The Spirit and the Lake of Fire: Pneumatology and Judgment

The Holy Spirit and the Lake of Fire! What does the Spirit have to do with Gods final judgment? The Holy Spirit and Gods judgment upon sin are not two topics that are often connected but to understand the full work of the Spirit they need to be. It is not enough to view judgment as the work of just the Father and the Son but in full Trinitarian fashion it must be understood as the work of all three persons of the Trinity. In The Spirit and the Lake of Fire Rustin Umstattd establishes the Spirits role in judgment by connecting several symbols that are used for both the Spirit and judgment such as fire Gods breath and Gods arm. Furthermore by examining Augustines position that the Spirit is the mutual-love of the Father and the Son and Luthers position that Gods wrath is the underside of his love Umstattd demonstrates how one comes to the conclusion that the Spirit is operative in Gods judgment upon sin. In The Spirit and the Lake of Fire Rustin Umstattd exposes then fills a gap in the fields of biblical studies and systematic theology on the work of the Holy Spirit. The author presents four biblical motifs to argue the Holy Spirit is the Fathers agent for righteous and loving judgment in the Son. I highly recommend this book. --Adam Harwood New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary I am grateful to God to see the publication of Dr. Umstattds The Spirit and the Lake of Fire. It is both biblical and insightful. Reading this book will add fervency to ones life and ministry. --Jason K. Allen Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary The scriptures are clear--God is both Judge and just in his judgment. Yet many are content to only explore concepts of the love of God. Umstattds work masterfully connects readers to the full work of the Trinity in meting judgment on humanity. This is a much-needed addition to the theological conversations surrounding the role of the Holy Spirit in the Godhead. --John Mark Yeats Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Rustin Umstattd is Assistant Professor of Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City Missouri and serves on the Pastoral Leadership Team at Northland Baptist Church.