Reformation Theology

As We Celebrate

2009-07-04T20:37:54Z

As we celebrate the great freedom we have in our country today, please remember the victims of a horrific attack against Christians in Pakistan that has left over a hundred houses vandalized and eleven people acid-scarred - see here.

Book Review: A Treatise on the Law and the Gospel, by John Colquhoun

2009-07-04T20:32:25Z

Having never before read any of John Colquhoun's considerable output, and only having, for that matter, a very sketchy idea of his place and significance in Reformed history, I was eager to get into what I thought could not but be his most important work, a treatise on the sum of biblical revelation, considered under the headings of Law and Gospel; but if I was eager beforehand, my enthusiasm only grew from the first page and on. “How,” I wondered, “did so insightful, meticulous, and applicational a writer escape my notice for so long?”. The treatise was a feast, and served further to drive home to me the unparalleled tendency of the historic Reformed faith to ground its adherents in the vast and glorious freedom of the Gospel, and always in such a way as not to minimize a life of practical holiness, but rather to excite and encourage true piety and devotion. I would earnestly recommend A Treatise on the Law and the Gospel to anyone at all, and in order to lend force to my recommendation, I would mention a few outstanding features of the work

]]> First, Colquhoun is thorough, precise, and virtually exhaustive in his treatment of his subjects. His definitions and descriptions of the various ways in which the terms “Law” and “Gospel” are employed throughout the scriptures read almost like John Owen; not only does he lay out in good and logical order the major facets of each topic, he is diligent to bring in every nuance and explain every passage that may seem, at first glance, not to fit. In a word, he leaves no stone unturned in his search of a full-orbed biblical understanding of his theme.

Second, the theme of his treatise, Colquhoun would suggest, is one upon which all of salvation, eternal life, true godliness, and every other profitable thing, directly depends. Just about every error and heresy in the Church, it would seem to him, may be said to derive from a confusion of Law and Gospel, or an illegitimate commingling of justification and sanctification. And even apart from rank heresy and apostasy, every true believer's growth in holiness and in the assurance of his acceptance with God is directly related to his ability to distinguish between the Law and the Gospel, and to put either to its appropriate uses.

Third, Colquhoun writes upon a subject which is, in the first place, at the very heart of what it means, in a historic sense, to be Reformed; and in the second place, which is very often obscured or misunderstood today. His candid and well-supported discussions of such themes as the eternal moral Law of God in its natural expression in the consciences of all men, in its first publication in the Covenant of Works made with Adam, in its republication on Mount Sinai, and in its necessary ongoing validity with respect to all creatures, simply as creatures, are not just foundational to Reformed Covenant Theology, but they are terribly misunderstood and frequently maligned today. But as Colquhoun convincingly demonstrates, this understanding of the eternal, moral Law of God is a necessary foundation for understanding the true nature of the Gospel and what it entails and promises, how practically to live a life of true holiness and genuine assurance of God's gracious favor, and many other such things. In the broad world of Christianity today, there are relatively few places in which both solid assurance of grace and fervent devotion to practical piety co-exist, not just in harmony, but in a relationship in which each reinforces and stirs up the other. Is this because the Law and the Gospel, in all their complementary nuances and perfectly harmonious but distinct operations are rarely understood in precise detail? Colquhoun certainly seems to suggest that this is the case, and I think with good reason.

When I think about it, I don't believe there's any problem a believer could come to me seeking counsel for, that it could not be helped in some way by this treatise. Whether lingering doubts or fears, faltering progress in sanctification, those bipolar twins of legalism and antinomianism, or any other specific problem, a clearer understanding of the terrible holiness of the Law, the utter freeness of the Gospel, and the way in which the two relate, showcasing and reflecting the honor of each other, and driving every person to one or the other according to the specific needs of his case, will certainly prove to be of inestimable value.

A Treatise on the Law and the Gospel: available at Monergism Books

The Vital Necessity of Knowing the Power of Truth in our Own Experience

2009-07-04T19:42:16Z

When engaging theological opponents, we need an approach that takes in view the people we are dealing with. This means showing kindness to the person in error.This means showing compassionate understanding, while at the same time being in prayer for them that God would open and soften their hard hearts. But it also means skillfully exposing and correcting their doctrinal error. The great Puritan John Owen wrote a refutation of the theological errors found in the Racovian Catechism called Vindicae Evangelicae ((Volume 12 in the Banner edition). Although the entire book was one of polemics, he reveals here a humble spirit and an example to us when contending for truth. He helps us to understand what graces we are expected to display when dealing with theological opponents; what must be at the heart of those defending the truth in a way that is pleasing to God. Near the end of his introduction to his Vindicae Evangelicae he wisely said:

"When the heart is cast indeed into the mould of the doctrine that the mind embraceth; when the evidence and necessity of the truth abides in us; when not the sense of the words only is in our heads, but the sense of the things abides in our hearts; when we have communion with God in the doctrine we contend for, --then shall we be garrisoned, by the grace of God, against all the assaults of men. And without this all our contending is, as to ourselves, of no value.
What am I the better if I can dispute that Christ is God, but have no sense or sweetness in my heart from hence that he is a God in covenant with my soul?

What will it avail me to evince by testimonies and arguments, that he hath made satisfaction for sin if, through my unbelief, the wrath of God abideth on me, and I have no experience of my own being made the righteousness of God in him,--if I find not, in my standing before God, the excellency of having my sins imputed to him and his righteousness imputed to me?

Will it be any advantage to me, in the issue, to profess and dispute that God works the conversion of a sinner by the irresistible grace of his Spirit, if I was never acquainted experimentally with the deadness and utter impotency to good, that opposition to the law of God, which is in my own soul by nature, with the efficacy of the exceeding greatness of the power of God in quickening, enlightening, and bringing forth the fruits of obedience in me?

It is the power of truth in the heart alone that will make us cleave unto it indeed in an hour of temptation.

Let us, then, not think that we are any thing the better for our conviction of the truths of the great doctrines of the gospel, for which we contend with these men, unless we find the power of the truths abiding in out own hearts, and have a continual experience of their necessity and excellency in our standing before God and our communion with him." (John Owen, Vindicae Evangelicae).

On this Independence Day

2009-07-04T15:28:16Z

May the Lord really bless you and your family this Independence Day.

When the Lord called Elijah to hide from the king's wrath and find water at a time when the land was under the judgment of drought, God directed him to a brook called Cherith. Yet, in what I am sure was a situation that brought great anxiety to Elijah, day by day he watched the water level shrinking further and further. Lets remember that this very drought was the result of the words God had instructed him to proclaim. What a challenge this must have been!

Elijah Predicts a Drought

1 Kings 17:1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 2 And the word of the Lord came to him: 3 “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4 You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 7 And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

Yet even in the midst of famine, God had not forgotten his man and had provided means for supplying Elijah's needs, through a very unusual source - a widow who was preparing what she thought was her last ever meal before death. Think about that. This widow, at the very end of herself, was God's appointed means of provision for His prophet. God was surely showing Elijah that He has countless ways of providing, but also showing this widow such amazing love and mercy (though she might not be aware of this when asked to share her last meal with him). How tender He is with His people even as they face great trials and hardships. How great is His love.

God provided the Cherith brook for Elijah, but this means of provision was ending, and so God instructed Elijah to leave that place and go to another.

]]> The Widow of Zarephath

1 Kings 17: 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 12 And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” 15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.

The initial drought came as an act of judgment on the land because of the sins of King Ahab (which we could read about in the previous chapter of 1 Kings 16). Perhaps you are experiencing a drought of a different kind. It may be some special season that has passed; losing a job or some illness or relationship problem. Some of these situations are extremely heartbreaking and challenging; others the Lord lifts quickly by the prayer of faith. Yet whatever we face, our God is in the heavens and He does what pleases Him. He wants us to look to Him as our Source recognizing that He has many different means of supply for us. Our mistake is to put our confidence in the means rather than Him as the Source. Whatever God does to provide for us we need to see it as simply a temporary means of supply (sometimes it lasts a very short time, while at other times it can last decades before that particular brook dries up... but it is simply a means nonetheless and not the Source). God Himself is our Source, Jehovah Jireh, our Provider!

Let us remember that He alone is our Source both as individuals and families and even as a nation. Here in these United States of America, we remain, one nation under God.

God bless, and happy 4th of July to you and yours.

P.S. As we celebrate the great freedom we have in our country today, please remember the victims of a horrific attack against Christians in Pakistan that has left over a hundred houses vandalized and eleven people acid-scarred. See here.

How a Right Understanding of the Doctrine of the Fall Can Promote Love

2009-07-03T18:40:50Z

Jesus identifies with the needy such that whatever is done to or for them, He takes as having been done to Himself. Among other things, to be a disciple of Jesus means, by the grace of God, we must, not only consider this in theory, but do it. This standard is so high that we usually fall woefully short of it, especially when we fail to treat other people as we would have them treat us.

A helpful doctrine to appeal to in this regard is the doctrine of the Fall. Martin Luther was well known for having said that redeemed Christians are "Simul Iustus et Peccator" or "At the same time righteous and a sinner". Although Christ has broken our bondage to sin, we are still susceptible to sins in which we don't treat others as we should. Gossip, as one example, misapprehends the reality that every day you and I (and everyone else), could easily have plenty of fodder that could be a matter of public gossip. Just consider many of the thoughts and desires you had this week, and what if they were to be projected on a screen for all to see? All of us would be ashamed. What if your family and neighbors could see everything you have thought? Why is this worth considering? Because every time we gossip and belittle, criticize and disparage others what we are doing is postulating that others have sin or weaknesses that you regard as not having in yourself. And when we do this are we taking our own sin seriously? We think ourselves too highly. The fact that we continually and desperately need the gospel as much as any other should therefore keep us humble as we consider any good gifts we have. Keeping this in mind, especially when you are communicating the gospel, will drive up your empathy to others, since we are a needy people.

Related Resources
Love or Die: Christ's Wake-up Call to the Church by Alexander Strauch
The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God by D.A. Carson
How to Love Difficult People: Receiving and Sharing God's Mercy (CCEF)

How To Deal With Church Members Attracted to False Teaching?

2009-07-02T19:38:57Z

A very helpful section of Martin Downes book Risking the Truth:

Downes:
How have you dealt with church members or students who have been attracted to, or taken in by false teaching?

Michael Horton:
‘Pastoral sensitivity and prudence is required in order to know whether a fellow-Christian needs ‘Law’ or ‘Gospel’. (A terrific discussion of this is found in William Perkins’ The Art of Prophesying.) So an obstinate person who persists in heresy should be warned with the threat of excommunication (as Paul treated the Galatians).

However, a struggling Christian who has been exposed to false teaching must be corrected with patience and love. This person is a bruised reed or a flickering candle, and we know how Christ treats them – for to some degree, we are all in this catagory.’

On Heresy, Creeds, Commentaries, Helps and Study Notes

2009-07-02T19:14:36Z

Heresy is not so much rejecting as selecting. The heretic simply selects the parts of the Scripture he wants to emphasize and lets the rest go. This is shown by the etymology of the word heresy and by the practice of the heretic. "Beware," an editorial scribe of the fourteenth century warned his readers in the preface to a book. "Beware thou take not one thing after thy affection and liking, and leave another: for that is the condition of an heretique. But take everything with other." The old scribe knew well how prone we are to take to ourselves those parts of the truth that please us and ignore the other parts. And that is heresy. —A. W. Tozer, We Travel An Appointed Way

Men must interpret to the best of their ability each particular part of Scripture separately, and then combine all that the Scriptures teach upon every subject into a consistent whole, and then adjust their teachings upon different subjects in mutual consistency as parts of a harmonious system. Every student of the Bible must do this, and all make it obvious that they do it by the terms they use in their prayers and religious discourse, whether they admit or deny the propriety of human creeds and confessions. If they refuse the assistance afforded by the statements of doctrine slowly elaborated and defined by the Church, they must make out their own creed by their own unaided wisdom. The real question is not, as often pretended, between the word of God and the creed of man, but between the tried and proved faith of the collective body of God's people, and the private judgment and the unassisted wisdom of the repudiator of creeds. — A. A. Hodge, A Short History of Creeds and Confessions, 1869.

In order to be able to expound the Scriptures, and as an aid to your pulpit studies, you will need to be familiar with the commentators: a glorious army, let me tell you, whose acquaintance will be your delight and profit. Of course, you are not such wiseacres as to think or say that you can expound Scripture without assistance from the works of divines and learned men who have laboured before you in the field of exposition. If you are of that opinion, pray remain so, for you are not worth the trouble of conversion, and like a little coterie who think with you, would resent the attempt as an insult to your infallibility. It seems odd, that certain men who talk so much of what the Holy Spirit reveals to themselves, should think so little of what he has revealed to others. - C.H. Spurgeon, Commenting and Commentaries, 1890.

But still ye will say I can not understand it. What marvel? How shouldest thou understand, if thou wilt not read, nor look upon it? Take the books into thine hands, read the whole story, and that thou understandest, keep it well in memory; that thou understandest not, read it again, and again. If thou can neither so come by it, counsel with some other that is better learned. Go to thy curate and preacher; show thyself to be desirous to know and learn, and I doubt not but God - seeing thy diligence and readiness (if no man else teach thee) - will himself vouchsafe with his holy spirit to illuminate thee, and to open unto thee that which was locked from thee. — Thomas Cranmer, Preface to the Great Bible, 1540.

And considering how hard a thing it is to understand the holy Scriptures, and what errors, sects, and heresies grow daily for lack of the true knowledge thereof, and how many are discouraged (as they pretend) because they cannot attain to the true and simple meaning of the same, we have also endeavored both by the diligent reading of the best commentaries, and also by the conference with the godly and learned brethren, to gather brief annotations upon all the hard places, as well for the understanding of such words as are obscure, and for the declaration of the text, as for the application of the same as may most appertain to God's glory and the edification of his Church. — Geneva Bible Preface, 1560.

Depravity According to Calvin

2009-07-02T17:08:13Z

Quoted from John MacArthur's chapter John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine, and Doxology, ed. Burk Parsons (Reformation Trust, 2008), 137–138

The phrase “total depravity” (not an expression of Calvin’s but a phrase descriptive of his view) has an unfortunate ambiguity about it. Many who are exposed to that terminology for the first time suppose it means Calvin taught that all sinners are as thoroughly bad as they possibly can be.

But Calvin expressly disclaimed that view. He acknowledged that “in every age there have been persons who, guided by nature, have striven toward virtue throughout life” [Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2.3.3.]. Calvin suggested that such people (even though there are “lapses . . . in their moral conduct” are of commendable character, from a human point of view. “They have by the very zeal of their honesty given proof that there was some purity in their nature” [Ibid.]. He went even further: “These examples, accordingly, seem to warn us against adjudging man’s nature wholly corrupted, because some men have by its prompting not only excelled in remarkable deeds, but conducted themselves most honorably throughout life”

Nevertheless, Calvin went on to say, such thinking actually points the wrong direction. Instead, “it ought to occur to us that amid this corruption of nature there is some place for God’s grace; not such grace as to cleanse it, but to restrain it inwardly” [Ibid.].

]]> Calvin was describing here what later theologians called “common grace”—the divine restraining influence that mitigates the effects of our sin and enables even fallen creatures to display—never perfectly, but always in a weak and severely blemished way—the image of God that is still part of our human nature, marred though it was by the fall.

In other words, depravity is “total” in the sense that it infects every part of our being—not the body only; not the feelings alone; but flesh, spirit, mind, emotions, desires, motives, and will together. We’re not always as bad as we can be, but that is solely because of God’s restraining grace. We ourselves are thoroughly depraved, because in one way or another sin taints everything we think, do, and desire. Thus, we never fear God the way we should, we never love Him as much as we ought, and we never obey Him with a totally pure heart. That, for Calvin, is what depravity means.

Calvin’s thorough treatment of human depravity is one of his most important legacies. Next to his work on the doctrine of justification by faith, it may be the most vital aspect of his doctrinal system. He brought clarity to a crucial principle that had practically fallen into obscurity over the centuries since Augustine’s conflict with Pelagius: to magnify human free will or minimize the extent of human depravity is to downplay the need for divine grace, and that undermines every aspect of gospel truth.

Once a person truly grasps the truth of human depravity, the more difficult and controversial principles of Calvinist soteriology fall into place. Unconditional election, the primacy and efficacy of saving grace, the need for substitutionary atonement, and the perseverance of those whom God graciously redeems are all necessary consequences of this principle.

—John MacArthur, John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine, and Doxology, ed. Burk Parsons (Reformation Trust, 2008), 137–138

HT: Thirsty Theologian

An Observation about Israel in Ephesians 2:11-21 & 3:5, 6

2009-06-30T17:04:37Z

The following passage really makes up the heart of Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians. Here he reveals a great mystery which was hidden in previous ages:

"Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ ... So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord."

Notice in this passage that Paul speaks to Gentiles as having been previously separate and alienated from Israel and the covenants, but in Christ, Gentiles have become citizens of Israel. Being "brought near" was their modern day parlance for Jewish proselytes. Because verse 12 and verse 19 are separated by some text (which speaks of benefits in Christ) many do not pay attention to their close connection. Let’s have a look then: Verse 12 "alienated from the commonwealth of Israel" is joined to (vr. 19) "you are no longer strangers and aliens". No longer aliens to what? No longer aliens to the commonwealth of Israel. That means that Gentiles who are in Christ are now "citizens" (v. 19) of Israel built as a house with Christ as the chief cornerstone. In other words, Jesus Christ is the True Israel of God (its fulfillment and foundation) as are all who are joined in union to Him. To say it another way, both OT and NT saints who are in union with Christ are citizens of Israel according to this passage. Likewise we are partakers of its promises, according to another nearby passage: ]]> "...the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Partakers of what promise? The promises given to Israel through Abraham and others. And since the Paul elsewhere asserts that the gospel was preached to Abraham beforehand (Gal 3:8), the OT and NT saints were both saved by the same grace in Christ and are members of the same body .... partakers of the same promises. The difference is simply (if you think about it organically) that one was a seedling and the other a full tree bearing fruit, so to speak, but both are part of the same plant; one in full maturity. The OT saints saw Christ from a distance in promises and shadows, yet in God's economy those regenerate were, even then, united to Christ, part of the same body and saved by the same blood ... the blood which the signposts of the temple sacrifices pointed to.

“And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” (Heb 11: 39, 40)

Just as we can never separate the law from the lawgiver, we likewise cannot separate the benefits from the benefactor. Many in modern day evangelicalism have divided the people of God while Paul here was at pains to show them both in union with Christ. Since Paul stressed the importance of this lets look afresh at the Scripture beyond our traditions and errors regarding this issue. The Text of Scripture is not Israelocentric but Christocentric. Jesus himself bore witness to this: "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me." (John 5:39)

Chapter Eight: The King Will Desire Your Beauty

2009-06-29T16:00:03Z

We have now seen just what the true message of Christianity is, and how it applies to every person under heaven, regardless of circumstances or background. We have seen that this gospel-message demands a response, and have made clear the high cost of following Jesus, and the priceless reward that it will bring. But we must still touch upon another matter, which is equally misunderstood in American Christianity today; and that is, just what it means to be a Christian, what we are saved to and for; in a word, exactly what is the purpose of all that we have been speaking of. Is the ultimate goal of God's plan of salvation simply to give me a “get out of hell free card”? Is the reason for evangelism and missions just to get as many individuals as possible into heaven? Now, these things are not at all bad – it is good, unimaginably good, to be delivered from hell, and there is great rejoicing in heaven over every individual soul that is converted1 – but still, there is a greater, unifying purpose to the whole plan that does not end with individual destinies alone. And in order truly to understand Christianity, we must understand this overarching goal. In the next chapters, that is what we will be discussing.

Read the rest of this entry...

Quotes from Risking the Truth

2009-06-29T02:36:02Z

"It should be a rule with us to have nothing to do with any man or ministry that errs in regard to the way of salvation in Jesus Christ. Whatever good a man may do along other lines, he has done the greatest conceivable harm if he errs at this point. 'It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea'" (Matt 18:6) - Joel Beeke

What principles should we apply so that we keep ourselves from being deceived?

"I think that the number one principle in seeing through the subtlety of error is learning to handle truth in its biblical context. As someone has said, 'A text without a context is a pretext.'- it is a lie! It is often pretty clear to any discerning mind when a text has been wrested our of its comfortable context in order to say what someone else wants it to say. When I listen to many preachers today and they state something which makes my hair stand on end, I will often wait for them to prove it from the Bible. I often find that all I need to do is dig around the verses they would have quoted and I find that there has been a gross misapplication of Scripture. The Holy Spirit was saying one thing when He inspired the sacred writer, and the preacher is saying something totally different.

When the context is not able to help, the second principle is that obscure passages of the Bible must be interpreted by those passages of the Bible that are more perspicuous. In other words, Scripture does not contradict itself sinice its primary author is the Holy Spirit. So, if a false teacher quotes Scripture to suit his situation but it contradicts the clear teaching of another passage of the Bible, it should send all the warning signals that you are in danger and ought to tread carefully. Is that not how the Lord Jesus handled Satan when he tempted him using the Scriptures in Matthew 4? Jesus simply referred to other Scriptures that were clearly being violated by the meaning that Satan was putting upon the Scriptures he was quoting. We should do the same!" - Conrad Mbewe

Risking the Truth: Handling Error in the Church by Martin Downes Now Available!

May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering..

2009-06-28T03:56:07Z

Risking the Truth: Handling Error in the Church - NEW!!!

2009-06-25T21:21:34Z

Risking the Truth: Handling Error in the Church by Martin Downes Now Available!
Description: Here is a unique, insightful and stimulating collection of interviews on handling truth and error in the church today by some key church leaders and communicators from across the world.

These men reflect on this key issue in relation to their own lives, pulpit ministry, local church leadership, seminary training, denominations, the impact of the academy, Evangelicalism, contemporary trends, history, creeds and confessions, and specific doctrines that are currently under attack. They know each other personally, or at least by reputation, and share a mutual esteem for one another's work. Together they represent a prodigious literary output.

There is personal reflection on these matters, lessons drawn from experience, and practical advice. The interviews are introduced by a primer on heresy and false teaching, and concluded with a chapters on why “Being Against Heresies Is Not Enough” and “What Really Matters in Ministry: Directives for Church Leaders in Acts 20.”

Contributors include: Carl R. Trueman, Tom Schreiner, Michael Horton, Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, Derek Thomas, R. Scott Clark, Tom Ascol, Guy Waters, Kim Riddlebarger, Ron Gleason, Sean Michael Lucas, Iain D. Campbell, Gary L. W. Johnson, Conrad Mbewe, Geoffrey Thomas, Joel Beeke, Robert Peterson, Michael Ovey.

“It is a privilege to introduce and recommend this unique book. …a very distinctive contribution to the early twenty-first century church. Martin Downes has assembled an all-star team…”
--Sinclair B. Ferguson, Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina

]]> "Serious. Thoughtful. Humble. Godly. Loving. Bracing. Encouraging. These interviews will be a blessing to anyone seeking to be faithful in Christian ministry."
--James M. Hamilton Jr., Associate Professor of Biblical Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky

"This is a book that promotes reflection. By introducing you to a number of leading Christian thinkers, it gives you a read that is interesting, informative and stimulating. It provides you with a treasure-chest of historical, theological and practical insights as it airs issues that are confronting the worldwide church and its leaders at the present time. Christian pastors, leaders and academics who neglect this book will be very much the poorer intellectually, spiritually and practically."
--Stuart Olyott, Pastoral Director, Evangelical Movement of Wales

"This collection is fascinating, sobering and encouraging. It presents an impressive range of experience and wisdom on the challenges facing the church and its ministry in dealing with false teaching while being sensitive to those affected by it."
--Robert Letham, Senior Tutor, Systematic & Historicial Theology, Wales Evangelical School of Theology, Bridgend, Wales

"What a novel way to approach this most vital of subjects! Given that theological reflection is human thought about the Scriptural revelation of a tri-personal God, I have always believed that the personal element has a place in all of our theologizing. The subjective should not-indeed cannot-be removed from theology. And here we see the way that some of the most important theological minds of our day personally grapple with how truth is to be defended. This mesh of subjectivity and Christian apologetics-in which objectivity is so vital-makes for both compelling and profoundly instructive reading."
--Michael A. G. Haykin, Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky

Risking the Truth: Handling Error in the Church by Martin Downes available at Monergism Books

Book Review: The Prayer of the Lord, by R. C. Sproul

2009-06-25T18:48:05Z

Throughout much of Church history, the Lord's Prayer (together with the Decalogue and the Apostle's Creed) has been one of the most foundational elements used in instructing new believers and children in what it means to be a Christian. But unfortunately, while it is frequently recited by rote today, it is not so commonly used as a guideline to teach Christians just what it means to pray, how we should approach God, what we should speak to him about, and so on. Even books on the topic of prayer itself, in the modern church, rarely employ the Lord's Prayer, given to his disciples for the specific purpose of teaching them how to pray, as a foundational shaping paradigm. The Prayer of the Lord, by R. C. Sproul, is a very refreshing exception to this trend, and in a crystal clear and surprisingly simple way shows modern disciples of the Lord, in his own words, just what it means to pray.

]]> The outstanding characteristics of Sproul's writing, particularly in this book, are his simple, easy-to-understand way with words, and his faithfulness to the biblical text. Line by line, Sproul says what the scriptures mean, no more, no less. With each petition of the Lord's Prayer, he not only provides an insightful definition of its basic meaning and intention, he also gives an overview, when appropriate, of the broader biblical teaching on the topics uncovered, topics such as God's fatherhood of us, his chosen people, in distinction from the rest of the world; the variety of ways in which the biblical terms for the will of God are used; the difference between moral and monetary debts; and many other such things. Each discussion is illustrated with colorful anecdotes, often from his own life, that make the book easy to read even while shedding light on the sometimes complex topics, which Sproul has a knack for making as simple as possible without glossing over or ignoring the difficult nuances.

Structurally, the book is quite simple; after an introductory chapter on how not to pray, taken from Christ's teaching in the Sermon in the Mount, Sproul launches into a phrase by phrase unpacking of the petitions of the Lord's Prayer. After this heart of the book, in which he helpfully explains Christ's model prayer, he has a concluding chapter of commonly asked questions and answers. Largely addressing problems that may arise from encountering different biblical teachings or examples that superficially seem to contradict the principles established in the previous pages of the book (examples such as Hezekiah's “bargaining” with God, the bitter complaints of some of the Psalmists, etc.), this conclusion is helpful in “tying up the loose ends,” and bringing the overarching biblical teaching on prayer into a unified and non-contradictory whole. After this chapter is an appendix, capably dealing with a common question pertaining to prayer in light of the Reformed (and biblical!) teaching on God's sovereignty: if God is utterly sovereign, why pray at all? The answer, emphasizing God's sovereignty over the means as well as the end, and reminding the subjects of this sovereign God how inappropriate it is to question his commands and recorded truths, is a very fitting end to the whole book.

All in all, this is an excellent place to start, for anyone desiring a biblical understanding of how to pray. Easy enough for the newest believer but insightful enough to reveal and correct the most entrenched false perspectives of older believers, it will certainly prove to be a useful tool for a very wide segment of contemporary Christianity.

The Prayer of the Lord: available at Monergism Books

Understanding Romans 10:17 by Pastor John Samson

2009-06-24T10:35:10Z

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17

As most of my readers know, I did not always embrace the reformed faith. For the first 20 years of my Christian walk I was fairly convinced of synergistic theology, though I would recoil at the idea of labeling it as such. In my mind, I just believed the Bible, or so I thought.

I was recently having a discussion with a gentleman through e-mail and he was lamenting the fact that I no longer believed as he does (he is a synergist). He said my problem was that I gave false teaching a chance to wreak havoc in my soul by exposing myself to it – by listening to it. He then wrote “Faith comes by hearing. If you keep hearing something you start to believe it.” He thinks of reformed theology as falsehood, and so using this verse (Romans 10:17), was seeking to show the source of my error, namely that I should never have listened to reformed theology.

Leaving the discussion about reformed theology aside, is what he wrote correct? Does hearing something mean that you will believe it? I would suggest not, and go further to say that his view of Scripture is incredibly low to say such a thing. The obvious implication of his words is the concept that we believe anything we hear. But is that true? I have heard many things in life that I do not believe. Some people in England believe Manchester United are the greatest soccer team in the land, when it is clear that this title belongs to Liverpool alone. I could hear someone talk of the Manchester team in such glowing terms all day and all night for a week, and never believe the bald faced satanic lie. I jest, of course (slightly anyway - after all the Manchester team are called "The Red Devils") - but the point is still a valid one. We do not believe everything we hear - even something we hear repeatedly. It is God Himself who gives the gift of saving faith (Ephesians 2:8,9) - it is not the product of our natural humanity, however many times a person hears the Gospel preached.

]]> Certainly hearing a thing many times can have great influence. A child brought up in a home filled with anti-semitism can certainly be influenced to the point where they take on a similar mind set – but such is the thinking of a child who usually accepts the teaching of his parents uncritically. As the child grows, he learns to evaluate what he hears and check out facts and figures and arguments to see if the claims made are true. This is one of the features of becoming an adult – the ability to think for oneself.

The Romans 10:17 verse is wonderfully true. Faith comes by hearing the word of Christ. However it is important to understand what it is saying, and also what it is not saying. It is not saying that everyone who hears anything will believe it. Neither is it saying that everyone who hears the word of God will believe it. The verse does not say that; nor is it true in our experience today; and neither was it the experience of the apostles.

Acts 13:48-51 tells us “And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium.”

All the elect believed the word of God when they heard it “as many as were appointed to eternal life believed” but some who heard the exact same message rose up in opposition to it and stirred up persecution against the proclaimers of the Gospel.

But lets suppose the gentleman's understanding was true. If it was the case that people will always believe what they hear, the most loving thing we could do for people would be to kidnap them, lock them in a room with some sound speakers, and then proclaim the word of God to them hour upon hour, and then, hey presto - after some time, they will all become Christians. Then we can let them out of the room, and send them out to reach others in the same way in order to fulfill the Great Commission. But such would be the actions of a cult, not the work of a Christian group at all. If this was how we were to “reach out” to others, “there would be no need for prayer, for persuasion, or for the Holy Spirit.... the resulting conviction would be the result of mere brainwashing, and the profession of faith a mere parroting of what has been heard, similar to how an insane person might mindlessly mutter some of the phrases that he overhears or that are fed to him by others. There would be no genuine belief in the promises of God, but the conviction would serve only as the lifeless and thoughtless replacement to the person's previous beliefs that have now been forcibly short-circuited by the process. The person might feel convinced, but there can be no power and no salvation in this kind of "faith."” (Vincent Cheung) Locking people up and force-feeding them the Gospel is certainly not the way God calls us to evangelize. Yet this would be the necessary implication of the gentleman’s understanding and view of Romans 10:17.

So how do we determine the correct understanding of this verse, or any verse for that matter. Some say just pray and God will show you the correct interpretation. I believe in prayer very much, but the problem with that is that people pray and see different things in the verse, sometimes even contradictory things. Contradiction is not the hallmark or truth but of error. The problem is not the Holy Spirit’s inability to guide. God forbid! The problem is our human depravity; we do not always think correctly about God and truth and need help to correctly understand the word. This is true for all of us. Theologians call this the noetic effects of sin. In order to combat this, Paul told Timothy to diligently study the word in order to rightly interpret it (2 Tim. 2:15). Earlier in that same chapter Paul exhorted Timothy to think through what he was teaching, even though he knew it is God who is the ultimate source of revelation. 2 Tim. 2:7 “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”

How can someone be sure of the correct interpretation of Romans 10:17? One of the keys – and as I understand it, the most important key to correct interpretation is to know the context. Context tells us what the subject is, what the background was, who was writing, who were the recipients, and so on and so forth. As I hear something being taught, or hear a verse being quoted in support of an argument, my mind naturally thinks of the immediate context of the verse. I train myself to mentally go through this process. This really helps me determine if what I am hearing is true. It helps me to ask questions such as “what was the original purpose of the passage? What was the author seeking to achieve in the passage being quoted?” Often times this process alone has saved me from many a misguided idea. The problem with this is that we all have our blind spots. It takes vigilance to be on guard for error. The most dangerous thing is to never ask questions concerning context, for this is the sure way to error. This is exactly what the cults do – lifting verses out of their setting to seek to deny the Deity of Christ, for example.

So back to the verse: what was the context of Romans 10:17? Well, Romans 10:17 is part of a larger context that starts around Romans 8:28 and goes through to the end of Romans 11, where Paul is teaching about God’s Sovereignty in election and how it relates to Israel. Romans 9 deals with God’s Sovereignty in election, Romans 10 discusses the means whereby God’s electing “ends” are achieved, namely the preaching of the Gospel. That is the context. The message of Romans 10:17 is clear. Though God is the One who chooses people according to His amazing mercy (Romans 9), God has chosen to do this through the means of the preached word of God. The elect come to faith through of the heralding of the Gospel.

Romans 10: 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

The verse is not teaching us that one exposure to falsehood will cause us to believe it. That is not what the text is saying at all. No, the verse is teaching us that the way God’s elect people come to believe the gospel is through the preached word of Christ. Faith comes through the means of people hearing the word of God. God uses the means of preaching to bring people to faith. Not everyone who hears of Christ believes in him, as verse 16 makes clear, but no one believes in Christ without first hearing of Him. The answer to the rhetorical question, "And how are they to hear without someone preaching?" is that, they will not. The way faith comes is through hearing the message of Christ in the mouth of the preacher. What a high calling it is to proclaim God's word in this way. It is God's means for His elect sheep to come to faith in Christ. There is not an alternative means, so preacher, preach the Gospel!

Let me quote from the Prince of Preachers, C. H. Spurgeon on this theme: "I believe that God will save his own elect, and I also believe that, if I do not preach the gospel, the blood of men will be laid at my door." In another setting he said, “Our Savior has bidden us to preach the gospel to every creature; he has not said, “Preach it only to the elect;” and though that might seem to be the most logical thing for us to do, yet, since he has not been pleased to stamp the elect in their foreheads, or to put any distinctive mark upon them, it would be an impossible task for us to perform; whereas, when we preach the gospel to every creature, the gospel makes its own division, and Christ’s sheep hear his voice, and follow him.”

Amen and amen! I write this short article as an encouragement to us to become more and more familiar with the Bible as a whole. The fact is - we all will get better at interpreting the Bible, the more we become familiar with the contents of the Bible. Let us be reading it constantly, and seek to always remember the context of the verses we hear being quoted. This discipline alone will keep us from many an error. Yet even though we exercise diligence in this, our confidence of remaining true to the faith does not rest in our wits or ability to interpret correctly, but in God’s Sovereign grace and mercy to keep us from deception.

Matthew 24 speaks of an end time deception on such a grand scale that “if it were possible, even the elect would be deceived.” Thank God, it is indeed impossible for the elect to be deceived – though all of us are called to think and to pray and to ask God to keep us in His hand - the elect will not be deceived, because God Sovereignly brings them out of, or keeps them from deception. Hallelujah!