Course Syllabus

Course title: ST 721 Holy Spirit

Course description: A biblical-theological examination of the progressive unfolding of the person
and work of the Holy Spirit in Scripture. The four main units of this course
highlight the revelation of the Holy Spirit in His Person, the Promises of His
Coming, the official Presentation of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, and
the Possession of the Spirit in the life of the disciples of Christ and the
ministries of the church of Christ.
Course instructor: John Reuther serves on the Advisory Board of RBS. He is a graduate of
Northeastern Bible College (B.A.) and Biblical Theological Seminary
(M.Div.). He has been the pastor of Covenant Baptist Church since 1985,
and now serves with Pastor Dale Anderson.
Course credit: 3 credits
Course requirements: Student must satisfactorily complete the following course requirements:
(1) Lectures The student must listen to all 17 lectures by Pastor John Reuther on the
Doctrine of the Holy Spirit, which are available on Virtual Campus.
(2) Reading The student must complete the following assigned reading:
Frederick Dale Bruner, A Theology of the Holy Spirit (Wipf & Stock
Publishers, 1997). Read Part One only: on the Pentecostal
Experience: 130 pp.
Sinclair Ferguson, The Holy Spirit (InterVarsity Press, 1997). Read
entire book:- 250 pp.
Richard Gaffin, Perspectives on Pentecost (P & R Publishing, 1979).
Read entire book: 122 pp.
George E. Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament, Rev. edition
(Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1993). Read chapter 21 The Holy
Spirit in Johns Gospel: 12 pp.
Herman Ridderbos, Paul: An Outline of His Theology (Eerdmans
Publishing Co. 1997). Read chapter 38 Life Through the
Spirit: 9 pp.
O. Palmer Robertson, The Final Word (Banner of Truth, 1993). Read
entire book: 130 pp.
Renton MacLachlan, Tongues Revisited: A Third Way (Clear Sight
Publishers, 2000). Read entire book: 220 pp. [note: student may
obtain a free PDF download at www.TonguesRevisited.com.
Some of the reading above is available in PDF format on Virtual Campus.
The instructor must approve any alternative reading in advance.

(3) Word Study Students will be asked to give a synthesis and summary of all the uses of
Spirit, spirit, spirits, and breath in 5 Biblical books. They will be given two
completed word-studies to look at to help understand how these word-studies
should be undertaken.

(3) Midterm and
Final Exams
There will be a midterm and final exam. The exams are open book, open
Bible tests. You can and should use your syllabus. The purpose of the exams
is to test (1) your understanding of the material, and (2) your ability to
express the truths studied.
1) The midterm exam covers material from
Unit I The Person of the Holy Spirit (pages 1122).
Unit II The Promise of the Holy Spirit (pages 123189).
Unit III The Presentation of the Holy Spirit (pages 190"292).
The student only needs to complete 15 of the 20 questions. A few questions
are required.
2) The final exam covers material from
Unit IV The Possession of the Holy Spirit (pages 292"701).
It consists of eleven short-answer questions and five SS lesson plans. The
student only needs to complete 5 of the 11 short answer questions.
The student should direct any questions to Pastor John Reuther (Tel: (609)
267-9424; Email: johnreuther@verizon.net) or the seminary dean
(dean@rbseminary.org).
Course grading: Completion of lectures = 20 % / Completion of reading = 20 % / Word study
completion = 20 % / Midterm Exam = 20 % / Final Exam = 20 %