The long-suffering of God

I regularly recall the marrow of lesson that Wayne Grudem taught on the common grace of God in which he vividly describes God's great mercy and patience in how he deals with mankind. To paraphrase his point, God's common grace-his mercy and long-suffering with sinful humanity-is evident every time we look outside and see something other than flames, every time we smell something other than smoke and burning sulfur, every time we feel something other than excruciating burns, every time we hear something other than screams of pain and suffering. God is patient with mankind; he does not immediately give us what we deserve.

This idea that originally came from the teachings of Grudem came to mind when I read the following quote by Jonathan Edwards from his book of lectures called Charity and Its Fruits:

If we consider the wickedness that there is in the world, and then consider how God continues the world in existence, and does not destroy it, but showers upon it innumerable mercies, the bounties of his daily providence and grace, causing his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sending rain alike on the just and on the unjust, and offering his spiritual blessings ceaselessly and to all, we shall perceive how abundant is his long-suffering toward us.

God's abundant and merciful patience is remarkable in light of all our sin. His gracious care is magnified when the transgressions and evil in this world is considered.

Book Review - Understanding the Big Picture of the bible

The Big Picture

Understanding the Big Picture of the Bible: A Guide to Reading the Bible Well is concerned with exactly what the title indicates; the big picture. It is an entry level book that introduces readers to major ideas, themes, and content of not only the biblical literature but also the historical context in which the Bible was written. This book is helpful due to its broad approach which provides an initial contact for understanding the Bible and a starting point for further study.

Wide Angle

This book is an overview to the Bible in three main areas; Old Testament, New Testament, and New Testament background. The relatively short essays in each section outfit the reader with a surprisingly substantial amount of helpful information. Both the Old and New Testament sections begin with an outline of that testament’s theology. This large field of view is slowly focused in both sections with the OT essay writers discussing the Pentateuch, historical books, poetic and wisdom literature, and prophetic books. Of these chapters, I found Paul House’s work on the prophetic boos most interesting. The NT portion follows a similar structure as it considers the Gospels and Acts, the epistles, and the book of Revelation. I was intrigued by Thomas Schreiner’s tour through the epistles; their cohesiveness and unity was brought to light.

Background Details

Perhaps the most valuable segment for me was that on the background to the New Testament which was sandwiched between those mentioned above. Covering the times between the Testaments, the Roman and Greco-Roman worlds, and Jewish groups at the time, these three chapters presented information that was less familiar and therefore more enriching.

Only a Start for Study

As an introductory guide to reading the Bible, as expected, this book does not go into specific detail or into highly-focused topics. It does a good job of introducing a wide range of ideas. The book is written in such a way so as to encourage further study and investigation. The authors give enough guidance so one is not without general bearings. However, one’s interest is only piqued, and I found myself regularly reflecting that I would like to investigate a topic more thoroughly. This was the strength of the book in my opinion.

Uniform Structure

One improvement that I feel could be made, particularly in the OT and NT sections, would be a more uniform structure in terms of the content of each chapter. Some ideas were expressed throughout the book. For instance, themes of different genres and books were regularly explained. I would have found it helpful if other subtopics were covered across the spectrum of the chapters. This may be much to ask with the broad range of writings being considered. What uniformity the book did have, I found very helpful

Recommended

Understanding the Big Picture of the Bible is a helpful beginning resource for, as the book’s subtitle suggests, reading the Bible well. It is an acceptable companion to the already published Understanding Scripture: An Overview of the Bible's Origin, Reliability, and Meaning. These two books will cover most topics around Scripture and point the researcher in the right direction for deeper inquiry. I recommend this book.

Christ as the true prophet, priest, king, wise man, warrior, temple, covenant, and sacrifice

Vern S. Poythress in Understanding the Big Picture of the Bible:

Instances of mediators in the Old Testament include prophets, kings, and priests. Prophets bring the word of God from God to the people. Kings, when they submit to God, bring god's rule to bear on people. Priests represent the people in the coming before God's presence. Christ is the final prophet, king, and priest who fulfills all three functions in a final way (Heb.1:1-3). One can also look at wise men, who bring God's wisdom to others; warriors, who bring God's deliverance from enemies; and singers, who bring praise to god on behalf of the people and speak of the character of God to the people.

Mediation occurs not only through human figures, but through institutions. Covenants play a mediatorial role in bringing God's word to the people. The temple brings God's presence to the people. The animal sacrifices bring God's forgiveness to the people. In reading the Bible on should look for ways in which God brings his word and his presence to people through means that he establishes. All these means perform a kind of mediatorial role, and because there is only on mediator, it is clear that they all point to Christ. (18)

The unity of God's plan

Vern S. Poythress, in his contribution to Understanding the Big Picture of the Bible entitled An Overview of the Bible's Storyline, writes,

The work of Christ on earth, and especially his crucifixion and resurrection, is the climax of history; it is the great turning point at which God actually accomplished the salvation toward which history had been moving throughout the Old Testament. The present era looks back on Christ's completed work but also looks forward to the consummation of his work when Christ will come again and when there will appear "new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Pet. 3:13; see Rev. 21:1-22:5).

The unity of God's plan makes it appropriate for him to include promises and predictions at earlier points in time, and then for the fulfillments of these to come at later points. Sometimes the promises take explicit form, as when God promises the coming of the Messiah, the great Savior whom Israel expected (Isa. 9:6-7). Sometimes the promises take symbolic form, as when God commanded animal sacrifices to be offered as a symbol for the forgiveness of sins (Leviticus 4). In themselves, the animal sacrifices were not able to remove sins permanently and to atone for them permanently (Heb. 10:1-18). They pointed forward to Christ, who is the final and complete sacrifice for sins. (8)

An embarrassment of riches

 In comparison with the remaining manuscripts of any other Greek or Latin literature, the New Testament suffers from an embarrassment of riches. It is almost incomprehensible to think about the disparity. When it comes to quantity of copies, the New Testament has no peer. More than 5,700 Greek New Testament manuscripts are still in existence, ranging in date from the early second century to the sixteenth century. To be sure, the earliest ones (i.e., through the third century) are all fragmentary, but they cover a substantial amount of the New Testament. And Greek manuscripts do not tell the whole story. The New Testament was translated early on into a variety of languages, including Latin, Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, Georgian, Gothic, and Arabic. All told, there are between twenty thousand and twenty-five thousand handwritten copies of the New Testament in various languages. Yet, if all of these were destroyed, the New Testament text could be reproduced almost in its entirety by quotations of it in sermons, tracts, and commentaries written by ancient teachers of the church (known as church fathers or Patristic writers). To date, over a million quotations from the New Testament by the church fathers have been cataloged.

(Grudem, Wayne A., C. John Collins, and Thomas R. Schreiner. Understanding Scripture: An Overview of the Bible's Origin, Reliability, and Meaning. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011. Print. 112-3)

Less sizzle, but quietly significant - Powlison on personal Bible application

David Powlison, in his contribution to the book Understanding Scripture edited by Grudem, Collins, and Schreiner, discusses the problems and pitfalls associated with personal application of bible passages where one is not addressed directly. This advice is very helpful.

Most of the Bible does not speak directly and personally to you. How do you "apply" the stories in Genesis? What about genealogies and census data? Leviticus? The life stories of Esther, Job, Samson, or Paul? The distribution of land and villages in Joshua? The history of Israel's decline through 1 and 2 Kings? The prophetic woes scorching Moab, Philistia, Egypt, and Babylon fulfilled so long ago? The ruminations of Ecclesiastes? The Gospel stories showing Jesus in action? The New Testament's frequent preoccupation with Jew-Gentile relations? The apocalyptic images in the Revelation?

The Bible's stories, histories, and prophecies-even many of the commands, teachings, promises, and prayers-take thoughtful work in order to reapply with current relevance. If you receive them directly-as if they speak directly to you, about you, with your issues i view-you will misunderstand and misapply Scripture ... Those who attempt to take the entire Bible as if it directly applies today end up distorting the Bible. It becomes an omnirelevant magic book teeming with private messages and meanings. God does not intend that his words function in that way.

These passages do apply. But most of the Bible applies differently from the passages tilted toward immediate relevance. What you read applies by extension and analogy, not directly. Less sizzle, but quietly significant. In one sense, such passages apply exactly because they are not about you. Understood rightly, such passages give a changed perspective. They locate you on a bigger stage. They teach you to notice God and other people in their own right. They call you to understand yourself within a story-many stories-bigger than your personal history and immediate concerns. They locate you within a community far wider than your immediate network of relationships. And the remind you that you are always in God's presence, under his eye, and part of his program.

Grudem has a website

One of my favourite theologians, and one of the most influential in my life, has recently started a website. Wayne Grudem, pofessor and author, has been instrumental in the formation of my beliefs. The site cane be found at www.waynegrudem.com and I encourage you to visit the site and avail yourself of the many resources.

The home page is as follows:

On this site you will find an extensive (and growing) collection of articles, books, audio and video messages, and answers to questions by Wayne Grudem.
Wayne Grudem is Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary, Phoenix, Arizona. He has published twenty books, including his newest book, Politics – According to the Bible, which was published in September, 2010. He was also the General Editor for the ESV Study Bible (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Book of the Year, 2009).
Read more about Wayne Grudem.


On the site you will find articles, videos, audio dowloads, questions and answers, and much more.

Piper on communion with God

Communion refers to God's communication and presentation of himself to us, together with our proper response to him with joy. We say "with joy" because it would not be communion if God revealed himself in total wrath and we were simply terrified. That would be true revelation and a proper response, but it would not be communion.


Communion assumes that God comes to us in love and that we respond joyfully to the beauty of his perfections and the offer of his fellowship.He may sometimes come with a rod of discipline. But even in our tears we can rejoice in our Father's loving discipline (Heb. 12:6-11). Communion with God may lay us in ashes or make us leap. But it never destroys our joy. It is our joy (Ps. 43:4).

 (Grudem, Wayne A., C. John Collins, and Thomas R. Schreiner. Understanding Scripture: An Overview of the Bible's Origin, Reliability, and Meaning. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011. Print.)

Packer on reading the Bible theologically

J. I Packer wrote the following on theological Bible reading in his contributed chapter to the enjoyable and edifying little volume published by Crossway and edited by Grudem, Schreiner, and Collins:

The goal of theological Bible reading is not just to know truth about God (though one's quest for godliness must start here) but to know God personally in a relationship that honors him-which means serving Jesus Christ, the Father's son, the world's real though unrecognized Lord, who came to earth, died, rose, and ascended for his people, and has given them the Holy Spirit. To have him fill believers' horizons and rule their lives in his Father's name is the authentic form-the foundation, blueprint, scaffolding, and construction-of Christian godliness, to which theological Bible reading is a God-intended means. (Grudem, Wayne A., C. John Collins, and Thomas R. Schreiner. Understanding Scripture: An Overview of the Bible's Origin, Reliability, and Meaning. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011. Print. 35)

Packer finishes off his chapter on reading the Bible theologically by offering three questions which should govern readers as they interact with the inspired Word:

1. In the passage being read, what is shown about God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
2. In the passage being read, what is shown about the bewildering, benighted world with all its beautiful and beneficial aspects alongside those that are corrupt and corrupting?
3. In the passage being read, what is shown to guide one's living, this day and every day?

J. I. Packer on reading the Bible theologically

" ... the Bible's God-language is analogical. Today's fashion is to call it "metaphorical,' which is not wrong, but "analogical" is the term that makes the clearest point: the difference involved when everyday words-nouns, verbs, adjectives-are used of God. Language is God's gift for personal communication between humans and between God and humans. But when God speaks of himself-or when people speak to him or about him-the definitions, connotations, implications, valuations, and range of meaning in each case must be adjusted in light of the differences between him and his creation. God is infinite and flawless; people are both finite and flawed. So when everyday words are used of God, all thought of finiteness and imperfection must be removed, and the overall notion of unlimited, self-sustaining existence in perfect loving holiness must be added in."

(Grudem, Wayne A., C. John Collins, and Thomas R. Schreiner. Understanding Scripture: An Overview of the Bible's Origin, Reliability, and Meaning. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011. Print. 33)

Learning from teachers of the past

One of the things I have come to appreciate over the past 4 or 5 years is the benefit of reading and studying material from Christians who lived hundreds and even thousands of years ago. Of the many benefits of tapping into this sanctified archive of wisdom, one that particularly stands out is mentioned by John Hannah in the quote below. A regular diet of teaching from bygone eras is one way to broaden one's perspective and remove some blind spots one has developed due to the period in history one lives in.

Consider,

Is there any benefit in reading the Bible as it was understood by previous generation of Christians? Yes, certainly, because the Bible was written for them as well as us. God spoke to them through the Bible as he does to us today, and the spiritual gift of teaching was given to individuals then as it is now. Therefore when we read the biblical interpretations of previous generations, going all the way back to the earliest days of the church, we can often gain insight and perspectives that we might otherwise overlook because of the cultural biases of our own time. (Grudem, Wayne A., C. John Collins, and Thomas R. Schreiner. Understanding Scripture: An Overview of the Bible's Origin, Reliability, and Meaning. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011. Print. 19)

Daniel Doriani on knowing the context

We are often reminded we must consider the context when reading Scripture. When thinking of locating a verse, passage, or book in its context, I often only consider its historical context. That is, what impact does the "culture, economy, geography, climate, agriculture, architecture, family life, morals, and social structure of the Bible's actors, authors, and readers" (13) have on the section under consideration. But Daniel Doriani, in his essay contribution to Understanding Scripture (Grudem, Wayne A., C. John Collins, and Thomas R. Schreiner. Understanding Scripture: An Overview of the Bible's Origin, Reliability, and Meaning. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011. Print.) , emphasizes on oft overlooked aspect of considering context.

It is a truism that one must read the Bible in context, but the truism hides a distinction. "Context" can refer to the historical or the literary context. The literary context includes the words, sentences, and paragraphs preceding and following a passage. The literary context locates a passage within the larger purposes of a book. Readers should ask why a particular passage is here and not elsewhere., how it builds upon prior passages, and how it prepares for the next. (13)

Book Review – Understanding Scripture

I have some favourite theologians. I confess. I am not a pulpit-sniffer or a scholar fan-boy. But there are some teachers and preachers whose teaching and preaching resonates with me. And as an intentional practice I try and get my hands on anything and everything these leaders and educators write or speak. If I find a particular man's ministry is used strongly by the Holy Spirit in my edification and sanctification, then I want to avail myself of that resource. Thus, when it came to my attention that two of those pastor-teacher-type authors were joint editing a book, along with a third editor C. John Collins, I decided I must read it. Understanding Scripture: An Overview of the Bible's Origin, Reliability, and Meaning is a book that has two editors whose ministries have had a significant impact on my life. Wayne Grudem and Thomas R. Schreiner are two men whose works I try and access whenever I can. And in this Crossway published survey of biblical issues I have been, yet again, strengthened and stretched in my faith.

Comprehensive but Not Extensive


By definition an overview is a general review or summary of a subject. It is not a thorough and meticulous investigation or a complete elucidation. It can be comprehensive, but it shouldn't be extensive. As an introduction to important matters pertaining to Scripture, this book does an admirable job. The broad scope of its inquiry is easily demonstrated with a listing of its parts:

1. Interpreting the Bible
2. Reading the Bible
3. The Canon of Scripture
4. The Reliability of the Bible Manuscripts
5. Archaeology and the Bible
6. The Original Languages of the Bible
7. Old Testament and New

As is obvious, this book covers a lot of ground, all of which is salient to people of the Word. Chapters by numerous esteemed pastors and scholars constitute each part. In light of the topics and the purpose of this book, the chapters are brief but they are so without being scant. This book makes for a great introduction to these Biblical subjects.


A Springboard for Further Study


For those uninitiated with the many issues this book presents, Grudem and friends offer an excellent starting point for understanding the concepts and the seriousness of what is at stake. The writers are knowledgeable and passionate about their topics and they deal with the subject matter in a way that should encourage further study. With the smorgasbord of topics available, every reader should find a morsel or dainty that elicits further consumption; this book offers only the appetizers with a feast waiting those inclined to eat. But this book is not simply for the novice.


A Refreshing Review


I have looked into most of these issues at one time or another, pursuing the questions and doubts I had to my satisfaction. And though I'm no expert, I was delighted to find several chapters that piqued my interest and generated a desire to seek more information. As an English high school teacher, I found Leland Ryken's chapter titled Reading the Bible as Literature superb and will definitely be follow that trail and see what else Ryken has to offer on the subject. Other chapters of note were those by J. I. Packer, John Hannah, and Daniel B. Wallace. This booked worked well for me as a review but also provided some stimulus for further investigations.


One for the Shelf


My house is quite full; seven of us and all our stuff. Shelf space, or any other kind of space for that matter, is quite limited. My wife reminds me that I need to be selective when choosing books. Hence, I look for books that I believe will be a solid resource for the household. Books of interest are those which I foresee reading again, or at least consulting again, or books which I think my children will find helpful. Understanding Scripture is just such a book. It is a book that I'm certain I will use as a reference in the future. And it is a book I will direct my children to for initiation into some of the issues that are sure to crop up in their lives as they live them out as men and women who rely on the Bible for the 'daily bread'. This volume will find its way on to my bookshelf, and I recommend it for yours.

The simplicity of God

Wayne Grudem, in his Systematic Theology, defines God's simplicity-calling it God's unity-as follows: "God is not divided into parts, yet we see different attributes of God emphasized at different times." He goes on to write,

We would not want to say the attributes are only characteristic of some part of God, but rather that they are characteristic of God himself and therefore characteristic of all of God ... Nor should we think of the attributes of God as something external from God's real being or real self, something added on to who God really is ... Rather, we must remember that God's whole being includes all of his attributes: he is entirely loving, entirely merciful, entirely just, and so forth.

In his stellar book on the condescension of God, God With Us, K. Scott Oliphint also addresses the simplicity of God:

What id God was composed of parts, or of a part? Imagine goodness as part of God's character such that it is not identical to him, but in some way actually composes his character. What, now, must be true of his goodness? Since it is not identical to him, it must be something other than him. If it is something other than him, then it must be outside of him, at least initially. Not only so, but if God is essentially good, and goodness is not identical to him, then he depends on goodness to be who he is essentially. Thus, God is dependent on something besides himself in order to be who he is essentially. Were that the case, God would not be a se; he could not be independent. (64)

Grudem Q and A

Below are some videos of one of my favourite theologians, Wayne Grudem. The videos come from the Clarus Conference. Enjoy.

The Grudems

I came across this interview at Justin Taylor's blog. It is an interview with Wayne Grudem and his wife Margaret. Wayne, a theologian, has had a great impact on my doctrinal beliefs. I enjoyed this video of him and his wife.

Pastor Mark Interviews Wayne and Margaret Grudem

Resurgence

Pastor Mark sits down with Wayne and Margaret Grudem to ask them about their marriage and family in this video interview.

Regeneration

I am participating in a 'small group' studying the ordo salutis or, in English, the order of salvation. This week we are looking into regeneration. The doctrine of regeneration was one of the main 'arguments' that convinced me that reformed theology was in fact an accurate representation of the truth; at least more accurate than what I had believed before.

Our group's resources for this study are the mp3s of Scottsdale Bible Church's Christian Essentials class. These are lessons taught by Wayne Grudem in which he systematically, over the course of several years, works through his book entitled Systematic Theology. You can find the lesson on regeneration, delivered February 10th of 2008, at Scottsdale Bible Church's Christian Essentials website.

Early on in the lesson Grudem gives several examples from Scripture that refer to regeneration:

• a new heart - Ezekiel 36:26-27, And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
• born of God - John 1:12-13, But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
• made alive with Christ - Ephesians 2:4-5, ButGod, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved
• brought forth - James 1:18, Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
• born again - 1 Peter 1:3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
• born of the Spirit - John 3:5-8, Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
  

Randy Alcorn and what he believes

I came across this interesting blog post at Challies. It is a post by Christian author Randy Alcorn on what he believes in terms of the Arminian/Calvinism debate. Here is a sample of the writing:

I came to Christ in a church that was Arminian, so that was naturally my early leaning. I went to a Bible college and seminary that were both middle of the road where neither hard core Calvinism nor Arminianism often surfaced in class, though on a continuum, some faculty would lean more toward one than the other.

As the years went by, struck by the power of God's sovereignty and grace, I became increasingly closer to what is called a Calvinist rather than an Arminian (though I dislike both labels). As I say in other articles on the EPM website, I believe that Christ died for all, not just the elect, which is the one and only major tenet where I depart from Calvinism (not for logical reasons, but simply because after studying the passages they still seem to me to be saying Christ died for everyone.) So I am what might be called a four point Calvinist, though many 5-point Calvinists hate that term, believing it all stands or fall together. Logically, I see what they mean, it's just my understanding of biblical passages that gives me pause. (It's not because I haven't read extensively and discussed the matter with many people I respectfully disagree with.)

I was also happy to read this:

The one systematic theology I love most and use most is Wayne Grudem's. Wayne is a Calvinist, but I like the fact that be seems always to seek first to be a biblicist. I get the feeling he doesn't take a position because that's what Calvinists are supposed to do, but because he thinks Scripture teaches it.

You can read the whole thing here.