.... If it does not glorify Christ, let it not console or please you."
"The ministries that make much of Christ are of the Holy Spirit, and the ministries that discredit Him, ignore Him, or put Him in the background in any degree are not of the Spirit of God."
"Irreverence to the Son of God soon becomes irreverence to God the Father Himself."
"When He sees a weary soul, He says, 'Come to Jesus; He will give you rest.' When He beholds an eye filled with tears, He wipes away the tears and bids the mourner look for comfort at the Cross. When He sees the tempest-tossed believer, He takes the helm of His soul and speaks words of consolation. He helps the broken in heart and binds up their wounds, and ever on His mission of mercy, ..."
"You cannot explain the wondrous power of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit - how it pulls back the hand of the saint when he would touch a forbidden thing; how it prompts him to make a covenant with his eyes; how it binds his feet, lest they should fall in a slippery way; how it restrains his heart and keeps him from temptation."
"Those who obey His promptings will not walk in darkness."
"In prayer, we would often come to a dead end, but He incites, suggests, inspires and so we go forward. In prayer we might grow weary, but the Comforter encourages and refreshes us with encouraging thoughts."
"I pray that you will never think well of fine prayers, for before the thrice-holy God, it is unbecoming for a sinful suppliant to play the orator.... The peacock feathers of poetical expression are out of place before the throne of God."
"First, adoption gives us the rights of children, and regeneration gives us the nature of children."
"You wear His name, you live in Him, you are saved by Him, and you are altogether His."
"Let us purge our churches of everything that is contrary to His Word and to sound doctrine."
I also liked the Cowper lines I'd not heard before
"What peaceful hours I once enjoyed,
How sweet their memory still!
But they have left an aching void,
The world can never fill.
Return, Thou sacred Dove, return,
Sweet Messenger of rest,
I hate the sins that made Thee mourn
And drove Thee from my breast.
"The dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from its throne
And worship only Thee."
- Cowper
(Whether or not the Holy Spirit actually leaves a wayward Christian is, to me, still under debate, but I won't argue that can feel that way.)
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