God's Glory in the Exodus

I'm 107 pages in to Hamilton's God's Glory in Salvation Through Judgment (only 500ish more to go!). I'm using this great book as a tool to go through the entire Bible, cover to cover, and focus on this central theme that Hamilton proposes. I've just completed the section on Exodus. Below are some of the quotes that really stuck out to me. I've had a bunch of conversations with Jude about this book and more specifically about Jim Hamilton (Jude read this book in 2012). We've both come to the conclusion that Hamilton's books are very easy to read considering how smart he is. What I mean by that is that my experience with authors who have a high level of formal education in their specific fields is that for the average person (ie. me!) they can be very difficult to read. I find I don't have any of the "inside information" that would allow me to follow their thought patterns (I don't speak Hebrew, Greek, or have a PhD in hermeneutics!). Hamilton is not this way. He is clear, concise, and his passion for the Bible is infectious. Read this book (and his others)!

But is what Yahweh does to Pharaoh just? From the perspective of the biblical authors, all humans creatures owe their Creator thanks and praise (e.g., Rom. 1:21) No human creatures successfully give God the glory and thank due him (3:23). Therefore all human creatures stand under God's condemnation. The severity of the judgement meted out matches the unspeakable evil of refusing to honor God as God and render him thanks. He does not owe mercy. The only thing he owes in justice, and the gravity of the heinousness of disregarding the infinite worth and beneficence of God calls for punishment that fits the crime. If God does not visit a just punishment, it shows that he has as little regard for himself as the creatures who have refused to honor him as God and give thanks to him. God shows his own great worth by visiting due justice against Egypt, and he shows his love by mercying Israel.

Yahweh's declaration of his name in Exodus 34, which is the revelation of his glory, informs the places in the Bible before and after this incident where Yahweh states his intention of making known to people that he is Yahweh. To know that he is Yahweh is to know that he is merciful and gracious, not clearing the guilty but punishing iniquity. To know that he is Yahweh is to know his name, his character. To know that he is Yahweh is to know his goodness—goodness that upholds what is right. If he does not uphold what is right, he is not good. If he does not keep his word, he is not faithful and cannot be trusted. Yahweh's righteousness, therefore, is an essential component of his love. An unrighteous, unfaithful god is not a loving god bur a scary, unpredictable horror in the likeness of the ancient Near Eastern deities or the gods of the Greco-Roman pantheon. But Yahweh is righteous, faithful, and loving. Even when his holiness demands the death of transgressors, this is an expression of his goodness and love as it upholds his faithfulness and shows him trustworthy.

Israel is saved through judgment, and the tabernacle, with its implements of sacrifice, makes it possible for the glorious Yahweh to take up residence—no longer outside the camp (cf. 33:7), but in their midst. Salvation comes through judgment and leads to the experience of the glory of God, a glory so overwhelming that it dictates the movements of those who perceive it. Israel has constructed the tabernacle "as Yahweh had commanded Moses." Thus, in obedience to Yahweh's word, they have built a microcosm—a symbolic picture of the cosmos on a reduced scale. The tabernacle symbolically depicts the world that God has made, and when his people obey him, God does for the tabernacle what he will do for the world: he fills it which his glory. The filling of the tabernacle with the glory of Yahweh is a proleptic enactment of the earth being filled with the glory of Yahweh. This is why the world exists.

Come Though Fount

One of my favourite worship bands, Page cxvi.

No More Sinai

 From my readings the other day of Exodus. I was reading from the Gospel Transformation Bible (ESV translation).

¹⁶ On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. ¹⁷ Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. ¹⁸ Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. ¹⁹ And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. ²⁰ The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

Ex. 19:16–20 The picture of God given here is one of awesome glory and stark holiness. When the Lord came down on Mount Sinai, it was accompanied by thunder and lightning, fire and smoke, trumpets blasting louder and louder. And the result was that God’s people trembled (v. 16) and the whole mountain trembled greatly (v. 18).

Though God’s glory and holiness have not changed—he still remains “a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29)—he has made a way to come into his presence without fear. For through Jesus, we do not come to Mount Sinai, but to Mount Zion. We do not come to gloom and tempest but to “festal gathering.” We do not come to a voice, but to Jesus himself through his sprinkled blood (Heb. 12:18–24). Is it any wonder that Hebrews warns us not to refuse Jesus and his great salvation? He himself has made a way into God’s presence for us (Heb. 10:19–25)!

Book Review - The Final Days of Jesus

In The Final Days of Jesus: The Most Important Week of the Most Important Person Who Ever Lived the authors, Andreas Kostenberger and Justin Taylor, give us a book that is simple yet profound, and modest yet informative. This book provides an account of the final week of Jesus. It takes into consideration the people and events surrounding Christ from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday.

The book is organized around each day of the week with each particular day, if applicable, divided up into major events. Significant selections of Scripture, as well as  maps and charts, add to the effective commentary by the authors.

The writing and explanations throughout this valuable work are simple and unembellished. And this somewhat unadorned style is very persuasive. The authors discuss the main people and events of Jesus' last week and do not veer from this central narrative. The book is not bereft of exposition; the authors explain things when necessary. But, for the most part, they let the Gospel accounts speak for themselves. The austere-ness of this book does not inhibit the book from moving the reader. This story, unadorned, is captivating and thrilling; just having the facts presented without overmuch fanfare effectively conveys the gravity and wonder of this King of the Jews and his final seven days. Where the authors do wade in to longer discussions, it is helpful and informative.

The somewhat modest approach employed by this book does not disappoint in terms of the information it conveys. The aggregation of the the different accounts in the Gospel gives an in-depth and clear picture of the last days of Jesus. When appropriate, the authors explain how the Gospel's seemingly different versions can be harmonized. Historical background is provided by the when the reader's lack of knowledge may undermine the narrative. The authors have found a balance in terms of helping the reader understand and letting the original authors, the writers of the Gospel, tell their story.

This book will be valuable for all Christians as well as non-believers interested in the last days of Christ on earth. Its simplicity enhances the beauty and wonder of the story. Its lack of verbosity does not prevent it from being informative and helpful. This is a wonderful book at any time, and is of particular value now during Lent and leading up to Easter. I recommend this book.

This book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of review.

What's Best Next

I recently picked up a copy of Matt Perman's What's Best Next. I was intrigued as it received rave reviews from Piper, among other guys I really appreciate. The book tackles the topic of productivity from a Christian perspective. More than that it seems like it will try and offer ways to implement the gospel message in everything we do. I've just started reading it so I figured I'd share a few of things that jumped out at me in the first number of pages.

And sometimes when things get overwhelming, it is suggested that we need to "take a retreat with Jesus."
But maybe we've had enough retreats with Jesus. Maybe Jesus wants us to learn how to get things done. Further, we often come back from such retreats with loads of new things to do. How do we make those things actually happen? We need to know how to execute—how to get things done and manage ourselves. Developing a great vision for the next quarter or year or season of our lives and ministries will not help much if we don't know how to translate that vision into action.
In fact, I would argue that this downplaying of the pracitical is not only discouraging but actually an (unwitting) failure of love. It's a failure of love because part of biblical conception of love is giving practical help to those who need it, and in our modern society this more and more needs to involve concrete insight on how to get things done and stay above water without burning out or ignoring your family.

Managing ourselves well is foundational to all we do. The importance of these things becomes more clear when we realize that our ability to lead, manage, spend undistracted time with friends and family, and do everything else we do depends largely upon a skill that goes underneath all of those things and makes them all possible—the cross-functional skill of knowing how to manage ourselves.

We weren't made to simply respond to stuff all day, but to take action and move things forward. If we don't give attention to the discipline of personal effectiveness but instead let the flow of events determine what we do, we will likely fritter ourselves away doing all sorts of urgent things that come our way while never getting to the truly important things.

The key for me was going back to the Scriptures. It wasn't until I more fully understood God's purposes for our lives and how they relate to the things we do every day that I was finally able to prioritize more effectively, get off the hamster wheel, and feel confident that the things I was getting done were actually things God wanted me to get done.

We also look at how the only way to be productive is to realize that we don't actually have to be productive (our goal is to please God, not to appease God), and how the gospel continues to give us peace of mind even when everything is blowing up around us.

Sanctification

Chapter seven of Redemption Accomplished and Applied explains the doctrine of sanctification. Below are some of the quotes that really grabbed me.

There must be a constant and increasing appreciation that though sin still remains it does not have the mastery. There is a total difference between surviving sin and reigning sin, the regenerate in conflict with sin and the unregenerate complacent to sin. It is one thing for sin to live in us: it is another for us to live in sin. It is one thing for the enemy to occupy the capital; it is another for this defeated hosts to harass the garrisons of the kingdom. It is of paramount concern for the Christian and for the interests of his sanctification that he should know that sin does not have dominion over him, that the forces of redeeming, regenerative, and sanctifying grace have been brought to bear upon him in that which is central in his moral and spiritual being, that he is the habitation of God through the Spirit, and that Christ has been formed in him the hope of glory. This is equivalent to saying that he must reckon himself to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ the Lord.

It is by grace that we are being saved as surely as by grace we have been saved. If we are not keenly sensitive to our own helplessness, then we can make the use of the means of sanctification the minister of self-righteousness and pride and thus defeat the end of sanctification. We must rely not upon the means of sanctification but upon the God of all grace. Self-confident moralism promotes pride, and sanctification promotes humility and contrition.

God works in us and we also work. But the relation is that because God works we work. All working out of salvation on our part is the effect of God's working in us, not the willing to the exclusion of the doing and not the doing to the exclusion of the willing, but both the willing and the doing. And this working of God is directed to the end of enabling us to will and to do that which is well pleasing to him.

Sanctification involves the concentration of thought, of interest, of heart, mind, will, and purpose upon the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus and the engagement of our whole being with those means which God has instituted for the attainment of that destination. Sanctification is the sanctification of persons renewed after the image of God in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. The prospect it offers is to know even as we are known and to be holy as God is holy. Every one who has this hope in God purifies himself even as he is pure (1 John 3:3).

Adoption

Chapter six of Murray's Redemption Accomplished and Applied covers adoption. Below is the summarizing paragraph found at the end of the chapter.

But though the relation of Fatherhood differs, it is the same person who is the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ in the ineffable mystery of the trinity who is the Father of believers in the mystery of his adoptive grace. God the Father is not only the specific agent in the act of adoption; he also constitutes those who believe in Jesus' name his own children. Could anything disclose the marvel of adoption or certify the security of its tenure and privilege more effectively than the fact that the Father himself, on account of whom are all things and through whom are all things, who made the captain of salvation perfect through sufferings, becomes by deed of grace the Father of the many sons of whom he will bring to glory? And that is the reason why the captain of salvation himself is not ashamed to call them brethren and can exult with joy unspeakable, "Behold I and the children whom God hath given me" (Heb. 2:13).

Here for the Show

A excerpt from a post by Jonathan Parnell at Desiring God. Find the post in its entirety here.

So we know overall, because of the Psalms and how it plays out in the other Gospels, this sour wine is a bad move. It is yet another sting in the excruciating cross of our Savior. And I think Mark, in particular, shows us how. Theologically, we can understand it’s heinous role in the mockery, in the Messiah’s suffering, but then Mark brings us down to the ground of Golgotha. Again, the details are important.

According to Mark’s account, there is more rationale for why the bystander, after mistaking Jesus to be calling for Elijah, offers him the sour wine. We see it in his words. He offers the sponge to Jesus and says, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come take him down” (Mark 15:36). Wait, he says. Wait. Jesus is nearing his final breath, as the next verse says, “he breathed his last” (verse 37). And this bystander says to wait.
Wait, in other words, let’s not let him die yet. Let’s help him hang on a little longer to see if Elijah might really come.

We don’t know exactly what this bystander had seen. Presumably he had at least heard that Jesus worked wonders. Thousands had eaten when there wasn’t any food. Real people who once could not walk, or see, now could. Whether witnessed or heard, this bystander knew the dying man on the tree had a reputation for the miraculous. And here, in the intensity of Jesus’s passion, just before he breathed his last, the bystander wanted to squeeze him just one more time for some good glitz. He didn’t really think Elijah would come, but maybe. Jesus had done some amazing things. But now, the bystander didn’t really hope for his rescue, he wanted his dazzle. He didn’t want a suffering Savior, he wanted a spectacular stunt. He didn’t want Jesus, he wanted his show.
And so did we.

Justification

Below is a collection of quotes from chapter five of Murray's Redemption Accomplished and Applied. Murray does a great job at starting from the ground up in building his definition of justification. This has been one of the most helpful pieces of writing I've read on this topic as it lays everything out clearly and concisely. Enjoy!

If we are to appreciate that which is central in the gospel, if the jubilee trumpet is to find its echo again in our hearts, our thinking must be revolutionized by the realism of the wrath of God, of the reality and gravity of our guilt, and of the divine condemnation.

That justification does not mean to make holy or upright should be apparent from common use. When we justify a person we do not make that person good or upright. When a judge justifies an accused person he does not make that person an upright person. He simply declares that in his judgement the person is not guilty of the accusation but is upright in terms of the law relevant to the case. In a word, justification is simply a declaration or pronouncement respecting the relation of the person to the law which he, the judge, is required to administer. 

This is what is meant when we insist that justification is forensic. It has to do with a judgement given, declared, pronounced; it is judicial or juridical or forensic. The main point of such terms is to distinguish between the kind of action which justification involves and the kind of action involved in regeneration. Regeneration is an act of God in us; justification is a judgement of God with respect to us. The distinction is like that of the distinction between the act of a surgeon and the act of a judge. The surgeon, when he removes an inward cancer, does something in us. That is not what a judge does; he gives a verdict regarding our judicial status. If we are innocent he declares accordingly... Justification means to declare or pronounce to be righteous.

In God's justification of sinner's there is no deviation from the rule that what is declared to be is presupposed to be. God's judgement is according to truth here as elsewhere. The peculiarity of God's action consists in this that he causes to be the righteous state or relation which is declared to be. We must remember that justification is always forensic or judicial. Therefore what God does in this case is that he constitutes the new and righteous judicial relation as well as declares this new relation to be. He constitutes the ungodly righteous, and consequently can declare them to be righteous. In the justification of sinners there is a constitutive act as well as a declarative. Or, if we will, we may say that the declarative act of God in the justification of the ungodly is constitutive. In this consists its incomparable character.

It is clear that the justification which is unto eternal life Paul regards as consisting in our being constituted righteous, in our receiving righteousness as a free gift, and this righteousness is none other than the righteousness of the one man Jesus Christ; it is righteousness of his obedience. Hence grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 5:21). This is the truth that has been expressed as the imputation to us of the righteousness of Christ. Justification is therefore a constitutive act whereby the righteousness of Christ is imputed to our account and we are accordingly accepted  as righteous in God's sight.

Justification is both a declarative and constitutive act of God's free grace. It is constitutive in order that it may be truly declarative. God must constitute the new relationship as well as declare it to be. The constitutive act consists in the imputation to us of the obedience and righteousness of Christ. The obedience of Christ must therefore be regarded as the ground of justification; it is the righteousness which God not only takes into account but reckons to our account when he justifies the ungodly.

One another

Pretty cool infographic:

Faith and Repentance

From Murray's Redemption: Accomplished and Applied

The sufficiency of his saviourhood rests upon the work he accomplished once for all when he died upon the cross and rose again in triumphant power. But it resides in the efficacy and perfection of his continued activity at the right hand of God. It is because he continues ever and has an unchangeable priesthood that he is able to save them that come unto him and to give them eternal life. When Christ is presented to lost men in the proclamation of the gospel, it is as Saviour he is presented, as one who ever continues to be the embodiment of the salvation he has once for all accomplished. It is the Saviour himself and therefore salvation full and perfect. There is no imperfection in the salvation offered and there is no restriction to its overture; it is full, free, and unrestricted. And this is the warrant of faith.

Repentance we must not think of as consisting merely in a change of mind in general; it is very particular and concrete. And since it is a change of mind with reference to sin, it is a change of mind with reference to particular sins, sins in all the particularity and individuality which belong to our sins. It is very easy for us to speak of sin, to be very denunciatory respecting sin, and denunciatory respecting the particular sins of other people and yet not be penitent regarding our own particular sins. The test of repentance is the genuineness and resoluteness or our repentance in respect of our own sins, sins characterized by the aggravations which are peculiar to our own selves.

The broken spirit and contrite heart are abiding marks of the believing soul. As long as sin remains there must be the consciousness of it and this conviction or our own sinfulness will constrain self-abhorrence, confession, and the plea of forgiveness and cleansing. Christ's blood is the laver of initial cleansing but it is also the fountain to which the believer must continuously repair. It is at the cross of Christ that repentance has its beginning; it is at the cross of Christ that it must continue to pour out its heart in the tears of confession and contrition. The way of sanctification is the way of contrition for the sin of the past and of the present.

Regeneration

It is the glory of the gospel of God's grace that it provides for this incongruity. God's call, since it is effectual, carries with it the operative grace whereby the person called is enabled to answer the call and to embrace Jesus Christ as he is freely offered in the gospel. God's grace reaches down to the lowest depths of need and meets all the exigencies of the moral and spiritual impossibility which inheres in our depravity and inability. And that grace is the grace of regeneration...God effects a change which is radical and all-pervasive, a change which cannot be explained in terms of any combination, permutation, or accumulation of human resources, a change which is nothing less than a new creation by him who calls the things that be not as though they were, who spake it and it was done, who commanded and it stood fast. This, in a word, is regeneration.

John Murray - Redemption: Accomplished and Applied

Effectual Calling

From Murray's Redemption: Accomplished and Applied

It is God the Father who is the specific agent in the effectual call. This aspect of Biblical teaching we are too liable to overlook. We think of the Father as the person of the trinity who planned salvation and as the specific agent in election. And we think properly when we do so. But we fail to discern other emphases of Scripture and we do dishonour to the Father when we think of him simply as planning salvation and redemption. The Father is not far removed from the effectuation of that which he designed in his eternal counsel and accomplished in the death of his Son; he comes into the most intimate relation to his people in the application of redemption by being the specific and
particular actor in the inception of such application.

Ten duties of a godly man

From Thomas Watson's A Godly Man's Picture:

There are ten duties that God calls for, which a godly man will conscientiously perform, and indeed these duties may serve as so many other characteristics and touchstones to test our godliness by:

1. A godly man will often be calling his heart to account -

He takes the candle of the Word and searches his innermost being.

2. A godly man is much in private prayer -

He keeps his hours for private devotion.

3. A godly man is diligent in his calling -

He takes care to provide for his family.

4. A godly man sets bounds to himself in things lawful -

He is moderate in matters of recreation and diet.

5. A godly man is careful about moral righteousness -

He makes conscience of equity as well as piety.

6. A godly man will forgive those who have wronged -

A gracious spirit passes by affronts, forgets injuries.

7. A godly man lays to heart the miseries of the church -

Such a spiritual sympathy exists among Christians.

8. A godly man is content with his present condition -

If provisions get low, his heart is tempered to his condition.

9. A godly man is fruitful in good works -

A good man feeds the hungry, clothes the naked.

10. A godly man will suffer persecution -

He will be married to Christ, though he settles no other estate on him, than the cross.

All as Loss

A great post at the Desiring God site today. Piper explained the application of counting everything as loss. He used four short points to cover it, the third really stuck with me.


3. Renouncing all (counting all as loss) means that we will seek to deal with the things of this world in ways that show that they are not our treasure, but rather that Christ is our treasure.

That is, we will hold things loosely, share things generously, and ascribe value to things in relation to Christ. We will seek to live the paradox of 1 Corinthians 7:30–31, “Let [Christians] buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it.”

"Hold things loosely" is the point that stood out for me. I'm a big golfer, would do it everyday if I could. Any person who plays, no matter how good or bad they are, knows that the way you grip the club is very important. Without thinking of any other swing flaws, the way you grip the club
has the ability to make the ball go in any direction.  Grip is key, and so is grip pressure. Too tight and you might hit it thin, slice it, hook it, the possibilities are endless. Too loose and your beloved 7-iron might end up in a tree or the lake. Firm enough to keep hold of it, but loose enough to let it do the work.

You will find more success on the golf course if you hold the club just a little looser. You will find your relationship with Christ better if you hold onto the world just a little looser. Firm enough to make it work, but loose enough to let Christ work in our life.

The full post can be found by following the link below:

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/how-to-count-it-all-as-loss

One Source

From Murray's Redemption: Accomplished and Applied:

There is only one source from which we can derive a proper conception of Christ's atoning work. That source is the Bible. There is only one norm by which our interpretations and formulations are to be tested. That norm is the Bible. The temptation ever lurks near us to prove unfaithful to this one and only criterion. No temptation is more subtle and plausible than the tendency to construe the atonement in terms of our human experience and thus to make our experience the norm. It does not always appear in its undisguised form. But it is the same tendency that underlies the attempt to place upon the work of Christ an interpretation which brings it into closer approximation to human experience and accomplishment, the attempt to accommodate our interpretation and application of our Lord's suffering and obedience unto death to the measure or, at least, to the analogy of our experience. There are two directions in which we can do this. We can heighten the significance of our experience and doing to the measure of our Lord's or we can lower the significance of our Lord's experience and doing to the measure of ours. The bias and the final result are the same. We drag down the meaning of Christ's atoning work and we evacuate it of its unique and distinctive glory. This is wickedness of the deepest dye. What human experience can reproduce that which the Lord of glory, the Son of God incarnate, alone endured and accomplished?

Father, How Sweet

Powerful song from Sovereign Grace Music:

Lessons in Grammar

From Murray's Redemption: Accomplished and Applied

"In the atonement something was accomplished once for all, without any participation or contribution on our part. A work was perfected which antedates any and every recognition and response on the part of those who are its beneficiaries. Any curtailing of this fact in the interest of what is supposed to be a more ethical interpretation or in the interest of interpreting the atonement in terms of the ethical effects it is calculated to produce in us is to eviscerate the truth of the atonement. The atonement is objective to us, performed independently of us , and the subjective effects that accrue from it presuppose its accomplishment. The subjective effects exerted in our understanding and will can follow only as we recognize by faith the meaning of the objective fact." (emphasis mine)

Our friends at Dictionary.com can help us with a key definition from above:

e·vis·cer·ate [v. ih-vis-uh-reyt; adj. ih-vis-er-it, -uh-reyt]

verb (used with object), e·vis·cer·at·ed, e·vis·cer·at·ing.

1. to remove the entrails from; disembowel: to eviscerate a chicken.

2. to deprive of vital or essential parts: The censors eviscerated the book to make it inoffensive to the leaders of the party.

3. Surgery . to remove the contents of (a body organ).

I chose to show the definition in its entirety because I think it's important to recognize what other context's this word could be used in. Needless to say it is a strong word choice. 

Anytime we make begin to make Christ's atonement subjective, anytime we give ourselves credit for making the choice for Christ, anytime we do anything to rob Christ of the glory he deserves in redeeming us, we disembowel his atoning work. How's that for a mental picture.

 

What you think of Christ is everything

From Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon: The Fellowship of the Gospel and The Supremacy of Christ (Preaching the Word) by R. Kent Hughes:

What you think of Christ, your conception of him, is everything.

If you believe in Jesus Christ, that he is eternal, without beginning and without end, that he always was continuing; if you believe that he is Creator of everything, every cosmic speck across trillions of light-years of trackless space, the Creator of the textures and shapes and colors that daily dazzle your eyes;

if you believe that he is the sustainer of all creation, the force that is presently holding the atoms of your body, your town, this universe together, and that without him all would dissolve;

if you believe that he is the mystery, the incarnate reconciler who will one day reconcile the universe and redeem humanity to himself;

if you believe that he is the lover of your soul, who loves you with a love bounded only by his infinitude;

then, despite the fact that life will be full of trouble, nothing much will go wrong.

Your vision of Christ will quicken and shape your life. What you believe about Christ makes all the difference in the world now and in eternity. (line breaks mine)

The Court Room

<sup>Romans 3:23-26:

23</sup> for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. ²⁶ It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

From Murray's Redemption: Accomplished and Applied:

Here not only are redemption and propitiation collocated but there is a combination of concepts bearing upon the intent and effect of Christ's work, and this shows how closely interrelated these various concepts are. This passage exemplifies and confirms what other considerations establish, namely, that redemption from the guilt of sin must be construed in juridicial terms analogous to those which must be applied to expiation, propitiation, and reconciliation. 


The atonement is one of those topics that make people uncomfortable when we get down to the nitty gritty. Some parts are more palatable then others; we like them better than the others. But Murray argues above that the different parts are so closely interwoven that we cannot separate them. They must be looked at altogether  to see the glory of Christ's work on the cross. Great teaching so far, really enjoying the book!

Counterintuitive

How's this for counter cultural?

The more we emphasize the inflexible demands of justice and holiness the more marvellous become the love of God and its provisions.

John Murray

This quote was in the context of the necessity for the atonement. As a person still in their 20's this quote strikes me as one that would offend a lot Christian young people today. God's love is paramount, for above any other attribute they'd say. Talk about holiness and justice and you would risk being labelled a legalist! God's love is clung to while all other attributes, like holiness and justice (righteousness) are left behind. But what Murray points to here is that God's love is truly appreciated when viewed alongside His holiness and justice. These attributes show just how undeserving His love is to sinners like us. Abandon these other attributes and His love begins to lose it meaning.

Book Review - What's Your Worldview?

James N. Anderson has written a helpful and informative book on worldviews called What's Your Worldview?: An Interactive Approach to Life's Big Questions. This book would likely be found in the apologetics section of a bookstore or library, but it would be significantly different than most, if not all, books found there. Though what makes it different is definitely part of the appeal of this book, it also provides the reader with a valuable resource for studying worldviews, for sharing one's faith, and for scrutinizing one's own beliefs.

Since much of the blog and Twitter chatter involves the uniqueness of this book, we'll start with what it is that makes What's Your Worldview? special in the genre of apologetic books. Anderson immediately draws the reader's attention to this book's unusual feature: "Have you ever read one of the “Choose Your Own Adventure” (CYOA) books?" This is the first line of the book. And with this sentence the reader is introduced to the unique characteristic that is receiving so much attention. I'll not go into details about CYOA books as many are familiar with them. If you're not, a search on Wikipedia will give you the gist of how they work. The fact that this book on apologetics works like a CYOA book is what makes it unlike anything else out there. This format helps the reader find out their own worldview by presenting a series of questions. The answer to each question determines the destination (worldview) the reader arrives at. This was surprisingly fun and intriguing to experiment with. It added some suspense to the reading experience. This unique structure definitely adds to the attractiveness of the book. Particularly, I think unbelievers would find this a very comfortable feature.

That is one reason why I suggest this book would also be a valuable tool in sharing your faith. I could easily see myself handing this to an unbelieving friend and asking them to see where they land when it comes to their own beliefs. And I think that process would encourage valuable discussions. What's Your Worldview? is a non-threatening way to engage those who don't share your beliefs and give them an opportunity to hear about Christianity's perspective on life. Anderson's work is not only a resource for sharing your faith, but it is also a resource for studying worldviews in general.

The final destination for all readers will be one of 21 different worldviews which will be determined by how the reader answers a series of questions. The destination worldviews are 1-2 page summaries which are in and of themselves a very informative and helpful part of this book. This book will be a good reference to revisit when there are questions about different religions, philosophies, and outlooks on life. The worldview summaries that are represented in the book are as follows: Atheistic Dualism, Atheistic Idealism, Christianity, Deism, Finite Godism, Islam, Judaism, Materialism, Monism, Mysticism, Nihilism, Non-Mainstream Monotheism, Panentheism, Pantheism, Pelagianism, Platonism, and Pluralism. It must be obvious that  a book that includes concise, readable summaries on all these belief systems would be of significant value. And one of the many worldviews that the reader will come to understand is their own.

For the Christian reader, this book will help confirm whether or not what they believe actually lines up with historic Christianity. Or, it will clarify where one departs from the Christian perspective into another system of beliefs. Thus, it is a diagnostic for those who profess themselves as Christ-followers. Again, it seems to me that the value of this function of the book is evident.

What's Your Worldview? is a fun and edifying book to read. It's Choose Your Own Adventure structure, unique in the realm of apologetical books, is the main reason why it is so fun to read. It provides more than entertainment as a tool for evangelism, a resource for study of worldviews, and a diagnostic of one's own beliefs. This is a book worth owning, reading, and re-reading

Aiming to be a Christian

O wretched idol, myself! When shall I see thee wholly decourted, and Christ wholly put in thy room? O, if Christ, Christ, had the full place and room of myself, that all my aims, purposes, thoughts, and desires, would coast and land upon Christ, and not upon myself! And yet, howbeit we cannot attain this denial of me and mine that we can say I am not myself, myself is not myself, mine own is no longer mine own; yet our aiming at this in all we do shall be accepted; for, alas, I think I shall die but minting and aiming to be a Christian.

Samuel Rutherford - The Loveliness of Christ

Indicatives and Imperatives in Colossians

In the letter to the Colossians, Paul delivers perhaps the clearest separation of indicatives and imperatives. Though these lists are not exhaustive, I compiled 28 indicative statements from chapter 1 to match the 28 imperative statements in the rest of the letter that Douglas Moo lists in his Pillar New Testament Commentary.

Indicatives
1. God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (1:3)
2. Jesus is Lord and Christ (1:3)
3. We have hope laid up for in heaven (1:5)
4. The gospel is the grace of God in truth (1:5-7)
5. God is gloriously mighty (1:11)
6. The Father has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light (1:12)
7. The Father has delivered us from the domain of darkness (1:13)
8. The Father has transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son (1:13)
9. We have redemption in the Son(1:14)
10. We have forgiveness of sins (1:14)
11. The Son is the image of the invisible God (1:15)
12. The Son is the firstborn of all creation (1:15)
13. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth (1:16)
14. All things were created through the Son (1:16)
15. All things were created for the Son (1:16)
16. The Son is before all things (1:17)
17. In the Son all things hold together (1:17)
18. The Son is the head of the body, the church (1:18)
19. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead (1:18)
20. The Son will be preeminent in all things (1:18)
21. In the Son all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell (1:19)
22. All things will be reconciled to the Son through his blood (1:20)
23. You were once alienated and hostile towards God (1:21)
24. The Son has now reconciled you in his body of flesh by his death (1:22)
25. The Son reconciled you to present you holy and blameless and above (1:22)
26. The Son reconciled you to present you  before the Father (1:22)
27. The Son is the mystery hidden for ages but is now revealed to his saints (1:26-27)
28. God chose to make known to you how great are the riches of the glory of Christ (1:27)

Imperatives
1. See to it (2:8)
2. Do not let anyone judge you (2:16)
3. Do not let anyone . . . disqualify you (2:18)
4. Set your hearts on things above (3:1)
5. Set your minds on things above” (3:2)
6. Put to death (3:5)
7. You must . . . rid yourselves (3:8)
8. Do not lie to each other (319)
9. Clothe yourselves (3:12)
10. Bear with each other (3:13)
11. Forgive one another (3:13)
12. Forgive (3:13)
13. Put on love (3:14)
14. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts (3:15)
15. Be thankful (3:15)
16. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly (3:16)
17. Do it all (3:17)
18. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husband (3:18)
19. Husbands, love your wives (3:19)
20. Children, obey your parents (3:20)
21. Fathers, do not embitter your children (3:21)
22. Slaves, obey your earthly masters (3:22)
23. Work at it with all your heart (3:23)
24. Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair (4:1)
25. Devote yourselves to prayer (4:2)
26. Pray for us, too (4:3)
27. Be wise (4:5)
28. Let your conversation be always full of grace (4:6)

Contending and Contextualizing

I have just finished reading Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church by Matt Chandler, Eric Geiger, and Josh Patterson. I found this to be a very helpful and engaging book discussing the ministry and mission of the church. It was a refresher in gospel-focus and cross-emphasis. It was well worth the time and effort spent reading it.

One of the topics it covered which I found particularly informative and edifying pertained o the tension between contending for the message and contextualizing the mission. The authors do an excellent job of presenting this tension noting that "churches don’t minister to people in general. Instead, they reach particular people with particular values, idols, aspirations, dreams, gifts, strongholds, and sins." Conversely, focusing too much on the context is fraught with problems: "Sadly, the medium becomes louder than the message. And while the medium might impress, only the message can transform."

Creature of the Word reminds us that there are two sides to this dilemma, that is, "[w]e can contend for the purity of the gospel of Jesus but lose the very opportunity to clearly present this message if we fail to speak and contend for it in a way that is meaningful to the culture at hand" and "there is need to both contend for the message and contextualize the mission."

Their means to achieving balance is not new, but it is often ignored: "The balance of contending and contextualizing is the tension a faithful leader must consistently consider. Fear will lead toward under-contextualizing and over-contending. Foolishness will lead to over-contextualizing and under-contending. The fear of the Lord produces godly wisdom that will lead to a healthy balance of contending and contextualization."

To find balance they return their center, the central focus of their book and the prescribed focus for every church: the Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the main things I have appreciated about Matt Chandler's ministry and the work of The Village Church is their willingness to live in this tension between message and ministry. It must be hard work. As they faithfully hold on to both of these ideas it must, at time, feel like they will be torn asunder. But that is what churches and ministers are called to do.

Labouring for Christ

From Samuel Rutherford's The Loveliness of Christ:

I urge upon you...a nearer communion with Christ and a growing communion. There are curtains to be drawn in by Christ that we never saw, and new foldings of love in him. I despair that ever I shall win to the far end of that love, there are so many plies in it; therefore dig deep, and sweat, and labour, and take pains for him, and set by so much time in the day for him as you can; he will be won with labour.

Righteousness of God

"... the essence of the righteousness of God is his unwavering faithfulness to uphold the glory of his name. And human righteousness is the same: the unwavering faithfulness of uphold the glory of God... The righteousness of God consists most basically in God's unswerving commitment to preserve the honor of his name and display his glory... When he says that "none is righteous" (Rom. 3:10), he means that all of us have failed to glorify God as we should. we do not "seek God" (Rom. 3:11)."

A Year of Reading

I had another enjoyable and edifying year of reading in 2013. By God's grace, and no small amount of patience from my wife and children, I manage to continue to carve out time for sticking my nose in books. I share the years literary journey with you as a way to encourage you to keep on keeping on in your reading. Perhaps you can find a title or two from my list that you might find interesting. If you would like specific thoughts on a particular book, do not hesitate to ask a question in the comments section.

Big Books
One of my reading goals for last year (I highly recommend setting goals for your reading) was to tackle some heavyweight volumes. The jumbo-size books I chose are as follows:

• The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God by John Frame
• Reformed Dogmatics by Herman Bavinck
• Kingdom Through Covenant by Wellum and Gentry
• Institutes of the Christian Religion - Volume 1 by John Calvin

I hope to write a post about reading these large books that will discuss it in some detail. But for now, let me say that there are many benefits to engaging these theological treatises and, despite their intimidating size, lay-people should make these types of books part of the reading routine. I found Kingdom Through Covenant particularly helpful as a reformedish credo-baptist and Calvin's Institutes needs no recommendation from me. Bavinck and Frame are also well-worth the time and effort required.

Fiction

As an English teacher I believe it is my responsibility to regularly read fiction. I am more inclined to read non-fiction, but I am rarely disappointed when I pick up a novel or play. Leland Ryken has said “Literature is a form of discovery, perception, intensification, expression, interpretation, creativity, beauty, and understanding. These are ennobling activities and qualities. For a Christian, they can be God-glorifying, a gift from God to the human race to be accepted with zest.” And Tony Reinke, author of Lit! gives these four reasons for reading fiction:

1. Fiction helps us explore abstract human experiences.
2. Fiction deepens our appreciation for concrete human experience.
3. Fiction expands our range of experiences.
4. Fiction provides beauty and creativity to be enjoyed.

Here is my list of fiction for 2013:

• Coriolanus by William Shakespeare
• The Chestnut King by N. D. Wilson
• Dandelion Fire by N. D. Wilson
• 100 Cupboards by N. D. Wilson
• The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
• American Pastoral by Philip Roth
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy
• Hamlet by William Shakespeare
• The Ghost Writer by Philip Roth
• No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
• The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Dead Guys

Many will be familiar with the advice of C. S. Lewis on the reading of old books. For those who haven't heard or for those who need a reminder, here is some guidance from the author of The Chronicles of Narnia:

"There is a strange idea abroad that in every subject the ancient books should be read only by the professionals, and that the amateur should content himself with the modern books . . .
Now this seems to me topsy-turvy. Naturally, since I myself am a writer, I do not wish the ordinary reader to read no modern books. But if he must read only the new or only the old, I would advise him to read the old. . . .
It is a good rule, after after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one til you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones. . . .
We all need the books that will correct the characteristics mistakes of our own period. And that means the old books.
We may be sure that the characteristic blindness of the twentieth century lies where we have never suspected it. None of us can fully escape this blindness. The only palliative is to keep the clean sea breeze of the centuries blowing through our minds, and this can be done only by reading old books."

Here are the books, non-fiction, that I read this year past that were authored by dead guys:

• Communion with God by John Owen
• On the Incarnation by Athanasius
• Wingspread by A. W. Tozer
• Setting Our Affections on Glory by Martyn Lloyd-Jones
• Holiness by J. C. Ryle
• The Trinity by Edward Henry Bickersteth
• An Eschatology of Victory by Marcellus Kik

Preach It

As many of you know, I began an apprenticeship in August of 2013. I am apprenticing to become a pastor and part of my duties-actually thus far most of my duties-have been to preach on Sundays. I took it upon myself to read several books about preaching and found that a very profitable endeavour. Books on preaching include:

• Preaching for God's Glory by Alistair Begg
• Preach by Mark Dever and Greg Gilbert
• Preaching: A Biblical Theology by Jason Meyer
• Preaching Christ in All of Scripture by Edmund P. Clowney
• Saving Eutychus by Millar and Campbell

Miscellaneous Non-Fiction

The remainder of my list are non-fiction books almost exclusively from a Christian perspective covering a fairly wide range of topics from leadership to theology to literature to Christian living.

• Adopted for Life by Russel D. Moore
• The Conviction to Lead by Albert Mohler
• Fallen: A Theology of Sin by eds, Christopher Morgan and Robert Peterson
• Crazy Busy by Kevin DeYoung
• Eyes Wide Open by Steve DeWitt
• Weakness Is the Way by J. I. Packer
• Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves
• Covenantal Apologetics by Scott Oliphint
• Church Discipline by Jonathan Leeman
• Echoes of Eden by Jerram Barrs
• His Blood Works by Alam Stibbs
• Shakespeare's Macbeth by Leland Ryken
• Rhythms of Grace by Mike Cosper

The Pinnacle of Printed Perusing

Finally, and most significantly, I read through the Bible this year. My translation of choice is the English Standard Version and I followed Robert Murray M'Cheyne's one year reading plan. A very helpful tool in this was YouVersion's app that I have on my phone, iPad and computer. I highly recommend this app; check it out. Reading through the Scriptures in 2013 was the zenith of my work in this discipline of reading. It far outweighs all the rest of the reading.

So there you have it; a year's worth of reading. Be encouraged to read in 2014! By setting aside some time each day or week, you might surprise yourself with the amount of literature you can digest in the next 12 months.

Book Review - What Is Biblical Theology?

I consider myself an outdoorsman. I love to hunt and fish. I don't get to do those things as much as I'd like to, but when I can get out I thoroughly enjoy myself. I'm thankful my father introduced me to fishing and hunting because I wasn't born with a love for those pursuits. I had to be introduced to them. I had to be mentored and pointed in the right direction. I needed someone, in this case my dad, to give me a little push in the right direction. Hunting in particular is a sport that is difficult to begin on your own. You need have someone to guide your steps and teach you the ropes. I'm thankful my dad played the role of mentor in this aspect of my life.

I think biblical theology is a bit like hunting in this regard; it is a little intimidating and difficult to get into that type of reading. The books are often big...really big even. And the term itself seems beyond what the average reader desires or is capable of handling. For us non-scholar types, the pursuit of biblical theology is like hunting in that we would be well served to have a mentor to get us started and teach us the ropes, someone to guide us and get us started in the right direction.

Jim Hamilton, through his book What Is Biblical Theology?, acts as the mentor we need to begin this literary pursuit. Hamilton advises us and instructs us in a preparatory manner for delving into the very edifying and enjoyable world of biblical theology. And once you begin down this path, you just might find reading and studying biblical theology is something that you love to do. The few books on biblical theology that I have read have been God exalting and personally enriching. Hamilton uses What Is Biblical Theology? to point us in the right direction and encourage us to press into this captivating curriculum called biblical theology.

Hamilton begins the book, which for the intimidated is a mere 120 pages, with two introductory chapters which motivate us to investigate biblical theology and educate us on exactly what it is. Biblical theology is the "interpretive perspective of the biblical authors" (15) and its aim is to "understand and embrace"(12) their perspective. Starting in these chapters and continuing throughout the book, Hamilton's passion for this discipline is evident and infectious. From here the book is divided into three parts: "the first sets out the Bible's big story, the second looks at the way the biblical authors use symbols ... and the third considers the part the church plays in that story" (22).

Part 1 of What Is Biblical Theology? is comprised of three chapters. The first considers what we in the English teaching profession call the elements of fiction. But in this case we could call them the elements of non-fiction narrative. These aspects include settings, character, and plot. Hamilton informs us that the big story of the Bible provides us with the true perspective on life; "We make sense of our days in light of this overarching narrative" (32).

The second chapter of Part 1 takes one of the aspects-plot-and focuses its attention on its details. Hamilton includes conflict, episodes, and theme under the heading of plot. The author demonstrates how plot episodes, which revolve around creation’s conflict with God, recur throughout the biblical narrative. These recurring plot episodes, which include ideas like exile and exodus, "function like schematics or templates" which are "used to communicate the meaning of who Jesus was and what he accomplished" (39). Thus, the importance of biblical theology should be apparent; it helps us understand Jesus!

The final chapter of Part 1 investigates the promises throughout the big story of a coming redeemer. These ‘gold coins’ represent clues to a mystery: the mystery of God's great work to save His people through His Son. What seems obvious to us now was not so to those who were anticipating a Messiah. But as we read the Bible, Hamilton explains, we can retrospectively see how God announced this coming mystery-Messiah through the prophets and Old Testament writing. Part 2 deals with elements a little more figurative.

The Bible's Symbolic Universe is the title Hamilton gives to Part 2. The chapters in this section cover symbols, imagery, typology, and patterns in the Scriptures. Hamilton concisely explains how these elements work and what they do. He offers intriguing examples which beckon the reader to look and understand these concepts as they come to us in the Bible. I found these succinct chapters whetted my appetite for more; more study, more investigation, more understanding and more of the Bible. In the author's words, "These images, types, and patterns are often laid on top of each other, and this layering both interprets and communicates. This use of symbolism and imagery adds texture to the story the Bible tells, reinforcing it and making it concrete" (65).

The final section of this book, Part 3, discusses the church and her grand role in this story of stories. Hamilton's passion permeates the whole book but particularly rises in these chapters. He writes, "The true story of the world and the church's place in it is a stupendous tale. Best of all, it's true (98)." Biblical theology's importance increases as we understand that the "Bible's story and symbolism teach the church to understand who she is, what she faces, and how she should live as she longs for the coming of her King and Lord" (113). Biblical theology helps us grasp the glorious truths of the gospel, the magnificence of our Messiah, and the riveting role of the church in this drama. Do you really need any more encouragement to look into biblical theology? I think not.

Hamilton's enthusiasm and zeal for this topic is infectious. I found myself getting excited as I read through this relatively brief introduction to biblical theology. I have found Hamilton's contagious passion for this subject, and similar ones for that matter, to be an endearing quality of his writing which encourages me in my pursuit of understanding and appreciating my God. I think, in this book, he will have this impact on you. In particular, if you need a mentor and coach and motivator to help you to become a disciple in the sometimes intimidating discipline of biblical theology, I do not think you will find a better guide than Hamilton and his guidebook What Is Biblical Theology? is a good place to start.  

Thoughts

I'm currently re-reading Piper's God is the Gospel and am loving it all over again. Here are just a couple of the quotes that I've really enjoyed recently.

God had "shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." This is the way the Holy Spirit does his ongoing change in us. He does not change us directly; he changes us by enabling us to see the glory of Christ. This is crucial to understand. It shows how Christ-exalting the Holy Spirit is. He will not do his sanctifying work by the use of his direct divine power. He will only do it by making the glory of Christ the immediate cause of it.

At the end of his great prayer in John 17:26 he said to his Father, "I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them." The love God has for the Son will be in us. That is, the love for the Son that will be in us will be the Father's love for the Son. We will not merely love the Son with our paltry ability to love. But our love for the Son will be infused with the divine love between the Father and the Son. Therefore, we should realize from John 17:26 that Jesus made God known so that God's pleasure in his Son might be in us and become our pleasure in Christ.

Repentance of sin is a sorrow arising from the sight of God's excellency and mercy... Jonathan Edwards

The sorrow of true contrition is sorrow for not having God as our all-satisfying treasure.

The gospel awakens sorrow for sin by awakening a savor for God.

Edwards used the term "disinterested love" to designate love that delights in God for his own greatness and beauty, and to distinguish it from love that delights only in God's gifts. Disinterested love is not love without pleasure. It is love whose pleasure is in God himself.

Jason Meyer on the Word

I have recently reviewed an excellent book on preaching by Jason C. Meyer titled Preaching: A Biblical Theology. I appreciate so much of what Meyer wrote including his high view of Scripture and how he articulates the grandeur of God and of God's Word. Consider:

Scripture is a story in which (1) God rules (what he does) (2) by his word (how he does it) (3) for his glory (why he does it). All three of these points shine as dazzling aspects of God’s unparalleled greatness. A greater King exists than the human mind could even imagine. He is self—existent. He rules over everything that he brought into existence (the what of Scripture). This greatest of all kings has a greater weapon than any has ever invented, called the word of God. This word is the  means by which God administers his reign (the how of Scripture). This great King has a greater cause than any ever conceived: the cause of filling the earth with the knowledge of his glory (the why of Scripture) (44).

The "why," "what," and "how" of Scripture that Meyer highlights makes God and His Word bold and beautiful. The Scriptures are inextricably linked to God as it should be; the two cannot be separated. Meyer goes on to describe the powerful efficacy of the Word:

Notice the role of the word in this drama. Its life-giving power is unparalleled because it brought all into being out of nothing. Its power to kill is also unrivaled. God brings judgment upon humanity through his word. It is often presented in Scripture as a weapon or a sword. This sword is more powerful than a ring of power, an atomic bomb, or any weapon that anyone could invent. The word is the instrument God uses to create the world (2 Pet. 3:5), rule over his world (3:6), and bring final judgment upon the world (3:7) (44).

But then Meyer introduces a grander and even more glorious aspect of God's Word. He speaks of the incarnation as the focal point of all history and all that God has done:

But there is even more! The word of God has a hinge point that changes everything. Indeed, we could call it the hinge of all history. There comes a point when the great weapon is revealed as a person! In other words, the how (the word of God) becomes the Who (Jesus as the Word of God incarnate). God administers his rule and reign through 1 the word of God in the Old Testament, and then God’s Son comes to reign as the incarnate Word of God that brings God’s kingdom to bear in the New Testament (John 1:1; Rev. 19:13) (44-45). 

The Word has become flesh. And this Person is powerful and his potency is seen in all He has done and all He will do. This is beauty. This is glory. This is the apex of adoration and adulation and it is God's Word bringing all things to fulfillment:

Jesus Will bring the story to a dramatic conclusion with his second coming. The ending is so great that We do not yet have categories to comprehend what it will be like. We have some pictures drawn from our present categories. The Bible says that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the Waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14). Talk about a thriller! Imagine standing in the middle of the sea. All you see in every direction is Water. God Wrote a story that will come to its climax when that happens: the filling up of all creation with God’s glory. Our joy will be unspeakably great and full of glory (45)!

I find this type of writing encouraging and edifying; it builds up my faith and motivates me to get into the Word and get into worship. And it is not hard to see why this perspective would help a preacher preach, and help a preacher preach the Word.

Divine grace alone prevails against sin

I highly recommend the series of theological books that fall under Crossway's collection labelled Theology In Community. I have read a couple of them and you can read my reviews of those volumes here and here. I also have their title The Kingdom of God on my Kindle, ready for reading. The most recent text from this series that I have read is Fallen: A Theology of Sin. It is an excellent resource that I have already made use of in my preaching and one that I am sure to revisit.

From this book comes the substance of this post. In a chapter entitled Sin in the Former and Latter Prophets and Writings, Paul R. House concludes his chapter by presenting a few summative statements about sin:

1. Sin is perversion - Sin "distorts the people whom God made and thus the world over which they exercise stewardship" and it "harms people's relationship with God" (80).
2. Sin is active - Sin is "thinking, planning, and doing" things god has prohibited as well as "not doing the good"  that God has prescribed and thus "the wrath of god is directed at people, not to sin in the abstract" (80).
3. Sin is relational - "Sins committed by people harm people; sins committed by nations harm other nations" (81).
4. Sin is pervasive - "Sin scars every person and portion of life" which is evident because "the scope of God's teaching indicates the multitude of ways one may sin" (81). Sin has its origin in the hearts and minds of humans and therefore "the types and effects of sin are as varied and creative as the human mind can conceive, and they are as dangerous as human opportunity allows" (81).
5. Sin is deadly - "It harms what it touches, and it can kill wherever it goes" (81). 

And though these statements might cause one to despair and doubt, House reminds of the gospel which is neither despairing nor does it give reasons for doubting:

Because these principles are so sobering, the magnify God's redemptive work in Jesus Christ. Christians cannot really fathom all that it means to have forgiveness through the saving blood of Jesus. There is no way to fully comprehend how much each person sins and how those sins harm life. So, there is no way to thank God fully for what he has provided. Once again, only by faith can one respond to God's promises, covenants, and teaching. Sheer divine grace alone prevails against sin (81, emphasis mine).

Book Review - Preaching by Jason Meyer

I had numerous reasons for wanting to write a book review on Preaching: A Biblical Theology by Jason C. Meyer. First, my new position as apprentice pastor has me preaching regularly and I need all the help I can get. Secondly, I thoroughly enjoy reading biblical theologies and this book fit the bill. Finally, and probably most significantly, I wanted to get a feel for what the guy replacing John Piper is like. Who is this Jason Meyer and what is he like? Reading a book on preacher by the guy following Piper in the pulpit must make, for good or ill, some kind of impression!

Jason Meyer has written a compelling and convincing treatise on expositional preaching in the form of this biblical theology. Meyer comes across as an individual who is both knowledgeable and passionate about preaching and conveys both those qualities in a comfortable manner.

Meyer's book is divided into five sections, all of which I found helpful. The five sections include five chapters giving an overview of what the Bible says about preaching, eleven chapters of biblical theology that support part one, three chapters on preaching in today's context, a couple chapters related to systematic theology, and a final chapter and appendices for concluding thoughts.

The first section explains and elaborates on Meyer’s definition of preaching which he provides: Preaching, or ministry of the word in Scripture, is "stewarding and heralding God's word in such a way that people encounter God through his word" (21). I enjoyed the author's unpacking of the three main concepts in this definition and found the discussion informative and inspiring.

The second section surveyed Bible with respect to stewardship and heralding of the word while looking for the effects of doing this poorly or well. There is some depth to this section as Meyer’s thoughts on preaching are discussed with respect to the details of the Bible. He considers the ministry of the word as it shifts through ten biblical paradigms starting the covenant of creation and ending with the pastor of the New Testament. Those who enjoy biblical theologies will find much to like in this second section.

The third section considers the "what," "how," and "why" of expositional preaching in our day. Meyer is an unabashed believer in expositional preaching and makes strong case for it which I found very motivating. The authors high view of Scripture was also glaringly evident in this section; an endearing quality to me and others who preach and take the call to preach seriously. Meyers shares ideas and insights that were new to me and that I will make use of in my preparation and preaching.

The fourth section investigates the connection between preaching and two significant systematic topics; scripture and sin. It follows these two chapters with a fair and grounded evaluation of topical preaching. Meyer provides a balanced and nuanced view of topical preaching suggesting it has its place in churches and delivers some benefits providing the priority is given to expository preaching. There are some valuable perspectives on topical preaching given with some warnings which clearly locates this type of preaching in the authors philosophy.

The book ends with some concluding thoughts and encouraging words as well as several appendices.

I found this book well worth the time invested in reading it and it has affected my opinions on preaching and it will affect the way I preach. It also gave me some insight into the heir of Piper's pulpit and I think that the congregation of Bethlehem Baptist Church are in good hands. I recommend this book.

His death or his resurrection?

J. I.Packer writes on the death and resurrection of Christ:

It is sometimes asked whether Christ's death or his resurrection is what directly brings about the sinner's salvation. The answer is both, and to minimize either's importance in relation to the other is to begin to falsify that answer. In other words, Christ died for our sake as our representative and substitutionary Sin-Bearer, and it is one facet of our faith in him to see and think of ourselves as having died with him, in the sense of having voluntarily ended the life we were living in our unbelief. But that is not all. Christ was raised from death for our sake as our forerunner and life-giver, and it is a further facet of our faith in him to see and think of ourselves as having been raised with him in union with him, so that now we participate in his resurrection life in terms of desire, direction, and divine energy. When Paul declared that in his ministry he toils, "struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me" (Col. 1:29), it is this supernaturalizing service that he refers to" (Packer, J. I. Weakness Is the Way. N.p.: Inter-Varsity, 2013. Print. 38-9)