THE SPIRIT, ETHICS AND ETERNAL LIFE: PAUL'S VISION FOR THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IN GALATIANS. By Jarvis J.Williams. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2023. Pp. ix + 226. Paperback, $32.00.

This book presents an exegetical and theological treatment of Galatians with special attention to the relationship between Paul's soteriology, the Spirit, ethics, and eternal life. Chapter One briefly introduces the thesis, six supporting arguments, and the unique contribution offered. Chapter Two reviews the key historical contributions to the areas of focus outlined above before Williams details how he will argue his position in the following chapters. In Chapter Three, Williams argues that God's saving action in Christ is the reason the Galatians received the Spirit, have free moral agency, experienced ethical transformation, and presently participate in and will inherit eternal life. Chapter Four seeks to prove that those justified by faith in Christ “can, will, and must walk in step with the Spirit” to inherit eternal life. In Chapter Five, Williams sets his exegetical arguments from Chapters Three and Four in the context of the letter of Galatians and especially Paul's concern that the Galatians may walk away from his gospel, the only gospel to give Spirit and eternal life, to Torah-regard. Chapter Six primarily presents the practical ramifications of the research, especially the considerations of ethnic and racial discourse and how these relate to love for God and love for neighbor. This work strikes a strong balance of exegetical rigor, readability, theological precision, and awareness of interpretation history. It is refreshing to find a monograph carefully positioned within present scholarship that remains accessible to the non-specialist and genuinely enjoyable to read. The repeated reference to love for neighbor in Chapter Six would be better served by greater exegetical attention in Chapters Three and Four to Paul's use of the Love Command in Galatians 5:14. Still, this book should be on every seminary's library shelf and read by anyone desiring to walk in step with the Spirit.