Happy Reformation Day!
Posted: October 31, 2009 Filed under: Reform Theology, Reformation Church History Leave a commentRHB’s Reformation Day Sale
Posted: October 30, 2009 Filed under: Reformation Heritage Books Leave a comment
For More Than A Dozen Additional Titles ON SALE CLICK HERE
Question of the Day
Posted: October 29, 2009 Filed under: Questions that begged to be asked Leave a commentDr. Joel Beeke Interviewed
Posted: October 28, 2009 Filed under: Interviews, Joel Beeke Leave a comment(Posted by David Wheaton)
Taken from The Christian Worldview
“Once upon a time in America, godly preachers shaped the worldview of the citizens of this country by preaching the Word of God “line upon line and precept upon precept.” No more. Now, the entertainment industry, the media, and the educational system, all with their humanistic, ungodly, unbiblical worldview, are the primary influencers of our society. Is it any wonder why evil is called good now and good called evil?
This Saturday in Hour 1 of The Christian Worldview, we’ll take a look back at the common distinctives of the great preachers of the past that had immense influence on America – from John Calvin and Martin Luther of the Reformation to the Puritan preachers of the 1600’s to George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards of the Great Awakening to Charles Spurgeon in the 1800’s and several more who revived the hearts of millions for Christ.
Dr. Joel Beeke, president of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan and conference speaker with Dr. Steven Lawson at this past week’s Expositor’s Conference in Mobile, AL, will join us to explain what made these preachers so effective and what we need to learn from them.”
You can listen to the interview here.
Can God Know Everything and still give us Free Will?
Posted: October 27, 2009 Filed under: Kevin DeYoung Leave a comment
Problems with Arminian Universal Redemption
Posted: October 27, 2009 Filed under: Joel Beeke 1 Comment(Posted by Joel Beeke)
The Arminian view is by far the most popular of the four views of the atonement in the Christian church today. However, serious objections must be lodged against Arminian universal redemption, among which are these:
It slanders God’s attributes, such as his love. Arminianism presents a love that actually doesn’t save. It is a love that loves and then, if refused, turns to hatred and anger. It is not unchangeable love that endures from everlasting to everlasting. It provides atonement for all, but then withholds the means of grace that would make that salvation effectual in all lives. Are we to believe that Christ died for everyone in the deepest jungle and the darkest city, but his love doesn’t provide the missionaries, preachers, or sermons that would make his death effectual?
It slanders God’s wisdom. Why would God make a plan to save everyone, then not carry it out? Would he be so foolish as to have his Son pay for the salvation of all if he knew that Christ would not be able to obtain what he paid for? Some say he didn’t realise the consequences; he saw far enough to provide atonement, but couldn’t see that some wouldn’t take it. Does not that assertion slander the wisdom of God? Could God plan and provide atonement, but not realise that his atonement would not be accepted?
I would feel foolish if I went into a store and bought something, then walked out without it. Yet Arminianism asks us to believe that this is true of salvation — that there was a purchase made, a redemption, and yet the Lord walked away without those whom he had redeemed. That view slanders the wisdom of God.
It slanders God’s power. Arminian universalism obliges us to believe that God was able to accomplish the meriting aspect of salvation, but that the applying aspect is dependent on man and his free will. It asks us to believe that God has worked out everyone’s salvation up to a point, but no further for anyone. The implication is that God has built the bridge of salvation between him and us, and we have only to walk over it by accepting his terms of salvation through a free act of the will. ‘God does his part,’ Arminians say, ‘and now we must do our part.’
Calvinists respond by saying that this makes salvation dependent on the will of humanity, thereby reducing God and his power. Instead of our coming to God with our withered hands and saying, ‘If Thou wilt, Thou canst make us whole,’ this view has God coming to us with a withered hand, a hand that is not strong enough to save anyone, and saying, ‘If thou wilt, thou canst complete this salvation; thou canst make me whole.’ In essence, modern evangelistic sermons often take such an approach: ‘God has done much, but he needs you to complete the job.’ Does that way of thinking not slander the all-sufficient power of God? It makes God dependent on the will of man.
It slanders God’s justice. Did Christ satisfy God’s justice for everyone? Did Christ take the punishment due to everybody? If he did, how can God punish anyone? Is it justice to punish one person for the sins of another and later to punish the initial offender again? As Augustus Toplady said,
Payment God cannot twice demand;
First at my bleeding Surety’s hand,
And then again at mine.
God can’t and won’t demand payment twice. Double punishment is injustice.
It disables the deity of Christ A defeated Saviour is not God. This error teaches that Christ tried to save everyone but didn’t succeed. It denies the power and efficacy of Christ’s blood, since not all for whom he died are saved. Hence, Christ’s blood was wasted on Judas and Esau. Much of his labour, tears, and blood was poured out in vain. In other words, he will not see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied (Isa. 53:11) on behalf of many for whom he died. There will be many miscarriages — those with whom he travailed in soul yet who will not ultimately be saved. Does such defeat not make Christ less than God? No wonder Charles H. Spurgeon called this a ‘monstrous’ doctrine.1
It undermines the unity of the Trinity. Just as parents must work together to run a family effectively, so the triune God co-labours in each of his persons with identical purposes and goals. One person cannot possibly have in mind to save some that another person has not determined to save, but Arminian universalism implicitly teaches just that. It denies the Father’s sovereign election, since Christ would have died for more than God decreed to save, thereby making Christ seem to have a different agenda from that of the Father. That would have been anathema to Jesus, who asserted that his entire redemptive ministry was consciously designed to carry out a divinely arranged plan (John 6:38-39). T. J. Crawford writes,
The atonement originated in the love of God. It is the consequence and not the cause of God’s willingness to save sinners. In this light the Savior Himself is careful to present it. Instead of ascribing to His Father all the sternness and severity, and claiming as His own all the tenderness and compassion, He takes special pains to impress us with the assurance that the purpose of His mission was to proclaim the loving message and to execute the loving will of His Father who is in heaven.2
In the atonement, we are not running from the Father, who as a stern Judge is ready to condemn us, to the Son, who is more gracious than the Father. Rather, in the atonement we have a way to run to the Father and rest in him, for Christ’s sake, the way a child runs to and rests in the lap of his or her father.
Then, too, Arminian redemption divides Christ from Christ, as it were. Calvinism insists that Christ’s entire priestly work must be viewed as a harmonious whole. His expiation by atoning death and his priestly intercession are co-extensive. What an oxymoron it is to maintain that Christ died for everyone but intercedes only for some (John 17:2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 20, 24).
Finally, Arminian redemption disavows the saving ministry of the Holy Spirit, since it claims that Christ’s blood has a wider application than does the Spirit’s saving work. Any presentation of salvation that makes the Father’s or the Spirit’s work in salvation lag behind Christ’s work contradicts the inherent unity of the Trinity. The Father and the Son are one. The Spirit and the Son are one. Christ cannot possibly have died for those whom the Father did not decree to save and in whom the Spirit does not savingly work. God cannot be at odds with himself. Arminianism is inconsistent universalism.
It rejects all of the other points of Calvinism. The Arminian view of the atonement rejects the doctrine of man’s total depravity, teaching that man has the ability within himself to receive and accept Christ. It rejects unconditional election, teaching that God elects on the basis of foreseen faith. It rejects irresistible grace, teaching that man’s will is stronger than God’s. It rejects perseverance of the saints, teaching that man can apostatize from the faith. J. I. Packer says,
It cannot be over-emphasized that we have not seen the full meaning of the cross till we have seen it as the centre of the gospel, flanked on the one hand by total inability and unconditional election and on the other by irresistible grace and final preservation.3
It detracts from the glory of God. If God does everything in salvation, he gets all the glory. But if God can only do so much and not everything, then the person who completes the bridge gets at least some glory. That is why there is so much emphasis in mass evangelism on the free will of man. The glory of God is not exalted, and neither is the glory of Christ lifted up for providing a perfect and complete salvation. We are told of the free will of man, without which salvation cannot be put into effect. We are told to exercise our free will without being told that this will is in bondage due to our depraved nature. We cannot freely choose God and salvation on our own. We cannot complete the bridge. God completes the bridge, as we are told in 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, so that ‘no flesh should glory in his presence.’ Universal atonement exalts the will of man and debases the glory of God.
It undermines thankfulness and assurance. Why should I thank God for something that I achieved? If the Lord Jesus did no more for me than he did for Judas and the inhabitants of Sodom, why should I thank him rather than myself? And if there are some for whom Christ died who are in hell today, how can I be sure the atonement will atone for me?
It perverts evangelism. We repeatedly hear today in evangelistic messages: “Christ died for you. What will you do for him?’ But do we ever find in the Bible that someone is told personally, ‘Christ died for you’? Rather, we find the work of Christ explained, followed by a call to everyone: ‘Repent and believe the gospel.’ The message is not ‘Believe that Christ died for you’ or ‘Believe that you are one of the elect.’ It is ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.’
It disparages the intrinsic efficacy of the atonement itself. Arminians teach that Christ’s work induces the Father to accept graciously what Jesus accomplished in the place of a full satisfaction of his justice. It is as if Jesus persuaded his Father to accept something less than justice demanded. That is why Arminius claimed that when God saved sinners, he moved from his throne of justice to his throne of grace. But God does not have two thrones; his throne of justice is his throne of grace (Psa. 85:10). Arminianism forgets that the atonement does not win God’s love but is the provision of his love. In that provision, Christ paid the full price of justice. He did not make a down payment on the debt owed; he paid the full price of sin so that the Father as Judge could justly cancel the debt (Heb. 10:14-18).
Arminianism, then, is ultimately inconsistent universalism, as John Owen showed powerfully in his A Display of Arminianism. Owen explains the fallacy of the Arminian view of the divine design of the atonement as follows:
God imposed his wrath due unto, and Christ underwent the pains of hell, for, either all the sins of all men, or all the sins of some men, or some sins of all men. If the last, some sins of all men, then have all men some sins to answer for, and so shall no man be saved. If the second, that is it which we affirm, that Christ in their stead and room suffered for all the sins of all the elect in the world. If the first, why, then, are not all freed from the punishment of all their sins? You will say, ‘Because of their unbelief; they will not believe.’ But this unbelief, is it a sin, or not? If not, why should they be punished for it? If it be, then Christ underwent the punishment due to it, or not. If so, then why must that hinder them more than their other sins for which he died from partaking of the fruit of his death? If he did not, then did he not die for all their sins.4
Notes:
1. Autobiography, Volume 1: The Early Years (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1962), p. 172. This chapter from The Early Years is also available in booklet form from the Trust, A Defence of Calvinism.
2. The Doctrine of Holy Scripture Respecting the Atonement (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1954), p. 192. My heartfelt thanks to David Murray for several thoughts contained in this article.
3. Quoted in John Blanchard, The Complete Gathered Gold (Darlington, England: Evangelical Press, 2006), p. 35; cf. Ronald Cammenga and Ronald Hanko, Saved by Grace: A Study of the Five Points of Calvinism 2nd ed. (Grandville, Mich.: Reformed Free Publishing Association, 2002), pp. 122-123.
4. The Works of John Owen, Volume 10 (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1967), pp. 173-4.
Taken with permission from the October 2009 Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth. Note 1 added.
Conference: Practical Calvinism in the Global Context in Grand Rapids
Posted: October 26, 2009 Filed under: Calvin for the 21st Century Leave a comment(Posted by Antoine Theron)
Where: 2009 Seventh Reformed Fall Conference – Co-sponsored by the World Reformed Fellowship
Date: October 30 ~ Nov 1, 2009
Main Speakers: Dr. Samuel T. Logan Jr., International Director, World Reformed Fellowship; Dr. Flip Buys, President, Mukhanyo Theological College , South Africa; and Dr. Tim Trumper, Seventh Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, MI
Theme: Practical Calvinism in the Global Context
Why: Marking the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin
(Click Here to view Conference Program)
God First, Then Extras
Posted: October 25, 2009 Filed under: Sundays with Spurgeon Leave a commentBut seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)
See how the Bible opens: “In the beginning God.” Let your life open in the same way. Seek with your whole soul, first and foremost, the kingdom of God, as the place of your citizenship, and His righteousness as the character of your life. As for the rest, it will come from the Lord Himself without your being anxious concerning it. All that is needful for this life and godliness “shall be added unto you.”
What a promise this is! Food, raiment, home, and so forth, God undertakes to add to you while you seek Him. You mind His business, and He will mind yours. If you want paper and string, you get them given in when you buy more important goods; and just so all that we need of earthly things we shall have thrown in with the kingdom. He who is an heir of salvation shall not die of starvation; and he who clothes his soul with the righteousness of God cannot be left of the Lord with a naked body. Away with carking care. Set all your mind upon seeking the Lord. Covetousness is poverty, and anxiety is misery: trust in God is an estate, and likeness of God is a heavenly inheritance. Lord, I seek Thee; be found of me.
Michael & Emily Dewalt’s Wedding Slideshow
Posted: October 24, 2009 Filed under: Emily and I, Emily's Posts, Vlogs 2 Comments(Posted by Emily Harlan, soon to be Dewalt if the sectary of state will ever take care of my paperwork! )
A special thanks to Kim Westrate for her time spent in doing this for Dewalt and I. Although it was not shown at the wedding… we have a blog right!
Just in Time! Romans by RC Sproul
Posted: October 23, 2009 Filed under: Crossway, R.C. Sproul Leave a comment
I just started my exegesis paper titled, “The Apostasy of Israel and the Mission to the Gentiles: Looking at Romans 11” for my Biblical Theology of Mission class. And little and behold I received my copy of RC’s newest title by Crossway.
I have heard many say over the last month about this title “do we really need another commentary on the Book of Romans?” But after already reading selected potations of RC’s new title, I say yes, yes for 2 reasons mainly.
One – The commentary is a selection of the sermons RC has preached through the book of Romans. Why is this good? Is instead of a critical, in-depth, hard to follow along read, it is as if you are listening to RC talk right at you with his stories and jokes all together in one.
Two – The commentary is easy to understand. This can be bad and good, but yet great for the unregenerate. The book can and should be given to those that have not heard the Gospel. RC puts the importance upon the gospel and staying focused on that, easy as 1, 2, 3… It is both good for the unsaved and saved.
From Crossway,
“Sproul’s sermons at St. Andrew’s Chapel are the foundation of these never-before-published expositions on Paul’s epistle to the Romans.
Chrysostom had it read aloud to him once a week. Augustine, Luther, and Wesley all came to assured faith through its impact. The Reformers saw it as the God-given key to understanding the whole of Scripture.
Throughout church history the study of the book of Romans has been pivotal to understanding Christian life and doctrine. Convinced that “Paul’s fullest, grandest, most comprehensive statement of the gospel” is just as vital today, R. C. Sproul delivered nearly sixty sermons on Romans from October 2005 to April 2007 at St. Andrew’s Chapel, where he has pastored for more than a decade. These never-before-published, passage-by-passage expositions will enrich any study of this weighty epistle.”
From others,
Sinclair B. Ferguson, Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina
“‘R. C. Sproul,’ someone said to me in the 1970s, ‘is the finest communicator in the Reformed world.’ Now, three decades later, his skills honed by long practice, his understanding deepened by years of prayer, meditation, and testing (as Martin Luther counseled), R. C. shares the fruit of what has become perhaps his greatest love: feeding and nourishing his own congregation at St. Andrew’s from the Word of God and building them up in faith and fellowship and in Christian living and serving. The St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary will be welcomed throughout the world. It promises to have all R. C.’s hallmarks: clarity and liveliness, humor and pathos, always expressed in application to the mind, will, and affections. R. C.’s ability to focus on the ‘the big picture,’ his genius of never saying too much, leaving his hearers satisfied yet wanting more, never making the Word dull, are all present in these expositions. They are his gift to the wider church. May they nourish God’s people well and serve as models of the kind of ministry for which we continue to hunger.”
W. Robert Godfrey, President, Westminster Seminary California
“R. C. Sproul, well-known as a master theologian and extraordinary communicator, now shows that he is a powerful, insightful, helpful expository preacher. This collection of sermons is of great value for churches and Christians everywhere.”
Derek W. H. Thomas, John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Practical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary; Minister of Teaching, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi
“I tell my students again and again, ‘You need to buy good commentaries and do so with some discernment.’Among these commentaries there must be preacher’s commentaries, for not all commentaries are the same. Some may tell you what the text means but provide little help in answering the question, ‘How do I preach this text?’ R. C. Sproul is a legend in our time. His preaching has held us in awe for half a century, and these pages represent the fruit of his latest exposition, coming as they do at the very peak of his abilities and insights. I am ecstatic at the prospect of reading the St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary series. It represents Reformed theology on fire, delivered from a pastor’s heart in a vibrant congregation of our time. Essential reading.”
Steven J. Lawson, Senior Pastor, Christ Fellowship Baptist Church, Mobile, Alabama
“R. C. Sproul is the premier theologian of our day, an extraordinary instrument in the hand of the Lord. Possessed with penetrating insight into the text of Scripture, Dr. Sproul is a gifted expositor and world-class teacher, endowed with a strategic grasp and command of the inspired Word. Since stepping into the pulpit of St. Andrew’s and committing himself to the weekly discipline of biblical exposition, this noted preacher has demonstrated a rare ability to explicate and apply God’s Word. I wholeheartedly recommend the St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary to all who long to know the truth better and experience it more deeply in a life-changing fashion. Here is an indispensable tool for digging deeper into God’s Word. This is a must-read for every Christian.”
Joel R. Beeke, President, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary
“How exciting! Thousands of us have long been indebted to R. C. Sproul the teacher, and now, through the St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary, we are indebted to Sproul the preacher, whose sermons are thoroughly biblical, soundly doctrinal, warmly practical, and wonderfully readable. Sproul masterfully presents us with the ‘big picture’ of each pericope in a dignified yet conversational style that accentuates the glory of God and meets the real needs of sinful people like us. This series of volumes, a joint effort between two premier publishers, is an absolute must for every Reformed preacher and church member who yearns to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ Jesus. I predict that Sproul’s pulpit ministry in written form will do for Christians in the twenty-first century what Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s sermonic commentaries did for us last century. Tolle lege, and buy these volumes for your friends.”
Michael S. Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California
“John Wesley once said of a colleague that Scripture so thoroughly pulsed through his spiritual veins that he ‘bled Bibline.’ The same could be said without exaggeration of R. C. Sproul. More specifically, one could easily say that he ‘bleeds Pauline.’ The theology of the Apostle to the Gentiles courses through Dr. Sproul’s veins in all of his work. Therefore, it is a special privilege to be able to read his sermons on Paul’s Letter to the Romans. Romans has turned the world upside down for two millennia. Not only did it lead to Augustine’s conversion; it was a primary source for his defense of the gospel against Pelagius. This epistle was the catalyst for the Reformation and shaped the minds and hearts of many leaders of the modern missionary movement. Romans continues its revolution to the present day and each of R. C. Sproul’s expositions reminds us why. Read this book and, by God’s grace, you’ll never be the same.”
Crucial Questions Booklet Series
Posted: October 22, 2009 Filed under: R.C. Sproul, Reformation Trust Leave a comment;) Throughout his nearly fifty years of teaching the content of the Bible and theological concepts, Dr. R. C. Sproul has “majored on the majors”—the most important doctrines and truths of the Christian faith. As a gifted communicator, Dr. Sproul has helped many believers grow in their understanding of such matters as the nature of God, the history of redemption, and the manner in which we are saved. Now Dr. Sproul’s lucid teaching on these vital matters is available in a series of concise booklets that are perfect for personal learning and refreshing, as well as small-group study. The initial booklets in the Crucial Questions series deal with such topics as the true identity of Jesus, the will of God, the value of prayer, and the trustworthiness of the Bible. Future booklets in the series will address equally important subjects. For a quick introduction to matters at the very core of the Christian life, for yourself or a friend, consider the Crucial Questions booklets, new from Reformation Trust Publishing. The initial booklets in the series include:
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News Update from the Calvin500 Conference
Posted: October 21, 2009 Filed under: Calvin 500 Leave a comment(Posted by David Hall)
#1 Two of the sermons from our time in the Cathedral are scheduled to air on Ligonier Ministry’s Renewing Your Mind radio broadcast this week.
From John Duncan of Ligonier, see below.
“Make sure your network and interested friends know that Ferguson and Orombi’s Calvin 500 messages will air nationally on RYM, Oct. 20 and 21. The station locator at our site shows listeners what station in their area broadcasts RYM and the time it’s on.
We will feature the series again when the product sets are in house and we’ll take preorders for those that call in during these two messages.”
#2 We’re happy to announce that Ligonier Ministry is partnering with us to release the set of 15 sermons from Calvin500 in CD format. See their website beginning Nov. 1 for a totally cool Christmas gift to friends and family. If your pastor hasn’t heard these, we heartily recommend them.
#3 Book 5 of the Calvin500 series, Calvin and Commerce: The Transforming Power of Calvinism in Market Economies (co-authored by Matt Burton and myself) is just out from P&R this week, and vol. 6 (the morning lectures, Tributes to John Calvin) is slated for release April 1, 2010. Following that, the final two volumes will be released from P&R in 2010. Find all the volumes as available from the P&R website.
Feel free to blog, twitter, or pass the news on about our sermons release as a CD set to whomever you think would benefit. Pastors, if you’re the only ones who know this, it is not boasting to let your congregation know where to find these great sermons.
Interview with Warren Smith on “A Lover’s Quarrel”
Posted: October 20, 2009 Filed under: David Murray, Interview with Warren Smith, Interviews, Warren Smith Leave a comment(Posted by David Murray)
Oh the The Origin of Sin
Posted: October 19, 2009 Filed under: Joel Beeke's Devotionals Leave a comment(Posted by Joel Beeke)
“Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.” ―Genesis 3:1
Genesis 3 is, perhaps, the most pivotal chapter in Scripture. It is the black chapter of sin because of the entrance of sin into the world (v. 6); the red chapter of atonement because of the first proclamation of the coming Messiah (v. 15), typified in the first blood-shedding (v. 21); and the white chapter of hope because it contains the first confession of faith in Adam’s naming his wife, Eve (v. 20).
Our understanding of Genesis 3 affects our understanding of the rest of biblical revelation. It profoundly affects our understanding of our lives, our radical depravity, our desperate need for the Savior, and our daily experience in a fallen world.
Many of the questions people have about their Christian experience come from a failure to understand the implications of the fall and what it means to live, not in the world as God made it, but in the world as sin spoiled it. Many people try to live as if we are not in a fallen world. Few grasp the gravity and depth of our tragic fall and our dire need for a Savior.
Genesis 3 raises the question of how it was possible for sin to enter a beautiful and perfect world that was governed by a man and woman who lived unashamedly naked before God, each other, and all creation (Gen. 2:25).
The answer is that sin entered the world through Satan in the guise of a serpent (Gen. 3:1–5; Rev. 12:9). Though he was one of the highest and brightest angels prior to his fall, Satan (according to Ezek. 28:11–19 and Isa. 14:12–14) seems to have become so preoccupied with his own beauty and glory that he thought he could unseat the God of glory and take His place. When God cast Satan out of heaven, Satan decided to tempt man, the crown of God’s creation, with the very sins that had motivated Satan to fall.
That is as far as we can go in answering the age-old question of where evil came from. Only the sovereign God knows how sin permeated heaven itself in Satan’s rebellion. It is more important for us to understand the nature of sin on earth than to understand the origin of sin in heaven.
Are you convinced of the heinous nature of sin? Are you convicted of the anti-God character of sin? Have you learned to hate sin with all your heart, mind, and strength?
Honeymooning in Florida
Posted: October 17, 2009 Filed under: Emily and I, Emily's Posts, Vlogs 1 Comment(Post by Emily Dewalt)
What is the Covenant of Works?
Posted: October 17, 2009 Filed under: Joel Beeke Leave a comment(Posted by Joel Beeke)
“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” —Genesis 2:15–17
The Bible is covenant-centered. It consists of the Old Testament, or old covenant, and the New Testament, or new covenant. The word covenant, which is used more than three hundred times in the Bible, comes from the Latin term con venire, meaning “coming together.” It presupposes that two or more parties come together in an agreement that includes promises, stipulations, privileges, and responsibilities. A covenant is an agreement between parties that binds them to certain acts on each other’s behalf.
When the Bible speaks of covenant, it speaks mostly of God making a covenant with man. God is a covenant God. He deals with man in a covenantal way. A biblical covenant is an agreement between God and man that stipulates the conditions of our relationship with Him.
The covenant between God and man that is commonly called the covenant of works almost jumps out at us in Genesis 2:15–17, even though the word covenant is absent. All the essential parts of a covenant are here:
● The sovereign God and sinless Adam, representing all mankind, are the two parties of the covenant of works (vv. 15–16).
● The condition of the covenant of works is perfect obedience (v. 17). No allowance is made for repentance or forgiveness, and the smallest infraction moves God to exact judgment (Gal. 3:10).
● God offers a clear test or stipulation. Genesis 2:16 says, “The LORD God commanded the man” not to eat of the forbidden tree.
● In this covenant, God promises life. He condescends to affirm that He will graciously reward obedience by attaching a token of His promise in the tree of life (Gen. 3:24).
● The penalty for violating this covenant is death: physical death of the body, spiritual death of the soul, and eternal death of the soul and body in hell (Gen. 2:17). Eternal death, which includes the loss of God’s favor, is the ultimate punishment for sin. Hell is the loss of all good and the gain of all evil; it is ultimate despair.
Such punishment is just because sin is injurious to an infinite God. Sin is an offense to infinite majesty. It is contempt of infinite authority, abuse of infinite mercy, and dishonor to infinite excellence. It is an affront to infinite holiness, a reproach to infinite glory, and an enemy of infinite love.
Has the Holy Spirit convinced you of your lost state before God? Have you identified with Adam in his tragic fall and seen yourself as a covenant breaker? Have you then taken refuge in Christ and the covenant of grace? Everything you need is offered by our able and willing Savior, Jesus Christ.
For further reading: Romans 5:12–21
Jesus the “I AM” (Part 2)
Posted: October 16, 2009 Filed under: Bible Study, Christ, God, Theology Leave a comment[Posted by Benjamin Thocher]
So what is the point? What is our take away, as contemporary Christians, from Jesus calling himself the “true vine”? Jesus tells the disciples that they are branches of the “true vine” and that they are to “abide in him.” In verse 4 Jesus says “Abide in me, and I in you.” I would guess that at this point the disciples would have, at best, understood this as a reference to Jesus’ teaching – they were, therefore, to let the words of Jesus dwell or abide in their heads and hearts. While this is not necessarily an incorrect understanding, it is only one small dimension of what Jesus is communicating.
This discourse is sandwiched between the end of chapter 14 and the end of chapter 15, both of which contain statements about the Comforter that Jesus would send after his departure. This Comforter, we know, is the Holy Spirit. We see, then, that Jesus is looking forward to the day of Pentecost when he would pour out the Holy Spirit to empower and equip the church for her mission in the world. 1 Corinthians 15:45 says that Jesus, in his resurrection and ascension became to us and for us “life-giving Spirit.”
Therefore, the abiding activity that Jesus speaks of is accomplished by the indwelling presence and work of the Spirit of God. Jesus says that “fruit bearing” will not happen unless we abide in him. If we understand “fruit bearing” to be the primary aim of the Christian life – which it is – then what Jesus is saying is radical, he is saying that the Christian life, and fellowship with the God of the universe, does not happen apart from intimate relationship with him.
What I like about John is he uses heightened contrast to drive home his points. In 1 John we are either in the light or we are in the darkness. Not one or the other, not a little of both. Light. Darkness. Here, we are either abiding in Christ or we are not abiding in Christ. There is no middle ground. We either abide in Christ and are pruned in order that we bear more fruit or we do not abide in Christ and are thrown into the fire. No in between. No casual, take-it-or-leave-it attitude. There is no Christ-likeness apart from intimate relationship with Christ. There is no Christian faith that is not first and foremost focused on the person and work of Jesus. As branches of the true vine, all that is his is ours.
Two points of application from this passage:
As we “abide” in Christ…it redefines what we are…
Our Spirit-wrought union with Christ dramatically redefines what we are. In the Old Testament the division was between Jews and Gentiles. Basically, the haves and the have-nots. The Jews were the people of God while the Gentiles (everyone not a Jew) stood on the outside of that relationship looking in. Jesus, though, as he applies to himself the description of being the “true vine” reorients the way we think about ethnic distinctions. If Jesus is the one true Israelite then we, as we are in relationship with him, are constituted as God’s people on his behalf. There are no longer any distinctions between Jew and Gentile – we are now defined only with respect to whether or not we are “in Christ.” Paul says in Ephesians 2 that Jesus Christ has “brought near those who were far off” and that he has “broken down the dividing wall” between Jew and Gentile in order that God might create for himself a “new humanity.” We, as the body of Christ in all the world are that “new humanity.”
Sometimes this truth does not hit us the way it should. We don’t live in a world where Jew/Gentile distinctions mean much. However, we do live in a world that values social and economic status. What we want to say as loud as possible to ourselves and to those around us is that right standing before God is not determined by what family you were born into, or what country you live in, or what ethnic background you share in. We are Christians by virtue of our faith in Christ and nothing else. Faith in Jesus, not ethnic background, has become the decisive characteristic and requirement for membership among God’s people.
What we sometimes miss is that for the Jewish people this was a difficult teaching. This seemed to go against everything that the Old Testament taught. The Old Testament struggles greatly with the issue of Jews and Gentiles. Those inside the covenant relationship with God and those on the outside looking in. When we get through the Gospel accounts and come to Acts we find that the Jews had a difficult time accepting that Gentiles could be included into the people of God as Gentiles (no circumcision necessary!). This is what the gospel has done for us: we Gentiles who were far off have now been brought near by the shed blood of Christ. What we are is no longer central – we have become branches of the one true Israelite on account of his righteousness and perfect obedience.
As we “abide” in Christ…it redefines who we are…
As it redefines what we are, it at the same time redefines who we are. We abide in Christ on account of his work. We abide in Christ on the basis of what he has done and we bring nothing to the table. It is all about who Christ is and has nothing to do with who we are as individuals. We are not central in this picture – we are branches! We are peripheral at best! Branches only have existence as they are connected to the vine. There are no lone ranger Christians who can do things on their own.
John has laid down the gauntlet and given us a choice: we are either abiding in Christ by trusting in him alone, or we are branches that get tossed into the fire. We desperately, desperately need Jesus Christ. Our lives and accomplishments mean nothing before the creator of the universe. All of our success, popularity, fame, and fortune will never be pleasing to God. There is one life that pleases God and that life is Christ’s. Only because his life is accepted can those who are “in him” be pleasing to God and filled with the Spirit, because every believer possesses everything of Christ’s.
Jesus the “I AM” (Part 1)
Posted: October 15, 2009 Filed under: Bible Study, Christ, Eschatology, God, Theology Leave a comment[Posted by Benjamin Thocher]
At the beginning of John 15 Jesus says to disciples “I AM the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.” The rest of the chapter revolves around this illustration and what it means first of all for who Jesus is and secondly for who we are, as believers, in relationship with him. As we move through John’s Gospel we find Jesus issuing seven “I AM” statements (cf. 6:35; 8:12 & 9:5; 10:7; 10:11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1).
When Jesus says “I AM,” he is not making a simple statement about himself and tacking on some interesting imagery. The Greek construction utilized in these statements is one of emphasis and could be woodenly rendered “I Myself Am.” By including these seven statements in his Gospel, though, John is communicating something to us about who Jesus is. What is it that John wants to communicate?
In Exodus chapter 3, Moses encounters God at the burning bush. During this encounter God reveals his name to Moses – he tells Moses that his name is “I AM.” Fast forward a few thousand years to Jesus walking around making statements like “I AM the good shepherd” and “I AM the way, and the truth, and the life” and we see a much more profound intention. Jesus is invoking the personal name of God revealed to Moses and claiming to be equal with the God of the Old Testament. YHWH, the God of Israel.
We come then to John 15 and understand Jesus’ statement “I AM the true vine” to be a statement with respect to his deity. Jesus identifies himself as God. What then does he mean when he says that he is the “true vine”? My saying “I am a tree” is meaningless as there is no prior context for it to be significant. However, looking again to the Old Testament we receive assistance in discerning what Jesus is communicating about himself.
In Psalm 80 Israel is said to be a vine that God brought out of Egypt and “planted” in the Promised Land. Throughout the Old Testament – here in Psalm 80 and especially in Isaiah 5 – Israel is called God’s vine, or God’s vineyard. As God’s vine they were called to be obedient. Or, to utilize the language of John’s illustration, they were called to be “fruitful.” Israel, however, did not fulfill their calling.
Adam, as God’s son, failed in the garden to obey the Law of God and to rule over creation. So too Israel failed in the Promised Land, as God’s son, to obey the Law of God and to rule over her enemies. Jesus, in calling himself the “true vine” stands in opposition and stark contrast to that which is inherently counterfeit, or perhaps better put, that which is “less ultimate.” Jesus has in clear view here the disobedience of Israel as God’s faithless vine.
Jesus Christ, not Israel, is the “true vine” of God. Jesus here shows himself to fulfill Israel’s destiny – whereas Israel did not bear fruit, Jesus will bear the fruit of true obedience. This is what I like to think of as the punch-line of the whole Bible: Jesus defines himself as the one true Israelite. He represents in himself the faithful nation of Israel. “Faithful Israel” had been reduced to one man, and one man alone.
All that God had done for Israel looked forward to what he would do in and through his only son, Jesus Christ. Jesus as the true Israelite keeps the law perfectly, he worships God perfectly, and he succeeds in every place that Israel before him had failed. His obedience was a perfect obedience. In Philippians 3:8 Paul says that Jesus’ obedience was an obedience “unto death – even death on a cross.” His deliverance was not a deliverance from the hands of foreign oppressors, but a deliverance from the grip of sin itself.
Lessons Learned
Posted: October 14, 2009 Filed under: Just for Fun Leave a comment[by Tim Challies]
It was just a couple of months ago that I celebrated my eleventh anniversary. That gives me an eleven-year jump on our friend Dewalt who celebrated his wedding just a few days ago. I know that eleven years pales in comparison to some who read this blog, but I think it has to be enough time to have learned a little bit of wisdom. On the event of my anniversary I spent some time reflecting on some of the lessons I’d learned and jotted them down for my blog. I’m going to go ahead and post them here once more. Here are a few lessons learned in the first decade-and-a-bit of my own marriage.
Be a Leader!. Leadership is not an easy task and, while God calls a husband to lead his family, at the same time the man has to learn how to lead and to prove himself worthy of the position. While it is a position he is given by God, it is a position he also has to earn. When I married I was young and totally unsuited for any kind of leadership. It took me years to come to terms with the fact that God wanted me to lead my family as the husband and father and a few years more to realize that Aileen really wanted me to lead as well. I was greatly encouraged when, just a few weeks ago, she shared with me how she has seen me grow as a leader, and especially as a spiritual leader. Anything I’ve learned in this area has come with difficulty and has come by God’s grace.
If I could go back, I would counsel myself to be a better and more confident head of the household and to take this position earlier in our marriage. For too many years I led too little.
Invest Early, Invest Often!. This may apply to finances, but I am thinking of it here in terms of spiritual matters. As a poor leader, I invested far too little time, early in our marriage, to building a spiritual foundation. It has taken us years to feel truly comfortable with one another in sharing spiritual struggles and even in spending time reading the Bible and praying together (as just a couple—family devotions have come much more naturally). Like many men I’ve spoken to, it often seems that it’s easier to pray with a complete stranger than with my wife. If I look back in another eleven years, I wouldn’t be surprised if we are still learning here,
If I could do it all again, I would ensure that we learned very early on to spend time together before the Lord. I would be a better leader in investing early and investing often.
Prepare to Hurt and Be Hurt!. One of the greatest ironies and the greatest tragedies of marriage is that a husband and wife have more opportunities to sin against one another than against anyone else in all the world. Over the course of eleven years of marriage, I have hurt Aileen more than anyone else and have sinned against her more than I’ve sinned again anyone else. I suppose this means that marriage also offers unparalleled opportunities to extend forgiveness and to choose to overlook sin. While Aileen and I have had our share of struggles over the years, I truly believe that we carry no bitterness toward one another. Through God’s grace we have offered and received forgiveness time and time again. And through his grace we have overlooked many an offense. Yet there have been many occasions when we have hurt one another and when we have let this wounds fester for just a little too long.
If I could go back, I would prepare myself to be hurt and, even more, would seek to emphasize kindness and forbearance and grace so that I could hurt my wife far less often.
Be an Encourager! I can be such a jerk. As Dave Harvey said so well in When Sinners Say ‘I Do’, “the more you get to know me, the more you’ll admire my wife.” I find it so much easier to criticize than to encourage, to tear down rather than build up. For so many years of my marriage I spent far more time telling Aileen what she hadn’t done or who she hadn’t become instead of encouraging her for all the evidences of God’s grace I saw in her. Even today it remains a struggle as my mind always tends toward the negative (and because, somehow, all my nagging to this point has not produced the perfection I seem to expect). It has taken me a long time to become an encourager and even now I am prone to see evil sooner than I see good.
If I were to go back, I would counsel myself to seek to build encouragement as more of a foundation in our marriage. I would seek to learn more about encouragement and would seek to learn it much sooner.
Be Realistic! You knew that sex had to come into the discussion sooner or later. There is no doubt that sex is one of God’s greatest gifts within marriage and, probably for that very reason, it is also one of the greatest struggles. Having spoken to many others about this, I think it is safe to say that for a lot of couples, and perhaps even most couples, the majority of their fights or arguments or disagreements, especially during certain stages of life, will revolve around sex. The vulnerability of sex, the joy of sex, the uniqueness of sex, give endless opportunities for both joy and hurt. Anyone who approaches marriage thinking that sex will be all joy will be sorely disappointed.
If I could go back, I would counsel myself to be realistic and to learn this lesson sooner. And I would counsel myself to learn patience and kindness in this area.
Learn Her Language!. I’ve never read that book about “love languages,” but I do like the phrase it revolves around. Each of us have certain ways we tend to express love and certain ways we like to have love expressed to us. It took me far too long to learn that many of the ways I expressed love for Aileen were ways that she did not understand; often she did not even understand them to be expressions of my love. I loved her in ways I wanted to be loved rather than in ways she needed to be loved. In one sense this was my own naivete, but in another sense it was a kind of deliberate ignorance. I simply refused to find out how she needed me to express love to her.
Were I to go back, I would counsel myself to spend more time seeking to understand how I could express to her my love and affection; I would learn to speak her language sooner and I would learn to speak it better.
I guess there is a lot more I would say than all of this. I would reassure myself that in standing there, waiting to receive my bride, I was doing the right thing (not that I ever had any doubt) and that God truly was going to bless this union. Maybe I would whisper that all those things we had heard from the elderly couples in our church were actually true: that after a decade of marriage we would love one another more than even on our wedding day and that marriage truly is a great gift of God and that we truly would find great joy in it and that God would use this marriage to mold and shape us into his image.
And yet I know that even if I told myself all of these things, there would still be lessons I would have to learn a decade later. I suppose this is how God helps us grow; he teaches us a little bit at a time as we are prepared to receive and apply the lessons. And some lessons can only be learned by first-hand experience.
God’s Primacy over His People
Posted: October 14, 2009 Filed under: Guest Bloggers Leave a comment(Posted by Joel Beeke)
“And God said, Let us make man….” ―Genesis 1:26
Thoughts on this passage: We often come to Genesis 1 with a kind of inquisitiveness about creation. Instead, we ought to come in a spirit of worship, bowing before the glorious majesty of the God who has created the universe and given us life and breath and all things. Then we will recognize that He has revealed Himself so that He might practically affect our lives.
The first practical effect Genesis 1 ought to have on us is to help us recognize the primacy of God over all of life. If God is the subject of creation, that is, if He occupies a place of primacy in the universe, then the simple logical corollary is that He must occupy the same place in our lives, both individually and corporately. That, indeed, is how God intends us to live. Jesus put it this way: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matt. 6:33a).
We run into all kinds of trouble when we don’t embrace this practical principle of bowing before the primacy of God over all of life. For example, think of the primacy of God in our planning. Too often we first decide what we want to do, then approach God for confirmation, hoping that our desires will be acceptable to Him. But the biblical principle is “In the beginning God.” That means before we make any plans, we should recognize the right of God over all of our lives. If we truly believe that God’s initiative is the foundation of all of our plans, we will understand that our position is to seek grace to discern His will and good pleasure, then to do it, no matter what self-denial that calls for.
When God becomes primary in our plans, situations often change. Difficulties, even seeming impossibilities, are overcome. Doubts are dissipated; deliverance is received.
For those that are reading this, are you seeking to bow to the primacy of God in every sphere of your life? Are you surrendering your limited time, your limited money, your limited energy to the will of God? Do you really want to live by the principle, “In the beginning God”?
If you could see what your prayers looked like . . .
Posted: October 13, 2009 Filed under: Adoption, Dan Cruver, Guest Bloggers Leave a comment[Posted by Dan Cruver]
To be adopted by God is to be in union with Christ. You can’t have one without the other. When God adopted us, He adopted us “in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:5-6). There is nothing that is more life-changing or destiny-altering than the reality of being in union with God’s Beloved Son — and that is a gross understatement!
Jesus changes everything for us, not the least of which is our prayer life. Have you ever considered the fact that when you pray to your Father, you literally pray in union with Jesus?
To pray in union with Jesus means that your prayers are not carried to God by your merit. If God’s reception of our prayers were dependent upon our merit, our prayers would crash and burn before they could even be formed in our minds. No, our prayers are carried to the Father by the altogether lovely and acceptable merit of Jesus.
“If you could see what your prayers looked like to God [because of Jesus], no one could stop you from praying” (Brian Habig, quoting an unnamed theologian).
Heaven – Home of Gospel-Embracing Repenters
Posted: October 13, 2009 Filed under: Guest Bloggers | Tags: Gospel, Heaven, J. C. Ryle, Repentance Leave a comment[by Timmy Brister]
Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. Because heaven is a prepared place, our Christian lives should be characterized by rejoicing and anticipating being with the Lord. Because heaven is for a prepared people our Christian lives should be characterized by repentance and turning away from ourselves. Therefore, the Christian life is both one of rejoicing and repentance, at the same time. In fact, it could be said that, though we mourn over and hate our sin, our repentance should be joyful knowing that God has promised bring to fulfillment that which he began in us, namely the glorification of His Son in us. There is no genuine joy without thorough repentance, and genuine repentance ought to bring about increasing joy as sin is displaced and we draw nearer to Jesus.
We often call Christians “believers”. “We are a gathering of believers . . .” but Christians are also “repenters,” so why don’t refer to a gathering of repenters? Our response to the gospel at conversion is both – a repenting faith or believing repentance, and our response to the gospel from that moment on is the same. The more we behold Jesus by faith as seen in the gospel, the more we are transformed into His image from one degree of glory to another. If there are no degrees of glory being experienced on earth, then what, pray tell, would such a professing Christian claim to experience in heaven? The very degrees of glory we experience in the daily transformation of our lives through repentance and faith are meant to be a foretaste of the fullness of glory to be seen when we are “taken up into glory.” To miss it here is to forfeit it there.
J.C. Ryle, in his book Old Paths, explains it this way:
“Our hearts must be in tune for the employments of heaven, or else heaven itself would be a miserable abode. Our minds must be in harmony with those of the inhabitants of heaven, or else the society of heaven would soon be intolerable to us. . . . I would never have you ignorant that if you went there with an impenitent heart, heaven would be no heaven for your soul. What could you possibly do in heaven, if you got there with a heart loving sin? To which of all the saints would you speak? By whose side would you sit down? Surely the angels of God would make no sweet music to the heart of him who cannot bear saints upon earth, and never praised the Lamb for redeeming love! Surely the company of patriarchs, and apostles, and prophets, would be no joy to that man who will not read his Bible now, and does not care to know what apostles and prophets wrote. Oh no! no! there can be no happiness in heaven, if we get there with an impenitent heart.”
In heaven, whom we have treasured by faith will become sight. But if we fail to look upon Jesus by faith, turning from ourselves and our idols, then we have no reason to expect our eyes to behold the one whom our hearts failed to treasure. No, heaven is for a prepared people whose hearts have become fertile soil for the gospel where idols and rivals to Jesus have been crushed by repentance and the reign of Jesus established by faith in all that Jesus is for us in his life, death, and resurrection. For when we are raised with him in glory to be united forever, we will recognize a people who have become like the one whom they have beheld as gospel-inducing repentance has, step by step, degree by degree, taken us homeward on the journey to glory.
Some thoughts while reading Genesis 2
Posted: October 13, 2009 Filed under: Guest Bloggers Leave a comment(Posted by Joel Beeke)
“The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.” ―Genesis 2:8
The garden of Eden is a microcosm of the loving, detailed, wise, and lavish provision of God for man as the crown and glory of creation. The world God prepared for man included:
● Physical provision. God gave man food to eat from the trees of the garden (Gen. 2:9), and He has been supplying food ever since. God also supplied man with physical work. He put Adam in the garden “to dress it and to keep it” (v. 15). Work is a pre-fall gift of our Creator. We were created to be industrious. Lack of discipline and laziness are results of our fallen condition.
● Spiritual provision. God gave man the Sabbath for his spiritual profit and physical rest. God wove rest and work into the pattern of His creation by His own example (vv. 2–3). The Lord offers the Sabbath as the day in which we meet with Him, learn of Him, enjoy Him, and commune with Him. In this communion, we find our highest work and chief glory. Do you know the Sabbath joy of communing with God?
● Moral provision. Having set man in the bounty of Eden, God told him what he must and must not do (vv. 16–17). Without this moral stimulus, man would have remained less than man. This moral requirement of man is often caricatured as only prohibitive, but God did not put man into the garden and say, “Now don’t touch,” like a parent warns a child going into a department store. Rather, God said: “The entire garden, with all its trees, is for you, except one, so that you might learn obedience to Me as your perfect Creator and Father. You will remain free and happy as long as you live in obedience to My holy commandments, which are good and perfect. My commandments are not a burden to be carried but a blessing to be embraced.”
● Aesthetic provision. God provided trees “pleasant to the sight” (v. 9). Eden’s trees were not just useful; they were beautiful.
● Social provision. God met Adam’s social needs by providing a helpmeet for him (v. 18). He provided a marital relationship that was complementary (v. 18) and exclusive (v. 24), creating another means by which man could give God glory.
That is lavish provision, indeed! Still today, God, in and through Christ, meets all our needs as He sends us into the world to live for Him. But our true freedom and full humanity can be realized only when we live within the boundaries of His perfect will. We become fully developed as God’s creation when we live in obedient faith to our Provider and pursue His glory with all that is within us.
Guest Bloggers on Gospel-Centered Musings
Posted: October 8, 2009 Filed under: Guest Bloggers, Just for Fun Leave a commentAs many of you who know me, know that I am getting married this coming weekend, (October 10th) which is in a few days! Due to that, and… schooling, planning, working, I am taking a leave of absent from the blogging until Oct. 20th. However just because I will be gone, doesn’t mean that the blog will stop. I have gathered a list of the Gospel-Centered brothers that I respect to post for me while taking care of my wedding duties and while I am off on my honeymoon (Oct. 20).
They are:
Joel R. Beeke was my advisor and mentor during my M.A.R. degree in Theological Studies at PRTS from January of 2007 to May 2009. He serves as President and Professor of Systematic Theology, Church History, and Homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. He has been in the ministry since 1978 and has served as a pastor of his current church (HNRC in Grand Rapids) since 1986. He is also editor of the Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth, editorial director of Reformation Heritage Books, president of Inheritance Publishers, and vice-president of the Dutch Reformed Translation Society. He has written, co-authored, or edited sixty books and contributed over fifteen hundred articles to Reformed books, journals, periodicals, and encyclopedias. His Ph.D. (1988) from Westminster Theological Seminary is in Reformation and Post-Reformation Theology. He is frequently called upon to lecture at Reformed seminaries and to speak at conferences around the world.
Tim Brister a Christian, Husband, Father, Minister, Photographer, Cyclist, and Blogger. To which of these he likes best, I have no idea. But I know which one I appreciate the most, his Blog “Provocations and Paintings” and is as Gospel-Centered as they come, and for his work there, I am in much debt.
Tim Challies and I became friends through the internet, work, website jobs, book-publishing, and conferences. Through all of that – keeping in contact Tim has been a great aid in ministry from time to time when in need. According to Amazon there is only one Tim Challies in the world. He lives in Canada, he reads voraciously and writes constantly at his Web site (www.challies.com). He is also the author of the book, “The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment.”
Dan Cruver a mentor of mine during my college years, but even more a friend and a best one at that. Before directing Together for Adoption, was a college professor of Bible and Theology. He has also served as a pastor of family ministries. As one who has been adopted by God and has adopted two children, Dan founded Together for Adoption to equip churches and educate Christians theologically about orphan care and horizontal adoption. Dan regularly writes and speaks about the Gospel and its implications for earthly adoption and the care of orphans. He recently wrote the foreword to Heirs with Christ: The Puritans on Adoption by Dr. Joel Beeke. Dan is available to speak in churches and other groups interested in adoption. Contact him at dan.cruver (at) TogetherforAdoption (dot) org.
Nick Rundlett a friend of mine that has been through the thick and thin throughout the last 7 years of my life, especially during my college years when times were rough. A roommate, a video-gamer that played NCAA College Football constantly (still does) and is the Middle School Director of Student Ministries at Colonial Baptist Church in Cary, North Carolina.
Ben Thocher a co-worker in the summers of 2005 and 2006 in camping ministries Ben and I became better friends when learning about each other’s passion for theology and knowing the Bible deeper than what we had been taught. Ben is working towards his Masters of Arts in Religion focusing in Biblical Studies at Westminster Theological Seminary while working full-time for the Westminster Bookstore.
What is RHB?
Posted: October 7, 2009 Filed under: Reformation Heritage Books Leave a comment(Post by RHB)
Reformation Heritage Books (RHB) is a publisher and bookseller whose mission is, by the Spirit’s grace, to aim for the conversion of unbelievers and equip the saints to serve Christ and His church through biblical, experiential, and practical ministry, via books, tracts, and other resources. RHB aims that reading material be God-glorifying and be in accord with the Scriptures and historic Reformed creeds for the promotion and defense of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe that this purpose is well-served by providing instruction and training that develops knowledge and skills as well as the personal piety and Christian character that is essential for a faithful and growing life in Christ.
We are committed to the conviction that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as originally written are God’s inerrant Word inspired by His Spirit and therefore are the only, sufficient, and infallible authority for faith and practice.
Foundational to the mission of RHB is its identity as a confessionally Reformed publisher. Each book we publish, or carry from another publisher, subscribes to, or is judged according to the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith as expressed in the Ecumenical Creeds and the teaching of the Reformed faith as expressed in the Three Forms of Unity (The Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dort) and the Westminster Standards.
Reformation Heritage Books’ mission is to glorify God and strengthen His Church through the publication and distribution of Puritan and Reformed literature.
Gospel-Centered Musings 